Lu Ying wailed like someone who had lost her mind. She deliberately shouted loudly, so that the surrounding soldiers and onlookers could hear, thereby declaring her identity.
She brushed off the rotten vegetable leaves clinging to her body, stood up, and yelled at the crowd, âLook carefully! I, Lu Ying, am Su Haoâs wife, the young madam of the Marquisâs Manor! You wish for my death, in your dreams! Even he, Su Hao, has no right to kill his wife!â
âThe wife of this general is Wu Jinyan.â
Su Hao rustled open a document, which was a marriage certificate, with neat and tidy handwriting, sealed with the Ministry of Ritesâ stamp, and noted for record by the Capital Prefecture.
It was Su Haoâs marriage certificate.
And the glaring bold characters on it bore the name Wu Jinyan.
Lu Yingâs heart was being torn apart piece by piece, held in someoneâs hand, and mercilessly crushed.
âImpossible! How could this be! This should be the marriage certificate between you and me, ours together! I am your wife!â
âYou are not, the one who went through the wedding ceremony with this general, the one whose marriage certificate was made, has always been Yanâer alone!â
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Su Hao was cold and merciless.
Today, in front of everyone, he finally shed Lu Ying.
Initially, he followed Chu Yihanâs plan and pretended to let Lu Ying enter the manor, to give her the illusion of becoming the young madam of the Marquisâs Manor, in reality leading her into a trap, under the pretense of confining her within the manor.
He took Lu Chongming to battle because Chu Yihan had long harbored doubts about Lu Chongming. This battle was akin to luring Lu Chongming into the pot, and even though Chongming was cunning and shrewd, he was ultimately unable to reverse the defeat of Qi State. When Su Hao conquered Qi State, Lu Chongming was exposed, and he brought Lu Chongming back openly to execute him, to comfort the military spirits!
As for Lu Ying, being confined in the Marquisâs Manor, she would eventually become restless. Su Yingxue sent Zi Wei to Bamboo Leaf Pass, to find out the truth of the matter â indeed, Wu Jinyan was framed by Lu Ying!
The net of heaven has large meshes, but it lets nothing through. This father and daughter were inescapable!
The Marquis of Martial Southâs Manor.
Lu Ying was escorted back.
The more arrogant and wild she had been in the past, the more destitute and down-and-out she was now.
Su Yingxue brought up the man from Bamboo Leaf Pass and the man from Xuan Ye to the manor; in front of everyone, the man confessed to being instigated by Lu Ying to defile Wu Jinyan, yet he failed.
Seeing that he had spoken the truth, Su Yingxue had him sent back to Bamboo Leaf Pass.
As for Lu Yingâ¦
âTruly venomous!â
Su Qingzhi furiously chastised Lu Ying, âI thought that the generals guarding the border were all brave and loyal. Little did I expect you father and daughter to be so ruthless and despicable! To humiliate my granddaughter-in-law to such an extent!â
Su Qingzhi waved his hand and a whip struck Lu Ying.
His force, that single lash nearly took half of Lu Yingâs life.
âPuh!â
Lu Ying suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
âMiss!â Xuan Yeâs eyes widened in horror, âSu Yingxue, you promised to spare the missâs life! You said you would let her live!â
Su Yingxue was indifferent. âSheâs not dead yet.â
She had not gone back on her word.
âMiss, Miss, are you alright?â Xuan Ye crawled to Lu Yingâs side, protecting her.
Lu Ying laughed hysterically, âYour Marquisâs Manor, the emperor, the empress! All deceitful pretenders! All liars! Deceiving me!â
Deceived into thinking she could be Su Haoâs wife, believing she had a chance to change Su Haoâs feelings for Wu Jinyan, but it was all just a trap!
A trap that killed her and her father!
âWhat right do you have to curse us? Lu Ying, conspiring with the enemy and betraying the country came first, then framing Sister Jinyan followed; your entire Lu family should be buried with you!â
Su Yingxue exuded the dignity of an empress, an imposing aura about her.
âEmpress! You canât be so untrustworthy. Iâve already told you the truth; you canât kill the entire Lu family and Miss!â Xuan Ye shouted protectively in front of Lu Ying.
Her body trembled, holding a secret that Lu Ying would never speak of, even in death!
But if one were truly dead, nothing would be left. What use was there to keep such a secret!
âXuan Ye, you betray me? Traitor, why did you tell her! The matter I would never speak of, even in death, you dare tell them I killed you!â
With a slap to Xuan Yeâs chest, her body shuddered and she spat out blood, disbelief etched across her face.
Her eyes widened, as if she couldnât believe even in death that it was Lu Ying who had killed her.
âWhat secret?â
Su Qingzhi looked towards Su Yingxue, feeling that ever since this girl became the empress, she had become as inscrutable as Chu Yihan, keeping secrets even from him, her grandfather!
âGrandpa, itâs great news, of course! Congratulations, you have a great-grandson! Little Chen Yang is brotherâs son!â
Su Yingxue led Chen Yang by the hand to Su Qingzhi, and the child said in a tender voice, âGreat-grandpa, hello.â
âHow⦠how can this be! Wasnât Jinyanâ¦â
Su Qingzhiâs eyes were wide with astonishment. When Wu Jinyan was pregnant, wasnât it said that sheâd been wronged at Bamboo Leaf Pass?
How had it become Su Haoâs child?
âGrandpa, at Bamboo Leaf Pass, Lu Ying drugged me, and I sensed something was wrong. I struggled free and encountered a woman on the road whom I mistook for Lu Ying. I wronged her, not realizing it was Jinyan: a mix-up of cosmic proportions.â
Su Hao explained to Su Qingzhi, who remained visibly shocked and unable to regain his composure.
Such a coincidence was too astonishing to believe.
But closely examining Chen Yang, he saw the childâs eyebrows and eyes were strikingly similar to Su Haoâs when he was young, almost immediately convincing him that the child was indeed of Su Haoâs lineage!
âGrandpa, Iâve already verified it, see.â
Su Yingxue had Zhilan bring two slides to Su Qingzhi. Though Su Qingzhi was not skilled in medicine, he recognized the mutual affinity of their blood.
Overwhelmed with joy, he exclaimed, âMy dear grandchild! You really are a good child!â
He lifted Chen Yang into his arms, overcome with happiness.
He turned to Wu Jinyan with emotion, âChild, you have suffered much these past years.â
She had traveled thousands of miles alone to Bamboo Leaf Pass, only to endure such an ordeal.
Returning to Jiang Du City pregnant and facing untold hardships, it seemed, the Marquisâs Manor had indeed treated her poorly.
Wu Jinyan walked up to Su Qingzhi and knelt down with a smile, âDaughter-in-law Wu Jinyan greets you, Grandfather. There have been many misunderstandings in the past; now, at last, I have not brought shame to the Marquisâs Manor. From now on, I shall endeavor to teach Chen Yang well, to take both his ancestors and his father as his role models.â
Su Qingzhi laughed heartily as he helped her up, âGood, a woman should have such spirit! The women of my Marquisâs Manor are all exceptional!â
Tears reddened Su Qingzhiâs eyes as he was reminded of Long Shuli.
Looking at the grandchildren in the hall, he felt exceedingly content.
The children of the Marquisâs Manor, whether it be Su Yingxue, Su Han, Su Miaoyan, or the new bride Wu Jinyan, were all resolute and bold, equal to any man, and he was immensely proud.
Su Yingxue kept her promise, and with the consent of both Su Hao and Wu Jinyan, did not kill Lu Ying but sent her outside the city to be imprisoned for life.
However, it was said that on that very night, Lu Ying took her own life.
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