Yang Ruoning and Han Danchun rushed to the front courtyard, which was already crowded. They mingled with the servants of the Luo mansion, craning their necks like everyone else, desperate to see what was happening ahead.
Amidst the crowd, someone who didn't understand asked, "What happened?"
"The master suddenly fainted."
"Fainted? Then why aren't you rushing to find a doctor?!"
"Alas, you wouldn't know. There's no need to. The best doctors in the entire city have all been invited by the master to celebrate the wedding. Tell me, how lucky is the master!"
Yang Ruoning and Han Danchun had to push their way to the front. In the main hall, Luo Yuan's uncle lay on the ground, unconscious. Beside him, Luo Qianqiu knelt, holding her father's hand, weeping profusely, looking utterly pitiable. Several old men resembling doctors surrounded the uncle. Some were taking his pulse, others were prying open his mouth to examine his tongue. Luo Yuan, sword in hand, stood nearby with a stern expression, seemingly not noticing her and Han Danchun standing a few steps away.
Luo Yuan was wearing a purple robe. That gaudy color was clearly the result of a compromise with Luo Qianqiu. He must have refused to wear the same cherry blossom pink as Luo Qianqiu, but under her oppressive influence, he was forced to choose purple.
Beneath the bamboo hat was a young, handsome man. As soon as Yang Ruoning saw his appearance, she almost cried out, "Qingye!"
Luo Yuan and the young man exchanged glances for a few seconds. A slight smirk played on the corner of his lips. Then, he knelt on one knee, sword in hand, "Long live my Emperor, long live, long live!"
After a few moments of stunned silence, the entire courtyard reacted. They all knelt, bowed their heads, and cried in unison, "Long live my Emperor, long live, long live!"
Yang Ruoning did not kneel with the others. She saw Luo Yuan and Qingye both turn their gaze towards her, the only one not kneeling in the courtyard. The three of them smiled at each other, an unspoken understanding passing between them.
After the guests departed, everyone gathered in the front hall of the Luo mansion.
Luo Qianqiu sat in a corner of the living room, while Yang Ruoning, dressed as a servant, sat opposite her. At this moment, everyone was paying respects to Qingye, who sat in the center of the hall, paying no attention to the two women exchanging glares in the corner.
Yang Ruoning felt that if looks were swords, they would have engaged in countless duels in a flash of lightning, killing each other countless times.
"You lost. Your father is dead. No one will tolerate your cruelty anymore!" Yang Ruoning said.
"Hmph, if he's dead, he's dead. I've gotten what I wanted anyway, and I don't care if he's around or not from now on!" Luo Qianqiu retorted.
"Luo Yuan will not marry you. We are already married."
Upon hearing Yang Ruoning say that she and Luo Yuan were already married, Luo Qianqiu's face contorted into a fierce expression. She glared at Yang Ruoning fiercely for a few seconds, then suddenly raised her voice and shouted, "Brother Yuan, has our engagement been completed today? Are you and I now fiancés!"
Yang Ruoning: "Fuck you, bitch! Dream on, you murderer! Luo Yuan is my husband!"
The hall fell silent for a moment as everyone looked back at the two strange women, bewildered.
Qingye cleared his throat and said gravely, "Why are you two quarreling?"
A person emerged from the crowd and reported to Qingye, "Your Majesty, I am Zhang Li, the Prefect of Youzhou Prefecture. Not long ago, someone reported the Luo family's eldest daughter for disregarding human lives."
Qingye raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? Have you found any evidence?"
"More than ten bodies, all young women, were found in a lake about ten li outside the city. However, direct evidence proving it was Miss Luo has not yet been found."
"The witness is here!" Yang Ruoning roared. She pointed at Luo Qianqiu opposite her, "I am the witness! A month ago, she tried to kill me and dump my body in the lake. Luo Qianqiu, you're finished!"
Han Danchun beside her chimed in repeatedly, "This woman just tried to kill me too!"
Qingye said sternly, "Since the evidence of Luo Qianqiu's murder is conclusive, Lord Zhang, how should she be sentenced?"
"According to the laws of this dynasty, she should be sentenced to death by hanging."
"Very well. In that case, I, the Emperor, hereby annul the marriage between Lord Luo and you. The criminal Luo Qianqiu shall be escorted to the yamen and executed by hanging on an appointed day."
Unexpectedly, Yang Ruoning suddenly raised her hand and shouted, "Wait!" She said to Qingye, "As Luo Qianqiu's only surviving witness, may I make a suggestion?"
Qingye lifted his chin, signaling her to continue. "Although I have always been cautious about the death penalty, Luo Qianqiu's crimes are truly grave. Therefore, I believe we should adhere to... ah, what is that saying? Whether one lives or dies is up to fate! In any case, whether she lives or dies should be decided by heaven!" Saying this, she asked Han Danchun beside her to fetch paper and brush. She wrote a single character on each of two sheets of paper, folded them identically, and placed them in a bottle. She shook the bottle vigorously and then handed it to Luo Qianqiu.
Before letting Luo Qianqiu choose her own fate, she made her final "closing statement": "Luo Qianqiu, at first, I wished that if there were an afterlife, I would want to be as beautiful as you, because even when beautiful people pick their noses, they are beautiful. Beautiful people seem to have exceptionally good luck and easy lives. But now, I don't want to be you. You became obsessed with a tangled fate, and in the end, you've turned yourself into a monster. Such a monster has no charm at all."
"Luo Qianqiu, there are two folded pieces of paper in this bottle. One says 'Life', the other says 'Death'. You choose your fate."
Yang Ruoning saw countless emotions flash across Luo Qianqiu's beautiful eyes. Then, trembling, she drew a piece of paper from the bottle and unfolded it. It read "Life."
Luo Qianqiu breathed a sigh of relief.
Yang Ruoning, however, smiled strangely. "Congratulations, Luo Qianqiu. You may live."
After everyone left, only Yang Ruoning, Luo Yuan, Han Danchun, and Qingye remained.
Han Danchun unfolded the other slip of paper from the bottle. When he saw that it also read "Life," he was greatly surprised. "You never intended for her to die, did you, Yang Ruoning?"
Yang Ruoning smiled at him. "I didn't want her to die. Death is such an easy thing. I want Luo Qianqiu to live for a very long time, so she can watch her proud, beautiful face inevitably age. I want her to live in a living hell, to take the place of those poor girls at the bottom of the lake, to taste all the pain and sorrow. That is why I don't want her to die; I want her to struggle in this world, this is the punishment she deserves."