Late at night, Su Ruodan curled up in the corner of the woodshed, her face still red and swollen from the slap and with tear stains.
She stared at the moonlight outside the window and suddenly remembered something.
She should have a share of the Su family's assets.
When her father retired and returned to his hometown, he must have taken all that family wealth with him. Now that Su Ruofan has come to the capital to find her, he must have brought money with him!
"Yes... I still have the Su family to rely on..."
She muttered to herself, a bitter smile tugging at the corners of her chapped lips.
Only the Su family can be relied upon.
She should have realized it sooner. The fact that Su Ruofan came meant that the Su family had not completely abandoned her.
She can go back to her hometown with Su Ruofan, reclaim her family property, and start over!
The next morning, taking advantage of the fact that no one was guarding the door, Su Ruodan secretly slipped out of the mansion through the window and went to the inn that Su Ruofan had told her about the day before.
"Which room is Young Master Su from Qingzhou in? I have important business with him!"
As soon as she entered, Su Ruodan anxiously asked the waiter.
“He sat there for a long time yesterday, and then checked out and left late at night!”
The waiter scratched his head.
"...They're gone?!"
Su Ruodan stood frozen in place, incredulous. How could he have just left?!
"Yes, they left in a hurry and didn't even ask for the deposit back."
The waiter nodded. He was also there last night, and that young master had sat there alone for so long, so he naturally remembered him well.
"Did he... did he leave any message?"
Her fingertips felt cold, and she suddenly grabbed the waiter's sleeve.
"oh!"
"He said if a girl surnamed Su comes looking for him, he should tell her..."
"From this moment on, we will never meet again for the rest of our lives... Yes, that's what it means."
The waiter slapped his forehead and finally remembered.
Su Ruodan released her grip and staggered back two steps.
She remembered his exact words: "Sister, I will wait for two hours for you to go back to our hometown together. If you don't come... I will pretend that I no longer have a sister like you!"
He waited for her for two hours, but she didn't come.
At that time, she was still waiting outside the palace for the person who would never come out.
As Su Ruodan walked through the bustling street corner, she felt dizzy and disoriented.
She could have gone home with her brother and had no longer had to endure the humiliation from the mistress.
She could have gone back to being the eldest daughter of the Su family.
But now, it's all too late!
She walked along in a daze, when she was suddenly awakened by a burst of cheerful music.
Nowadays, women can also serve as officials in the imperial court. A woman who has achieved the highest rank in the imperial examination is riding a tall horse with a radiant smile on her face.
In a daze, she seemed to see herself from back then.
That Su Ruodan, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, full of vigor and high spirits.
If she could do it all over again and stop coveting things that don't belong to her, would she become as successful and carefree as that woman?
How...did it turn out like this?
With nowhere else to go, she could only slink back to the filthy woodshed to escape the first snowfall outside.
At night, Su Ruodan lay exhausted and asleep on the haystack when the door of the woodshed was suddenly kicked open, and a cold wind blew in, carrying snowflakes.
Before Su Ruodan could react, the family head grabbed her by the hair and dragged her up.
"You slut! You slut!! You slut!!!"
Several hard slaps landed on her face, so forcefully that her vision went black.
"My lord...I don't know what I did to displease you!"
She covered her cheek, blood seeping from the corner of her mouth, her voice trembling.
"You shameless woman, you dare to argue?!"
"Madam is suffering from unbearable abdominal pain, and the doctor says someone has poisoned her! Besides you, who else in this mansion would harm the child in Madam's womb?!"
The head of the family, his face contorted in a ferocious expression, grabbed her by the neck and pinned her against the wall.
Su Ruodan's pupils contracted sharply. She had been locked in the woodshed for the past few days and hadn't even been able to drink clean water. How could she possibly have poisoned him?
"It wasn't me... How could it be me?!"
"I've been here... I can't get out..."
She struggled to explain, but the official slapped her again, and half of her face immediately swelled up, her ears ringing.
"Drag him away!"
"Beat her until she confesses!"
The head of the family shook her off and shouted at the servants.
The snow fell heavier and heavier.
Su Ruodan was tied to the rack, her thin clothes already torn by the whip, revealing streaks of blood.
"Speak! How did you poison the lady!"
The head maid lashed her leg with a whip.
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