"You want me to marry into the Xu family in your place, right?"
Xu Minghua immediately fell silent, looking at Xu Zhuohua with fear. She knew she had guessed correctly.
No wonder Cheng Muyun was about to succeed yesterday, but suddenly stopped when he heard me call out that I was the eldest daughter of the Xu family.
I see.
Because Cheng Muyun had a bad reputation, was a ruthless killer and a bloodthirsty man, Xu Minghua was unwilling to marry him. Therefore, the Xu family thought of her, the fake eldest daughter.
"Am I right?" Xu Zhuohua curled her lips into a strange smile, which froze on her face.
Xu Minghua, who was only eighteen years old, had lived a life of luxury all her life and had never been treated like this before. However, she was unable to cope with it and her eyes filled with tears. She immediately hid in the arms of the First Madam.
"Mother! Look how arrogant she is now, she doesn't even respect me anymore."
The First Madam gently patted Xu Minghua's back and said softly, "Hua'er, don't be angry."
Looking at the loving scene between the mother and daughter, Xu Zhuohua suddenly thought of her own mother, wondering how she was doing now, and whether she could accept the fact that the daughter she raised had died.
A pang of pain shot through her heart, and Xu Zhuohua frowned slightly.
The First Madam took in Xu Zhuohua's reaction and said, "Hua'er, don't hold it against Shuhua. She's not like you. There's a lot of trouble in the temple. You have to learn to protect yourself. You have to protect yourself in the future too."
Xu Zhuohua was clearly taken aback as she looked at the First Madam, who was both unfamiliar and familiar.
In the original owner's memories, the First Madam hardly ever spoke to her, often stayed in her own courtyard, and was constantly arranging for Xu Shinong to take concubines, treating Xu Shinong with a lukewarm attitude...
It seems like their marriage was arranged.
Xu Zhuohua felt that this First Madam saw things quite clearly.
"Shuhua, as for the engagement with the Cheng family, Miss, you are the eldest daughter of the Xu family, so this is your marriage." The First Madam's words left no room for refusal.
However, Xu Zhuohua cannot accept arranged marriages, and even if it is an arranged marriage, it cannot be with Cheng Muyun.
If you become his wife, you're doomed!
Xu Zhuohua also remembered that unofficial histories stated that Cheng Muyun's wife was burned alive by mutinous soldiers, and that she was raped before she was burned to death...
Upon thinking of this, Xu Zhuohua immediately shook her head, a gesture that Xu Minghua interpreted as a blatant rejection.
Standing beside the First Madam, Xu Minghua pointed at Xu Zhuohua and said, "You have no right to shake your head. You ate our food, lived in our house, and were raised by the Xu family! Now it's time for you to repay the Xu family!"
Xu Zhuohua said, "You said it yourself, the Xu family only raised me, not gave birth to me. Repayment? I prayed for you at the temple for six years, wasn't that enough? Everyone knows that my identity as a young lady is fake. Do you think you can deceive the Cheng family like this?"
Xu Minghua was so choked that she couldn't say a word. Her face turned red instantly, and she turned to tug at the hem of the First Madam's clothes.
"Mother, I don't want to marry into the Cheng family. I don't accept arranged marriages. I have many things to do. Our country is in danger right now, and I must contribute my strength!"
Xu Minghua's words made Xu Zhuohua realize the reality of her studying abroad, and he couldn't help but show some appreciation for her.
The First Madam frowned upon hearing this, "It's one thing for the Third Prince to keep shouting all the time, but you, a girl, don't even know what you're saying."
Xu Minghua touched his forehead, which had been poked red by the First Madam, and said, "That's because you don't understand. Men and women are equal. That's how it is in the outside world. You're just too old-fashioned!"
The First Madam waved her handkerchief and pointed at Xu Minghua, saying, "I'm too old-fashioned. If I were old-fashioned, I wouldn't have agreed to the replacement."
Seeing that the First Madam was throwing a tantrum, Xu Minghua immediately squatted down beside her legs and clenched her fists to massage her legs. "Mother, you are the best. You are the most enlightened person in the world!"
Xu Zhuohua snorted coldly. The First Madam raised her head, her extremely indifferent eyes seeming to see right through Xu Zhuohua.
"Shuhua, you are the eldest daughter of the Xu family, this is your fate."
Xu Zhuohua frowned, but replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "This fate is not mine; I have my own fate."
These words struck a nerve with the First Madam. She wasn't pedantic, but she still believed the wandering Taoist who said her daughter had a bad fate, and went to the original owner of the body to atone for her daughter's sins.
No one can say that their daughter has a bad fate, especially Xu Zhuohua, who was used as a substitute.
"Hu Niang, tie her up! The Cheng family will come to pick her up tomorrow!"
Hu Niang was a big, burly woman. She grabbed Xu Zhuohua's shoulder and, having been hungry for years, Xu Zhuohua was weak and couldn't break free.
But even if she couldn't match his strength, she couldn't lose her momentum. Xu Zhuohua glared fiercely at the First Madam, "How long do you think you can keep this a secret, Madam? Even if I don't say anything, the Cheng family can easily find out that I'm a fake and that I lived in a nunnery for six years. Everyone knows what a nunnery is."
The First Madam's breath hitched. "Hu Niang, examine this old woman."
Hu Niang immediately turned and left, while the First Madam stared intently at Xu Zhuohua, "Tell the truth, are you still clean?"
Xu Zhuohua rubbed her shoulder, which had been pressed sore, and said impatiently, "What kind of cleanliness does Madam want?"
"Have you lost your virginity?!" the First Madam roared.
She didn't want her daughter to marry into the Cheng family. Although the Cheng family was extremely powerful, in this chaotic world, the real emperor had abdicated, and three fake emperors had come and gone in just over ten years. The Cheng family was too powerful and attracted too much attention, standing in the eye of the storm, which was too unsafe. Moreover, the rumored Cheng Muyun was a bloodthirsty killer.
The only solution is to have Xu Zhuohua marry in her place.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
