Chapter 3: Slapping Faces in Public

At this moment, before the gates of Prince Gong's Mansion, there was not a sound to be heard.

It was so quiet that one could hear even the sound of a needle dropping to the ground.

The surrounding commoners instinctively retreated a great distance, everyone holding their breath, not even daring to gasp, their faces filled with terror.

As a member of the celestial nobility, Jun Tianxiang was experiencing something for the very first time today: being pointed at by an ugly woman and called a boar right in front of countless citizens. This kind of humiliation was something he had never tasted from childhood until now!

His handsome, fair face flushed as red as a purple eggplant. His murderous gaze stared fixedly at Liu Ruoshui, his teeth grinding with a creaking sound, his entire body emitting a bone-chilling aura.

The spring breeze was mild and warm, yet Yao Xixi was nonetheless sent into a shudder by the coldness emanating from him, and she retreated two steps in fear.

Liu Ruoshui remained calm and unafraid, her face a picture of indifference, with a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.

She hadn't named him or used his surname, yet she had nonetheless slapped his face in public, leaving him with grievances he couldn't voice and anger he had nowhere to vent.

This was truly the highest realm of striking a person—striking their face—and insulting a person—exposing their flaws!

"Liu Ruoshui, you... you are audacious!" Jun Tianxiang nearly crushed his teeth; his heart was exploding with rage, yet he found himself utterly powerless against her.

Liu Ruoshui's light gaze swept across his face without pausing for a moment, her eyes falling upon the marriage annulment document in her hand as she slowly unfolded it.

Jun Tianxiang's fury flared up violently!

What... what kind of look was she giving him?

It was as if she were looking at a piece of trash discarded by the roadside... with utter disdain!

The nearly maddened Jun Tianxiang felt as though a splash of hot oil had been thrown onto a fire when her gaze swept over him; he was on the verge of exploding.

Jun Tianxiang ground his molars fiercely, his eyes like knives, wishing he could tear this ugly woman into a thousand pieces!

But he could not, and he did not dare!

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he absolutely could not commit such a foolish act and incite public indignation; he could only grit his teeth and endure, again and again.

He endured! He continued to endure!

Suddenly, her voice rang in his ears, crisp and exquisite, like small pearls rolling onto a jade plate.

"The marriage annulment document..."

"The person establishing the annulment: Jun Tianxiang, by order of the Imperial Father, took the eldest daughter of the Liu clan as his wife and exchanged marriage documents. However, the daughter of the Liu clan lacks virtue and has flawed appearance; therefore, I report to the Imperial Father to sever the marital relationship with the daughter of the Liu clan. The marriage documents are returned; this is voluntary, with no possibility of regret."

Ruoshui raised her eyes to survey the surroundings and continued to read word for word: "From this point forward, the man shall marry and the woman shall marry, and they shall have nothing to do with one another. To serve as proof, this document is hereby established."

After Ruoshui finished reading, she closed the document with a "snap" and said proudly, "The citizens present here serve as witnesses. From this day forth, I, Liu Ruoshui, and Jun Tianxiang, shall go our separate ways. Each shall marry their own, and we shall never be connected again!"

Jun Tianxiang suddenly felt a surge of breath stuck in his chest, unable to go up or down, feeling an unbearable sense of stifling grievance!

She was clearly reading the letter of divorce he had written to her, but why was it that as he listened to every word, he felt like the one being cast out... was himself!

Damnable! Loathsome! Accursed!

Jun Tianxiang struggled to restrain his impulses; his right arm trembled incessantly, and he wanted nothing more than to rush out and strangle that damned woman!

Liu Ruoshui did not even spare him a glance from the corner of her eye. She raised her hand and pulled out the white jade hairpin that held her hair in place. Her head of jet-black hair instantly cascaded down like water, flowing long over her shoulders and back.

Jun Tianxiang's eyes instantly widened. Could it be... she was going to seek death again?

He suddenly became excited.

This damned, wretched woman—the sooner she died, the better!

A cruel, expectant light flashed in his eyes, longing to see the moment she raised the long hairpin to pierce her own throat...

Instead, he saw Liu Ruoshui take the jade hairpin in her hand, and without even looking at it, she casually tossed it away. With a crisp "ding," the white jade hairpin fell onto the bluestone pavement, shattering into many pieces.

Jun Tianxiang's heart suddenly felt as if a jar of various flavors had been overturned; he couldn't describe the sensation as he stared blankly at the shattered white jade hairpin on the ground.

This cold white jade hairpin was something he had personally placed in her hair when she reached the age of fifteen; she had cherished it as a precious treasure and never let it leave her side for a moment.

But today, she had actually cast aside the token of their love as if it were a worn-out shoe, discarding it without a single backward glance!

Jun Tianxiang raised his eyes to look at Liu Ruoshui, his expression complex and his gaze dark.

Her every move and every word today were vastly beyond his expectations, as if she had become a completely different person.

If not for her shadow being clearly cast upon the ground under the sunlight, he would have almost suspected that she was possessed by a ghost.

The Liu Ruoshui before him held her ugly face high with pride, yet it was as if she were holding up the most moving countenance in the world.

Her back was straight, like a proud green pine. The gentle spring breeze brushed against her pale green skirt, her sleeves fluttering; she was like a fairy about to ride the wind, possessing a graceful and elegant charm.

On her face was still that unsightly, ugly countenance, but something was truly different.

Jun Tianxiang's heart stirred inexplicably.

Was this green-clad young lady, with her fluttering sleeves and solitary, transcendent aura, truly the same person as the shy, weak Liu Ruoshui who had knelt at his feet, sobbing and pleading before she struck the stone lion?