Chapter 60 The Fake Heiress [Bonus Chapter]

"ah!"

Guan Nannan and Guan Liuliu grabbed Guan Zhiwei's arms on either side and screamed loudly in her ear, just like a kettle boiling water.

Guan Zhiwei wasn't frightened, but she was so annoyed by the noise that she gave up on life. She nodded casually and said, "Brother-in-law."

Sui Ying sneaked out to scare people, but Guan Zhiwei had already noticed.

"Sui Lang!"

Guan Nannan said irritably, "You scare people to death, do you even know that?!"

"I saw you were engrossed in your conversation and wanted to join in the fun," Sui Ying quickly apologized, but Guan Nannan continued to scold her several times before she slunk away.

"Brother-in-law was just teasing you," Guan Liuliu said, trying to smooth things over.

Guan Nannan snorted coldly, "He's heartless! Compared to his brothers, he doesn't like to read books, doesn't like to practice martial arts, is never home, and I don't know what he's busy with all day."

Guan Liuliu and Guan Zhiwei exchanged a glance.

Both of them were very concerned.

"Isn't your brother-in-law treating you well?"

"Isn't my brother-in-law good enough?" This kind of vulgar remark must have come from Guan Zhiwei's mouth.

Guan Nannan blushed furiously and yelled, "Get out of here! Get out of here!"

The three chatted and laughed, then dispersed in a flurry.

As the footsteps passed by, no one noticed that a locust flower was stepped on.

The locust trees bloomed earlier this year, before the Qingming Festival.

“When she was dying, she wanted to see Huaihuai, but I didn’t let her. Firstly, I am the mother of these children, and secondly, she was sick, and what would happen if she passed away?”

With the Qingming Festival approaching again, the First Madam rubbed her temples in pain, knowing that the gossip was about to start again.

She was both angry and helpless: "Everyone says that she didn't see her child when she died, and she was resentful, so she came back to find me. Let her come to find me then. I've done nothing wrong, there's nothing I'm ashamed of. You make me go to the temple to perform rituals for her every year. People who don't know the situation gossip and think I'm guilty."

“I promised her that I would hold a religious ceremony for her every year, hoping that she would be reborn into a good family in her next life. We are husband and wife, if you don’t do these things for me, who will?”

Lord Guan was annoyed and waved his hand, "Don't bother me with these domestic matters. I'm too busy with important business."

The First Madam thought to herself that she really had to manage the affairs of the household, and she gave up.

She thought for a moment and said, "Now that Zhizhi has been recognized, you shouldn't tell the Jiang family about Liuliu."

Lord Guan said expressionlessly, "I've already said everything. Their family doesn't want to continue this marriage. We won't call it off yet; let's see how Zhizhi is doing, but..."

"but?"

"I think Jiang Shuzheng can't let go of Liu Liu. When you bring incense to Qingming Festival, keep a close eye on them and don't let them get involved again."

The First Madam remained silent; she had another idea in mind.

Lord Guan glanced at her but said nothing more.

The First Madam went to a temple in the mountains outside the city to pray for the souls of the deceased, taking Guan Liuliu with her. To avoid attracting attention, she also brought Guan Zhiwei along, making a grand spectacle of it all. Once inside the temple, she let her two daughters wander around, ostensibly to relax.

As everyone knows, offering incense at a temple is the best opportunity to make a meeting.

Guan Liuliu and Jiang Shuzheng met.

Guan Zhiwei and Gao Huan made their meeting.

One of the attempts to rendezvous failed.

Jiang Shuzheng did not come to see Guan Liuliu; only his personal servant came.

Just as Guan Liuliu was feeling down, she heard the other person say anxiously:

"Second Mistress, something terrible has happened! My young master was on his way to see you, but he heard that your Third Mistress had also come to the mountain. He then saw her cross the suspension bridge and head to another mountain from the middle of the mountain, so he followed her."

"He... wanted to see if my third sister was pretty?"

"Oh dear, my young master is so devoted to you, how could he have room for any other woman in his heart? He wants to cut down the suspension bridge and trap your third daughter in the mountains for one night, ruining his reputation. That way, you will be the only eligible woman for marriage between our two families."

Guan Liuliu's expression changed drastically, and without saying a word, she ran straight out.

She saw that the suspension bridge halfway up the mountain had not been cut down, so she hurriedly crossed the bridge and rushed into the mountains.

Is anyone there?

The mountain path was rugged, and her embroidered shoes were shrouded in mud as she stumbled and fell, her eyes filled with despair.

Layer upon layer of trees, the bottomless abyss, with the faint howling of wolves echoing through the air.

Suddenly, a figure appeared in the bushes and turned around. Her first reaction was fear—was it some kind of wild beast? But upon closer inspection, she realized it was a human figure.

"younger sister!"

Guan Liuliu approached urgently, looked the person up and down, and asked, trembling, "Are you alright?"

Guan Zhiwei raised an eyebrow and asked in return, "You have a fiancé surnamed Jiang, right?"

Guan Liuliu felt a chill in her heart; Guan Zhiwei knew about this and would hold her responsible.

At this moment, after so many days of anxiety, my heart suddenly sank to the bottom.

She didn't cry; instead, she couldn't control her usually gentle tone, and her voice became shrill.

"Does my sister know what happened to the mother who switched us... my birth mother?"

Without waiting for Guan Zhiwei's supportive question, she simply said, "He was beaten to death with sticks."

After Lord Guan finished his interrogation, he ordered the man to be beaten to death on the spot. Guan Liuliu watched from the sidelines as the man slowly breathed his last.

The mother was in excruciating pain and reached out her hand for help. With a blow, the hand fell to the ground.

"I'm afraid of being kicked out, and I'm also afraid of being beaten to death."

"When I heard you were found, my first thought was, 'Oh no, I might die.'"

"Of course I know you've suffered a lot, much more than I have. You're lucky to have survived. I shouldn't have tried to take my mother away from you! But if my mother doesn't protect me, I'll die! I'm so scared, I'm afraid of dying!"

"Like today, I know it's dangerous here, so why did I come to find you? Because I know very well that if anything happens to you, I will surely die."

“We are both in an awkward situation right now. Although I am favored, I am not of the Guan family bloodline. Although you are of the Guan family bloodline, you have not established a relationship with your parents. We are like a broken mirror, each missing half. Rather than fighting to the death between us, leaving us broken and tattered, it would be better for us to become one.”

"Could you please not tell Father what happened today? I really didn't mean to hurt you—"

The last sentence was the key point Guan Liuliu wanted to make. After saying this, she was completely exhausted and sat down on the ground. Tears slowly streamed down her face, followed by fearful sobs.

Guan Zhiwei raised an eyebrow: "Are you finished?"

Guan Liuliu nodded blankly.

Guan Zhiwei stepped aside, and behind her, in the cave, were two men, one standing and one lying down.

The standing man was Gao Huan. He was very polite and gave a slight bow: "Second Madam."

The one lying there was Jiang Shuzheng, who was unable to perform the proper greeting.

Guan Liuliu gasped, her face turning pale instantly.

"Kill him, kill him, kill him."