Chapter 245 Su Wanniang is indeed cruel, but her cruelty is more for self-protection.
The servants knelt down and cried loudly, as if they had seen their savior.
Chu Ruohan looked coldly at the servant kneeling at her feet, without any pity in her heart.
In her previous life, these people would have bullied or ignored her. After her rebirth, she did not punish them, which was already the most she could do.
In the center of the courtyard, Ma Fuhai, dressed in conspicuous eunuch attire and looking solemn, held a bright yellow imperial edict in his hands and read it aloud.
"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Su Wanniang, who deeply understood the righteousness of the cause, exposed and denounced the conspiracy of Anyang Marquis and Minister Su for treason. Her loyalty is commendable. She is hereby granted the title of County Princess and granted residence in the former Minister's Mansion to honor her merits..."
The voice echoed in the noisy mansion, and every word was clear.
Su Wanniang was kneeling below, wearing gorgeous clothes, with her hair tied up high and surrounded by pearls and jade.
There was a hint of pride and relief in his eyes that was hard to conceal.
After hearing the imperial edict read out, she kowtowed heavily and said in a clear voice, "Su Wanniang, I accept the edict and thank you."
Then he winked at the nanny beside him without leaving any trace.
The nanny understood what he meant and quickly took out a heavy purse from her sleeve and handed it to Ma Fuhai.
Ma Fuhai took the purse, weighed it, and the smile on his face became even wider. "Thank you, County Lady. You are so kind and righteous. Good days are yet to come!"
Su Wanniang raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a satisfied smile, and personally saw Ma Fuhai off.
As soon as he reached the door, he bumped into Chu Ruohan head-on.
Upon seeing this, Ma Fuhai immediately put away his smile and said respectfully, "Your servant greets the Crown Prince's wife."
Chu Ruohan nodded slightly, her expression calm, but her gaze shot towards Su Wanniang like a sharp sword. She slowly said, "Eunuch Ma, you're too polite. It's been less than half a day, and the imperial edict has already been issued?"
There was a hint of questioning and inquiry in his voice.
Ma Fuhai quickly explained, "To answer the Crown Prince's wife, this imperial edict was prepared two days ago, and we are just waiting for the right time to issue it."
Chu Ruohan sneered in her heart, this really proved her guess.
The emperor had long known that Marquis Anyang would rebel, and was just waiting for the right opportunity to close the net.
Her eyes were fixed on Su Wanniang. This woman was really cruel and ruthless.
Su Wanniang noticed Chu Ruohan's gaze, but did not retreat at all. Instead, she straightened her back and met Chu Ruohan's gaze.
After Ma Fuhai said goodbye and left, only Chu Ruohan and Su Wanniang were left in the yard.
"Congratulations, County Lady." Chu Ruohan said calmly.
Su Wanniang gave a bitter smile, turned and walked towards the stone bench under the corridor, and slowly sat down: "Although I am the Su family's legitimate daughter, I have been manipulated since I was a child. Marrying the Anyang Marquis is just a bargaining chip for family marriage..."
"Do I have to die with them?"
"I just chose a path for myself, a path that I can decide for myself."
Chu Ruohan looked at her, feeling a complex mix of emotions. This woman was so cruel that she sold out her own relatives just to protect herself.
But in this deep courtyard, who is not helpless?
Chu Ruohan walked over and sat down opposite her, looking at her coldly: "So you already knew that Marquis Anyang was planning a rebellion?"
"I don't know everything," Su Wanniang shook her head. "I just noticed something unusual. That night, I secretly read his secret letter and found out that he was colluding with foreign enemies and trying to overthrow the Eastern Jin Dynasty."
A trace of hatred flashed in her eyes: "These men are willing to sacrifice everything for power. Why should I be buried with their ambition?"
Su Wanniang is indeed cruel, but her cruelty is more for self-protection.
In this patriarchal society, if women want to control their own destiny, they sometimes have to make some cruel choices.
Chu Ruohan was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Thank you?"
"Why are you thanking me?" Su Wanniang was puzzled.
The confusion in her eyes was unconcealed, and she was obviously confused by Chu Ruohan's thanks.
"Didn't you write that note?" Chu Ruohan asked.
"What note?"
Chu Ruohan stared at her intently, not missing any subtle expression on her face.
Su Wanniang's reaction was too natural, it didn't seem like she was lying.
But if it wasn't her, who left the note that said "run"?
She seemed to have overlooked something, but her mind couldn't grasp it for a moment...
A burst of crying interrupted Chu Ruohan's thoughts, and she saw soldiers escorting a group of women out of the inner courtyard.
Among them, Yang Zhaozhao was sandwiched between two officers and soldiers. He looked haggard, his clothes were messy, and most of his hair was loose.
Yang Zhaozhao was still under house arrest, so how come the Marquis's mansion was suddenly raided?
She struggled to rush to Su Wanniang, threw herself at her legs, and cried out in tears, "Madam, please save me, I don't know anything!"
Su Wanniang looked down at Yang Zhaozhao condescendingly, without a trace of pity in her eyes, but instead a hint of sarcasm flashed across her eyes.
"Aren't you usually the most favored by the Marquis? You act so high and mighty all the time, but now that something's happened, everyone's running away as if disaster has struck?"
Yang Zhaozhao knew she could escape unscathed; there must be a way...
"Madam, I know I was wrong. Please have mercy on me!" Yang Zhaozhao knelt down and kowtowed, making a dull "bang bang" sound, and blood soon seeped out of her forehead.
The soldiers stepped forward to pull Yang Zhaozhao away, but she struggled uncontrollably. Gritting her teeth, she cried out in tears, "I'm pregnant! Madam, please save Zhaozhao for the sake of the child!"
This sentence is like a stone thrown into a calm lake, causing ripples.
Su Wanniang's eyes turned cold in an instant. She stood up, took a step back, and exchanged glances with Chu Ruohan.
"Take him away." Su Wanniang said coldly.
Chu Ruohan didn't even glance at Yang Zhaozhao, and walked straight towards Aunt Zhao who was surrounded by officers and soldiers.
Although Aunt Zhao was also being escorted by officers and soldiers, she looked surprisingly calm, as if she had already seen through everything.
"Auntie..." Chu Ruohan called softly.
When Aunt Zhao saw Chu Ruohan, she smiled stiffly, reached out, took her hand and patted it gently.
"When the tree falls, the barbarians scatter. As long as you can save yourself, I've lived a fulfilling life. I'm not afraid of being beheaded..."
Chu Ruohan held Aunt Zhao's hand tightly, a wave of sadness welling up in her heart: "Aunt, I will..."
"Don't," Aunt Zhao interrupted her, shaking her head. "At a time like this, it's already difficult to escape unscathed. Don't take risks for me."
"Take them away!" the officers urged, roughly separating the two.
Chu Ruohan looked at Aunt Zhao's departing back, and her hands clenched into fists, her nails digging deep into her palms without her noticing.
She was powerless to protect Aunt Zhao. It was obvious that the man was greedy, but he still wanted to implicate the female relatives.
"Are you really not going to save her?" Su Wanniang suddenly spoke, with a hint of inquiry in her voice.
Chu Ruohan came back to her senses and looked at Su Wanniang with complicated eyes: "Do you think I have this ability?"
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