She wiped the blood and sweat from her forehead, straightened her clothes, and followed the nanny in.
The splendor of the hall contrasted with her shabby and miserable appearance. She tried hard to take unsteady steps and keep her body steady to move forward. Every step she took felt extremely difficult.
There was a figure swaying in front of her, but in fact, it was not the figure that was swaying, but she was very dizzy. She could only vaguely see three people sitting in the main hall. The person in the middle was wearing a bright red brocade palace skirt and had her hair tied up high. Just a casual glance at her made her look elegant and noble.
She knelt down with a thud, "Your humble servant Xia Zian, kowtows to Her Majesty the Queen!"
There was total silence in the palace; even the sound of breathing seemed inaudible. The lights on the palace walls shone through the glass lampshades, illuminating everything in sight as if it were a dream.
After a long while, a female voice that was so cold that it was almost cold was heard, "Raise your head!"
Zian supported himself on the ground with his hands and slowly raised his head.
A pair of eyes that were sharp and almost mean stared at her. The eyes emitted a dark blue light, which reminded her of a time when she was a military doctor and was in danger in the desert. She saw a rattlesnake hiding behind a sand dune, staring at her with the same cruel and vicious look.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw two people sitting on the left and right of the queen. The one sitting on the right was Prince Liang. Prince Liang looked very unhappy and turned his face away, as if he didn't even want to look at her.
Seeing King Liang here, she felt relieved, at least her plan could be implemented smoothly.
As for the man in black clothes sitting on the left, she had never seen him before, and the original owner should have never seen him either, because she had no impression of him in her mind.
Zi'an was somewhat frightened by this man's aura and he did not dare to look closely at his face. He was just sitting there leisurely, holding a porcelain cup in his hand. His indifferent expression gave people a strong sense of oppression.
Zi'an secretly wondered in his heart, could he be the emperor's younger brother, the Regent Murong Jie
Without giving Zi'an time to think, the Queen spoke slowly, changing her sharp tone and raising a faint smile at the corner of her lips, "Are you Xia Zi'an?"
"In reply to the Queen, I am Xia Zian!" Zian replied, feeling very uncomfortable as if a ball of cotton was blocking his throat.
The queen smiled, her eyes suddenly shone, and her voice floated over lightly, "I heard that you look down on Prince Liang."
Such a casual remark was already a question.
Zi'an knelt on the ground and kowtowed, then slowly raised his head, his eyes sad and said: "Empress, I know that I am guilty of death today, and I do not ask for forgiveness. But I did this today not intentionally to prevent His Royal Highness Prince Liang from coming to Taiwan, but I had no choice. I feel guilty for causing trouble for His Royal Highness Prince Liang, so no matter how the Empress and His Royal Highness Prince Liang deal with me later, I am willing to plead guilty."
"Oh?" The Queen's eyes turned slightly cold. "Why are you so forced? Tell me."
Regent Murong Jie heard this and smiled slightly. She was smart. She did not deny her guilt in every possible way, but directly said that she deserved death. If she said a word to defend herself, it would surely arouse the Queen's anger. How could she have a chance to continue speaking
Zi'an knelt straight with difficulty and said, "Empress, the maid just said that in order to pray for the Empress Dowager, the Empress ordered that all noble ladies who enter the palace within a month must kneel three times and kowtow nine times before entering. This filial piety deeply touched me. Today, I would rather risk my life than get on the bridal sedan. Although my heart is not as pious as the Empress's, it is also for my mother. I am sure the Empress has heard of my position in the Prime Minister's Mansion. If I can marry His Highness, I will be the principal wife and enjoy all the glory and wealth. But I cannot just enjoy myself and leave my mother in that dangerous place. As long as I get married, my mother will be divorced for the seven grounds for divorce."
Murong Jie was slightly surprised. It seemed that she had expected to be summoned to the palace for questioning today. Even these words were probably prepared in advance. She did not say that she did not want to marry King Liang, nor did she show any reluctance or grievance about this marriage. She did it for only one thing: filial piety.
Murong Jie wanted to see how long she and the queen could last, so he said calmly: "Among the seven grounds for divorce, adultery is not the only crime. Why are you so sure that your father would divorce your mother with such a shameful crime?"
Zi'an looked at the godly man through his wet hair. He was also staring at him. He exuded a leisurely aura, but still made people feel unattainable.
However, although he asked the question seemingly casually, he actually helped her tell the Queen that her father had indeed intended to divorce his wife.
Why should he help himself
Zi'an smiled bitterly, "Your Highness, there are seven grounds for divorce, and three of them are not grounds for divorce. My mother took care of my grandfather on his sickbed for three years and sent him off in mourning. This is not grounds for divorce. Only adultery is not subject to this restriction. If my father wants to divorce my wife, he can only use this charge."
The queen was not moved at all, and said coldly: "So what? If you refuse to get on the bridal sedan, will your father not divorce your mother?"
Zi'an said with guilt, "Today, I have no choice but to expose my father's intention to divorce my wife in front of so many emperors and ministers. Now that everyone knows, he will definitely not dare to do it again. Even if he divorces my wife, he will do it in other ways. This is the only way I can let my mother live, because once she is divorced for adultery, my mother will definitely not survive."
King Liang was furious. "You actually used me? No matter what, it's a capital crime!"
Zi'an raised his head, his eyelashes were stained with tears, his lips trembled slightly, and his scarred face looked sad, "Your Highness, I'm sorry, I have always wanted to make one thing clear to you, but I can't see you, and my father will definitely not tell you. It is because of this matter that I refused to get on the sedan chair."
King Liang was stunned for a moment, "What's the matter?"
The tears in Zi'an's eyes finally fell, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably, looking desperate. "I am weak and cannot bear children. How dare I marry His Royal Highness Prince Liang with an infertile body? You are a noble, and I... am just dust under your feet."
"What?" The Queen finally couldn't hold back her anger. "How dare he deceive me like this?"
Even if he had a thousand guts, he would not dare to marry an infertile daughter to the prince of the current dynasty, unless he knew something. A trace of murderous intent flashed in the queen's eyes.
King Liang also trembled all over, his face suddenly turned pale, and he stared at Zi'an intently, as if trying to find out whether he was telling the truth or had some other implication.
"Come on, call the imperial physician!" King Liang was furious and shouted like a madman.
Zi'an was panicked, not knowing why Prince Liang suddenly became so crazy. Although, sending for the imperial physician was within her expectations, Prince Liang should not be so furious. After all, he did not make a scene today when she refused to get on the bridal sedan and humiliated him. Now that the Queen Mother and the Regent were here, why did he suddenly change his attitude
(End of this chapter)