When the room door opened, she was curled up in a ball, covering her head with her arms.
This is a very protective posture; she is clearly afraid that someone will hit her.
For some reason, Su Wanwan felt a pang of pain in her heart.
After all, they were best friends who grew up together. Seeing Zhou Wanxiu like this, it would be a lie to say that he wasn't sad.
"Wanxiu, it's me."
Upon hearing Su Wanwan's voice, Zhou Wanxiu finally relaxed, her dull eyes regained some luster, and she rushed over as if she had seen a savior.
"Aunt Wan, save me!"
"Help me!"
"I didn't mean to, it was the Empress Dowager who forced me to say it, it was the Empress Dowager who forced me to say it, Aunt Wan, please don't blame me, please don't blame me, okay?"
Su Wanwan sighed softly and patted her back:
"Don't be afraid, I'll take you out of here. How did you get here?"
Zhou Wanxiu's tear-filled eyes narrowed instantly, and she gripped Su Wanwan's hand tightly:
"The Empress Dowager forced me to say that you killed Princess Xiuyi. Aunt Wan, don't blame me, really don't blame me, she even chopped off my finger..."
Zhou Wanxiu was so scared that she trembled all over.
Su Wanwan was the only person who came to see her these days.
She finally realized that, apart from Su Wanwan, no one cared whether she lived or died.
The Zhou family is now in decline, and under the wrath of Empress Dowager Zhang and the Emperor, they are powerless to help her.
If Su Wanwan abandons her, she might rot and die in this cell.
Su Wanwan's eyes gradually turned cold.
Princess Xiuyi has not been mentioned for many years.
After a long while, she simply smiled softly, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.
"It's not your fault."
Zhou Wanxiu shivered as she looked into Su Wanwan's beautiful eyes, which were filled with coldness.
She used to think that Su Wanwan was weak and easy to bully.
Thinking about it now, if she dared to kill Princess Xiuyi when she was eleven years old, how could she be so easy to bully?
Even a rabbit will bite when cornered.
Princess Xiuyi has always enjoyed bullying Aunt Wan, and has made things difficult for her countless times, both openly and secretly.
It's not surprising that Aunt Wan retaliated.
However, she is unaware of the details and remains confused to this day.
Su Wanwan did not blame Zhou Wanxiu.
Having grown up together, she naturally knew what kind of person Zhou Wanxiu was.
Ever since Zhou Wanxiu started forgetting to bring her the rabbit lantern year after year with various excuses, she stopped having any expectations of Zhou Wanxiu.
Without expectations, even if betrayed, there will be no disappointment or pain.
Su Wanwan's gaze shifted downwards, landing on Zhou Wanxiu's chest.
The jade whistle had disappeared without a trace.
Su Wanwan pursed her lips, suppressing the urge to ask Xiao Bin about it, and simply gave the following instructions:
"Take Miss Zhou home."
Zhou Wanxiu collapsed to the ground as if she had survived a catastrophe.
Now, she no longer dares to hope to enter the palace as a concubine.
In this palace overrun by wolves and tigers, she was nothing but a lamb, destined to be tortured and devoured.
After Zhou Wanxiu left, Su Wanwan stood quietly for a long time.
Seeing that her face was abnormally pale, He Ying asked worriedly, "Your Highness, why don't you go back and rest?"
Su Wanwan smiled faintly at her: "Let's go to Cikang Palace."
...
Cikang Palace.
Empress Dowager Zhang is talking to Lady Jin.
"Your Majesty, why are you so stubborn? Wanwan is your own niece. Why don't you just treat her like your own daughter?"
Madam Jin was filled with sorrow, and her temples had turned even whiter.
Now that the Emperor holds great power, the Empress Dowager has finally managed to ease tensions with him, but she is now seeking revenge for Princess Xiuyi, who has been dead for ten years.
They planned to kill the emperor and eliminate the empress.
This is deliberately dragging the Zhang family into a quagmire.
Even if Empress Dowager Zhang agrees, her in-laws will not!
"Mother, if I am murdered, don't you plan to avenge me?" Empress Dowager Zhang sneered, her eyes red.
Madam Jin was speechless for a moment.
He loosened and tightened his grip on the dragon-headed cane, then loosened it again.
The Zhang family's current glory and wealth are entirely due to Empress Dowager Zhang's high position.
Empress Zhang's younger brother, Zhang Heling, was able to marry Princess Jiashan's daughter, thus establishing marriage ties with the Jingyuan Earl's Mansion and the Huichang Marquis's Mansion.
I can't bring myself to say I won't seek revenge.
The Earl of Jingyuan was the first civil official in the Great Liang Dynasty to be granted a title for his meritorious service.
A prominent figure who spanned both civil and military officials during the reign of Emperor Yingzong.
He successfully chose sides during Emperor Yingzong's "seizure of the gate and restoration," thus avoiding being purged.
Later, the second son of the Marquis of Jingyuan married Princess Jiashan, the second daughter of Emperor Yingzong, thus becoming a relative of the emperor.
Princess Jiashan's two daughters, one married Sun Ming, the Marquis of Huichang, and the other married Zhang Heling.
As for the Marquis of Huichang's mansion, it was once a terrifying entity that surpassed imperial power.
They were also the only powerful maternal relatives in the dynasty who held real military power in the capital, and the maternal uncle's family of Emperor Yingzong.
For the first ten years of his reign, Emperor Xianzong was constantly vying for power with the Marquis of Huichang.
Even his son was secretly hidden away, for fear that the Marquis of Huichang's household would "remove the father and keep the son" and support the young emperor to ascend the throne.
If it weren't for the Duke of Anguo's mansion being so powerful, it's hard to say whether Emperor Xianzong could have defeated the Marquis of Huichang's mansion.
Now, decades have passed.
The Jingyuan Earl's Mansion and the Huichang Marquis's Mansion, through their superb political skills, weathered the storm, avoided being purged, landed safely, and began to recuperate.
Where would they be willing to take such a risk again?
The Zhang family is the same.
Having just survived the emperor's iron-fisted crackdown, they are now trembling with fear and would never dare to act recklessly again.
However, if we go along with the Empress Dowager's idea of "avenging," it will be difficult to dispel her determination to take action against the Emperor and Empress.
This is a crime punishable by the extermination of an entire clan, no less serious than treason.
This is no child's play.
She couldn't let Empress Zhang act recklessly and drag everyone into the abyss.
"Your Majesty, don't be misled by treacherous people and believe everything you hear." Lady Jin didn't dare to give direct advice, so she could only patiently and patiently persuade her.
"Wanwan practically grew up right before your eyes. She's always so well-behaved, never daring to say a word. How could she possibly dare to kill someone?"
"Don't you know what kind of person Xiuyi is?"
"She even wants the moon in the sky. She's the one who bullies others; she's never the one being bullied."
"That year, she had Wanwan whipped. Wanwan didn't even dare to cry, and afterwards she didn't go to file a complaint or demand an explanation."
Empress Dowager Zhang raised her eyebrows sharply: "How dare she, a mere foster daughter of a court official, defy the imperial family?!"
Madam Jin paused, then changed the subject:
"Yes, Xiuyi is of noble birth, but isn't the Crown Prince? The Crown Prince told her to stop, did she listen?"
"The whip has even been used on the Crown Prince! Isn't it all because you spoiled her?"
Empress Dowager Zhang retorted, "What kind of brother would defend an outsider over his own sister? That's Lu Xingjian's fault too!"
"But does Xiuyi treat the Crown Prince as an older brother? She said she would ask Father to depose the Crown Prince once her younger brother is born." Madam Jin took a deep breath, still feeling terrified.
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