In the winter of the 20th year of Yuan Guan, heavy snow fell in the capital of the Yan Dynasty, and the whole city was covered with white snow, with no end as far as the eye could see.
On the huge Gyeonggi Avenue, a carriage with an exquisite appearance roared past, breaking the tranquility of the snowy night...
In the carriage, the beauty was sitting upright. She was dressed in a complicated and expensive wedding dress that made her face as delicate as a peach and plum. Her eyes looked forward, giving off an aura of elegance and nobility.
This woman is none other than the second young lady of Prime Minister Zuo's Mansion - Mu Xijin.
This day is a rare auspicious day in the year, and it is also the happy day for Mu Xijin, the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister Zuo, and Xie Luo, the richest businessman in the capital.
As soon as the marriage was announced, the people in the capital were in an uproar. Everyone knew that Xie Luo had been sentenced to beheading a month ago and would be executed in seven days.
How could the dignified daughter of Prime Minister Zuo marry a dying man?
At this moment, the carriage with the red light "Xie" on it was driving rapidly towards the cold Gyeonggi Prison, where Xi Jin would complete the last step of her wedding - the wedding ceremony.
This is the second time Xi Jin has come to Gyeonggi Da Lao. He still remembers that the first time he came here was also such a cold winter. The wind was biting and cold, as if it could pierce the bone marrow.
That year, she watched helplessly as the person she loved was put in shackles and escorted to a prison van for exile. From then on, she and him were separated from each other in Yazhou, the capital city, and they would never see each other again!
Time passed by, two years passed by, and she still remembered his promise that day - "Jin'er, wait until I come back to marry you."
She kept his promise deep in her heart and waited patiently. In the past two years, the matchmaker in Beijing almost broke through the door of Mu's mansion. People seeking marriage were like crucian carp crossing the river. She threatened her with death, but she never came. Yes.
She always thought that she could wait until that day. When he returned from exile, even if he became a commoner, she was willing to share the joys and sorrows with him and help each other.
But just a few months ago, bad news came from Yazhou - Prince Ning's concubine Shangguan Bao was assassinated!
This news cut off all her hopes. She could never believe that Shangguan Ba would suddenly leave her, without even being able to see him for the last time.
Xi Jin was seriously ill. During her illness, she thought of countless ways to find him, but the people she sent out to investigate all persuaded her to give up when they came back.
Yazhou has always been a place of exile and a place where the imperial army was stationed. She, a weak woman in a boudoir, would never be able to go to Yazhou. Even if she did, she would not be able to enter the gate of Yazhou because of her status. .
These days, she has been trapped in the house and has been looking for opportunities.
Until three days ago, her biological mother, Mrs. Mu, the step-in-law of the Prime Minister's Mansion, suddenly appeared in her boudoir. At that time, Xi Jin was sewing a medicine bag.
Mrs. Mu had not been seen for several months. When she saw her, she covered her nose and showed a hint of disgust: "Don't play with these herbs all day long and make your body smell bad."
"Yes, Madam, you have taught me a lesson." Xi Jin stood up and saluted, and then ordered the maid beside him to serve tea. Even though his tone was neither salty nor light, his etiquette could not be criticized.
"You crawled out of my belly, so you can learn from her behavior." Mrs. Mu said as she glanced sideways at the portrait on the wall, her tone revealing her indignation.
Xi Jin moved lightly and stood in front of the portrait to block Mrs. Mu's unkind gaze, and said firmly: "Since Jin'er has been adopted by her aunt, she is her aunt's daughter. She should follow her example in words and deeds."
Mrs. Mu was not from a high family background. Even though she has finally reached the position of wife of the Prime Minister's wife, she is still full of pettiness. She has been embarrassed in the circles in Beijing more than once or twice. Therefore, she despises Xi Jin's thoughtful etiquette the most. She looks extremely well-educated, but that will only make her more miserable.
"Okay, okay, I know you look down on me, so you learned to cling to me at a young age. If I hadn't worked so hard to give birth to you, you could have adopted her and enjoyed the days of being a legitimate daughter in those few years." Madam said with high spirits He nodded, his eyes full of disdain.
"Thank you, madam." Xi Jin knew clearly that if his aunt hadn't come to the rescue back then, no one would have known about the fact that he, the second young lady who was born as a concubine, would have starved to death.
Mrs. Mu, who was a concubine at that time, gave birth to the eldest daughter of the Mu family a year after entering the house. The following year, she couldn't wait to have a second child. She wanted to have a son, so that she could take the position of equal wife and marry her. The aunts and sisters competed for supremacy.
Who would have thought that the second child would be a daughter. Not only that, she was also unable to give birth to another child due to difficulty in giving birth.
Therefore, Xijin has not been favored by her biological mother since she was born. Not only does she wear clothes left over from her sister, but she often has food and clothing problems.
It wasn't until the age of six that Xi Jin accidentally met that gentle and quiet woman with picturesque features. Xi Jin knew that she was his father's wife, Mrs. Wei.
At that time, Mrs. Mu often took her sister to pay respects to Mr. Wei. Every time her sister came back, she would bring back a lot of delicious and fun things to show off in front of Xi Jin.
Xi Jin heard from his servants that the Wei family had no children of their own, so they were very kind to their concubine's children, so Xi Jin had a plan in mind...
"I won't talk nonsense with you. I won't argue with you about what you did in the past. I hope you will cooperate with today's matter." Mrs. Mu said, waving her hand, and Aunt Yan beside her went out to introduce him. Here comes a nanny.
Mammy calls herself Xie, but looking at her luxurious clothes and the hair accessories on her bun that are much more expensive than Miss Xi Jin, she is obviously not a servant of the prime minister's house.
"Second Miss, please." Nanny Xie bowed to Xi Jin and then pulled her to the couch.
"Mommy, what are you doing?" Xi Jin struggled hard, feeling suddenly uneasy in his heart.
"Xi Jin, just listen to Nanny Xie. If you can pass the physical examination and marry into the Xie Mansion, it will be your blessing." Mrs. Mu said irrelevantly.
"Xie Mansion? Which Xie Mansion?" Xi Jin was horrified. Before this, Xi Jin knew nothing about marrying into Xie Mansion.
"Which Xie Mansion is there? Of course it is the Xie Mansion, the richest businessman in the capital." Mrs. Mu said, hinting at Nanny Yan who was standing beside her.
After receiving the order, Grandma Yan immediately stepped forward and held Xi Jin down: "Second Miss, just listen to Madam. Madam is your biological mother, and she will do harm to you."
After her aunt passed away, Mrs. Mu used some cunning means to take over all the middle ministers in the mansion. With the money at her disposal, the servants in the mansion soon obeyed her orders.
These nuns are all old people in the house, and they have no trouble dealing with a helpless young lady like Xi Jin.
The moment her skirt was pulled off by her grandma, Xi Jin knew her intention.
After checking her body almost humiliatingly, she suddenly realized that that day had finally arrived.
Grandma Xie stood up and bowed respectfully to Xi Jin: "Thank you, Miss, for your righteousness."
Nanny Xie nodded towards Mrs. Mu as she spoke: "Madam, please wait patiently for the good news."
Mrs. Mu sent off Nanny Xie with a smile, then turned back to her room and said condescendingly to Xi Jin: "I didn't expect that Shangguan Crown Prince is a person who keeps the etiquette. It's a pity. Everyone is dead. There is nothing to say now." used."
"You think everyone in the world is like you." The upbringing he received since childhood prevented Xi Jin from saying the word "climbing into bed", but it also inspired Mrs. Mu to almost do it.
Aunt Yan stopped her at the side and said, "Madam, please don't take action. If you break the relationship, you won't be able to explain to the Xie Mansion."
Then she suddenly smiled happily and said: "If I don't care about you, a bitch like you, I gave birth to you. Now it's worth it in exchange for some betrothal gifts for me."
As she said that, she looked at Xi Jinqingcheng's appearance with satisfaction: "You are the only one who looks like me."
Seeing Xi Jin's sharp gaze, Mrs. Mu turned around and carefully ordered her servants: "Keep Ningxin Pavilion under strict guard. The second lady is not allowed to step out of the door."
The maid Ping'er was let in by the woman outside. Seeing Xi Jin's disheveled clothes, she was shocked: "Miss, what did they do to you?"
Xi Jin arranged his clothes, thought about what had just happened, patted Ping'er's hand, and showed a meaningful smile: "Don't be afraid, Ping'er, maybe my turning point will come."
Just as Xi Jin guessed, the next day, a marriage contract from the old year fell in front of her.
The newly drafted contract between Xie and Mu's family clearly stated: Because Mu's eldest daughter has been unwell all year round, as the younger sister, she volunteered to marry Xie Luo on behalf of her eldest sister, so as to continue the last bit of incense for the Xie family.
Everyone believed that the Mu family's daughter was worried and sick because her fiancé was sentenced to death. She was seriously ill and unable to inherit the Xie family, so she had no choice but to let her younger sister marry on her behalf.
Only Xi Jin knew in his heart that his sister was not sick at all, and the so-called serious illness was simply an excuse. When Xie Luo died one day, her sister's illness would be cured.
However, only a few people know the truth.
