Chapter 44: A Piece of the Truth Puzzle
If Shen Tang could have any inner thoughts at this moment, perhaps only a standard shout with her head in her hands could express her feelings.
Why didn't they give her a guaranteed time travel option?!
Flipping the table (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
Not only did they not give her the original owner's memories, but they also made her run into people related to the original owner every now and then. First, there was Tian Shouyi's misunderstanding about her as a "niece-in-law," and then Gong Cheng's shocking statement about his "brother-in-law." If it were someone else, they might have already been led astray by these two.
Shen Tang clenched her fists, her jaw muscles tense, her expression so gloomy it could drip water. To outsiders, this was the outward manifestation of her suppressed rage, all of which was caused by Gong Yunchi. Seeing this, Guan'er stepped forward diagonally.
He used his body to separate Shen Tang and Gong Cheng.
He turned his head and asked, "Brother Yunchi, is this your wife's brother?"
He knew that on the day of Gong Cheng's wedding, his entire clan suffered a calamity, being exiled and forced into prostitution, including the bride who hadn't even had the chance to perform the three bows. He heard that the bride's family, the Shen clan, fared even worse, with Zheng Qiao ordering the extermination of their entire clan, numbering in the hundreds, and their heads stained red on the execution platform.
Gong Cheng replied, "It should be."
Shen Tang's voice suddenly rose in volume.
"Gong Yunchi, what do you mean by 'should be'?"
She was almost laughing in exasperation at this guy. Didn't he know how many people were in his new wife's family?
Even if it's an arranged marriage, they're being far too careless!
Shen Tang didn't mean to blame anyone, but what was said in jest was taken seriously by Gong Cheng, and the meaning was completely distorted.
Gong Cheng felt that every word Shen Tang said carried a sarcastic, questioning tone, almost questioning him directly—[The Shen family suffered a great calamity and their entire clan was wiped out, while the Gong family was merely exiled. Now, in his words, the relationship between the two families is merely "should"—does he not acknowledge this kinship?]
Overwhelmed with shame, Gong Cheng swayed violently, nearly falling, his body barely able to stay upright. The young man and the courtesan reacted quickly, each reaching out to support him. The force of the movement still reopened his wound, and bright red blood soaked through the cloth.
The servant urged urgently, "Brother Yunchi, calm down!"
Young man: "If you keep getting injured, even the best doctors in the medical field can't save your life. We can talk about it slowly."
Shen Tang, who had no script and no memory of the events, was speechless.
Because the ghost story didn't follow the script, she had to rely on her acting skills, guessing and improvising as she went along.
The clever servant led the shopkeeper out early.
After the area was cleared out, only Shen Tang and three others remained inside.
You can speak freely.
She snorted coldly, her right hand behind her back: "Gong Cheng, considering your injury, I won't bother with those trivial matters."
With a sudden change of heart, her acting skills kicked in.
Gong Cheng is currently the person who knows the original owner of the body best. As someone who personally experienced the confiscation of his family's property and the extermination of his clan, his information is more detailed and reliable than Qi Shan's rumors. Shen Tang plans to pull a fast one, at least to find out who the original owner of the body really is and what their identity is.
Perhaps we can learn some secrets from Gong Cheng.
"Thank you, brother-in-law."
Upon hearing Shen Tang's words, Gong Cheng's pale face improved slightly. Exhausted, he sat down on the mat and cupped his hands in greeting to Shen Tang.
Shen Tang wasn't buying it, her attitude remaining cold: "Since you call me 'brother-in-law,' then let me ask you, where is she?"
Who this "she" is is left to your interpretation.
Hearing the term "brother-in-law" made Shen Tang's teeth ache.
Gong Cheng's face, which had just begun to warm up, turned deathly pale again.
He was about to speak when the courtesan beside him said, "Mr. Gu and I rescued Brother Yun Chi. At his request, we immediately sent people to that brothel to look for his sister-in-law, but... but we arrived too late, and his sister-in-law wasn't among the group of women. They said..."
“That person died on the way to exile.” The young man finished the sentence for the official, adding, “More than a month of walking in shackles is a near-death experience for an ordinary strong man, let alone a frail woman who is not yet of marriageable age…”
The dangers of being exiled included not only walking in shackles, food and water shortages, wild animals and insects, but also the guards who escorted the prisoners.
Female prisoners have a much lower chance of survival than male prisoners.
It was expected that he would die halfway through.
So, it seems I was being unreasonable?
Taking advantage of the brief lull in her emotional shift, Shen Tang deliberately turned her back to the three of them with her hands behind her back, so as not to reveal any flaws in her facial expressions. Only her back view, the slight trembling of her shoulders, and the rise and fall of her shoulder blades with each deep breath revealed her emotional changes.
Acting truly requires a strong belief!
Guan'er couldn't help but interject, "The Shen family was exterminated on Zheng Qiao's orders. What does this have to do with Brother Yun Chi?"
It's almost as if they're saying Shen Tang is "just being unreasonable."
The few words Shen Tang said to Gong Yunchi were barbed, and even he, as a listener, found them jarring. The young man, however, remained silent.
Shen Tang scoffed and retorted, "Are you the person involved?"
The official was speechless.
Gong Cheng also whispered to stop him, saying with shame, "Wengzhi, this matter has nothing to do with me, but it is related to the Gong family..."
Shen Tang closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind.
Force yourself not to think about it or analyze it.
Having someone who can read minds is really annoying.
The servant, as Shen Tang wished, pressed on, "Really?"
Gong Cheng: "Yes, otherwise why would the wedding have been so rushed?"
The mystery in Shen Tang's heart gradually became clearer after these few sentences of conversation. She took a gamble and made up a story: "If there is no connection, have you ever seen a noble lady from a noble family get married before she is of marriageable age? What would she do if she got married at such a young age? To be someone's child bride?"
The official was choked and couldn't speak.
This is indeed a problem...
The bride is indeed too young.
He looked at Gong Cheng questioningly, and the latter explained in a low voice: "Back then, when Zheng Qiao wanted to return to his country, my father openly supported him to lull him into a false sense of security, while secretly contacting court officials, including my father-in-law, Lord Shen. Lord Shen conspired with my father, who was in the imperial court, while Lord Shen used his mole planted in the inner palace to join forces with Consort Chu, who was then enjoying great favor, to prepare to assassinate Zheng Qiao from within and without. Who knew that it would all fall apart at the last minute? Not only did Consort Chu and her son die unjustly, but the news was also leaked..."
Five months pregnant, Chu Ji was framed and died suddenly from miscarriage. Her homeland was also destroyed by the furious King of Xin. The maids, servants, retainers and guests who came to Xin with Chu Ji, who helped her manage her property, totaling more than two hundred people, were demoted to slaves and bought and sold at will.
Zheng Qiao is a vengeful person. Chu Ji met such an end, so how could he let Shen Shi, who was deeply involved in this matter, off the hook?
The young man had doubts.
"So, the Shen family was only an accomplice, not the mastermind, so why did they suffer the fate of having their entire clan exterminated?"
After all, the mastermind was the Gong family, not the Shen family.
Gong Cheng shook his head: "I'm not so sure about that."
If it weren't for his father's repeated persuasion, his usually low-key and moderate father-in-law, Shen Gong, would never have stepped forward, much less provoked Zheng Qiao and brought about the extermination of their clan. When he learned that Zheng Qiao had led his troops back, his father sensed something was wrong and conspired with Shen Gong to have Lady Shen marry into the family. His father wasn't implicated and was still outwardly Zheng Qiao's "benefactor."
If Zheng Qiao takes revenge on the Shen family, at least she can preserve a vestige of her bloodline.
Who knows—
Zheng Qiao doesn't play by the rules at all.
Chu Ji was the princess of the small kingdom mentioned earlier, who married into the inner palace of the Xin Kingdom and died five months into her pregnancy.
Mr. Chu was one of the talents she brought from the country, and he was just an innocent bystander caught in the crossfire.
The young man's surname is Gu, and he is a chaotic neutral being disguised as a chaotic and evil being.
Guan'er, courtesy name Wengzhi, his identity will be kept secret for now.
Gong Cheng, courtesy name Yunchi, was a member of the Gong family whose property was confiscated and who was exiled.
The current information about Shen Tang's body indicates that he is from the Shen family.
PS: The current plot information roughly states that the heads of the Gong and Shen families joined forces with Chu Ji to kill Zheng Qiao, but Zheng Qiao managed to turn the tables and kill them. He then escaped back to his country, recuperated for five years, and led his army to destroy the Xin Kingdom. The Shen family was betrayed and Zheng Qiao retaliated by exterminating their entire clan.
The royal family of Xin Kingdom also had the surname Shen, but it was not the same as the Shen family mentioned above.
P.S.: Isn't it a pleasant surprise to update so early?
(End of this chapter)
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