Chapter 186: Two Choices
Over two years, Zhuang Jiayao first saw off Father Zhuang, then saw off Mother Zhuang, who was heartbroken and took poison to end her life one night; her dependence on Qi Rongxuan became exceptionally deep.
Therefore, when she discovered that Qi Rongxuan was keeping a mistress outside, her heart collapsed utterly.
She brought people to the door, made a huge scene, scolded the mistress, and questioned Qi Rongxuan why he was treating her like this—hadn’t he promised to be good to her for a lifetime?
Qi Rongxuan watched her coldly as she ranted hysterically like a madwoman; only when she collapsed on the ground sobbing did he step forward, hold her, and comfort her. He said, “Jiayao, I didn’t want this either, it’s just…”
“Back then, to be with you, I promised your father that the Zhuang family’s business could not be inherited by an outsider, which means… I can’t have children with you.”
“But I promised my mother that I must continue the Qi family bloodline, so that’s why I…”
Qi Rongxuan said in extreme pain, “Jiayao, I really didn’t want this, but I’ve already been unfilial by marrying into the family; I can’t keep making my mother sad.”
How could Zhuang Jiayao have known that Father Zhuang had made such conditions and demands of Qi Rongxuan back then? She finally realized why she and Qi Rongxuan had been married for two years without a child.
She had thought it was because she couldn’t bear children; it turned out… Qi Rongxuan was honoring his promise to Father Zhuang.
But as a woman, how could she tolerate her husband having another woman besides her? So she set aside her pride, begged Qi Rongxuan, said she wanted to bear his child, and told him not to mind what Father Zhuang had said before.
Her pleas seemed to move Qi Rongxuan, and he agreed to her.
Zhuang Jiayao began actively preparing to conceive, but the more anxious she got, the less she could get pregnant; Qi Rongxuan’s gaze toward her grew increasingly disappointed.
In her desperation, Zhuang Jiayao secretly sought a doctor for fertility medicine and drank it behind Qi Rongxuan’s back, but he misunderstood it as contraceptive pills.
Qi Rongxuan had a huge fight with her over this, ignored her pleas and left; from then on, he reduced the number of times he came home.
Zhuang Jiayao went to beg him to come home again; the two tugged back and forth for a long time until one time when Qi Rongxuan encountered danger after drinking and fell into the water, Zhuang Jiayao jumped in without regard for her life to save him, and only then did they reconcile as before.
But her body was ruined by the cold water, and she could no longer bear children at all.
Qi Rongxuan seemed deeply guilty toward Zhuang Jiayao and truly devoted himself wholeheartedly to living with her, but he often said to her, “It would be great if we had a child between us.”
“Jiayao, I’ve sacrificed so much for you; you need to be better to me.”
In Qi Rongxuan’s words, her guilt toward him grew deeper and deeper; ultimately, she relented and let Qi Rongxuan bring in his previous mistress.
Qi Rongxuan was overjoyed, hugged her, kissed her, said she was the best person to him in the world, and that very night… he stayed in the mistress’s room.
Zhuang Jiayao forced a smile, feeling her heart twist like a knife; she too changed from a naive and carefree little girl into a depressed, haggard wife.
The three of them lived peacefully like this for a time; half a year after the mistress married in, she got pregnant.
Qi Rongxuan was very happy and raised the monthly allowances for the servants early in the morning; the entire estate was filled with joy.
Zhuang Jiayao, however, felt out of place with this joy; that day she didn’t stay in the estate and went out to get some air and relax.
The days she had finally calmed down were turned upside down because of that day.
On the third day after she returned to the estate, Qi Rongxuan suddenly came to her, being gentle and considerate, making her feel as if there was no third person between her and Qi Rongxuan, back to those sweet newlywed days.
She was very happy and drank some wine with him; in her daze, she seemed to hear Qi Rongxuan ask if she was willing to give everything for him.
Zhuang Jiayao also remembered that in her haze, she replied to him, “I am willing…”
When she woke up again, she found herself dressed in a bright red wedding dress, lying on the bed of a fat man with lecherous eyes.
She was terrified, she screamed, calling Qi Rongxuan’s name, hoping he would come save her, but instead heard the man say, “Stop shouting; you’re the one Qi Rongxuan sent to my bed.”
“That kid really goes all out, even willing to send his own wife to me to play with.”
“Little beauty, be good; be my bride for one night, and I’ll ensure your husband rises to prominence.”
The strength gap between man and woman is already great, not to mention Zhuang Jiayao had drunk wine and was utterly shaken by his words, unable to resist at all as the man had his way with her.
Zhuang Jiayao was unwilling and, when the man was resting, pulled out a gold hairpin intending to take his life.
But her strength was always too small; she couldn’t kill the man completely and instead made him call in the guards, and she was hacked to death by the furious man.
Even after death, her face was slashed to vent his rage; her blood splattered all over the room, and even the clean copper mirror was stained with her blood.
She was completely trapped in that sinful room; because she died unjustly with immense grievance, she turned into a mirror ghost.
When she regained consciousness, she saw the man forcing another woman; without a word, she took the man’s life and, while the servants were scared out of their minds, went to settle accounts with Qi Rongxuan.
But upon arriving at the Zhuang estate, she found it already deserted.
Qi Rongxuan and his mistress, including all the Zhuang estate servants, had been dismissed.
She couldn’t find his trace and only learned from others’ fragmentary words that the man she had injured had a big background; Qi Rongxuan was implicated, abandoned the Zhuang family’s business, and fled to save his life.
As for where he fled or whether he was still alive, nothing was known.
Unable to get revenge or ask why he treated her this way, Zhuang Jiayao’s grievance grew even greater; she refused to dissipate, attached to the mirror, stubbornly searching house by house for Qi Rongxuan’s trace.
While searching for his trace, she occasionally taught lessons to heartless people; in the blink of an eye, it was now.
After Zhuang Jiayao finished her story, the men present had exceptionally complex expressions; only Nan Yuanman, being young, didn’t understand these romantic matters and just felt a tiny bit angry and uncomfortable after hearing it.
She just thought this ghost was stupid, but given how miserable she was, she wouldn’t say it and gave the wedding dress ghost—oh no, Zhuang Jiayao—some face.
Wei Junchen couldn’t hold back and asked her, “Even if your parents were gone then, you were the Zhuang family’s miss; those shopkeepers of the Zhuang family listened only to you. Why not start a new business or just maintain the status quo? Why hand the Zhuang family’s business to him?”
Zhuang Jiayao sighed, “At that time, I was hit hard and unwilling to see outsiders; he handled all the dealings with the shopkeepers outside, and every time he came back, the young servant by his side would intentionally or unintentionally tell me that the outside shopkeepers saw him as a son-in-law who married in and looked down on him, so I just…”
“Isn’t it only natural that they looked down on him? Without your support, he probably would have starved to death on the way to the capital exam; how can people want it both ways?” Xiao Qidong couldn’t hold back and complained.
“Moreover, I think the young servant back then wasn’t unintentional but instructed by someone to say that.”
Nan Yuanman looked at this one, looked at that one, not understanding what the adults meant; she shook her little head, looked at Zhuang Jiayao, and said, “You’ve been dead for three hundred years, and he’s already dead too! Now I give you two choices.”
“First, I’ll help you summon him up to resolve your karma.”
“Second, you go to the Underworld to find him, take a complaint to King Yama, and let King Yama judge his crimes.”
