Chapter 14-1: Punishment
As Luo Chen testified that she wias the one
who pushed Luo Sheng into the lake, Sheng Jialan's fear, panic, and desperation
intensified. She had mentally prepared herself to bear the following
consequences. Well, the worst of them is probably losing her life.
However, when Luo Sheng uttered, "You
did this for Su Yao," the foundation supporting Sheng Jialan's spirit
shattered instantly. Su Yao was an untouchable presence in her heart, how could
he be dragged into this matter?
"It has nothing to do with Su Er
Gongzi!" Sheng Jialan hissed. If previously she was like a trembling snail
hiding within its shell, pretending not to exist amidst the storm, now the
protective shell had cracked, revealing a fragile and unsightly face.
Sheng Jialan sat paralyzed on the ground
and broke down, "I just couldn't bear Luo Sheng constantly pestering Su Er
Gongzi, so I acted impulsively. Su Er Gongzi had no knowledge about this, nor
did he know how I truly felt about him..."
Sheng Jiayu's eyes widened as if she had
seen a ghost, and she stammered: "Ermei, you… you actually have feelings
for Su Yao——" After hearing Sheng Jiayu's words, Sheng Jialan's breakdown
subsided slightly. She looked back at Sheng Jiayu and asked, "Is it wrong
for me to like him?"
All the ladies in Jinsha County were
attracted to Su Er Gongzi, so why couldn't she be? Just because she was a
concubine's daughter, did she have to stand behind her elder sister and even
behind Luo Sheng?
She didn't hope for a chance to be with
that remarkable young man. Still, she also couldn't tolerate a worthless person
like Luo Sheng obsessively pursuing the person she had in the tip of her heart.
Get rid of Luo Sheng to restore Su Er
Gongzi's peaceful life. This idea had been brewing in her mind for a long time
until that day when Luo Sheng revealed her feelings for Su Yao to Zumu, and she
could no longer suppress that killing urge.
Hurt by Sheng Jialan's unapologetic
attitude, Sheng Jiayu muttered, "Of course, you can, I just never heard
you mention it..." Sheng Jialan sneered in response, "Why should I
mention it? Does saying it means I can marry Su Er Gongzi? I am well aware that
I am unworthy of him."
Sheng Laotaitai observed her second
granddaughter, who had lost all sense of dignity, and asked slowly, "Why
do you believe you don't deserve him?" The question took aback Sheng
Jialan.
Sheng Laotaitai's face filled with
distress as she spoke, "You are the second daughter of the Sheng family, and
Su Yao is the second son of the Su family. Our families have a good
relationship and are a suitable match[1].
What makes you believe you are unworthy of him? Suppose you have shared your
feelings with your mother. In that case, we can arrange for a matchmaker to
approach the Su family and seek their opinion on this matter. If it works out,
it will be a joyous occasion; if it doesn't, you will have no regrets. But
instead, you have kept everything hidden in your heart and ended up harming
others. With what you did, do you think you have lived up to the elders who have
always cherished you or your siblings who have cared for you?"
"I, I..." Sheng Jialan glanced at
Sheng Laotaitai, Sheng Dataitai, Sheng Ertaitai, and her brothers before her
gaze fell upon Sheng Jiayu, whose face was stained with tears. She couldn't help
but cry heartbreakingly. Was she mistaken? She had a slight chance of being
with Su Er Gongzi, but she had destroyed it with her own hands...
Sheng Jialan gazed down at her pale hands,
overwhelmed with remorse. She eventually couldn't bear the huge emotional shock
and fainted.
Sheng Laotaitai's lips trembled as she
quickly called for a doctor, her gaze subconsciously shifting toward Luo Sheng.
Luo Sheng was still standing quietly, but Sheng Laotaitai felt as though she
was seeing her granddaughter in a new light. From Jialan's breakdown to
subsequent fainting were solely a result of Luo Sheng's words:
You did this for Su Yao.
How did Luo Sheng know about Jialan's
infatuation with Su Yao? And how did she deduce that Jialan's actions were
driven by her feelings for him? Sheng Laotaitai harbored numerous doubts in her
heart, but she understood that now was not the appropriate time to seek the
answers.
[1] 門當戶對 méndāng-hùduì: the
families are well-matched in terms of social status
Comments
Post a Comment