After killing four concubines, the queen was sentenced to death and reborn

"Empress Dowager, I know what you are thinking, but I have already arranged a marriage for my daughter some time ago. I am destined to let you down, Your Majesty." Lu Xuan's attitude at this time was very tough and he was not willing to back down at all.

The Queen Mother narrowed her eyes slightly, and spoke in a gentle voice but concealed her sharpness: "Oh? How come I have never heard of it? Could it be that Lord Lu deliberately made up such words to deceive me?" After that, she gently raised her hand, and her sleeves slid down, revealing a touch of green on her wrist, which made the air around her seem a little colder.

Hearing this, Lu Xuan bowed his hands and said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, please understand. A few days ago, I did discuss a marriage with the Cui family of Qinghe. This is not a lie, and it is not a joke. Master Cui Zhaoling is young and promising, with outstanding talents. He and my daughter are a perfect match made in heaven. I am very pleased, so I hastily made this appointment. I hope Your Majesty will understand."

Seeing this, Zheng Xiyan's face darkened slightly, and a barely perceptible anger gathered between her brows, but after all, she had been in a high position for many years, and she restrained her emotions in an instant, leaving only a hint of majesty.

In the whole world, the only ones who can refuse a royal marriage are the few major families today. These major families have deep roots and their prestige among the people is no less than that of the royal family.

The royal family had no choice but to endure the rejection of marriage.

Zheng Xiyan forced a smile and said, "Forget it, since you have already agreed to the marriage, I won't force you to do anything."

Hearing this, Lu Xuan's heart trembled, but his face remained calm, still maintaining his humble and tenacious appearance, and slowly said: "Your Majesty is wise, I thank the Queen Mother for her grace."

Zheng Xiyan left the Lu Mansion with a face as gloomy as cold water.

The carriage started slowly, and amid the rumbling of the wheels, Biluo's voice was gentle but somewhat unwilling, breaking the silence in the carriage, "My queen, this Lu Xuan is really ungrateful. He would rather marry his daughter to a commoner than become the queen of the country?"

Zheng Xiyan's frown slowly relaxed after hearing this. Her anger had disappeared, replaced by an indescribable sense of relief and indifference. She sighed softly, "Being the queen of the country sounds like the highest honor, but how many people can understand the bitterness and pain involved?"

Biluo was stunned for a moment, then seemed to understand something, and his eyes instantly became dim.

"In this deep palace, although I am the queen, I am also a caged bird with no control over my own life."

"And the Qinghe Cui family is no less of an aristocratic family than the Fanyang Lu family. In the previous dynasty, half of the officials in the court were from the Qinghe Cui family. At that time, they were called Cui Banchao. They were extremely powerful, even comparable to the royal family. The sons of the family are talented in both literature and martial arts, and they are all outstanding people. What's more, the family tradition is strict, and they respect women very much. Especially the ancestral precept that 'a man can take a concubine only if he is forty and has no children.' How many families in the world can achieve this?" When Zheng Xiyan said this, her eyes suddenly became a little blurred.

Then, she shook her head gently, with a bitter smile on her lips: "Over the years, although I have been the queen and enjoyed all the glory, I have also experienced loneliness and restraint. If there is really a chance, I would envy those women who can exchange true love for true love in the Qinghe Cui family and stay together for a lifetime."

The carriage fell into silence for a moment, with only the sound of the carriage moving and the two people's gentle breathing intertwined. Biluo looked at Zheng Xiyan, with complicated emotions surging in his heart.

When they returned to the Weiyang Palace, Concubine Shu had been kneeling there for a long time, her figure trembling slightly in the cold wind, like a candle in the wind that could go out at any time.

Ever since the day she heard that Prince Xiang's rebellion was exposed and he was taken to the Ministry of Justice, Concubine Shu fell seriously ill.

Today, she ignored the palace maids' dissuasion, forced herself to walk to the Weiyang Palace step by step with difficulty despite her frail body.

Concubine Shu's face was so pale that it was almost transparent, without a trace of blood, and she would blend into the cold night at any time.

No matter how Zirui and Ziluo tried to persuade her, she refused to leave and insisted on seeing their queen.

"Your Majesty, the imperial physician said that Concubine Shu is very ill. If you kneel down again, I'm afraid..." Zi Rui frowned and said in a low voice.