Chapter 25: Collecting Their Remains-Seguindo o amor por três anos, a senhora do marqués divorcia o marido diariamente, com cem caixões a abrir caminho.(An Zhiyi)

"Shen Haoyue!"

Hearing his words, Cui Jin raised her voice and shouted his name in a fit of rage.

"What nonsense are you spouting? How could we ever push your sister back there? Do you take us for fools? Can we not see that the entire household over there is thirsting for Yuan'er's life?"

As she spoke, Cui Jin’s voice choked with emotion, and her eyes reddened instantly. How she wished that Shen Ningyuan could simply stay safely by her side for the rest of her life. But the world was merciless, and life for a woman was already difficult enough. She did not want—nor did she dare—to push Shen Ningyuan back into that den of iniquity.

At this moment, Shen Potian suddenly spoke up. "Actually, I think the second son is right. If it truly comes to that, we should indeed consider sending Yuan'er away."

Cui Jin paused and turned to look at him. Shen Potian met her gaze and said in a deep voice, "You have been in trade for many years, traveling far and wide, enduring so much hardship to carve out your own success. Why then, should our daughter not be able to endure the same hardships as her mother?"

"But..." Cui Jin hesitated. She could endure hardship, but she did not want Shen Ningyuan to suffer.

Shen Potian interrupted her. "No 'buts.' I believe Yuan'er would be willing!" He then turned to Shen Ningyuan. "Isn't that right, Yuan'er?"

Shen Ningyuan did not respond. She kept her head down, focused on her meal, her thoughts unreadable. Seeing her silence, the others grew anxious, fearing that the conversation had stirred up painful memories.

"Yuan'er, why don't you... share your thoughts?" Cui Jin asked tentatively. Everyone held their breath, watching her with bated anxiety.

Finally, Shen Ningyuan finished her last bite, looked up, and surveyed the room. "I am going back to the Ji family."

As soon as she finished, Shen Haoyue lost his composure. "Shen Ningyuan, at a time like this, why on earth would you go back to the Ji family?!"

Shen Ningyuan turned her head, her gaze fixed firmly on Shen Haoyue. She gritted her teeth and said, word for word, "I am going back to collect their corpses."

"What?" Shen Haoyue was stunned. Perhaps because her expression was so earnest, they all took her seriously. Her words were like a massive boulder thrown into a calm lake, sending out deafening ripples. The atmosphere turned eerie, and even the usually composed Shen Potian and Shen Haobai stiffened.

Cui Jin stared at her, her eyes full of shock. "Yuan'er, what did you just say?"

All eyes were fixed upon her. Once Shen Haoyue regained his senses, he reached out and grabbed her arm. "Yuan'er, say that again..."

Shen Ningyuan retracted her gaze and quickly calmed herself. She shouldn't have exposed her attitude toward the Ji family to her relatives so soon. She changed her tone immediately. "I misspoke. I meant I am going back to collect the corpse of Ji Yunchuan."

Shen Haoyue paused, gave her a long, searching look, but remained silent. Seeing his foul mood, Cui Jin served him some vegetables and smiled. "Eat, eat. We can talk about the Ji family later!"

The others echoed her, resuming the meal with forced chatter. Only Song Yan'er, in the brief gap between bites, shot Shen Ningyuan a look of profound meaning. Shen Ningyuan noticed; they shared a glance before returning to their food. She knew her sister-in-law was worried about her. As both were women who had married out, they understood each other’s plight.

However, Shen Ningyuan was not in a hurry to return to the Ji family. She knew that since she had not yet returned, the ones who should be nervous were the Ji family—and others.

After dinner, Shen Ningyuan returned to her quarters. After a brief wash, she told her maid, Lu Ying, that she was exhausted and needed to rest, specifically instructing her not to let anyone enter her room. Lu Ying nodded and left after seeing her to bed.

But once she lay down, Shen Ningyuan felt no drowsiness. With eyes clear and wide, she waited silently for the prey to emerge.

At midnight, the General’s Mansion was shrouded in darkness. A shadow slipped silently out of the back gate. Moments later, Shen Ningyuan emerged from the shadows behind a wall. She had known that since Cui Mingzhu had been so severely injured by her, she would surely run to Ji Yunchuan to complain. She had been waiting in the corner for this exact moment.

Sure enough, she had been right. Once she was certain Cui Mingzhu was far enough ahead, Shen Ningyuan slipped out of the back gate as well.

Following the path in her memory, she soon found the residence where Ji Yunchuan was hiding.

"Zhu'er, how did you get so badly hurt?" As she approached, she heard Ji Yunchuan’s pained voice.

Cui Mingzhu held up her injured hand, weeping with grievance. "Wuwuwu, Brother Yunchuan, this... that bitch Shen Ningyuan did this on purpose with the door!"

"What? How could she lay a hand on you?" Ji Yunchuan sounded skeptical. To him, the Shen Ningyuan he knew was gentle and well-bred; how could she be so vicious?

Seeing his doubt, Cui Mingzhu grew annoyed. "Brother Yunchuan, what do you mean? Do you think I'm lying?"

Ji Yunchuan quickly backtracked. "Of course not. I just find it hard to believe. I never expected her to suddenly lash out at you." He paused, his face tightening. "Could it be... that she has sensed something?"

Cui Mingzhu nodded. "Actually, I have suspected as much. Her behavior lately has been too abnormal." She looked at him nervously. "Brother Yunchuan, do you think... something went wrong and she discovered our plan?"

Ji Yunchuan furrowed his brow, thoughtful. "I think that's unlikely. If Shen Ningyuan were that clever, we wouldn't have been able to wrap her around our fingers from the start. As for her sudden change in temperament, I have one theory..." He paused intentionally.

"What?"

"She cannot accept my 'death,'" Ji Yunchuan said firmly. "She has suffered a mental breakdown, which is why her personality has changed so drastically!"

Cui Mingzhu gasped. "You really think so, Brother Yunchuan?"

Ji Yunchuan scoffed. "Can you think of any other explanation? You grew up with her; you know her character better than I do! Aside from a mental collapse, I can think of no other reason!" He curled his lips into a smug, triumphant smile. As a man, he felt immensely proud to be loved so deeply by a woman.

Outside the residence, Shen Ningyuan felt like vomiting. She had never realized before that Ji Yunchuan was such a narcissist.

Inside, Cui Mingzhu agreed. "Indeed... I can't think of any other reason either." She glared at him with resentment. "Since your cousin is so deeply devoted to you, are you considering going back to her?"