Madam Ruan was stunned, a look of surprise flashing across her face at Ruan Xinchen's gaze. This quickly turned to anger as she retorted, “You little wretch, you’re acting innocent after getting what you wanted, aren’t you? You even dare to question me. Get out! Get out of my sight!”
Madam Ruan was furious.
She thought to herself that even if her own daughter couldn’t marry into the Prince Gong’s mansion, she wouldn’t let this little hussy benefit from it.
She never imagined that such a wonderful marriage would ultimately fall into her hands after all the twists and turns.
Ruan Xinchen smiled and left without a word.
At this point, what was there left for her to not understand?
She was the one originally betrothed to the Prince Gong’s heir.
But how could Cui Yun possibly give such a good match to her? Naturally, such a prize would be reserved for her own daughter, Ruan Yihe, so they had intercepted it.
Over the years, they had kept her well hidden, and no one knew the Ruan family had two daughters. Outsiders naturally assumed that Ruan Yihe was the one betrothed to the Prince Gong’s heir.
Unexpectedly, the matter of finding a bride to bring good fortune to the Zhan Prince arose. The Imperial Astronomical Observatory cast a divination and declared that if a daughter of the Ruan family were to perform this ritual, the Zhan Prince would surely recover from his critical condition.
To save the Zhan Prince, the Empress Dowager issued an imperial decree for the marriage, disregarding the fact that the Ruan family’s daughter was already engaged.
Only then did it come to light that the Ruan family had two daughters.
“My lord, look at that little hussy. What kind of look is she giving me? Is she blaming me for the switch? Tsk tsk, as if she’s worthy!”
Ruan Hong said, “When Mother was alive, she indeed arranged the marriage with the Prince Gong’s mansion for the second daughter. It was originally meant for her, so now it’s simply being returned to her. We haven’t lost anything, so why should Madam be so angry?”
“How can I not be angry? Do you know how much I hate that wretch, Cui Ming?”
“Madam, why bring up the past again?”
“Why can’t I bring it up? Back then, when I was pregnant, Cui Ming said she was coming to keep me company. ‘Keeping me company,’ she said, but in reality, I had to divide my energy to take care of her even with my big belly. She was my own younger sister, and my parents had always favored her since childhood. I was terrified of not taking good enough care of her, fearing she would complain when she returned home, so I personally attended to everything.
And what was the result? As my own younger sister, what did she do to me? She actually took advantage of my weakened state after giving birth and drugged you, shamelessly sleeping with her own brother-in-law.”
Ruan Hong's expression stiffened, and he hurriedly tried to soothe her. “Alright, alright, it’s all in the past. She’s been dead for years, so let’s not bring up these old matters.”
“I don’t care about the dead, but as for the little wretch born of such a disgraceful woman, do you really think I should treat her well? Sorry, but I’m not that pathetic. The fact that I didn’t strangle her when she was a child is already the height of my generosity.”
“Yes, yes, Madam, you are the most kind-hearted. Now that the marriage is settled, Madam should focus on the preparations and give them a grand and glorious send-off.”
“Pah! You want me to give her a grand and glorious send-off?”
Ruan Hong was taken aback. “Then what else?”
Madam Ruan’s chest heaved with anger, and she said sternly, “Let me tell you, Ruan Hong, do I look easy to bully?”
Ruan Hong said, “Madam, what are you talking about? When have I ever dared to bully you?”
“Then why are you telling me to give that little wretch a grand and glorious send-off? If she gets a grand wedding, who’s going to make up for the years of humiliation I’ve endured?”
“Then what does Madam suggest...?”
“Just toss her some tattered clothes and be done with it.”
“That won’t do. If she were marrying into an ordinary family, it would be fine, but the marriage Mother arranged for her is with the Prince Gong’s mansion. If you just send her off like that, the Prince Gong’s Consort will surely come knocking on our door and cause a huge uproar. In the end, it’ll be the two of us who are embarrassed. Moreover, your parents-in-law gave a considerable dowry to your younger sister back then. After her death, those things are all in your hands. You’ll have to take out at least a small portion for Second Girl.”
Madam Ruan choked, gasping for breath.
For the parents of a concubine to provide a dowry that was almost comparable to what she herself received when she got married…
Wasn’t that telling outsiders that although Cui Ming came as a concubine, she was treated the same as her?
Wasn’t that a slap in her face?
She'd seen favoritism before, but never this extreme.
But she also understood that since Ruan Xinchen was marrying into the Prince Gong’s mansion, she definitely couldn’t just send her off with a few ragged clothes.
At this point, Madam Ruan was so angry that she dragged out her long-deceased mother-in-law and ranted about her.
“It’s all because of your muddle-headed old mother. How could an illegitimate daughter who couldn’t even be brought to the table be worthy of her attention? The Prince Gong’s heir, such an excellent match, yet she didn’t think about our He’er, but instead set her sights on the daughter of that wretch. So biased, that old woman was truly too biased.”
Madam Ruan cursed and ranted for a good while until Ruan Yihe came over.
“Mother, what’s wrong?”
“He’er, you’ve come at just the right time. Alas! Your mother is angry, quickly help persuade her.”
Ruan Yihe stepped forward, took Madam Ruan’s arm, and then looked at Ruan Hong, saying, “Father, leave it to me, I’ll persuade Mother.”
“Good, good. Madam, don’t be angry. He’er is getting married tomorrow. You and your daughter should have a good talk.”
Madam Ruan remained silent until Ruan Hong had walked away. Then, she held Ruan Yihe’s hand and asked, “He’er, tell me honestly, did you really get news that the Zhan Prince won’t die?”
Ruan Yihe nodded with a smile. “Don’t worry, Mother. I’ve confirmed it, the Zhan Prince will not die.”
“Then why is the Empress Dowager so eager to find someone to ward off bad luck through marriage? He’er, is the person who gave you this information reliable?”
The information was of course reliable, because in her previous life, the Zhan Prince hadn’t died.
After their marriage, he had treated that little wretch, Ruan Xinchen, so well that not a single noble lady in the capital wasn’t envious.
But how could she explain this to her mother?
“Mother, the Empress Dowager has her own reasons for doing this. You just need to believe that your daughter wouldn’t harm herself.”
Madam Ruan thought to herself that this child wasn’t stupid, of course she wouldn’t harm herself.
It must be true.
“Hmph, in that case, that little wretch Ruan Xinchen is really benefiting from all this.”
“Mother, I heard the Prince of Gong and his wife came by earlier?”
“They did. They came to make a fuss, and in the heat of the moment, your father and I ended up revealing the engagement that the late old woman arranged for Ruan Xinchen. They’ve accepted it. Such a good match falling into the hands of that little wretch—it really makes me bitter.”
Ruan Yihe, recalling the events of her previous life, couldn’t help but laugh aloud.
“Ha, a good match?”
Madam Ruan was startled. “He’er?”
Ruan Yihe covered her mouth, suppressing her laughter, before slowly saying, “Mother, that Prince Gong’s heir, Chu Xuance, has epilepsy. He’s a madman.”
Ah?
“Hahaha… Ruan Xinchen is going to marry a madman, and then be tormented into madness herself by that madman. Just thinking about it makes me happy.”
“What?” Madam Ruan’s expression drastically changed. “You mustn’t say such things carelessly. Where did you hear this?”
Where did she hear it?
Naturally, from personal experience.
If she hadn’t married into the Prince Gong’s mansion, who would have known that the seemingly otherworldly Prince Gong’s heir, Chu Xuance, was actually a madman?
A perfectly normal person could suddenly seem like a completely different person in an instant, and he was always talking nonsense, as if possessed by a vengeful ghost, scaring people to death.
In the three years she was married to him, she witnessed his unpredictable temper and his nonsensical ramblings.
Even if he was just crazy, at least if he had given her a son, she would have had hope for her next life.
But he simply couldn’t consummate the marriage like a normal person.
For three years, until her death, she remained a virgin.
No one knew how much she suffered.
Especially when she was suffering from the madman’s torment, and she heard news from the outside world about how much the Zhan Prince doted on Ruan Xinchen.
To her, that was like adding insult to injury, a cruel twist of the knife.
The marriage with Chu Xuance was something she had stolen, while the position of Zhan Prince’s consort, which should have been hers, was given away by her to Ruan Xinchen.
The thought that her current suffering was something she had brought upon herself made her seethe with hatred, a hatred that drove her to the brink of madness.
And so, at that moment, she finally couldn't bear it any longer.
When Chu Xuance went mad, she also lost control and fought with him, and then she was pushed by him into the lotus pond and drowned.
Fortunately, heaven had eyes and allowed her to be reborn.
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