She took a deep breath: "Let's go."
The young eunuch led the way.
Princess Jia Hua reluctantly boarded the carriage, her breath trembling.
As expected, she was brought to the main hall by the eunuch. The hall was empty and quiet, making her feel uneasy.
She swallowed hard.
"Miss Zhao."
A deep, sticky voice came from behind.
You don't need to turn around to know who it is.
"This humble woman greets Your Majesty." She curtsied.
Suddenly, a pair of hands pressed down on her arms, groping back and forth: "Miss Zhao, there's no need for such formalities. Quickly, get up."
Princess Jiahua instinctively dodged, taking two steps back to create distance, and when she looked up, she met a pair of sharp, eagle-like eyes.
"Seventh Brother is formidable, but he's still just a greenhorn who doesn't know anything. He might even die on the battlefield someday. You can't possibly come all this way to live a life of widowhood, can you?"
The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang sneered: "I am the supreme ruler of Southern Xinjiang. If you follow me, I will grant you wealth and honor, and protect you. In the future, after the Empress dies, I will also grant you the position of Empress."
Hearing these words, Princess Jiahua wished she could slap the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang twice.
This man is a scoundrel and a scoundrel; he's a despicable villain.
Cursing one's own son and wife is unworthy of being human!
The Southern Emperor pressed on: "Seventh Prince won't be back for at least a few months. Forget about it. Even if you want to marry Seventh Prince, you'll have to get past me first."
As he spoke, the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang clapped his hands, and a little eunuch brought over a scroll of paintings, which the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang opened.
The woman in the painting is stunningly beautiful and stands out among the group of noble ladies.
This was painted by a court painter on her fifteenth birthday!
Princess Jiahua was both surprised and angry.
"You are quite beautiful, why hide it?" The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang waved his hand, ordered someone to bring over beautiful clothes, and then said to Princess Jia Hua, "As long as you make me happy, it is not impossible for me to bestow a marriage upon you."
Princess Jia Hua was trembling with anger, biting her tongue to force herself to calm down.
She had prepared for the worst before entering the palace today.
"You will stay here with me until the seventh prince returns." The Southern Emperor pointed to the clothes beside him and ordered, "Go and change."
Princess Jia Hua suddenly pulled out a hairpin and pressed it against her fair neck. With a ruthless heart, blood immediately gushed from her neck.
"This humble woman is unworthy of Your Majesty's favor and can only atone with my death. I beg Your Majesty to tell Your Highness that if we cannot be husband and wife in this life, we shall meet again in the next."
Seeing the ruthlessness in Princess Jia Hua's eyes, the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang was stunned: "Wait!"
He knew that if this woman really died in the palace today, he wouldn't be able to explain himself.
Princess Jiahua held the gold hairpin in her hand, her gaze resolute: "Since I have already expressed my feelings to Your Highness, I will never serve a second person."
Annoyance flashed in the eyes of the Southern Frontier Emperor.
"If you die, I will immediately send troops to crush Northern Chu."
"I have long forgotten these things since my death. Your Majesty, please do as you please."
"You!" The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang choked with emotion.
Just then, the door was pushed open, and a young eunuch rushed in carrying a letter: "Urgent dispatch from 800 li away."
The Southern Emperor's expression softened slightly. He took the letter and glanced at it, but his anger intensified. The letter stated that if Miss Zhao's innocence was not protected, the Seventh Prince would surely rebel!
"You scoundrel! How dare you threaten me!" The Emperor of Southern Xinjiang was furious.
At this moment, the Empress arrived. She glanced at the hairpin in Princess Jiahua's hand and knew that the Southern Emperor's old habit had relapsed. She advised, "Seventh Prince has fought for many years and his reputation has spread far and wide. He has trained many people. Those people are loyal and may not listen to the court. Your Majesty should not forget General Xi from back then."
Upon hearing the name General Xi, the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang seemed to awaken from a dream. The lust in his eyes faded, and he said to the Empress, "I have other matters to attend to. You should take Miss Zhao back."
The Empress immediately helped Princess Jia Hua leave.
They hurriedly headed to Fengyi Palace.
The Empress personally bandaged her wounds. Looking at the bloodstains on her collar, she couldn't help but sigh. Princess Jiahua thanked her, saying, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
"I know you are a good child, but this marriage alliance is not what you wanted." The Empress said helplessly, "Before leaving, the seventh prince came to me and begged me to protect you."
"That urgent dispatch..."
She had just been brought into the palace when the urgent dispatch arrived; it couldn't have been this fast.
"Naturally, it was written in advance by the Seventh Prince. As long as you leave the Seventh Prince's residence, a document will be sent to the palace. In all these years, I have never seen the Seventh Prince take this seriously."
Princess Jia Hua understood, but felt mostly grateful.
The Empress sent people to escort Princess Jia Hua out of the palace.
Back at the Seventh Prince's residence, the Imperial Guards had long since withdrawn, but the residence was now filled with countless people, inside and out.
She looked at the person outside the door and asked, "Who is General Xi?"
The guard explained, "Three years ago, General Xi was appointed by the Emperor as the Grand General of the State, replacing His Highness's Crimson Flame Army and leading the army into battle. However, not a single member of the Flame Army obeyed orders, and even when punished, they did not follow General Xi's instructions."
"Is that so? What happened next?"
"Later, it was the Seventh Prince who gave the order for the Crimson Flame Army to obey General Xi. However, after General Xi went to the battlefield, no one in the Crimson Flame Army was there to protect him, and General Xi was stabbed to death by the enemy."
Princess Jia Hua was surprised. No wonder the Emperor of Southern Xinjiang's expression changed when the Empress mentioned General Xi today.
"Your Highness has escaped death many times and saved many lives. The Crimson Flame Army only listens to Your Highness, and even the Emperor can't do anything about it."
Princess Jia Hua couldn't help but sneer. Even so, the Southern Emperor was still bewitched and forced her into the palace while the Seventh Prince was away.
She simply couldn't understand why so many women weren't enough for him to favor.
"Don't worry, young lady. The Crimson Flame Army is guarding the manor now. Even if the Imperial Guards come, we'll still beat them to a pulp!" The guard's face revealed a murderous intent.
Princess Jia Hua then realized that the guards today were different, exuding a strong killing intent.
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