Looking at the blood-soaked bed in front of him, which resembled a crime scene, He Yunze's eyes narrowed sharply, and he almost screamed out loud.
At that moment, the woman who had been lifeless on the bed slowly opened her eyes, gazing at him with a faint, weak voice: "Husband...you're back?"
The pain in her back was excruciating, so intense that every word she uttered aggravated the wound, causing Song Ruoan to unconsciously shed tears.
He Yunze was startled and only then came to his senses. It wasn't until he recognized the woman on the bed that his shock turned into confusion.
There was also a hint of slight disdain.
He Yunze frowned: "Ruo'an? What are you doing here?"
Song Ruoan chuckled softly, her words filled with endless sorrow, her whole being barely alive: "As your wife, where else can I go if I'm not by your bedside?"
Her mournful voice, coupled with her blood-stained appearance, made her look like a female ghost at first glance.
“Wife?” He Yunze sneered, his words full of sarcasm: “Didn’t I already say that we should separate for a while?”
"I've already moved out of the bedroom for you, so why do you keep pursuing me, chasing me to the study, and then soiling my bed again?!"
All the pent-up grievances in He Yunze seemed to pour out in an instant, and the taut string in his mind seemed to snap in a flash: "My brother is awake, and you still force me like this! Why does everyone bully me like this!"
He Yunce's almost roaring words made Song Ruoan completely forget the pain all over her body.
Her eyes widened in horror, her face turned deathly pale, and even her voice rose considerably: "You said He Jingyan is awake?"
"The crippled, living dead woman that Song Xizhi married has woken up? Wasn't she supposed to be a widow?"
He Yunze's pupils lost their light, his eyes filled with emptiness and despair: "I just came back from Ximoxuan and have already seen him. My brother has woken up and is in good spirits. My father and grandmother are very happy and think that the Marquis's mansion can be saved."
Song Ruoan sat there, dumbfounded. The pain in her body was nothing compared to the turmoil surging in her heart at that moment!
The living dead have awakened?
The living dead can actually wake up!
If she had known that He Jingyan would not die, she would not have gone to such lengths to switch places with Song Xizhi on their wedding night!
If the marriage exchange hadn't happened, none of what followed would have occurred!
Old Madam He will favor her, and Song Xizhi will have to respectfully call her sister-in-law. As long as she waits for He Jingyan to wake up, she will become the rightful mistress of the Marquis's mansion!
Everything Song Xizhi is enjoying now should all belong to her!
As Song Ruoan thought about it, she suddenly moved, which aggravated the wound on her back: the pain was excruciating!
She went to great lengths and worked so hard, why did God have to play such a cruel trick on her!
Looking at Song Ruoan's ashen face and recalling her actions, He Yunze felt a surge of anger welling up within him.
"It's you! It's because you deceived and misled me that I've ended up in this situation. Now I have no money, no wife, and my future and reputation are ruined!"
“My brother has woken up and is all lovey-dovey with Song Xizhi, but in my father’s eyes, I’ve become a pawn! A pawn!”
Upon hearing the phrase "his wife is gone too," Song Ruoan assumed it was referring to her. She snapped back to reality, ignoring the pain coursing through her body, and grasped He Yunce's hand again.
"I'm here, my husband, I'm here. Even if He Jingyan wakes up, it doesn't matter. Now that you're a sixth-rank remonstrating official, I'll stay with you no matter what!"
She had already made a wrong move before, and this time she couldn't afford to be abandoned again and ruin the rest of her life.
But He Yunze simply flung her hand away: "Will you stay by my side and continue to listen to your lies and deceptions?"
He gazed at Song Ruoan's deathly pale face in the candlelight: "Ruoan, I don't even know if you're the woman I love!"
Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan felt a sudden tenderness in her heart, and she asked in a low voice, "So you're going to divorce me?"
"But you still owe so much money. You owe your mother-in-law money, you owe the Song family money. After you divorce me, how can you repay all this money?"
As she spoke, she looked up at him and asked, "Can your mother accept this?"
Upon hearing this, He Yunze stood silently in place, his whole body turning ice-cold.
Far more than that; he owes far more than just that amount of money now.
Song Ruoan kept her head up, watching He Yunce's suddenly frozen expression, and knew that she had hit the nail on the head.
She endured the pain all over her body and said softly to He Yunze, "Husband, I will help you. I will persuade my parents not to pay back the money that the Song family owes."
“We’ll let bygones be bygones. I’ll have my parents help you raise money so we can switch to a different business and run the shop on Yongle Street peacefully.”
Hearing this, He Yunze felt a glimmer of hope rekindle in his heart: "Ruo'an, is it true?"
Song Ruoan nodded, her voice becoming even more tender: "Husband, we are husband and wife, and we are in the same boat. I will never hide it from you again."
“If you divorce me, in your current situation, no woman of higher status than me will marry you. Everyone is on your brother's side now, and only I am on your side.”
"We'll find a way to make your brother experience what you used to feel. We'll find a way to make your brother live in your shadow forever!"
At this moment, He Yunze finally softened his stance: "But the Song family is out of money now, how do you expect them to help me?"
"Now that your father is disliked by his superiors in the officialdom, and Song Xizhi's uncle has also gone to the Ministry of Rites, the chances are even slimmer."
"We have absolutely no chance of winning against them."
Song Xiruo thought for a moment and then said, "My mother is the daughter of the Zhao family. Behind the Zhao family are Prince Yu and Consort Liang. Not only His Majesty, but even the Empress Dowager likes Prince Yu and Consort Liang very much, so we still have a chance."
Upon hearing this, He Yunze felt that his path was blocked. He looked at Song Ruoan with a hint of reproach: "Before, because of you, Prince Yu already disliked me. Now, because of you, Prince Xiu also dislikes me."
"Prince Su is arrogant and haughty, and the young imperial uncle is firmly standing behind Song Xizhi. We are completely helpless!"
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