Capital Magistrate, the prison.
In the dark, damp cell, Jiang Yu lay on a heap of matted, foul-smelling straw. Her skin, once as fair and smooth as jade, was now covered in festering wounds, her body a blur of blood and mangled flesh. She was burning with a high fever, and she had long since lost track of how long she had been imprisoned here.
She only knew that she could not die. Her younger brother, Ziqi, must still be finding a way to rescue his sister. Jiang Yu had never expected that the younger brother she had once loathed so deeply would become her final straw of hope. She clung to her last breath each day, refusing to perish, simply because she wanted to see if that ruthless, faithless man would ever meet his retribution.
But Jiang Yu was disappointed. Xuanyuan Ling had already ascended to that throne; who left in the world could possibly fight him now? She only blamed herself for having such poor judgment, for placing her trust in the wrong people.
If there were a next life...
As Jiang Yu drifted in a semi-conscious state, lost in her wayward thoughts, the cell door suddenly creaked open. A pair of exquisite, elegant shoes—entirely out of place in this dismal hole—appeared within her field of vision. Jiang Yu was too weak to lift her head, so she could not tell who had arrived.
"My Lady, I must ask, why come to such an ill-omened place? You’ll only sully your noble personage. If any harm comes to you and His Majesty worries and blames me, how could this old servant ever bear the consequences?"
The voice was thin, sharp, and effeminate. Jiang Yu recognized it instantly: it was Grand Eunuch Wu, who had been highly favored by the late Emperor. Eventually, he had been courted by Xuanyuan Ling, becoming one of his eyes and ears within the palace. Back when she was the darling of Xuanyuan Ling’s favor, Grand Eunuch Wu had often said to her, "I have been by the Third Prince's side for a long time, and this is the first time I have seen him care so much for someone. The Third Prince is sincere toward you, Miss Jiang. You must not let him down; do not disappoint him."
Now, he offered the same fawning, cautious flattery to a different mistress. The so-called sincerity of an Emperor was worth less than the mud splashed by the wheels of a passing carriage.
"Grand Eunuch Wu, how can you say that? How could His Majesty ever blame you because of me?"
As soon as that innocent, chirping voice sounded, Jiang Yu’s blood-streaked eyelashes fluttered. She knew that voice all too well; it belonged to the woman she had once doted upon as if she were her own biological sister. Jiang Xueshu. It was actually her?
"Sister, I have come to see you. Even though you hate me, seeing you covered in so much blood still makes my heart ache."
Jiang Xueshu’s tone remained innocent and compassionate, but if one listened closely, there was a trace of flippant cruelty hidden within.
"Someone! The criminal Jiang Yu has frightened Lady Shu, she deserves to die. Bring out the finger-crushing torture device."
How could Grand Eunuch Wu pass up such an opportunity to curry favor with Jiang Xueshu? Jiang Xueshu was the greatest beauty in the Capital, and after entering the palace, she had won the Emperor's deep favor. A mere whisper in his ear could decide the life, death, and honor of everyone in their entire clans. Hearing Grand Eunuch Wu order the torture, Jiang Xueshu merely smiled faintly and did not stop him.
Soon, several men stepped forward, hauled Jiang Yu up from the floor, and forced her to her knees. They shoved her fingers into the device and pulled the cords tight with all their might!
Heart-rending screams echoed throughout the prison. Jiang Yu had endured the finger-crushing torture countless times, but no matter how many times it was applied, the pain remained unbearable. Listening to her screams, Grand Eunuch Wu grinned broadly and asked solicitously, "My Lady, are you satisfied?"
A young eunuch had already deftly set out a chair with a soft cushion. Jiang Xueshu sat down before Jiang Yu, looking down at her, her sweet face filled with a morbid sense of excitement.
"It’s alright, though my sister’s face is exactly as it always was—not a bit different from the visage I detest so much."
Grand Eunuch Wu understood her intent and shot a look at the petty official standing nearby. The man immediately caught the meaning and pulled out a heated branding iron, walking toward Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu was already so tortured that she lacked the strength to do anything but hang on by a single thread of life. When the branding iron touched her face, a continuous hissing sound erupted, followed instantly by the smell of charred flesh.
Jiang Yu no longer had the strength to struggle or scream. She used her final ounce of energy to lift her head, staring intently at the woman in fine silks before her, and asked, "Jiang... Jiang Xueshu, why?"
She only wanted to know why. She had treated them so well, always viewing them as her closest family—why would they do this to her? Because of them, Jiang Yu had even distanced herself from her own mother and her younger brother, Ziqi.
"Why? At this point, you still ask me why? Hahaha, Jiang Yu, you are too funny."
Jiang Xueshu’s silver-bell laughter echoed through the dark prison. She laughed until she trembled, just as they used to do during their days of sisterly affection, when they would share jokes in the boudoir. Jiang Yu knew that she would not survive the day. She knew her own body best; it was the end of the line. But before she died, she demanded a clear answer.
"Jiang Yu, I never once considered you my biological sister." Jiang Xueshu narrowed her almond eyes, as if recalling something, but she quickly frowned, her eyes finally revealing unconcealed disgust and hatred. "If it weren't for wanting to watch you and that shameless mother of yours tear each other apart, do you think I would have been willing to stay by your side? Do you know that every time I walked with you, I could smell the stench of scrap metal radiating from you? A merchant's daughter is a merchant's daughter. Father brought your mother, that bitch, into our home, and she brought nothing but shame to our Marquis Manor. Do you know how the noblewomen mocked us because of you and your mother? Have you ever thought about how much ridicule and humiliation I suffered because I was close to you?
"However, Sister, you were quite useful... I knew you treated me well, or you wouldn't have done all those dangerous things for me. In the end, I was the one who reaped the benefits. You must hate me so much, right? But hatred is useless now. If the Emperor were to suddenly think of you, it would be a problem. Your life ends here today, isn't that good, Sister?"
Jiang Yu had to die today, so Jiang Xueshu no longer felt the need to pretend. She had played the sweet, gentle, and obedient role for so long that she had almost forgotten she had never been a kind person to begin with. Everyone needs an outlet, and her hatred for Jiang Yu was her final release.
"I... Jiang Xueshu... I never begged you to follow me." Jiang Yu wheezed. "Never mind. My mother... they... they are innocent..."
In this life, having mistaken her enemies for her own kin, Jiang Yu was powerless to turn back time. She only hoped that after her death, she would not implicate her mother or Ziqi. At this moment, Jiang Yu placed her desperate hopes in her father, Marquis Pingchang. She hoped he still harbored some affection for her mother, her sister, and her brother, and would not let anyone harm them.
She dragged her broken body toward Jiang Xueshu, trying to grasp the hem of her skirt, but she was kicked away by Grand Eunuch Wu.
"Filth! Covered in blood and filth, yet you dare try to touch Lady Shu."
With that kick, Jiang Yu collapsed to the ground, unable to rise again. Jiang Xueshu laughed with feigned surprise. "Your mother? Don't you know?"
Know? Know what?
"Your mother was executed by Father as soon as you were branded an accomplice of the deposed Crown Prince. Father is the greatest coward; he feared the Emperor would suspect the Marquis Manor of being involved with the party of the deposed Crown Prince. And that sister of yours who was already married—I don't know how she got the news, but she tried to come and take your family away. Unfortunately, she was intercepted by mountain bandits on the way; she was raped and then killed. It was a truly miserable death.
"As for your brother—didn't you know? The last time he was sent to suppress bandits, he acted too recklessly and died right in their den. I heard his body was gnawed on by dogs until not even his bones were left. A real piece of trash, he was. Your maternal grandfather's family, the Li family, suffered an even worse fate: they were executed to the last man. A merchant is just a merchant; what good does it do to earn so much money? The imperial court only needed a random excuse to slaughter them all and confiscate their property. Now, only you are left, Sister. But you will be reunited with them very soon."
After Jiang Xueshu finished speaking, she used the tip of her tourmaline-inlaid shoe to lift Jiang Yu’s blood-smeared face. As their gazes locked, Jiang Yu was so enraged that she spat out a mouthful of blood. She hated! She hated it so much! Why had she been so stupid and foolish? Why had she brought such ruin upon her family?
"Shu'er, what are you doing here? Come back with me," a cold, pleasant voice called out.
Jiang Yu would never forget this voice as long as she lived; it was Jiang Yingxi, whom she had always regarded as a true sister and respected deeply.
Jiang Xueshu rose and hugged Jiang Yingxi’s arm, acting spoiled. "Sister, I came to see Sister Yu off. Just look at her now."
"Forget about her. She's just a stray dog; she's not worth mentioning. Just finish her off quickly, lest complications arise."
A stray dog, huh!
"I know. I imagine the wild dogs will enjoy her scent tonight, won't they? Grand Eunuch Wu, you know what to do?"
"As you command!"
Before she closed her eyes, Jiang Yu stared fixedly at the two retreating figures. Jiang Yingxi, Jiang Xueshu, everyone in the Jiang Family, and the ultimate culprit—Xuanyuan Ling.
If there is a next life, I, Jiang Yu, will return the suffering my family and I have endured tenfold!