"Otherwise what?"
Her eyes were bloodshot as she stared at him, her words dripping with anguish: "Lu Ziqian, I hate you!!"
“I do really want a divorce, but compared to my brother’s life, a divorce is nothing.”
"I used to always put you first, but I'm not so incompetent as to lose sight of what's important when it matters."
Lu Ziqian met Su Yujiao's gaze. Her beautiful eyes were filled with anger and hatred, cold as ice, which was frightening.
Only at this moment did he realize how outrageous his actions had been!
She disguised herself, endured hardships, and was trapped in the epidemic area, all for the sake of making a contribution and saving lives.
But he gave up this only opportunity to someone else without thinking.
It's the person she hates the most!
No wonder she hates him; she certainly has the right to hate him. Anyone would hate him in her shoes!
Only now could he understand why she was so emotional, willing to die rather than let him give her back her chance.
His greatest obsession in life was to reclaim the Chimu Liaoyuan. Although that grassland was not lost under his watch, it was a disgrace to the Great Ming Kingdom.
Recapture of Chimu Liaoyuan was the expectation of all the people of Daming, and also his dream.
He dreamed of taking it back, but he failed last time.
If he were to charge into battle, risking his life to reclaim lost territory, only to have it handed over to the Jurchens, whom he hated most, he would be in vain.
He might just explode on the spot!
Lu Ziqian hesitated, wanting to say something to explain himself, but he couldn't say anything.
At this point, any explanation seems futile.
Su Yujiao looked haggard, her eyes slightly red and swollen. Seeing that he remained silent, she asked in a trembling voice, "Is there no way to turn this matter around?"
She already knew the answer in her heart, but she was still unwilling to give up and wanted to know if there were any other possibilities.
After all, this was not something Lu Ziqian did alone; the Crown Prince was also involved, and even Gu Heng was involved. If she insisted on making a scene in front of the Emperor...
Consort Jing and the Third Prince will definitely keep pressing the Crown Prince.
The crime of deceiving the emperor can be serious or minor. She couldn't predict the consequences. What if she accidentally caused a huge uproar? How would she handle the situation?
In a society where imperial power reigns supreme, the lives of ordinary people are worth less than ants, and she has no right to stir up trouble here.
Although exposing Chen Yunniang's theft would result in punishment, she couldn't do that.
This is also why Chen Yunniang is not afraid of being exposed and acts arrogantly in public.
So, she could only suffer in silence this time!
A hint of apology flashed in the man's eyes, and he shook his head helplessly.
Su Yujiao looked at him and shook her head, then suddenly broke down in tears.
Looking at the woman's despair and tearful face, Lu Ziqian felt a pang of pain in his heart.
He took her hand and whispered soothingly, "Don't cry, or you'll hurt your eyes."
Su Yujiao tried to shake him off, but she was too weak to lift her head and could only let him pull her along.
“Actually, even without Yun… Chen Yunniang, you wouldn’t have been able to accomplish this.”
Su Yujiao stopped crying and stared at him sharply.
Just as she was about to explode, Lu Ziqian hurriedly explained, "I'm not trying to defend myself, but it's a deadly situation."
Do you know whose scapegoat your older brother became?
Su Yujiao stared intently at him. Lu Ziqian knew it was cruel, but he still told her the truth.
"That embezzlement case wasn't difficult to investigate. All the clues pointed to the Third Prince. When the Crown Prince investigated the Third Prince, the Emperor stopped the investigation."
Do you know what this means?
Almost instantly, despair surged into every part of my body.
Su Yujiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief. The corrupt tycoon was the Third Prince?
Is the emperor protecting his son?
Looking at Su Yujiao's pale face, Lu Ziqian could feel her despair and coldness in that instant.
He lowered his head and cupped her cold fingertips, trying to warm them up.
"Jiaojiao, I can tell which is more important."
“I know that if you could save someone by performing meritorious service, you would definitely choose to save your older brother, rather than wasting such a precious opportunity on something as trivial as divorce.”
"The reason I think you're doing this for the sake of getting a divorce is because no one can save your older brother."
"So, I naturally ruled out that possibility, and considering what I said in a fit of pique, I took it seriously."
Su Yujiao didn't listen to what he was saying at all; she was lost in her own pain.
The Empress Dowager has been gone for a year, and there are still two years left until the Emperor's three-year mourning period ends. Will my elder brother be doomed by then?
How could she possibly accept this news?
How can my parents and sister-in-law accept this?
And there are two adorable nephews and nieces who are so young. Are they going to lose their father forever?
She suddenly felt a surge of resentment, hating herself for being so quick-witted as to share the good news with her family before things were even confirmed.
If they continue to live in despair, they will gradually become numb, and it will be relatively easier for them to accept the day their eldest brother passes away.
But now, she has given her family tremendous hope, only to push them into despair with her own hands.
How can they bear this sense of falling from the clouds to hell?
"who?"
Lu Ziqian keenly noticed someone at the door.
The Crown Prince pushed open the door and entered, slightly embarrassed as he touched his nose: "I'm sorry, I originally intended to visit my cousin-in-law, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I just happened to hear it."
"Sister-in-law, I am deeply sorry for what happened to Chen Yunniang."
"I vaguely heard a few words from your conversation just now; they were about Brother Su."
"If you can convince Brother Su to change his identity and live in seclusion in the mountains after his release from prison, I can use a trick to switch him out."
"Not only can't he hide his identity, but he also has to change his appearance? Does that mean my brother can't even use his own face?" Su Yujiao said emotionally.
The prince knew it was cruel, but he had to do it.
"Brother Su's face is too...stunning, it might cause trouble."
Lu Ziqian, Su Yujing, Nalan Ruochen, and Pei Yuanshao are the four most handsome young men in the capital!
Su Yujiao knew her elder brother's temperament; he was gentle, refined, and upright, and would never agree to live such a wretched life in the world.
But she still wanted to give it a try. After all, it's better to live a miserable life than to die. Perhaps if she compromised now, there would be a chance for things to turn around later.
If you lose your life, you lose everything!
She nodded: "I'm willing to try and persuade my brother."
That evening, Su Yujiao met Su Yujing under the Crown Prince's arrangement, and as expected, Su Yujing refused her.
He would rather die than live a life of hiding and groveling like a rat in the street.
"Jiaojiao, you can go back now. You don't need to worry about your brother's affairs anymore."
"Take good care of my parents and two children for me."
"Your sister-in-law is a good woman. Let her find a good family to remarry. I'm the one who has wronged her."
Looking at her elder brother's unshaven, thin appearance, Su Yujiao found it hard to reconcile the image of him with the gentle and refined gentleman she had previously known.
Prison life was worse than that of pigs and dogs, but I never expected that my elder brother, who was just a scholar, would endure it.
She couldn't imagine how powerful his core was; if it were anyone else, they would have long since succumbed to humiliation and committed suicide in despair.
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