The Qing Shui An in late autumn no longer had any pilgrims or visitors, making the already desolate temple even more bleak.
Su Ruohe sat on the steps in tattered clothes, her disheveled hair covering her face as she rocked back and forth, holding a pillow in her arms and murmuring, "My child... my child..."
"Sister, you probably never imagined that you would end up like this, relying on feigning madness to survive!" Su Manjing, dressed in luxurious attire, walked slowly with the support of Qiuhe, her beautiful eyes showing satisfaction at the sight of Ruohe's disheveled appearance.
She had never been able to surpass Su Ruohe in anything since childhood, but why did Ruohe, that despicable person, become the legitimate daughter from birth, while she had to constantly please her to become one? Even after her aunt was officially recognized, she still had to forever bow down to Ruohe.
Ruohe seemed to be oblivious to Manjing's words, sitting there motionless.
"Su Ruohe, stop pretending. I know you're not crazy." This attitude completely infuriated Su Manjing, and she grabbed Ruohe's hair, the newly applied Lancôme nail piercing her scalp.
"Do you think by pretending to be crazy here, Marquis Hou will come to see you? Dream on!" Despite Ruohe's disheveled appearance, Su Manjing's eyes burned with jealousy at her still stunning beauty.
"My dear sister, don't you want to know how Lier is doing? As a sister, I might as well kindly tell you that your Lier is already dead. When you moved into this courtyard, your Lier was already dead, so don't expect your son to grow up and save you." Su Manjing's eyes gleamed with a bloodthirsty light.
Upon hearing Su Manjing's words, Ruohe's previously cloudy eyes cleared, filled with inquiry and suppressed hatred as she looked at Su Manjing.
She desperately wanted to know about Lier's situation, everything she did here was for Lier.
Seeing Ruohe finally react, Su Manjing smirked with satisfaction. "Sister, do you want to know how Lier died? Don't worry, I'll tell you."
"Lier, after hearing that her sister was sent to Qing Shui An, came to find you and accidentally fell into the pond and drowned." Su Manjing laughed with delight. "And guess what, the person who caused Lier's death was none other than you. If it weren't for your affair, how could Lier have come to Qing Shui An to find you and fall into the pond?"
Ruohe shook her head repeatedly, unwilling to believe what she heard. "It's impossible. Marquis Hou couldn't have just watched Lier die. It must be you, you said something to Marquis Hou, didn't you?"
"What's impossible about it? Do you think Marquis Hou would want a child of unknown parentage?" Su Manjing sneered. "Sister, you're as 'stupid' as ever! How do you think the man in your room that day got in? It was me who let him in through Qiuhe."
Everything became clear at that moment!
"I've done everything I could for you, why did you have to harm me and my Lier like this?" Tears of regret flowed from Ruohe's eyes. If she hadn't trusted the so-called family ties and the people around her so much, she wouldn't have ended up like this, and her Lier wouldn't have died.
Her gaze swept over Qiuhe and Su Manjing, filled with regret and resentment. "Su Manjing, one day, your actions will be exposed, and I believe that when Uncle and Cousin know the truth, they won't let you off easily."
Facing Ruohe's words, Qiuhe avoided her gaze, unable to look at Ruohe, while Su Manjing remained indifferent. She smirked mysteriously at Ruohe and continued, "My dear sister, I almost forgot to tell you earlier. Do you really think your uncle died from a simple refusal to hand over military power? And your mother, do you really think it was just a difficult childbirth? As for Marquis Hou!?"
As she spoke, she called out flirtatiously to someone outside the courtyard, "Marquis Hou, how long do you plan to keep watching?"
As soon as Su Manjing's voice fell, Yu Hongyang walked in from outside and stopped behind Su Manjing, his hands around her waist, whispering in her ear.
"Marquis, don't do this, my sister is still watching." Su Manjing said softly, completely different from before.
Seeing the intimate gestures between the two, it was clear that this was not the first time. The truth was right in front of her, and she couldn't help but believe it. The successive blows were suffocating Ruohe, and she felt like her heart was breaking. Enduring the piercing pain, she asked hoarsely, "If you love Su Manjing, why did you marry me?"
"Do you think a woman from a brothel like you can compare to my pure and noble Jing'er?" Yu Hongyang sneered, playing with Su Manjing's hair, as if even looking at Ruohe would dirty his eyes.
"Marrying you was just to make that old man pass the marquisate to me."
Su He closed her eyes in pain. It turned out that in her husband's heart, she was so unbearable. How could he not know whether she was innocent or not? She pitied herself for thinking that the man in front of her loved her, but she had completely let down her uncle's good intentions. She owed her uncle so much, and if there was a next life, she would definitely repay her uncle for everything he had done for her.
"This woman is now in your hands," Yu Hongyang suddenly clapped his hands, and then a dozen burly men entered the room.
Seeing the dozen men walking straight towards her, a sense of foreboding arose in Su He. With a frightened expression, she asked, "What are you going to do?"
"We are going to serve you well, madam. Don't worry, I guarantee that you will be satisfied with our service," a man with a lecherous look said.
No, she absolutely could not allow this to happen. Su He struggled to break free from the maid who was holding her down and ran towards the door as if her life depended on it.
"Capture her and tie her up," Yu Hongyang ordered the servants behind him. Then he said to Su Manjing, "Darling, are you satisfied now?"
"Lord Hou, are we really going to do this?" Su Manjing spoke softly, as if she really felt that this was going too far, and was trying to persuade Yu Hongyang.
"Hmph, you don't need to plead for that slut. Hasn't Qiuhe already proven that the person in Wuyou Pavilion was her? " Yu Hongyang felt uncomfortable at the thought that the red candle on their wedding night was fake, and that he had been sharing a bed with an impure woman for so many years.
"But..." Su Manjing seemed hesitant, but her eyes looking at Su He were full of hostility.
"Enough, don't try to persuade me. I know you have a kind heart." With that, he lifted Su Manjing's chin and lightly kissed her lips. Su Manjing was unwilling to miss such an opportunity and immediately deepened the kiss.
Seeing the hands getting closer and closer to her, Su He blurted out in desperation, "I am the loyal and brave Lady Hou. If you really do this, you may never see the sun tomorrow."
Upon hearing Su He's words, the men hesitated and stopped. They looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
"Do you want to see your family's heads first, or do you want to have some fun first? It's your choice." Seeing the men hesitating, Yu Hongyang said coldly.
Yu Hongyang's words undoubtedly pushed Su He into an abyss. She could never have imagined that this man would be so ruthless and heartless.
The men, after hearing this, looked at each other in astonishment and then continued to approach Su He, tearing off her already tattered clothes.
"Yu Hongyang, you beast! How dare you treat me like this! I curse you to never have a peaceful death. Even if I become a vengeful ghost, I will haunt you for eternity, and you will never find peace."
Su He could clearly see the expressions of those people—some were numb, some were sympathetic, and some were compassionate. But their expressions could not change her fate. Her only goal was to one day avenge herself. She believed that as long as she was still alive, she would be able to do it.
"Lord Hou, let's go back," Su Manjing trembled in Yu Hongyang's arms, seemingly truly frightened by Su He's words.
"Alright, let's go back." Yu Hongyang didn't even pay attention to Su He's words and carried Su Manjing away from the courtyard, which was already desolate and now even more eerie because of Su He's ghostly voice.
Su Manjing leaned on Yu Hongyang's shoulder and looked at Su He, her eyes filled with a sinister look. "Su He, this is the fate of those who oppose me. Anyone who dares to compete with me for Lord Hou will meet the same end. Do you understand?"
Due to her intense struggle, the ropes that were originally meant to help Su He had deeply embedded into her flesh, and the crimson blood dripped onto the ground from the torn fabric. But Su He seemed to feel no pain at all. Watching the two of them gradually move away, she called out in helplessness:
"Yu Hongyang, if I, Su He, can walk out of here alive today, what I have suffered today will be repaid a hundredfold in the future. You will never find peace."
Perhaps because Su He's cry was too poignant, her voice reached the ears of the two who had already walked far away. Su Manjing shrank in Yu Hongyang's arms and said, "Lord Hou, I'm scared." Her pitiful appearance was truly pitiable.
Yu Hongyang tightened his embrace around Su Manjing and said softly, "Don't be afraid, she won't live through tonight." This was the tenderness he had never shown to Su He.
"Ah..." a hoarse voice rang out in the main house of a courtyard in the northwest corner of the Prime Minister's residence. The courtyard was a large lotus pond, but now, in the midst of the cold winter, the lotus flowers in the pond had withered, making the small courtyard even more desolate.
Su He suddenly opened her eyes and saw a familiar room. Soft bedding, luxurious curtains, and exquisite furnishings filled the room. This was the scene she had dreamed of countless times in the dungeon, the boudoir where she had lived for more than ten years.
But wasn't she already dead? How could she be here? What was going on? She shook her dazed head.
Getting up, she walked drowsily to the dressing table and saw a girl of about twelve or thirteen in the mirror. She wore a light green jacket and skirt, with curved eyebrows, expressive eyes, and a mouth that was neither big nor small. Her lips were slightly pale from just waking up.