Chapter 543: Chapter 543: Is She Crazy?

Zhan Xuerou wasn’t sure if the two constables would answer her question, but she was just too curious.

Who exactly became the Empress of Nanjin?

The position of Empress was something she dreamed of, otherwise she wouldn’t have kept following Si Jun.

Could it be a noblewoman from a certain family?

Is it Zhong Lianyi, the daughter of Imperial Censor Zhong Xuanliang?

Or Lun Shuyu, the daughter of the scholar Lu Zhong, or someone else?

Which woman exactly took the position she longed for, becoming the most honored woman in Nanjin!

One short guard put down his chopsticks and looked at the ghastly Zhan Xuerou. He sneered, “What does it matter to you? What, do you still dream of becoming an Empress? Who do you think you are!”

Zhan Xuerou was berated by the guard and regretted asking them. Why was she so obsessed with knowing who the Empress was?

Could it just be resentment or jealousy towards whoever held that position?

How great would it be if she could return to being fourteen, everything could start anew.

The tall guard picked up a piece of braised meat and looked at Zhan Xuerou, “Want to eat?”

Zhan Xuerou lowered her eyes and dared not respond. The tall guard laughed and said, “Sometimes people need to accept their fate. Your heart is above the sky, but your destiny is thinner than paper!”

The short guard munched on his rice and said, “You two brought this upon yourselves and still dared to occupy the identity of the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion, truly shameless!”

Li Shi’s eyes were dull. She regretted deeply for swapping the children. If only she hadn’t harbored such evil thoughts and had accepted the compensation from the General Mansion openly.

Perhaps at this moment, she could have owned a house in Ding’an City, with a group of servants to serve her, living a life of luxury.

Perhaps Zhan Xuerou would have married a court official, at least they could live in wealth and comfort, with no worries.

Due to her momentary greed, she not only harmed herself, suffering torment daily in this dark prison.

Even her own biological daughter doesn’t recognize her!

Li Shi looked at Zhan Xuerou in disappointment. Zhan Xuerou was indeed wicked, and so was she; they were indeed mother and daughter. Their downfall today was all due to karma!

Zhan Xuerou listened to the guards who kept insulting her, her heart filled with fury!

These two guards surely took silver from Zhan Lan.

No, Zhan Lan doesn’t need to bribe people now. These two must want to curry favor with Zhan Lan!

Otherwise, why would they target her every time, not only tormenting her physically but also using her impersonation as the General Mansion’s legitimate daughter to disgrace her at every turn!

The short guard noticed Zhan Xuerou’s face darkened, and he raised his voice, “You sulk just from a few words. You ought to think, can anyone be the General Mansion’s legitimate daughter? You’re jealous, ruthless, even hitting your own mother. Your heart is as small as a needle’s eye, how can you achieve great things!”

Li Shi had long lost hope in her ungrateful daughter. She had tried to bite her tongue to commit suicide, thinking she’d escape Zhan Xuerou’s torment, but she tried and realized biting one’s tongue doesn’t kill.

The tall guard laughed at her, saying that there’s a technique to biting one’s tongue for suicide; at most, it causes pain-induced fainting, not death.

Faced with cruel ridicule, intending to die by hitting the wall, guards said if she sought death, they’d whip Zhan Xuerou more terribly. She couldn’t bear it and let go of death.

Zhan Xuerou raised her eyes to the short guard, gathered courage, and said: “I didn’t want to swap identity with Miss Zhan Lan, why don’t you ask Li Shi instead, all her doing, I’m just a victim!”

Both guards heard Zhan Xuerou’s words, exchanged a glance, and laughed heartily. “Zhan Xuerou, to tell you plainly, the General Mansion’s legitimate daughter, Zhan Lan, served as Zhan Family Army’s Main General and together with the current Emperor encircled and eradicated Western Rong!”

Suddenly, rage burned in Zhan Xuerou’s heart, Zhan Lan and the current Emperor together defeated Western Rong, and Zhan Lan replaced Si Yun?

How was this possible!

She turned the thought over, could it be that the Regent King ascended the throne! Hence, Zhan Lan became the Empress!

The guard took another bite of rice and continued: “Si Yun, that scoundrel ceded territories and caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people. Our current Emperor personally executed him, and amid the people’s and officials’ support, became the Emperor of Dayu. On the day of ascension, the Emperor held the Empress’s hand to sit on the Dragon throne together, decreeing: The Empress’s orders are imperial edicts!”

When speaking of this, the guards were full of spirit, the tall guard laughed and said:

“Zhan Xuerou, you love snatching the Empress’s things most, go on, snatch them!”

The short guard added: “Bah, not even worth a puddle to look at yourself, what a thing!”

Zhan Xuerou’s expression changed from shock to jealousy, ultimately turning into anger.

Zhan Lan’s fate truly was good!

Her husband loved her and respected her, she was well-versed in both civil and martial arts, extremely intelligent, indeed the General Mansion’s legitimate daughter should be someone like Zhan Lan!

Jealousy led nowhere, perhaps all she could do was accept her fate.

Li Shi heard Zhan Lan became Empress, and her dim eyes brightened.

She suddenly cried, and while crying, she began to laugh, laughing heartily.

Zhan Xuerou was filled with anger, looking for an outlet. She turned to Li Shi and cursed, “Shut up!”

Li Shi laughed to the point of breathlessness, coughed violently a few times, and suddenly shouted, “Zhan Lan became Empress! My daughter I raised! You let me out, I want to see her!”

The guard sneered, “Stop with your insane chatter, you two deserve punishment, clearly seeking to be whipped!”

Zhan Xuerou fell silent, while Li Shi seemed like a madwoman, seeing the straw man she wove in boredom. She embraced the straw man lovingly, saying, “Lan’er, you’ve done well, mother can now enjoy with you, I always said you’d turn from a sparrow to a phoenix one day, no, you’re a phoenix, my good daughter, why won’t you come see me…”

Zhan Xuerou glared fiercely at her biological mother, Li Shi. Was she mad? How could she utter such words?

“Stop dreaming, look clearly, I’m your daughter!” Zhan Xuerou, shackled, approached Li Shi step by step.

Li Shi looked at Zhan Xuerou in horror, hugged the straw man tightly, and moved back a bit, “You’re a wicked woman, don’t hurt my Lan’er, my Lan’er is going to be Empress, no, she’s already Empress, you’re nothing, you’re a venomously wicked woman!”

Zhan Xuerou’s face turned dark as she looked at Li Shi, “Don’t think that feigning madness can win Zhan Lan’s sympathy, make her remember your nurturing grace. What kind of person is she? She’d never be soft-hearted!”

“Do you think like this, you can become Zhan Lan’s mother again? Ridiculous, if she cared about your grace, would she lock you in this dark prison?”

Li Shi’s expression was dazed, unsure if this was reality or a dream. It was as if she saw Zhan Lan coming.