Some words can spread to people you least expect at a speed you least expect, and usually, it's just a sigh of envy that passes by. However, any happy or joyful event is merely a mockery in the eyes of an unfortunate person. The boiling emotions will water the seed of jealousy in their heart until it sprouts and blooms, making them so infatuated with resentment that they won't rest until they die.

  Returning to the Zhi Yi Bo Fu, Dongfang Niushuang listened to the maids recounting all sorts of rumors from Fengzhou City without missing a single word. Overwhelmed with grief and indignation, she swept away all the delicate tea sets on the table. Her pale face twisted in anguish, "Why?! Why was I suffering in the capital while she was living happily in Fengzhou City?!"

  "What's so special about her, why does everyone want to protect her?"

  "What man can withstand the charm of a fox spirit when she doesn't even need to use her seductive wiles, and yet still manages to captivate him with just one glance?"

  She clenched her fists, her face twisted in a scowl as she grasped the azure tablecloth. "I won't believe he can be so evil and still live a peaceful life!" She was determined to make that oath a joke!

  **

  In the luxurious and majestic mansion garden, Xū Xié introduced to He Lè ān amidst the hustle and bustle, "That pot-bellied one is Chen Yuǎi Wài. The Xiao family sold their property to him before they left, and none of the other families could get a share, especially not the Xū family. It seems that they hated me so much. Now the Chen family is the second richest merchant in Fēngzhōu City, directly rivaling the Xū family."

  "But I see you don't have a bit of tension." This is straightforward, and it's likely that there is still quite a distance between them.

  Xu Xie smiled and said, "The Xu family's business is vast. Even if he can temporarily suppress it, he cannot always suppress it." As long as he moves funds from other places to this side, they will find that he is not just the richest man in Fengzhou City, but wealth should not be overly exposed, otherwise, it will attract unnecessary trouble.

  Just as they were talking, many guests and the host's family finished their greetings and came over to salute Xiè, this number one rich man. However, there were always one or two people who liked to stir up trouble for no reason. A middle-aged man with a narrow forehead and puffy cheeks pushed his own daughter forward towards Xiè and said: "Young Master Xiè and the young madam rarely go out together to drink and feast, they should certainly enjoy themselves to the fullest. Today, let my little girl serve the two of you!"

  “……”

  He Le'an was speechless for a moment, and then saw Xi Ye hiding behind her back, saying naturally: "No need, I am famous for being a strict wife, Lu Boss's intention is better to send it to someone else."

  Lü Boss never expected that a man would say the three words "wife is strict" with such a loud mouth, and for a moment he was stunned. Then he heard He Le'an say: "Hmph, if you can make people misunderstand, it must be because your usual behavior is not good, go back and kneel on the washboard for an hour."

  Xu Xiadun's face suddenly turned sour as he glared at Lü Boss, then pulled He Le'an to walk elsewhere, while flattering and begging for mercy: "Wife, I was wrong, I shouldn't have been born with such a charming appearance. When I get back, I'll kneel for another hour, don't be angry, or you'll hurt your body and I'll feel heartbroken."

  When they heard this, Mr. Lü was shocked and got goosebumps all over his body. The people around him were either disbelieving or envious. Those men who came with their wives were constantly glared at by their wives, who showed dissatisfaction towards their husbands and kept praising He Xi's virtues nonstop. They looked at He Le'an, a seemingly weak woman, with admiration and reverence. At that moment, all the women present regarded He Le'an as a goddess and wished they or their daughters could find a good husband like He Xi.

  Rumors spread like falling flowers, piling up one after another. He Le Yuan made a detour from outside before heading to the Xiufu residence. She said with a flourish: "Sixth sister doesn't know, nowadays they all say that in the past, they just wanted to find someone honest and didn't mind if he was ugly. Later on, they realized that those who appear honest aren't necessarily so, and even the ugly ones would flirt with beautiful girls. It's really infuriating."

  "Look at He Six, he's a decent person, tall and slender, rich but also loves and protects his wife. Even when others offer him concubines, he refuses them all. He Six is so blessed, probably the reincarnation of Guanyin Bodhisattva! "He Le Yuan laughed loudly and said, "Six sister, your husband dotes on you so much that everyone knows about it. In the future, who knows, someone might even try to force their way into the He household just to get close to you, be careful!"

  He Le'an let out a long sigh, "Recently, in front of the Rich and Noble Wine House, there are always people selling themselves to bury their fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, brothers, sisters or younger siblings. In front of the government office, there are also always girls fainting, falling ill or begging, they all emerge from the muddy waters yet remain unsoiled, every part of them is dirty, except for that face which is as white and pitiful as can be."

  "What a bunch of disgusting people, why do they have to covet the meat in other people's mouths, fighting and scrambling for it, don't they feel sick? Can't they just work hard to find their own? Don't worry, Sixth Sister, I'll send someone to guard the door, one comes and I'll throw one out, let's see how long these little faces can last!"

  He Le'an shook his head and smiled, "Forget it, no need to bother. I'm planning to go out with your brother-in-law, taking advantage of the beautiful spring scenery to visit some nearby towns. Didn't you attend a banquet today? Why did you suddenly come find me?"

  "I was just coming from a banquet when I saw Dongfang Niushuang. She took the initiative to talk to Huiyu sister about her recent situation and asked how you were doing, saying that it's hard to see you at banquets of high-ranking officials nowadays. Her tone seemed ordinary, but every word and sentence was belittling. Huiyu sister didn't want to bother with her, but somehow she started talking about her own circumstances and ended up crying. Huiyu sister couldn't just leave or hurry away, so she stayed behind to comfort her."

  "Perhaps she wants to regain the affection of the past." He Lian said, "Huiyu and her are not as good as Meijie, but since childhood they have been growing up together for so many years. Now that she is not doing well, it's normal to miss the past."

  "He Le snorted, 'It's her business if she wants to make amends, but belittling you is unbecoming. Sister Huiyu is so intelligent, how could she not see through it? What I couldn't bear the most is that the waters here are too deep, everyone says one thing but does another. Just for the sake of Tai Ning Hou's face, they still fawn all over her.'"

  "Reality is like this, you'd better pretend not to hear it." He Lian thought of something and smiled: "Xiao Shi is currently temporarily living in the Hou Mansion's side house. She doesn't even go out for a walk when she has free time, perhaps she's afraid of disturbing her grandmother. If you go out, you can bring her along."

  I'm afraid I won't be able to get along with her, she's so delicate and can even be sentimental for half a day. He Leiyin exaggeratedly clicked his tongue and said: "There is a peach tree in the mansion, I saw the peach blossoms blooming, wanting to pick some beautiful branches to give to my grandmother, but unexpectedly she dug a hole under the tree and buried the few flower buds that I accidentally knocked off... Buried them..."

  She recited another poem that I couldn't even remember, and at that time, I knew that what separated me from her was not generation gap, but the Yangtze River. He Lejuan's face was complicated and disheveled, "Mother is also worried about her marriage now. Father wants to hand it over to Grandmother, but Mother doesn't want to trouble Grandmother."

  As for this stepmother, He Le Yan continued, "Moreover, she intentionally wants Xiao Yi to return to her maternal grandmother's house in Jiangnan. My uncle, whom I have not met yet, is currently studying in Jiangnan. Mother thinks he is diligent and hardworking, so even during the grand wedding, she didn't ask him to come back specially. The Xiao family has already moved to the capital city, and after each branch of the family split up, few people remained in Fengzhou City. Perhaps it's because they don't feel at ease with Xiao Yi living alone in such a large mansion."

  "Jiangnan is a place that nourishes people. It's good that she went." He Le'an said, since discovering Xiao Shi'er's little thoughts, these days have been avoiding going to the Hou Mansion's other courtyard, not because she didn't trust Xiao Shi'er, but because she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble and make Old Lady He unhappy.

  They chatted some more about trivial family matters, and since it was still early, He Le Yan pulled He Le An out the door, saying: "There's a new tea house on the street called Ya Lou, I've heard their pastries are novel and interesting. Inside, there's even someone who specializes in telling legendary stories from all over the place. Let's go join in the fun too. The Deputy Commander has been really popular lately, and Huiyu Jiejie is quite interested, so we can tell her about it afterwards."

  As soon as the story in the building was heard, it was already nightfall. When He Le'an wanted to leave with He Le'ying, a thin and weak man bumped into her and handed her a ball of paper while apologizing with his head down. She suspiciously sized up the man, but saw him quickly cover his face and rush out of the elegant building. Meanwhile, she calmly opened the paper ball, on which there were only two words written in messy handwriting: "Xiong's family".

  He Le'an calmly bid farewell to He Le'yan, who looked puzzled, and headed towards Xiong Shu's house. She didn't know what would happen, but she couldn't let her sister He Le'yan get involved. Coincidentally, as soon as she turned onto the main street, she saw Xue Shi-zi walking towards her. Before she could speak, he said, "I'll escort you back to the manor."

  "What's wrong with you? I——" He Lian blinked his eyes in confusion.

  Xue Shizi keenly sensed that she was also holding a ball of something in her hand, and before she could finish asking, he had already spread out his own palm, where there was also a crumpled up piece of paper.

  He Le'an took over the paper ball and opened it, on which was written "He Le'an is in danger". Just then Xue Shizi said: "I went to your house to find you, but the maid said you had gone to Ya Lou with Le Huan." She then spread out her own paper ball before him.

  "It seems I'll have to accompany you to the Xiong's house." Xue Shizi said with a hint of playfulness.

  He Le'an suddenly thought of something and said: "Are you from the mansion of the Marquis of Jin Ning? Has Huiyu returned home?"

  "She came back early, I saw her and little sister playing in the garden before I left, what's wrong?"

  "Perhaps I'm thinking too much, trouble Xue Shizi to accompany me to visit the Bear family."

  They went to the Xiong's house, and the gate was tightly closed. It didn't seem like anything was wrong, but after knocking on the door for a long time, there was no response from the servant girl. He Lian asked Xue Shizi to kick open the locked door, and she rushed straight to Xiong Lin's bedroom, calling out for her maid, Momo, along the way, but there was still no response. Just as she was about to enter Xiong Lin's bedroom, Xue Shizi grabbed her arm, indicating that he should go in first.

  He Le'an knew he was going to fight, and followed him into the inner room. Xiong Lin, who was lying on the bed, seemed to be asleep, and their soft voices did not wake her up. Xue Shi-zi walked over and could feel her breathing without using his senses. Just as they were wondering what was going on in the house, a smoke bomb was thrown into the outer room.

  With a loud bang, the whole house was filled with an irritating smell that made people's eyes, mouths and noses uncomfortable.

  Xue Shizi could hardly see He Le'an right in front of him, and suddenly grabbed her arm to make the rest of his defenses. Just then, a loud noise came from the door and window, and when the thick smoke gradually dissipated, he realized that the door and window had been sealed with something like an iron plate!

  He walked to the window and tried to push it open with his inner strength, but suddenly a surge of blood rushed up, his throat was sweet and sour, and black red blood spurted out uncontrollably. He felt an irresistible urge to scratch from below, rushing up to his heart and becoming unbearable itching!

  "Xue Shizi, are you okay?"

  "Don't come over!!" Xue Shizi gritted his teeth to stop He Le'an, who was about to approach. He tried to guide the true energy in his body, but as soon as he touched his inner power, a strange movement like a fierce fire made him suddenly spit out a mouthful of black blood again. Looking at He Le'an, there was nothing unusual, probably because the smoke had no harm to ordinary people.

  He Le'an, who suddenly stopped in her tracks, only keenly discovered that Xue Shizhi's gaze towards herself was gradually becoming more ardent. She didn't know if it was the bloodstain on the corner of his lips or something else, but his face had turned strangely red. She recalled the thick smoke from earlier, "You..."

  "Ah, poisoned." Xue Shizi calmly clenched his fist, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palm. Exchanging pain for rationality, but the medicine had already taken effect deep within his internal organs. He repeatedly increased his strength until his skin was pierced, and bright red blood flowed out from between his fingers!

  "What?!" He Le'an also knew what kind of poison it was, but before he could speak, Xue Shizi, relying on his last bit of clarity, walked out of the inner room. However, reason ultimately couldn't overcome the demon in his poisoned heart, and his steps, which had been heading outward, suddenly turned around, and he pounced on her!!!

  "Ah!!" He Lianan thought of hiding when it was already too late, he roughly and violently pinned her against the wall like a burning fireball, she struggled in terror. But his lips still pressed down fiercely, "Mmm!"

  Her mind went blank, tears streaming down her face as she felt a cold object being forced into her hand, and then a scorching hot grip grabbed her hand and shoved it into... his shoulder!

  In the blink of an eye, the door was kicked open, and Xue Shi Zi's oppressive figure slowly fell to the ground in front of her. Her hand holding the dagger trembled as she let go, and he collapsed like a piece of paper beside her. In the chaos, Xu Xi rushed in like the wind, quickly sealing off Xue Shi Zi's acupoints with a few swift moves. He pulled her into his arms to comfort her: "It's all right..."

  **

  He Le'an suddenly woke up, and what entered her eyes was the familiar bedroom of Langya Residence. The heart that had been pierced a thousand times in her dream slightly relaxed as she got out of bed, only to hear the sound of shattering tea cups coming from outside. She suspiciously opened the door, and saw... Xie Ye pinning down a pink figure on the desk!

  Look at her, that pink face turned around in a fluster, crying pitifully: "Young mistress, save me!"

  It was the poetic sentiment that had accompanied her as a dowry. But Xie seemed to be unaware of her existence, and she saw him bow his head and struggle with the poetic sentiment, He Le An couldn't bear to see this scene, rushed over to push him away, but unfortunately her strength couldn't move him at all, and she was actually pushed aside by him in annoyance. She fell to the ground, disbelieving, and tears streamed down her face. "You, Xie you bastard!"

  She glared at Xie Xian, who didn't even look at her, and the poetic sentiment that was being trampled under his feet. She ran out with a broken heart. She couldn't wait to leave the Xie manor and return to the Hou manor's side courtyard immediately. However, just as she had left the manor for a short while, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her neck and lost consciousness. She was only awakened by being splashed with a basin of cold water.

  Her eyes, which had suddenly opened, took in the water droplets and hurt so much that she subconsciously closed them again. A short, cold laugh echoed above her head. He Le'an shook off the water droplets on her face and reopened her eyes to find her hands bound behind her back. With great difficulty, she lifted her head and saw Dongfang Niangzi looking down at her with a pitiful expression, as if gazing at a filthy little dog.

  "You don't seem surprised at all." Dongfang Niang said. "I'm not happy about that, but..." She suddenly smiled strangely, "You'll always be surprised, no, I should say terrified instead." She squatted down and grabbed his chin, examining him left and right, "I'm puzzled, your face is good-looking, but there are many people who look better than you, why do they all fall for you?"

  He Le'an stared at her without blinking, while Dongfang Niang continued to speak on her own, "You're just a lowly illegitimate daughter, yet Xue Huiyu keeps praising you, and even after finding out that the Prince of Yue likes you, she's still willing to help set you up. What right do you have?! The Prince of Yue is of such noble status, how could someone like you be worthy of him?!"

  "I've liked the King of Yue since I was a child, from the time he came to the Jin Ning Hou Mansion to visit relatives. Do you know how different he is? When he smiles, it's like the blooming of a peach blossom! I had never seen anyone as bright and handsome as him before. I picked up something he dropped, and it felt like I had obtained a precious treasure, couldn't help but take it out to look at it again and again, hoping that he would come back to Fengzhou City to play again. He saved me when I almost got bitten by a snake, I thought he would at least remember who I am... Haha!"

  "Dongfang Niangniang said with pain and hatred, 'I once jokingly asked Xue Huiyu, if I liked Yue Junwang, would she help me win him over? But you guess what, as a friend of several years, she actually remained silent, saying that if she didn't know whether Yue Junwang liked me or not, she would definitely help me win him over. She never truly cared for me, it was all because of you, He Lian'an! If you hadn't appeared, I wouldn't have lost one after another, and in the end, I even married that scoundrel Su Xuanzhan!'"

  "What right do you have to have everything, while I have nothing? I'll destroy all your happiness!" Dongfang Niang suddenly burst into a mad laughter, grabbing He Le'an's chin with her rough hand and forcing her to look to the left.

  In an instant, He Le'an's expression of endurance turned into one of incredulity. She looked at Xue Huiyu and Xiong Shu, who were tied up and hung from the beam with a cloth stuffed in their mouths, and saw that below them were two sharpened bamboo poles. If the rope broke, they would fall to their deaths without a doubt.

  In the blink of an eye, a man in black appeared and splashed water on Xue Huiyu and Xiong Shu to wake them up. As they came to their senses and realized the danger they were in, they struggled and panicked, looking at He Le'an.

  Xue Huiyu glared at Dongfang Niuniang, who had deceived her. A faint smile spread across Dongfang's face as she said, "In the face of life and death back then, didn't you all choose to protect someone else? Today, I want you, He Le'an, to choose one person among them to die!" Her hand tightened cruelly around He Le'an's jaw. "Of course, you can also choose to die yourself, but..."

  "You think it's easy to fulfill yourself?!" Her eyes were cold and venomous, as if she wanted to push He Le'an into hell to suffer all kinds of torture to vent her hatred. But under her eyelids, He Le'an suddenly hooked up the corner of his mouth with a good laugh.

  "I thought you'd have some new tricks up your sleeve, but it seems that being next to Su Song didn't teach you even half of his success!" He Le An smiled quietly, and the calm, water-like eyes seemed to emit a strange glow, causing Dong Fang Ni Xiang, who was already on the verge of madness, to shiver with cold sweat!

  “Ah——” Dongfang Niang's cry of surprise had barely escaped her lips when a powerful internal force sent her flying backward, slamming into the pillar with a loud crash and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Meanwhile, the black-clad figure who had been standing not far from her was, in the blink of an eye, struck down by a silver light that silently sliced towards his neck, sending him crashing to the ground!

  Then, Xue Huiyu and Xiong Shu were rescued by someone at a speed that Dongfang Niangxiang couldn't see clearly, and they were taken away. The deserted temple, after a brief commotion, returned to its tranquility. Dongfang Niangxiang's whole body felt as if her bones had been shattered, and she looked at He Le'an walking towards her with a calm and serene expression. With a flash of silver light, the binding hemp rope was broken.

  Dongfang Niur looked at him incredulously. She covered her chest stained with bright red and exclaimed, "You, how is it possible—!!"

  He Le'an was supported by Xi Xie, and after rubbing some numbness, he smiled coldly, "After leaving Uncle Xiong's house, all of this is just our plan to outsmart each other. You bribed the maid to lead my husband to Uncle Xiong's house to catch an adulterer, but failed, and then there was the scene where the maid drugged Xi Xie, trying to make me heartbroken. Although it was a clever plan, it was also quite foolish."

  "If I had believed it, I wouldn't be the He Liu that so many people look at with a different gaze." He Le'an said, "I thought you went to the capital and your methods might have improved, but it turns out that coming and going are just these childish things."

  She let out a short, cold laugh. "If it were me, I wouldn't have called the servant over. What hurts the most isn't that her husband had an affair with some beautiful servant girl, but rather that he did it with his own close friend or loving younger sister. With just a few words of clever talk and poetic language, she could invite someone to come over, unfortunately you're still too naive. This life-or-death ultimatum is simply laughable!"

  "Ah!" Dongfang Niang was stimulated by the contempt in her eyes, and she exerted all her strength to pounce over, but as soon as she moved, a palm of internal force pressed directly on her abdomen, causing her to suddenly spit out another mouthful of bright red blood!

  "He Lian said, 'You're not fond of Yue Jun Wang, are you? Today, I'll tell you a secret.' She leaned over to Xie Hua's side, tiptoed, and gently tore off the disguise on his face, revealing Yue Jun Wang's enchanting face."

  "!!!!" Dongfang Niurong looked at him as if she had seen a ghost, "No! It's impossible! You can't be the King of Yueguo! He... he's already dead, how could you possibly be him!!" She let out a mournful wail, as if the sky was about to collapse.