Chapter 47 Dissolution Agreement: I'll go with you, fish, dead, net, broken. ...

As dawn broke, a gentle breeze stirred the tassels of the palace lanterns under the eaves, causing them to sway and sway, much like the Meng residence at that moment.

The Meng family patriarch and madam always had complete peace of mind about their exceptionally talented eldest son. Apart from arranging a marriage for him in his early years, Meng Shutai made all the decisions regarding his marriage, respecting his considerations in every way and never uttering a word of objection.

But when the news came this morning that Meng Shutai was going to set a wedding date, the old couple went straight to Zhenyuan. As soon as Madam Meng entered the house, she said with a sob in her voice, "My son."

Even as the years have passed, the love in her eyes has not aged; instead, it has transformed into countless heartbreaking tears that fall.

She grabbed Meng Shutai, who was already dressed, and stopped him, saying, "It's your parents' fault. We shouldn't have rushed into this dangerous situation and brought you this calamity. My good child, listen to your mother, let's break off this engagement..."

Master Meng agreed, “Shutai, let me be frank with you, this marriage cannot proceed. That Le family daughter is of wicked character and utterly despicable. If she were to enter the Meng family, how would the people of Luojing view us? I have always taught you to be loyal and trustworthy, to keep your word, but times have changed…”

His parents' earnest teachings, each word written with heartfelt sorrow, sounded like the annoying buzzing of mosquitoes to Meng Shutai.

So annoying.

What's wrong with Lejin?

She's perfect in every way.

The knife attack was a code word known only to the two of them; her arrogance stemmed from her current status; and her promiscuity... wasn't it just other men throwing themselves at her? Le Jin didn't do it on purpose. What's the point of all this arguing and bickering with these fools and mediocre people?

A nerve was constantly tugging at Meng Shutai's head, causing him pain and making him feel irritable. He didn't want to waste any more words with them.

On the dressing table, an ivory dagger with gold and silver trim lay. Only a single blade remained; the scabbard was still on Yue Jin's person.

With a cold expression, Meng Shutai silently picked up a dagger, pressed the tip against his neck, and said calmly, "I am willing to fulfill the marriage agreement. If Father and Mother do not agree, I will die on the spot."

Everyone gasped in shock. The maids and servants stood frozen in place, staring intently at the young master's hand movements.

“Shutai…” Madam Meng’s vision went black, and she collapsed into Master Meng’s arms. Master Meng supported his wife, speechless with astonishment.

What kind of curse did that woman cast on the perfectly healthy child?

They were so frightened that they didn't know how to answer for a moment. Meng Shutai, expressionless, plunged the tip of the knife into the flesh of his neck. Blood gathered into beads, clinging to his skin, about to fall but not yet.

"No, no!" Madam Meng waved her hands in anguish, leaning on her husband and collapsing to the ground in defeat. "Son, let go! Your parents won't stop you, they won't stop you!"

Meng Shutai looked down at his parents, who were both in tears, as if they were just a painting hanging on the wall, hastily drawn and utterly uninteresting.

He sheathed the dagger in his sleeve, gave a curt bow, and walked away.

"The child is gone."

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he bumped into Meng Cizhang.

The boy stared at him with one eye, a flicker of unease in it, and stammered, clutching the hem of his clothes:

"Brother, you don't need to go... it's too late."

——

Inside the carriage, Le Jin and the Feng couple sat facing each other, their heads bowed to avoid their sorrowful faces.

Feng Yu'en was still not back, but seeing a couple who had lived most of their lives facing the pain of losing their child, Le Jin couldn't bear it. The news of her death was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't say it.

In the end, she could only comfort them, saying that Feng Yu'en was probably just delayed on his way home.

As long as we're still on the road, there's hope.

The carriage sped along the long street of Luoyang, bathed in the morning glow. The morning breeze slipped through the curtains, and the marriage contract in Le Jin's hand rustled. Her worries were once again drawn to this piece of paper.

That's so strange...

Not long after returning home, the Meng family sent a letter of annulment bearing Meng Shutai's private seal, stating that the marriage agreement between the two families was dissolved and they would part ways amicably.

She did do something that deserved her divorce, but that's not how it was in the original story! Why is there this divorce decree?

Le Jin was completely bewildered, but Le Zhao was overjoyed. He arranged a carriage overnight to take the Feng couple back to Shuzhou, refusing to stay in Luoyang any longer.

Perhaps her revealing her identity last night caused a deviation in the timeline, leading to the mission's failure?

You should ask the system.

But after everything that happened, does the success or failure of the mission really only concern her alone?

Outside the carriage was Le Zhao, who was reluctant to see her younger sister get married and even more unwilling to see her family separated. Opposite her were two ordinary parents who had lost their son because of her, and beside her was Bao Yin, whose hands had not yet been tainted by her loyal young lady...

If this mission continues, it will inevitably involve more and more people, and the lives of others will become stepping stones for themselves... As soon as Le Jin thought about it, it was as if countless ghostly hands grabbed her ankles and dragged her into the abyss.

She didn't ask the system.

Well, while there's still room for maneuver, let's just let this chapter pass by in a blur. As for going home and my sister... since I can change tasks, why not talk to the system and ask her to "work a few more times"?

My optimistic and easygoing nature kicked in, and in an instant, I realized that nothing was a big deal. Life goes on, after all.

At the bottom left of the dissolution document, a square seal was stamped with the bold and colorful characters "Meng Shutai Seal," marking the final end to her bewildering days.

She chuckled self-deprecatingly, examining the marriage certificate again and again. Who says this doesn't count as an award?

"Participation is key" award.

Sunlight streamed fully onto the earth, casting enormous shadows on the majestic Luoyang city gates. Le Jin lifted the curtain and gazed out, utterly awestruck.

The vermilion gate was wide open, and golden sunlight slanted in, creating a vast and brilliant scene.

Last time, she was in such a rush that she didn't even notice the scenery. Only now did she realize how luxurious and extravagant Luoyang was, with even the city gates built to look as if she could never escape.

Just as I was feeling sentimental, someone rode past the carriage on horseback, so fast that only a blurry shadow remained.

The carriage suddenly stopped, nearly throwing Le Jin and all the passengers out of the carriage, and even Le Zhao, who was riding Ru Yunfu next to him, was forced to stop.

"What happened?"

Le Jin lifted the curtain again, and in the sunlight at the city gate, there was a horse and a person.

He pulled on the reins, panting heavily, his phoenix eyes fixed solely on Le Jin, their cold light chilling to the bone. Le Jin was so frightened that she immediately shrank back into the carriage.

Meng Shutai has caught up with us? What the hell! He's still injured, why is he chasing after us like this?

Outside the carriage, Meng Shutai slowly rode his horse closer to Le Jin and his group. After catching his breath, a layer of moisture appeared on his thin lips, exuding a captivating charm and adding a touch of allure.

"Is Mr. Yue going back to Shuzhou? Actually, it wouldn't be too late to leave after I marry Yue Jin."

What?

Le Zhao turned to look at the carriage, her voice choked with emotion, "Young Master Meng, please don't joke. The letter of annulment was delivered last night, and it even bears your personal seal..."

"Private seal?"

Le Jin heard Meng Shutai laughing, and the laughter grew closer and closer with the sound of horses' hooves.

She trembled uncontrollably, as if the person approaching her from outside was not Meng Shutai, but a monstrous demon with gaping, bloodthirsty mouths.

“My lord, you do not know that the letter of dissolution of the marriage was a joke made by your foolish younger brother Cizhang. The seal on the letter is a fake seal made by him in wood, based on my jade seal. It cannot be made real.”

Le Jin's heart clenched, as if she had been pinched. She quickly picked up the marriage certificate and examined it closely. The stamp was unusually rich in color, clearly not a jade stamp that wouldn't absorb color, but a wooden stamp that easily absorbed color.

Heavens above! Meng Cizhang, that honest boy, must be unhappy that she's going to marry his brother, so he forged a document...

“Ci Zhang has already received his family punishment, so you and Lady Le need not be angry.” Meng Shutai spoke with utmost sincerity, but Le Jin’s heart clenched in waves.

She knew Meng Shutai's methods best; brotherly affection was worth less than paper to him. The child had already lost an eye; what would happen next? A hand, a leg?

Le Jin slammed open the carriage door and stared directly into Meng Shutai's eyes.

He was apologizing for his brother's behavior, nodding slightly in a humble manner, but a hint of arrogance flickered in his eyes as he looked at Le Jin.

He did it on purpose, deliberately saying it to her.

Only Le Jin knew what he had done to Meng Cizhang, and also knew that he would not hesitate to torture people.

Anger burned like a raging fire in a stove. She glared at Meng Shutai and coldly asked him, "What does Young Master Meng want to do?"

Meng Shutai smiled, looking absolutely beautiful in the morning light.

"I will marry you."

"The one you didn't want to marry before."

"I've thought about it now."

The two exchanged words rapidly, hardly resembling a discussion about marriage.

Le Zhao broke out in a cold sweat and spurred his horse to Meng Shutai's side. The two immediately began a private conversation.

"Young Master Meng, you didn't like my younger sister before, why have you changed your mind?"

Meng Shutai withdrew his gaze from Le Jin and turned to look at Le Zhao, making no attempt to hide his disgust.

Le Zhao simply wanted to keep his sister by his side. Who was more noble between him and Le Zhao?

"Love between men and women is ever-changing; Mr. Yue is too naive to be surprised."

He leaned back slightly, almost chin up at Yue Zhao.

“Aren’t you afraid that Le Jin will hate your family if she finds out about her background? She married me, and if I don’t say anything, she will never know and will always see you as her good brother.”

Back at Zuixianlou, Meng Shutai used the same tactic to manipulate Le Zhao. However, at that time, he intended to use Le Jin's identity to annul the engagement; now the tables have turned.

However, whenever this crucial point was brought up, the expression on Le Zhao's face—a mixture of heartache, regret, sadness, remorse, and subtle jealousy—always delighted Meng Shutai.

Faced with the provocation of the person in front of him, Yue Zhao was speechless.

Le Jin was his Achilles' heel, his Achilles' heel.

Thinking it over carefully, ever since she stopped her from eloping, she seemed to have changed completely, becoming more gentle, sensible, obedient, and kind than before. Le Zhao's heart softened again and again, sinking deeper and deeper into her arms.

He didn't lie to Le Jin. At first, Le Zhao did intend for his sister to carefully select a future husband, and if she liked him, he would discuss the marriage arrangements with the Meng family.

But... later, Xiao Jin'er was so gentle and considerate. When he was injured, she stayed by his side like a kitten. When he punished her, she nodded and obeyed without saying a word. He even noticed the difference in Bao Yin's behavior.

Is it really necessary to let this young girl go far away alone to bear the burden of the lies she was forced to get involved in? Le Zhao couldn't do it.

He remained silent, unable to assert himself in front of Meng Shutai, yet unable to let go of Le Jin.

"elder brother."

Unbeknownst to her, Le Jin had already walked towards the two of them.

She reached out and touched Ru Yunfu, then looked up at him and smiled sweetly, like a lilac blossom wet with rain.

"Don't try to refuse on my behalf, I will definitely marry Meng Shutai."

The original plot is not so easy to change; she already knew that when she was working as Jiu'an.

There's no escaping it.

Le Jin glanced at the city gate of Luojing not far away, estimated it to be about thirty steps away, but unfortunately she couldn't cross it.

She was holding the divorce papers in her hand when, with a "rip," twice... they were reduced to nothing but scraps of paper.

"Meng Shutai, do as you say. I'll marry you."

She reached out to Meng Shutai, gesturing for him to help her onto the horse.

"But I have conditions."

Le Jin was held securely in Meng Shutai's arms, her nostrils filled with his delicate and gentle sandalwood scent.

She turned to look at Meng Shutai, her expression stubborn.

Meng Shutai's lips curled up, his mind momentarily wavering. If she were to ask for the whole world, he would probably agree immediately.

"First, we need to get married as soon as possible; I don't have the patience."

The sooner she marries into the Meng family, the sooner she can seize Meng Shutai's weakness and slap him in the face.

"Secondly, I want the most expensive, most luxurious, sensational wedding in Luoyang, a wedding that will shake the world."

The higher she climbs, the harder she falls; the greater her current momentum, the more effective her future actions will be.

"third……"

Le Jin looked at Le Zhao, "The people I care about must all leave Luojing safely."

She turned around, grabbed Meng Shutai's shoulders with both hands, and whispered a warning in his ear in an ambiguous, almost whispering manner:

"If something like what happened to Feng Yu'en happens again..."

Le Jin gritted her teeth and spat out each word: "I'll fight you to the death, the net will break."

Suddenly, Meng Shutai grabbed her waist, pulling her even closer to him. Before Le Jin could react, his cool, soft lips brushed against her ear, sending a shiver of pleasure through her body.

Meng Shutai only uttered a single sentence with a smile, full of indulgence and pampering.

"I will obey your every command, Madam. I am willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

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Author's note: Here it comes!