Chapter 110 Everyone loves to seize by force...

Shanhe lay flat on the bed, not falling asleep immediately. Two lamps were lit by the bedside, and she had just cleaned the wicks before she had time to read the letter Miao'er had sent.

It was nothing more than advising her to take good care of herself, to rest assured, and to come to the capital to see her in a while. It was no different from her previous letters, except for the last four characters: "Wan Mo Ren Shan" (万莫仁善). They were abruptly inserted there, and not in Miao'er's handwriting.

Shanhe recognized that it was Wu Tianqi's handwriting.

Four days ago, Shanhe went out for a walk and wandered into Fengjia Alley. The alley sold antiques and curiosities, as well as all kinds of books, both officially and privately printed, and even banned books that were strictly prohibited from publication by the government were openly displayed.

Shanhe found the book "The Biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Secretary" at a book rental stall in Fengjia Alley. Her heart burned with excitement; she almost burst into tears on the spot. She had been feigning friendship with Liang Ye for so long, just waiting for this book. The bookseller told her, "This book is currently very popular in the Jiangnan region; every bookstore sells it. I heard this is the third printing!" The bookseller lowered his voice further, "Especially the erotic scenes in the book—they are absolutely exquisite!"

Shanhe frowned slightly. Logically, this book shouldn't contain erotic content. Before coming to the capital, she told Miao'er about her plan: she wanted to write a book to expose Liang Ye's evil deeds. She left Miao'er in Jinling also to ask Miao'er's help in illustrating the stories in the book.

Originally planned, the book consisted of three volumes: "Passing the Imperial Examination," "Fallen Demon," and "Awakening from the Dream." The volume "Fallen Demon" tells the story of how Qin Ye, a scholar of noble character and refined manners, lost his way in the capital, how he fell into depravity, from punishing evil to killing good, and finally becoming a bloodthirsty villain.

Shanhe had long suspected that he had killed Old Man Bai from Jingji County. When he went to Jinling, his most trusted men, Cheng Min and Huai Song, were not by his side, and she also suspected that Cheng Min and Huai Song had met with misfortune. She followed Liang Ye back to the capital to find evidence of his murders. She learned from the servants that Cheng Min and Huai Song were dead, but Liang Ye refused to mention it. She also met Zhenniang and learned the secret of Yuzhen Pond! Shanhe incorporated these events into casual conversations and anecdotes, wrote them in letters, and sent them to Miao'er, which led to the creation of the current "Biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Minister."

Shanhe casually flipped through the book and froze when she saw the scene where the protagonist, Liang Ye, drugged and raped Xue.

Liang Ye was infatuated with his sister-in-law, Xue.

wrong!

The rough draft she gave Miao'er never included the chapter "Stealing a Wife"! Shanhe quickly flipped through it and suddenly realized that the chapter "Stealing a Wife" was quite long, practically a combination of the other three chapters. She turned to the last page, which read, "This is a book of romance and eroticism, with little mention of court politics." With just one sentence, she defined the book as nothing more than an erotic novel.

Shanhe flipped through the manuscript from beginning to end, only to discover that it was completely different from her rough draft. In her rough draft, the protagonist was named Qin Ye, orphaned at a young age and raised by moving between relatives and friends. But in the manuscript, not only was the surname unchanged, but the protagonist's family members were exactly the same as Liang Ye's! Turning further to the volume "Stealing a Wife," the detailed story was almost identical to her own experiences, except for the addition of eye-catching and sordid details like drugging and illicit sex. Shanhe's hands trembled; the volume "Stealing a Wife" had clearly been read several times, the paper softened yet still somewhat stiff, as if it had been soaked in water and then dried. Shanhe's pupils dilated; a reader had been looking at this book…

A mixture of shame, indignation, and pleasure welled up within her. The shame stemmed from the fact that she was the stolen wife, Xue Shi, now being fantasized about in the book; the pleasure, however, lay in the fact that Liang Ye would face even greater criticism than she had.

As her thoughts gradually came together, Shanhe looked at the four characters "Wan Mo Ren Shan" on the letter and suddenly realized that the extra volume of "Stealing a Wife" was the work of Wu Tianqi and Mi Xiaoxiao—Mi Xiaoxiao was most skilled at making such eye-catching but vulgar books.

She slowly curved her lips into a smile. This was something she wanted to do but dared not, something she couldn't do. She longed to proclaim it to the world, to let everyone see what kind of vile flesh lay hidden beneath Liang Ye's splendid facade! She longed to stand in court and beat the drum, denouncing Liang Ye's obsession and ruthlessness. She desperately wanted the world to despise him, to see him like a rat in the street. But she couldn't. For Liang Shao, for the Liang family, for Old Master Liang who had saved her from dire straits, she had to hide the pain she had suffered. She only dared to condemn Liang Ye for committing murder; everything she had endured had to be concealed.

Only now did Shanhe realize that she wasn't alone in this revenge. Wu Tianqi was a vengeful businessman; from the very beginning of their divorce, he had encouraged Shanhe to fabricate Liang Shao's private affairs, let alone now that she had lost two children! How could she possibly let Liang Ye off so easily!

According to booksellers, the world loves the "Taking a Wife" volume. It depicts a forbidden love affair, a story of forceful seduction. Liang Ye, who secretly covets his elder brother's wife, inherits everything from his brother, including her. He appears to be a gentle and refined gentleman, but is actually obsessive, ruthless, and extremely possessive. Then there's Xue, who refuses to submit, is forced, refuses again, and is forced again… It seems the more Xue resists and struggles, the more Liang Ye and the world love her. Some even hope that Liang Ye will eventually realize his mistake and truly love Xue, and that Xue will eventually understand his love for her, leading to a happy ending. The booksellers also say that several bookstores have begun collecting similar stories, hoping to replicate the success of "The Biography of Liang Ye, the Junior Secretary."

The door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, creaking and swinging back and forth. Liang Ye stood with his hands behind his back, bathed in the full moonlight, his aura chilling: "Shanshan... what are you doing?"

His tone was very unpleasant.

Shanhe put down Miao'er's letter, propped herself up, and looked at him with a smile: "I was just about to go to sleep. Have you finished your bath?"

"Is it a letter from Miao'er?" He approached step by step.

Shanhe said gently, "Yes, she taught me to take good care of my health. Ah Ye, let's invite Miao'er over for the wedding too."

"...Do you want to marry me?"

Shanhe's heart sank.

"You've been putting on an act all this time to deceive me, haven't you?"

The downside of the "Stealing a Wife" volume is that Liang Ye will immediately know that she wrote the book.

Of course, there are also advantages: it completely and thoroughly shatters his proud reputation.

Shanhe forced a smile: "What are you talking about? I don't understand your language."

Liang Ye raised the book in his hand: "Then do you understand this book?" He threw the book into Shan He's arms.

Shanhe opened the book with trembling hands, looking increasingly shocked.

Her plan wasn't over yet; she had to keep up the act.

Liang Ye's eyes were already red, and he chuckled hoarsely, "Lord Chen said that today the Third Prince gave them a batch of forbidden books and asked them to investigate. This one was among them. No wonder I said that after the succession struggle, His Majesty and His Highness had been cold towards me; it turns out this book was the culprit!"

Shanhe revealed the excuse she had been working on over the past few days: "So, you think I made this book?"

"If it wasn't you, who else could know such details?"

Shanhe pressed the book down on the couch, her voice agitated: "Is this how you see me? Fine, even if that's how you see me. Let me ask you, if I hate you, if I wanted to write this book to kill you, why would I involve Liang Shao? Why would I involve my grandfather? Do I hate them too? This book doesn't shy away from writing Mizhou as Minzhou, and it doesn't hide Liang Shao's name or my grandfather's name. Do you think I would involve them as well?"

Liang Ye then said, "But how do you explain the erotic scenes that follow? Shanshan, you're a very good painter, how can I believe you didn't paint them?"

“Even if I were to paint, would I include myself in it? These filthy paintings contain not only you, but also me! The book clearly states that the Xue family is involved. Do you think I don’t care about my reputation? Fine, even if I don’t care, I’ll risk everything myself. But what about the child? How will the child face people in the future? How will I raise him? Will he one day come and ask me, ‘Is his father you or Liang Shao?’”

Liang Ye was stunned, speechless. Yes, even if Shan He hated him, she wouldn't do anything to harm the Liang family and the children. She wasn't that kind of person; she would always rather suffer in silence.

With tears in her eyes, Shanhe said, "And there's more, and there's more here. Didn't you say that Chengmin and Huaisong were murdered by villains and died outside? What does that have to do with Yuzhen Pond? I've only been in the capital for a month, and I've been with you every day. How could I know so many secrets? How could I write these stories? How could I paint these pictures!"

She stood up, clutching her stomach, and held up the book for Liang Ye to see. Liang Ye's chest heaved violently, but he tried his best to calm himself: "Okay, it's not you. I roughly know who it is."

"Miao'er, is that right? You left her in Jinling, and she followed you to learn painting. Wu Tianqi was recuperating there during those days, so it's not impossible that she got to know him. Is that right? Wu Tianqi lost his child again, and he hates me and wants to kill me, is that right?" He smiled sinisterly. "Yes, otherwise why would Miao'er stay in Jinling? But how did she know about Yu Zhenchi?"

Liang Ye's gaze lingered on Shan He's face: "You don't know, do you? How could Miao'er know? That's the palace's pond. Shan Shan, someone is deliberately ruining our reputation. We can't let them get away with it, right?" With that, he immediately walked out.

"Where are you going?" Shanhe asked anxiously.

Liang Ye smiled at her: "Don't worry, you can rest peacefully. This book was given to the Dali Temple by His Highness, so naturally all suspicious persons should be invited to the Dali Temple for thorough interrogation."

Shanhe exclaimed, "You're going to take Miao'er to the Dali Temple?"

"If she is innocent, the Dali Temple will give her justice."

Shanhe quickly stepped forward and grabbed his arm: "I won't stop you from interrogating Miao'er. But you can't take her to the Dali Temple! I know that the Dali Temple has some cruel tortures. She's only a teenager. You'll scare her if you do that!"

"When she was painting those pictures, did she never think of you and me?!" Liang Ye said angrily. "This is no longer just between the two of us. It involves the imperial palace. Now that Your Highness is pursuing the matter, how can we just let it go?"

He broke free from Shanhe's grasp and tried to leave. But Shanhe held on tightly, shouting, "Then think of something! Don't let her go to the Dali Temple. Can't you interrogate her privately?"

"Xue Shanhe!" Liang Ye scolded, "You're still so cowardly! She painted your erotic pictures, and everyone outside has seen them! It's no wonder some people are masturbating in front of you! Why are you protecting her!"

"Or do you know she drew these?" Liang Ye narrowed his eyes.

Shanhe's lips twitched.

Before she could speak, Liu Liu darted out from the side. Seeing the two of them struggling behind the door, with Shan He looking anxious and glaring, Liu Liu bared its teeth. It barked angrily at Liang Ye, then leaped up and bit his trouser leg. Liang Ye was already angry, and the intense pain from Liu Liu biting his leg only fueled his rage. All the resentment he had accumulated over the past few days surged to his throat. He cursed, "You damned dog!" and, enduring the excruciating pain, lifted Liu Liu's body and hurled it against the wall.

Clang.

Liu Liu slammed against the wall, and Liang Ye's leg was also covered in blood.

Shanhe was stunned. She first looked down at Liang Ye's leg: "Cheng'an! Cheng'an! Bring the wound medicine!" Then she immediately ran to Liu Liu's side.

Liu Liu collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. White foam dripped from its mouth, along with the millet porridge Shan He had just fed it. Liu Liu had been sick these past few days, constantly having stomach problems. It had finally felt a little better tonight and had eaten the porridge Shan He had given it, but now it was vomiting it all up. Shan He couldn't help but cry. She stroked Liu Liu's body, but felt helpless, and could only keep calling Liu Liu's name.

Liu Liu's struggles gradually weakened, and it began to cry. A tear rolled down its cheek, soaking its fur.

"Why call him Liu Liu? Why not Da Shun?"

"Liu Liu is really amazing, she can even help Qing Yue move things!"

“Liang Shao, Liu Liu is more humane than you.”

"Smear ink on Liu Liu's paws and press them under the character '福' (fortune). Wouldn't that make for a unique and interesting Spring Festival couplet?"

Happy New Year, Xiao Liu Liu. Shan He, you too.

"Liu Liu, why doesn't Liang Shao reply to my letters...?"

"Liu Liu! I'm pregnant! You'll have to help me take care of the baby from now on."

"Liu Liu, Liang Shao isn't coming back... He told me to wait for him for a year..."

"It's okay! Even if he doesn't come back, we'll live together. We don't need him."

"Liu Liu, I can't hold on any longer..."

...

Shanhe was sobbing uncontrollably.

Liu Liu lay there, motionless, its body slowly hardening. Shan He seemed to see its wet little nose, its pattering footsteps, and its fluffy little tail that always twitched whenever it saw Shan He.

Liang Ye hadn't expected things to turn out this way. Limping on his injured leg, he slowly walked over, squatted down, put his arm around Shanhe's shoulder, and said in a hoarse voice, "Shanshan..."

Shanhe pushed him away: "Don't touch me!"

"It bit me first, so I..."

Shanhe didn't speak. With trembling hands, she picked up Liu Liu, barefoot, and numbly walked outside.

The cold, bluish moonlight cast a thin, duck-egg-blue veil over Shanhe, making her skin appear as if it had been soaked in water for a long time. She wore only a thin nightgown, no shoes, and her dark hair was draped over her shoulders as she walked down to the corridor.

Liu Liu is dead. Shan He's feigned virtuousness and gentleness have also vanished. She is in great pain, but can only turn her grief into tears, which flow into the salty night.