Chapter 1: The Beginning_2

At the scene, a portion of the crowd's eyes turned towards the advancing Eldest Madam Shen. Feeling the scrutinizing gazes of the crowd, her expression grew cold, "Young lady, you were said to have died of illness that year. We of the Shen family were unaware, and my younger brother-in-law even mourned you..."

As soon as the words of Eldest Madam Shen fell, Lian Yueyao scoffed, "Stop with the pretense. Your Second Young Master Shen had garnered the favor of the daughter of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and I, a poor orphan girl, was an obstacle on your second son's path to success. You of the Shen family wanted to call off this engagement without shouldering the reputation of being unfaithful and disloyal, which is why you concocted such a venomous scheme. The only fault is my own naivety, to have believed in you, Lady Mo, a vicious woman, resulting in my grievances having no outlet. Now, looking at you, Lady Shen, with a knife in my eyes, if your family wishes to reach for the higher branches and despise me, I have nothing to say. But you went so far as to ruin me to achieve your goal. Claiming to be a scholarly family known for integrity and honesty, you've sunk to the utmost depths of shamelessness. If my father knew of this from beneath the earth, he would surely regret having saved such an insincere person."

Listening to Yueyao's sharp words, Eldest Madam Shen's complexion fluctuated greatly. She was not very clear about the matter of calling off the engagement, but she knew that Second Old Master of the Lian Family had indeed saved her father-in-law's life, a debt of great gratitude. This was also the reason why, even after Yueyao's supposed death, the Shen family still maintained contact with the Lian family.

At this moment, Eldest Lady Lian, Madam Peng, immediately stood up and said, "Young lady, what you're saying is truly beyond belief. Even if the Shen family wanted to end the engagement, at worst they could arrange another marriage for you. How could they possibly sell you off to a merchant to be a concubine? You are a daughter of the Lian family; do you realize how such slander could plunge the Lian family into disrepute?"

Yueyao laughed with a tragic tone, addressing the madams present with gritted teeth, "I don't know what deal Lady Mo had with Zhou Shu. All I know is I was sent by Lady Mo to a manor in the countryside, and soon after, I was married off to a supposed scholar candidate in imperial examinations, Zhou Shu who came to the capital to take exams. But Zhou Shu was no scholar candidate; he was a great merchant man. I was merely a concubine bought by Zhou Shu, and upon realizing this, I disfigured my own face... these scars, I made them myself." With that, Lian Yueyao touched the long scars on her face.

Seeing Yueyao's face crisscrossed with horrific scars, none of the madams present doubted her words any longer. A woman would never mar her own beauty unless she was driven to the brink of despair.

Madam Peng felt the judgmental and even scornful gazes of those around her, and her legs gave out beneath her. The maid supporting her could feel how violently Madam Peng was trembling. Madam Peng was afraid, truly afraid. If this matter were to be confirmed, it would be the end for the Lian family. At this moment, Madam Peng looked to Old Madam Lian, hoping she could turn the tide, otherwise the Lian family would no longer have a place to stand in the Capital City.

Old Madam Lian remained emotionally inscrutable, staring icily at Lian Yueyao, "If you're done speaking, let the child go."

By then, Yueyao's expression had calmed, and she said to Old Madam Lian, "Lady Mo, in your hands, I would be living a fate worse than death again. I do not wish to suffer any longer. I am tired and only wish to see my parents in the underworld." Having said this, the sharp tip of the knife pressed into the child's neck. Only nicking the skin at first, it now pierced directly in.

Upon seeing blood on the child's neck, Lian Yuebing suddenly realized the gravity of the situation, "Yueyao, I beg you, release my child. Please, let my child go, he's still so young."

Hearing Lian Yuebing's pleas, Yueyao looked up to the sky and murmured, "Mother, you once told me of the wickedness of human hearts, and to protect myself well, but I didn't listen. Mother, finding myself in this plight, I blame no one but myself for my blindness. Father, Mother, I miss you dearly." With that, Yueyao let go of the child and knelt on the ground.

This action allowed those around her to breathe a sigh of relief. Holding her frightened son, Lian Yuebing's eyes brimmed with tears.

Seeing Yueyao release the child, Old Madam Lian shouted loudly, "Come, take her away! Don't let her spew madness here anymore..." They would take her away and then figure out how to quash her words. Even if they couldn't silence the rumors completely, they had to minimize the damage as much as possible.

Before Old Madam Lian could finish, everyone saw Yueyao turn the knife towards herself and thrust it into her heart, then pulled it out with force. In an instant, blood gushed out like a fountain, and she collapsed to the ground.

Upon witnessing such a scene, Eldest Lady Lian, Madam Peng, fainted. It wasn't fear that caused Madam Peng to faint but the terror of the consequences of this event.

The usually steadied Old Madam Lian sank at heart upon seeing Yueyao lying in a pool of blood. With Yueyao still alive, she might have found ways to lessen the damage; but with Yueyao's death, there was no way to erase the impact. The Lian family might be facing a catastrophe.

The news spread with incredible swiftness, and a memorial from the Imperial Censor swiftly reached the Emperor, who left it unissued.

Not long after, Vice Prime Minister Li Guoxing, also a close friend of Yueyao's father, submitted another memorial to the Emperor.

The Emperor still left it unissued.

With the Emperor taking such a stance, those below naturally began to speculate on his intent. No one else submitted memorials after that. The reasons behind this were the subject of various conjectures.

The deadlock persisted.

On this day, the Heir's Wife of the Duke Mansion, Madam Luo, visited her aunt, the Empress Dowager in the palace. The Empress Dowager was a very shrewd person; aware that the Emperor was not her biological child, she was certain he wouldn't be as filially pious as a true son. Thus, since the Emperor's ascension to the throne, she had only indulged in pleasures, getting involved in no state affairs, with her only interest being in the stories of the common folk. In response to such an Empress Dowager, the Emperor of course demonstrated utmost filial piety. Their mother-son relationship appeared to be quite harmonious.

When the Empress Dowager heard about the woman's ordeal from her niece, she immediately felt a twinge of pity for the woman's plight. With this spark of pity and a lengthy expression of lament to the Emperor, hinting that justice needed to be served, the people involved in the case found various fates befalling them.