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Shao He's eyelashes trembled twice, and he smiled silently: "I have no worries about my life, and I have no unfulfilled wishes. I don't know how Your Highness can infer that I need someone to save me."
"As the daughter of the successor of the Great Zhou, you have never received the slightest bit of preferential treatment that a legitimate princess should have." Xi Juchao stepped back and leaned against the wall of the carriage, "You have already been a victim of the royal family at the age of sixteen. Among the legitimate twin sons of the old Ningyuan Marquis, the eldest son who should have inherited the title was timid and never participated in the court struggle, which pleased the saint. In those days, the saint gave you to him as a reward and exchange in order to control the marquis's mansion, but unexpectedly, his perverse brother coveted his sister-in-law."
"You and your elder brother are born of the same mother, but you have received a world of difference. You have been unwilling to accept this for many years. As a younger brother, you were so angry that you even tried to kill your elder brother. You are now a widow because of this."
"As for this family scandal, the old Ningyuan Marquis, who knew about it, chose to remain silent and announced to the public that his eldest son died of a sudden old illness. Not long after, he passed away with this secret. But you knew what others did not know, and you, who were still very naive at the time, told the saint the truth."
"When the Saint found out, he was very afraid of this young son who was so cruel and killed his brother to ascend to the throne. So he placed a few of his confidants in the Marquis' Mansion. Taking advantage of your widowhood, he deliberately arranged things behind the scenes to lure the newly-inherited Marquis Ningyuan into doing something inappropriate to you. At the critical moment, he sent someone to discover and stop you in time. Afterwards, the Saint used this as an excuse to act furious and issued an order to deprive the Marquis of his title and demote him to an earl, saying that he was making the decision for you."
He smiled when he said this: "You didn't know the truth at first, and you probably thought your father was very kind to you."
Shaohe's expression was indifferent. What Xiju said was indeed true, but it was too far away from her, so far away that it really became a blur of her past life. It sounded bland and boring to her, as if it was just someone else's story.
Xi Ju continued, "In order to appease you, the Saint allowed you to move out of the Bomen and live as a widow in the Princess's Mansion. Three years later, you got the chance to marry again, but Lu Zishu refused. In fact, you can't blame him entirely. If you were a favored legitimate princess, what would a mere court official do for you? But in the Saint's heart, you are not as good as a court official. The Saint thought of his career and didn't want him to ruin his future by becoming a consort. So, his ruthless refusal was actually instructed by the Saint."
Shao He kept smiling, but still didn't speak.
"Later, Yuan Cixian and Lu Zishu became increasingly close. I went to Shangzhou to abduct her but failed. However, the crime was eventually pinned on you, and no one has cleared your name to this day. Yuan Cixian, Lu Zishu, and your father, who doesn't know that you are not the murderer? But has anyone among them spoken up for you? Including this marriage with Nanzhao, if the target had been Yuan Cixian, do you think Lu Zishu, with his ability, would have been unable to stop it? He chose to give up only because you are not Yuan Cixian."
"Zheng Yun, if you don't fight, you will have nothing. They will always think you are weak and can be bullied, and will never give you the slightest care. It is true that until now, I am still a plunderer to you, but I can give you what the Great Zhou is stingy to give you. If you want fame, I can make you the most glorious queen of Nanzhao. If you want to devote yourself to practicing Buddhism, I can promise not to have sex with you. If you want to make those who have sacrificed you time and time again pay the price, I can lend you my power. What you cannot afford to fight for, I can fight for you one by one."
Shao He looked at him quietly, and after a long silence, he said, "Your Highness's long speech of first poking at people's sore spots and then giving them sweet dates is indeed very brilliant. If I were really as naive as I was when I was in the Marquis's house, I'm afraid I would have been moved. But what you keep saying you want to give me is not what I want."
She laughed when she said this: "To be honest, in my opinion, you are like a naughty kid who can't get any candy. You are still young and have the drive to fight, but I don't. I am old, I have lived enough, and I don't want anything. Since you know my secret, why do you still think that there is something in this world worth fighting for and cherishing?"
Xi Ju's eyes lit up when he heard that, and he stared at her closely: "You really are the strange person that She Luo mentioned."
Shao He's smile froze as he listened to him continue, "Zheng Jun, I don't know your secret. How could I easily confirm such an incredible thing? But now I believe it."
Her face turned pale, and she looked at him with trembling lips: "You are testing me."
This long speech, which sounded a bit childish, was not intended to persuade her to cooperate with him from beginning to end, but to confirm her secret.
Xiju curled the corner of his mouth to show his agreement.
Of course, he was testing her. He first became interested in Shao He when Lu Shiqing was doing disaster relief in Shuzhou last year. At that time, the spies he had arranged in Da Zhou found the secret letter sent by Shao He. He was very surprised when he heard the news.
After negotiating with Lu Shiqing at Shangzhou Post Station, he was sure that this person would be a powerful enemy in the future, so he was planning an assassination in his heart, ready to cooperate with King Ping again and get rid of him as soon as possible. But this news, which he hadn't even spoken out in time, leaked to Shaohe's ears.
Although he found it strange at first, he thought it was a coincidence. However, he could not help but be cautious and sent a maid to sneak into the princess's mansion to investigate Shao He's daily life and the people she came and went to see where she got the information from.
But for several months, he gained nothing, and even discovered that the princess was devoted to Buddhism and did not care about state affairs at all.
It was not until the war broke out that he heard that Yuan Cixian had come to take the jade ring, and Shaohe had been waiting for her in the mansion as expected.
The origin of the unpolished jade was unknown to anyone except the Yuan family and Emperor Huining. Even Lu Shiqing only found out about it afterwards. Since it was impossible for Shaohe to understand the cause and effect, how could he have anticipated Yuan Cixian's intentions in advance
After this incident, Xi Ju was filled with doubts and started to investigate Shao He, thus he learned a lot about her strangeness, such as her personality changed drastically after she accidentally fell into the water two years ago.
He was full of doubts and asked the highly respected Nanzhao priest Sheluo for advice. It was the first time he heard about the rumors about the "strange man". Sheluo told him that if he could take this man into his hands, he would ascend to the throne and even conquer the Great Zhou.
At that time, he still couldn't fully believe such a miraculous thing, and he went to the Great Zhou with a skeptical attitude. Since then, he has been trying to verify it again and again until that moment just now.
Shao He's face turned pale as he figured out what had happened almost immediately.
It turned out that it wasn't Yuan Cixian. It wasn't Yuan Cixian who caused her tragedy in order to change her fate. She brought this tragedy upon herself. It was she who led her to where she is today.
The corners of her mouth pulled into a miserable smile and she looked up at the man opposite her.
Xi Ju smiled at her and said with interest: "It's okay if you don't want to talk now. I still have patience for the time being."
Shao He quickly regained her composure upon seeing this, and shook her head and sighed, "Have you ever heard of a Chinese word called '阴差阳错'?" She paused before continuing, "You are very smart, but you can't change fate. As you think, I am indeed not an ordinary person, but you don't have to wait, and you don't have to rack your brains to find a way to pry me open, because I don't know anything you want to know."
Xiju narrowed his eyes and stared at her without saying a word.
Shao He continued calmly, "As you said, I was very naive back then. Soon after being rejected by Minister Lu, I became a nun and entered the Wangji Temple in Chang'an. After that, I became disillusioned with the secular world and no longer cared about the secular world. I went to Dunhuang and devoted myself to worshipping Buddha. I never returned to the capital until my death. How was the Great Zhou, the Nanzhao, the Tubo and the Pyu Kingdom? How could I know what was going on in the vast Gobi Desert? If I really knew so much, how could I have let myself fall into this situation in my life?"
The smile on Xiju's face gradually faded.
As she spoke, she reached out to take the paper and pen from the table in front of her, and while sketching, she said, "There are many rare murals in the Thousand Buddha Caves in the Hexi Corridor. I can draw every one of them silently. If you don't believe what I say, you can send someone to check and check, or you can go to Chang'an to ask carefully to see if I have ever been to Dunhuang in my life."
After Shao He finished speaking, she seemed to have turned from sorrow to joy under the continuous stimulation, and smiled with some relief: "But no matter what, I am already the Crown Princess of Nanzhao. It's probably too late for you to regret it now."
*
The next day, the marriage team arrived at the Nanzhao Imperial City, and the Crown Prince Xiju married Shaohe to the East Palace with the ceremony of a princess. More than a month passed, in the late sixth month of the summer, the Nanzhao Imperial Palace heard good news that the Crown Princess was pregnant.
When the news reached Chang'an, Emperor Huining, who was discussing matters with Lu Shiqing, was instantly overjoyed.
Lu Shiqing knew what the old emperor was happy about. When Xi Ju asked for Shao He's hand in marriage, he had signed a written agreement, saying that as long as he ascended the throne smoothly, he would send his eldest son to Chang'an and volunteer to be a hostage for three years.
Now, it is seen that this eldest son has shown signs of being fertile, and is indeed Shao He’s descendant and the bloodline of the Great Zhou.
He said a few words of congratulations to the old emperor with a faint expression and continued to accompany him, flipping through the official documents in his hands. After a moment, he suddenly saw the eunuch who had just come to report the good news hurried into the palace again, walked all the way to the side of Emperor Huining, leaned over and whispered a few words.
Emperor Huining raised his eyebrows upon hearing this and asked in a low voice, "Is it really such a coincidence?"
The eunuch leaned forward and replied, "Yes, Your Majesty, this is truly a double blessing."
Lu Shiqing didn't pay much attention to the noise of the two people talking. He was calmly circling the official document with his pen when he suddenly heard the old emperor calling him, "Zishu."
He raised his head and answered, "What do you want, Your Majesty?"
"Your servant came to ask when you will return home, and said that Cixian is pregnant."
A crisp "pop" sound was heard in the spacious Zichen Hall.
The document in Lu Shiqing's hand fell to the ground.
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