Reborn as a concubine's daughter and entering a noble family: Xie Lang, don't be too seduc

What... what happened?

Hawthorne pressed his head, which was throbbing with pain, and got up from the cold ground, his consciousness not yet fully restored.

All she remembered was... ...just moments ago, she was at His Majesty's family banquet...

How could she have fainted in this dilapidated palace in the blink of an eye?

What is this place?

Although I was extremely panicked because I didn't know what was going on, and my hands and feet were shaking uncontrollably, I tried my best to calm myself down and regulate my breathing so that I wouldn't be caught off guard by any situation that might happen next.

She turned around and looked around, trying to find any clue.

just... ...

In the instant he turned around, a few memories suddenly surfaced in his eyes.

She vaguely remembered that she and Xie Lin were sitting together, and they both knew it was a trap, so they were both very careful.

Suddenly, a young palace maid, whose face seemed unfamiliar, came to pour wine for them at Consort Qi's behest. Whether intentionally or by chance, the maid glanced up at her, then quickly lowered her head, looking guilty...

Then, with a tremor of his hand, the spilled wine splashed all over her.

Then, Consort Qi scolded the palace maids for being clumsy and had them help her change her clothes...

Huo Sanghua was forced to stand there, unable to continue sitting at the banquet in her wine-soaked clothes, so she had no choice but to agree to go to Yaohua Palace to change with Consort Qi's people. She figured with so many people at the banquet, even if someone wanted to play some tricks, they wouldn't dare to do it openly.

She was already very careful, taking Granny Guo and Yanliu with her to Yaohua Palace.

But what happens next...

Upon arriving at Yaohua Palace, I was knocked unconscious as soon as I entered.

Yaohua Palace?

Huo Sanghua realized that she should be in Yaohua Palace right now. Where was Granny Guo? Where was Yanliu?

But this surroundings... ...don't look like the Yaohua Palace she's familiar with at all.

When did such an abandoned palace appear in Yaohua Palace?

But the route we took earlier clearly led us to Yaohua Palace.

She tried hard to recall, only remembering that as soon as she entered the side hall, she felt a gust of wind beside her, and then she was hit hard on the head... ...she lost consciousness and only just woke up here.

"Is anyone home? Is anyone outside?" Hawthorne pulled at the door, but couldn't open it no matter what he did.

Realizing the door was locked from the outside, she tried to call for help, hoping to attract the attention of passersby.

But no one answered after I called for a long time, and I became more and more nervous.

Since the door was locked, she turned around and tried several dilapidated windows inside the hall, but none of them could be opened. Finally, she found the last window, towards the south, and, gritting her teeth, mustered all her strength to try—

Finally, they managed to tear open a narrow crack in the half-open window.

Looking out, I saw that the outside was also blocked by wooden strips, so it was impossible to open it any wider.

"call--"

Hawthorne took a deep breath, held it, and with great effort finally managed to move his body out of the narrow gap.

They finally escaped.

But where is this place?

The palace gardens are overgrown with weeds, so it could not possibly be Yaohua Palace.

It looks like she was moved here after she fell unconscious.

Without time to think it through, and not knowing what the purpose of the person who had imprisoned her was, Huo Sanghua just wanted to escape from here as soon as possible and find Xie Lin.

The palace gate was unlocked. Just as she was about to pull it, she heard hurried footsteps passing by outside.

My heart was initially filled with joy, feeling as if I had met a savior.

But just as I was about to open the door, a terrifying thought suddenly flashed into my mind...

Who knocked her unconscious and locked her up here? Are the people passing by outside able to help her, or will they kill her to keep quiet?

The guards outside the palace gates seemed to have noticed the commotion. When the gate was pushed open, Huo Sanghua covered her mouth and hid to the side.

"...Where are you going?" The guards following behind the leader called out to the person who was about to walk into the abandoned palace.

"I'll go check it out, just in case anything goes wrong," he said.

The moment he spoke, Hawthorne felt a chill run down his spine...

It's him!

It was the last voice I heard in my past life!

She was glad she had hidden herself beforehand; otherwise, if they had found her, she probably would have been doomed.

"Stop being so paranoid. She can't escape. Even if she wakes up, she can't get out. The door is locked. How could someone as delicate as her possibly open it? Don't delay our business. We still need to get there and meet up with the Second Prince!"

It sounds like they weren't just passing by.

Perhaps because his brother behind him had said such a thing, the leader had no choice but to give up his intention to continue the search, and turned around to lead his brothers away from the long-abandoned palace.

Listening to their footsteps as they walked away, Hawthorne mustered his courage and climbed to the door, silently peering at them...

She could see that they were all dressed in the uniforms of the palace guards, and she couldn't see the person's face in the back of the group.

It turns out everything is still going on...

Hawthorne suddenly realized what was happening, then collapsed to the ground, utterly distraught.

She thought she had changed her fate, chosen Xie Lin, and avoided repeating the tragedy of her previous life with Xie Shu, dying together on their wedding night.

I thought she had already escaped...

But it turns out that everything is still going on!

Everyone who appeared around her afterward seemed to be reminding her that everything was aimed at the incident caused by General Huo back then.

When the Huo family suffered their calamity, she was only four years old and couldn't remember anything. Even her vague memories of her father, whom she didn't have a deep impression of, were unrelated to what he had actually done. It's likely that General Huo wouldn't have told his four-year-old illegitimate daughter about what he had done.

but--

What exactly happened?

When the previous dynasty fell, what children did General Huo bring out of the palace?

Even if some of them were descendants of the previous dynasty, how could they still cause such a huge uproar today, bringing her, a descendant of the Huo family, to repeated death?

"...Dad, you're such a jerk! I've never enjoyed any of the good things in your family, I've only suffered because of you."

Hawthorne was on the verge of collapse.

What is this thing called?

She closed her eyes, trying to forget the lurking dangers outside this abandoned palace; she wanted to escape facing... all the turmoil outside.

but--

He suddenly opened his eyes again. "Second Prince?"

She remembered what those people had just said; they were rushing to meet up with the Second Prince.

Could it be that these things that suddenly happened in the palace...?

Is it related to the Second Prince?

So... the Second Prince couldn't wait any longer and also harbored rebellious intentions, attempting to seize the throne from His Majesty?!

"They're going to meet the Second Prince, and they know I'm imprisoned here. Did the Second Prince order me to be locked up here?" The Hawthorne Chinese were numb, increasingly unable to understand their current predicament...

It was obvious that Consort Qi had set a trap, luring her to Yaohua Palace, where she was knocked unconscious and then locked up here.

Consort Qi, the Second Prince...

What is the relationship between them?

Huo Sanghua practically grew up in Consort Qi's presence. Even though she didn't see Consort Qi often, nothing in Consort Qi's palace escaped her notice.

She had no idea that Consort Qi and the Second Prince had been in contact in private.