Chapter 5: Hanging

Upon seeing that the letters were indeed from Chen Fei, Lu’s grandmother was furious. She cursed Chen Fei and Mrs. Xiao Chen for allowing this and vowed to send Chen Fei away at first light the next day, disowning her maternal cousin. She then told Lu Man, “Man, it was Chen Fei who deceived you. He is indeed betrothed to the fifth daughter of the Wang family in their county. It’s absolutely true. Fortunately, you didn’t suffer a loss. Forget about him. He’s not worthy of you. You should happily marry Third Young Master Jiang. Not only is he handsome and comes from a good family, but he also holds the rank of eighth-rank official.” She further instructed those present, “The matter between Chen Fei and Man must not be spread. Man has had bad luck, and it will affect our whole family.”

Lu Fangming and the main wife, Mrs. Ding, were delighted at the prospect of a union with Princess Changting’s residence and naturally kept the matter to themselves. Mrs. Xiao Chen’s intentions were unfathomable, but she didn’t dare openly oppose the grandmother and nodded in agreement.

Later that night, Lu Man still couldn’t believe that Chen Fei, who had shown her such affection, could be deceiving her. She felt that Lu’s grandmother and Mrs. Xiao Chen had conspired to deceive her in order to secure her marriage into Princess Changting’s residence and secure prosperity.

She decided to go to the guest room in the outer courtyard to find Chen Fei and clarify matters. If Chen Fei hadn’t deceived her and still felt deeply in love with her, she was willing to elope with him.

Fortunately, she still had the spare key that Hong Ling had secretly obtained. She got up quietly, dressed in the dark, and left her courtyard, taking advantage of the bright starlight to pass through several moon gates until she reached the second gate. To her surprise, the lock on the second gate was open. She quietly opened the door and left, closing it behind her.

The Jiang family estate wasn’t large. Apart from the reception hall and several study rooms for the men, there was only a small courtyard for guests. She had often sneaked out to play when she was young, so she knew the place well.

Thinking of a future with her beloved Chen Fei, living in harmony and growing old together, Lu Man’s mood was as radiant as the starry sky and she eagerly longed to see Chen Fei.

Lu Man went straight to the guest room. Before she even knocked, she heard whispers coming from the small window—it was the voices of Mrs. Xiao Chen and Chen Fei.

“…What a mess! I didn’t gain any advantage, only trouble. I spent two taels to buy that girl a gift, but I only managed to hold her hand once. If Auntie doesn’t recognize me anymore, my dad will definitely beat me to within an inch of my life. I’ll be so wronged.” This was Chen Fei’s voice.

Mrs. Xiao Chen scolded, “Look at your lack of ambition. Here, take this fifty taels.”

Chen Fei took the money and said happily, “Thank you, Auntie. With this money, it’s worth taking a beating.” He then lamented, “That girl, Lu Man, may be a bit plump, but she’s quite pretty. If the plan had succeeded, bringing her back home as a concubine would have been great. Ah, what a pity.”

Mrs. Xiao Chen gave him a stern look and said, “No one expected this to happen. Now the Princess’s residence intends to marry that girl to bring fortune. The old lady is overjoyed, thinking that by connecting with Princess Changting, the men’s careers will progress smoothly and they will rise in status. Huh, things aren’t that easy! Even the imperial physician says that old Marquis Jiang has a severe illness and won’t survive. If that girl doesn’t cure old Marquis Jiang’s illness, she’s as good as abandoned. Her family background is poor, and her reputation is tarnished. How could the noble Third Young Master Jiang keep her in the residence? He will surely find an excuse to send her back home. At that point, the old lady and brother-in-law won’t care about her, her father is far away, and a divorced woman, even if kept as a concubine, will be her blessing…”

Lu Man couldn’t bear to listen any longer and broke down in tears, realizing that Chen Fei had indeed deceived her. He and Mrs. Xiao Chen had conspired together to deceive her with such despicable means, intending to take her as a concubine.

Even if her mother had been divorced and her maternal family had been convicted, she was still the daughter of a fifth-rank official. How could she become a country landlord’s son’s concubine?

If she truly yielded to Chen Fei, none of her distant father, the grandmother in this courtyard, or her uncle would help her. Besides death, she had no choice but to become his concubine.

Lu Man cursed herself for being naive, thinking that Chen Fei genuinely cared for her and believing that she had finally found solace after enduring so much suffering. But it turned out they had deceived her, and she had been deceived so miserably!

Thinking about the cold, heartless household and those two vile individuals inside, she cried silently. She didn’t want to live anymore, she wanted to die, to rush in and perish with those two.

But she knew she couldn’t overpower them. If the matter came to light, they wouldn’t admit to their sordid intentions and actions. Instead, they would turn the tables on her. Mrs. Xiao Chen and Lu Yuan had done so in the past with many things.

At this moment, Lu Man felt utterly powerless, yet her mind was unusually clear, even clearer than usual. She couldn’t fathom why Mrs. Xiao Chen would harm her, and why her grandmother and uncle, who had always been cold towards her, now sought to use her for their prosperity.

If she died, Mrs. Xiao Chen, and the others in the Lu family, wouldn’t get what they wanted. It was a pity she couldn’t exact revenge on Chen Fei…

The next day, when Lu’s grandmother saw that Lu Man agreed to marry Third Young Master Jiang, she was overjoyed.

Three days later, Lu Man quietly boarded the bridal sedan. Riding the horse, paying respects, entering the bridal chamber, her head covered, she found herself surrounded by a room full of red.

She didn’t pay attention to anyone in the new room, including the man with whom she had shared the wedding cup. Her only impression of him was his tall stature, his flawless chin, and his lips that touched the cup but didn’t drink.

When the guests went to the wedding banquet, she sent away the maids in the room and hung herself with a red silk cloth.

Before slipping into the red fabric, she smiled silently. The Lu family was waiting for her to marry into Princess Changting’s residence for wealth and status, and Mrs. Xiao Chen was waiting for her to be divorced by Princess Changting’s residence and become Chen Fei’s concubine. Well, they could continue waiting…

****

Lu Man sighed. She was incredibly unlucky to have ended up in this body. That girl foolishly sought revenge on the Lu family in such an extreme manner, and now, dying would only benefit the entire Lu family. Unfortunately, she had come back to bear the burden intended for that previous Lu Man.

In her past life, Lu Man had read numerous online novels and knew that most princesses were twisted and formidable. The previous occupant’s actions had not only offended all the Masters of Princess Changting’s residence but also filled her groom, Jiang Zhanwei, with deep resentment…

However, she was there for the wedding. For the sake of the ailing old Marquis, they wouldn’t send her back or have her die suddenly, would they?

Her fate, whether she lived or died, and how quickly or slowly she died, all lay in the hands of the comatose old Marquis.