Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Ruyi Cosmetic Shop
"In the year I met Master, I had just become pregnant with Ping'er. At that time, the Luo Family was not what it is now; it was just an ordinary trading household, with only an elderly servant and a maid who came with my dowry. Like you and Ping'er, my engagement to Master faced much opposition, but it did not come from my in-laws; it came from my maternal family.
My family has been in trade for three generations, dealing in gold and silverware, and even some business dealings reached the palace. As for Master, he was just a runner at that time, a merchant who relied on others' favor for his meals. Naturally, my maternal family disapproved of such a mismatch. But like you, I was stubborn and firmly believed that the man I chose was the best, so I married him despite the difficulties.
I suspect you've heard some of the rumors circulating outside. My relationship with Doctor Yun is not as they say. Doctor Yun may have feelings for me, but the only person I ever wanted to marry was Master.
Perhaps it is true what others say: what cannot be obtained is always the best, while what comes too easily is often taken for granted by men. The time I spent with Master turned out to be even shorter than I had imagined."
Lady Luo looked at the bones on the bed.
"Because I was pregnant with Ping'er, my maternal family softened their stance and helped introduce a business opportunity for Master. If it succeeded, it would ensure our family's livelihood for decades. Master proved himself capable; the business went smoothly. However, on his way back home, he encountered Xi Er, who was bound and being sold by Human Teeth.
At that time, Xi Er was only twelve or thirteen years old but already quite clever. She saw that Master had an upright appearance and did not look like an ordinary person. She managed to break free from Human Teeth's ropes and rushed to Master, begging him to buy her. She promised to repay him by working hard for him. Master, feeling pity for her, bought her.
Little did he know that Xi Er, relying on her looks, foolishly attempted to seduce Master. I admit that I am not as charming as Xi Er; my upbringing taught me how to be a qualified mistress and a virtuous wife but never how to please or entice a man. Master was young and impulsive and had never experienced such temptation before. Coupled with my pregnancy making me less mobile, he fell into Xi Er's trap.
At first, I did not notice anything between them.
But as Xi Er grew older, she became bolder in her actions and even began flirting with Master right in front of me. She encouraged him to seek my permission to take her as a concubine.
Isn't it laughable? I find it utterly ridiculous! I abandoned everything and disregarded my maternal family's objections to marry him! I sacrificed my own dignity and secretly asked my uncles to help him behind the scenes. What did I seek? Just for him to treat me well, achieve success early on, gain my maternal family's approval, and prove to the world that my chosen husband was indeed worthy.
Yet here I am with Ping'er still learning to walk, and he asks me to take a concubine—one brought from outside! I felt heartbroken, sad, and wronged; naturally, I refused. I thought he would consider my feelings and send this ungrateful girl who shamelessly seduced him away. But instead, he left in anger and lavished more affection on Xi Er.
Within a month, news arrived that Xi Er was pregnant with his child. Master showed no remorse; instead, he insisted on bringing her into our home without my consent."
Lady Luo looked into Yunxi's eyes.
"I ask you this: if you were in such a situation, what would you do?"
"I—"
Yunxi did not know how to respond. All she knew was that if Luo Ping were to take a concubine, she would never agree to it. Either she would leave, or the other woman would have to go; she absolutely would not allow herself to share Luo Ping's affection with another woman, under any circumstances.
Seeing that Lady Luo's gaze had not wavered for a moment, Yunxi felt a surge in her throat and said, "If I cannot change his mind, and he is determined to take a concubine, I will ask him to write me a Divorce Paper. From then on, we will part ways, living separate lives as husband and wife. I will not be a concubine, nor will I ever allow my husband to take one."
"Because I have seen my mother suffer, because of the heartache and tears caused by those concubines in the household, and the countless sleepless nights she endured. If I cannot win his heart entirely, if we cannot grow old together, I, Yunxi, would rather be alone than suffer for such a man."
Lady Luo was momentarily taken aback and then shook her head.
"The reason you can say such things is that your child has not yet been born. If this child comes into the world, would you still make that choice? Would you still be so carefree? A child does not bind a man but becomes a noose around a woman's neck, constraining you and forcing you into passive choices in many matters."
"Perhaps," Yunxi replied, looking down at her belly. "What about you, Mother-in-law? What choices did you make back then?"
"Choices? What choices did I have back then? If I disagreed, Master would still take her into the household. If I disagreed, Master would still let her give birth to the child in her womb. Besides, Master never gave me a choice at that time. I sat quietly in my room for an entire night and finally realized that no matter what I did or begged for, Master and I could never return to the past. The only choice I had was to prevent that grain of sand from getting into my eyes and to protect my Ping'er from suffering."
"I did not want her life; I just didn't want that illegitimate child to be born. I didn't want her to have another chance to conceive Master’s child. Under the pretense of letting her pay respects to our ancestors, I tricked her into the ancestral hall and had someone beside me feed her poison. That medicine worked remarkably well; just two doses were enough."
Lady Luo glanced at the table filled with cobweb-covered bowls and chopsticks.
"It seems even the old ones could not bear to see my sorrow and took both mother and child away."
Lady Luo's cold laughter echoed in the dim room.
Yunxi instinctively placed a hand protectively over her belly.
After a bout of cold laughter, Lady Luo suddenly fell silent. Yunxi held her breath and waited patiently.
"Remember, no one must know about tonight's events. You have never been in this dark room nor met Xi Er. The only thing you need to do is honestly and safely give birth to your Ping'er’s child. For this child's sake, I will not make things difficult for you."
Lady Luo's cold voice echoed again, but this time it was in Yunxi's ears. She shuddered suddenly, and the lantern in her hand fell to the ground. Turning to the side, she saw the most terrifying pair of eyes from her memory, eyes that carried a chill and a hint of malice.
Yunxi took a deep breath and asked with a slightly trembling voice, “Does Father-in-law not know that Xi Er is here?”
Lady Luo stepped back a few paces, her entire figure fading into the darkness. Yunxi could only hear her voice: “He doesn’t know! He has only vaguely suspected that I took Xi Er away, but he never imagined that I would trap her in this dark chamber of the Luo Family Ancestral Hall. By the way, I oversaw the construction of this Luo Family Ancestral Hall. Master is entirely focused on business and pays no attention to anything at home; even this Ruo Mansion was built by me piece by piece. So, he has never known and never thought that there would be such a hidden chamber in this ancestral hall.”
“Hasn’t Father-in-law ever tried to look for her?”
“Hum!” Lady Luo let out a cold laugh. “Of course he has looked for her. In fact, during the first few years, he never gave up trying to extract information about this woman and the child in her womb from me. He even went so far as to flatter me and coax me to find them. Unfortunately, my heart has already turned cold, and my eyes have grown cold as well. A cold heart and cold eyes see everything more clearly.
I also played along with him; as long as Ping'er grows up, as long as that woman and her child no longer pose a threat to my Ping'er, I would tell him their whereabouts. He certainly didn’t believe me, so over the years, he always made excuses to run around for business. But he will never realize that the person he is looking for is right here in the Luo Family Ancestral Hall.
And do you know why Master still maintains a facade of affection with me? At first, it was because of my Maternal Family. After that business deal succeeded, he tasted its benefits. For men, while women are charming, career is even more important. He cannot bear to part with that delicate and enchanting Xi Er, nor can he give up the support of my Maternal Family. I know everything; I understand it all, but I don’t care. Because there is only one child in the Luo Family, and that is my Ping'er. No matter how much he earns, it will only end up in my Ping'er's hands. I have already lost love and lost my husband; I cannot afford to lose face again and let my people from the Maternal Family see me as a joke: look at what kind of man you desperately sought after; in the end, isn’t he just a Heartless Man? I cannot do that; I must leave myself with something. Don’t you agree?”
Listening to Lady Luo's somewhat obsessive words, Yunxi couldn’t tell her whether it was right or wrong. As a woman herself, she believed that when faced with similar issues, she too would have many doubts and could easily fall into obsession. The deeper the love, the greater the hurt; thus, one becomes increasingly trapped by their own Heart Demon.
“What about me? What did you mean by your earlier words?”
As soon as Yunxi finished asking, Lady Luo suddenly lunged towards her like a gust of wind, gripping her arms tightly with both hands while her cold eyes fixed intently on her face: “Because you have a face strikingly similar to that of Xi Er. Not only your appearance but even your birth date is very close to that woman’s. In fact, aside from your birth year, everything else is identical. Such a coincidence makes it hard for me not to suspect that you are her—a Vengeful Spirit risen from the Underworld seeking revenge on me!”
Comment 0 Comment Count