Chapter 294: Extremely Angry
Zhao Liya felt that her brain seemed to be a little numb at this moment, unable to work. She should ask a few more questions, or maybe she had misunderstood?
Zhao Liya asked tentatively, "Didn't my father arrange marriages for me twice before? When our family was exiled to Lingnan, we had just left the capital, and the steward of the Duke of Liguo's Mansion chased after us and wanted to cancel the engagement. I even extorted two thousand taels of silver and a carriage from him! I know about this marriage, but are you talking about the one before this one? My father never mentioned it to me!"
Zhao Liya didn't really care. Perhaps they were both very young when the marriage was arranged? It might even have been arranged at birth. It was quite normal for it to be called off later.
You are still young. It is better to cancel the marriage that was arranged on impulse.
Zhou Hansheng opened his mouth and said weakly, "No."
"Um?"
"You haven't been engaged twice."
“.”
"I am the prince of Liguo."
Zhao Liya suddenly opened her eyes wide.
No wonder he was so secretive about his origins. Yet, he still had to act so serious in front of her, saying things like it wasn't the right time to tell her, that he couldn't tell her for a while, and that he definitely wouldn't lie to her and would tell her when the time came.
Well, that’s right!
It wasn't that I was completely wrong. It wasn't that I couldn't say it, or that it was difficult to say it, or that I shouldn't say it.
If he had told Zhao Liya everything when they first met, she wouldn't have needed to think about it. She would never have developed a liking for him and let the relationship develop to this point.
Zhao Liya also has her own dignity and pride. Why should she be teased like this!
"Zhou Hansheng! You big liar! Do you think it's fun to tease me? You're cheating and deceiving me! You have no good intentions!"
Zhao Liya was furious and kicked him in anger, wanting to slap him. "You lied to me! You scheming scumbag! Let's call it quits. I won't marry you!"
Zhao Liya was furious and cursing incoherently. Her eyes turned red with anger and her voice was choked with sobs. She covered her face and ran away. She felt so aggrieved.
After all the fuss about breaking off the engagement, it ended in vain! What did the Duke of Liguo mean by this? If Zhou Hansheng hadn't stopped the breakup in the first place, why did he provoke her later?
"Aya!" Zhou Hansheng hurriedly chased after her.
He knew there would be a storm, but what could he do? He couldn't keep it a secret from her forever.
"Aya, listen to my explanation!"
"I won't listen!"
"Listen, I did try a little, but—"
"No buts! You scumbag! A good horse never turns back! Let's call it a day, you don't have to say anything!"
"I'm the one who's going back to her, I'm going back! Aya, listen to me, I didn't know about the cancellation of the engagement!"
"So you found out later?"
"yes"
"Then why don't you say it?"
"I'm afraid you'll be angry"
"Oh, you also know that I will be angry?"
Zhao Liya was so angry that she couldn't help but kick him again.
Zhou Hansheng gasped and grimaced in pain, but he didn't dare to hide, let alone cry out in pain, "Listen to my explanation."
Zhao Liya didn't want to hear this sentence again. It seemed stupid to keep saying "I don't want to listen, I don't want to listen".
She glared at him angrily and said angrily, "Okay, you tell me!"
Zhou Hansheng unconsciously raised his foot to approach her. Zhao Liya raised her eyebrows and said, "Stop! Don't come over here."
"No, no!" Zhou Hansheng promised quickly, feeling a little regretful. His wife was too vigilant. This was a good thing, as she wouldn't be easily deceived.
".I really didn't know about this at first!"
This was all the brainchild of the Zhou family's old lady and Zhou Hansheng's two uncles and aunts. At the time, he hadn't returned to the capital from Shu, and his father was also away on business. His mother's health wasn't suited to childbirth, and after struggling to give birth to him, while she survived, her health was damaged. She'd been in poor health ever since, staying at home to recuperate and unable to take care of things.
Because of this, the wife of the second wife has always been in charge of the household affairs in the Duke of Liguo's mansion.
As soon as the news of Zhao Xiang's exile spread, the Duke of Liguo's Mansion panicked, fearing that they would be implicated. Old Lady Zhou took the initiative and ordered the cancellation of the marriage.
By the time the Duke of Liguo's residence returned to the capital, everything had already been decided. Furthermore, the capital was in disarray, and public sentiment was unstable. As the Empress's family and the Crown Prince's in-laws, the Duke of Liguo's residence had to keep a low profile. Besides tidying up the residence, the Duke of Liguo took no other action.
Duke Liguo is the brother of the current Empress and the uncle of the Crown Prince.
Old Madam Zhou was not his biological mother, but the second wife of the previous Duke Liguo. The second and third masters in the mansion were born to the second wife and were not brothers of the same mother as Duke Liguo.
The Duke's wife's health deteriorated after giving birth and she almost died. Zhou Hansheng was also weak and sickly when he was young. When he was less than five years old, Duke Li used his connections to send him to a Taoist priest in Shu to learn martial arts and regulate his body. Over the years, Zhou Hansheng never returned to the capital, so that almost everyone in the capital had forgotten the existence of this young master of the Duke Li's mansion.
Zhou Hansheng completed his studies in angelica, but the situation in the capital was strange and unstable, so Duke Liguo ordered him not to show up in public for the time being, and it would be cheaper and more convenient for him to act for the prince in secret.
The Zhou family and the Crown Prince were inherently connected, and there was no escaping them, not even the Duke of Liguo. Zhou Hansheng had no choice either; he had to side with the Crown Prince and the Queen.
Moreover, even though Zhou Hansheng and his cousin the Crown Prince had never met in person over the years, the Crown Prince had always shown great concern for him. The Crown Prince and the Empress would find ways to obtain medicinal herbs beneficial to his health, and would always secretly send them to Duke Li. Their care and love for him were genuine.
After Zhou Hansheng left Shuzhong, Duke Liguo specifically ordered him to go to Lingnan to visit the Zhao family. As for the marriage, since it had been called off, it was fine. Who knew what would happen in the future? It was better to call it off. If something happened in the future, the Zhao family wouldn't be implicated again.
Maybe Miss Zhao has a more suitable marriage partner.
But no matter what, Duke Liguo felt that the cancellation of the engagement was unfair, and he felt ashamed to face Zhao Xiang and the Zhao family. Therefore, he ordered Zhou Hansheng to observe secretly. If the Zhao family was not doing well, he would secretly help them. If the Zhao family was doing well, he would not disturb them for the time being.
It just so happened that Zhong Jing, with whom Zhou Hansheng had known each other for two or three years when he was a child, also complained and asked for help, so Zhou Hansheng simply set off for Lingnan at that time.
Unexpectedly, by chance, he met Zhao Liya and Hu Ling.
When we met again later, I was already paying attention to him.
Later, I learned about her identity and origin.
At that time, Zhou Hansheng felt embarrassed. He didn't expect it to be such a coincidence.
(End of this chapter)
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