Although Zhuang Li had already guessed the truth, his heart still ached for a moment when he heard his sister say it herself.
"Why did she want to kill you?" he demanded.
Zhuang Xiaohui got up, wiped her tears, and smiled coldly: "Brother, let me tell you a secret, Yu Yuxian is a woman."
Zhuang Li raised an eyebrow in feigned surprise, then suddenly realized, "So, you were silenced because you discovered her secret?"
Zhuang Xiaohui lowered her head, a look of regret on her face. "No, I found out soon after we got married, but I kept it a secret from her. My death was somewhat related to this incident, but not entirely."
"It was discovered shortly after we got married. Why didn't you expose it? Deceiving the emperor is a capital crime." Zhuang Li scolded.
Zhuang Xiaohui covered her face and sobbed softly, "Because I was too timid and cowardly back then. Do you know why Yu Yuxian's mother chose me, the eldest daughter who had lost her mother, as her daughter-in-law? It wasn't because we had similar personalities or hit it off right away, but because I was honest, obedient, and easy to control! Back then, I was like a puppet, letting them manipulate me. I believed whatever they said.
"Yu Yuxian told me that if she hadn't conceived a son, her mother would have been divorced by her father because her father favored his concubine and wanted to make her his legal wife and then pass the family business on to his illegitimate son. In order to survive, her mother had no choice but to raise her as the legitimate son."
Zhuang Xiaohui put down her hands and said with tears in her eyes: "Hearing these words, I felt the same way, because I also have such a cold-blooded and ruthless father, so I agreed to help them conceal it.
"Later, Yu Yuxian told me that she was determined to make a name for herself in official circles. She wanted to prove to the world that women were no less capable than men, that women could live freely and do whatever they wanted. As long as women were self-reliant, they would be able to break free from oppression and constraints and truly be themselves."
Even though she had died once, Zhuang Xiaohui still showed a look of longing when she said these words, which shows her yearning for freedom and fairness.
A bright light shone from her dark eyes, and she said in a trance, "Brother, I was moved by her words. After struggling in despair for more than a decade, I was full of hope for the future for the first time. I want to be independent and strong, I want to be free, I want to break free from all oppression and constraints and truly be myself. From that moment on, I regarded Yu Yuxian as my only confidant in this life. I understand her, and I will do my best to help her!"
Zhuang Li closed his eyes, his heart filled with rage.
How pure and lovely, how strong and courageous was her sister's nature, that she would be moved by such words and sacrifice her own life's happiness to pave the way for Yu Yuxian? However, the person who forged such a beautiful dream for her killed her with such cruel means.
If Yu Yuxian really had the idea of self-reliance and self-improvement in his heart, why would he abandon his status as the top scholar, fake his death, change his identity to that of a noble lady and marry into the palace, competing with so many women for the favor of a man?
Is this what she meant by freedom and unrestrainedness?
Her so-called lofty ideals were nothing more than a ploy to deceive her sister. In reality, she was more selfish, vulgar, greedy, and vicious than anyone else! Someone like her wasn't even worthy of carrying her sister's shoes!
Zhuang Li barely suppressed his anger and asked, "What happened next? Since you were her helper, why did she want to kill you?"
"Because she was in love with the Fifth Prince, and the Fifth Prince didn't know she was a woman, he was very jealous of me, so he found seven beggars and took me away while I was burning incense outside the city—"
Zhuang Xiaohui clenched her teeth and couldn't say any more.
Even without her saying anything, Zhuang Li could still imagine the scene that day. He closed his eyes again, suppressing the urge to kill.
7480 immediately turned into a fat-headed gecko and quickly climbed up to the ceiling of the small dark room. Looking down, he saw sharp ice spikes sticking out of the floor.
"Brother is here and will protect you." Zhuang Li patted Zhuang Xiaohui's head.
So Zhuang Xiaohui, trembling violently, quickly broke free from that dark memory.
She clenched her fists, her eyes red as she spoke, "Yu Yuxian found me abandoned in a dilapidated temple. During that time, she took a long vacation and stayed home with me every day, offering me soothing words. She also concealed the fact that I had been raped. She protected me so well, and naturally my feelings for her deepened. I even thought at the time that meeting her was my greatest fortune, and I would be willing to die for her."
Zhuang Xiaohui sneered at this, her expression becoming increasingly distorted. "Unexpectedly, one day, I actually ran into one of these beggars on the street. I was so angry at him, I don't know where I got the courage from, but I bought a packet of arsenic, smeared it on a few roasted chickens, and secretly followed the beggar out of the city. I discovered that the seven of them were indeed a group, all living in a dilapidated cave, so I went in.
"They seemed very happy to see me and teased me, 'My dear girl, are you addicted to us and want to do it again?' I said yes, I am really addicted. Brothers, eat the roast chicken first, and then eat me." Having said that, Zhuang Xiaohui looked into the void in a trance, with a strange smile on her face, as if she was recalling every frame of the scene at that time.
It was obvious that her heart had been twisted by hatred.
Zhuang Li also showed a playful expression.
"I like this sister." He sighed in his heart.
All the sharp ice spikes disappeared, and 7480 quickly climbed down from the ceiling, sighing, "People are alike. Master, Zhuang Xiaohui is definitely your biological sister!"
However, Zhuang Xiaohui suddenly stopped her story and looked at her brother with a pale face. She realized that she had been too proud and revealed something that should not be revealed. Her brother would be extremely disappointed in her, right?
Zhuang Li held his cheek and looked at her with a smile, urging: "What happened next?"
Zhuang Xiaohui was stunned, and then asked cautiously: "Brother, aren't you afraid of me?"
"Don't be afraid. I've killed more people than you've eaten rice." Zhuang Li gently touched Zhuang Xiaohui's head.
Zhuang Xiaohui thought he was joking, so she grinned.
7480 shuddered. Damn, it remembered its master's autobiography again. Killing people like crazy was no joke!
"Then they collapsed, clutching their stomachs and crying out in pain. They grabbed my legs, begging me to have mercy and save them. I stood there, unmoved. Having endured such torture, even losing my ability to have children, there was no way I could save them."
Zhuang Xiaohui's excitement gradually turned to hatred. "When they saw that I was determined not to save them, they told me they were sent by someone else and didn't mean to harm me. They also described the appearance of the person who ordered them. I knew immediately that he was Feng Yu's attendant because the red mole between his eyebrows was so easy to spot."
Zhuang Xiaohui dug her fingertips into the tabletop and gritted her teeth as she spoke, "After learning this intelligence, I hurried back to the Yu family. I trusted Yu Yuxian so much that I told her about it that very night and said I would find a way to get revenge. I was so furious at the time that I asked her to help me find a way to capture Feng Yu's attendant and force the truth out of me. I don't understand why the Crown Prince's attendant would go after a little-known woman like me.
"My cruel methods and determination to fight to the death made Yu Yuxian feel extremely threatened. She then realized that I had transformed from a lamb into a jackal. So three days later, I was given a stomach-breaking drug and strangled to death by Yu Yuxian herself. Fortunately, she told me the whole truth before she died, so that I could be a clear-headed ghost. Otherwise, I would not know who to seek revenge on after I crawled out of hell."
Zhuang Xiaohui looked at Zhuang Li with red eyes and said firmly, "Brother, in this life, I still want to marry Yu Yuxian. I want to disrupt the peace of her family, destroy her future, confiscate her property and behead her! I also want to bring down the Fifth Prince! Yu Yuxian is the most trusted by the Fifth Prince. She must be hiding the Fifth Prince's secrets. I can only learn these secrets by marrying her. Brother, please help me!"
Just now, she also wanted to understand why her brother had changed so much.
Yesterday, as Zhuang Yunzhu detailed the recipe, her brother applauded. He clearly knew the foods were incompatible. But he ate them anyway, and has survived to this day because of them. As he himself said, if he were too clever, he would have died long ago.
My brother is definitely not a playboy, on the contrary, he is very successful.
Thinking of how easily Hu was killed, Zhuang Xiaohui knelt on the ground and begged desperately: "Brother, please help me! If I can't kill my enemy with my own hands, what's the point of living again?"
Zhuang Li covered her red eyes and shook his head, "I won't help you."
"Why?" Zhuang Xiaohui pulled his hand down and asked unwillingly and puzzledly.
"Revenge is my business." Zhuang Li rubbed her head and said slowly, "Just remember, you're not here to experience hardship, but to reshape your life. If you want to live freely, I'll help you; if you want to live without restrictions, I'll help you; if you want to be your true self, I'll still help you. Do whatever you want without any worries. Even if you don't want to get married and stay at home for the rest of your life, I'll support you."
Zhuang Li held her face, looked deeply into her eyes, and asked, "Tell me, brother, besides revenge, what else do you want to do?"
Zhuang Xiaohui was mesmerized by the scenes he described. She said in a trance, "I... I want to open a shop and do business. I don't want to stay at home to take care of my husband and children. I want to travel all over Dayan, then go to the frontier and the seaside, to see if there is a wider world on the other side of the desert and the sea."
Zhuang Li smiled with relief.
Although my sister's heart was darkened by hatred, her nature remained unchanged. She still knew what she truly wanted and never gave up hope and ideals.
"Good girl," Zhuang Li patted his sister's head gently and promised, "I will help you achieve everything you desire. Enjoying your new life is the meaning of your return."
Zhuang Xiaohui stared at him for a long time before she threw herself into his arms and cried heart-wrenchingly.
"Brother, don't seek revenge. We just need to live our own lives. Let's go to the desert to see the endless yellow sand, go to the beach to see the rolling white waves, and go to a farther place to start over. We must cherish this rebirth." With just a few words of advice, she suddenly realized the truth.
Zhuang Li gently patted his sister's back. Although there was a relieved smile on his face, he did not agree to her request.
His roots have long been rotten, and no one except Ming can make him lay down his butcher knife and become a Buddha.
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