The Double-Chapter 412 - 137: Unveiling_5

Lady Lu’s eyes widened in shock. Although she enjoyed watching Ji Shuran’s commotion and knew that Ji Shuran was not an easy target, she had not expected Ji Shuran to have the audacity to cuckold Jiang Yuanbai.

"Though you vowed to marry no one but your beloved, you married Jiang Yuanbai instead... and even bore him sons and daughters. Yueru, you betrayed me!"

Ji Shuran took a step back, shaking her head, "No, who are you... I don’t know you..."

"I am Liu Wencai, your cousin, your lover, the man you killed with your own hands, the father of your children," the voice cackled.

"Father?" Madam Jiang the Elder clutched at her chest, as if unable to accept the truth. Jiang Youyao, who had been standing there dazed, let go of her grip, staring at Ji Shuran with eyes full of doubt.

Ji Shuran seemed to be stung by Jiang Youyao’s gaze and said, "Youyao!" as she reached out to grasp Jiang Youyao’s hand, but Jiang Youyao avoided her, dodging her gaze.

She feared that she was a child born of adultery, and if so, she would no longer be the legitimate daughter of the Jiang Family.

Jiang Yuanbai, however, was looking at Jiang Bingji.

"That’s not it," Ji Shuran’s heart ached, "Master, Bingji is your own flesh and blood; do not listen to his malicious words."

"Heh heh heh," that strange male voice chuckled, "Yueru, do you remember? Our child was killed by your own hands. You suspected that Jiang Li stumbled upon our secret rendezvous, provoked her into a rage, and then she fell down the stairs herself. You sent Jiang Li away, eliminated the child born of our affair, and rested easy, killing two birds with one stone. Have you ever thought about how I felt?"

"That was your own flesh and blood, Yueru!"

Everyone in the courtyard turned their eyes to Jiang Li.

Back then, Jiang Li was sent away to Green City Mountain with the reputation of having killed her mother and brother. How could it be that it was all a scheme devised by Ji Shuran from the beginning? Afraid of being discovered harboring the seed of sin in her belly, Ji Shuran plotted such a scheme to remove the evidence? In that case, Jiang Li had done nothing wrong but was sent in vain to Green City Mountain, left to languish for eight years without anyone inquiring after her!

Jiang Yuanbai staggered back two steps and had to be supported by a servant to remain upright. His face dark as water, he suddenly seemed unsure of what expression to show, as he felt everyone in the courtyard was laughing at his ignorance and stupidity!

"That’s not it," Ji Shuran struggled twice and said, "It’s not..."

"Yueru, I dare you to swear on the lives of your two children that you did not do these things, else within three days they shall die abruptly and their souls shall descend to hell, never to be reborn!"

The curse was vicious, and had this day’s drama not unfolded, Ji Shuran might have dared to utter it. But an oath regarding her children was something she could never take lightly, and especially now, having seen with open eyes that ghosts and spirits did exist, how could she dare risk the lives of Jiang Youyao and Jiang Bingji?

Ji Shuran remained silent.

People in the courtyard understood all too well just by looking at Ji Shuran’s expression.

Being gazed at with such eyes, Ji Shuran suddenly let out a cold laugh, her gaze becoming frenzied as she addressed Jiang Li—or rather, the deceased Liu Wencai, "Liu Wencai, it is not I who betrayed you, but you who betrayed me! You had promised to marry me, but behind my back you married another! You were the first to do wrong; don’t blame me for my lack of righteousness!"

"Oh?" Liu Wencai said, "Then you killed Ye Zhenzhen?"

Jiang Yuanbai’s lips trembled, and he said, "What did you say?"

Ji Shuran’s heart tightened at first, but then she seemed to understand something. Today’s events spelled her doom, with no way out. In a spiteful retort, she said, "Yes, I wanted to marry someone better than you, but my father only wished for me to marry a prodigal son. Ye Zhenzhen was unwell after giving birth to Jiang Li, so I bribed a maid of the Jiang Residence to omit a few ingredients from her medicine, and Ye Zhenzhen soon died. I became Madam Jiang. Liu Wencai, I was much more ruthless than you!"

"I get whatever I want. But who do you think you are, Liu Wencai? You cheated on me, abandoned me; after the Liu Family’s downfall, did you think I would still care for you? You came to me, grovelling for favor; I quite enjoyed that, but I no longer loved you. Your existence was a reminder of a past I loathed, so you had to die, because I detested you!"

Tears began to stream from her eyes, yet her expression grew increasingly vicious, filled with a piercing hatred, "Liu Wencai, if not for you, I would not have become what I am today! All I have become is thanks to you! Since you have already left, why come back? Since you’re dead, you should not have returned!"

She looked as mad as a Fierce Ghost in the courtyard, and surely there about was some unnamed spectral presence, while Jiang Li’s bloody appearance was the most horrible to behold. And yet, standing in the courtyard, everyone felt that the most terrifying person was not Jiang Li, nor the ghosts lurking in shadows, but Ji Shuran.

A person must be truly vicious to reach such a state. She appeared gentle and kind, yet her hands were stained with so many lives. Despite harming so many people, she could still act as if nothing happened, still sleep soundly at night. If one were to think carefully, Ji Shuran was nothing but an unmarried girl when Ye Zhenzhen was still alive, and even at that time, she unhesitatingly killed a woman who had done her no wrong, all for her own benefit.

The adage "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" was perfectly exemplified in Ji Shuran.

Jiang Yuanbai suddenly began to laugh.

His laughter was filled with scorn, and it was unclear whether he was mocking others or himself. That laughter echoed through the courtyard, a desolate and mournful sound.

He said, "I actually... have been so deceived by you, Ji Shuran!"

He spat out the last three words through clenched teeth, putting all his strength into each syllable, as if he wished he could devour Ji Shuran flesh and blood.

The closest became the most estranged.