Of course, there were only Jiang Ming and one other person who pushed her, but... the mastermind behind it all was Jiang Fuyi.

She will not let either of them get away with it.

"Why do they want to kill you?" someone asked loudly, eager for a good show.

Liu, who was standing to the side, could not believe what she was hearing.

How could the old man and the second son kill Xianya?

She also disliked her granddaughter and loathed her eldest daughter-in-law.

If this mother and daughter hadn't been so incredibly unlucky—one bringing misfortune to her husband, the other to her father—how could her son have died on the way to the prefectural city for the imperial examinations over a decade ago, with no trace of his body ever found?

Their son was certain to pass the imperial examination and become a scholar; if he hadn't died, the Jiang family would have risen to prominence long ago.

It's all Ye Miaoyun and Jiang Xianya's fault, those two jinxes, for bringing bad luck to her son.

Even so, she never considered killing Jiang Xianya.

Firstly, this brat is, after all, the eldest son's only bloodline in this world.

Secondly, Jiang Xianya is very beautiful, and she could get a lot of dowry if she got married.

If they marry this wretched girl off to that old man in the prefectural city as a concubine, they can get two hundred taels of silver.

The old man and his second son are such shrewd people, they wouldn't let two hundred taels of silver go to waste.

Unless... they kill Jiang Xianya, they can get more.

But this doesn't make sense. Xianya is just a peasant girl. Who would spend so much money to save her life?

“Don’t you dare make false accusations! How could your grandfather and second uncle kill you? It’s clearly because you resent us and are seeking revenge,” Liu said loudly.

Jiang Xianya ignored her completely and said directly to the crowd of onlookers, "Because... their good son, my good father, is not dead at all. He is not only alive, but also an official in the capital, a Hanlin Academician of the fifth rank."

Jiang Xianya could discern some clues from the appearances of Jiang Fuyi and Liu.

They did not lose their son at all.

This means that Jiang Mingtao is still alive.

While stewing chicken in the kitchen, Jiang Xianya used her own blood to draw a special array, gathering spiritual energy and deducing its effects. Afterward, many images appeared in her mind, and she had a complete understanding of everything.

"Fourteen years ago, Jiang Mingtao went to the prefectural city to participate in the autumn imperial examination. After passing the examination and becoming a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination), he did not return to Qingya Village. In order to save travel expenses, he went directly to the capital to take the examination the following year. Later, he passed the Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest-level imperial examination) examination and was favored by officials in the capital, who took him as their son-in-law. In these fourteen years, not only did he not return, but he also specially had someone spread the word that he had met with misfortune and died when he went to the prefectural city to take the examination."

"Just last month, Jiang Mingtao sent his confidant back with five hundred taels of silver, asking my grandfather and second uncle to take good care of my mother and me, so that we wouldn't hinder his promotion. The Hanlin Academy is a government office for the elite, and if the court finds out that he has a wife and orders him to marry her, it will be a serious crime. He will not only lose his official position but also face imprisonment."

"The wife he married in the capital is the legitimate daughter of an official. What would happen if people found out about my mother's existence? Jiang Mingtao would be ruined and lose everything."

In short, Jiang Mingtao is an absolute scumbag.

For the sake of their own wealth and status, they can feign death and not contact their parents and relatives for more than ten years.

Fearing exposure, he even considered killing his wife and daughter.

“They falsely accused my mother of adultery and tried to drown her. Thanks to my great-grandfather’s help, my mother was lucky enough to survive, but they also drove her out of the Jiang family. She was no longer a daughter-in-law of the Jiang family and was no longer husband and wife with Jiang Mingtao. This was a way of giving an explanation to the people in the capital.”

Jiang Fuyi and Jiang Minghe were, after all, natives of the small mountain village, and murder was an extremely terrifying thing for them.

Unable to overcome their inner conflict, the two hesitated for several days before daring not to kill Jiang Xianya's mother, Ye Miaoyun, with their own hands.

They then resorted to a less desirable method, falsely accusing Ye Miaoyun of adultery and attempting to drown her, but she was unexpectedly rescued by He Shunde.

Even if Ye Miaoyun hadn't died, her reputation would have been damaged, so the Jiang family took the opportunity to send her back to her parents' home and never acknowledge her as their daughter-in-law again.

In this way, even if people from the capital came looking for them, Ye Miaoyun's existence would not pose any threat to their official daughter-in-law.

All that's left is the Jiangxianya (江仙芽).

Because they had previously framed Ye Miaoyun, the Jiang father and son had become much bolder.

Jiang Fuyi specifically instructed Jiang Xianya to go up the mountain to pick tea, and then had Jiang Minghe push her down the mountain.

The real Jiang Xianya had actually been killed by them.

A life for a life is a matter of course.

Jiang Xianya, of course, wanted to make the father and son pay with their lives.

"My existence is a huge threat to them. They failed to kill me yesterday, and they certainly won't let me live next. Please, sir, do justice for me," Jiang Xianya said with a face full of grief and indignation.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fuyi and his son turned ashen-faced.

This matter was clearly a secret, so how did Jiang Xianya know about it?

Jiang Fuyi was certain that apart from himself and his second brother, no one else knew about this matter.

To maintain secrecy, they deliberately avoided the village when discussing matters, instead talking by the river outside the village. Jiang Fuyi didn't even mention his wife, Liu.

How did Jiang Xianya know about it?

They knew even more clearly than he did.

"Old man, is what she said true? Is Mingtao still alive?" Liu asked, turning her head in a trembling voice.

“Jiang Mingtao is not dead at all, but you say that my mother and I brought him to his death. Over the years, you have made my mother work like a slave in the Jiang family, ruined her reputation, forbade her to remarry, and made her suffer all kinds of humiliation. You even falsely accused her of adultery and almost had her drowned. Although I have the blood of the Jiang family in my veins, you still want to kill me in order to protect Jiang Mingtao’s wealth and status.”

Jiang Xianya laughed as she spoke: "I almost died yesterday. I was barely breathing. You thought I was dead, so you wanted to sell me to someone else for a ghost marriage. In your hearts, you have never treated me as family. Anyone with a conscience would not do such a heinous thing."

"Grandfather, fellow villagers," Jiang Xianya turned to the crowd and said loudly, "I would appreciate it if you could bear witness for me. I am writing a letter of severance from the Jiang family. From this day forward, I am no longer a member of the Jiang family, nor am I Jiang Mingtao's daughter."

She wants to sever ties with these people first, then slowly kill them off.

Seeing that Jiang Fuyi and his son remained silent, He Shunde knew that what Jiang Xianya said was true.

"As the saying goes, the common people can't fight with officials. Jiang Mingtao is an official in the capital. Even if I take this matter to the yamen, no one will stand up for me or seek justice for me. I only ask to sever ties with them, stay away from Qingya Village, and never set foot here again. I hope that my grandfather and fellow villagers will be my witnesses."

Everyone remained silent upon hearing this.

Even He Shunde, who was always upright, didn't know how to start the conversation.

Jiang Mingtao was an official in the capital, and for ordinary people like them, he was like a mountain weighing on their heads.