Broken marriage line

"Since you're not serving me well, there's no need for you to exist. Let's just get rid of it."

Xiao Yan'an said lightly, "Let's deal with it." Even though the servants below were heartbroken and in tears, they didn't dare to argue a word.

"Wait, they serve us very well. I'm not happy because I've lost my freedom." Yuanli said as she walked towards Xiao Yan'an and sat down obediently to eat.

"One day, you'll get used to it. If you serve me well, then I'll let you stay and continue serving me. Everyone, get up and have dinner."

The maids and eunuchs quickly stood up and went about their business. Throughout the meal, Xiao Yan'an kept picking up her so-called favorite dishes. But she didn't touch a single bite until the end.

In reality, those dishes were all Liangzhu cuisine, dishes she loved in her previous life. Although they were all her own, she really hated the feeling of being someone else's substitute.

Xiao Yan'an dismissed all the eunuchs and maids and took out three secret letters with his personal seal. "The legitimate daughter of Prime Minister Wang Quan'an, the legitimate eldest daughter of General Changxin Zhao Qingyun, and the legitimate eldest granddaughter of Grand Tutor Luan Ming, please choose one."

"Your Majesty, the imperial decree granting my marriage to Qi Heng has been announced to the world. If this matter were to get out, I'm afraid it would also affect Your Majesty's holy reputation, right?"

"You're worried about my reputation, which is good. But I still like you being unruly, hating me, and going against me. That's how you act like an empress. She's never liked me, and she doesn't care about anything related to me. She only cares about Wen Yici, just like you only care about Qi Heng."

Yuanli was speechless. His previous reaction had been exactly what he wanted. Now, neither good nor bad was right. Xiao Yan'an had lived for decades, and his ability to deceive himself had reached a state of perfection.

"I don't know how many shadows of the emperor and empress are in my harem. This is known to almost everyone in the court, including the civil and military officials and even the people of the imperial capital. Many of them are women who secretly find some resemblance to the emperor and empress, and then painstakingly plan a "coincidence" to present them to me. The three big families I chose for you will keep their mouths shut tighter than anyone else. Believe it or not, even if they are asked to kill their own legitimate daughters raised in seclusion and let you replace them, they will not hesitate. As for Chi Li, the entire paternal and maternal clans behind Qi Heng will find a way to explain it to the outside world. Sudden illness? Accident? Murder? Whatever, it's all fine. No matter how ridiculous the excuses the Qi family finds, the family you choose will also work hard to make Chi Li's death decent and real."

Seeing that she was still silent, Xiao Yan'an picked up a letter and made a choice for her.

"The Grand Tutor has taught me since I was young, and his ancestors have produced important officials almost every generation. His students and the forces he has garnered hold prominent positions among the civil and military officials. With him around, even if someone says you choked to death while drinking water, no one would dare to say a word."

Using the brightly burning Luanfeng candlestick beside him, Xiao Yan'an lit the other two letters. "Take advantage of the two days while the Qi and Luan families are planning to get used to your new identity. Starting tomorrow, you will no longer be Chi Li. Don't try to prove your unwavering love for Qi Heng by risking your life, and don't try to use this to threaten me. You must remember that from the beginning to the end, you are just a shadow, not her."

After the two extra secret letters were burned out and turned into ashes that fell to the ground, there was a regular knock on the door outside the house. Xiao Yan'an immediately stood up and quickly left the house.

"Don't think too much, young lady. His Majesty will go to the main hall of the Emperor and Empress Palace at this time every night and stay there until dawn to attend court. He will not go to other empresses' places. Normally, the emperor's sleeping arrangements will end before this time. His Majesty never spends the night in any empress's palace. After all, His Majesty is still in our Emperor and Empress Palace." The head steward whispered to comfort him.

"It would be best if Your Majesty did not come."

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately hissed, "Young lady, please don't spread this. If His Majesty gets to his ears and angers him, your life in the palace won't be easy, will it? If it weren't for you, we wouldn't know where our bodies are right now. We also see that you have a kind heart, and we are willing to follow you and be loyal to you. Even if you don't trust us, we still hope that you will have a good outcome."

"You are a member of the Imperial Palace. You are not here to serve me. I have no interest in His Majesty's favor, nor do I want it. You won't gain much by following me, and you might even be implicated by me. It's best for you to stay away from me. Continue to live your life as you did when I wasn't in the Imperial Palace, and just do what His Majesty ordered you to do according to the rules. Everyone, go away. No one is allowed to come in and disturb me, and there is no need to stand guard at night."

All the servants in the Emperor's Palace were Xiao Yan'an's men. No matter how loyal they expressed themselves to her, she would not trust anyone here.

But even if they were Xiao Yan'an's spies, they had done nothing wrong. Once she left, she wondered if Xiao Yan'an or the jealous concubines in the palace would vent their anger on them. All she could do was keep them away and protect herself.

Hearing this, the head waiter was rather embarrassed and said with fear, "How can we leave the guards unattended at night? If the young lady has any instructions at night, won't there be anyone to find? His Majesty will blame the maids for not serving you well."

"I am of common origin, not a daughter of a noble family. I do not need to be waited on. Your Majesty, please do not blame me. Just tell him my orders truthfully."

"Then I'll help you change your clothes and wash up."

Feeling a chill on her wrist, Yuanli immediately put on a stern face and ordered, "No need. Arrange for someone to bring in the toiletries."

This time, Yuanli's tone was a bit firmer, and she finally managed to send the large group of maids away. After watching the head servant bring all the toiletries into the house, Yuanli once again instructed everyone not to enter the house without orders.

After dealing with them, she took off all the cumbersome pearl hairpins on her head, blew out half of the candles, and lay on the bed, thinking hard about how to escape.

"Xiaobai, go back to the heavens and find Tianshu Xingjun. Hurry and tell him it's urgent. If he doesn't come now, Chi Li will..."

Before Yuanli could finish her words, Tianshu's voice interrupted her from inside the room, "Chili, what?"

"Tianshu? When did you come?"

"I came into the room after you finished washing up. Tell me first, what's the urgent matter?"

"That pervert Xiao Yan'an is planning to make me the granddaughter of some so-and-so Grand Tutor. Chi Li, who is still a woman, will die tomorrow. The Qi family will decide the cause of death. Tianshu, Chi Li, who is still a woman, cannot die. If word gets back to my parents, they won't be able to bear the blow. I have to make Xiao Yan'an give up this idea before dawn. You're smarter than me, so help me think of a solution."

Tianshu took out the love-breaking scissors and gave them to Yuanli. They instantly appeared as Chili's love thread and marriage thread, lighting up the entire dimly lit palace.

"There's only one marriage thread left. Who does it connect to?"

Even though the answer instantly appeared in Tianshu's mind, he still closed his eyes and used his divine power to follow the thread of fate on her heart. Unsurprisingly, that face appeared before him.

"It's Chi Xun."

"Chi Xun? But didn't I come here to help Emperor Heng Jin overcome his tribulation? Why, why did I marry Chi Xun?"

For a moment, Yuanli found it hard to accept, feeling incredibly lost. Was it possible that she couldn't even marry him in this lifetime?

"I don't know why, but since it's destiny, we can only follow it and complete it. Only then will the Emperor's tribulation be successful. Fortunately, the mission given to you by the Emperor of Heaven is only to make the mortal Emperor fall in love with you, then betray him, and make him suffer emotional pain. Now that Qi Heng has fallen in love with you, you can use Xiao Yan'an and Chi Xun to make the Emperor suffer emotional pain. According to your marriage with Chi Xun, leaving the palace is only a matter of time. Your mortal parents are destined to send you off when you are young. Follow fate, you only have less than a year left to live. Ah Li, wake up, he will only be Heng Jin, not Wen Yici anymore."

"I know…"

Tianshu wanted to say something several times but stopped himself. In the end, he couldn't utter any words of comfort or advice. He just asked her to stretch out her hand and draw a talisman on the palm of her hand. When the last stroke was completed, the talisman disappeared in the palm of her hand.

"Next time you need to find me with something urgent, clench your palms and call out to Tianshu three times through telepathy. No matter what I'm doing, I'll appear at your side immediately. Even after your consciousness returns to heaven, you can still use it."

After saying this, Yuanli didn't have time to thank Tianshu before he disappeared. After blowing out all the candles in the hall and sending Xiaobai off to monitor the Qi and Luan families, Yuanli finally curled up on her bed, feeling lost and sad.

Xiao Yan'an's love for Su Jiahe is so morbid that he desperately seeks a replacement, a shadow, for her. She feels disgusted and repulsed by his behavior. But in reality, how different is she from Xiao Yan'an? She also treats Heng Jin and Qi Heng as replacements for Wen Yici, deceiving herself.

Even though there was only Wen Yici in her heart from beginning to end, seeing that face and hearing that voice were enough to make her heart beat faster again.

People are ultimately selfish, and so is she. At this moment, she also hates herself for being like this. However, she can't restrain herself from stopping her extravagant hopes for them, who share the same soul as Wen Yici.

About an hour had passed, and Yuanli was still tossing and turning, unable to sleep, with her thoughts running wildly into her head.

No, we can't just sit there and wait for death.

Yuanli sat up suddenly and pulled a Penglai Hidden Winged Falcon from her silver bell. As she chanted the ancient Penglai spell, the Hidden Winged Falcon's wings glowed faintly and fluttered beside her, its tail trailing a green glow through the air.

She skillfully slipped through the wall and headed for the main hall in the direction she remembered. Ever since her last nighttime experience using her cloaked wings, Yuanli had consulted ancient texts and memorized a spell that allowed her to remain invisible and mute without needing to activate her clairvoyance. This way, she could wander the palace without fear of startling herself.

The words of the person in charge during the day were not perfunctory or deceptive. The Emperor's and Empress's Palace was indeed too large and required a sedan chair. After groping through the wall for a long time, Yuanli finally found it.

As soon as he leaned over, he saw Xiao Yan'an kneeling in front of him with his eyes closed, holding a string of Buddhist beads in his hand and muttering silently.