Romance scam

Under the bright midday sun, Xi Yushao stood in the shady corner of the wall, his eyes crinkling, waving happily to Sui Zhixu.

Sui Zhixu turned his head away, snorted coldly, and said, "He has ill intentions."

"It's getting late, if we keep chatting here it'll be afternoon." She didn't know how that guy got here, but from now on he was not allowed to see Awan.

"My treat, let's go." He grabbed Cui Wan by the back of the neck and threw her into the carriage.

"We don't need to, the Pei family still needs us to tidy up." Duke Pei chuckled, "You kids go out and have some fun."

Dan Hong caught Cui Wan, who was tossed up to her, and smiled her standard smile. "Greetings, Madam Cui."

Cui Wan was completely baffled. Seeing Pei Qinglian and Ning Yan enter, she simply stopped thinking about it, sat up, and threw herself into Ning Yan's arms.

"Ah Yan, Ah Yan, I miss you so much."

Her cute and clingy appearance was endearing, and Ning Yan patted her head gently, saying, "I missed you too."

Pei Qingzhuo, disheveled in the wind: "..."

Duke Pei put his arm around his shoulder and said, "What are you looking at? Go home and get to work."

"My fiancée..."

"You know about your fiancée, right? You're penniless right now, what are you going to use to marry her? Hurry up and go home and get ready, some of your sisters' weddings will require your help."

Pei Qingzhuo looked back and realized that after this incident, the marriages of several wives in the Pei family were no longer possible.

This matter definitely needs to be addressed.

Meanwhile, after helping the three of them into the carriage, Sui Zhixu was just about to get in herself when a voice came from behind, "Sui's wife! Wait a minute!"

She looked closely and saw it was Afu, Fan Lingzhang's servant.

She patted the horse, signaling the driver to go first.

"Wife?" Danhong poked her head out, wondering why she wasn't getting into the carriage.

As the carriage drove further and further away, Sui Zhixu waved and said, "You go first."

Her first glance fell on Xi Yushao in the corner, and her gaze shifted.

Fortunately, there was no one in the corner.

Upon seeing this, Duke Pei greeted Sui Zhixu, then took Pei Qingzhuo and his brothers and left.

With no one around, Ah Fu, panting heavily, hurriedly said, "Please come with me quickly, my lord, my lord has been in trouble."

Sui Zhixu asked sternly, "Where is he?"

Ah Fu, breathless, said with difficulty, "Yunlai Tower, the usual private room."

"I'll go first." With that, Xu leaped up, his feet landing on the rooftops, and swept over several houses in succession.

As the green figure walked away, Afu plopped down on the ground, saying, "I can't take it anymore."

This kind of work should be done by A-Lu, since he has no martial arts skills and is not physically strong enough.

He's run almost halfway across Chang'an now, his feet are practically sparking.

His wife was really fast; he ran to the palace gate first, but seeing no one around, he asked the neighbors and knew that the woman had already left. He then guessed that she might have gone to the Dali Temple and ran frantically to the Dali Temple gate.

He can't take it anymore, he's exhausted.

It's all Prince Xuanping's fault. Where did he find someone who looks so much like his wife?

For some reason, the actress has set her sights on their husband, especially today when she came to their door to confront him.

Afu said that between his son's audacious infatuation with the Prime Minister's wife and his desire to find a substitute, he decisively encouraged his son to be audacious.

Although he cursed his lover countless times behind his back, calling him a heartless man who had forgotten his old love for a new one.

However, a husband cannot choose a wife who looks exactly like his wife; that would be more than just a matter of a heartless man.

That's a sign of mental instability, he's gone mad.

Upon arriving at the East Market, Sui Zhixu glanced around, jumped onto a large tree outside Yunlai Tower, and rushed towards the window.

The loud crash of the shattered window startled the two people inside. The violent shaking scattered window shards everywhere, raising a cloud of wood chips and dust.

"Sui Niangzi, what brings you here?" Xi Yuzhen hurriedly grabbed the clothes that had fallen from her shoulder and asked anxiously.

Sui Zhixu ignored her and glanced around, noticing Fan Lingzhang huddled in the corner with a dazed look in his eyes and his arms covered in scratches from sharp objects.

Blood dripped from a hand with distinct knuckles onto the floor.

She quickly stepped forward, took out the Qingxin Pill from her bosom, and fed it to him.

"Ah Ling?" Fan Lingzhang mumbled, "My head is spinning."

"Lie down for a bit, I'll take care of it." Sui Zhixu tapped his forehead. Really, someone managed to drug him on his own turf.

She looked up at Xi Yuzhen's face. Everyone said that Xi Yuzhen had the exact same face as her in her previous life, but when she saw it, she felt no emotion at all.

Her eyebrows, like distant mountains, and her upturned eyes are captivating; her gaze is mesmerizing.

Her bright and beautiful face is unforgettable.

As Xu got up, he slowly walked towards her. Xi Yuzhen staggered back a few steps, her waist hit the table, and her foot under her skirt tripped on the stool, causing her to fall to the ground with a thud.

"It's happening again, Miss Xi. Am I that scary?"

"N-no!"

She shouted at the end of her sentence, as if that would cover up her guilt and fear.

The distorted features ruined her bright and charming appearance, and the upturned corners of her eyes now looked droopy.

Su Zhixu stopped in her tracks. She really didn't understand. Was she really that scary?

"Did Sima Xian send you? Or did you take it upon yourself to use his name?"

Yunlai Tower is, after all, Fan Lingzhang's territory. Instead of calling other restaurant staff, he called her. The entrance, which remains quiet to this day, must be filled with people waiting nearby.

She crouched down to face Xi Yuzhen, lifted her chin with her fingertips, and looked her over from side to side. She really had no feelings for this face.

However, she is quite good-looking.

Everyone says that a nephew resembles his uncle, but she couldn't see how this face used to look like Sima Xian anymore.

She currently looks like Cong Lan, and perhaps she used to look like her father.

Seeing her timid and silent, Sui Zhixu found her strange. She always acted like a man-eating flower, so why was she so pitiful?

Wearing the same green dress, the two women looked completely different.

Sui Zhixu's face, with its pure peach blossom eyes now tinged with a charming allure, and her aloof nature dispelling her tranquility.

The green dress on her made her look like a flower shadow among bamboo, clear and melodious.

Sui Zhixu turned her head and said, "You're not saying anything either. Are you not good with words?"

The people in this world are indeed very complicated. There are pitiful people like Cao Chunfeng, ordinary people like the aunt who sells sesame cakes, the prison guards of Dali Temple who find joy in their suffering, and strange people like them.

She appears pitiful, yet she commits ruthless acts.

"You wouldn't believe it, but falling off a cliff and cutting your wrists are both incredibly painful."

In the blink of an eye, the silver hairpin from Sui Zhixu's temple fell into her hand. As the hairpin fell, Xi Yuzhen cried out in pain.

Sui Zhixu stood up. "Since you're not going to speak, I'll make the decision for you. First, pay him back for the stabs. As for the debt between you and me..."

She looked at the servants in the Prince of Xuanping's residence and said, "Tell him that I am waiting for good news."

"My wife, are you alright?"

...

Su Zhixu cleared a path for them, sparing Xi Yuzhen's life. Initially, he didn't want to alert the enemy, but later he got too busy and forgot about her.

After today, Sima Xian will definitely know that Fan Lingzhang has a relationship with her. As Xi Yuzhen is a useless pawn, what will he do?

Those you raise yourself can be abandoned at any time, leaving no trace of their remains.

Sui Zhixu smiled. The people of Xuanping Prince's Mansion treated her as a special taboo. No one dared to speak to her and hurriedly took away Xi Yuzhen, who was covered in wounds.

Only the maid who called out "Xi Yuzhen's wife" had her gaze fixed on Sui Zhixu for a few moments.

She avoided Sui Zhixu's probing gaze the moment they met.

"What's going on?"

As soon as they arrived at Yunlai Tower, Cui Wan recognized Xi Yuzhen at a glance. Turning her head, she saw Sui Zhixu upstairs with a cold expression. She opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

After Xi Yuzhen and her group left, she murmured, "Ah Xu..."

Sui Zhixu chuckled, her eyes filled with desolation. "Only you would believe Xi Yushao's nonsense, thinking that the carriage rope on the cliff edge broke naturally and had nothing to do with Xi Yuzhen."

“I didn’t believe it, but it was all done by the actress and him…”

Irrelevant.

Cui Wan stopped talking, a voice rising in her heart telling her that she shouldn't have said it.

Her arms hung down, and she looked up at Sui Zhixu. Her red dress was vibrant, but the sadness of its owner shattered everything.

"It's noon, sisters. We've finally managed to get together, why are we talking about those things? Let's go." Ning Yan took their hands first and went upstairs to find Sui Zhixu.

He raised his head in front of Sui Zhixu and said, "Young Master promised to treat me to dinner, and today I'm going to really rip off your wallet."

As Xu Zhixu's expression softened considerably, she beckoned to the servants beside her and told them to go into the private room first.

"I'm going to take care of some things." Her expression was indifferent. Ning Yan had been providing her with food and lodging for nearly two months and knew that she had something to do.

She readily agreed, quickly pushed Cui Wan away, took Pei Qinglian's hand and shook it at her, saying, "Then you'd better hurry up, the food is served and you're still not back, or we'll stop waiting for you."

Sui Zhixu smiled slightly, a very faint smile. Ning Yan felt relieved and swaggered over to the servant to order food.

"Let's eat Ah Xu out of house and home today."

“I agree, let’s give her a good beating.” Pei Qinglian echoed, pushing the group towards the private room next door.

After the door closed, Sui Zhixu turned and entered the private room, looking down at Fan Lingzhang.

She pinched his cheek impatiently, "Stop pretending."

A chill ran straight to his head. Fan Lingzhang slowly opened his eyes, his eyes crinkling with laughter, "Ah Ling."

He sat up and awkwardly wrapped his arms around Sui Zhixu's waist.

Fan Lingzhang smiled and said, "You look really good in your clothes today."

"gag."

"The emerald green earrings suit you very well, and the color of your lip rouge is also beautiful. My wife is the most beautiful. Since ancient times, gentlemen have been compared to bamboo. I think those self-proclaimed refined scholars and literati do not have the temperament of my wife."

Sui Zhixu's eyes remained calm and cold, "Escaping the facts."

"No, I just wanted to tell my wife not to be angry, because being angry is bad for her health."

She wore a lilac-colored robe, its color elegant, soft yet bright, with cloud patterns outlined in silver thread at the collar and cuffs.

Her dark hair was tied up on top of her head and secured with a warm white jade hairpin, with a few stray strands falling beside her fair cheeks, adding to her unruly air.

His handsome face, especially with its smiling eyes, made it impossible for anyone to get angry.

Sui Zhixu sat calmly by the bed, saying, "I'm not angry."

Yu Guangzhong's arm was covered in crisscrossing scratches, which was quite conspicuous. "You're really useless. You even schemed against people on your own turf."

Fan Lingzhang pursed his lips and scratched the back of his head. "An unexpected surprise."

"She said she wanted to see me, that she didn't want to impersonate you, that she was forced by Prince Xuanping..."

Seeing the questioning look in Sui Zhixu's eyes, Fan Lingzhang ruffled her hair with his hand. "Am I that stupid that I would believe everything she says?"

"So you were testing her, and ended up falling for her trap yourself."

Fan Lingzhang stubbornly insisted, "Who knew she had obtained the Xuanping Prince's token and also had some kind of sleeping potion from who-knows-where. The poison pills I took were useless."

Sui Zhixu tilted his head, a barely perceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"Perhaps it's outside of all poisons."

Fan Lingzhang lay on the bed, cursing the merchants for deserving to die, "So if I get poisoned in the future, will I have to check if the poison is among the hundred poisons? It turns out I'm not the wicked merchants, they are."

He kept whimpering, and Xu took out a medicine bottle to apply medicine to him. "Stupid, why are you cutting yourself? What if you leave a scar?"

“I can’t let her take advantage of me, really. I’ll secretly poison her. When she goes back, she’ll definitely tell Prince Xuanping that you came to find me, and he’ll know that we’ve recognized each other.”

"We've already torn off all pretense of civility, so she's useless now. I'll poison her to stop her from hanging around in front of me. What a coincidence that we both have the same face. Why don't I just have the same face as you?"

Sui Zhixu: "..."

That would raise suspicions about whether the two are related by blood.

Isn't that incest?