Feng Qingyun paused and continued, "At first, people were only skeptical, but as the rumors continued to spread, more and more people began to look at Luo Yuning with strange eyes."
Watching Luo Yuning suffer because of these rumors and be looked at strangely by everyone, Wen Ruo felt a morbid sense of balance.
This twisted pleasure, like a drug, made her increasingly addicted, unable to extricate herself, and her behavior became increasingly outrageous.
She began to collude with some unscrupulous young men and women, meticulously plotting to embarrass Luo Yuning at an important banquet.
They deliberately arranged for Luo Yuning to experience embarrassing situations such as breaking musical instruments or forgetting her lines of poetry during her talent performance.
They also bribed some literati to subtly slander her in their poems and articles, portraying her as an arrogant, rude, and unlearned woman.
Through her meticulously planned schemes, Luo Yuning's life was plunged into endless darkness.
She not only faced rejection and neglect in social situations, but some members of her family also began to question and resent her.
The praise and adulation that once surrounded her have now turned into ridicule and accusations.
Her mental state deteriorated, and she often fell into self-doubt and pain, eventually ending up in her current miserable state, exhausted both physically and mentally, and almost swallowed by despair.
Later, on one occasion, Wen Ruo witnessed Luo Yuning, overwhelmed by the burden, slash her arm with a sharp object, causing it to bleed profusely.
That scene was like a lightning bolt, flashing through her jealous heart and giving her a sudden shock.
Looking at Luo Yuning's desperate eyes and pained expression, a complex emotion suddenly welled up in her heart, including shock, guilt, and a touch of reluctance.
Perhaps it was the last vestige of humanity in her heart that was awakened at that moment, which made her stop her vicious schemes and cease her persecution.
Since then, although she no longer mocked and sabotaged Luo Yuning as before, she has never given her even the slightest bit of care or comfort.
She acted like a detached bystander, letting Luo Yuning struggle in the abyss of pain.
She no longer inquired about Luo Yuning's life, ignoring her joys and sorrows.
If she had provoked Luo Yuning any further at that time, given her fragile mental state, she probably wouldn't have lasted this long; she would have been completely swallowed by this endless darkness long ago.
After listening to Feng Qingyun's story, it took a while before Qin Qianluo slowly raised her hand and rubbed her throbbing temples, as if she could dispel all those complicated emotions.
"It's truly a source of endless turmoil, a thousand thoughts swirling in my mind, yet I don't know where to begin," Qin Qianluo's voice was low and hoarse, tinged with weariness.
"This 'Wen Ruo' was indeed a pitiful person at first."
She should have been a radiant young lady, but she was maliciously switched at birth, and the reins of her fate were never in her own hands.
Like a fallen leaf caught in a raging storm, she was helplessly drawn into this mystery of identity swapping.
When she first entered the Minister's mansion, her life was like walking on thin ice.
Every morning when I wake up, fear follows me like a shadow. I have to weigh every glance, every word, and every subtle movement in my mind countless times.
They were terrified that if they weren't careful, they would expose their carefully crafted scam.
During those days, she was constantly on edge; beneath her glamorous exterior lay a heart filled with endless anxiety.
Qin Qianlu frowned slightly, her eyes filled with even more pity as she recalled the hardships Wen Ruo had endured.
But her biggest mistake was venting all the grievances, resentment, and hatred she had suffered over the years on the innocent Luo Yuning.
What did Luo Yuning do wrong? She was just a child who was caught up in this storm right after birth.
He grew up in the mansion of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat, where he diligently studied various subjects and practiced music, chess, calligraphy, and painting assiduously.
I tried my best to become excellent, just to live up to my family's expectations, but I never expected to suffer so much malice for no reason.
Those rumors and those framing attacks were like sharp blades, cutting into her heart again and again, plunging her life into endless darkness.
At this point, Qin Qianluo's tone was full of indignation, she bit her lower lip tightly, and her hands unconsciously clenched into fists.
"But then again, if I were really in her situation, my mind would be clouded by jealousy and resentment day after day."
Every day, I watch others effortlessly possess what I dream of, whether it's family recognition or my child's outstanding achievements.
Add to that the resentment I harbor towards my family, like a bomb that could explode at any moment, and I might also harbor resentment and do something foolish.
In such circumstances, it is incredibly difficult for a person to be completely open-minded, to accept everything without complaint or resentment.
Qin Qianlu sighed inwardly, her shoulders slumped slightly, her face filled with helplessness and emotion, as if she had personally experienced these pains.
Luo Qi'an stood frozen in place, every word Feng Qingyun uttered felt like a heavy hammer blow to his heart.
Everything around him was quietly fading away, except for those unbearable past events, which completely overwhelmed him like a surging tide.
His lips were pressed tightly together, his jaw clenched unconsciously, his cheeks bulged slightly, and the muscles on his face twitched involuntarily due to the turmoil in his heart.
Was Wen Ruo wrong? This question swirled in his mind, each echo like a sharp blade tearing at his heart.
Of course she was wrong; everything she did to Luo Yuning was unforgivable.
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