Dare to compete with me
On the other side, they exited the Taibai Tower.
Yu Yadan was so angry that she almost crumpled the handkerchief in her hand, cursing, "You lowly slut, you only dare to snatch someone from me because you have some looks."
Yu Yadan had sent people to investigate. Fu Zhiqiao was not in the capital for a while. She appeared with Xie Zhuo as soon as he returned to the capital. Isn't this just relentless pursuit?
Thinking of what Zhou Miaosi had just said, Yu Yadan was somewhat dazed. The news that Fu Zhiqiao had been granted the title of County Lady made her feel an unprecedented sense of crisis.
If Fu Zhi Qiao were just an ordinary merchant's daughter, she wouldn't be a threat. But now that her name has been recorded in His Majesty's eyes, she is no longer someone he can easily eliminate.
Zhou Miaosi also said that Fu Zhiqiao was personally appointed as a county lady by His Majesty. His Majesty personally appointed her... A hint of jealousy flashed in Yu Yadan's eyes. She quickly realized why she couldn't find any news about Fu Zhiqiao in the capital a while ago. It turned out that she was doing disaster relief in Jiangnan.
Wait, disaster relief?
Yu Yadan suddenly shuddered.
If she remembered correctly, the Crown Prince had recently been sent by His Majesty to provide disaster relief as an official supervisor...
Both of them were actually doing disaster relief in Jiangnan... What a coincidence!
Yu Yadan got goosebumps all over. What stage had their relationship progressed in a way she didn't know? Did the Crown Prince give Fu Zhi Qiao the confidence to confront her directly today?
Yu Yadan was so angry that her chest was spitting fire, and she felt extremely frustrated. She clenched her fists so tightly that her ten fingers almost sank into her palms.
Right now, only pain can calm her down. In a month or two, it will be her wedding day with the Crown Prince. She is only one step away from becoming the Crown Prince's wife. She will not allow anyone to ruin her marriage.
You can compete with me, but we'll see if you're even destined to succeed!
A hint of madness flashed in Yu Yadan's eyes, her gaze as if it were poisoned; anyone who stood in her way of becoming the Crown Prince's consort would have to disappear.
Yu Yadan suppressed the surging emotions in her chest, her lowered eyes darted around a few times, and she whispered something to her personal maid.
*
Fu Zhi Qiao was unaware that she was being targeted, and she didn't take the events at Zhou Miao Si's birthday banquet to heart.
In her eyes, Yu Yadan was nothing more than a sheltered young lady whose heart and mind were full of love and romance, and such a person was not a threat to her.
When they returned to the Fu residence, the courtyard was completely silent.
Yu Roulan is currently still in Qingzhou. She will not be able to return to the capital until the Taibai Academy's entrance ceremony is completed, so Fu Zhiqiao is the only person in the mansion during this period.
Having just gone through a heated argument, and now seeing her empty house, Fu Zhi Qiao felt a little empty inside.
I wonder where Xie Zhuo is right now? And what is he doing?
It's been several days since Xie Zhuo last visited her. She didn't feel anything when she was busy, but when she had some free time, she realized that Xie Zhuo was no longer around, and she felt a little uneasy.
After Yinxing helped her finish washing up, Fu Zhiqiao, who was lying in bed, was still a little down. However, it only lasted for a while. She shook her head to put her troubled thoughts behind her and fell asleep.
In a dream.
She was alone in the dark room, the only light coming from a candle.
The candle had burned down to just a little bit, and the flame was slowly dimming, making the room darker and darker.
Fu Zhi Qiao was confused in the darkness for a while before she came to her senses.
Who is it? Who locked her in this room?
Just as she couldn't bear it any longer, the door suddenly opened, instantly illuminating the entire room. Fu Zhi Qiao instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
After her eyes adjusted to the light, she opened them.
She saw a white-haired old woman with narrow eyes walk over and stand in front of her, her attitude very condescending: "The princess invites you."
Fu Zhi Qiao propped herself up with her hands on the ground, rubbing her slightly numb knees. She wanted to ask who the person was and how she ended up locked in a dark room, but before she could even ask, she had already uncontrollably followed the nanny out the door.
Fu Zhiqiao vaguely sensed that something was wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Following the long-eyed nanny, turning left and right, and walking for quite a while, Fu Zhi Qiao finally arrived at the destination and learned that the princess the long-eyed nanny had mentioned was actually Zuo Murui, Xie Zhuo's mother.
That's right, I only know one princess, Zuo Murui.
Fu Zhiqiao had just stood still and hadn't even had a chance to react when she heard Zuo Murui's authoritative reprimand from above.
Kneel down!
Fu Zhi Qiao didn't want to heed Zuo Murui's orders, but her body seemed to move on its own and she knelt down with a thud.
Fu Zhi Qiao was stunned for a few moments before she realized that she seemed to have lost control of her body!
Zuo Murui picked up a cup of tea and sipped it slowly. She remained silent for a long time. Zuo Murui was not alone in the room; several maids and servants stood on either side of her, all wearing gloating smiles.
"Do you know your crime?" Zuo Murui looked at her with a sharp gaze.
"What crime have I committed?" This wasn't the first time Fu Zhiqiao had dealt with Zuo Murui. She wanted to ask back, but no sound came out as she opened and closed her mouth.
Fu Zhi Qiao was puzzled. Why couldn't she make a sound? Could she have been poisoned and made mute?
She reached out to pinch her throat, hoping to relieve the discomfort and make her vocal cords produce sound. Even though she raised her hand, she couldn't find her throat no matter what she did.
Fu Zhi Qiao's face immediately turned ugly. She realized where the strange feeling that had been lingering in her heart came from.
She couldn't control her body!
Why can't she control her body? Who is controlling her body now? Has she been possessed, or has she traveled through time again?
Countless questions popped into her mind.
No, no!
Fu Zhi Qiao forced herself to calm down. At this moment, she was more like a wisp of consciousness residing in "Fu Zhi Qiao", like having two souls in one body. One was herself, and the other was also herself, except that the other self was now controlling the body.
Fu Zhiqiao struggled, trying to regain control of the body.
Before she could regain control of her body, several maids and servants rushed up, covered her mouth, pinned her hands behind her back, and pressed her to the ground. She refused to give in and struggled to stand up, but she had no strength left.
Realizing she was at a disadvantage, Fu Zhi Qiao panicked. She desperately tried to regain control of the body's consciousness; she couldn't let others bully her!
As she struggled for control of her body, she could feel her strength growing weaker and her vision becoming increasingly blurry. As her eyelids closed, she glanced up and saw Zuo Murui's mouth opening and closing as she spoke.
"Send him to the estate and keep him under strict guard. Never let him out again!" Only when she collapsed completely did she hear Zuo Murui's voice clearly.
"No!" Fu Zhi Qiao suddenly sat up, breathing heavily, and quickly scanned her surroundings. It was a room she knew well.
Everything that just happened was a dream!
Thankfully, it was just a dream. Thinking about what happened in the dream, Fu Zhi Qiao broke out in a cold sweat.
What you think about during the day, you dream about at night.
Perhaps it was because Yadan suddenly stirred up trouble at the banquet today, catching her off guard. The entanglement with Yadan during the day left a shadow in her heart, which is why she had such a nightmare at night.
Yu Yadan is the most difficult person to deal with, and the only person who made Yu Yadan hostile towards her was Xie Zhuo.
With her fingertips pressed against her brow, Fu Zhiqiao felt a little tired.
She was now fully awake from the dream. Although it was just a dream, the scenes in it were so real that it felt like her own experience.
In her dream, Zuo Murui was in the place where she was. She was wearing a brocade dress and her hairpins were not cheap. Did she marry Xie Zhuo in her dream?
However, why was she locked up and sent to the estate?
That dark room must be a darkroom. What did she do wrong to be locked in a darkroom?
The dream was fragmented, yet it felt incredibly real, as if it were her own experience. She could clearly perceive the "Fu Zhi Qiao" in the dream—her helplessness, her sadness, her pain…
Moonlight streamed into the room through the cracks in the window, and Fu Zhi Qiao couldn't fall asleep at all.
Could events in a dream be a warning?
Is she being warned that even after marrying into the royal family, she won't have a good life?
That makes sense. How could Zuo Murui, who comes from a noble family, accept a merchant's daughter as her daughter-in-law? If I really became her daughter-in-law, wouldn't I be at her mercy?
Fu Zhi Qiao knew that Xie Zhuo had been busy with the matter of breaking off the engagement with the Yu family recently, and that everything he did was for the sake of their future. Fu Zhi Qiao had seen this.
But she wasn't sure how long her relationship with Xie Zhuo could last, especially after learning that Xie Zhuo was engaged to Yu Yadan. She had felt lost and hesitated...
Reason told her not to be soft-hearted, but everyone has selfish desires.
Xie Zhuo never gave up. His firm attitude swayed Fu Zhi Qiao. No matter what happens in the future, at least for now, she didn't want Xie Zhuo to work hard alone. She had to do something too.
She must increase her leverage and seize the initiative!
She cannot let the things in her dreams become reality.
Fu Zhi Qiao clenched her fists. The reason why Zuo Murui and Yu Yadan looked down on her was simply because of her low social status.
She had no way to improve her status. It was already difficult enough for her to reach the position of county magistrate. She was powerless to rise any higher. The only thing she was confident about was increasing her wealth.
No one doesn't love money.
Ordinary people need money to survive, local gentry and officials need money to ensure the living standards of their families, aristocratic families need money to support their staff and servants, and the country needs money to maintain its army and protect its territory...
If one day she becomes rich enough to influence the economy of the Great Wei, and rich enough to win over various forces in the capital, would anyone still dare to underestimate her?
Regardless of whether she and Xie Zhuo can end up together, and whatever the final outcome may be, she wants Zuo Murui and Yu Yadan to see that she is not someone they can manipulate!
Fu Zhiqiao let out a breath; she needed to hurry.
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