Chapter 65: 065 Righteous Act

Tan Yunjian nodded, “I’m not deceiving anyone. His health was already poor, and after suffering humiliation from Sang Jue, coupled with his longing for Suxi, once he returned to Min State, he became bedridden with illness.”

“Please, show some compassion, Young Master Jiang.”

At this time, Suxi got off the carriage.

Her face was pale and cold, and she held a hairpin in her hand, pressing it against her throat. Because of the force she applied, blood was already faintly visible.

“I want to go to Min State. If Young Master Jiang wishes to take me back, then he may take back my corpse.”

Her threat was forceful.

...

Jiang Ke did not wish to harm her and could only persuade her, “Sang Jue may have been at fault, but these years, he has treated you exceedingly well. I have also heard some rumors that he faced great pressure from his parents when he married you.”

“So what?”

Suxi was indifferent. “Because he was good to me, should I forgive his deeds? Lord Min was my benefactor, and he died horribly because of it. Yu Lang was my husband, and he became disabled because of it. My love for my husband was deep and affectionate, and it was shattered because of it. He harmed me, deceived me; he is… my nemesis!”

The last few words were spoken with a heavy bite, filled with hatred.

“I will never forgive him.”

Her hatred could only be alleviated by pain.

Thus, she forcefully pressed the jade hairpin into her skin, and blood trickled down her delicate neck, shockingly vivid.

Seeing this, Jiang Ke had no choice but to step back, “The Emperor has sent his armies to Min State, and Lord Min is doomed. Even without Sang Jue, he wouldn’t have lived much longer. You can’t blame everything on him.”

“But he is directly responsible for the death of Lord Min.”

Suxi cried out in agony, “Do you know the life I’ve led since regaining my memory? It’s unbearable, worse than death! Lord Min treated me with great kindness, and my husband was deeply devoted and honorable. I could not repay either of them, except with my worthless life.”

She closed her eyes, resolute in her intent to die.

“Stop!”

Tan Yunjian intervened, “Don’t be rash! Hero Yu is still waiting for you in Min State.”

Jiang Ke was also startled by Suxi, no longer daring to force the issue, and could only say, “I will not meddle in the emotions between the three of you. You may leave today, but I must inform the Sang Family of this matter.”

This was the best outcome possible.

Tan Yunjian bowed in gratitude, “Thank you, Young Hero Jiang, for your righteous act.”

“You overpraise me,”

Jiang Ke half-mocked, half-melancholic, “Your efforts to punish evil and promote good, to return a wife over a thousand miles, that is a righteous act. I am unworthy of it!”

He returned the bow, sheathed his sword, mounted his horse, and galloped off.

*

Imperial Palace

Another day with no news.

Sang Yan entered Yuesang Palace to find Ms. Lin, brimming with anticipation, uncertain how to break the silence.

Ms. Lin had been running to the Imperial Palace for several days now, full of hope only to be disappointed repeatedly. Now, upon seeing Sang Yan shake her head, she felt numb.

“It’s all destiny.”

Ms. Lin wiped away her tears, her voice hoarse, “When I calculated their fortunes, it was already full of twists and turns, fraught with danger. Now, the prophecy has come true!”

Listening, Sang Yan offered comfort, “You also mentioned it was fraught with danger, which means they should be able to turn misfortune into good fortune.”

Ms. Lin nodded, “Let’s hope so.”

Sang Yan continued to comfort her, “The Emperor has already dispatched riders to tell Sang Jue at top speed. He should arrive today.”

Upon hearing that her son was coming back, Ms. Lin felt both joy and sorrow, “I have wronged him! If I had known what would happen today, I wouldn’t have let him go with your father. He was only being filial, saying that dealing with the locust plague was arduous and he wanted to help. But now, now–”

She broke down crying again.

Sang Ruoshui came over to console her, “Second brother won’t blame you. You said it yourself; he was very filial.”

These past few days, handling the matter of Suxi’s disappearance had been delayed.

Now, it was time to mention it.

“Sister, you’re remarkably composed,”

“No matter whether it’s our second brother or me, we may as well not exist.”

“That’s right, in your eyes, there’s only the one in the Cold Palace—you treat others like sisters!”

Sang Ruishui sarcastically provoked, saying to Ms. Lin, “Mother, you truly gave birth to a good daughter!”

Ms. Lin was puzzled, “What do you mean?”

Sang Ruishui pushed on Ms. Lin’s arm and looked towards Sang Yan, “Whatever your daughter means, why don’t you go ask your elder sister?”

So, Ms. Lin turned to Sang Yan and asked, “Ah Yan, what’s happening with you sisters? What’s this little squabble about? Why would Ruishui say that?”

Sang Yan hadn’t expected Sang Ruishui to bring up Xuanrao at this time.

She was amazed; even under these circumstances, she still had the mood to stir up trouble without any sense of the bigger picture.

“You, too, aren’t you a good daughter?”

Sang Yan didn’t indulge her and retorted sarcastically, “Mother is currently so anxious about Suxi’s situation she’s beside herself with worry, and you still have the spare energy to nitpick over these trifles—are you trying to worry her to death?”

Sang Ruishui was rebuked and found herself at a loss for words for a moment.

It seemed she had been careless, forgetting about her mother’s health situation and their current predicament.

“I, I didn’t—”

“You didn’t what?”

For the first time, Sang Yan clearly expressed her dissatisfaction, “You don’t harbor petty grudges or selfishness? You don’t spend your days lingering in lowly matters, thinking about how to scheme for personal gain? Sang Ruishui, you’ve made your life too pitiable! If I were you, and had made progress with the guqin, I would diligently study the art, compose some famous melodies to be passed down to future generations.”

Like Ji Kang’s “Guangling San” or Bo Ya’s “Gao Mountain Flowing Water”—so legendary!@@novelbin@@

She had felt regretful in modern times that almost all the elites in every field of ancient times were men.

Had ancient women awakened to their potential and shone brightly, how many treasures might they have left for future generations?

Critiqued by Sang Yan, Sang Ruishui was naturally dissatisfied and retorted, “And you, elder sister? I haven’t seen you do anything either. It’s quite bold of you to lecture me.”

Sang Yan: “…”

Yes!

It seemed she hadn’t truly done anything, just idly passing her days.

Perhaps she should take advantage of the Emperor’s favor and do something for the women of this world.

But what should she do?

“Ruishui, how could you speak to your sister like this?”

These past few days, Ms. Lin had seen a lot of Sang Yan and felt that after spending time with the Emperor, her every gesture carried an authoritative nobility, which made Ms. Lin feel fear.

Her daughter before her was not just a daughter but also the Emperor’s favorite!

Thus, she interacted with Sang Yan with a cautious manner.

She hadn’t expected her younger daughter to be so blunt!

Seeing that her mother was defending Sang Yan made Sang Ruishui feel even more aggrieved, “Mother, is she still my sister? Clearly enjoying the Emperor’s favor, she won’t even help me. It’s bad enough that she hoards the Emperor’s affection for herself, but she also repeatedly helps outsiders. Princess Consort Li, the Xuan Family, they’ve all come to tread over me!”

Her words were becoming extravagantly off the deep end.

Plainly speaking, she was the one with the highest status in the Imperial Palace, an untouchable figure.

“You keep making things up!”

Sang Yan was done engaging and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Sang Ruishui became both furious and aggrieved, stamping her foot, “Mother, look at her! This is how she treats me! She doesn’t take me seriously at all!”

“Shut your mouth!”

Sang Yan turned and shouted, “If I truly didn’t take you seriously, I would have stopped you when you instigated the Emperor to investigate, and those in the Cold Palace wouldn’t have died in vain. Sang Ruishui, don’t you feel afraid when you sleep at night? So much of their blood was shed, their fingers subjected to severe torture, enough to expose the bone—”

“Stop talking!”

Sang Ruishui shook her head, not wanting to think of the images her sister described.

Sang Yan couldn’t be bothered to say more, directly expressing her stance, “Regardless of my relationship with the Emperor, none of you should think to use me to vie for fame or manipulate power. Otherwise, you will learn what it means to be impartial and just, where a Prince’s crime is the same as a common person’s!”

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