This translation is by Pocketrobbin at S h a n g h a i f a n t a s y . c o m

Ouyang Nuan was dragged onto the street.

She still remembered the scenes from the first time she walked down this street. It was the day of her wedding— her vision was filled with dazzling red. Behind her sedan chair followed an endless stream of dowry, lacquered in crimson and gilded in gold, radiating brilliance. The streets were packed with people, an ocean of heads and a sea of onlookers. Who wouldn’t envy the grand ten-mile wedding procession?

Yet today, three years later, she once again stood on this very street, only to be met with a shocking sight. The street was just as crowded, teeming with people. However, this time, every face was filled with excitement and fervor. They carried baskets filled with rotting vegetables and spoiled fruit, pots and pans, brooms, dustpans, wooden sticks, and broken tiles……

Haha. How could she have forgotten? She was no longer the noble Eldest Miss Ouyang who stood high above the masses, but rather the despised ‘depraved woman’ that everyone wanted to punish.

The people of the Su family had also arrived. Not only her father-in-law and mother-in-law but also her husband, and even the maids and servants…… they had all come.

“No! Miss—” Hongyu cried out, struggling to push through the crowd toward Ouyang Nuan. “Don’t touch my miss!” She raised her voice and pleaded, “Master, Madam, Young Master, I beg you, please let her go!”

Ouyang Nuan couldn’t hear Hongyu, as her voice was being swallowed by the deafening noise of the crowd.

Nanny Fang frantically pushed her way through and finally reached Ouyang Nuan’s side. She sobbed as she shouted, “Miss! This is a trap! They are framing you!”

Ouyang Nuan looked at the disheveled, half-mad Nanny Fang, yet what surfaced in her mind was the song the old woman had sung during her wedding……

“Ten miles of red makeup stretch long, the bridal sedan sways with joyous song.

Sweet candies scatter ten miles wide, aged wine drifts with fragrant tide.

In dreams, the bride and groom stand side by side, loving until the end of time.

Love so deep, longing so strong, only then does the red makeup last ten miles long!”

Love so deep, longing so strong, only then does the red makeup last ten miles long……

Now, it had all become a joke.

“You still refuse to confess?” Madam Su’s voice was cold. “This is your own lack of virtue, disgracing the Ouyang family and shaming our Su family’s honor!”

At that moment, a man in the crowd shouted, “Look! That’s Ouyang Nuan, the shameless woman who cheated on her husband while he was away!”

“Wretched woman!”

“Despicable and vile! Beat her! Beat her to death!”

Amidst the venomous curses, rotten vegetables, spoiled fruit, bricks, and tiles rained down on Ouyang Nuan. Her face and hair were drenched, and her body was struck by countless stones. Yet, she no longer felt pain. Her mind was clouded with a single thought— perhaps this was what they called hell.

It wasn’t long before her hair was in disarray and her face was covered in filth, sweat, and tears.

Hongyu desperately tried to charge forward, but the people of the Su family held her back. She screamed toward the crowd, “My miss is innocent! It was the Su family who framed her!” She shrieked, struggling like a madwoman— breaking free only to be seized again, kicking one person away only to be dragged back down.

Hongyu…… Ouyang Nuan looked at Hongyu, her eyes welling up.

“Ah—!” A brick struck Ouyang Nuan’s forehead. She cried out in pain as blood seeped from her hairline.

Forced to kneel on the ground and bound tightly with ropes, she could only watch helplessly as rotten vegetables and spoiled fruit hurtled toward her.

Nanny Fang desperately shielded her, while Hongyu, who had been restrained, let out a heart-wrenching scream. She broke free from the grasp of the Su family’s servants and, as if staking her life, dashed forward to block Ouyang Nuan.

Hongyu fell to her knees before the crowd, her voice hoarse with desperation, “My miss is innocent! She was framed!” She kowtowed. “Please, have mercy! I beg you, stop hitting her……”

She turned to the left, kowtowing again, then to the right, continuing to bow. “Let my miss go!”

The mob showed no signs of stopping. Countless objects continued to strike Ouyang Nuan’s body, yet she no longer reacted. But when she saw Hongyu endlessly kowtowing, her forehead smashing into the ground until blood streamed down her face, tears suddenly rolled down Ouyang Nuan’s cheeks. She choked on her sobs, her voice hoarse as she cried out, “Hongyu! Get up! Don’t kneel to them! Get up! Get up!”

Amidst the chaos, Ouyang Nuan lifted her gaze. Though her vision was already blurred, she carefully looked at every person present, especially the members of the Su family standing far away.

There was the dignified Master Su, the benevolent Madam Su, and her gentle, considerate, handsome husband, Su Yulou. Finally, her eyes fell upon the delicate figure standing beside him— Ouyang Ke.

Ouyang Nuan’s memory drifted back to that humiliating dawn.

She had been startled awake by a loud commotion. Sitting up in bed, she rubbed her drowsy eyes. Around her, a dense crowd had gathered— her enraged father-in-law and mother-in-law, her ashen-faced husband, the whispering servants, and her younger sister, Ouyang Ke, whose face was full of sympathy.

Beside her, under the same blanket, lay a naked man.

Before Ouyang Nuan could react, the man scrambled out from under the covers, knelt on the floor, and cried out, “Master, spare my life! I dare not do this again!”

With just those few words, Ouyang Nuan’s supposed adultery was confirmed!

Her father-in-law and mother-in-law’s eyes burned with fury, as if they wished to reduce the quilt she clutched to ashes.

Su Yulou swayed unsteadily before her. Overwhelmed with disgust, he shut his eyes tightly and never opened them to look at her again.

Ouyang Nuan had never understood why that man had been in her bed when she awoke.

But later, she figured it out. That cup of tea…… It was the tea that her own sister had personally handed to her!

“Why? Ouyang Ke, was I not good to you? My mother passed away early, and your mother— my aunt^[1]mother’s younger sister— became my stepmother. I treated her as my own mother, and I cherished you as if we were born of the same womb. When you were forced into an unwanted marriage by a powerful noble, I took you in despite the consequences of offending such a high-ranking official! Why did you do this to me?!”

Ouyang Nuan summoned all her strength to call out her husband’s name, “Yulou! Yulou! Yulou, why don’t you believe me? You once swore that no matter what happened, you would trust me and protect me! I am innocent!”

Locked away for an entire day and night, Ouyang Nuan repeated those words over and over, screaming until her throat bled. But no one believed her.

She didn’t care what others said, she only wanted to see her husband, to tell him in person— ‘Yulou, I am innocent. Believe me.’

Yet, Su Yulou never came to see her. Even as Hongyu knelt outside, pleading desperately for an entire day and night, he never appeared. He only showed up when Ouyang Nuan was bound and dragged out, labeled as an adulteress to be paraded through the streets. But even then, he merely stood coldly among the crowd, watching from afar— beside him, nestled against him like a delicate flower, was Ouyang Ke.

Ouyang Nuan had already figured it out.

She had been married into the Su family for three years but had yet to bear a child. She had also refused to allow her husband to take a concubine, making her a thorn in her mother-in-law’s side. Half a month ago, Madam Su had suggested that Ouyang Ke marry into the Su family as a co-wife, but Ouyang Nuan rejected the idea.

And Ouyang Ke had always harbored feelings for Su Yulou. Hongyu had even caught them secretly meeting multiple times. But back then, Ouyang Nuan had been utterly foolish, refusing to believe it. She had even punished the loyal Hongyu for speaking out.

The only way for Ouyang Ke to marry into the Su family openly was to frame Ouyang Nuan as an adulteress.

That meant…… Ouyang Ke wasn’t the only one behind this scheme!

Was her husband also involved? Did Su Yulou……

No! No, she refused to believe it!

By this time, she had been dragged to the riverbank. Before her, the turbulent waters surged violently.

Nanny Fang and Hongyu remained at her side, refusing to leave her for even a moment.

Master Su’s face darkened, and with a wave of his hand, five or six men stepped forward with menacing expressions. Nanny Fang and Hongyu were forcefully restrained, held down so tightly they couldn’t move.

Ouyang Nuan threw her head back and laughed bitterly. “Heavens, open your eyes!”

The wind suddenly howled, and raindrops began to fall.

Her laughter grew hoarse. “Look! The heavens have opened their eyes! Even they know I have been wronged!”

The crowd erupted into chaos, and Master Su’s face darkened further. He bellowed in fury, “Drown her in the river!”

“Father! Wait!”

From within the crowd, Su Yulou slowly stepped forward. His incomparably handsome face appeared somewhat haggard, and his tall, slender figure swayed as if he could barely stand. Someone draped a cloak over his shoulders. Through her tear-filled eyes, Ouyang Nuan looked up and saw Ouyang Ke standing quietly behind her husband, her posture as gentle and composed as ever.

There was no use saying anything more. Ouyang Nuan gazed into Su Yulou’s eyes, just as she had done every day in the past, and whispered softly, “Yulou, I am innocent. Do you believe me?”

Su Yulou remained silent for a long time. Then, he pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve and tossed it in front of Ouyang Nuan. His voice was heavy with sorrow, yet his gaze was eerily calm, “Even now, you still refuse to confess. This should have been given to you long ago. A woman like you— even in death— must be severed cleanly from the Su family!”

A divorce letter…… It was actually a divorce letter……

Ouyang Ke stepped forward and picked up the discarded paper. She was breathtakingly beautiful, dignified, and graceful. Her expression carried a hint of sorrow as she looked at Ouyang Nuan and spoke gently, “Sister, do not blame Yulou. This happened because you made a mistake. Go in peace. In the future, I will take good care of……” She paused, a faint blush rising to her cheeks.

Ouyang Nuan stared at the familiar face before her and murmured, “Ke’er… why?”

Ouyang Ke took another step closer, seemingly bidding farewell to her elder sister. Yet, in a voice too quiet for anyone else to hear, she whispered into Ouyang Nuan’s ear, “Do you remember how you once accidentally scraped your forehead? Do you know why it left a scar? It was because my mother had someone tamper with it! And that precious little brother of yours— such an adorable child— he could have inherited everything from the Ouyang family. But what a pity, he drowned in the pond instead. My mother and I were there when it happened. We watched as he was pushed into the water, flailing and crying for help. We saw him slowly sink, the water covering his mouth, his nose, his eyes…… He was drowned, alive. Too bad for him— he was just unlucky, born to a dead mother and an idiotic sister as foolish as a pig!”

Ouyang Nuan’s entire body stiffened. She lifted her head to look at Ouyang Ke, her once lifeless eyes darkening with a chilling intensity before twisting into a terrifying madness. Her brother was dead and she had been cast aside. The mother and sister she once trusted had harbored such ruthless hearts all along!

Haha…… Hahahaha…… Lin Wanru, back then, you promised my dying mother that you would take good care of my brother and me. But how did you actually treat us? How?!

Ouyang Nuan slowly closed her eyes before gradually opening them again. She smiled at Ouyang Ke— an unbelievably gentle, serene smile. “Sister did make a mistake, Ke’er. Come closer. I have one last thing to tell you.”

Ouyang Ke eyed Ouyang Nuan warily, but she didn’t believe Ouyang Nuan could cause any trouble under so many watchful eyes. So she took another step closer.

Ouyang Nuan lowered her voice and said, “After my mother passed away, she left behind a dowry worth a fortune. Now that I’m about to die, I will leave it all to you. But please, show some kindness and set aside a portion for Nanny Fang and Hongyu……”

Ouyang Ke’s eyes lit up. She had indeed heard that Ouyang Nuan’s mother had an astonishing dowry. However, after Ouyang Nuan’s marriage, that wealth had seemingly vanished. So it was in her hands all along……

“Come just a little closer, and I’ll tell you where it is……”

Had Ouyang Ke not been so greedy, she might have been more cautious. But she was too certain of her victory, too confident. She leaned in, bringing her face dangerously close to Ouyang Nuan’s lips.

The crowd had yet to react when a sudden, ear-piercing scream tore through the air. Ouyang Ke collapsed onto the ground, writhing in agony and shrieking like a madwoman.

On the ground, a fresh, bloody ear lay in plain sight.

Seeing this, the gathered onlookers hurled the vilest, most contemptuous insults at Ouyang Nuan. But she refused to bow her head in submission. Though her eyes burned with unbearable pain, she did not let a single tear fall. Her defiance enraged the crowd. Someone roared and hurled a bucket of filth at her.

Ouyang Nuan used her tongue to lick the grime from the corner of her lips and let out a hoarse, frenzied laugh. When her laughter subsided, she looked toward the people by the water’s edge. With every word seething in hatred, she declared, “With the sun and moon above, and the ghosts and deities below as my witness— I, Ouyang Nuan, swore that if I died unjustly and become a vengeful spirit, I will never forgive!”

“Drown her! Now!” Master Su’s voice was hoarse and furious. Ouyang Nuan threw her head back and laughed wildly.

The world spun in an instant.

The river swallowed her whole and the freezing water seeped deep into her bones.