Chapter 17 - A Scheme to Seize Someone’s Life

Outside the pear blossom garden, Lian Qiao was holding a large paper bag in her hands and speaking to Jiang Ruan rather happily, “Today, Xiao Yuan gave me some flaky lily pastries[1] that were bought outside. She said that the taste is extremely delicious. After we return to the house, you should taste a few pieces.”

[1] Baihe su ( 百合酥 ) – lily pastries

Jiang Ruan nodded, before gazing at the sky. Dark clouds shrouded almost half of the moon. The light outside was slightly hazy. There were only a few dismal, faintly-lit red lanterns on the road. The appearance of these festive colors in the midst of such a cold and cheerless atmosphere instead painted a contrasting image and thus, added a touch of strangeness to the night.

Lian Qiao’s gaze followed Jiang Ruan’s line of sight. She thought for a moment and then spoke, “The night sky is darkening rather quickly, and it’s starting to get cold out here. Miss, you should be careful so that you don’t catch a cold.”

“A murder taking place during a moonless night as the wind howls,” Jiang Ruan suddenly chuckled, “It is indeed a beautiful scene.”

These words were spoken in such an odd manner that Lian Qiao could not make head or tail of them. Suddenly out of the darkness, a person hurried towards them. She was able to clearly recognize the person only when they came near. It was Chen Zhao.

Chen Zhao also noticed the duo. He halted his steps immediately. Jiang Ruan dipped her head slightly to acknowledge his presence.

Chen Zhao greeted, “Miss[2].”

[2] Xiao Jie ( 小姐 ) – young lady; miss

Feeling slightly nervous, Lian Qiao stood in front of Jiang Ruan. For them to meet such a person in the pitch-dark night, could only lead to some sort of mishap.

Jiang Ruan’s gaze trailed across Chen Zhao’s tense expression and slid to his exposed neck. The streaks of bright red scars on his neck were particularly eye-catching. Chen Zhao seemed completely oblivious to them himself. Jiang Ruan’s lips curved. She did not speak and just looked at him with a meaningful stare.

Under the dusky moonlight, the fire from the lanterns casted shadows over Jiang Ruan’s features, making her appear ethereal, as if she were an enchanting supernatural being amidst the flowers that bloomed under the moon. She had a noticeably innocent face, and yet, she seemed like a demon that had lived for a very, very long time, observing the struggles of the living in the world of mortals. Her charming eyes, which seemed to be smiling when she was not, were locked on Chen Zhao. With that pair of eyes pinned on him, she whisked his soul away. However, looking into her eyes again made him shake in fearful dread, as if he was gazing into a deep abyss. These conflicting emotions between infatuation and terror wavered in his eyes. Finally, her conflicting expressions resulted in a light smile at the corner of Jiang Ruan’s red lips.

Chen Zhao gritted his teeth. His gaze was suddenly lit with a small flame, as he recalled how he had attracted a person as troublesome as Chun Ying because of Jiang Ruan. If it were not for her, he would not have needed to kill someone. But now, he had killed but yet, Jiang Ruan was still perfectly innocent. Mulling over the situation filled him with resentment. How could he suffer from a double loss, after trying to deceive her?

After examining Chen Zhao’s eyes, which seemed like a hungry wolf, Jiang Ruan eyed Lian Qiao and spoke flippantly, “With such a heavy atmosphere, let us leave and not draw any filth to us.”

Chen Zhao froze, as though a bucket of icy water had been poured over his head. Immediately, the fervent passion in his heart was driven away completely. He only felt gusts of chilly wind as the image of Chun Ying’s widened eyes, just before her death, flashed before him. Chen Zhao shivered uncontrollably. By the time his thoughts veered back to the present, Jiang Ruan and Lian Qiao had already walked away. He balled his hands into fists and continued on his way angrily.

The two of them reached the house. Just as Lian Qiao was putting the flaky lily pastry down, Bai Zhi dashed over to them. Her expression was filled with anxiety, “Miss-”

Jiang Ruan waved, gesturing at Lian Qiao to shut the door. Only then did she sit beside her bed and ask, “What’s wrong?”

“Chun Ying is dead!” Bai Zhi exclaimed.

“What?!” Lian Qiao was shocked, “How did she die?”

“Contrary to what one might expect, Chen Zhao is callous,” Jiang Ruan laughed coldly, “Chun Ying, though, was stupid.”

Seeing that Jiang Ruan was at ease without any sign of surprise, Bai Zhi was astonished, “Miss- you already knew?”

“Chen Zhao has an irritable temper, while Chun Ying’s personality was unyielding. The two of them must have fought. Originally, I wanted to make use of their argument to cause issues in their lives. However, I never imagined that Chen Zhao would be so ruthless. He dared to kill her to prevent her from divulging their secret,” Jiang Ruan explained indifferently, “Nevertheless, Chun Ying was merely reaping what she had sowed and only had herself to blame.”

Lian Qiao creased her eyebrows, “That Chen Zhao is really not a good person. He was really this cold and unscrupulous. However, it is obvious that when Chun Ying asked him for money, was akin to negotiating with a tiger for its skin. She wanted someone as terrible as him to sacrifice his own interests so of course, she would not be able to succeed. It served her right to lose her life!”

Nevertheless, Bai Zhi disagreed slightly, “But still, this concerns a person’s life. Chen Zhao is too scary. Luckily, our lady is quick-witted. If this were not the case, today would have been a terrible tragedy for us.”

“How did you find out about it?” Jiang Ruan asked Bai Zhi.

Bai Zhi paused, before she spoke lightly, “Qiu Yan informed me that she had witnessed Chen Zhao killing someone with her own eyes.”

“Qiu Yan?” Jiang Ruan raised an eyebrow, “She is someone smart.”

“Miss, Chun Ying’s death can not be related to us, right? Don’t tell me that the matter of Chen Zhao killing someone will be passed over so easily?”

“Chen Zhao has dug himself a grave.” Jiang Ruan smiled, “There is no need for us to take any action. Soon enough, someone will expose him. His actions have already fallen apart and been exposed.”

Lian Qiao spoke, “I keep feeling some uneasiness that this matter is not as simple as it appears. Although we did not intend for Chun Ying to die, the situation still has some connection to us.”

Jiang Ruan casually lifted a book from the table, “What are you afraid of? The two of them engaged in an illicit affair and had a dispute that ended in murder. How is it possible to get us involved? If they want to smear my name, I’m afraid it won’t be an easy thing for them to do. They won’t be able to claim that I made them commit adultery. If they want to go ahead and investigate it thoroughly, what will they be able to find?”

Lian Qiao slapped her own forehead, “That’s right! I am being silly. We did not expect this to happen so what does it have to do with us? Chun Ying and Chen Zhao are not on friendly terms with us. Even if the officials come for us, we can defend ourselves with a clear conscience!”

Thus, Bai Zhi and Lian Qiao felt reassured and went to fetch some hot water. Jiang Ruan sat beside the oil lamp and leafed through the book slowly. Her gaze, though, travelled elsewhere.

She had lied. Chun Ying’s death was not a surprise to her at all, because she had already expected this ending.

Everyone has their own weaknesses and limits. Chen Zhao was not only bad-tempered, but also someone who was unreasonably mistrustful of others. She knew that Chun Ying’s continuous demands would only exhaust his patience and sooner or later, he would stop believing that there would be a day when Chun Ying’s greed could be satisfied. His displeasure would gradually develop to the critical point when it would become disastrous for her. When his anger and shame from the inability to provide for her reached a turning point, his trait of cruelty would be provoked. Killing someone would merely be a natural course of action with these factors at play. For her to make this possible, she would also require Chun Ying’s contribution. Chun Ying’s materialism as a result of this opportunity to blackmail Chen Zhao, in which she herself could benefit without investing any of her efforts, fell into her lap. This chance would definitely be something she would not give up on.

Jiang Ruan merely ordered Bai Zhi to bribe a few servants to “unintentionally” mention Chun Ying’s craftiness and insatiable greed in front of Chen Zhao.

It was the right time, right place, and right people. Even if she did not orchestrate Chun Ying’s death, she still had to die.

Since this was the case, she could never be honest with her two maids. In their eyes, she was merely a helpless lady with a kind character, who had been forced into a corner where she had no choice but to fight back without any hesitation. However, she was the only one who was aware how rotten and corrupted her heart was under this skin of hers.