Chapter 370: Chapter 131: Letting Go

The mountain breeze whipped up waves of pine, soothing one’s heart and bringing forth a sense of tranquil elegance. Yet Yueyao felt no mood to appreciate the scenery; her mind was in total disarray.

Hua Lei asked aloud, “Miss, what’s the matter with you?” Seeing the Miss’s furrowed brow, Hua Lei couldn’t figure out what was troubling Yueyao. Recently, the Miss had been muttering to herself, refusing to answer any questions.

Yueyao looked at Hua Lei and Qiao Lan, her thoughts swiftly turning. She posed the same question to Hua Lei and Qiao Lan. Of course, she didn’t need to mince words with them. Yueyao spoke of her experiences from her past life but only mentioned the first part–how on the night she married the merchant, she learned he had a wife and children and committed suicide: “If you were this woman, what would you do?”

Hua Lei snorted, “If I were that girl, having had my life ruined by that man, I would drag him down with me even if it meant my death. Besides, I think that girl was foolish. Why did she kill herself? She should’ve killed the man first, then herself!” Hua Lei wondered to herself where the Miss had heard such a story; the people in it seemed too pitiful.

Yueyao was struck by Hua Lei’s words. In her previous life, she had attempted suicide several times but never thought to kill Zhou Shu.

Qiao Lan also disagreed with the protagonist’s temperament from the story: “Miss, I actually think the main problem lies with the girl. If she wasn’t so resigned and weak, she wouldn’t have ended up in such a situation. Having reached that point, it’s better to be barely alive than dead; dying like that is too wasteful.”

Yueyao looked at Qiao Lan, “Do you also think that the man should be killed?”

Qiao Lan nodded then shook her head, “If there were a way, naturally she should seek revenge. But as his concubine, should the man die, her days would be numbered. Miss, the fate of a concubine after her husband’s death lies in the matriarch’s hands; life would be worse than death. Miss, I don’t know how others would act, but I think it’s better to cling to life. If you die, you have nothing; it’s better to fight for a chance.” Qiao Lan’s opinion was to bury hatred deep inside and seek revenge when an opportunity arises–as the saying goes, ‘A gentleman will bide his time for revenge, even if it takes ten years.’

Yueyao murmured, “Is that so?” Qiao Lan and Hua Lei’s ideas did indeed align with Mr. Yu Shan’s.

Occasionally, Qiao Lan felt Yueyao was too naive in her thinking: “Miss, there are many hardships in this world.” Qiao Lan believed everyone had their struggles and making it through depended on oneself. If you show weakness, people will take advantage. If you’re strong, others can’t bully you.

Yueyao turned to look at Qiao Lan, “Then, if this girl now had the chance to escape it all, but he still persisted, what would you do?”

Hua Lei’s face showed a fierce determination, “If he continues to pester, trying to obtain what’s not his, he deserves to be punished.”

After a moment of contemplation, Qiao Lan said, “Ultimately, it depends on the girl’s choice. If she remains weak and incompetent, what good would killing the man do? Her fate wouldn’t change much.”

Yueyao suddenly laughed. What to do truly depended on her own decisions, not the opinions of others. It was her life, her destiny.

Yueyao had a realization. She let go of Zhou Shu, who had become a demon in her heart. No matter how much Zhou Shu wanted to manipulate her into his grasp, she was no longer the confused person from her past life. She was just an ordinary person, not a saint; she harbored no murderous intent. If Zhou Shu did not provoke her, that would be the end of it. But if Zhou Shu used such means again, she would make him suffer the evil consequences he sowed.

Meanwhile, within the Marquis Yongding’s household, Guan Jingshuo was slumped in a chair. Unable to concentrate on his reading, he carelessly set aside the book. His eyes involuntarily landed on the three-legged, gold-trimmed, wire-inlaid cloisonne incense burner on the table.

The incense burner emitted a thin stream of smoke, containing lilies with a calming effect. Prolonged exposure made it easy to fall asleep. Unfortunately, Guan Jingshuo still couldn’t sleep no matter how much he burned.

Heping came in from outside, lowering his voice, “Heir Apparent, the Third Miss of the Lian Family is still on the mountain and hasn’t returned.” Heping was puzzled by his master’s concern for the Third Miss Lian. He had learned that Third Miss Lian was already betrothed to the Second Young Master Shen, a man whose character, appearance, and talents were not inferior to the Heir Apparent’s. There was no chance that Third Miss Lian harbored any affection for their Heir Apparent. Heping was curious as to what had caused his master to take such an interest in Third Miss Lian. Unfortunately, the Heir Apparent kept a tight seal on the matter, and Heping couldn’t find any clues.