The Qingming Festival had just passed, and a fine, persistent drizzle fell.
Ye Wanning stepped slowly down from the carriage. Yunzhi held an umbrella over her, hesitating as she spoke, “Miss, you must think this through clearly. Once this door opens, there will be no turning back for you and the young master.”
“Knock,” Ye Wanning’s thin lips curled into a barely perceptible sneer.
Turning back? She had never been more certain.
Today, she had come specifically to catch the adulterers!
The servant knocked loudly on the door. After a moment, an old woman opened it and asked irritably, “Who is it?”
Yunzhi stepped forward and produced the property deed. “My lady is the owner of this residence. She has come today to reclaim it. We ask that you vacate immediately.”
The old woman, likely illiterate, scrutinized the deed repeatedly, her brow furrowed, before scurrying back inside. Soon, a young woman followed her out. Upon seeing Ye Wanning, her eyes trembled, and tears instantly streamed down her face.
“Wanning, sister, what is the meaning of this?” Xu Zhuling cast a pitiful glance at Ye Wanning, twisting her handkerchief tightly.
Ye Wanning remained unmoved. Seeing Xu Zhuling again, her gaze turned icy. “This residence was originally lent to Zhou Yu. I wish to reclaim it now. There’s no need to look at me like that. Allowing you to live here these past two years was the worst decision I ever made.”
She and Zhou Yu had been betrothed since childhood. Later, when the Zhou family fell into decline, the Ye family upheld their principles and did not break off the engagement. They provided financial and material support when Zhou Yu went to the capital for the imperial examinations. After Zhou Yu achieved the top rank as the zhuangyuan, Xu Zhuling came seeking refuge, claiming to be his cousin. Out of pity, Ye Wanning allowed her to stay here.
Who could have known that the two were not cousins at all, but rather an adulterous pair?
In her past life, after Zhou Yu had used the Ye family’s foundation to secure his position in the official circles, he burned the bridge behind him, framing the Ye family and leading to their execution.
As for Ye Wanning, she was imprisoned in the rear courtyard by Zhou Yu, contracted a filthy disease, and had her reputation utterly destroyed.
She still remembered—on a rainy day just like this one, right before her death—Xu Zhuling, supporting her pregnant belly, came to see her, smiling triumphantly. “Sister, you truly are stubborn, holding on for so long. You want to see your husband? But he doesn’t want to see you.”
At that time, Ye Wanning only knew that Zhou Yu and Xu Zhuling had been involved for a long time, but she didn’t realize that the downfall of the Ye family was Zhou Yu’s doing, nor did she understand that her filthy disease had been deliberately inflicted by him. She thought Zhou Yu was being deceived and wanted to expose Xu Zhuling’s venomous nature before she closed her eyes forever.
But Xu Zhuling looked at her and laughed even more heartily. “Sister, you really are a fool. Do you think your husband misunderstood you? That you never strayed and were framed? You’re right—you didn’t stray. Your filthy disease was caused by your husband, who sent someone to deliberately fetch clothes from a prostitute. Only by ruining your reputation could he rightfully divorce you without tarnishing his own.”
“As for the Ye family, they deserved it. For your husband to rise in rank, he needed to show his sincerity to the Right Minister. The Ye family had always been at odds with the Right Minister, so they became your husband’s offering to him.”
Seeing Ye Wanning stunned, Xu Zhuling lowered her head and stroked her swollen belly. “You see, you lost, and I won. I am now the mistress of the Zhou household, and Feng Ge’er is the Zhou family’s eldest son. From now on, I will take your place in everything. Sister, go in peace. Let your death serve your husband’s reputation one last time.”
With a single glance from Xu Zhuling, two old women advanced toward Ye Wanning.
But Ye Wanning suddenly burst into wild laughter, her frenzied demeanor making others afraid to approach. Covered in festering sores, the old women hesitated, fearful of being infected.
“But Xu Zhuling, have you truly won?” Her legs trembling, she lunged toward Xu Zhuling. Before the maids could react, the shard of porcelain in her hand slashed fiercely across Xu Zhuling’s neck.
Instantly, blood spurted out.
Xu Zhuling stared wide-eyed in disbelief, clutching her neck as she collapsed.
Ye Wanning had exhausted all her strength and slumped to the ground. The curses in her ears grew increasingly faint. What a pity—she hadn’t managed to drag Zhou Yu down to hell with her. Truly regrettable.
When she woke again, she found herself reborn, one month before the wedding. There was still time to salvage everything. After careful planning, she brought people here.
“Si… sister, what do you mean by this?” Xu Zhuling timidly lifted her head, the breeze dampening her temples, making her appear even more pitiful.
Ye Wanning sneered, “Three days ago, what did you say to my grandmother at my house? You haven’t forgotten, have you?”
“Sister, please don’t misunderstand! I only went to explain to Old Madame Ye because I was afraid you might overthink things. My relationship with Cousin is purely innocent, absolutely devoid of any romantic feelings!” Xu Zhuling declared earnestly, even raising her hand to swear. “Perhaps Old Madame Ye misunderstood. I’m just a helpless woman relying on you and Cousin to avoid being homeless—how could I ever think of coming between you and him?”
After a pause, seemingly unwilling yet determined, she knelt straight down. “Regardless, if I’ve angered you, sister, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have gone to Old Madame Ye, nor should I have caused misunderstandings between you. I beg you, don’t drive me away. I’m like duckweed—if I leave this place, I’ll have nowhere to go but die.”
Though the residence was secluded, passersby occasionally came by.
Their conversation at the gate had drawn attention, and some stopped to watch.
The neighbors nearby all knew Xu Zhuling and Ye Wanning. Seeing them like this, someone spoke up, “Miss Ye, you’ve lost both parents too—how can you be so heartless? I think Miss Xu is perfectly fine; she’s always polite to everyone. How does she become utterly wicked in your eyes?”
“Exactly! Miss Ye, you’re too narrow-minded!”
“Ah, it’s truly pitiful. Children without parents are easily bullied. We can’t stand by and do nothing about this. If your Ye family doesn’t give a proper explanation today, we’ll take it to the authorities!”
…
While some spoke up for Xu Zhuling, others supported Ye Wanning. “This residence belongs to the Ye family anyway. If they want it back, they can take it. Has Xu Zhuling grown entitled from living here for free?”
But soon, this person was criticized by others. “How heartless can you be? The Ye family isn’t short of one residence. Why must they push someone to the brink?”
…
As the onlookers began to argue, Ye Wanning, having anticipated this, exchanged a glance with Yunzhi. Yunzhi swiftly snatched the money pouch from Xu Zhuling’s waist.
Ye Wanning opened the pouch, took out a jade pendant, and showed it to the crowd. “My Ye family may not lack a residence, but while I provided Xu Zhuling with food and shelter, she coveted my fiancé. This jade pendant is the evidence—since when does a cousin carry her male cousin’s close-fitting jade pendant?”
At these words, the crowd fell silent.
The neighbors all knew that Ye Wanning had taken Xu Zhuling in. Now, her kindness had been repaid with betrayal, nurturing a scheming vixen. Immediately, a woman picked up a stone and threw it at Xu Zhuling. “Shameless slut! How dare you commit such a disgraceful act? You deserve to be drowned! And I actually defended you earlier—pah! I must have been blind!”
The crowd buzzed with discussion, all cursing Xu Zhuling for repaying kindness with enmity.
Xu Zhuling stood frozen in disbelief. She had just been secretly meeting with her cousin in the mansion and had only come to the gate to delay Ye Wanning for a while. No matter how hard she racked her brains, she never expected Ye Wanning had come to drive her away.
As for the jade pendant, she had always kept it close to her person—how could Ye Wanning possibly know about it?
Before she could sort out her thoughts, several stones struck her body in succession. This time, the pain was real enough to bring tears to her eyes. With red-rimmed eyes, Xu Zhuling shook her head, “It’s not like th—”
“Then what is it like?” Ye Wanning cut her off. At this point, she would no longer give Xu Zhuling any chance to catch her breath. “The storyteller in the southern part of the city who slandered the Ye family—I’ve investigated that too. It was you who paid him off. I truly can’t understand—when have I ever wronged you?”
This accusatory question, laden with resentment from a past life, made Xu Zhuling’s face turn pale again and again.
Xu Zhuling deeply regretted her actions. Had she known Ye Wanning was here to cause trouble, she should have brought her inside. With her cousin present, there might still have been room for maneuver. But now, with so many witnesses and the jade pendant discovered on her, her reputation was utterly ruined.
“It’s a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding!” Bearing the pain, Xu Zhuling knelt and crawled forward, weeping pitifully like a drenched pear blossom. No matter what, she absolutely could not publicly admit her feelings for her cousin.
Her pitiful appearance stirred some men’s sympathy. “Miss Xu has an honest face—I don’t believe she would do such things. There must be some misunderstanding. Miss Ye, you shouldn’t make baseless accusations. Slandering a young woman’s virtue will bring retribution upon you!”
“Retribution?”
Before Ye Wanning could retort, a cold snort came from the distance.
The crowd turned to see Xie Bohuai of the Zhenfu Si approaching on horseback.
The Zhenfu Si received orders directly from the Emperor, possessing the authority to execute first and report later—making them the last people anyone in the capital would want to offend.
Xie Bohuai stood tall and imposing, the corners of his dark eyes slightly upturned, revealing no emotion. His gaze swept over the crowd before settling on Ye Wanning. “Miss Ye, it’s been a while.”
Ye Wanning’s heart sank. Though she didn’t know when she might have offended Xie Bohuai, he had once publicly declared her judgment blind. She silently prayed that someone as busy as Xie Bohuai would merely exchange greetings and not meddle in her affairs.
But as soon as she finished her curtsy and response, she saw Xie Bohuai dismount and stride directly toward her. “I overheard part of the conversation just now. I never realized there were so many blind and black-hearted people in this world.” Xie Bohuai stopped at the base of the steps and turned to the man who had spoken up for Xu Zhuling. “Since this gentleman feels such pity for Miss Xu, why don’t you take her into your home?”
His smile vanished, and his dark official robes exuded an overwhelming pressure that made people’s necks feel cold.
This was, after all, a man known for his merciless killings and fearsome reputation.