Seeing Nalan Xue laughing like this, everyone’s faces showed immense surprise. Especially Madam Chen—she glared furiously at the woman before her, thinking of all the suffering her daughter had endured because of this woman’s schemes behind the scenes, and her heart filled with even more resentment. She angrily said, “Even now you show no remorse. You’re simply arrogant beyond measure!”

Nalan Xue didn’t even glance at her, only stared directly at Li Weiyang, smiling faintly as she said, “Long before I came, I knew that you, Jia’er, were extremely clever.” By this time she had stopped addressing her as Miss Guo, instead calling her Jia’er as she had in the past.

These two words made Li Weiyang tremble slightly, her gaze looking straight toward Nalan Xue.

Nalan Xue knew full well that everything had been exposed, yet she showed not the slightest panic. Her expression remained calm, her gaze light, as she said coolly, “What you said is correct—everything was planned by me. From the time in Qingzhou, I deliberately approached you with premeditation.”

Li Weiyang shook her head and said, “No! What makes this scheme brilliant is precisely this—it wasn’t you approaching me. Every single time, it was I who took the initiative to seek you out, wasn’t it?”

Nalan Xue stared at Li Weiyang’s eyes that were cold as ice, lost in thought for a moment, then sighed softly and said, “That’s right. Everything I did was precisely to induce you to seek me out, to trust me, to walk step by step into my trap.” Finally, she looked at Li Weiyang, her lips curving into a smile as she said, “Fortunately, you didn’t disappoint me.”

Li Weiyang’s expression instantly became exceptionally cold.

At this moment, the sound of rain outside grew even louder, pounding heavily on everyone’s hearts. Nalan Xue had already stood up, the scar on her face adding a trace of inexplicable strangeness to her smile.

“Now, since you all know everything, how do you plan to deal with me?” Her words echoed in the silent hall. Just then, a bolt of thunder flashed across the sky, illuminating her face with an abnormally fierce expression.

Li Weiyang unconsciously took a step forward, almost stubbornly saying, “I want to know why! Nalan Xue, I treated you well, so I have the right to know—why?”

A trace of complexity flashed through Nalan Xue’s eyes. She smiled and said with difficulty, “Having come to this point, why are you still so obsessed? What use is knowing why?”

But Li Weiyang persisted. No matter what, she refused to believe that Nalan Xue would do such a thing. Because this person was so kind, so gentle—even when others bullied her, she still insisted on maintaining those foolish principles to the end. Li Weiyang had never been willing to easily trust anyone. Her one and only act of trust had been met with naked betrayal. Therefore, she wanted to know the reason more urgently than anyone else present.

Nalan Xue looked at Li Weiyang, who was so stubborn she seemed completely unlike her usual self. A trace of pity flashed through her eyes, and her voice suddenly became firm: “Fine, you want to know why? Then I’ll tell you. I made a mistake, violated my parents’ wishes, and they drove me out of the house.”

Hearing this, Guo Cheng looked at her, unable to believe it: “Didn’t you say you left home voluntarily to search for Second Brother?”

Guo Yan was also looking at Nalan Xue now, but his eyes were cold as snow, and he said nothing.

Nalan Xue smiled faintly and said, “No, I didn’t leave voluntarily. My father drove me away. Because I was too disappointing, brought shame to the family, and also because I absolutely refused to agree to the marriage they had arranged for me. So I left the Nalan household and wandered everywhere. For a full six months, I didn’t return home. After six months, I still hadn’t found Guo Yan, but I was already feeling very exhausted. I thought I should go home for a visit. Even if my parents still harbored resentment toward me, surely time would have diluted it considerably. I missed my mother. I thought that when I returned, she would certainly forgive me. But when I arrived at the front gate, I saw that the Nalan family’s main doors were tightly locked. The red lacquer on them had completely peeled away, and even the corners of the walls were covered with cobwebs, as if no one had tended to the place for a very long time. The old family servant led me to see memorial tablets. Later I learned that two months after I left the Nalan household, someone had somehow sent back false news saying I had died outside. My mother couldn’t bear the blow and fell ill and passed away first. My father, having lost both daughter and wife in succession, and being advanced in years, was struck with extreme grief that injured his body. A month later, he too followed my mother in death.”

Everyone listened to these words in shock, completely stunned.

“How pitiful—neither of them had anyone to attend them at the end. All of this was my fault. If I hadn’t insisted on waiting for Guo Yan, if I hadn’t sworn to death to uphold our vow, if I hadn’t left home to search for him everywhere, my parents wouldn’t have been worried to death by me. My loving mother never saw me one last time before the end, and my father left behind only humiliation and regret.”

Saying this, Nalan Xue didn’t shed a single tear. Over these two years, she had stopped crying. Those memories flashed through her mind like lightning—such humiliation, such betrayal, such pain. When she finally received news of Guo Yan, she discovered that he had already married and had long forgotten his oath to her. How could she forgive him? No, even if she forgave Guo Yan, she could never forgive herself.

Li Weiyang gazed directly into Nalan Xue’s eyes and said softly, “Is this your reason? To avenge your parents, to avenge yourself?”

Nalan Xue let out a scornful laugh: “Yes, can’t I avenge myself?”

This reason was quite sufficient. Li Weiyang knew full well that Nalan Xue should absolutely seek this justice for herself. After all, she bore the weight of two lives.

At this moment, Nalan Xue continued speaking: “Not just my parents, but also the other members of the Nalan clan.”

Guo Yan’s heart jumped. He suddenly looked toward Nalan Xue and cried out, “You mean…”

But Nalan Xue didn’t look at him, only said coolly, “I stayed in my hometown for another two months, originally intending to guard my parents’ tomb for the rest of my life, keeping vigil for them and atoning for my own sins. But just at this time, a band of rebels broke into my hometown and annihilated the entire Nalan clan—two hundred and eight people in total, women and children included. Not one was spared. Only I, who had gone into the mountains to gather medicinal herbs, escaped this calamity. Later I learned that the rebel leader had discovered that I had saved you that year, and he came specifically to take revenge on the Nalan household. Because you had killed his three brothers, he used the Nalan clan as compensation for their lives.”

Nalan Xue’s gaze fell on Guo Yan as she said word by word, “Why can’t I seek revenge? Guo Yan, of all the things you promised me back then, which one did you fulfill? For two years I wandered outside for a full two years, lacking clothes and food, suffering every humiliation. Who made me become like that? And who was it that broke every promise made to me? Fine, I made a mistake—I can bear the consequences, because I trusted the wrong person! But what crime did my parents commit? What crime did my Nalan clan commit? Why should others bear my suffering! Guo Yan, what I hate most about myself is that I saved you back then. Because of that, I will reclaim bit by bit every bit of suffering I’ve endured! You owe me—you’ll owe me for your entire life!”

Everyone looked at Nalan Xue, simply staring in shock. Madam Guo hadn’t expected that behind Nalan Xue’s actions lay so much hatred. The death of her parents, the destruction of her clan—what a tremendous blow this must have been to Nalan Xue. A weak woman, searching everywhere for Guo Yan but unable to find him. When she finally received news of Guo Yan, it was that he had already married Chen Bingbing for the sake of his family’s interests. How could she not hate? If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn’t forgive Guo Yan either.

Guo Yan couldn’t help but smile bitterly, saying in a low voice, “So this is your reason for revenge. I understand it all now.”

But Nalan Xue suddenly shouted angrily, “No, you don’t understand! Because I was in too much pain, because it was too heavy a burden—clearly everything was my fault, so why punish my parents and relatives? Tell me, why! Why did heaven let me meet you, and why did it let me save you, and even let us come to know and love each other, to the point of producing that absurd marriage contract!”

Guo Yan seemed to be struck by her last words. His heart was so pained he couldn’t speak.

Chen Bingbing slowly stood up. She said through gritted teeth, “Nalan Xue, the one who took your husband was me! If you want to hate someone, come at me. Everything was my fault—it has nothing to do with the Guo family! I was the one who forced the Guo family, who made them marry me!”

When Madam Chen heard this, she immediately became anxious. She said repeatedly, “Daughter, what nonsense are you talking! Back then, you knew nothing about this matter at all!”

Nalan Xue laughed coldly: “That’s right, Miss Chen actually knew nothing, so you’re the most innocent one, and also the happiest. These past two years you’ve been happily serving as the Second Young Madam of the Guo household. But have you ever thought that all of this should have belonged to me! You’re nothing but a cuckoo in a magpie’s nest, stealing someone else’s happiness, stealing someone else’s beloved! Now, what right do you have to stand here arguing with me about who’s right and who’s wrong!”

Chen Bingbing looked at Nalan Xue. She knew the other party was right—she couldn’t refute a single word. Only at this moment did she realize she had been wrong! And so ridiculously wrong! If she hadn’t loved this man so much back then, if she hadn’t done such a foolish thing, Guo Yan and Nalan Xue would certainly be a happy couple now. Because Guo Yan truly loved Nalan Xue, and Nalan Xue was so beautiful and extraordinarily intelligent. Without Chen Bingbing, Nalan Xue would be the rightful Second Young Madam of the Guo household. But with her added to the equation, the entire situation became completely different.

Madam Chen, however, stood entirely on Chen Bingbing’s side. She said to Nalan Xue, “Even if you have grievances and hatred, why blame everything on my daughter? She never wanted to murder you, did she?”

Nalan Xue smiled faintly: “Her heart wasn’t vicious enough. She once wanted to kill me but could never bring herself to do it. Since that’s the case, I simply used her hands to win the Guo family’s favor toward me and complete this play. What’s wrong with that?”

Looking at her, Madam Chen felt terrified. This woman called Nalan Xue was too clever, too cunning. Her daughter had inexplicably fallen into the other party’s trap, becoming a puppet on strings, kneaded at will in the other’s hands. But the most hateful was clearly that Fu’er kneeling on the ground—she had betrayed her own mistress. Madam Chen’s anger rose from her heart. In three steps covering the distance of two, she was instantly before Fu’er, viciously slapping her across the face: “You ungrateful wretch! How did my daughter wrong you that you would betray her like this, colluding with outsiders!”

Fu’er’s eyes immediately reddened. She clutched tightly at the front of her garment, her whole body trembling. She hadn’t expected things would come to this. Originally she thought that once the Guo family was searched and evidence of treason discovered, everything would be easily resolved. No one would pursue her responsibility, and the wealth and glory she desired would be within easy reach. But she hadn’t expected the final outcome to be like this. She instinctively crawled backward two steps, but just then suddenly spat out a mouthful of black blood, then her eyes rolled back and she fell straight to the ground.

Madam Chen was startled. Li Weiyang stepped forward and said sternly, “Zhao Yue, see what’s wrong.”

Zhao Yue came forward and checked Fu’er’s breath, then turned back with a grave expression: “Miss, she’s dead.”

Everyone’s faces showed a trace of shock. Li Weiyang said slowly, “Is it poisoning?”

Zhao Yue nodded solemnly: “Correct, it’s poisoning. And from the looks of it, the poison was administered long ago. There’s no saving her.”

Li Weiyang sighed. This was silencing a witness. She laughed coldly, turned to look at Nalan Xue, and said with sincere admiration, “You really are clean and efficient in your methods, leaving no loose ends.”

Nalan Xue smiled and said, “From the moment she agreed to betray her mistress, she should have known that none of the wealth and glory she desired would come to pass. The only thing she paid was her foolish life!”

Li Weiyang looked at Nalan Xue. She knew full well that the one who had bribed Fu’er was definitely not this woman before her, but someone else. However, Fu’er’s death had long been within Nalan Xue’s expectations. Or rather, from the very beginning, Nalan Xue had guessed every single reaction from the Guo family members. She had even precisely calculated the next steps—how to adjust in order to further gain the favor and trust of every member of the Guo family. Through this step-by-step scheming, she had replaced Chen Bingbing, becoming the ideal daughter-in-law in the hearts of the Guo family.

Fu’er was in the open, merely a living target used to attract Li Weiyang’s attention. The Nalan Xue before her now was that person’s most important chess piece.

Li Weiyang finally smiled, her voice icy: “Nalan Xue, I admire you very much. Truly. To gain my trust, you didn’t hesitate to suffer serious injuries, even to the point of destroying your own appearance. Such determination and perseverance—not just any woman could achieve this.”

Nalan Xue only smiled, smiled until tears nearly flowed. Her voice held a trace of confusion and indescribable melancholy as she said, “Jia’er, do you hate me very much?”

Li Weiyang looked at her and said mercilessly, “Yes! However much I liked you before, however much I trusted you, that’s how much I detest you now! You should have known this before you decided to betray the Guo family, shouldn’t you?”

Nalan Xue smiled faintly. Yes, she had actually known this all along. But when she knelt before her parents’ memorial tablets, watching the hourglass flow and the years fade away, she finally realized she had been wrong. Not caring about anything, able to give up everything, single-mindedly wanting to find Guo Yan and then flee with him to the ends of the earth, never to return. But in the blink of an eye, she had lost her parents, lost her clansmen, lost all protection.

Only then did she realize how naive and foolish she had been back then. How could an individual’s power possibly stand against a family? She hadn’t lost to Chen Bingbing. She had lost to Guo Yan, lost to the Guo family that Guo Yan cared about, lost to every single person here.

Guo Yan looked at Nalan Xue, his eyes filled with suppressed pain. He had resolutely betrayed Nalan Xue, betrayed his own vow. Between his family and Nalan Xue, he had decisively chosen the former, telling himself he could love Chen Bingbing, could live a normal life, could like any ordinary person maintain loyalty to his wife. But he discovered this was only continuously suppressing himself. Afterward, he continued loving Nalan Xue as before. He had no way to live happily together with Chen Bingbing in so-called bliss. However, he had now lost the standing to explain everything to Nalan Xue.

Li Weiyang quietly looked at the two of them. The so-called alliance, the so-called mutual assistance—behind it the truth was so naked and ugly. The Chen family had forcibly compelled the Guo family to marry Chen Bingbing. But what was the result? Chen Bingbing was crying, Nalan Xue was laughing, and Guo Yan was only silent.

In Li Weiyang’s eyes, all three of these people had already had all the happiness in their lives destroyed.

Seeing this scene, even though Madam Chen was narrow-minded and selfish, she couldn’t bear to continue blaming Nalan Xue. The other party had lost far more than Bingbing. She couldn’t help but raise her hand to stroke her daughter’s head. The next moment, Chen Bingbing raised her arms and embraced her, burying her head in her bosom and crying uncontrollably. Those tears quickly spread along the fabric, soon soaking Madam Chen’s chest.

Nalan Xue looked coldly at Chen Bingbing, watching her suffer. Suddenly she raised her eyebrows and smiled, a smile full of malice: “Very painful, isn’t it? Very hard to bear, isn’t it? Cry then, cry all you want! After all, your life can only go this far. I came to take revenge—what can you do about it? I want Guo Yan dead—what can you do? I want the entire Guo family to accompany my Nalan clan in death. Now you all know everything, but you cannot change the outcome of this matter. Although the Crown Prince departed hastily this time, Guo Yan’s crime can never be cleared no matter what! When the time comes, there will naturally be people who will testify against him. Your Guo family has no way to protect your son, and no way to preserve your century-old reputation. The Guo family is destined to be destroyed at my hands!”

At this moment, on Nalan Xue’s pale face, her eyebrows and eyes appeared even darker. That inerasable scar pieced together on her face a kind of extreme beauty—a beauty that moved the heart but was also bone-chillingly cold.

Yuan Lie watched this scene and sighed. He quietly walked forward, grasped Li Weiyang’s hand, and said softly, “Don’t be sad.”

Just these four words, yet Li Weiyang’s body trembled. Outside, rain poured down. Inside the hall, Li Weiyang’s skin was like jade, her expression grave, with an indescribable sadness. Her beauty didn’t make the heart race—it made the heart palpitate.

Yuan Lie could almost understand Li Weiyang’s feelings. Because she had trusted Nalan Xue so much, even considered her a close friend. In the past, when Sun Yanjun died, Li Weiyang had also been very angry, but that anger wasn’t because of betrayal. For someone as suspicious as Li Weiyang, she rarely trusted anyone, rarely liked anyone. This time, she had actively gotten close to Nalan Xue, believed in her, helped her, and even unconsciously came to see her as a kindred spirit in life. Perhaps this was because Nalan Xue and Li Weiyang shared some similarities in temperament, allowing Li Weiyang to gradually lower her guard. Over all these years, aside from Yuan Lie and the Guo family, no one else had been able to move Li Weiyang. Yet Nalan Xue so failed to cherish this, ruthlessly breaking Weiyang’s heart.

He would never easily let go of anyone who hurt her! Yuan Lie’s gaze coldly fixed on Nalan Xue. His mind was already turning with all manner of vicious thoughts, wanting to send this woman before him into hell.

Chen Bingbing’s heart was blank with confusion. She finally stopped crying, because she knew that among everyone present, she was the one with the least right to cry. Everything painful was brought about by her. Jealousy toward her rival had made her forget her kind nature, forget her love for Guo Yan. Truly liking someone should mean fulfillment, not possession. She had long forgotten these words, becoming full of jealousy, becoming terribly ugly and hateful. Now she had no way to face herself, and no way to face these two people before her.

Nalan Xue suddenly looked toward Li Weiyang. She smiled steadily and said, “Jia’er, I’ve never regretted this matter. But I’ve wronged you, because I deceived you. From the very beginning, I deliberately approached the Guo family, approached you, making you step by step come to regard me as your friend. I know this deeply hurt your heart. My mother once said that those who make others cry will one day cry themselves. She was right. Seeing you sad, I’m also very unhappy. I don’t even have the slightest bit of satisfaction from successful revenge—not one bit.”

Li Weiyang found her expression very strange. Her heart filled with uncertainty as she stepped forward: “Nalan Xue…”

Nalan Xue turned away and said in a low voice, “Whether you believe it or not, I’m very happy to have known you. Perhaps I am the worst friend in your life. Maybe you’ll regret ever knowing me, but in my heart, you will always be my friend and my kindred spirit.”

Li Weiyang considered her heart hard as iron, but hearing such words, her heart couldn’t help but tremble. She had just wanted to say something when Nalan Xue had already smiled at Guo Yan and said, “Guo Yan, can you come here?”

Guo Yan looked at Nalan Xue and instinctively stood up. Beside him, Guo Cheng immediately blocked him: “Second Brother, don’t go over. Who knows what this woman still wants to do!”

In Guo Cheng’s heart, Nalan Xue was a fraud. She had deceived every single member of their Guo family, and he was now full of resentment toward her. Although he also knew that Nalan Xue had her reasons for walking step by step to this point, he still had no way to forgive someone who lied to them, someone who betrayed the Guo family!

But Li Weiyang vaguely felt something was wrong with Nalan Xue’s complexion. She immediately said to Guo Yan, “Third Brother, this is between them!” Before she finished speaking, Guo Yan had already broken free of Guo Cheng and walked to Nalan Xue’s side, stopping five steps away.

Nalan Xue looked at him with a smile, slowly sat down in a chair, and said with a smile, “Guo Yan, I hope you’ll agree to one thing for me.”

Guo Yan looked at her, his heart trembling. He heard Nalan Xue continue, “According to the old customs, since we already have a marriage contract, I am your wife. Can you kiss me once?”

Guo Yan looked at her, extremely shocked. He hadn’t expected that at this moment, she would make such a request. Chen Bingbing turned her face away, while Madam Chen, her pity exhausted, couldn’t help but grow angry: “Absolutely shameless!”

Guo Yan made no movement. He almost looked at this woman, forgetting all reaction. Nalan Xue’s face showed no disappointment. The corners of her mouth gradually revealed a trace of a smile: “Very good. Now you hate me too.”

Li Weiyang frowned. She didn’t know why, but she vaguely felt that Nalan Xue’s action seemed only to verify whether Guo Yan hated her…

Nalan Xue looked at no one, only muttering to herself: “As the daughter of the Nalan family, I didn’t know how to honor my parents—I was unfilial, disobedient, and recklessly willful. As your fiancée, I didn’t know how to forgive—I was full of hatred, plotting revenge. As a physician, I drugged my rival’s food, forcing her into mental confusion and unease. As a friend, I harbored ill intentions, used ruthless methods, and was completely deceptive… I had already thrown away everything my parents taught me, all those things I once possessed… The original Nalan Xue died long ago. No wonder you can no longer love me.”

Saying this, she smiled gently: “Someone like me—what face do I have to live on in this world?”

Before Guo Yan could realize something was wrong, he saw Nalan Xue pull a short sword from her sleeve. She smiled brilliantly, that smile so radiant, like a blooming flower. Then, the dagger flashed, blood spurted forth—she had already sent the dagger into her own chest. Guo Yan only had time to rush over and hold her body in his arms, frantically using his hands to block the flowing blood. But blood gushed like a fountain—how could it be stopped?

Guo Yan cried out in grief, “Xue’er, I’m the one who wronged you! It’s all my fault, all my fault!”

The corners of Nalan Xue’s eyebrows and eyes carried a trace of a smile, like a blooming flower that in an instant had already withered.

Seeing this scene, Guo Yan’s heart felt as if it would split with pain. His head roared thunderously, his vision went black. It seemed his very soul had instantly left his body in that moment—no thought, not even emotion. He couldn’t even cry. But the Nalan Xue in his arms had already lost all breath. Guo Cheng and Guo Dun rushed forward, wanting to check Nalan Xue’s breathing, but the person was held tightly by Guo Yan, who absolutely refused to let go. Guo Cheng loudly tried to persuade him, but Guo Yan couldn’t hear. He held Nalan Xue, no longer looking at anyone. The fresh blood on his garment and those eyes full of desperate grief and rage made every member of the Guo family fall silent.

Li Weiyang had never imagined Nalan Xue would do such a thing. Because she knew the other party was so intelligent, and intelligent people often cherish life. Nalan Xue clearly knew the Guo family wouldn’t kill her, especially after hearing about everything that had happened to the Nalan clan. No one would take her life, even though she had done many wrong things.

But Nalan Xue still died. She had no way to face herself. In Guo Yan’s mind flashed scenes of their acquaintance and longing.

“My name is Nalan Xue. The day I was born, the originally clear sky suddenly filled with falling snow, so my parents gave me this name.”

“Why leave? I’m not afraid of any implicated trouble. You’re a patient now—you should listen to me!”

“Fine, go then. I’ll wait for you to come marry me. No matter what, I’ll wait!”

These words, these scenes, flashed one by one through Guo Yan’s mind. Guo Yan had understood everything. Nalan Xue should have been his bride. Now she lay breathless in his arms. It was all his fault. He had harmed an innocent woman. From the moment he decided to abandon Nalan Xue, it was destined that Nalan Xue would die at his hands.

Yuan Lie couldn’t help but shake his head. Nalan Xue was truly too clever—so clever it made one’s heart run cold. She and Li Weiyang seemed to share the same decisiveness. If she had lived, Guo Yan might have resented her, felt chilled by everything she had done, might even have destroyed the beautiful memories and love of the past. But she died—died at just the right moment. In Yuan Lie’s view, this was Nalan Xue’s way of taking revenge on Guo Yan. She had turned this death into a thorn in Guo Yan’s heart, a thorn that would forever lodge between him and Chen Bingbing. Death was another form of eternity.

But Li Weiyang stood motionless. No one could understand Nalan Xue’s feelings better than her—that despair and desolation in her heart after the entire world collapsed before her, which was her motivation for living. The person she deeply loved had long become a stranger, and Nalan Xue had also betrayed her own principles. As she said, Nalan Xue had died long ago—died on the day Guo Yan abandoned her. The one who truly couldn’t face everything was actually Nalan Xue. What she couldn’t face most was her current self.

Guo Yan suddenly picked up Nalan Xue and, without looking at anyone, staggered toward the outside.

Guo Cheng wanted to step forward to stop him, but Duke Qi sighed softly: “Let him go.”

Guo Yan carried Nalan Xue away. Li Weiyang involuntarily followed behind him. When leaving the hall, Li Weiyang looked back. Chen Bingbing sat woodenly on the ground with no reaction, as if she had lost all interest in everything external. Guo Yan walked step by step to his bedroom, then placed Nalan Xue on the bed. He rose and searched everywhere, but didn’t know what exactly he was looking for.

Li Weiyang watched him, her face showing a trace of surprise: “Second Brother, what exactly are you looking for?”

Guo Yan didn’t raise his head, only continued searching. Li Weiyang stepped forward and looked carefully, only to discover that what Guo Yan held were all red silks and handkerchiefs. Her heart jumped as she suddenly realized: “Are you looking for red silk?”

Guo Yan turned around, his face calm as he said, “Yes, I’m looking for red silk. Xue’er said she was my wife, but I wasn’t able to marry her. This is all my fault. Now I should compensate her with a wedding.”

Seeing Guo Yan’s expression, Li Weiyang felt something was very wrong with him. She said softly to Zhao Yue, “Do as the Second Young Master instructs, and seal off this courtyard. Don’t let anyone enter!”

Zhao Yue nodded in acknowledgment and quickly departed.

Nalan Xue lay flat on the bed, her face deathly gray. Guo Yan pillowed her head on his knee, took a jade comb, and lowered his head to carefully arrange her hair. Although it was daytime, seeing such a scene still made people feel very eerie. Li Weiyang couldn’t help but frown: “Second Brother…”

Guo Yan didn’t raise his head. At this moment, Madam Guo, Guo Cheng, and the others had also arrived. Madam Guo, holding back tears, said, “Yan’er, what’s wrong with you? Miss Nalan has already died. You should let her rest in peace.”

Guo Yan raised his head and showed a smile: “Mother, you’ve come.”

Seeing his eyes looked somewhat abnormal, Madam Guo took a few more steps forward, trying to get closer to him: “Yan’er…”

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly heard Guo Yan shout fiercely, “Stop!”

“Yan’er, what’s wrong with you?”

Guo Yan held Nalan Xue’s corpse tightly, his face full of vigilance: “Don’t come near me! Don’t think I don’t know—none of you have good intentions. I won’t let you harm Xue’er!”

Madam Guo said gently, “Yan’er, Miss Nalan has already passed away.”

“Nonsense!” Guo Yan shouted loudly, actually throwing the pillow from the bed onto the floor: “She’s not dead—she’s just sleeping!”

Li Weiyang and everyone looked at him in shock. Guo Yan’s expression was truly too abnormal.

Just then, Guo Yan’s hand fell on Nalan Xue’s face. He murmured to himself, “So cold.” Then he suddenly grasped Nalan Xue’s hand and placed it on his own chest, trying to warm it for her. Everyone looked at each other—no one moved. Then they heard Guo Yan ask in a low voice, “Xue’er, are you thirsty?” He raised his head and said to them, “Quickly, pour me a cup of tea.”

Everyone just quietly looked at him, their eyes carrying a trace of fear. Only Madam Guo walked to the side, poured a cup of water, and proactively handed it to Guo Yan. Guo Yan snatched it away and smiled: “Xue’er, I’ll feed you tea.” His movements in feeding Nalan Xue looked quite proper, except the person was already dead—how could she drink water? The tea all flowed down from the corners of her mouth. He frantically used his own sleeve to wipe her clean, advising extremely gently, “Xue’er, why won’t you drink? Aren’t you thirsty?”

Yuan Lie looked at Li Weiyang and said in a low voice, “Weiyang, I’m afraid your second brother needs a physician to examine him.”

Madam Guo’s heart ached terribly. This pair of star-crossed lovers—were they truly going to be entangled to the bitter end, until death?

Li Weiyang shook her head. Right now the Guo family faced countless troubles. Guo Yan’s situation absolutely couldn’t be leaked outside. Especially Nalan Xue’s death—if people learned that Guo Yan was currently in the Guo residence, it would truly cause a tremendous upheaval. She sighed heavily in her heart. Without Guo Yan, her next plan couldn’t proceed.

But Guo Yan seemed to sense Nalan Xue’s coldness. He shivered and used the brocade quilt beside him to wrap Nalan Xue up tightly.

For the next three days, no matter how the Guo family tried to persuade him, Guo Yan absolutely refused to release Nalan Xue’s corpse.

Li Weiyang’s patience reached its limit by the evening of the third day. She made a decisive decision: “Order people to put a little sleeping drug in the water Second Brother drinks each day.”

Madam Guo looked at Li Weiyang in shock: “Jia’er, you’re…”

Li Weiyang’s gaze was icy: “He wants to go mad, but we can’t go mad with him. Now that the person has been dead for three days, the body must be buried quickly, or it will rot. Are we going to watch Nalan Xue unable to rest peacefully even in death?”

Madam Guo sighed. Now she couldn’t say what kind of feelings she had toward Nalan Xue. This young woman had brought the Guo family to its current state, yet she had no way to hate her one bit. Thinking carefully, Nalan Xue actually had countless opportunities to kill her and Li Weiyang, but she didn’t do so. As a physician, she had done her utmost to treat their illnesses.

Li Weiyang’s voice held unprecedented coldness: “One day, I will reclaim everything from the person behind all this!”

Following Li Weiyang’s instructions, the Guo family drugged Guo Yan unconscious and then buried Nalan Xue’s corpse. But when Guo Yan awoke, the first thing he did was search for Nalan Xue. When he couldn’t find her anywhere, he became like a madman, asking everyone he saw. When he got no answers, he attacked people. When Guo Cheng went up to stop him, he actually drew his sword and wildly slashed at Guo Cheng. Only then did Guo Cheng realize his brother had truly been driven mad. He and Guo Dun, one on each side, forcibly restrained Guo Yan. Madam Guo broke down crying, at a loss. But Li Weiyang, suppressing her fury, strode forward quickly and suddenly slapped Guo Yan. That crisp sound echoed throughout the entire courtyard. Everyone froze.

Li Weiyang said fiercely, “Nalan Xue was killed by you! Now what right do you have to act mad and crazy here, making the entire family worry about you!”

Madam Guo hurriedly pulled Li Weiyang back: “Jia’er, don’t blame him anymore.”

Li Weiyang laughed coldly, her eyes carrying endless fury: “Don’t you understand yet why Nalan Xue said she came for revenge!”

Guo Yan’s entire person froze. He looked at Li Weiyang in disbelief, and the other members of the Guo family also looked at her, not knowing what she was saying.

Li Weiyang looked at Guo Yan and said word by word, “She said this to make every one of us hate her, to never remember her again. Second Brother, don’t you understand yet? She didn’t come for revenge—she was forcibly compelled to come by someone! What rebel leader annihilating the Nalan household—this is nothing but a lie. Everyone in the Nalan family died at the hands of Empress Pei! No, all of this is already very obvious. Empress Pei used the lives of the entire Nalan clan to force Nalan Xue to do all this. Do you understand!”

When Yuan Lie obtained news that the Nalan clan had vanished without a trace, Li Weiyang had already begun to suspect. It wasn’t until that day when she saw Nalan Xue’s suppressed expression of pain that Li Weiyang finally understood.

Guo Yan looked at Li Weiyang in shock, unable to say a single word. The original wild madness in his eyes slowly disappeared, his gaze regaining clarity. Only then did Guo Cheng and Guo Dun beside him release him. Guo Yan looked toward Li Weiyang: “Say what you just said again.”

Li Weiyang’s voice was like the depths of winter in the ninth month: “No matter how many times I say it, it’s the same. The person behind all this is Empress Pei! Don’t tell me you loved Nalan Xue for so long yet don’t understand her character at all? After I suspected and tested her, she could have stopped everything, but she didn’t. If there weren’t important reasons, why would she risk being discovered!”

Nalan Xue appeared gentle and calm on the surface, but was actually deeply righteous and loyal. For the Nalan clanspeople, she willingly became a chess piece, sacrificing herself, like hellfire burning away everything. Even loving Guo Yan deeply, she still coldly and ruthlessly proceeded step by step with her schemes, manipulating everyone with every smile and glance.

Li Weiyang was cold-hearted and deeply suspicious, yet only toward her couldn’t be ruthless. Initially it began with fellow sufferers sympathizing with each other, both carrying bitter resentment with nowhere to vent. Later it was also because she saw in the other party’s character that same stubbornness, the incredibly similar tenacity, and even that final confrontation—equally satisfying and thorough.

If it had been anyone else, Li Weiyang would have unhesitatingly sent the enemy down the path to hell. But it happened to be Nalan Xue. When she discovered the other party’s intentions, she didn’t act immediately but instead used countless efforts to test her, employing endless scheming. Although testing step by step, she couldn’t avoid the ambiguity between pretense and truth.

During the days spent with Li Weiyang, Nalan Xue repeatedly showed expressions of wanting to speak but stopping in her presence, which aroused her suspicions. Only then did Li Weiyang understand that actually Nalan Xue had long wanted to reveal everything. Unfortunately, the lives of the entire Nalan clan were in Empress Pei’s hands. She had no choice but to do this, had no choice but to deceive her. This plan hadn’t succeeded—Nalan Xue already knew that her entire clan would certainly die at Empress Pei’s hands.

Life was a performance of acting skills. Unfortunately, Nalan Xue wasn’t a heartless person. She had no way to carry through this cruel play to the very end, and could only exit in a brilliant yet tragic manner. But this play—she, Li Weiyang, absolutely had to perform to the very end!