Chapter 2: Twin Flowers

Su Qingwan was held by her arms by two servants, her lips bruised and bleeding. She cried out loudly, "Father, Mother, Husband, I am clearly Zhaolan, why do you refuse to acknowledge me? I have been married into the Lu family for three years, filial to my parents-in-law, respectful to my husband, caring toward my siblings-in-law, and toiling for years, only to be declared dead by you without rhyme or reason? Is it because I come from a merchant family and lack the power and status of the Anping Earl’s Mansion? Is it because my husband has passed the imperial examinations and I have become a stone in his path, so you must kick me away? And now, do you want to kill me to silence me?"

Su Qingwan’s voice rang through the wedding hall like a thunderclap. Lu Shaoqing, his wife, and Lu Feng were filled with shock and fury, while the gathered guests were terrified, casting extremely strange looks at the Lu family. In truth, everyone was thinking the same thing, but no one dared to say it aloud.

Between a daughter-in-law from a merchant family and one from the Anping Earl’s Mansion, the Lu family naturally knew how to choose. Lu Shaoqing was nervous and ashamed; if these words spread, the Lu family’s reputation would be ruined. Regardless of who she was, she had to die.

"What are you all standing there for? Drag this madwoman away!"

The steward and the servants dragged Su Qingwan out roughly. She was struck several times while struggling, looking quite wretched. During the struggle, her sleeve rolled up, revealing a red birthmark on her arm.

Lu Feng’s expression turned to one of shock, his lips trembling as he took a panicked step back, only steadying himself when the new bride beside him supported him.

Su Qingwan thought to herself, *Sister, do you see this from heaven? The Lu family is a pack of wolves with hearts of dogs. If you were still alive when you fell off that cliff, they would have forced you to your death anyway.*

*Don't worry, Xiao Wu will surely avenge you.*

Su Qingwan said, "I married into the Lu family, managed the household, and toiled for three years with a clear conscience. Now that you claim I am dead, I have no way to defend myself. Since that is the case, I shall dash my head against the pillars of the Lu hall to prove my innocence. Even in the underworld, I will still be Xie Zhaolan!"

Su Qingwan acted with desperation, throwing herself toward a nearby pillar. Cries of alarm erupted one after another. Lu Shaoqing’s eyes were bloodshot with rage; if Su Qingwan died in the wedding hall, the censors' spit would drown the Lu family, and his and his son’s official careers would be at an end.

"Quick, stop her!" Lu Shaoqing barked.

Just as Su Qingwan was about to splatter blood on the spot, a young girl dressed in a mountain-green dress with a white skirt rushed forward to block her.

Su Qingwan collided into her arms, and the girl held her against the pillar. "She is Sister Zhaolan! You cannot treat her like this!"

"Third Miss, do not speak nonsense!" the girl’s mother, Madam Shen, hurriedly scolded, trying to pull her daughter away.

Su Qingwan curled her lips. This was the Third Miss of the Shen family, who had always been close to her sister and was kind and naive. She had deliberately thrown herself at the pillar, betting that the Third Miss would come to stop her.

"Mother, she is Sister Zhaolan! The year before last, when Sister came to our house for a banquet, I listened to others' instigation and deliberately spilled a cup of hot tea on her. After you scolded me and took Sister Zhaolan to change her clothes, we both saw the birthmark on her arm—it was shaped like a red leaf."

That birthmark was on the inner side of her forearm; aside from her husband and her personal maids, it was difficult for outsiders to see. The Third Miss Shen’s words sparked whispers among the crowd.

The expressions on the Lu family’s faces were a chaotic mix of emotions.

"Third Miss Shen, you are still young; do not be deceived by her. She must have found out from somewhere that Zhaolan had a birthmark and is deliberately imitating it to swindle people," Madam Lin said, clutching her handkerchief tightly, her face grim.

Third Miss Shen pulled back Zhaolan’s sleeve and rubbed the leaf-shaped birthmark. "It is indeed the birthmark I saw, and it is not faked. Why does Madam Lin repeatedly deny Sister Zhaolan’s identity? Could it be, as she said, that you despise her background and now want to kill her to silence her?"

"Third Miss Shen, you have simply been deceived by this madwoman. Do not spout nonsense in the Lu residence."

The Fourth Miss of the Lu family muttered, "Sister-in-law and the Shen family have always been on good terms; your one-sided words may not be credible."

Su Qingwan watched from the side as the Third Miss spoke up for her, feeling immensely grateful. However, she knew the Lu family would not acknowledge her so easily. Sensing the timing was right, she quietly signaled to Chen Lanzhu in the crowd.

After Xie Zhaolan died, Su Qingwan had accidentally befriended Chen Lanzhu. Chen Lanzhu knew everything she was planning today and had come specifically to help her.

"Madam Shen and her daughter are close to the Xie family, so you don't believe them. But I have always been at odds with Xie Zhaolan, so my words cannot be false, right?" Chen Lanzhu was the legitimate second daughter of the Marquis of Ningyuan’s mansion. "At last year’s archery banquet, your Fourth Miss was competitive and insisted on challenging me. The Xie woman tried to persuade her otherwise but was wounded by the Fourth Miss’s arrow, leaving a scar on her forearm. That cannot be fake, can it?"

Third Miss Shen hurriedly pulled back Zhaolan’s sleeve, and there was indeed a pink scar next to the birthmark. She said excitedly, "There is a scar! She is Sister Zhaolan!"

The guests’ whispers grew louder as they leaned in to talk to one another. The deafening sound of wedding music outside stood in stark contrast to the chaos and solemnity inside the hall.

Su Qingwan sneered as she watched the Lu family lose their composure and delivered the final blow. "Since Father, Mother, and Husband do not believe I am Zhaolan, then let us report this to the authorities. Let the Dali Temple investigate it clearly."

The bigger this matter became, the more the Lu family would be implicated, and the worse their reputation would suffer. She did not believe Lu Shaoqing would gamble the entire future of the Lu family.

Lu Feng’s body went cold, his face turning even paler against his wedding attire. Madam Lin gripped her handkerchief tightly. The Second Madam of the Lu family said softly, "She... she seems to be Zhaolan. Feng-er, when the news of Zhaolan’s death came back, were you perhaps too overcome with grief to identify her carefully, and mistook a corpse for Zhaolan?"

The words awakened the dreamer. Lu Feng seemed to suddenly snap to his senses, his eyes turning red in an instant. His attitude shifted drastically as he affectionately took Su Qingwan’s hand. "Zhaolan, you really are Zhaolan!"

"Husband..." Su Qingwan suppressed her nausea, hugged Lu Feng, and wept bitterly, feigning grievance.

Madam Lin’s attitude also shifted, and she supported Su Qingwan with feigned heartache. "It is all Mother’s fault for being muddled, thinking someone was impersonating Zhaolan to swindle us. You have been wronged; please, do not blame Mother."

"Zhaolan understands; I do not blame Mother."

Madam Lin hurriedly asked, "When you encountered those bandits and the carriage fell off the cliff, we found a body at the bottom. Her face was destroyed, and she was wearing your clothes. We all thought you had been murdered. Where have you been this past year? Why didn't you return sooner?"

"That year, I took Qiuxiang up the mountain to pray. On the way down, we met villains who threatened my life. After I fell off the cliff, Qiuxiang unfortunately died. I hit a stone and lost consciousness. When I woke up, the villains were searching at the bottom of the cliff. I heard them say they wanted to see a body if I were dead, so I swapped my clothes onto Qiuxiang. I escaped the cliff and intended to go home, but I fainted on the way and was saved by a benefactor. After waking up, I had lost my memory and stayed at the benefactor’s home. The day before yesterday, I accidentally hit my head and regained my memory, which is how I discovered my identity and returned immediately."

Su Qingwan had long since prepared her story. Her gaze swept over Li Xueying, who was standing in the hall. The scene of Li Xueying murdering her and desecrating her corpse flashed through her mind, and she felt a hatred that reached the depths of her soul.

*Li Xueying, let’s see how long you can keep up this act!*