Chapter 8 — The Wedding Veil Still Cold, Loyal Bonds Severed

In the blink of an eye, two months slipped away. Just as the trials surrounding the Ning family concluded and the entire household was sentenced to exile, news broke from the darkest depths of the prison that Ning Wan'er was about to give birth. Driven by frantic agitation, Han Linshan rushed over, spending a small fortune in bribes just to secure a single visit with her. At that very moment, the child in her womb drew its first breath. Expectant and overjoyed, Han Linshan waited eagerly to gaze upon his heir, only to watch the midwife stumble out of the cell clutching a swaddling bundle, her face drained of color as if she had just encountered a malevolent spirit. Seized by sudden dread, he snatched the infant to inspect it, but a single glance filled him with horror, causing him to hurl the tiny creature back in revulsion.

What abomination is this? Where is Wan'er's child?

Only through heavily greasing the palms of the Han family servants and prison guards did I finally unearth the grim truth. It turned out that in order to coerce Han Linshan into marriage, Ning Wan'er had secretly slipped him a potent aphrodisiac, then swallowed black-market fertility-inducing drugs to force an early conception. It was this calculated deception that had swayed Han Linshan's heart, driving him to persuade his family to accept the union. Yet, due to the toxic side effects of the drugs, the fetus had developed severe deformities. A physician had long since discovered the anomaly, but Wan'er had intended to quietly dispose of the pregnancy after the wedding. Never did she anticipate that circumstances would spiral so wildly out of control. Now, everything made sense: why she had adamantly refused to let any physician take her pulse on the wedding day. She had lived in terror that the Han family would discover the child's deformities and cast her aside on the spot. But paper can never wrap around fire. The moment the infant was born, its grotesque appearance was laid bare before Han Linshan's eyes. Terrified out of his wits, he had bolted without a backward glance, abandoning Ning Wan'er to her fate. That unfortunate child was branded a demonspawn and flung ruthlessly into a pauper's mass grave. Though Wan'er miraculously survived, the realization of the truth shattered her completely. During the journey into exile, Han Linshan never appeared to rescue her as he had once sworn. Relying solely on bribes to the guards, she managed to slip away into the dark of night. Retracing her steps back to the capital under a disguised identity, she finally tracked down Han Linshan as he drowned his sorrows in wine at a local tavern. When he first laid eyes on her, he thought he was dreaming. Softly, he murmured her name, reaching out to pull her into his embrace, a testament to the genuine affection he once held for her. Yet, that affection proved entirely too fragile to withstand his ruthless ambition for status and the prestige of the marquisate.

As dusk fell, Han Linshan was discovered dead inside the tavern, his lifeless body pierced straight through the heart by a dagger. The crime scene bore no signs of a struggle, and after a thorough investigation, the magistrate's office swiftly concluded it to be a murder committed by someone close to the victim. Simultaneously, the culprit—Ning Wan'er—had already donned a disguise and fled the capital. Just as she believed she had secured her ultimate escape and freedom, a heavily armed troop of soldiers suddenly descended upon her, sealing off every possible route of flight. Apprehended and dragged before the authorities, she stubbornly refused to confess to the murder of Han Linshan, but how could the yamen lack the means to break her stubborn will? Before long, her death sentence was formally handed down. On the eve of her execution, I went to the prison cells in secret to pay her one final visit. I informed her that from the very moment she stepped foot back into the capital, every single movement she made had been tracked by my eyes. Had it not been for my deliberate, covert assistance, she could never have escaped so effortlessly, nor would she have ever found the opportunity to strike down Han Linshan. A chilling realization seemed to dawn upon her; she stared at me with a gaze that was utterly unhinged, laughing and weeping simultaneously.

Do not imagine for a second that your victory grants you any true glory. A vicious, cold-blooded woman like you will never meet a favorable end!

No man of honor will ever stoop to marry you. Just wait until you are utterly alone for the rest of your days, and reap the bitter retribution you deserve!

To her venomous curses, I did not spare a single ounce of concern.

At the very least, I shall walk out of this wretched place with my life and peace of mind intact, unlike you and Han Linshan—do try to keep each other good company down in the yellow springs.

Following the execution of Ning Wan'er, the House of Han began its slow, irreversible decline. Madam Han, utterly shattered by the devastating loss of her only son in her twilight years, fell gravely ill not long after. Old Master Han still harbored delusions of taking concubines to carry on the family lineage, but his new concubines engaged in vicious power struggles that turned the entire estate into a chaotic mess. Consumed by his own hedonistic excesses, the old master's health collapsed entirely, and within two years, a stroke left him paralyzed on one side, bedridden and helpless. In stark contrast, my father's standing at court grew more formidable by the day. Buoyed by his soaring prestige, noble scions and young masters arrived in an endless stream to propose marriage, practically trampling the threshold of the Shen residence flat. Yet, not a single one caught my eye. Submitting a formal request to my parents, I packed my bags and set out alone toward the northern territories. I wished to join my uncle, who presided over a vast merchant guild, to learn the intricacies of commerce. Beyond that, I desired to wander across distant lands, broaden my horizons, and immerse myself in unfamiliar landscapes and customs. Perhaps, somewhere along that vast journey, I might finally encounter a soul truly worthy of my heart. If not, I would far rather remain entirely unattached than settle for a flawed companion. THE END