Chapter 173: Jiang Ruanxi, Have You Gone Mad?
“Fourth Brother, I hope you’ve been well.”
The elegant voice carrying a hint of smugness made Jiang Linlei stand up instantly, lunging straight toward the person before him.
“Jiang Ruanxi, I knew you didn’t die. I knew that Zhong Family girl was you.” Jiang Linlei said excitedly.
But unfortunately, before he could reach Jiang Ruanxi, he was blocked by the iron prison cell door. Not only could he not choke her neck with his outstretched hand, he couldn’t even touch a single strand of her hair.
“So what if you know?” Jiang Ruanxi looked indifferently at the frenzied person before her, feeling extremely smug inside. “Fourth Brother is now a prisoner. You had better not speak so arrogantly, or you’ll suffer for it.”
“Pah.”
Jiang Linlei spat out a mouthful of saliva directly. “What kind of thing are you? You’re nothing but an unfavored, unwanted daughter of the Jiang Family. I’m your own brother. You had better get the Lin family members to release me, or else I’ll kill you.”
“Fourth Brother is still so naive. Since I could come here, do you think you still have a chance of leaving alive?”
Jiang Linlei was shocked, looking incredulously at the delicate Jiang Ruanxi before him. “You… what are you going to do?”
“Since you’ve already learned my secret, do you think you can still leave alive?”
In a moment, another person appeared behind Jiang Ruanxi.
Before he could speak, Jiang Ruanxi said, “He Kui, pour the oil.”
“Yes, Madam.”
He Kui expressionlessly lifted the oil bucket and poured it at the prison cell door.
A pungent smell wafted over, and only then did Jiang Linlei truly realize that this younger sister he had always scorned really had the ability to kill him.
He finally felt fear. “Jiang Ruanxi, have you gone mad?”
Jiang Ruanxi smiled. “Compared to the crazy things the Jiang Family did, what I’m doing is nothing.”
Jiang Linlei’s face turned ashen, but Jiang Ruanxi didn’t take it to heart at all.
“Speaking of which, you’re really hopelessly stupid. The Jiang Family sent you to Lingnan, but you disregarded the Lingnan commoners for the Jiang Family’s business, plunging them into dire straits. Besides hoarding grain and driving up prices, you also had Jiang family members rob the Crown Prince’s grain. If His Majesty and the Jiang Family learned of these matters, what do you think they would do?”
Hatred flickered in Jiang Linlei’s eyes. “Jiang Ruanxi, even if I did wrong, only His Majesty and the Jiang Family have the right to deal with me. Who are you to do so?”
“Who am I?”
Jiang Ruanxi found it amusing. Accompanied by the sound of oil pouring, her mood became exceedingly pleasant.
“Fourth Brother, with the Jiang Family’s current power, even if you committed all these wrongs, I know His Majesty might punish you but wouldn’t take your life, right? Even if the Jiang Family abandons you, they wouldn’t take your life. So that’s why you’re so brazen, isn’t it?”
“Jiang Ruanxi, since you know, you should understand that the Jiang Family has the strength to protect me. I advise you to stop. My death won’t benefit you.” Jiang Linlei straightened his back and said.
Even facing death, he was still so arrogant, spouting mad words.
Jiang Ruanxi laughed instead of getting angry. “Then Fourth Brother should worry about whether you have the life to return to the Capital and tell them about this.”
“Madam, the oil is poured. Here’s the fire starter.” He Kui stood expressionlessly behind Jiang Ruanxi, speaking respectfully.
Jiang Ruanxi took the fire starter. The dim prison cell saw no sunlight even in daytime.
The flickering firelight in her hand played across her face, bright and dark by turns, adding a touch of eeriness to her gentle and dignified features.
Jiang Linlei finally sensed something was wrong and was thoroughly afraid.
But even so, his arrogance had long accustomed him to scorning Jiang Ruanxi. Now, to beg for mercy was something he absolutely could not do.
“Jiang Ruanxi, you bitch, dare to touch me if you have the guts.”
“Boom…”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the fire starter in Jiang Ruanxi’s hand fell to the ground. The flames followed the oil trail and instantly spread.
Jiang Linlei’s pupils contracted slightly. Looking at Jiang Ruanxi’s smug and provocative face, his forbearing expression could no longer hold.
“Jiang Ruanxi, I’ll kill you.”
He lunged upward with all his might, but was blocked by the raging fire before him.
The fire snakes spread instantly, the scorching heat forcing him to retreat.
“Does Fourth Brother still remember when I returned to the Yongyi Marquis Manor and lived in the woodshed?”
Even as Jiang Linlei was cornered, Jiang Ruanxi showed no intention of saving him.
“When I returned to the Jiang Family, I was arranged to stay in the woodshed, but that night, the woodshed caught fire.”
Jiang Linlei frowned. “Jiang Ruanxi, you were someone who deserved to die. You should have died outside and not returned to the Jiang Family. I was just cleaning up the mess for the Jiang Family.”
“See, the one who set the fire that night was indeed you.” Jiang Ruanxi’s lips curved slightly. “Everyone who has harmed me must die.”
“Madman, you madman.”
At first, Jiang Linlei still clung to his self-esteem, but when the thick smoke stung his eyes and made breathing difficult.
His pitiful self-esteem began to crumble. Enduring the discomfort, Jiang Linlei said, “Jiang Ruanxi, let me out.”
“If Fourth Brother can tell me who in the Jiang Family wanted to take my life, and whether the Jiang Family abandoning me back then was related to my fate, I can spare you.”
Cough cough cough…
Jiang Linlei coughed a few times, looking at the expectant expression on Jiang Ruanxi’s face, and suddenly burst into laughter.
“Jiang Ruanxi, do you want to know?”
Before Jiang Ruanxi could speak, Jiang Linlei suddenly laughed. “Unfortunately, you’ll never hear it from my mouth. Even if I die, I won’t tell you. Hahaha, you’ll never know.”
The smugness on Jiang Ruanxi’s face instantly froze, turning ominously dark.
She hadn’t expected that not one of the Jiang Family could be made to talk.
Like a devil, she advanced step by step, her voice cracking like ice.
“No matter. Since Fourth Brother is so stubborn, I don’t mind killing everyone in the Jiang Family. After all, it’s the Jiang family members who want to take my good fortune. As long as they all die, no one will be left to take my life.”
“If you speak now, perhaps fewer Jiang family members will die. But if you don’t, every one of them who dies in the future will be on your head.”
The light words pierced Jiang Linlei’s heart like a longsword amid the blaze.
“Jiang Ruanxi, you dare.” Jiang Linlei realized that the current Jiang Ruanxi was not the same as before.
Fear rose in his heart.
“What don’t I dare? Last time it was Second Brother, this time it’s Fourth Brother.” Jiang Ruanxi said faintly.
