Wicked Woman and Her Outrageous Acts (3)
He murdered his father and brother, committing all sorts of heinous acts.
——
"One, two, three, gallop, horse, gallop!"
"Tap, tap, tap, running into the vast grassland..."
Jiang Wanrou wasn't sleepy. She poked at the candlelight with a stick, her thoughts drifting further and further away, humming a song unconsciously.
Suddenly she heard someone calling her from outside.
"Miss, it's time to rest."
I noticed the light was still on in her room, and I could hear her talking intermittently. It sounded like she was singing a nursery rhyme, but her voice was soft and indistinct, and I couldn't tell which one it was. It was already quite late, and despite my sleepiness, I raised my voice slightly to remind her, "Would you like a maid to bring you a bowl of milk? Drinking it might help you fall asleep."
There was no response from inside the room, so I tentatively asked, "Are you worried about the master and the young master? They should be back by daybreak tomorrow."
Jiang Wanrou remained silent. I was unsure of her attitude, so I kept quiet for a moment.
Suddenly I heard a rustling sound, and I felt the candlelight in my peripheral vision seemed to dim a little. Then I heard the sound of the door being pulled open behind me. I turned around and saw Jiang Wanrou standing there—the cool night breeze passed over her, making the candlelight in the room flicker a few times.
She was dressed neatly and showed no signs of sleepiness. She just kept her head tilted back and staring at a certain spot without saying a word.
I followed her gaze and saw a pitch-black sky and a nearly full moon, without a single star.
"Ruzhuo," I was still trying to figure out what she was looking at when I heard her call my name, "Why is the moon so round?" Her voice was so soft, it felt like it would easily dissipate and be lost forever.
"Miss, tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival." Although I was confused, I answered her immediately.
"Tomorrow is the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? I'd completely forgotten." She looked somewhat dazed, as if... she was also a little vulnerable?
I wondered if there was something wrong with my eyes. When did Jiang Wanrou become associated with the word "fragile"?
"Miss, you've just been too busy lately, so busy that you've even forgotten the days." I didn't try to be sentimental or discuss anything romantic with her; I just flattered her as always, "Master will be very pleased; he'll be proud of you."
"Really? Proud of me?" A mocking smile flashed across her face before she returned to her usual nonchalant demeanor. "Maybe. After all, I did put in a lot of effort. There are always people who are easy to please, but finding the right tools is not so easy."
"Miss, you're overthinking it." Her words left me feeling a little uncomfortable, so I could only say some nice things and give a perfunctory reply.
What's wrong with her today? Why is she acting so strangely?
I couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
“Ruzhuo,” she smiled at me again, looking gentle and harmless, but I couldn’t help feeling a tightness in my throat, “Will you never tell the truth?”
“Miss…” I opened my mouth several times, but couldn’t find the words to defend myself. She didn’t speak again, as if what I had just said was just a figment of my imagination out of guilt. She just smiled and looked at me quietly.
What exactly are they trying to do?
I grew increasingly irritated by the long silence, and her ambiguous gaze only intensified my frustration. So I decided to throw caution to the wind – I was too lazy to smile anymore, and my tone lost its respect: "What kind of truth does Miss wish to hear?"
She was completely unfazed by my offense, turned her head away, and continued gazing at the bright moon in the sky, counting on her fingers, "There are very few stars tonight." After a short while, she asked again, "'Ruzhuo,' was this the name my father gave me?"
"Hmm." I was tense all over, wondering what she was up to.
What was it called at first?
"I don't remember."
"That might have been the name from the beginning," I thought to myself. But that was so long ago that my memory of it was already hazy.
"How long have you been in this mansion?" She seemed a little tired, and slowly leaned against the door frame, her loose hair sliding down her shoulders.
“I was born here, and I started taking care of you when I was five. Now it’s been almost twenty-four years.” I calculated the days using her age and couldn’t help but feel a little dazed. It’s been so long… I’ve spent my whole life in the Jiang family and almost all of my days revolving around Jiang Wanrou. Before I knew it… it’s been almost twenty-four years.
"Ruzhuo, is your name important to you?"
I looked up and met her eyes, which held many things I couldn't understand.
However, I didn't need to think much about this question and answered almost without hesitation, "If you like it, then it's important."
A few seconds later, Jiang Wanrou looked at my expression and finally smiled with satisfaction. She patted me with a good mood and said, "Ruzhuo, the weather is about to change. You have to be careful and don't... take the wrong path."
The door closed again, the few bright candles flickered, and finally went out one by one.
I stood alone outside the door, my earlier sleepiness completely gone. I leaned against the door frame, standing there by myself. The night air was biting cold, and the chill seemed to seep into my body through every inch of my exposed skin.
I don't know how much time had passed, but I saw dewdrops gradually forming on the treetops, slowly gathering at the tips of the leaves, hanging quietly as if about to fall. The bright moon gradually disappeared into the sky, and the horizon slowly turned a pale white. Sparse birdsong bid farewell to the lingering night...
Then it was broad daylight.
I heard the rapid thunder of horses' hooves along the road.
A long, mournful bell tolled in the distance.
——
The master and the young master are dead.
His death was sudden and suspicious.
Who would have thought that just going to meet a few business partners would lead to a few mad dogs suddenly appearing on the way, startling the horse and causing it to overturn into a ditch next to the road.
I heard that when they found it, it was already mangled beyond recognition, and you could barely make out a human figure.
Jiang Wanrou cried so hard she almost fainted. Despite her grief, she personally erected a tombstone for the young master, carefully carving the name "Jiang Danze" stroke by stroke.
Like Jiang Wanrou, the young master's name was personally chosen by the master. Jiang Wanrou's name is easy to understand, but the young master's name requires careful consideration to grasp its meaning:
"Dan Ce" refers to the strategies employed at the Danchi (imperial court).
"A three-thousand-word essay on the imperial examination, a name inscribed on the golden list in the vibrant spring."
Parents truly have deep feelings for their children, hoping they will become outstanding, and they plan far ahead for them in every single matter.
But there's no need to say so much right now; the most important thing is that the living are the ones who are alive.
Seeing Jiang Wanrou so heartbroken, everyone tried to comfort her, saying that the family couldn't be left without someone to lead. They also said that everyone had seen what she had done over the years, and that the old master had always favored her, so everyone said she was the most suitable candidate.
It's quite strange. Not long ago, Jiang Wanrou was practically isolated and helpless. Several shareholders who had previously supported her had secretly switched sides, becoming indifferent on the surface, all putting on an act of being caught in a dilemma and unable to bear it. Now, however, a few of them have started supporting her again, as if they weren't the ones who had previously defected.
However, not all of them are the same.
I heard that several vice presidents want to submit their resignations and take their men to challenge the Jiang family.
However, all of this will have to wait until after the funeral.
The funeral lasted for several days, with banquets held in a continuous stream. Basically, every prominent person came to express their condolences. I followed Jiang Wanrou, and I heard the phrase "please accept my condolences" hundreds of times, until my ears were practically calloused.
However, Jiang Wanrou didn't seem to listen at all. She cried on the coffin every day and knelt in front of the spirit tablet for a long time. Her body was almost worn out. Her face was pale and her eyes were red. She looked extremely haggard.
She always wore white, making her look like a wandering, lost ghost.
I offered a few words of advice, but of course, it was of no use.
Jiang Wanrou stood by the coffin and cried again. With nothing else to do, I began to secretly observe the people at the funeral—there were too many people weeping with their faces covered, but it seemed that there were very few who were truly grieving.
However, the undercurrents beneath the surface are undeniable.
Smiles, handshakes, greetings, probing, transactions... the music, the clinking of glasses, everything is the same as usual, just with a different sad tune and a slightly different opening. It's still the same people, the same thoughts, and yet another new drama unfolds.
I suddenly realized that this funeral was not a memorial service from beginning to end, but a game of strategy that all the guests were well aware of.
The show has begun; we are just waiting for the guests.
People argue and compete here, betting their entire fortunes and exchanging chips, all in the hope of gaining fame and fortune and a bright future... Of course, it could also end in complete failure and shattered dreams.
Thinking of this, I couldn't help but look at Jiang Wanrou. A dark and heavy coffin stood in front of her, and several large white wreaths were placed on the other side, which made her back look even thinner and more delicate, showing a sense of being about to collapse.
I couldn't help but wonder, what about Jiang Wanrou?
What did you stake to get into this gamble?
——
Jiang Wanrou knelt in front of the coffin, looking at the bustling crowd around her. The various noises around her seemed to recede little by little, and all that remained in her mind was her mother's heartbroken cries, like needles pricking her head.
Later, even that sound gradually faded away...
"Silence," a deathly silence, became her only feeling at that moment.
But the needles in my mind didn't stop; instead, they started churning even more violently.
No, perhaps it wasn't a needle, but a pair of hands. They roughly pried open her head and rummaged through it, turning her brain into a jumbled mess of red, white... all sorts of colors mixed together, disgusting and sticky, like undigested vomit, a mixture of liquids and all sorts of things, all sorts of colors, emitting a foul stench.
"Ouch, that really hurts," she couldn't help but think.
She felt like her brain was about to explode; she could almost picture the scene—
A headless… no, perhaps a tiny bit will remain, but a large hole will have to be blasted out of her head so that the disgusting stuff can explode out of her brain. The thinner bits will splash further, maybe landing on a guest; if lucky, they'll land on their clothes, leaving a unique mark; if unlucky, they'll splash into a glass, perhaps to some indifferent bystander who wants to remain uninvolved, only stirring a fleeting thought in that person's mind—"The wine tastes different today." A thought that no one will care about.
However, most of it will probably just splash around her, forming an irregular circle, like some kind of crude sacrificial ritual, or like a chef's carefully designed creative plating...
None of that matters. Anyway, it won't be like this now, with deathly silence everywhere. Something has to break the silence.
But how could a person's brain explode for no reason? It wasn't a firework display, there were no sparks, and the place was clean and quiet, with only deathly silence.
She suddenly heard someone calling her again and reached out to help her up. Jiang Wanrou turned her head with the help of the person and saw a kind face. "Please accept my condolences."
A spark fell.
Nothing happened, nothing at all. Her mind didn't explode. Of course, how could a person's mind explode for no reason? Jiang Wanrou was still standing there perfectly fine, just like a few days ago, standing calmly, properly, and quietly in that familiar conference room.
——
"You bastard!"
The exquisite beaded string fell right at Jiang Wanrou's feet. The thin thread snapped, and all the beads scattered, making a series of sounds, mixed with several muffled thuds of hitting the table, clinking and clanging continuously.
Faced with the fury of her uncles, Jiang Wanrou neither dodged nor avoided them, but remained standing in place with a confident smile on her face, humble and respectful.
Apart from my fourth uncle, most of the other people I usually talk to are here.
"They will eventually agree," Jiang Wanrou knew this very well.
The fact that a seemingly respectable "thief" got what he wanted has likely been a thorn in the side of these uncles for over twenty years. They probably couldn't sleep or eat properly whenever they thought about it.
Rather than letting him advance further, potentially propelling that mediocre, incompetent, and possibly of dubious origin to new heights, or risking a chaotic and unpredictable battle that leaves both sides severely injured, it would be better to…
It would be better to choose her together, to choose a former heir who is helpless and isolated, a future head of the family with a spotless record and an excellent resume, and a new "puppet" that is easier to control.
Sure enough, not long after, one of the older uncles stopped the people who were incessantly denouncing her as "disloyal and unfilial," looked her over carefully, and then asked, "What can you use to move me?"
"I want 5% less in shares." Jiang Wanrou was too lazy to waste time with all those roundabout words, so she simply got straight to the point.
"These shares do sound like a lot, but asking us to do such a treasonous thing for you... this is probably not enough. Even though your father isn't from the main family and there are many doubts about what happened in the past, he did become the head of the family through legitimate means back then, so he can be considered to have done so in a way that was justified." The person in front of him simply picked up his teacup, took a sip, and spoke slowly.
"How greedy!" Jiang Wanrou sneered inwardly, but didn't show it on her face. She knew very well that the conditions she offered were already tempting enough, but they still couldn't satisfy this group of beasts in human form.
“This 5% is not a reward for your hard work, uncles and elders.” Jiang Wanrou paused deliberately, appreciating the sudden coldness in the expressions of those opposite her for a moment, and then smiled slightly before continuing in a cheerful mood, “This small token of my appreciation is just to ask you uncles and elders to spare a little effort in your daily lives and offer Wanrou some guidance.”
She looked around and then smiled lightly, “Wanrou is young and impulsive. If she makes any mistakes, I hope you will all forgive her and say a few good words for her.”
Then, she bowed respectfully, straightened up, but lowered her eyes to hide the turbulent emotions in them. "As for those natural disasters and man-made calamities, they have nothing to do with Wanrou, and naturally even less to do with you uncles."
“What you uncles and elders have done is simply to follow the natural order and return to the original state.” Jiang Wanrou slowly stepped forward and gently placed a photograph on the table. The photograph showed a man and a woman who looked very intimate. One of them looked remarkably like her father, while the other did not resemble her mother at all.
The uncles and elders looked rather grim when they saw the photo, and the room fell silent for a moment, with no one refuting her words.
In this silence, Jiang Wanrou felt a rare sense of ease and comfort, yet she also found it laughable. A few unsubstantiated photos were enough to convince these people of their underlying suspicions. Over the years, after visiting so many renowned doctors, these people stubbornly insisted that the lack of a son was a problem with the mother.
She said no more and quietly waited for their decision.
Finally, it was the uncle who had asked the first question who spoke up. He was rather plump with a round face. He was a Buddhist and always had a smiling face, so he really did look like a Buddha. "You can take back your shares yourself. We would never do anything to bully a junior."
Hearing such considerate words, Jiang Wanrou's face stiffened, and she could no longer smile.
"But..." He took another sip of tea, and when he looked up again, his eyes were no longer gentle; they were filled with malice that was almost overflowing. "Your father's situation is unprecedented and should be changed. The same applies to a girl taking charge of the household. Originally, I was considerate of your parents' deep affection for each other, and your mother is like a younger sister I watched grow up, so I couldn't bear to see her heartbroken... Otherwise, given your family's situation, you should at least have adopted a boy from a distant relative. I didn't expect that giving him several years of leniency would lead him to do something like this... It's truly a sin."
The uncle patted his chest, looking quite reluctant, then stood up, walked around the table, gently patted Jiang Wanrou's shoulder, and sighed, seemingly to comfort her, saying, "However, your mother's health has been deteriorating in recent years, and I'm afraid she won't have the energy to raise another child." He squeezed Jiang Wanrou's shoulder slightly, turned to the remaining people in the room, and said, "All of you uncles and elders are here. Don't worry, your son will definitely be able to sit on the throne of the family safely and smoothly in the future."
“Yes, Wanrou, you can just enjoy your retirement. We’re all family, and we’ll all help you.” The others suddenly realized and chimed in.
Jiang Wanrou felt as if she had fallen into a snake pit, her whole body covered in the cold touch of snakes crawling over her. It was as if a huge malice had wrapped around her neck, and she couldn't help but clench her fists, trying to relieve the suffocating feeling that was inexplicably surrounding her by digging her nails into her flesh.
In a daze, she recalled the words she had overheard that day, completely different from today's, yet strikingly similar—
"Wasn't that collaboration negotiated by the young lady? Why are you bringing the young master along?"
Her father's long sigh drifted around the corner, remaining clearly in Jiang Wanrou's heart, "It was indeed Wanrou who negotiated it. She's very capable, but it's a pity..."
"What's a pity?"
"It's a pity she was a girl after all."
——
Actually, she never had any other choice, did she?
A breeze rustled the white paper flowers filling the room. The sounds of the surrounding guests gradually resurfaced in her mind, and the red liquid in her raised glass rippled like sparks of fire... But nothing would happen next.
"Please accept my condolences, Wanrou."
In the end, Jiang Wanrou simply lowered her eyes and, just like that day, smiled and replied with an "okay."
Too many tears had dried in the corners of my eyes, forming a layer of sticky fluid that piled up on my skin when I smiled, making it especially uncomfortable.
...
But what does it matter?
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