"When I was a child, the Empress truly treated me with sincerity, but I don't know when, everything changed."
Xie Zhaozhao's tears fell like beads. "I have always wanted to protect my aunt, but all you want to do is control and imprison me."
"Heh, tell me then, how did I control you?" Empress Xie didn't care at this point; she was going to die anyway.
Xie Zhaozhao looked straight at Empress Xie, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Leaving aside the fact that Her Majesty the Empress detained me in the palace without cause starting from the Mid-Autumn Festival, I just want to talk about my marriage. I don't understand Her Majesty's intentions."
Years ago, my grandfather left a will stipulating that the eldest daughter of the Xie family should marry into the Marquis's household. However, he did not specify that the eldest daughter must marry into the Marquis's household. The Empress, however, schemed to marry me, a humble woman, to Gu Chengyan…”
In both her lives, she was unaware of the Empress's schemes. A few days ago, when she was interrogating Guan Yingying, Guan Yingying, having awakened her memories from her past life, told Xie Zhaozhao that it was all the Empress Xie's scheme.
Before exchanging betrothal gifts, Empress Xie spoke with the old lady of the Marquis of Pingyang, Madam Tu (Gu Chengyan's mother), and stepmother Xu Yingrong, proposing to marry Xie Zhaozhao to Gu Chengyan, and using Xie Zhaozhao's ten-mile-long red bridal procession to seduce Madam Tu and the old lady of the Marquis.
Otherwise, even if the old lady of the Marquis's mansion and Madam Tu had ten times the courage, they wouldn't dare to covet Xie's eldest daughter.
Consort Xi also told Lady Xu to betroth Xie Zhaozhao to Gu Chengyan and Xie Xiangxiang to Zhou Lingyin, and Lady Xu readily agreed.
Didn't Xie Anfeng raise an outstanding daughter to arrange marriages and gain benefits for the Xie family?
She chose to marry the eldest daughter of the Xie family, a man who was all show and no substance, thus thwarting the Xie family's schemes.
However, in their previous life, taking advantage of Xie Anfeng's inconvenience in coming to the inner quarters, Madam Xu and Madam Tu quickly exchanged betrothal gifts and successfully married Xie Zhaozhao to Gu Chengyan.
In this life, Xie Zhaozhao was reborn and sought help from the Living Buddha Yuanji to break the deadlock.
The Empress had also spoken with Madam Xie about Xie Zhaozhao's marriage, but Madam Xie had kept it a secret. Now that the situation was hopeless, she said with tears in her eyes, "Her Majesty the Empress also spoke to me, saying that the Xie family is wealthy enough and there is no need to add to their wealth. She suggested that Zhaozhao be married off to a Marquis's family, even though the Heir Apparent Gu is mediocre. The foundation of the clan is more important than a granddaughter."
Madam Xie is now very fortunate that the Living Buddha Yuanji separated Xie Zhaozhao and Gu Chengyan. Gu Chengyan is not only good-looking but also has a bad character.
After hearing her words, Empress Xie laughed sarcastically again. Look, even her mother thinks that daughters are born to sacrifice for the family.
However, she did not regret marrying Xie Zhaozhao to Gu Chengyan, saying, "What's so good about marrying into the Prince Jing's mansion? It seems like a high-status marriage, but you'll be subservient for the rest of your life, with the man having three wives and four concubines, and a courtyard full of beautiful women. Although the Marquis's mansion is weak, it's easy to control. If I forbid him from taking concubines, he won't dare."
"But does Her Majesty the Empress know that he doesn't take concubines, yet he keeps mistresses?"
Gu Chengyan and his mistress not only took her life, but also the lives of her father and brothers.
Xie Zhaozhao clutched her chest, still feeling a sharp pain there.
After discussing the marriage, Xie Zhaozhao brought up Ou Yang's harrowing cliff-jumping accident.
“Last March, when the Earl’s family went to the ancestral home of Ouyang for the funeral, my wife, Yin Er, Hongying, and I prepared to fight off the bandits. We thought we had planned everything perfectly, but we completely overlooked you, Aunt!”
Xie Zhaozhao really didn't want to recall that scene.
——
That day, the bandits brought by Guan Yingying and Wei Bufan stormed into the courtyard on the mountaintop. Xie Zhaozhao, along with Yuan Yuanman and the four guards, escaped through the west gate with the injured Mo Yan.
They thought that by taking the route they had chosen during the day, sending out signals, and contacting Yin Jin'an and Hong Ying, they could easily avoid the tragedy of their past life.
As a result, Yuanyuan grabbed the bow and arrow, took out the whistling arrow, and was about to shoot it into the sky when she was suddenly kicked over.
A group of people dressed in black armor landed in front of them. By the light of the courtyard lamp, Xie Zhaozhao could see that these people exuded a murderous aura and were not bandits at all.
The masked man's appearance was too coincidental; Xie Zhaozhao knew in her heart that he was someone she knew, otherwise it wouldn't have been such a coincidence.
Who are you?
"Who we are doesn't matter. If you want these people around you to live, come with us!"
These people spoke as they brandished knives and moved closer.
There were many of them, and their martial arts skills were very high. The women were forced to retreat step by step.
The man in black armor cornered her at the edge of the cliff and calmly said, "Madam, come with us."
The fact that these people call her "Grand Madam" indicates that they are very familiar with her, have accurately predicted her schedule, and have dispatched such assassins to capture her. They must not be ordinary people.
She absolutely cannot fall into their hands.
Xie Zhaozhao had no choice but to jump off the cliff...
"Your Majesty, knowing full well that jumping off the cliff might result in a gruesome death, I still chose to jump. Do you know why?"
"Why?" Empress Xie also wanted to know.
"At that time, by the light of the courtyard, I not only saw that these people were not bandits, but I also saw the dead body on the ground behind them. It was a female soldier who came to meet me... More importantly, I recognized Lan Feng!"
Empress Xie had highly skilled guards and secret agents.
Xie Zhaozhao had excellent manners since childhood. During the years she spent in the palace, when the Empress told her to go to sleep, even if she wasn't sleepy, she would pretend to be asleep and could even fool the most experienced nanny.
Among them was the secret guard Lan Feng, whom Xie Zhaozhao had seen several times. When he was asleep, Empress Xie would call him out to ask him questions. Xie Zhaozhao had heard his voice many times and was very sensitive to it.
Although he was masked, his eyebrows were shaped like an inverted V, a very rare eyebrow shape. Therefore, Xie Zhaozhao was suspicious and deliberately provoked him to speak.
As soon as Lan Feng spoke, Xie Zhaozhao confirmed his identity.
Recognizing Lan Feng, they knew that they were very likely all under their aunt's control.
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