Water Reflection in the River
"No...it's not like that..."
Ling Xiuqing's defense was drowned out by the angry rebukes of the family elders.
"Shameless!"
"My Ling family's century-long reputation has been completely destroyed today by a bitch like you!"
"What misfortune for our family! What misfortune for our family!"
These words were like poisoned knives, slicing through her dignity. She looked at her father, Ling Xiong, the man who had always held her in his arms. Now, his eyes were filled with only surging rage and bottomless disappointment.
"Dad..." she called out pleadingly.
Ling Xiong abruptly turned his head away, as if even looking at her any longer would be a disgrace. His voice was hoarse, yet filled with determination, "Someone! Take this evil girl to the ancestral hall!"
Two burly women rushed over and roughly dragged Ling Xiuqing off the bed. Her wrists were tightly clamped, and her thin clothes were almost torn from the pulling.
She struggled desperately, her eyes fixed on Han Shaoheng. She didn't understand why all this was happening.
"Han Shaoheng! Tell me! Why do you treat me like this?!" Her voice was shrill, full of accusations of blood and tears.
Han Shaoheng's body trembled. He slowly turned around, his face a heartbreaking sorrow. He looked at her, tears even glimmering in his eyes, but his voice was as cold as iron: "Ling Xiuqing, at this point, you still want to quibble? I, Han Shaoheng, have treated you well, yet on our wedding night... you did something so shameful! How can I... maintain my dignity?"
Every word he said was heartbreaking, as if he was the most innocent and most hurt person.
This superb acting skill made Ling Xiuqing's heart sink to the bottom. She knew that everything was over.
In the ancestral hall, the tablets of her ancestors stared at her coldly.
She was forced to kneel on the cold stone slab like a prisoner, surrounded by the elders of the Ling family. No one spoke a word for her, their eyes filled with disdain, anger, or regret.
As the head of the family, Ling Xiong trembled as he took a family cane from the incense table.
"According to family rules, anyone who commits the crime of adultery should be drowned in the river to uphold the family's reputation!" A white-haired elder pronounced the verdict coldly.
Sink into the river!
These two words exploded in Ling Xiuqing's mind like a thunderclap.
She widened her eyes in disbelief, and the blood in her body seemed to freeze instantly.
"Dad! No! I'm being wronged!" She screamed miserably and kowtowed with all her strength. "Please believe me! You know my daughter's character best!"
Ling Xiong squeezed his eyes shut, the cane in his hand trembling slightly. How could he not be heartbroken? This was his only daughter! However, the evidence was overwhelming, and for the Ling family's century-old reputation, he had no choice.
"It's come to this, there's no point in saying more." He opened his eyes, only the cold hardness of a patriarch in them remained. "For the Ling family's reputation, you... must die."
These words completely shattered the last bit of hope in Ling Xiuqing's heart.
She was dragged by two maids, stumbling towards the back door. Along the way, the servants pointed and talked, and those faces that were once respectful were now filled with contempt and gloating.
She saw Han Shaoheng and Chuntao.
They stood in a secluded corridor, thinking no one was watching. Han Shaoheng was whispering something to Chuntao, the grief on his face long gone, replaced by a look of relief. Chuntao, on the other hand, was looking up at him, eyes filled with undisguised fascination and admiration.
This scene was like a poisonous needle, piercing Ling Xiuqing's eyes.
It turns out that they had an affair for a long time!
It turns out that this marriage was an elaborate scam from the beginning to the end! Is their target her, or the entire Ling Family Embroidery Shop behind her?
hatred!
The overwhelming hatred gushed out from the bottom of her heart, almost burning her sanity to ashes.
The night was dark and the wind from the river was so sharp that it felt like a knife cutting into my body.
She was bound hand and foot and put into a heavy sack. In her final moments, she saw Han Shaoheng. He stood at the bow, looking down at her, as if she were a dying ant.
"Why?" she asked hoarsely, using her last bit of strength.
Han Shaoheng squatted down, leaned close to her ear, and whispered coldly in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Why? It's just that you're too stupid. You have peerless talent, but you're a fool who doesn't understand the ways of the world. Don't worry, I will manage the Ling Family Embroidery Shop for you 'well.'"
Chun Tao, who was standing by, also came over. With a smug smile of victory on her face, she said contemptuously, "Miss, you've had everything since you were a child, but what about me? I can only follow behind you as a shadow. Now, everything you have, including your man, is mine."
The truth is revealed, but it is also extremely cruel.
Ling Xiuqing laughed so hard that tears came out. She hated her own stupidity and her own blindness!
"thump!"
The sack was ruthlessly pushed into the freezing cold river water.
The river water rushed in frantically from all directions, pouring into her mouth and nose, depriving her of the last breath of air. In the last moment when her consciousness faded, the river water became clear, and through the swaying waves, she saw the scene reflected on the water surface -
Her proud phoenix-peony wedding gown was now tattered, like a dirty rag; the priceless pearl hairpin on her head had long since fallen, and her long black hair floated awkwardly in the water. Meanwhile, at the bow, Chuntao was nestled in Han Shaoheng's arms, facing the river with an undisguised, victorious sneer.
Endless darkness completely swallowed her.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
