Suddenly, someone below the platform exclaimed,
“Quick, look! That female prisoner's hair seems to have turned white.”
Gu Qingyun focused her gaze. Zhang Xiaoxiao's skin shriveled at a visible rate, and her hair instantly turned white. Wrinkles spread across the exposed skin of her eye corners and forehead, as if she had aged several decades. This was a backlash. She realized this person's lifespan had been borrowed. Sure enough, her face wasn't maintained by makeup, but by an evil technique.
He Yuan and his “wife” exchanged glances. Zhang Xiaoxiao saw her current appearance reflected in his eyes, and she became hysterical, covering her face and wailing,
“Husband, don’t look at me! No, this isn’t me! Just give me some time, I’ll be back to normal very soon.”
Zhang Xiaoxiao had completely lost her mind. Ignoring He Yuan’s disgusted gaze, she lunged into his arms, pressing herself against him.
“Husband, you love me the most, right?”
Hearing Zhang Xiaoxiao’s words, He Yuan felt a jolt. He tried to push her away with a look of revulsion, but she held on too tightly for him to dislodge her.
“Get away! Look at you now, you’re older than my own mother!”
Zhang Xiaoxiao lifted her head from his embrace, her eyes filled with tears.
“How can you say such a thing to me? For you, I didn’t hesitate to endure excruciating pain to change my face, and I even lost thirty years of my life! Is this how you repay me?
You brought me here with a four-man palanquin, a red bridal gown, and a proper marriage. Husband, didn’t you say you loved me the most, that you wanted to have children with me and grow old together?”
He Yuan’s hair stood on end, and he was on the verge of a breakdown.
“I said that to Zhu’er! At the time, I didn’t know you were Zhang Xiaoxiao. After I found out you were pretending to be her, I never said those words again.”
Hearing this, Zhang Xiaoxiao’s smile vanished, and she stared at him with a crazed look.
“Impossible! I heard everything Mother said to you. She told you to marry me to strengthen our family ties.
It was you who said that while I had a thousand good qualities, my family was too poor and we were not a suitable match. That’s why I came up with the idea to take her place.
Do you know how much it hurt me every time I saw you give Bai Zhu’er hairpins and letters? Just because my family is poor, does that mean I can’t marry my cousin?
I was already sad, and Bai Zhu’er kept asking me if the hairpin you gave her looked good on her. Tell me, shouldn’t she have died?”
He Yuan’s hair bristled. He exerted all his strength to pull away from her.
“Zhang Xiaoxiao, you’re insane.”
“Hahahaha, yes, I’m insane! I won’t allow you to leave me. You can only be mine; you can only love me. For you, I lost everything—my lifespan, my looks. Now you despise me too, but I refuse! We will be together forever.
Whether in life or death, we must be together.”
Zhang Xiaoxiao glanced around, then, when no one was paying attention, she lunged at a Constable, pulled out his saber, and swung it at He Yuan.
Gu Qingyun saw the situation turn bad and quickly rushed over, reaching out to pull.
But she was too far away and couldn't pull him completely out of the way. The saber diverted slightly, brutally severing He Yuan’s arm. Instantly, blood gushed like a fountain.
County Magistrate Yu's face turned ashen. Such a thing happening right under his nose! He roared,
“Lock Zhang Xiaoxiao in the grand prison to await execution! And quickly, find a doctor to save He Yuan! Though he concealed the truth, his crime isn't punishable by death.
Furthermore, the He family must return Bai Zhu’er’s dowry in full. He Yuan, for his complicity and concealment, must compensate the Bai family three hundred taels of silver. Court dismissed!” County Magistrate Yu struck his gavel and stormed off in a huff.
Below, He Yuan's parents saw this scene and, ignoring all attempts to stop them, rushed to the public hall, embracing He Yuan and wailing.
“Son, don’t die! What will your father and mother do if you die?”
Seeing He Yuan in such a miserable state, everyone sighed. Truly, a beauty’s favor can be hard to bear, and her obsession was far too strong.
At this moment, an old doctor who had been watching the commotion picked up silver needles and jabbed them a few times, gradually staunching He Yuan's bleeding. He then poured wound medicine onto the injury as if it cost nothing, muttering,
“Good thing this old man likes a good crowd, or else you’d have bled to death, young man. I used so much wound medicine, your family can’t go back on your word.”
He Yuan was already speechless from the pain, and coupled with severe blood loss, his vision blurred. In his hazy state, he didn't hear a word the old doctor said. He only felt himself being carried, heard his parents’ weeping, and gradually lost consciousness. He wanted to say that he regretted everything.
Bai Shuyuan felt a surge of satisfaction seeing He Yuan’s pathetic state.
“This is karma.”
Gu Qingyun patted Bai Shuyuan’s shoulder.
“Please accept my condolences. Go home; this matter is concluded.”
Bai Shuyuan managed a bleak smile.
“Thank you. After I’ve finished with my sister’s funeral, I will properly thank her benefactor.”
Gu Qingyun shook her head.
“Bai Zhu’er has already paid her recompense. Go back and bury her first.”
After the verdict was delivered, this incident directly caused a huge sensation in Jiangyin County, becoming the talk of the town after meals.
...
In the Bai family courtyard, a somber atmosphere hung heavy, and a mourning hall had been set up in the center of the yard.
Bai Zhu’er’s several nieces and nephews knelt innocently before the altar, unaware of what had happened, only knowing that their aunt was gone and that the aunt they had seen recently was a fake.
“My Zhu’er, how could you leave your father and mother like this? That damned He family! If we hadn’t formed a marital alliance with them, how would our Zhu’er have lost her life?”
“It’s all your fault, saying that He Yuan had a good nature and was doting, picking such a family for our Zhu’er! Now look, our Zhu’er is gone, gone!”
Bai Mother clutched Bai Father, wailing uncontrollably. Bai Father numbly supported her, tears streaming down his aged face.
“My dear, it’s my fault. I misjudged him. Please don’t cry. If Zhu’er saw you so sad, how upset she would be. She was such a filial child.”
To have white hair sending off black hair, his heart felt as if it were torn into a thousand pieces. His grief was no less than his aged wife's.
Bai Shuyuan and his wife supported Bai’s parents. He forced a smile.
“Father, Mother, don’t let Younger Sister leave with a troubled heart. She surely wants our family to be well. Let’s give Younger Sister a peaceful burial.
I’ll go to the riverbank and burn her favorite clothes and foods, so that even as a ghost, she can live comfortably.”
“Yes, Eldest Son, you’re right. Zhu’er’s funeral matters most. Eldest Son, that He family, we cannot let them off the hook.
I want them to be unable to live in this county, to avenge your younger sister. You handle this, do you agree?”
Bai Mother gripped his hand, staring intently, awaiting his response.
“I agree, Mother. Don’t worry. After this incident, even without our intervention, the He family won’t be able to stay peacefully in the county town.”
“Good, good, your words reassure Mother.” Bai Mother staggered to a chair, completely devoid of spirit.
...
The He family’s winery used to be bustling, but since this incident, not only has their business plummeted, but the head of the family has also become crippled and is now the subject of gossip.
He Yuan’s mother had been washing her face with tears daily these past few days. He Yuan’s father also wore a gloomy expression, and seeing his old wife constantly weeping only irritated him.
“Enough, stop crying. It’s good enough that Yuan’er managed to save his life. If you hadn’t tried to manipulate the Bai family by bringing Zhang Xiaoxiao into our home, none of this would have happened.
I’m being lenient by not divorcing you! You troublemaker, trying to act like a mother-in-law before our son was even married!”
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