As June was coming to an end, the weather remained unbearably hot.
The streets were sparsely populated, and even those who passed by walked hurriedly, hugging the sides of the road to avoid the scorching sun.
A large dog lay in the corner, listlessly panting with its tongue out.
A man sat against the wall, lost in thought, only about ten feet away from the earth-colored dog.
Bored, the dog tilted its head to observe the man, whimpering twice.
This stray dog was familiar with the man, allowing him to intrude on its territory.
Suddenly, the stray dog became alert, pricking up its ears and looking around.
Another dog with sleek fur sauntered over.
The stray dog tensed up, standing and letting out a low, warning growl, its voice tinged with unease.
Being of the same species, it keenly sensed the threat from the other.
This newcomer must eat meat every day; its bulk alone could crush the stray!
The imposing dog approached the stray and used its front paw to push it aside.
The stray dog was furious.
This was its territory, which it had occupied for a long time, marking it with urine several times a day. This intruder was bullying it too much!
Although the newcomer was taller and stronger, the stray dog had its dignity. It would fight!
“Woof!” Er Niu bared its teeth, looking fierce.
The stray dog scampered away, only stopping to look back when it was far enough.
Er Niu lay down in the stray dog’s former spot, contentedly pressing its mouth against the ground.
The wall’s base was shaded, and perhaps due to the slightly lower terrain, even in this weather, a faint green moss had grown there.
Er Niu cast a smug glance at the distant stray dog.
That blind fool knew how to pick a spot; this was the coolest place around.
The territorial dispute between the two dogs didn’t catch the man’s attention at all. He merely glanced at them before continuing to stare blankly.
A pair of lake-green embroidered shoes stopped in front of the man.
The man kept his head down, showing no reaction to the suddenly appearing embroidered shoes.
In recent days, the man often appeared here, sitting for an entire day. Occasionally, people would mistake him for a beggar and leave a copper coin or a bun.
The man never took these with him when he left.
Nearby residents said he was a madman, origin unknown.
“Zhu Ziyu.” A woman’s gentle, sweet voice rang out.
Though naturally soft and sweet, this call was filled with coldness.
The previously unresponsive man suddenly looked up, glaring at the woman with fierce eyes.
Even though the woman before him wore a veiled hat, he couldn’t forget that voice.
If he had to say who he hated more for his current plight?
That bitch Cui Mingyue would be first, and the woman before him would be second!
His sister-in-law, from the moment she arranged to meet his wife at Baiyun Temple, became the demon who pushed him into the abyss.
Zhu Ziyu’s gaze was vicious as if he wanted to tear the woman before him to shreds.
But soon, the ferocity in his eyes was masked by a vacant stare, and he lowered his gaze to stare at the ground again.
Jiang Si looked down at the man who resembled a beggar through her veil, feeling both satisfied and somewhat rueful.
This was once the illustrious scholar-official, now disgraced and cast out from his family, reduced to this state in just a few months.
The news of Zhu Ziyu’s attempt to harm his wife to climb the social ladder spread like wildfire, and he was even personally reprimanded by the Emperor. The Zhu family faced universal condemnation, unable to hold their heads high in public.
As a result, the Zhu clan members naturally wouldn’t stand for it. The clan leader stepped forward to remove Zhu Ziyu’s name from the family genealogy and expelled him from the Zhu family.
Zhu Ziyu fell from the clouds to the mud in an instant, already somewhat confused. After being expelled from the family, his condition worsened.
Although Madam Zhu secretly took care of him, she couldn’t prevent Zhu Ziyu from wandering around in a daze every day, and over time, he ended up in this state.
“Zhu Ziyu, I know you’re not mad or stupid,” Jiang Si said.
Zhu Ziyu’s whole body trembled.
Seeing his reaction, Jiang Si silently raised the corner of her lips.
A man who could scheme against his wife to such an extent – if she hadn’t lived two lives, who could have detected the poisonous heart beneath this man’s gentle exterior?
For such a person to go mad or become stupid so easily, she didn’t believe it.
Feigning madness and stupidity was merely a fig leaf to avoid facing people’s gazes, unable to confront the world.
“Zhu Ziyu, don’t you want revenge?” Jiang Si asked again, facing the silent man.
Zhu Ziyu’s hands clutched at the ground, the veins on the back of his hands bulging, his body frighteningly thin.
Jiang Si chuckled lightly: “I know you hate me, thinking it was my interference that caused your downfall. You probably even hate my elder sister, don’t you? Hating her for being so inconsiderate, not obediently dying but instead occupying the position of Mrs. Zhu, not making way for others…”
Zhu Ziyu clenched his fists, slowly raising his head.
His gaze was like a knife as if he wanted to stab holes in her body.
This bitch! He had already fallen to this state, yet she still wouldn’t let him be, coming here to say such things!
Jiang Si leaned in slightly, not at all afraid that Zhu Ziyu might suddenly lash out.
“I advise you not to act rashly. See that big dog nearby? It survived from piles of corpses on the battlefield, and its teeth have killed quite a few people.”
Zhu Ziyu instinctively looked at the large dog lying nearby.
Er Niu cooperatively bared its teeth.
The sharp teeth gleamed in the sunlight, truly as sharp as knives.
Zhu Ziyu immediately lost his nerve.
He had never been one to rely on physical force.
A mocking smile flitted across Jiang Si’s lips.
Dealing with such a man, even without Er Niu, she wouldn’t be afraid.
As long as it wasn’t a martial arts expert, subduing an ordinary person was all too easy for her.
“Zhu Ziyu, you know very well in your heart that the true culprit who caused you to become like this is not me, nor my elder sister, but Cui Mingyue.”
Hearing this name, Zhu Ziyu’s expression finally changed dramatically.
It was uncontrollable hatred.
Yes, how could he not know? That bitch Cui Mingyue was the real source of trouble!
If Cui Mingyue hadn’t actively shown goodwill and hinted at possibilities back then, how could he have possibly set his heart on such an unattainable noble lady?
His family background wasn’t bad. If he hadn’t been married, with his distinguished birth and promising future as a scholar-official, marrying a princess’s daughter wouldn’t have been impossible. But he already had a wife, and even if his wife had passed away, it would have been impossible for a princess’s daughter to be a replacement wife.
These thoughts were stirred up by Cui Mingyue!
Zhu Ziyu was full of hatred, but in his current state, having lost even the protection of his family, his hatred was helpless.
“Cui Mingyue is about to be married off, soon to become the high and mighty Princess Consort of Prince Xiang,” Jiang Si said calmly, observing the man before her closely.
Her words became increasingly cutting.
“From then on, she’ll be in the clouds while you’re in the mud. Can you accept that?”
Zhu Ziyu pounded the ground hard, his face contorted.
Accept it?
He was living like this, neither human nor ghost, while she was so glorious and proud. How could he accept it?
If he could use his life to drag Cui Mingyue down into the mud with him, he would die smiling.
Zhu Ziyu stared fixedly at Jiang Si, enunciating each word: “I cannot accept it!”