Chapter 85 Chapter 85 is the only genuine version...

Yes.

It seemed like Xu was about to say something just now, but she was interrupted by Madam Gong halfway through.

Cousins ​​with the same surname are the closest to each other, and there is nothing against etiquette for a cousin to make a square handkerchief for her cousin.

"Madam, this way please."

Gu Zhizhuo spoke with a smile.

As she left the main hall, she stared at Madam Sun, who was kneeling there. She knew exactly what she had said to Madam Xu. Madam Sun had dragged Madam Xu along, and the servants along the way had already made them avoid her.

The Gong and Xu families wanted to ruin Xu Ying'er's reputation, thinking that this would make the Gu family abandon her and force her to marry.

Even if Gong Hai wants to marry the princess now.

Even though most people would not believe those words, it would inevitably lead to criticism in the future, saying that she had ulterior motives towards her cousin before she recognized him.

Why should their Gu family's girl suffer like this?

Nanny Sun hurt Xu Ying'er's reputation in front of so many people.

Then Nanny Sun would have to save Gu Zhijiao's face in front of so many people.

The wind gently blew Gu Zhizhuo's veil, and her eyes were a little dazed.

Gu Zhijiao.

In the past, this name was only engraved on that small tombstone, but now, she is standing here alive.

The Prime Minister's wife was the first to react, and said nonchalantly, "Madam, you picked a very good time. I'm already hungry."

"The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion has a delicious Jade Minced Meat and Emerald Soup. I tried it once many years ago and I've never forgotten it."

Some of the recipes in the Zhenguogong Mansion were Wang's dowry, passed down from the aristocratic family, and are not available outside.

Gu Zhizhuo smiled and said, "You'll have to try it more later."

The others followed suit, saying some irrelevant things. They walked around the two people on the ground and walked forward talking and laughing.

The lady also came to the banquet. After everyone was seated and the meal started, she left quietly, leaving only Gu Liaoliao to entertain the guests.

Xu had not shown up, and Mrs. Xu and Xu Ying'er were also missing. Even Gu Zhiwei felt that something was wrong.

Several unmarried young ladies sat at two tables, while sisters Gu Zhiwei and Gu Zhinan sat at one table to accompany the guests. Seeing her approach, Gu Zhiwei stood up and asked quietly, "Big sister, where are my mother and cousin? Is my aunt going to take my cousin away?"

Gu Zhizhuo said, "You can entertain the guests first. Don't worry, it's a good thing. You will know after the banquet."

Gu Zhiwei smiled, sat back, and livened up the atmosphere in a familiar manner.

Gu Zhizhuo talked to Xie Danling, gave her a pearl flower as a thank you gift, and asked her to look after her two cousins. He also left Qiongfang behind just in case, and quietly went out with Qingmei.

Walking in the corridor, she casually said, "Is this a gift from your master?"

She was talking about the eldest princess being married to Gong Hai.

Qingmei's eyes curved with a smile, and now she was able to speak, she whispered, "It was Princess Zhaoyang who instigated Gong Hai to come to the Zhenguo Mansion to force a marriage. The Emperor was still mad about Princess Zhaoyang's matter, and when he found out, he was furious again. So my master persuaded the Emperor to grant the marriage."

Qingmei was not sure what to say next.

That damn Gong Hai was actually still thinking about the girl and said some inappropriate things in the brothel.

Wu Shang handed it over while sorting out the information...

Just reading those words made her so angry.

Gu Zhizhuo clapped his hands and smiled, "Your Majesty is wise."

This was the first time she said these four words so sincerely.

but……

Shen Xu is vindictive and doesn't like to owe favors to others, but he will never help anyone extra.

She gave him a talisman last time, and he destroyed the Qin family's hereditary succession.

Later, he also told her the origin of the Qingxin Talisman. Shouldn't that be considered even?

She simply gave up trying to figure it out. From the looks of it, this gentleman had no ill will towards her, and that was enough. She had already offended enough people, and the better off she was, the better off she would be.

As he spoke, Gu Zhizhuo entered the main hall. Nanny Sun knelt in the middle, and Madam Xu was held by two maids, half kneeling and half lying on her stomach. When Gu Zhizhuo entered, she was blushing and shrieking, "... The Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion trusts the words of a mean servant so much. Do you still consider the Xu family your in-laws?"

"Auntie, you watched someone bully your family and didn't dare to say a word?"

"Useless thing, you deserve to be guarded..."

"Block it."

Xu said expressionlessly.

The nanny who was escorting Mrs. Xu immediately took out a hand towel and stuffed it into her mouth, stuffing the word "widow" back into her mouth.

Mrs. Xu's face turned red and blue, and she kept sobbing.

"Go on."

Xu Ying'er...Gu Zhijiao was sitting next to Xu.

Xu held her hand tightly and looked cold and stern towards her sister-in-law, Mrs. Xu.

Nanny Sun repeatedly said that she saw her daughter die with her own eyes. She believed Nanny Sun. She was the only person who had treated her sincerely when she was in the Xu family. How could she not believe her?

But now, this wholehearted trust turned into a sharp dagger, stabbing into her heart.

She couldn't help but increase the strength of her hands, causing Gu Zhijiao a little pain.

Gu Zhijiao did not cry out in pain. She felt a little more at ease with the slight pain.

She is my aunt's daughter, a girl from the Gu family?

Is this really not a dream?

After having this beautiful dream, is she going to die...

The corners of Gu Zhijiao's lips curled up slightly. It didn't matter. Even if she died, she wanted to finish this dream.

Gu Zhizhuo walked in quietly and sat down at the bottom.

Nanny Sun shrank her neck, not daring to look up at her. She stammered, "...Do you remember that year when you returned to the capital from the northern border?"

Of course I remember.

Xu was from the north, and after getting married, she and Gu Weiwei lived in the northern border.

Until that year, the late emperor transferred Gu Weiwei to Liangzhou as the general.

At that time, a group of remnants of the previous dynasty made a comeback, occupied half of Liangzhou, and ascended the throne in Luoyang, proclaiming themselves emperors. They spread rumors of a revival of Daxing, causing panic throughout the country. This Emperor Xing claimed to be the grandson of the last emperor of the previous dynasty, and with this pretext, he recruited many people.

During that period, wars broke out frequently in the northern border. Gu Weiwei was really worried, so she asked someone to send her and Lielie back to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion in the capital.

The Ji family also wanted to move to the capital, so they followed her.

Even now, when I think back on what happened at that time, it is still vivid in my mind.

Xu remembered that her husband was about to take up his post and had allocated three hundred soldiers to escort them.

After leaving the northern border, the journey was relatively peaceful until they entered Yizhou, where they encountered a group of bandits of over a thousand people.

The soldiers asked them to hide and used themselves as bait to lure the bandits away.

While on the road, she had a miscarriage.

The Xu family was frightened by bandits, and they ran away, thinking she was a burden, leaving her and Lielie behind. Lielie was less than three years old at the time. Later, Nanny Sun and several maids took her and hid in the mountains.

She gave birth to the child in the mountains.

In the chaos, she could only vaguely see a small birthmark on the child's shoulder.

Later, something happened in the village at the foot of the mountain and a fire broke out.

There was fire everywhere and faint screams.

She could only flee to the mountains with her child in her arms. Until she lost consciousness, she only remembered that she was lying in a cave covered in blood. There were wildfires everywhere outside, and the heat was suffocating.

When she woke up, only Lielie and Nanny Sun were by her side. Nanny Sun told her that the child was dead and showed her the dead baby...

"explain!"

Xu's shoulders couldn't stop shaking slightly, and a storm was brewing in her voice.

"Slave girl, slave girl says..."

Nanny Sun bowed her forehead to the ground. She had already said the most difficult words, so the rest were not that difficult.

"The mountain was full of bandits, killing and burning. We hid in a cave. My brother fell asleep, but my sister was crying."

After the child was born, she kept running away and didn't even have a sip of milk. She whimpered and cried.

Nanny Sun was terrified. She looked at the fire outside and heard the faint rustling of footsteps around her. She was afraid that the child's crying would attract bandits, and she was afraid that she would be killed.

"I covered her mouth, trying to stop her from making any sound, when I heard someone appear outside the cave. I didn't dare move. When that person walked in, I saw it was my wife."

The Xu family had abandoned them on the road, so they should have gone far away long ago. They didn't expect them to appear here.

Mrs. Xu said she had come to look for them, but Nanny Sun didn't suspect anything until much later. It wasn't until much later that she realized they had run into another group of bandits shortly after they left. They couldn't believe the soldiers would come back for Mrs. Xu, so they simply returned. The bandits down the mountain that day were actually chasing them.

"Madam, you saw this servant put her hands on my sister's face."

"Madam said that I wanted to smother my sister to death. If I didn't give my sister to her, she would report me for murdering my master."

Nanny Sun was speechless at that time.

"I can only give my sister to Madam."

Mrs. Xu's face turned pale, and she made a whimpering sound, trying desperately to speak.

"Madam Sun, even if she told me, I wouldn't believe it." Madam Xu's voice trembled as she exposed her lies. "You were afraid Jiaojiao would cry, and that we'd be found by the bandits, so you just gave Jiaojiao to her. Isn't that right?"

"I..." Nanny Sun moved her lips, but finally said only one word, "Yes."

She is afraid.

She was really afraid of her sister crying.

"Madam has never conceived since marrying into the Xu family, and she was afraid of being divorced. You know, there's a custom in our northern land that if a woman can't bear children, she adopts the children of her husband's sisters, thus bringing a child to her husband's family. You're marrying into the Zhenguo Mansion, and if you were asked to adopt a child, you and the Second Master would definitely not agree. So Madam pretended to be pregnant and asked me to steal your child to her. I refused at the time."

Nanny Sun burst into tears, her tears and snot all mixed together. "Really, I didn't want to agree to this at first!"

Xu knew about this custom.

But at least both parties have to be willing. Who would steal a child?

She calmed her irregular breathing and finally asked, "Where did that dead baby come from?"

Nanny Sun hesitantly said, "It was given by the Madam. The Madam's pregnancy was fake. No matter how well she hid it, she couldn't hide the fact that she was giving birth. She took advantage of the fact that she ran away from the Master and found a dead baby in the village."

It was so chaotic at the time that Nanny Sun had no idea how she picked up the dead baby.

She gave the dead baby to herself and took her sister away.

Nanny Sun really didn't understand why she had to carry a child who could cry at any time.

Gu Zhijiao understood everything. Why would someone so evil steal her away from her parents? She hadn't been able to be with her mother since she was a child, and she hadn't even seen her father many times, never enjoyed his company or observed mourning for him.

Gu Zhijiao's whole body was shaking.

The Madam sitting on the armchair finally found her voice: "Ying'er... No, no, Jiaojiao is our child?"

The Second Lady was extremely worried. After all, it was her family, her most trusted nanny, who had stolen the child. She was blind and should not have fainted. If she had kept an eye on Jiaojiao, Jiaojiao would not have been lost.

In the past thirteen years, she never knew that her Jiaojiao was still alive.

She and her husband had been looking forward to this for a long time.

Whether her mother-in-law blames her, resents her, or hates her, this is what she deserves!

Xu said firmly, "Mother, yes. Jiaojiao is our daughter from the Gu family..."

The lady's eyebrows immediately danced with joy. She slapped her thigh and said happily, "Great, that's great!"

Xu was practically stunned. Gu Zhizhuo saw through her worries and deliberately teased her, saying, "Madam Tai has always dreamed of having a sweet and gentle granddaughter. Her dream has come true."

"Of course not."

The lady couldn't wait to pull Gu Zhijiao's hand over, smiling broadly: "You are the best. From now on, all the good things from grandma will be given to you, not your elder sister."

Xu Ying'er's tears suddenly flowed out. At this moment, she felt that she would be willing to die immediately.

"To Big Sister, Big Sister is the best."

"Okay, I'll give it all to you. I'll give it to whoever you say. Okay?"

“…”

Xu walked slowly to Mrs. Xu and took out the handkerchief stuffed in her mouth.

"What else do you have to say?"

"If it weren't for me, that damned girl Ying'er would have been suffocated to death by that cunning slave!" Madam Xu glared at Nanny Sun fiercely. "Auntie, you should be grateful to me. If it weren't for the purpose of continuing the Xu family's lineage, why would I have raised such an ungrateful little bastard?"

Xu's voice choked with sobs: "You stole her, why didn't you treat her well?"

"How have I treated her badly?" Mrs. Xu said in a shrill voice. "I fed her, clothed her, and raised her from such a young age..."

"Will she be starving in the Gu family?" Mrs. Xu angrily grabbed Mrs. Xu's neck and cried heartbreakingly, "You stole her and treated her like dirt. Now you treat her well. You have your own child and don't want her anymore. Why don't you give her back to me? Why?"

Mrs. Xu struggled desperately, kicking her legs and speaking haltingly, "...I just wanted to give birth to a son for your Xu family...Do you have any conscience? If it weren't for mine, your Xu family would have no descendants."

"You are such a heartless person... Ying'er is not worthy of being your biological child, she is such an ungrateful person."

"You will be sorry to the ancestors of the Xu family if you die."

Xu let go of her hand.

Mrs. Xu was gasping for breath.

Xu suddenly laughed, a smile on her lips, but her eyes were extremely cold: "Grateful to you? Guess, is my brother grateful that you gave him a legitimate son, or will he hate to kill you?"

"Of course I am... grateful to me! Who would be as heartless and conscienceless as you?"

Xu stood up and asked someone to go to the front to call Mr. Xu.

Mrs. Xu's eyes suddenly lit up.

She wants to give birth to a son for the Xu family, and the master will definitely protect her!

Mr. Xu was sitting at the front table, happily drinking and socializing with his companions. He was a relative of the Duke of Zhenguo, and even the Prime Minister was friendly to him. He was feeling very happy, so he asked someone to call him out.

Mr. Xu only heard that his sister was looking for him, and the nanny who brought him in kept silent about everything else. A strong sense of uneasiness surged up in him.

When I arrived at Ronghe Hall and saw the situation inside, I was completely stunned.

"Ying'er is not my daughter?"

He never doubted this, or rather, he never cared about "Xu Ying'er." Raising a little girl wouldn't cost much money, and as long as she could marry into a wealthy family like his sister and pave the way for his son, he wouldn't lose out.

Promising her to Gong Hai would be a great marriage.

Mrs. Xu screamed hysterically, as if she had grasped at a lifeline: "Master, your sister is a traitor! She's an ungrateful person who only cares about her husband's family. I gave birth to a son for the Xu family... and she dares to do this to me. Master..."

Mr. Xu's face turned dark.

"You bitch." Master Xu rushed over and kicked Madam Xu on the ground. The force of his kick was so strong that it hit her directly in the heart.

He was able to rise from a wool seller in the north to a wealthy mansion in the capital, with all the dignitaries looking up to him. It was definitely not because this woman gave birth to a son.

But it’s because of my sister!

It’s not that he can’t have a son. He already has two illegitimate sons. It’s just that this woman can’t give birth to one herself.

"Divorce my wife. I want a divorce!"

"Sister, Madam, I really didn't know anything about this." He said shamelessly, "It's all this woman's fault. Send her to the authorities. Yes, send her to the authorities."

Not to mention sending her to the authorities, even if the Gu family stabbed her to death, he would help report it as a sudden death.

Mrs. Xu covered her heart with her hands. The smell of blood surged up her throat and she spat out a mouthful of blood.

The person she had always protected was now willing to abandon her so easily, without even a moment's hesitation. If she hadn't wanted to give birth to a son for the Xu family, why would she bother raising someone else's useless girl?!

The two maids released their hands that were pressing on her shoulders. Mrs. Xu was filled with anger and screamed, then rushed forward and bit his neck hard. She used all her strength to press her cheeks hard, almost breaking her teeth.