The mistress is reborn, no one who bullies me can escape

"I......"

Zhao Yuxuan's face instantly became tense, and even a thin layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

There was no doubt that he and Xue Qing'er had had a relationship, but the key point was that they had never conceived any children! This sudden question was like a bolt from the blue, catching him off guard.

"So many years have passed. Even if you and Xue Qing'er have never had a substantial relationship, deep down in your heart, you have always hoped that she could replace me, right?" Xue Jinhua's eyes were as sharp as a knife, as if she could see through Zhao Yuxuan's soul.

Zhao Yuxuan was speechless, because Xue Jinhua's words were true. At the beginning, he did have such thoughts, fantasizing that he could ascend to a high position, and then let Xue Qing'er replace her, so that he could realize the dream of family reunion.

However, at this moment, facing Xue Jinhua's questioning, Zhao Yuxuan felt as if his throat was blocked by something and he could hardly speak.

He tried hard to swallow his saliva, and said in a trembling voice: "Jinhua, I know very well that I made a big mistake in the past. It was because I was confused and possessed that I had those unrealistic ideas. But those were just my thoughts in the past. Now I have come to my senses and understand that Xue Qing'er is just a vicious woman with ulterior motives. She approached me deliberately with ulterior motives. I really regret it now, and I only ask you to give me a chance to reform, let me stay by your side in the future, and we can live a peaceful and stable life together..." At the end, Zhao Yuxuan almost used up all his strength to finish his words.

Could it be that the thoughts I once had have disappeared at this moment?

"Then, Lord Marquis, do you think that in this matter, if you want someone to replace me, you can replace me at will; and when you want to return, you can turn back at any time?" Her tone was firm and questioning.

Faced with this sudden questioning, Zhao Yuxuan seemed a little flustered, and replied hesitantly: "No... that's not the case..."

However, Xue Jinhua did not seem to intend to give up, and immediately asked another question: "My lord, do you know why I ordered all the plum trees in the courtyard to be uprooted?" When she said this, she had no intention of arguing with the other party.

Seeing Zhao Yuxuan's bewildered face, Xue Jinhua whispered again, "When I first entered the Marquis's mansion, I sincerely hoped to spend a good time with the Marquis. To this end, I took great pains and tried my best to please him. After learning that the Marquis loved plum trees, I even ordered my servants to plant plum trees all over the courtyard, just to make the Marquis smile in this bitterly cold winter."

Having said this, she paused for a moment, staring into the distance, as if recalling the past.

Then, he continued slowly, "Even if the Marquis's Mansion encounters difficulties and needs financial assistance, I will not hesitate to use my dowry to fill the deficit without reservation."

"However, not long ago, by chance, I learned that the Marquis had actually purchased a courtyard next door. With a heart full of curiosity and doubt, I stepped into the courtyard. When I saw the layout and furnishings of the courtyard with my own eyes, I couldn't help but be dumbfounded and dumbfounded. I saw many beautiful plum trees planted in the courtyard in a staggered manner. The number and variety of them were amazing. What surprised me even more was that this courtyard, whether in overall style or details, was exactly the same as the courtyard where Xue Qing'er lived in the Xue family. It was as if this was a place specially built for her."

"At that moment, I finally woke up from my dream. It turned out that the Marquis did not really love the plum tree itself. His so-called love was just because of his deep love for Xue Qing'er. As the saying goes, love the house and love the dog..."

"Jinhua, I..."

Zhao Yuxuan trembled all over as if struck by lightning, and a storm surged in his heart. He never expected that Xue Jinhua would silently sacrifice so much for him?

At this moment, he felt as if an invisible hand was tightly strangling his throat. The words that were originally on the tip of his tongue were stuck in his throat, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not utter a single word.

"My Lord, what you did was like a heavy blow to me, full of irony. It made me realize that everything I did before was so ridiculous, even extremely despicable..."

"No...it's not like that..." Zhao Yuxuan said with a trembling voice.

"My Lord, it doesn't matter. Those things are in the past. From now on, I, Xue Jinhua, will never do such stupid things again." Her tone was firm and resolute, as if she was saying goodbye to the past and welcoming a brand new beginning.

At this time, Zhao Yuxuan's expression became more and more ugly. He frowned and interrupted Xue Jinhua impatiently: "Xue Jinhua, I've already said it, those things are in the past, you and I are husband and wife now, and I have already apologized to you, why are you still holding on to it!" His voice was full of anger and dissatisfaction, and he seemed very confused by Xue Jinhua's attitude.

In Zhao Yuxuan's opinion, it was natural for a woman to please a man, and it was also common for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Even if he liked Xue Qing'er more in his heart, so what? After all, Xue Qing'er was not even a concubine, so why should Xue Jinhua be so resentful and fussy about it?

"When Xue Qing'er ordered my second brother to murder me, the Marquis pushed me into the abyss of death without hesitation in order to protect himself! Since then, there has been no possibility between us."

In her previous life, Xue Jinhua always believed that Zhao Yuxuan was a learned man with noble character and could be called a gentleman. However, it was not until the end of her life that she woke up from her dream and saw his true face - he turned out to be such a despicable and shameless person!

"My Lord, instead of arguing with me about right and wrong, you should calm down and carefully consider your own career prospects!"

Zhao Yuxuan's heart trembled when he heard this. Yes, this was undoubtedly what he was most worried about at the moment.

At this moment, the servant's anxious voice came from outside the door: "My Lord, the patriarch is here..."

Zhao Yuxuan stopped talking immediately and hurriedly said to Xue Jinhua: "Jinhua, wait a moment, I'll be back soon." Then he turned and left.

Looking at Zhao Yuxuan's receding back, Xue Jinhua's lips curled up slightly, revealing a hint of sarcasm.

The maid beside her, Yinghua, asked softly, "Miss, from what I see, the Marquis doesn't seem to be willing to let go easily. Does he really want to repent?"

"Sakura, have you ever witnessed a dog change its habit of eating shit?"

This sarcastic remark made Sakura's face turn stiff instantly. She thought to herself: My young lady actually compared her son-in-law to a dog.

If Xue Jinhua could see through Yinghua's true thoughts, she would probably just respond with disdain: "Based on his shameless appearance, comparing him to a dog is simply a great insult to the dog!"

Yinghua looked confused, but Xue Jinhua suddenly burst out laughing and explained, "Yinghua, when a person's self-esteem is completely shattered, he will lose his sense of shame. Do you think a person like this who has no face at all will have the possibility of repenting and reforming? No, he will only become more shameless."

"So... Miss, how should we respond?" Sakura couldn't help but feel anxious. After all, she had completely broken off with the Marquis. Would the Marquis take the opportunity to make things difficult for Miss in the future?

"Don't worry! He is in trouble right now and has no time to take care of himself, let alone me." Xue Jinhua replied firmly, "Besides, I am now a lady of honor. For the sake of his own future, he will never dare to conflict with me easily."

Sakura suddenly woke up from a dream and said, "Miss, could it be that? You mean... the Marquis will flatter you for his own future?"

Xue Jinhua smiled slightly and said, "Well, you finally got it."

Yinghua frowned and asked in confusion, "But Miss, why would the Marquis act this way? If Miss fails to be awarded the title of Imperial Lady, will the Marquis continue to oppress Miss?"

Xue Jinhua's lips curled up slightly, with a hint of confidence and disdain in her eyes: "With the Marquis being such a scheming and calculating person, even if I didn't get the title of Imperial Lady, he would definitely be wary of me just based on my generous dowry. This alone is enough for him to bow down to me."

After hearing this, Yinghua became more worried: "Oh, Miss, we must keep these dowries tightly, and never let the Marquis take them away again."

Xue Jinhua comforted him, "Okay, okay, don't worry! He will definitely not succeed."

............

In the front yard, the sunlight shines on every corner of the courtyard, as if covering the space with a layer of golden gauze.

Zhao Yuxuan took a slightly heavy step and just as he stepped into the hall, he keenly noticed that the atmosphere was a little strange. He raised his head and his eyes met the patriarch sitting in the first seat. He saw that the patriarch's face had already become extremely solemn, like a sky covered with dark clouds.

"Look at what you have done. You have brought shame to the Zhao family!" The patriarch's voice exploded in the hall like thunder, carrying with it endless anger and disappointment.

Zhao Yuxuan's face tightened slightly, and his lips trembled a few times, but he finally chose to remain silent and did not refute. He knew the seriousness of his mistake and was filled with guilt and self-blame.

"Great Patriarch, I wonder... how are the arrangements I've made going?" Zhao Yuxuan finally mustered up the courage to ask, with a hint of uneasiness in his voice.

However, the patriarch did not answer his question immediately, but said in a heavy tone: "How dare you ask? It's all because of the stupid things you did! Originally, the Shangshu had reserved an excellent position for you, and that was a job in the Hanlin Academy..."

At this point, the patriarch couldn't help but shook his head, with deep regret in his eyes.

When Zhao Yuxuan heard this, his body trembled violently and his eyes became moist in an instant.

Of course, he understood what the Hanlin Academy meant - it was an important institution in charge of the internal affairs of the court! Those who could work in the Hanlin Academy were all elites who came from a real scholarly family and possessed outstanding talents and knowledge.

Isn't it because the Jiang family had several cabinet ministers that they were able to enjoy such a high status? This made the Jiang family prosperous for several generations.

Considering Zhao Yuxuan's current situation, the most he can do is just to plan for an ordinary official position. If he is lucky enough to be able to serve in the Hanlin Academy, it would be a great blessing from heaven that only the Zhao family's ancestors have accumulated virtue and their ancestral graves are smoking!

He could even clearly imagine how high-spirited and glorious he would be if he really stepped into the Hanlin Academy... However, at this moment, just because of the mistakes he made, this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slipped away from his fingers so easily. How could Zhao Yuxuan not feel heartbroken and regretful?

"Grand Patriarch...is this really impossible?" Zhao Yuxuan asked with a trembling voice, his face full of pain, his eyes full of despair and unwillingness.

The patriarch shook his head slowly, sighed and said, "To become an official in the Imperial Academy, the first requirement is to have a good reputation. But now your reputation has spread far and wide. Alas... What's worse is that even the emperor has personally named and criticized you and severely reprimanded you. As a result, in the eyes of those powerful and wise ministers in the cabinet, you are like a plague, and everyone is trying to avoid us. In this case, how can there be room for redemption?"

Hearing this, Zhao Yuxuan's face instantly turned as pale as paper, completely bloodless.

His body began to tremble involuntarily, as if he would collapse at any moment.

He never expected that just because of this one incident, he would feel like he was trapped in a bottomless black hole from which there was no escape, and completely ruined his originally bright future.