Hongyu didn't want to get married in such an ambiguous way, so she had to find Grand Tutor Zhang to get some answers.

She ripped off her veil and tried to run away, but Shiliu grabbed her.

"Second Miss, this is a marriage bestowed by the Empress. If you run away, the entire Grand Tutor's mansion will be implicated. Besides, the Zuo family holds a high position and wields great power, ranking among the top in the capital..."

The Empress's bestowal of the marriage was for a purpose: Grand Tutor Zhang was the tutor of Prince Yan, and Minister Zuo was the tutor of the Crown Prince.

Both Prince Yan and the Crown Prince were the Empress's own sons. The Empress could not bear to see her two sons not getting along, so she tried every means to bring the two ministers closer together and arrange for them to become in-laws.

The only unsatisfactory thing is that... Zuo Zhen, the eldest son of the Zuo family, is disabled in both legs.

Hongyu was unaware of the situation, and Shiliu, being Madam Zhang's confidante, naturally wouldn't tell her.

They soon arrived at the Zuo residence, where Shiliu helped Hongyu out of the sedan chair.

A fierce wind was blowing outside. Hongyu clutched her veil, her red skirt fluttering in the wind, just like her anxious and uncertain heart.

She longed for a good ending, wealth and status, to never again suffer humiliation. But she didn't know what kind of person Zuo Zhen was. What if he tormented her like Bai Yehua? Wouldn't that be unbearable?

She and Zuo Zhen completed their wedding ceremony. Shi Liu helped her back to the bridal chamber. As they reached the door, a gust of wind blew, and the red veil fell off. She was terrified and turned to see Zuo Zhen's face:

He wasn't particularly tall, but he was upright and fit, with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, and a spirited demeanor. Especially his gentle and humble smile, which made him look like a well-educated and reasonable young master.

"Second Miss, quickly put the veil on."

She turned around and looked ahead, and a familiar face appeared: Liu Yao'er?

Liu Yao'er was the adopted daughter of the Zuo family and could be considered Zuo Zhen's sister. She should have been present at the Zuo family, but Hongyu was terrified and fainted.

------

"Hongyu, wake up..."

Hongyu opened her eyes and saw Chenyu. She quickly got up and hugged Chenyu. "Chenyu, I saw her, that serial killer..."

"Hongyu! Don't be afraid. You are in the bridal chamber now, and Young Master Zuo is watching you."

Young Master Zuo? Hongyu snapped out of her daze and turned to look. There was a man sitting at the round table.

The man had thick eyebrows and large eyes, his face was tense, and there was not a trace of a smile.

Hongyu asked in confusion, "Who is he?"

"I am Zuo Zhen, the eldest son of the Zuo family." Zuo Zhen stood up, picked up a cane, and limped towards the bed.

Hongyu shook her head repeatedly. Only then did she realize Madam Zhang's conspiracy: Chang Le must not want to marry the cripple, so Madam Zhang made her marry in her place.

So this is the eldest son of the Zuo family? He's a cripple. I suppose that young master was performing the wedding ceremony on behalf of Zuo Zhen.

She grabbed Shen Yu's arm and cried anxiously, "No, it's not him, the one who just married me wasn't him, Shen Yu, save me."

Shen Yu naturally knew who had just married Hong Yu. During the ceremony, her mother had told her that the eldest son of the Zuo family was disabled in both legs, so they asked Yan Wang to perform the ceremony on his behalf.

It seems that Hongyu has her eye on Yan Wang and doesn't want to marry Zuo Zhen.

Zuo Zhen stood aside with a wry smile. "Ha! It must be because Le'er has changed her mind that she made you marry in her place. Fine, go now. I, Zuo Zhen, never force anyone to do anything against their will. Hurry up and leave!"

Shen Yu grabbed Hong Yu and ran, but before they could even step out of the gate of Dong Su Pavilion, Liu Yao'er and more than a dozen guards blocked the entrance.

"Mu Chenyu! Are you here for the banquet? Or to steal the bride? Do you know that Madam Mu is looking for you?"

"The one your older brother is engaged to is Zhang Changle, not Zhang Hongyu..."

Liu Yao'er knew all this, of course. Zhang Changle had changed his mind. If he let Zhang Hongyu go, wouldn't Zuo Zhen be laughed at for being left alone in the bridal chamber?

"With the Empress bestowing this marriage upon him, Grand Tutor Zhang would certainly not make a mistake, nor would he dare to cause any trouble."

As Liu Yao'er spoke, she waved her hand, and the guards stepped forward to pull Chen Yu and Hong Yu apart.

"stop!"

Liu Yu arrived, his right arm draped around his neck, waving his left arm like a bird with broken wings, staggering towards Chen Yu.

He just cracked a bone last night, how come he's out here today?

Shen Yu was worried and hurriedly called out, "Young Master Liu, don't run away! Are you stupid? We told you to rest at home, why did you run away?"

A silly smile actually appeared on Liu Yu's thin, aloof face? That was truly rare.

He stopped in front of Chen Yu, turned and glared angrily at the guard, his eyes filled with fury. Before he could even speak, the guard was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.

Shen Yu hurriedly stepped forward to examine Liu Yu's arm, nagging as she straightened the strips of cloth, "Is Young Master Liu being silly? Running around like this is affecting bone healing..."

Liu Yu's cheeks flushed, and he lowered his head, speaking in a soft, gentle voice he had never used before:

“Yu Lang isn’t stupid. Last night, Madam Zhang prevented Yu Yu from seeing Hong Yu, and the nanny even said that Hong Yu was the second young lady. Yu Lang felt that something was amiss. Yu Yu must have noticed it too, right? The Zhang family is after Hong Yu.”

Yu Lang knew that Yu Yu was a righteous and helpful woman, so he rushed to lend her a hand.

Shen Yu pursed her lips and smiled shyly. Afraid of being seen, she took out a handkerchief and covered her mouth.

She didn't think anything was amiss.

Today, I came to the Zuo family's banquet with my parents and just learned about the substitute marriage from Hongyu.

At this moment, Hongyu was swaying and about to fall to the ground, she must have been frightened by Liu Yao'er.

Shen Yu hurriedly stepped forward to help her up and whispered comfortingly in her ear, "Hongyu, don't be afraid. We are both legitimate daughters of prestigious families. Hongyu is just an adopted daughter of the Zuo family. How can she be compared to us? You can put on the airs of a master and learn from Madam Bai."

Hongyu straightened her back, raised her chin, and walked step by step to Liu Yao'er. She raised her eyes arrogantly and said sternly, "Step back! I am Zhang Hongyu, the eldest daughter of Grand Tutor Zhang. The Empress has decreed that my sister Zhang Changle and Young Master Zuo should marry, not me. I will go back to the manor now and have my father give the Zuo family an explanation."

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