Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 324 Towards the Golden Palace (28)

Now the truth has suddenly been revealed: what she thought was salvation was actually a meticulously planned conspiracy, and the good man she admired was a heartless villain.

All the love and kindness Xie Zhao showed her was a complete and utter exploitation.

Fate has never been kind to her.

Xie Zhao was the heaviest and most vile of all her sufferings.

Yan Zhen wiped away Meng Zhenyue's tears and said softly, "This is not your fault. Don't blame yourself or feel ashamed. Now, the most important thing is to find a way to get out of this quagmire."

Meng Zhenyue's eyes were filled with despair: "Get out... how else can I get out?"

Have you thought about getting a divorce?

Meng Zhenyue paused, then shook her head: "Where can I go after a divorce?"

Before she even got married, her family already couldn't accept her anymore. If they divorced, she would never be able to go back to that home.

Yan Zhen patiently explained, "Xie Zhao is an official. In the eyes of outsiders, his social status is far higher than that of a woman confined to the inner quarters like you. This creates a misconception for everyone, including you, that he is the backbone of the Xie family. But is that really the case?"

He was merely a sixth-rank civil official, earning five taels of silver a month and only ninety shi of rice a year. His few acres of allotted land were not worth much money.

The house he lives in in the capital, the horse he rides, the servants he employs, every piece of clothing he wears, and every grain of rice he eats are all provided by you, Meng Zhenyue. Not to mention the daily expenses for managing official affairs, every penny comes from your hands. You are the rightful head of the Xie family!

"Without you, Xie Zhao wouldn't have been able to bring Cheng Qingshuang and their two children to the capital to be well-fed and cared for; he wouldn't even be able to afford a page or a groom. As the one who paid and put in the effort, why did you put yourself in such a humble position?"

Meng Zhenyue was stunned, her expression showing a hint of bewilderment as if she were about to escape her confusion: "Madam Cao, what... what should I do?"

Before answering her question, Yan Zhen asked, "Do you still want to continue living with him?"

Meng Zhenyue shook her head decisively.

"If I don't want to live with him anymore, and I don't want to endure the gossip that comes with divorce, then I'll just have to be widowed."

Meng Zhenyue was startled, and her face grew even paler.

Her voice trembled, and she subconsciously lowered her voice a few decibels: "But... but murdering a government official is a capital offense."

"We just need to keep it a secret," Yan Zhen said. "Besides, there are many ways to kill someone; we don't necessarily have to do it ourselves."

Meng Zhenyue bit her lower lip, caught in a deep dilemma.

Yan Zhen gently patted her shoulder: "As a fellow victim, I hate him more than you do. If you're scared, leave this to me. Just pretend you know nothing."

Before she could finish speaking, Meng Zhenyue immediately exclaimed, "No!"

Xie Zhao tricked her into taking a drug that would prevent her from having children, which not only deprived her of the right to become a mother, but also shortened her lifespan.

Having suffered such a vicious scheme, she couldn't swallow her anger if she pretended to be unaware and did nothing.

Even if Xie Zhao dies in the future, it will be difficult to quell the hatred in her heart!

She wanted to take revenge on Xie Zhao. She wanted to personally drag this vicious, selfish, and despicable scoundrel who climbed up by stepping on women down and stomp him into the mud so that he would never be able to rise again!

With this in mind, Meng Zhenyue made up her mind: "Let's cooperate."

Yan Zhen smiled and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

Meng Zhenyue nodded vigorously: "I've thought it through."

Yan Zhen already had a plan in mind, and she explained it to Meng Zhenyue.

After listening, Meng Zhenyue asked with some unease, "Aren't you planning to take those two children away?"

Meng Zhenyue could understand why Madam Cao wanted to take revenge on Xie Zhao and Cheng Qingshuang.

But it seems she has no intention of letting the two children go.

"No, they are not my children, they are evil spirits."

Because Luo Yun was illiterate, the two children were educated by Cheng Qingshuang and Xie Zhao from a young age.

Without Luo Jun's knowledge, how much evil did they instill in their two children? That's why Xie Zhaolin and Xie Wanfang could watch their mother being killed and her body dumped in the wilderness in their previous life without any reaction, and even feel fortunate to have gotten rid of this illiterate "burden".

The moment Luo Yun was killed, Xie Zhaolin and Xie Wanfang severed all kinship ties with the original owner of the body.

Relieved by Yan Zhen's affirmative answer, Meng Zhenyue said, "Okay, I know what to do."

Composing herself, Meng Zhenyue washed her face, restyled her hair, and walked out of the Zhenxiu Pavilion as if nothing had happened, returning to the Xie residence.

-

Xie Mansion.

School is closed today, so Xie Zhaolin and Xie Wanfang are both at home.

As soon as Meng Zhenyue stepped into the backyard, her maidservant hurriedly came forward, looking hesitant to speak.

When Meng Zhenyue saw her like this, she knew that the three of them had probably done something to her again.

"What's wrong?" Meng Zhenyue asked.

The maid then whispered, "At noon, the young master was playing football in the backyard and accidentally broke the pot of orchids that was placed under the eaves."

Meng Zhenyue: "..."

Meng Zhenyue loved flowers. That pot of orchid had been growing for over ten years and was one of the dowry items she brought from the Meng family. She took care of it personally every day and devoted a lot of effort to it.

Orchids are usually kept in her room, but because the weather has been nice these past few days, she ordered them to be moved to the yard to bask in the sun.

I never expected that Xie Zhaolin would break it.

Normally, Meng Zhenyue would feel sorry for him, but since the person who caused the trouble was her stepson, she couldn't say anything, and the matter would be easily forgotten.

Now that she knows this family are all wolves and tigers, plotting to devour her whole, leaving not even a scrap, she no longer has much tolerance or patience.

Meng Zhenyue lifted her foot and walked towards the courtyard where the orchids were drying.

Upon entering the courtyard, the broken orchids were still lying on the ground, the flowerpot was shattered, and the two beautiful clusters of orchids on it had been pulled down.

One of the hairpins was placed in Xie Wanfang's hair, while the other was thrown on the ground and trampled to pieces.

Xie Wanfang and Xie Zhaolin were playing Cuju (ancient Chinese football) in the courtyard, and when they saw her come in, neither of them felt guilty and didn't even say hello.

Meng Zhenyue's eyes immediately reddened—she was furious, and both old and new grudges surged into her heart. She said in a deep voice, "Who broke this orchid?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Zhaolin flicked his toe, kicked the ball on the ground, caught it steadily in his arms, and raised his chin, saying, "Me."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sharp "slap" rang out as Meng Zhenyue slapped him hard across the face.

For a moment, the courtyard was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Not only was Xie Zhaolin, who had been beaten, stunned, but even Xie Wanfang and the maids and servants in the courtyard were taken aback.

Meng Zhenyue was kind and gentle, and she always spoke softly and gently to the Xie family members and the servants in the mansion.

Unless it's a serious mistake, I never scold or criticize harshly, let alone resort to physical violence.

Now that everyone has witnessed her hitting someone, and it's her stepson whom she's always been lenient with, everyone is looking at her as if they've seen a ghost.

After being slapped, Xie Zhaolin realized what was happening, covered his face, and roared in fury, "You dare hit me!!! You cripple, you dare hit me!!!"