Chapter 153: Exposure (Second Request for Pink Votes)

"Hey, are you listening to me or not? Can you say something? Lady Yuan, are you deaf or dumb? Why aren't you speaking, say something!"

Amidst Lady Chen's rapid-fire demands, Lady Yuan finally spoke up. In a low voice, she said, "I can live a good life..." Although her voice was soft, it carried an uncharacteristic touch of firmness and confidence. "I know I can live a good life! And I know my parents left me a lot of things; any single one of them is enough for me to live very well. Besides, if I cannot stay in Wuchang, I can go to Jiangzhou. I can go to Jiangzhou with my eldest brother."

Mentioning her eldest brother, Lady Yuan's eyes brightened, and she murmured, "Big Brother said that someone who truly treats you well will see virtues in your every movement, and will find happiness simply by seeing you happy... You have never been like that."

By the end of her sentence, Lady Yuan's voice was laced with bitterness.

She had no idea what was wrong with her. How lonely must she have been in the past to mistake these people—who constantly belittled her and would trample on her at the slightest distraction—for true friends?

Though her acquaintance with Lu Wen had been brief, Lu Wen was never like this. Lu Wen was considerate, tolerant, and protective, telling her countless times that she was exceptional. Because she was kind and innocent, because she never wished harm upon others. Lu Wen also told her that her temperament was like the flowers of spring, infinitely superior to those gloomy women who were always eager to attack others. Lu Wen even said that once she stepped out into the world, she would find that most people appreciated this exact personality.

Because she was harmless, pure, and put people at ease...

While Lady Yuan stood there in a daze, the other women exchanged glances, their expressions shifting drastically.

They had not expected that after just a few months apart, Lady Yuan would change so profoundly.

Lady Chen let out a cold laugh, mocking, "Oh, aren't you full of confidence now? Are you saying we never saw any virtues in you and therefore harbored malicious intentions all along?"

In the past, whenever Lady Chen uttered such words, Lady Yuan would panic and hasten to comfort her.

Yet this time, Lady Yuan offered no comfort. Instead, she raised her gaze to look at Lady Ji, glanced back at the others for a moment, and then lowered her head in tacit agreement.

She actually conceded!

She directly admitted that they had malicious intentions toward her!

For a moment, Lady Chen could not believe her own eyes.

As a concubine-born daughter who had married into her husband's family as a second wife, Lady Chen harbored deep-seated insecurities about the status she had attained. She enjoyed associating with Lady Yuan simply because, in Lady Yuan's presence, she felt distinctly superior. She could freely disparage, humiliate, and scold Lady Yuan without any fear of retaliation, scheming, or irreversible consequences.

She also knew that after Lady Yuan's parents passed away, Lady Yuan's distant relatives had fought bitterly over the inheritance left by her parents. Eventually, when Lady Yuan sought refuge in the Yang family, those with or without ulterior motives had all begun to ostracize her. Later, when Lady Yuan was betrothed to Master Yang, for reasons known only to Master Yang's mother and sister, they too spared no effort in squeezing her out, as if it mattered not if she were driven to her death.

Amidst this relentless exclusion, Lady Yuan had always been terribly lonely—suffering a cold indifference where there was no one to speak with, no one to care, and no one to mind. Because of this, even though Lady Chen never greeted her with kind words whenever they met, Lady Yuan would still welcome her with a cheerful smile every single time.

She was simply too desperate for someone to talk to.

At this thought, Lady Chen cast a glance at Lady Ji beside her and let out a heavy huff. "You talk to her instead," she thought to herself. Lady Yuan was clearly deaf to her own words; she needed to step back for a moment and devise another plan. At all costs, Lady Yuan had to be persuaded this time. Her father-in-law had promised that if she succeeded in persuading Lady Yuan, he would let her biological son inherit her husband's position!

This matter was far too crucial for her. Over the past few years, whenever she looked at the two sons born to her husband's first wife and compared them to her own toddler, burning resentment would rise in her heart.

With this thought, she glared fiercely at the young man, Master Feng, who was standing in the distance. He had offered a casual word of advice to Lady Yuan at the very beginning and had remained completely silent ever since. She thought bitterly, *What use is a person like him coming here? He is nothing more than a decoration!*

Lady Ji stepped forward. She sat down in front of Lady Yuan, took her hand, and said with a wronged expression, "Yuan Niang, is this 'eldest brother' you speak of that Lu Wen person?"

Seeing Lady Yuan nod, Lady Ji's expression changed drastically. Pointing at her own head, face, and body, Lady Ji cried out indignantly, "He beat me into this state, and you still trust him so much? Yuan Niang, do the years of friendship between us mean less than a single smile from that pretty boy?"

Lady Ji was genuinely furious; she had even jumped up in a fit of rage.

Lady Yuan raised her head to look at Lady Ji. Even after witnessing Lady Ji frame her with her own eyes yesterday, she had no desire to confront or accuse her face-to-face. She knew that speaking out would be useless; Lady Ji would undoubtedly have a mountain of excuses ready in response and plenty of grievances to denounce her with.

Yet, she would never trust her again.

Lady Yuan lowered her gaze and replied softly, "I trust Big Brother."

This was bad; Lady Yuan had truly been poisoned by that man surnamed Lu.

Lady Ji's face turned livid with anger. She shrieked, "Yuan Niang, I told you just now, that Lu fellow is a swindler! He ruined three maidens and even drove one to suicide while carrying his child. Did you hear me? Your so-called eldest brother is a fraud, and he is after your money!"

Finally, Lady Yuan lifted her head once more.

She stared steadily at Lady Ji, gazing at her unblinkingly. After a moment, Lady Yuan suddenly said, "Lady Ji, I am not that foolish." At this, she let out a desolate smile and murmured again, "I really am not that foolish."

She no longer wished to waste any more words with these people, so she stood up. As she rose, catching sight of a familiar figure out of the corner of her eye, her eyes lit up brilliantly. With a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Lady Yuan hopped down from the corridor bench, ran toward a corner, and called out joyfully, "Big Brother, you're out?"

Everyone turned their heads in unison. Then, they were met with the sight of a handsome, stunning young man standing beside a clump of emerald bamboo, arms crossed, a smiling and gentle expression in his eyes as he looked at Lady Yuan. This person, naturally, was Lu Ying.

No one knew how long this Lu Wen had been standing here listening.

For an instant, the expressions of all the women shifted subtly.

Lady Yuan ran up to Lu Ying and said with a smile, "Big Brother, did you see my Great-Aunt? What did she say?"

Lu Ying smiled. "She didn't say much." Turning her head, Lu Ying glanced at the group of women, curled her lips, and said slowly, "Were all my predictions correct?"

"Yes," Lady Yuan bitter-smiled. "Everything Big Brother predicted came true. They wanted to persuade me not to divorce Master Yang. And then, just as Big Brother foresaw, they continuously belittled me, pointing out all my flaws. They told me that if Master Yang still wanted me, it was a blessing accumulated by my ancestors, and that refusing him would be foolish and utterly ignorant of the circumstances."

She said with bitterness, "Everything was exactly as Big Brother said."

Casting a glance at the pale-faced women, Lu Ying stroked Lady Yuan's hair and said leisurely, "Do you know why they spoke to you like that?"

Lady Yuan shook her head.

Lu Ying said calmly, "That is because you used to be too cowardly, too soft, and far too submissive to them. Although circumstances have changed now, and though they know your change of heart is of the utmost importance, they still cannot bring themselves to praise you or use words of adulation to flatter you. Because in their hearts, no matter how much you change, you are still that same Lady Yuan who can be bullied, scolded, humiliated, and trampled upon at will."

Looking at Lady Yuan, she said slowly, "In their minds, they have already defined you. They view you as a dog—no matter how many times they casually pat or kick you, you are expected to obediently return for them to continue stomping on."

Lu Ying's words were harsh to the ear.

Amidst the drastically altered expressions of the women, Lady Ji shrieked, "You—how dare you use such words to deceive Yuan Niang..."

Before she could finish her sentence, Lu Ying suddenly chuckled, and with an air of nonchalance, she said, "Yesterday, Yuan Niang was actually on the boat as well."

"..."

Lady Ji abruptly stepped back. As for Lady Chen, the sneer and discontent on her face were instantly replaced by shock and dismay!

Lu Ying said indifferently, "Just think about it, how could there be so many people who look alike in this world? That fake Lady Yuan was someone I ordered to play the part; the real Lady Yuan has been standing right behind me the whole time, watching how you slandered and trampled upon her."

...

The women's complexions turned ashen.

Whether it was Lady Ji or Lady Chen, they were both struck dumb with shock. Their lips moved, yet no sound came out. The disdainful expressions they had previously worn toward Lady Yuan were now replaced by overwhelming shame.

They thought simultaneously: *No wonder Yuan Niang changed so drastically; she had seen everything all along...*

Amidst this silent hush, Lu Ying nodded toward the stunned women and said leisurely, "If you truly valued Yuan Niang, you wouldn't have chosen to throw dirt at her the very first moment, depriving her of any dignity to face the world. This time, you actually made a grave mistake. You should have personally invited Master Yang here, made him kneel before Yuan Niang and her Great-Aunt, and forced him to swear oaths that he would never err again and would treat Lady Yuan well for the rest of his life." At this point, the expressions of the women changed drastically, and even the middle-aged steward who had hurried over turned pale.

Indeed, the very first thought that had crossed their minds when Lu Ying revealed that Lady Yuan was on the boat yesterday was that Master Yang would now have to step forward in person.

Yet, even as this thought surfaced in their minds, Lu Ying had already voiced their exact intentions. Even Master Yang's subsequent actions had been completely predicted by her.

...Once these words were spoken, their most crucial and important move had been completely ruined!

Lu Ying was still speaking leisurely, "Pity that Master Yang is still throwing a tantrum and refuses to come? Add to that your belief that persuading her to return was merely a trivial matter, so you didn't even bother making proper preparations before rushing over." Rather than speaking to those women, Lu Ying's words were meant for Lady Yuan. She needed Lady Yuan to see right through these people once and for all!

At this, Lu Ying turned her head, nodded toward Lady Yuan, and said, "This matter is concluded, let us go."

"Alright."

Just as the two of them reached the spot where the carriage was parked, a Daoist nun approached them and said, "Master Qingyuan bids the two of you to come see her."

She wanted to see them again?

Lady Yuan looked at Lu Ying.

Lu Ying simply smiled.

She and Lady Yuan entered Master Qingyuan's room. After a moment, Master Qingyuan paused her recitation of the Daoist scriptures, turned to Lu Ying, and said, "I can allow you to manage Yuan Niang's dowry, and I can also provide you with some manpower. For this, I have only one condition."

Lu Ying bowed. "Please speak, Master."

"When the matters concerning your family member are settled, with him acting as the mediator, you and Yuan Niang shall become sworn sisters, sharing blessings and misfortunes henceforth. Are you willing?"

Lu Ying was naturally willing. While Lady Yuan's face instantly lit up with a radiant glow, Lu Ying bowed once more and answered in a ringing voice, "We dare not disobey."

Master Qingyuan closed her eyes. "You may leave."

The two women stepped out.

As soon as they walked out of the temple gates, Lu Ying smiled at Lady Yuan, whose face was still beaming with joy, and teased, "Well now, is this sworn sisterhood really that important?"

Lady Yuan blushed, and after a short while, she replied, "Just like a woman getting married, bowing before the ancestral hall means walking the righteous path."

To think she had even acquired a sense of humor! Lu Ying burst into hearty laughter.