Chapter 5 — Catching Them Red-Handed on My Wedding Day

Instantly, the courtyard erupted like a boiling vat of oil splashed with cold water, bursting into an uproar of sheer disbelief and outrage.

Good heavens!

She is no virtuous widow at all; she is a wicked, vicious hag!

The face of Lu Mo turned ashen and grim. One of his hands rested heavily upon the hilt of the sabre at his waist, his knuckles clenching so tightly that they let out a sharp, cracking sound. He strode forward until he stood directly before Li Ping, lowering his gaze to look down upon the personal guard who had faithfully served him for a full decade. His eyes were as chillingly cold as the ice blades of midwinter. Without a word of warning, he lashed out, kicking viciously straight into Li Ping’s chest. The man was sent flying backward in a violent somersault, the back of his head crashing hard against the blue stone pavement as a thick trail of blood instantly spewed from the corners of his mouth. He collapsed flat onto the ground, utterly bereft of even the meager strength required to crawl up and kowtow for mercy. He could only prop himself up on his trembling elbows, dragging his broken body inch by inch toward Lu Mo’s boots, his lips stammering out pitiful, muffled pleas for his life.

Drag him away.

Lu Mo’s voice sounded as though it were being forced directly out from between his tightly clenched teeth.

Break both his legs and throw him into the deepest dungeon.

Four guards immediately stepped forward, seizing Li Ping by the arms and dragging him out of the courtyard as if they were discarding a dead dog. Early the next morning, the formal trial commenced. Chu Dieu Am had her arms wrenched painfully behind her back by two burly matrons, who forced her roughly to her knees beneath the magistracy bench. Not for a single instant did her mouth cease its frantic motion. The voice tearing from her throat was simultaneously shrill and hoarse, bearing an uncanny resemblance to the shriek of a stray cat that had just had its tail stepped on.

It was Shen Luo Yan who plotted and framed me! It was all her! She deliberately chose that theatrical piece, deliberately arranged for that actor to wear red. She calculated from the very beginning that I would—

She violently struggled to lift her head, her bloodshot eyes glaring viciously and unblinkingly straight at me.

All of you have been utterly deceived by her! She is the most sinister and poisonous creature of us all!

The guests gathered within the courtyard muttered amongst themselves in hushed, nervous whispers. Some furrowed their brows in deep skepticism, others shook their heads in dismay, and a few still held a lingering trace of doubt in their eyes. At that precise moment, the grand gates of the Marquis Manor were violently and loudly shoved open from the outside. Two neat rows of guards poured inward, the lanterns held high in their hands illuminating the front courtyard as brightly as high noon. Under the brilliant glow of the lanterns, a peerless pair walked side by side across the threshold. The young man was tall and straight-backed, clad in a sumptuous black brocade robe, his features as flawless as carved jade, carrying a natural, innate nobility between his arched brows. Beside him walked a noble lady arrayed in pomegranate-red imperial silk garments, her lower abdomen slightly rounded, her hair adorned with a dazzling halo of pearls and jade. Her countenance bore a striking seven-part resemblance to my own, save for the sharper, more formidable edge carved into her expression. It was none other than the Heir Apparent Gu Jing Chen and my own elder sister, Shen Chen Yu. Without exception, every single guest present in the courtyard dropped instantly to their knees in a grand salute. Gu Jing Chen raised a hand, gesturing for the assembly to rise. His cold gaze swept leisurely in a wide circle before finally coming to a halt upon the wretched figure of Chu Dieu Am kneeling disheveled in the dirt, the corners of his mouth curving upward in a mocking smirk.

My wife and I heard that a rather scandalous farce was being staged within the Marquis Manor today, and so we came specifically to observe.

His voice was not particularly loud, yet it carried an overwhelming, natural aura of authority.

Never did we imagine that the methods employed would descend to such filthy depths.

My sister gently released the hand of the Heir Apparent, moving swiftly toward me. Her anxious gaze swept across my face, and only after confirming that I remained completely unharmed did the palpable tension and worry in her eyes finally begin to dissipate. She reached out and took my hand in hers. Her fingertips were slightly cool, but her voice was crystal clear, ringing out so distinctly that every single person in the courtyard could hear.

My younger sister, your elder sister has arrived rather late.

The corners of my eyes instantly grew hot with unshed tears. In my past life, the news that reached me was that she had died a tragic death in difficult childbirth. I had ridden a donkey through the night without stopping for rest, only to be greeted by the blinding, garish crimson silk mourning banners hung before the doors of the Heir’s manor and the bright red double-happiness marriage characters plastered thickly across the courtyard walls. In this present lifetime, however, she was standing alive and breathing right before me. Her hand was warm, her voice steady and resolute, her belly gently rounded, sheltering the unborn nephew of mine within.

Elder sister.

I gripped her hand fiercely, my voice catching slightly in my throat. Chu Dieu Am stared wide-eyed at my sister, her expression contorted in horror.

You... You...

Her voice sounded as though someone had clamped a hand tightly around her neck, growing so shrill that it nearly distorted beyond recognition.

Weren’t you so deathly ill that you were on the verge of perishing?!

My sister turned slowly, looking down upon her from her position of elevated grace, a chilling smile blooming at the corners of her lips.

Thanks to your immense kindness, I remain remarkably healthy.

Her voice was measured, yet every single word fell like a sharp blade.

You repeatedly borrowed Luo Yan’s name to dispatch supposed pregnancy-stabilizing tonics to the Heir’s manor every few days, claiming that my sister cared deeply for my well-being and had brewed the medicine with her own hands. Had my younger sister not sent a letter ahead of time to warn me, I truly might have been deceived by your treacherous facade.

She paused briefly, her gaze hardening by degrees into an icy glare.

I ordered the imperial physicians to examine the brew. Mixed inside those medicinal decoctions was Tibetan safflower. The dosage had been calculated with extreme cunning; consuming it once or twice would not prove fatal, but drinking it continuously for half a month would ensure the absolute destruction of the fetus. If my sister had not maintained her guard and covertly swapped the medicine, the child resting within my womb would have been murdered long ago.

The entire courtyard instantly erupted into a deafening clamor of shock. The guests who moments before had worn expressions of mere contempt now had their complexions transform in unison. Pursuing wealth and status was one matter, but taking a human life was entirely another. Furthermore, the life she sought to destroy was the direct bloodline of the Heir Apparent—this was a capital offense punishable by the execution of one's entire clan! The expression on Gu Jing Chen’s face grew so dark and heavy it seemed as though water might wring from it. He stepped down from the stone terrace, advancing step by measured step toward Chu Dieu Am. The soles of his boots crunched heavily against the blue stone paving, every single footfall sounding like a hammer striking directly against the hearts of all who watched.

A truly vicious and venomous widow.

His voice was as frigid as the biting wind of a winter solstice, every syllable forced out from the depths of his clenched jaw.

You actually dared to plot against the lineage of the Heir Apparent.