bayedsolid Chapter 355 All that is sought is an illusion
Chapter 355 All that is sought is an illusion
evening.
The temperature plummeted.
Light snow began to fall.
Zhou Mu knelt at the Shen family's gate, carrying thorns on his back, to apologize. He remained kneeling there for two hours.
He finally broke off his engagement with Miss Shen.
They even gave half of the betrothal gifts to Miss Shen as compensation.
Although he was passive throughout the entire engagement, he still felt indebted to the Shen family.
Therefore, he never complained no matter how much the Shen family beat and scolded him.
After leaving the Shen family, Zhou Mo was pale and unsteady on his feet.
But inside, he was overjoyed; he was free.
But he still had to go to the Jiang family's house.
He wanted to tell Zijing the good news as soon as possible.
He wanted to tell Miss Zijing that he had broken off the engagement.
He also wanted to tell Miss Zijing about his future plans: he would participate in the autumn imperial examination next year, and then the spring imperial examination three years later.
The teachers all say that he is exceptionally talented at such a young age, and if he can calm down and study diligently, he will surely become a great talent.
He is very confident.
So he wanted to tell Miss Zijing.
Three years, just three more years.
Three years later, Miss Zijing had come of age and had completed her mourning period.
Three years later, he will probably be in high school.
When the time comes, a grand procession of eight men carrying a sedan chair will be held to welcome Miss Zijing into the family.
He knocked on the back door of the Jiang residence.
When Miss Zijing finally saw him, he was startled and stood there dumbfounded when she took off her hat.
The woman in front of me was still Zijing, but her beautiful black hair was gone.
But upon closer inspection, even without hair, she remains stunningly beautiful, with bright eyes and white teeth, and her features seem even more refined.
It has a unique charm.
Our bodies and hair are gifts from our parents, and we should not damage them at will. How could all this beautiful hair suddenly disappear?
Zhou Mu couldn't help but ask, "Miss Zijing, what happened to your hair?"
Jiang Zijin also openly showed her bald head, without any hesitation.
For her, physical appearance was merely an added bonus.
If Zhou Muruo kept his distance from her because of her appearance, she had nothing to say.
But if Zhou Mu doesn't care about her appearance and remains infatuated with her, then she might be able to keep him company for three years.
The news of their boat trip on the lake has now spread like wildfire.
It seemed that if she didn't marry Zhou Mu, she would be criticized and rejected by society.
Fortunately, there are still three years left.
After calculating, it's estimated that Prince Chen should return in another year or two, if he still admires her as much as he did in her previous life.
There is still a chance for her marriage to turn around.
However, there is still no news about the most crucial witness, Physician Feng, as if she were truly dead.
But Jiang Zijin knew that this person was still alive, hiding in some corner of a noble family, and that what she had could kill Prince Chen.
Therefore, even if she couldn't find Physician Feng, she still had to tell Prince Chen that Physician Feng was still alive.
Given Prince Chen's cautious nature, he would be on guard whether he believed it or not.
Unlike in my previous life, when the throne that was about to be mine was snatched away by Prince Jing.
Jiang Zijin looked at the pale-lipped boy in front of her and felt a pang of pity.
But she still put on an act, saying, "I dozed off the other night and accidentally knocked over a candlestick, burning my hair, so I just cut it off and started growing it again. Brother Mu won't think I'm ugly, will he?"
She certainly couldn't say that a villain broke into her room in the middle of the night and cut the clothes without her noticing.
Although her reputation isn't very good these days.
But at least in Zhou Mu's heart, she was still pure and innocent.
After she finished speaking, Zhou Mu's eyes were full of heartache. He took her hand to check and asked her if she was injured.
There was not a trace of disgust or disdain in his eyes.
Zhou Mu comforted her, "No, absolutely not. Hair will grow back in a while. No matter what you look like, Zijing, you will always be the most beautiful woman in my heart."
As they were talking, they heard a maid calling Jiang Zijin from behind, saying that her father was calling her to the front hall.
She quickly stuffed her hot water bottle into Zhou Mu's hand, "Brother Mu, you should go back now, it's cold outside, I have to go."
Zhou Mu swallowed back the words he was about to say, and ultimately did not utter them.
He's a stubborn and naive man. Once he's made up his mind about something, he'll stick to it even if it means going against the grain.
He was convinced that the woman in front of him was the perfect wife in his heart, so he ran to her without hesitation.
Sometimes even Jiang Zijin was moved.
But if she looked at it from another angle, she would think Zhou Mu was very stupid. For the sake of a woman, he put his family in a place of injustice, yet he couldn't even see the person clearly.
If she had a son like that, she would be furious.
Perhaps it was only when facing Zhou Mu that Jiang Zijin realized how truly wicked she was.
You can let go of everything you possessed in your past life.
Now, she is nothing more than a helpless concubine's daughter. She must fight for herself and not let her father use her as a pawn to be sent away.
She is not reconciled.
Anyway, I've already died once, what's there to be afraid of?
I'd rather die than give up.
Even if we lose, it's just dying again.
What is sown will inevitably bear fruit.
Someone from the palace has come to deliver the Emperor's decree.
Let her go to the Sansheng Nunnery outside the city to become a nun and spend her days with the ancient Buddha and the flickering lamp.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Zijin felt as if struck by lightning, as if a fishbone was stuck in her throat.
"Why? Why is the Emperor treating me like this? I am just a young girl who has not yet reached adulthood. What did I do wrong that the Emperor would ruin me like this?"
She stood there helplessly in the snow.
Zhou Mu watched from afar, feeling as if someone was choking him and he couldn't breathe.
Yes, what did he do wrong this time?
He only wanted to marry the woman he loved, so why did they send her away?
The Shen family clearly accepted his apology, so why are they still treating Miss Zijing this way?
He couldn't figure it out.
Zhou Mu ran out and caught up with Eunuch Yu, who had come to deliver the imperial decree. "Eunuch, did Consort Shu slander us in front of the Emperor? It was my fault to break off the engagement with the Shen family, so why is she making things difficult for a young girl?"
"How dare you say such a thing!" Eunuch Yu scolded.
But seeing Zhou Mu's face turn as pale as paper, he was startled and hesitated whether to read out his decree on the spot, fearing that Zhou Mu would not be able to bear it.
Judging by its appearance, it must have been in the snow for too long.
After thinking about it, I realized I had to say it sooner or later.
He pried Zhou Mu's hand away and said expressionlessly, "Young Master Zhou, the Emperor has also given you an imperial decree... The Emperor has ordered that you are not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations for three years."
The air froze instantly.
All that could be heard was the sound of the wind all around, the shouts of vendors in the distance, and the sounds of children playing.
Zhou Mu stood there blankly, his eyes unblinking.
Suddenly, he spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Grandpa Yu's eyes widened.
He won't just announce an imperial edict and scare people to death, will he?
She's just a woman, and a troublemaker at that, why should he act like this?
The scientific expedition will only take another year, is it really necessary to scare him like this?
"Guards, quickly take Young Master Zhou to the Imperial Medical Bureau..."
……