Tianliangyuan

Chapter 1: Transmigrating to the Day Before the Engagement Was Annulled

"Cough, cough, cough!"

When Xu Zhaozhao opened her eyes for the first time, her mind and body couldn't keep up, and she accidentally choked.

Hearing the commotion, Wang Ruolan, who was standing guard nearby, quickly helped her up: "My dear, how are you? Are you feeling better?"

Xu Zhaozhao shook her head, her face slightly pale and her lips bloodless.

Wang Ruolan reached out and touched her forehead. "It's alright, it's not hot anymore."

Xu Zhaozhao paused for a moment, then asked again, "Mother, what time is it now?"

Wang Ruolan paused for a moment, then said softly, "It's early afternoon now. Are you hungry? Don't worry, the old lady has already agreed to go with me to the Xie family tomorrow to break off the engagement."

Xu Zhaozhao gripped the brocade quilt on her body even tighter in an instant.

"Can't retreat!"

Wang Ruolan looked puzzled: "My dear, are you having a nightmare? These days, everyone in the capital is saying that Xie Sanlang has a curse on his family. His birth mother died young because of it. Ever since you two got engaged, you've been constantly sick. It's clearly Xie Sanlang's doing! I know you're always soft-hearted, but we can't make a mistake on such a life-or-death matter!"

Xu Zhaozhao was in a state of utter confusion, and thoughts about Xie Zheng and Xie Sanlang flooded her mind like a jumbled mess.

Xu Zhaozhao at this time was no longer the Xu Zhaozhao of before.

She was originally a superhuman in the post-apocalyptic world, but in the end, she chose to perish together with the zombie king to protect the lives of countless people in the base.

I thought I would disappear from the world forever, but unexpectedly, I found myself in the Great Xing Dynasty.

When Xu Zhaozhao arrived here, she had a splitting headache. She vaguely recognized some of the names she heard, and then a flood of memories began to pour in. She vaguely remembered a book she had read in her previous life called "Reborn as Empress." Only then did she realize that she had transmigrated into a book.

Moreover, she transmigrated into the body of an insignificant cannon fodder character described in the book, and her family members, without exception, all shared the fate of cannon fodder.

In the book, Xu Zhaozhao and Xie Zheng broke off their engagement. Within two days, rumors spread throughout the capital that Xu Zhaozhao was morally deficient and unworthy of the handsome and talented Xie Sanlang, which was why the Xie family broke off the engagement. Afterwards, there was a subtle trend of targeting all the female members of the Xie family.

The truth is that the Xu family took the initiative to break off the engagement with the Xie family, but somehow the story has become increasingly outrageous.

The original owner was gentle and generous, but also somewhat timid. After hearing these rumors, she cried several times, and finally fell ill and died.

Xu Zhaozhao, who had read the entire book, naturally knew the inside story.

It was nothing more than that reborn woman manipulating public opinion behind the scenes in order to scheme against the Marquis of Anxin's mansion and at the same time win over the Xie family.

Less than half a year after the original owner's death, the entire Anxin Marquis's mansion was punished for treason, and none of the dozens of members of the Xu family survived.

Having been given a second chance at life and knowing the plot, Xu Zhaozhao naturally wouldn't follow the old path again. Moreover, she remembered that Xie Zheng didn't have the reputation of being a jinx to his relatives before. This was clearly a scheme plotted by the reborn woman and the Prince of Zhong. Now that she was here, she would definitely not let them have their way!

"Mother, did you initiate the annulment of the engagement, or did Grandmother do it?"

Wang Ruolan was slightly taken aback: "What's wrong with this? It was someone from your grandmother's side who mentioned that you've been feeling weak lately, perhaps because Xie Zheng is bringing you bad luck, which is why your mother thought of breaking off the engagement."

Xu Zhaozhao understood. It must be that someone close to the old lady had been bribed, but she didn't know how many spies and henchmen the other party had planted in the Marquis's mansion.

When Xu Zhaozhao woke up, Wang Ruolan naturally sent someone to inform the old lady. Upon learning that her granddaughter had woken up, the old lady had someone help her over.

"Zhaozhao, how are you? Does your head still hurt? Is there anything else that's bothering you?"

Seeing the old lady's concerned face, Xu Zhaozhao felt a mix of emotions. She really couldn't be sure whether her grandmother knew about this scheme or whether she was involved in it.

“Grandmother, I heard that you and Mother are going to discuss breaking off the engagement at the Xie family tomorrow. I think it’s inappropriate, so please let me have a word to say.”

The old lady frowned, her voice tinged with annoyance: "What's wrong with this? If Xie Zheng weren't so lucky, how could he have caused you to fall ill time and time again? This time, you even fainted inexplicably and have a persistent high fever. If this marriage isn't called off, I'm afraid you'll die!"

Wang Ruolan coughed lightly; such ominous words were truly displeasing.

The old lady realized that she had spoken too harshly, but she just wanted her granddaughter to know the seriousness of the matter.

Xu Zhaozhao looked at the two of them and gave a bitter smile, saying, "Luckily, I woke up in time, otherwise I don't know what kind of disaster would have occurred. Grandmother, Mother, I dare not lie to you two. The reason I fainted was not because I suddenly fell ill, but because someone was secretly trying to harm me!"

Wang Ruolan's expression changed slightly, and her heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean by that?"

Xu Zhaozhao looked aggrieved, and tears welled up in her eyes: "Mother knows that I was taking medicine before, which was incompatible with some foods and medicines. The reason I fainted today was because I ate a bowl of nourishing soup that my cousin brought."

As soon as Xu Zhaozhao finished speaking, the old lady and Wang Ruolan both had strange expressions. Zhaozhao and Sun Qian had always gotten along well, so why were they like this?

Wang Ruolan glanced subtly at the old lady, after all, Sun Qian was her own granddaughter, and if Zhao Zhao couldn't provide evidence for her words, things would get really bad.

"Zhaozhao, do you have any proof?"

Xu Zhaozhao wrinkled her nose slightly: "Mother, there's no need to worry. I believe my cousin didn't do it on purpose. Perhaps she was misled by her subordinates."

Xu Zhaozhao herself was feeling somewhat unwell, and her pitiful yet kind tone truly had a hint of sarcasm.

"When my daughter was drinking the soup, she noticed that there were a few familiar medicinal herbs in it, but she didn't think too much about it at the time and used it directly. Little did she know that it would almost cause a disaster!"

A hint of displeasure flashed in the old lady's eyes. What was the child's intention in mentioning "disaster" twice?

Wang Ruolan was clearly overthinking things. She was already dissatisfied with Sun Qian, and now that her daughter had suddenly fallen ill and had drunk the tonic soup that Sun Qian had brought, there was probably something wrong with it. However, out of consideration for the old lady, she couldn't make a scene and could only suppress her anger for the time being.

Xu Zhaozhao seemed oblivious to the strange atmosphere in the room and said, "Mother, if I hadn't woken up in time, and you and Grandmother had really gone to the Xie family to break off the engagement, wouldn't that have shown that our Marquis's Mansion believed those rumors outside? If this matter got out, not only would our Marquis's Mansion be criticized, but it would also probably cause General Xie and Father to become estranged. Wouldn't that be the same as adding another opponent to Father's court?"