Jiang Yankun's temples were throbbing with anger. How could he, a man of such wisdom and stature, have sired such a foolish daughter? Fainting at this moment was nothing but a blatant admission of guilt!0
Earlier, it was Lady Ruan who had mentioned that Jiang Xinyue had been summoned to the main courtyard by Lady Zhou, and by evening, she still hadn't returned. The ladies present, eager for some excitement, had all come to the main courtyard under the guise of concern.0
Just in time to witness Jiang Yutong threatening her half-sister with violence.0
Jiang Yankun wanted to wake Jiang Yutong up and stop her from making a fool of herself, but he was also afraid that this idiot would start spouting nonsense again once she regained consciousness.0
"Father..."0
Jiang Xinyue, helped up from the ground by her maid, Xi Que, looked like a pitiful little thing as she shrank back and said, "Sister has always been frail. She must have caught a chill and fainted. Please, Mother, have someone take her back to her room to rest!"0
Jiang Yutong, who had just moments ago pushed Jiang Xinyue to the ground and straddled her, threatening to beat her to death, didn't seem frail at all.0
The second daughter of the Jiang Household was too soft-hearted. Even after being bullied like this, she still spoke up for her elder sister, not wanting to ruin her reputation.0
Jiang Yankun's face darkened. Lady Zhou, unwilling to let her daughter stay here and be gossiped about, shot Jiang Xinyue a venomous glare before ordering her maids to help Jiang Yutong back to the inner courtyard.0
Lady Zhou was not known for her patience. The noblewomen present were all wives of officials friendly with the Jiang family, and they were well aware of the family's affairs.0
Lady Ruan and her children were pitiful!0
Today's battle was a complete victory for Jiang Xinyue.0
But...0
As the crowd dispersed, Lan Xiaolou looked at the scattered white jade cakes on the ground and let out a bitter laugh.0
"When did the Second Young Lady realize that the Eldest Young Lady had feelings for someone as lowly as me?"0
By the shimmering waterside, Jiang Xinyue's expression turned cold and unyielding. "From the moment you first entered the Jiang Household and revealed your celestial beauty, my elder sister has been infatuated with you, obsessed to the point of madness."0
She hated Lady Zhou, and she hated Jiang Yutong.0
That was why she had deliberately saved Lan Xiaolou, disguised herself as a man to get close to him, and became the untouchable white moonlight in his heart.0
All for today.0
She wanted Jiang Yutong to suffer unbearably, to make Lady Zhou restless and anxious for her daughter.0
Who made them bully her mother, her younger siblings?0
"And what about you...?"0
This chapt𝓮r is updat𝒆d by ƒreeωebnovel.ƈom.
Lan Xiaolou stepped forward eagerly, but Jiang Xinyue took two steps back, looking at him with guarded eyes.0
The gesture pierced Lan Xiaolou's heart. His eyes reddened as he struggled to contain the surging emotions. "Did you ever have even a shred of genuine feeling for me?"0
At fourteen, Jiang Xinyue's heart was consumed by revenge, by hatred for Lady Zhou and Jiang Yutong. She didn't understand why her heart ached at this moment.0
She smiled faintly. "No matter how lowly I may be, I am still the daughter of a court official. Why would I care for someone like you? You were merely a tool in my revenge against Lady Zhou. Know your place."0
Now that he had served his purpose, Jiang Xinyue saw no need to continue playing along with him.0
Lan Xiaolou took a deep breath, let out a bitter laugh, and turned to leave. After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.0
He reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out a bottle of bruise ointment, but then remembered that the pouch itself had been a gift from Jiang Xinyue. He put the bottle back and removed the pouch from his waist entirely.0
"You've been kneeling for so long. Does your knee hurt? I bought this medicine for you. Remember to apply it."0
If their ill-fated relationship had ended here, it wouldn't have been too tragic.0
Lan Xiaolou could have continued his life as a famous actor in the opera troupe, and Jiang Xinyue could have married a man of equal social standing. With her beauty and cunning, she could have lived a comfortable life.0
But Jiang Yutong refused to let it go. She repeatedly pursued Lan Xiaolou, even causing a scene at Cuili Garden, which led to the Senior Brother, who already had a grudge against Lan Xiaolou, overhearing that Jiang Xinyue seemed to have a secret relationship with him.0
The Senior Brother seized the opportunity to blackmail Lan Xiaolou, demanding that he lure Jiang Xinyue out so he could drug her, take her virtue, and then marry into the Jiang family as the son-in-law of the Minister of Rites.0
"I heard the Jiang family is immensely wealthy, and the Minister is a fifth-rank official. With their support, I'd never have to worry about money again."0
Not to mention, the Second Young Lady of the Jiang family is renowned for her beauty.0
Lan Xiaolou felt murderous toward the Senior Brother.0
After the humiliation by the lakeside, he had no intention of seeing Jiang Xinyue again.0
But Jiang Yutong had somehow conspired with the Senior Brother, planning to ruin Jiang Xinyue's reputation.0
Unlike the Senior Brother, Lan Xiaolou couldn't act rashly against Jiang Yutong. He had no choice but to secretly meet with Jiang Xinyue to discuss a plan.0
It was during this meeting that Lan Xiaolou first realized that Jiang Xinyue was not the pure, kind, and innocent goddess he had imagined.0
She was ruthless, selfish, cold, and heartless...0
She killed the Senior Brother.0
To avoid suspicion and to make Jiang Yutong believe that the Senior Brother had succeeded in eloping with Jiang Xinyue, they staged an elaborate act.0
The stories of gambling addiction and retirement to the countryside were all lies.0
Behind the old house in Lou Family Village, what was buried was not the ashes of a supposed fiancée "cousin," but the Senior Brother's remains.0
Jiang Xinyue and Lan Xiaolou held a wedding ceremony, becoming husband and wife, with her playing the role of his "sickly, reclusive wife." This was all to ensure that if officials ever came looking, the villagers would vouch for her.0
Little did they know, this would later serve as evidence to the Emperor that Jiang Xinyue and Lan Xiaolou had no illicit relationship.0
Lan Xiaolou had worried that Jiang Yutong might expose the fact that Jiang Xinyue had left the Jiang Household.0
But Jiang Xinyue wasn't concerned. She knew Jiang Yutong well.0
"Right now, she's probably waiting for me to be tormented by your Senior Brother, to get pregnant, and then tell Father that I've eloped and am carrying a bastard child. That way, I'll be utterly disgraced, with no chance of redemption."0
So not only would Jiang Yutong not expose her, she would help cover up Jiang Xinyue's disappearance.0
And during this time, Jiang Xinyue would have ample opportunity to arrange everything.0
She was such a cold and selfish person, yet Lan Xiaolou found that he didn't hate her. Instead, he pitied her.0
The time they spent in Lou Family Village was the happiest period of his life.0
They lived like an ordinary couple, forgetting the lies and the manipulation, simply relying on each other.0
But it was all an illusion.0
When the Emperor began selecting consorts, Jiang Yutong fell in love with him during an imperial tour and insisted on entering the palace.0
Jiang Xinyue saw her chance and had Lan Xiaolou return to the stage...0
Meanwhile, she quietly returned to the Jiang Household.0
The past in Lou Family Village became a secret that could never be spoken of again.0
Lan Xiaolou and Jiang Xinyue both died on that rainy night of farewell.0
From then on, there was only Lan Xiaolou of the Rongsheng Opera Troupe and the Second Young Lady of the Jiang family in the capital.0
If not for the news from the palace, Lan Xiaolou would have always believed that his Jiang Xinyue had risen to great heights, becoming untouchably noble.0
But how... could she have died?0
How could someone as cunning as her die?0