Help! The cunning and treacherous minister and I were reborn together!

Yuan Ying panicked and cried out, "No! No! His Highness said he would marry me. It was you who was afraid that I would become a princess and overshadow you, so you wanted to ruin my reputation!"

"You believe what men say in bed? You're always suspecting others of trying to harm you. Why don't you reflect on whether it's your own fault?"

Those ladies were all shrewd and nearly ruined Yuan Zhi's plan. Yuan Ying had jumped into the trap herself, so it was only natural for her to take advantage of her.

In this way, Yuan Ying can save her life and achieve her own goals. Isn't that a win-win situation?

Unfortunately, her elder sister is slow-witted and acts like a mad dog, biting anyone she sees!

"If I don't believe him, why would I believe you? If you hadn't stood up for the Xiao sisters and ruined my plans, His Highness Prince Wu would have noticed me long ago! Why would I have to act like a lowly prostitute, seducing him for pleasure?"

Yuan Ying's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She was the legitimate daughter of the Yuan family, the granddaughter of the Marquis of Yingchuan, a woman of immense nobility and pride. She had been forced into this state by them!

To gain a promotion, her father sold his daughter, intending to give her to the old emperor. Meanwhile, Yuan Zhi, ever since marrying Xiao Zong, had repeatedly humiliated her.

Her mother pleaded with her uncle to allow her to accompany her cousin to the banquet, hoping that she would shine in front of the King of Wu. The King of Wu was the only choice for crown prince, and if he could win her heart, her father would not send her to the palace.

But Yuan Zhi ruined all of this. With no other options, she could only resort to seduction.

When the King of Wu was deeply in love, he personally promised to marry her. If it weren't for that fire, she would have been the Queen Consort of Wu in a few days!

She hated it, she hated it so much!

Why does God always seem to be against her?!

Yuan Zhi didn't want to waste her breath. What kind of brains could a woman be expected to have if a man could fool her with just a few words?

"You've given up on yourself, you're beyond redemption! Xiao Rong, let's go home."

"Ah? Oh!"

Xiao Rong was reluctant to leave, turning back every few steps. She hadn't had enough of the sights yet, why was she leaving already?

Just as I reached the carriage, the clatter of hooves grew closer.

Yuan Zhi looked in the direction of the sound and saw Xiao Zong in official robes riding towards them.

A young man in his early twenties, with a jade belt and scarlet robe, exuded an aura as magnificent as a rainbow, captivating countless young women and causing them to lose their lives in his presence.

Yuan Zhi had fantasized about such a scene before, but never dared to hope for it. However, now, the young man had indeed come for her.

Xiao Zong dismounted, his face as cold as frost, gloomy and sullen. His narrow eyes were slightly narrowed, his gaze sinister and ruthless, as if he wanted to devour Yuan Zhi alive.

"You've gotten so cocky, you think my words have no effect?"

Yuan Zhi softly called out, "Husband, I..."

"Brother, it was the county princess who invited my sister-in-law, and she couldn't refuse, so she went."

"You have no right to speak here. Get in the carriage!"

Xiao Rong, considering that Yuan Zhi had taken her to see the commotion, intended to plead for her, but was scolded by her elder brother and made to behave herself, so she slunk away.

Yuan Zhi tried to argue, but Xiao Zong grabbed him around the waist and threw him onto the horse.

Xiao Zong had his coachman take Xiao Rong back to his residence, then spurred his horse and led Yuan Zhi to the Leopard Guard.

When the men saw the commander dragging a woman over, they assumed she was a newly captured prisoner and reached out to throw her into jail.

Xiao Zongdao said, "Step back, I will interrogate you personally."

"Xiao Zong, let me go! I'm not your prisoner, what right do you have to interrogate me!"

The disparity in strength between men and women meant that Yuan Zhi was locked in his arms, and no matter how much she struggled, she could not break free from his hold.

Her earlier thoughts now seem like a joke. She was foolish to have regarded him as her ideal husband every day, but forgot his other identity!

He was the commander of the Leopard Guard, a ruthless and merciless official who killed countless people in the case of the Emperor's brother-in-law, and was feared by everyone!

The iron gate of the stone cell slowly closed, and Yuan Zhi was placed on a wooden chair by the wall by Xiao Zong. Various instruments of torture on both sides emitted an eerie light in the candlelight.

Yuan Zhi trembled all over. The punishments in the harem were limited to a few methods, mostly underhanded and clandestine. But here, it was a true hell.

Perhaps in their eyes, prisoners who entered the Leopard Guard could not be considered human beings, but merely livestock waiting to be slaughtered!

Will Xiao Zong treat her the same way he treats prisoners?

"You're going to use these things on me?"

Xiao Zong braced himself on the two armrests of the chair, pulled her into his arms, and leaned down to look into her eyes.

“I don’t want to do this, but if you challenge my bottom line again, I don’t mind letting you try.”

Yuan Zhi's eyes were wet with tears as she looked at him anxiously. "Just because I didn't listen to you and met with the county princess, you're going to treat me like this?"

Xiao Zong raised his fingers and wiped away her rolling tears. He covered her cheek, where her fingerprints remained, with his palm, and rubbed her bloodied lips with his thumb, gradually increasing the pressure.

"You only see the *** government's zenith, but you don't see the infighting and power struggles behind it. Relying on some cleverness, you dare to venture into dangerous places. Those people have been fighting in the court for decades, aren't they all more cunning than you?"

“Yuanzhi, factional strife is not child’s play. Once they decide to kill you, it won’t be as simple as you getting a slap or a beating. You and I are husband and wife, and if anything happens to either of us, the Xiao family will be doomed. Do you understand?”

Yuan Zhi smiled through her tears, “What husband and wife? In your eyes, have you ever treated me as your wife? You married me, but you won’t consummate the marriage with me, and you won’t give me the dignity that a mistress of the house should have. I thought you had someone else in your heart, and I waited for you to tell me, but I waited day and night, and I never got an explanation from you.”

"My heart feels like it's being ground down by a dull knife, and I don't know when it will end. You were the one who wanted to marry me, so why don't you cherish it now that you have it?"

Yuan Zhi grabbed his collar, "Xiao Zong, I don't want to live like this anymore. Why don't you just stab me? That way, you won't have to worry about me causing trouble for the Xiao family, and we can both be more at ease!"

Xiao Zong felt as if his heart was bleeding when he heard her accusations.

He owed her an explanation, but he couldn't say it outright.

It's absurd enough that he's been given a second chance at life. If he were to say that he married her to protect his childhood sweetheart, Yuan Zhi would definitely think he's crazy!

“I’m sorry, Yuanzhi! You can think of me as someone who started something and then abandoned you, or someone who has fallen for someone else. You can hit me, scold me, or hate me, but please don’t say anything like asking me to kill you again.”

Yuan Zhi released his grip on his collar and slapped him across the face.

"You're an asshole!"

Xiao Zong's head was turned to the side after being hit. When he turned back, he continued to caress the red marks on her face.

"Was this from someone else, or from me? If it was from someone else, I'll allow you to hit me again."

Yuan Zhi stared at him in disbelief and cursed, "Madman!"

She seemed to have all her strength drained away, slumping back in her chair, lost in thought.

Xiao Zong avoids her, so why should she fawn over him? In any case, the county princess has formed an alliance with her, and life and death are in the hands of fate. Whether she succeeds or fails, it is her own choice.

After thinking it over, she made up her mind.

"Xiao Zong, let's get a divorce."