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墨書 Inktalez
I stood in the study, reaching out to touch the " Painting of Pines and Cranes." Counting silently to three in my mind, I gently pushed the lower right corner. The hidden compartment opened with a soft click. The true will was right there, intact.
As I unfolded it, it confirmed what Uncle Li had said: Father had left all his assets to me.
"Miss, it's bad!" the maid rushed in, panic written all over her face. "The eldest miss is going to commit suicide!"
I calmly tucked the will away. "Take me there."
In Half-Sister's room, she held a dagger, tears streaming down her face.
"Sister, you're back! I... I can't go on living!"
Her pitiful appearance might have softened my heart in the past. But now, I had seen through the hypocrisy of this world.
"No need for theatrics; I only want the truth," I said coldly.
"What truth?" Panic flickered in her eyes as the dagger trembled in her hand.
"How did Father die?" I stepped closer. "What secret do you and Ji Hanzhou share?"
She trembled all over, and the dagger clattered to the floor with a sharp sound. Suddenly, she fell to her knees, crying out, "It's my fault! It was all forced upon me!"
I watched her performance with cold indifference, letting her play out this act of self-pity.
"Go on."
Through her sobs, she recounted how Ji Hanzhou had threatened her family’s lives, how he coerced her into poisoning Father’s medicine, and how he meticulously plotted to make me bear the blame.
"He threatened me, saying if I didn’t do as he said, he would kill my entire family."
"I didn’t want to harm Father; I truly didn’t!"
She spoke with such sincerity that, had I not witnessed her cruelty with my own eyes, I might have almost believed her.
"What about the child?" I asked, my voice eerily calm.
"The child is fake," she admitted, lowering her head. "I was never pregnant; it was all part of Ji Hanzhou's scheme to ruin your engagement."
I scoffed, the memory of that day when she pointed at me and cursed flashed through my mind.
"So, my life has been completely destroyed by you two just because Ji Hanzhou covets the Shen family's fortune?"
She dared not look at me, repeatedly bowing her head in apology.
Soon, blood began to pool on the floor, but I remained unmoved.
"Sister, I know I deserve to die a thousand deaths," she crawled before me, "but Ji Hanzhou wants to divorce me and kill me to silence me!"
Seeing the blood on her forehead and her pleading posture stirred a sudden idea within me.
"Do you want to die?" I asked softly.
She froze, looking up at me with tear-streaked cheeks.
"N-no... I don't want to..."
"Then listen to me."
I leaned down and whispered a few words in her ear, watching as the fear in her eyes gradually transformed into surprise.
"You... will help me?" she asked in disbelief.
"I'm not helping you; I'm using you," I stood up, looking down at her from above. "This is your only chance at survival."
Three days later, the capital was in an uproar—Ji Manor was ablaze, Ji Hanzhou severely injured, and Lin was dead.
I stood on a distant rooftop, watching the flames consume everything.
In the fire, it seemed I could see Ji Hanzhou's twisted face.
"Did you really let your Half-Sister die?" Murong Huan asked, handing me a flask of warm wine.
"Of course not; she has long been sent to the south," I took a sip of wine, letting the spiciness slide down my throat.
Murong Huan looked at me in surprise. "You spared her?"
"She is merely a pawn," I said softly, "the real snake is Ji Hanzhou."
"But she caused your father's death..."
"She will atone for her sins with the rest of her life." I gazed toward the south. "In that nunnery, she will chant scriptures for my father every day."
The firelight illuminated my face as Murong Huan stared at me for a long time.
"You've changed." His voice carried a hint of pain.
"It's not change; it's growth." I smiled faintly. "Suffering makes one grow, and betrayal brings clarity."
"Zhi Yi..." He hesitated, wanting to say more.
"Don't worry, I haven't gone to extremes."
He gently took my hand, saying nothing more.
Two months later, Ji Hanzhou was exiled to the frontier for crimes of embezzlement and plotting against his superior.
His new lover, Shen Ruoqing, fled upon hearing the news and vanished without a trace.
With Murong Huan's help, I reclaimed all the Shen family's assets and cleared my father's name.
The Shen residence regained its vitality, and I was slowly healing.
A year later, in spring, the garden was in full bloom.
Murong Huan visited, bringing with him a double lotus jade hairpin.
"Shen Zhi Yi," he knelt on one knee, his eyes sparkling with a light I had never seen before. "I do not ask you to accept me immediately; I only ask for a chance to prove that true sincerity still exists in this world."
I looked at him, recalling all the companionship and support along the way.
"I need time."
"I am willing to wait."
"But I am willing to give us a chance." I smiled as I accepted the hairpin.
Sunlight filtered through the pear blossoms, casting warmth upon us.
A sparrow landed on a branch, chirping joyfully.
This time, I would not mistake anyone again.
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