Chapter 435: The Most Sophisticated Way to Silence a Witness
"I'm sorry, Erlang. I never expected things to turn out this way." Yu Sangning wept pitifully, her tears falling like pear blossoms in the rain. "It's all my fault. If I hadn't admired you, and if our families didn't have longstanding grievances... When I learned Father wanted my elder sister to become a princess consort, I thought I could help Father by fulfilling his wish. I believed that if we helped him achieve his goal, he wouldn't refuse when your father came to propose marriage..."
Young Master Mu stood there somewhat at a loss, gazing at Yu Sangning with complex emotions in his eyes.
He wasn't exceptionally clever, but neither was he foolish. At this point, he had begun to suspect whether Yu Sangning had been using him. He thought she would never come to see him again, never expecting Yu Sangning would actually appear.
Seeing her cry so bitterly, his heart softened: "Don't cry. This has nothing to do with you. I was careless myself."
He hadn't intended for the rumors to spread so wildly. Clearly, someone had been fueling the flames - he had been used. He just never imagined that person could be Yu Sangning.
"How can it have nothing to do with me?" Yu Sangning was deeply remorseful and self-blaming. "Fate has played cruel tricks on us - we were never meant to be together. It's my fault... If I had given up my feelings earlier, if I hadn't indulged in foolish dreams, how could I have dragged you into this? Now, there's no way Uncle Mu would allow me to marry you."
Young Master Mu's eyes dimmed. She had come to bid him farewell. When the wall collapses, everyone pushes it; when the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. Over the past day, those former family friends had been avoiding them like the plague, giving him a thorough lesson in the fickleness of human relationships.
"I... I understand. In the future, you..."
"Erlang!" Before Young Master Mu could finish, Yu Sangning threw herself into his arms, holding him tightly. "I love you. I can't live without you. I don't want to leave you. But now I'm a sinner - even if I worked like an ox or horse, I couldn't atone for my sins. Erlang, whenever I think about being separated from you in the future, my heart feels like it's being torn apart. Erlang, tell me what should I do?"
Bu Shulin watched from afar. These sincere-sounding words, carried by the wind, reached her ears and left her utterly stunned.
If she hadn't already learned Yu Sangning's true nature from Shen Xihe, just hearing Yu Sangning's heartbroken sobs and sorrowful, deeply emotional lamentations would have made her believe in Yu Sangning's sincerity.
Young Master Mu staggered half a step back from her impact, his hands supporting her shoulders. His heart had been equally struck by her words. So even at this point, she hadn't thought about leaving him. Under the moonlight, the handsome young man's eyes reddened, his expression deeply moved.
"Aning, go home and wait for me. After I achieve success in the imperial examinations, I'll come to marry you!" At this moment, Young Master Mu made up his mind to work hard from now on.
But Yu Sangning shook her head through her tears, sobbing for a long time before saying: "I can't wait. I'm about to come of age. You're only a scholar now - it will take three years before you can take the provincial examination. Even if you pass the spring palace examination smoothly, it will still take four years for you to earn an official rank. I can delay for you for one year, two years... but can I really delay for three years? And after three years, would my Father still be willing to betroth me to you?The young man who had been filled with lofty aspirations just moments ago suddenly deflated, overcome by confusion and helplessness.Noticing his change, a cold, sharp, and mocking glint flashed briefly at the corner of Yu Sangning's lips. She tilted her head and leaned against Young Master Mu's chest, her gaze icy, yet her voice remained gentle and sorrowful: "Erlang, I don't want to be apart from you. We are both sinners—we caused Uncle Mu to lose his official position. What face do we have to live in this world? Let us atone for our sins together, shall we?"
"Atone for our sins?" Young Master Mu seemed unable to process her words.
Yu Sangning took out a medicine bottle from her bosom and poured out two identical pills: "Together, forever inseparable."
Young Master Mu stared blankly, even taking a fearful step back. Yu Sangning smiled bitterly in disappointment. Under the desolate moonlight, her grief-stricken face appeared so lonely and sorrowful. A tear traced down her cheek as she unhesitatingly picked up one pill and swallowed it instantly.
"Aning—" Young Master Mu rushed forward, catching Yu Sangning as she collapsed, gazing at her pale face.
Shock, astonishment, and fear intertwined into an indescribable touch of emotion.
Yu Sangning lowered her head, looking at the remaining pill in her hand: "It was me... I was mistaken... You still have your Father, your Brother, and many others who care for you. But I... I am nothing but an unwanted person in the Yu family. Without you... no one will cherish me anymore... What is left for me to live for..."
Each word struck Young Master Mu's heart like a blade, making him loathe his own cowardice and regret his hesitation. He couldn't even compare to a young woman—she was willing to die for love, and he was her entire world.
He was a sinner, the one who caused his father to lose his official position. Even if he returned with his father, he would be too ashamed to face his elder brother and sister-in-law. In the future, he would have to depend on them for survival, enduring blame and resentment from the clan. His father had his brother, but the person in his arms had only him.
His father's furious, disappointed gaze; the clan's resentful, accusing faces; his elder brother's indifference and sister-in-law's harshness—these imagined scenes swirled in his mind, instantly extinguishing his will to live. Grabbing Yu Sangning's wrist, he bowed his head and swallowed the poison.
Bu Shulin nearly rushed out to stop them, but she halted because she sensed another presence in the woods—someone with exceptional martial skills who had been hiding for a long time, likely an assassin hired by Yu Sangning.
If she intervened now, Yu Sangning might decide to eliminate her as well...
A man so easily manipulated by a woman, even to the point of throwing away his life—was he worth risking her own to save?
Yet Yu Sangning's tactics truly sent chills down Bu Shulin's spine. She witnessed Young Master Mu and Yu Sangning collapse together shortly after. After about the time it takes for half an incense stick to burn, Yu Sangning climbed back to her feet.
Bu Shulin's guess was correct—a dark figure followed Yu Sangning from a distance in a protective stance. Their build and movements confirmed her judgment: this was a highly skilled martial artist.
After they left, she approached Young Master Mu. He was already lifeless. A cold breeze swept by, sending a shiver down Bu Shulin's spine.
Returning to the inn, she couldn't sleep at all, tossing and turning until she heard Shen Xihe getting up, then hurried over.
"Don't disturb me while I wash up." She opened her mouth to speak, but Shen Xihe stopped her before she could utter a word.Shen Xihe went to wash up, and Bu Shulin followed suit to freshen up as well. As Shen Xihe proceeded to do her makeup, Shulin seemed about to say something, but when Shen Xihe shot her a glance, she obediently closed her mouth again.
By the time Shen Xihe had finished all her preparations, ordered the morning meal, and sat down in the private room ready to eat, Shulin could no longer hold back: "Do you not know what I went through last night? How could there be such a cruel and vicious young lady in this world!"
(End of Chapter)
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