Jin Zhi watched her in this state, his heart aching with regret. He truly regretted not stopping Jin Weige from marrying Zhang Chengyan back then. Others saw only the opulence of the Imperial Palace, but who knew that it was a place that devoured people whole? No matter how fine a woman might be, once she entered the inner court, she would be worn down until she was no longer herself.
Only a very few managed to live well here. Bai Wutong was living well now, but the path she had taken to get here had not been smooth; she, too, had experienced all sorts of hardships. If only Jin Weige had married an ordinary official, she could surely still be living happily as a mistress of a household. Even if she faltered, the Jin family would have been her strongest backing, rather than being trapped by the mandate that "a subject must die if the Emperor commands it."
"Weige, it’s my fault. When you wanted to marry Zhang Chengyan, I should have stopped you."
Chapter 448