Chapter 271 The "weak and helpless" eldest daughter of the Xie family

"Cough, cough, cough!" Song Yuqiu really didn't want to eat dog food anymore. He put his fist to his lips and coughed heavily a few times. "Your Highness Prince Xuan, should we leave the palace as soon as possible?"

She didn't want to stay in this cold, luxurious and unpopular palace for even a moment longer.

"I'm afraid that won't work," Xiao Jinxuan took Xie Zhuoning's hand, "Since you're here under the guise of visiting the Grand Empress Dowager, you naturally have to pay your respects to her."

If you want to put on a show, you have to set a trap so that no one can detect the clues.

What's more, he really wanted to take Xie Zhuoning to meet his grandmother.

"Don't be nervous. Grandma isn't a difficult person to get along with. She's just a little stubborn now that she's old. I'll take care of everything."

On the way there, Xie Zhuoning listened to Xiao Jinxuan's whispered instructions and watched him tightly hold his hand.

I was thinking, who is nervous?

Changle Palace.

When the palace maid saw them coming, she immediately went in to inform them.

Xiao Jinxuan tilted his head slightly and glanced at the little girl beside him, "Are you scared?"

Xie Zhuoning raised his eyebrows, "I would be afraid? What a joke!"

She is not even afraid of rebellion, so why would she be afraid of meeting the Empress Dowager?

Not long after, the palace maid came back and said, "Please come in, both of you."

Xie Zhuoning took a deep breath, put on an expression as if he was ready to die for a just cause, and walked into the palace.

"The grandson has seen his grandmother."

"Your servant Xie Zhuoning has met the Grand Empress Dowager."

The two of them saluted at the same time, but the Empress Dowager's eyes fell on Xie Zhuoning.

Be dignified and graceful.

No matter how you look at it, you can't find any fault with it.

As she was observing her carefully, Zhuang Qingyi beside her smiled and said, "Ms. Xie is indeed someone who has been specially taught by the palace maids. You are so measured in your actions. I am ashamed of myself."

On the surface it sounds like exaggeration, but the reason why Xie Zhuoning was trained by the palace nanny was because she was going to marry the prince and move into the Eastern Palace, so she had to learn the palace rules in advance.

Just by mentioning it casually, her identity as the former Crown Princess was instantly revealed.

The Empress Dowager's expression, which had just relaxed a little, suddenly hardened again, "Get up."

Xiao Jinxuan and Xie Zhuoning stood up at the same time, and he even raised his arm slightly, almost imperceptibly.

He was subconsciously protecting Xie Zhuoning, fearing that she would get anxious and lose her balance.

Every little detail made Zhuang Qingyi's eyes dim.

She thought Brother Heng was cold-hearted, but it turned out that he was also very cautious and wanted to hold someone in his heart.

The Empress Dowager naturally saw this. She glanced at the two of them, and finally fixed her eyes on Xiao Jinxuan's face. "It's rumored outside that you want to marry the girl from the Xie family. Is that true?"

"Reporting to Grandmother," Xiao Jinxuan said, "I do want to marry her. I came here to ask for a favor from you."

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she was so angry that she laughed, "You knew clearly that I didn't agree with this marriage, yet you still came to me to ask for a marriage. Are you afraid that I will live too long and die of anger?"

"Grandmother's condition is serious." Xiao Jinxuan was neither humble nor arrogant, and had no intention of backing down.

The Empress Dowager saw that he looked really weak, so she turned around and looked at Xie Zhuoning.

"I heard that after the prince broke off your engagement, you were also broken off by a scholar?"

Xie Zhuoning replied, "Yes."

You have to admit your own sins even if you have to grit your teeth.

Zhuang Qingyi covered her lips and sighed, "Miss Xie is so pitiful. It must be very painful to be rejected by someone, right?"

"What's pitiful? There must be something hateful about a pitiful person. It must be her fault that they broke off the engagement!" The Empress Dowager glanced at Zhuang Qingyi, hating her for not being able to live up to her expectations and not even being able to compare to a woman like this.

Xiao Jinxuan, however, could not bear to hear her being slandered, "Grandma, things are not as you think..."

Just as he was about to explain for Xie Zhuoning, he was stopped by Xie Zhuoning.

She had heard these words many times, but she didn't really take them to heart.

But when she saw Xiao Jinxuan wanting to argue for her, she still felt a warm feeling in her heart.

But he is a man and he doesn't understand that once some prejudices are established, any explanation is redundant and it is better to try a different approach.

Her eyes turned red, her expression was sad, her voice choked with sobs, "Grand Empress Dowager, you are right, it is my fault. If I had not lost my mother when I was young and had to go to Beiguan, how could I have caught a cold, become weak and sickly, and not be favored by the Crown Prince?"

Seeing how aggrieved she was, the Empress Dowager's stern face could no longer be maintained.

When I think about it, this girl from the Xie family lost her mother when she was young, and her father had to take care of her siblings while he was fighting at war. I don’t know how much hardship she went through in her childhood that led to her physical illness.

The news that the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince's tutor's daughter were secretly pregnant was a hot topic, and she had heard a lot about it.

It seems that this matter cannot be entirely blamed on this girl.

The Empress Dowager paused and asked, "Then what happened when you broke off the engagement the second time?"

When Xie Zhuoning saw her expression relax a little, he knew that she was on the right track.

The old ladies who observe fasting and chant Buddhist scriptures all have soft hearts.

It is better to submit gently than to oppose forcefully.

Didn't Zhuang Qingyi rely on pretending to be pitiful to get the Empress Dowager to support her?

Xie Zhuoning sobbed twice and continued, "After my engagement was broken off, I wanted to find someone who knows how to live a normal life and live a peaceful life. So even if he tells me that I have a wife and a daughter back home, I have decided to treat his child as my own..."

When the Empress Dowager heard this, she became a little angry. "You are also a loser. He already has a wife and children, and you can tolerate this? You are the daughter of a rich and powerful family, and you are so submissive. Is this what your father, the Marquis of Zhenyang, taught you?"

Sniffing, Xie Zhuoning picked up the handkerchief and touched the corner of his eye. He was addicted to acting. "What can I do? Who told me that I was someone whose engagement was broken off? Everyone has a preconceived notion that I am a casual person. Even if I am innocent and have cured the cold, who would believe me if I told others about it?"

The Empress Dowager: “…”

It seemed like she was one of the first ones.

From this perspective, this girl from the Xie family is truly a pitiful person.

Xie Zhuoning continued softly, "After the second break-off, I wanted to live with you forever. But His Royal Highness Prince Xuan suddenly told me that he wanted to marry me. I was terrified. With my status, how could I be qualified to marry His Royal Highness Prince Xuan?"

The Empress Dowager nodded, and it seemed that she was self-aware.

"But His Royal Highness Prince Xuan insisted on holding me responsible. Actually, what happened that day was just an accident. I have already forgotten about it. Your Royal Highness Prince Xuan does not need to be so concerned."

Her voice was soft and soft, as if she had said everything, yet it seemed as if she had said nothing.

Zhuang Qingyi began to stagger again, and the Empress Dowager also had difficulty breathing.

"You...you guys...Xuan'er...you and her..."

When Xiao Jinxuan heard these words, he almost bit off his tongue.

He had planned everything, but he had never expected Xie Zhuoning to do this to him.

At this point, he could only bite the bullet and admit it, "Grandma, you taught me since I was young that a man should be brave enough to take responsibility. This is indeed my fault, and I just want to do my best to make up for it. You don't want people to say that I am ungrateful and irresponsible, right?"

The Empress Dowager's eyes were blank: "..."

I originally thought that Xie Zhuoning had used some tricks to bewitch his grandson.

But from what I heard along the way, it seems that this girl from the Xie family is just a weak and helpless poor person, and the person who did something worse than an animal turned out to be his own grandson?