Song Jin Xiu hadn’t heard news from the outside world for a very long time. Upon suddenly hearing the words "Miss Song," he felt as if it was a lifetime ago.
Tang Ning... had become the County Princess of Yiyang?
He lowered his eyes and looked at his withered, emaciated hands, his expression momentarily dazed.
After the entire Song family was imprisoned, he was first taken by the criminal division for severe interrogation, then thrown into the imperial prison. The once elegant gentleman was now gaunt and skeletal, the dirty prison clothes hanging loosely on his frame, with his wrists so thin that the veins were almost visible.
His face, once smooth and refined, was now pale and sunken, with a hint of gloom that cast a shadow over his once gentle and composed eyes. Although not disfigured, he no longer had the grace and elegance of his past.
In the dark, endless prison, the flickering shadows seemed to constantly remind Song Jin Xiu that he was no longer who he used to be.
At first, he hoped someone would visit him, that someone would tell him about the outside world, that he might be freed. But as the days went by, the cell door never opened, and no one came to see him, not even for a moment.
None of the Song family’s relatives, not Tang Ning, nor those old friends, had come.
The words of the guards were not only heard by Song Jin Xiu, but also by the people in the neighboring cells.
"Brother, it’s Tang Ning!" Song Shu Lan pressed herself against the bars, her eyes full of resentment.
Tang Ning was clearly the legitimate daughter of the Song family, clearly the one who enjoyed over ten years of wealth and status as the Song family’s lady. She, on the other hand, had only been in the Song family for half a year.
Why was she suffering in prison, while Tang Ning was free outside? And how could she have even been made a County Princess?!
Song Shu Lan cried out, "How could she become a County Princess? How could she... She must have used the Song family as a stepping stone, betraying you and father to curry favor with His Majesty. How could she be so vicious..."
"Vicious? If she were half as vicious as you, would you have ever been able to set foot in the Song family? If she had your scheming mind, she wouldn’t have been forced to turn against the Song family. She would have torn you apart long ago, instead of letting you spout nonsense."
A hoarse voice echoed from the dark cell across the way. Lu Zhi Nian leaned against the cell bars, his face full of mockery.
"And you call Song Hong ‘father’? Did he ever acknowledge you? The entire Song family probably sees you as a disaster, just an illegitimate child with unknown origins. Yet you call them ‘father and brother’ so smoothly."
Song Shu Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief. "How... how can you say that about me..."
"Did I say anything wrong? Ever since you appeared, has the Song family had a single moment of peace? Although calling you a disaster might not be entirely accurate, you are a conniving wretch who brings ruin to everyone around you. A calamity star could hardly compare."
Lu Zhi Nian’s words were sharp and vicious.
"Brother Lu..." Song Shu Lan’s face turned pale as she teared up, on the verge of collapsing. But just as she was about to cry softly like she always did, Lu Zhi Nian suddenly erupted in fury.
"Shut up! Who do you think you are, calling me brother?!" His eyes were cold as ice. "The Lu family has no shameless daughter who goes around latching onto people."
Song Shu Lan trembled. "Brother Lu..."
"I told you to shut up!" Something in Lu Zhi Nian seemed to snap, a mix of rage and ferocity on his face. "Who gave you the right to call me that? You’re nothing but an illegitimate child, a shameless leech trying to climb higher."
"That name belongs to Tang Ning. Only she can call me that. Who do you think you are?!"
Lu Zhi Nian's back was marked by whip scars, his entire being drained of vitality. He was no better off than Song Jin Xiu. In the shadows earlier, his condition wasn’t visible, but now, pressed against the cell bars, his face was twisted with rage.
Since being thrown into the imperial prison that night, Lu Zhi Nian had been trapped in one recurring nightmare. The unending headaches tormented him, leaving him restless. Each time he closed his eyes, those unbearable dreams resurfaced.
They showed how he had been infatuated with Song Shu Lan, how he had lost his mind and ignored the Lu family’s rules to bring an illegitimate child into the house for her. For her, he had driven Tang Ning into the dirt, pushing the girl who was once full of affection for him to despair.
It was as if he had lived another life, experiencing a messy half of a lifetime through those dreams.
In that dark, dingy courtyard, a withered tree seemed to mock his cruelty and shamelessness.
He felt as though he had possessed the body of the dream’s Tang Ning, sharing her pain, seeing her suffering and despair, watching her wither away until she ultimately perished...
Lu Zhi Nian wanted to escape but couldn’t, trapped in an endless nightmare.
The sickly sweet sound of "Brother Lu" from Song Shu Lan in the dreams overlapped with her voice outside the prison, and seeing her face across the cell, a mix of rage and disgust surged within him.
"Wretch!!" It was all her fault. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have betrayed Tang Ning. If it weren’t for her, he and Tang Ning wouldn’t have ended up like this!!
Song Shu Lan stared at Lu Zhi Nian, who looked like he was ready to tear her apart. Her whole body trembled with fear as she shrank back, moving closer to Song Jin Xiu, gripping his sleeve with shaking hands. "Brother... brother, I’m scared..."
Song Jin Xiu brushed her hand away. "What are you afraid of? There’s a cell door between you."
"Brother..." Song Shu Lan’s eyes widened in panic, tears quickly pooling in her eyes.
But her "brother," who used to soften at the sight of her tears, ready to bring her anything she wanted just to see her smile, remained cold and indifferent. His dark eyes seemed to be made of ice, sharp enough to see right through her, causing her to grow pale and uneasy.
"Brother..." Her lips quivered. Why was he looking at her like that? What did he know?
Song Jin Xiu looked carefully at the dirty, tear-streaked face before him, noting how she couldn’t hide her unease and guilt beneath her tears. He lowered his eyes and let out a self-mocking laugh.
How could he have ever thought that this girl was more delicate than Tang Ning, that she wouldn’t survive without his protection?
Song Jin Xiu examined Song Shu Lan's face thoroughly, seeing her growing anxiety and unease. His eyes filled with even more disdain.
He truly couldn’t understand why someone once hailed as extremely intelligent, who could see through people's hearts and navigate the court from a young age, had been so easily deceived by this girl's clumsy performance.
=========
You can read ahead to chapterr 234 here
Because you can't defy the book plot.
ReplyDelete