As for why it differed from what was written in the original book?
Combining Ruan Nanzhi's earlier words and her years of experience reading novels, Ruan Nanxi concluded that Ruan Nanzhi had most likely been reborn. In this life, she no longer wanted to marry Xiao Ye, so she pushed the original owner forward instead, possibly even orchestrating some melodramatic bride swap.
Having roughly pieced together the chain of cause and effect, Ruan Nanxi could only feel that the original owner had been incredibly unlucky! To be saddled with such a sister for no good reason, and to die so inexplicably on top of that.
Ruan Nanzhi was still prattling on endlessly before her, the gist of it being one thing: mocking her for not winning her husband's affection and being destined to become a discarded wife.
Ruan Nanxi rubbed her brow impatiently, then raised her hand, revealing the pair of lustrous, creamy-white jade bracelets.
"Sister, do you think my bracelets are pretty? A gift from my mother-in-law."
She finished speaking and watched with satisfaction as the other's smug expression stiffened abruptly. Then, with her maidservant in tow, she leisurely entered the mansion.
Ruan Nanzhi tugged at the tassels on her fan, staring fixedly at the pair of bracelets on Ruan Nanxi's fair, slender wrist, as well as everything she wore on her head and body—all custom-made pieces that were hard to buy even with money.
These were all supposed to be hers…
But she quickly snapped back to herself and sneered disdainfully. No matter how luxurious the life, if one wasn't loved, they were merely a pitiful creature with vast wealth and nothing else.
Recalling her previous life, she had held most of the Xiao family's assets in her hands, with countless fine clothes and precious treasures at her disposal. Wherever she went, she was an honored guest—except among the imperial clan. But so what?
She had lived every day in that empty, sprawling courtyard, attended to by dozens of servants, yet she could only lie on that cold, carved bed, spending each night alone until dawn.
Xiao Ye's heart was harder than stone. She had tried drugs, threats, and every means at her disposal, but that man simply refused to touch her. His heart and eyes were filled only with that wretch Jiang Ruoyu. Later, he even moved directly to the military camp on the outskirts of the capital, not returning to the mansion even once in a year or more.
Now… hah. The bitter days of sitting alone in an empty room, tasting endless loneliness, had fallen to her good elder sister!
Ruan Nanxi entered the main courtyard and paid her respects to Father Ruan and Mother Ruan, who were seated at the head.
The Ruan family was small in number. In her generation, there were three siblings: herself, Ruan Nanzhi, and a younger brother, Ruan Nanheng, who was studying in Jiangnan.
Both she and Ruan Nanzhi were already married, so only her father, stepmother, and a few of her father's concubines lived in the household.
All this information had been quietly relayed to her by Bailu before she came in.
Ruan Hecheng frowned at her. "Why are you here alone? Where's your husband?"
Ruan Nanxi spread her hands innocently. "I don't know. He said he had matters to attend to."
Ruan Hecheng also knew that Xiao Ye's heart wasn't with his daughter. As a father, some things weren't appropriate for him to say, so he nudged his wife beside him.
Mrs. Zhou rolled her eyes in irritation. She had no mood and no obligation!
Originally, Madam Xiao had taken a liking to her Nanzhi first. She had even already planned what outfit she would wear to the betrothal ceremony.
But then that dead girl had lost her mind—refusing to marry the heir of the Duke's Mansion and instead snatching Nanxi's fiancé, a poor scholar.
She had even secretly carried on with him and lost her chastity, forcing them to have no choice but to compromise.
Now, looking at Ruan Nanxi's understated yet luxurious attire, and thinking about the shabby poverty of the scholar's household, she was annoyed to death.
That girl had said something about "love makes water sweet enough to drink." Ha! Then let them have the nerve to skip eating altogether!
Mrs. Zhou waved her hand at Ruan Nanxi impatiently. "Enough, it's getting late. Let's go eat together!"
…
On the other side, Xiao Ye hurried into a teahouse, pushed open the door to a private room, and looked at the woman seated at the table.
"What happened?"
The woman turned her face.
As the female lead of this book, Jiang Ruoyu was undoubtedly very beautiful—with a fresh, elegant temperament, a fair and slender neck, eyes that were pitifully alluring, and a faint, elusive fragrance about her.
She stood up, her gaze shimmering as she looked at Xiao Ye. "I heard from the servants at the Duke's Mansion that you were scolded by your uncle and aunt again. I was worried about you."
Xiao Ye waved his hand dismissively. "I thought it was something serious. When do they ever not scold me?"
He sat down casually, his wide, voluminous sleeves getting all rumpled, and grabbed the teapot to gulp down several large cups.
Jiang Ruoyu sat down gracefully across from him and bit her lip.
"A-Ye, I just feel sorry for you. Being forced to marry a woman you don't love is bad enough, but Miss Ruan only married you because of the wealth and glory of the Duke's Mansion.
Don't be upset. Even though no one in the capital's elite circles likes you, you still have me."
She curved her lips into a warm smile. "Don't let irrelevant people affect your mood. Okay?"
If it had been in the past, hearing these words would surely have moved Xiao Ye.
The Great Xia Dynasty now placed extreme emphasis on civil affairs over military matters, especially in the capital, where the elite circles prized elegance and refinement in everything.
He had been vilified because, when he entered the capital to present captives, he had bound the prisoners' hands and feet and locked them in cages—among them women and children, looking rather pitiful.
It had clearly been a strategy to demoralize the enemy, but those noble scions in the capital only saw the pitiful state of those old and weak captives, not the brutality with which they had burned, killed, and trampled the border people.
Coupled with Xiao Tianci's covert smear campaign, rumors of his cruelty and bloodthirstiness spread all over the capital.
At the banquet, everyone feared him, yet secretly mocked his crude manners, saying he couldn't compare to Xiao Tianci's refined elegance and gentle warmth.
The young general who had never met defeat in the border garrison found himself ostracized everywhere in the wealthy circles of the capital.
At his most frustrated and humiliated moment, Jiang Ruoyu stepped forward to defend him. Always wearing a warm smile, she comforted him in a gentle voice:
"It's alright, A-Ye. Even if your parents don't love you and everyone despises you, I still admire you!"
"Don't overthink it. The capital is too far from the border—they've never seen the bloodshed of the battlefield, so that's why they're afraid of you. You can try to change—wear scholar's robes, try joining poetry societies and painting clubs, tone down your aura, and work hard to blend in with them! I'll help you too."
He only thought that Ruoyu was truly a wonderful girl.
But at this moment, Xiao Ye inexplicably thought of Ruan Nanxi's blunt and unvarnished confessions, so he subconsciously spoke up to refute:
"Ruoyu, you've misunderstood. Ruan didn't marry me for wealth or status—she simply… wanted me for who I am."
Jiang Ruoyu's fingers beneath her sleeve suddenly clenched.
"…Is that so? Congratulations then!"
She adjusted her expression with lightning speed, stood up, and urged him with a smile:
"Then you should hurry back! Today is the day your new wife returns to her parents' home. You came to see me—if Miss Ruan, who cares about you so much, finds out, she'll hate me to death."
She lowered her eyelashes, looking somewhat hurt and afraid.
Xiao Ye set down his cup and said bluntly:
"Ruoyu, you've misunderstood again. It was Ruan who urged me to come see you."
Jiang Ruoyu: "…"
"We've all wronged her before. She's actually a very good girl. Even though she cares about me so much she'd rather bang her head against a wall, she's restrained enough not to pester me.
So Ruoyu, don't misunderstand her anymore. She doesn't even hate me—how could she hate you?"
Jiang Ruoyu's expression nearly cracked, and she gritted her teeth in fury.
She'd heard that Ruan Nanxi was a dignified, wooden beauty, but it turned out it was all an act.
Hah, she'd underestimated her. This retreat-to-advance tactic was played beautifully.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.