Chapter 3: 3. Chapter 3: You're Lucky You Died Early

Chapter 3: You’re Lucky You Died Early

Perhaps because she had already died once, Xin An felt a sense of lightness in her heart. She even felt a restless urge to vent all the stifled frustration and powerlessness she had felt before; her death had been truly pathetic.

"The desire to kill me didn't just start today, did it? But since you’ve had your wish, I must say, looking at you up close, you’re actually three parts more handsome than Tang Rong. With such good looks, it’s a wonder Tao Yiran didn't cling to you day and night, refusing to let you leave the house. Instead, she always left you looking like you were perpetually unsatisfied, glaring at everyone you met. Truly, your character is noble indeed."

Tang Mo loosened his grip, a strange glint appearing in his eyes, his face full of amusement. "Well said. Looking at you up close, you are quite a beauty. You clearly have the face of a temptress, yet you used to dress like a nun whose husband had died. My dear elder brother is all about self-restraint and propriety; I imagine he’s the same in bed."

Xin An rubbed her wrist where he had grabbed her. "We’re two of a kind. Who’s any nobler than the other?"

After undoing her hair bun and washing her face with cold water, the restlessness in her heart settled a bit. She walked gracefully toward the bed. Just as she sat down, Tang Mo grew anxious. "Don't tell me you intend to sleep on the bed?"

"Don't even think about your status. Oh, right, I was already angered to death by you long ago. I suppose my elder brother—who pretends to be indifferent to everything but actually covets it all—must have resented you, right? With me gone, how could he highlight his own virtue? Did he curse you for being a ruthless shrew? Tell me, why did you bother?"

Xin An ignored him. Right in front of him, she took off her outer clothes, shoes, and socks, and lay down on the bed. She shifted inward and patted the empty space beside her. "I don't want to argue with you today. I haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time. You’re lucky you died early; you didn't have to witness the Marquis's estate being raided. Those days were too difficult."

She closed her eyes and let out a long, comfortable breath. Turning her head, she clarified the facts. "Remember one thing: it wasn't me who angered you to death. It was because you finally managed to swindle the suburban estate from me, but before you could even enjoy it for half a stick of incense, your 'Bodhisattva-hearted' good wife handed it over to your elder brother. You were so furious you rolled your eyes back, drank yourself into a stupor, didn't watch where you were going, and fell into the lotus pond. You drank too much muddy water and kicked the bucket two days later."

"You died early, so it doesn't matter if you don't remember. I’ll remind you from now on. No need to thank me."

Hearing that the Marquis's estate was eventually raided, Tang Mo frowned slightly, though he quickly returned to his indifferent attitude. He walked to the bedside, raised an eyebrow, and questioned, "If I died so early, didn't the family put anything valuable in my coffin? You were destitute later on—didn't you ever think about digging me up?"

This woman was ruthless; she was capable of anything.

Xin An opened her eyes, full of annoyance. "Why didn't I think of that? Your mother put plenty of good things in there for your burial. Sigh, it's too late for regrets now."

Seeing that she actually thought this was a good idea, Tang Mo was once again annoyed to the point of death. In a fit of pique, he kicked off his shoes and lay down beside Xin An, saying nothing more. Before long, he heard Xin An’s steady, rhythmic breathing.

Having finally fallen asleep, he was awakened in the middle of the night by Xin An’s thrashing, as if she were possessed by a ghost. He turned his head, annoyed, only to see Xin An’s face twisted in pain, muttering curses, crying and laughing at the same time. If he hadn't seen a thing or two in his life, he would have been scared to death by her.

In her dream, Xin An had returned to that heavy snowfall. In the snow, she had set a fire that burned Tang Rong and Tao Yiran’s mother and son to death. She laughed and laughed, then cried. She didn't know why, but she felt an unbearable sorrow, as if only a flood of tears could vent the grief in her body.

Tang Mo didn't wake her, but his eyes were filled with scrutiny. He wanted to know exactly what had happened to the family after he died. After the Marquis's estate lost its military power, it couldn't hold its ground in the imperial court—how could it have committed a crime worthy of a house raid? Could it be that his cowardly father had staged a rebellion?

Seeing Xin An crying endlessly, her tears soaking the pillow, Tang Mo finally gave her a shove. "Wake up."

"Wake up quickly. Making such a racket while sleeping—if someone didn't know better, they'd think I did something to you."

Xin An slowly woke up, her head aching. Only after checking that she was still young did she let out a long breath. Tang Mo had many questions he wanted to ask, but Xin An didn't give him the chance. She turned over and closed her eyes. Having had that dream, her heart felt even more chaotic.

The next morning, before the sky was even bright, there was a knocking at the door. The two lay back-to-back, unmoved. Their thoughts had been restless all night, and morning was exactly when sleepiness was at its peak. One had been incredibly arrogant before death, and the other had been the most important person in the household; subconsciously, they both assumed no one dared to do anything to them, so they slept soundly.

The knocking continued, accompanied by Chun Yang’s voice. Xin An kicked Tang Mo in dissatisfaction. "Think of an excuse to brush them off."

Woken up, Tang Mo was in a foul mood. He shouted at the door, "Get lost!"

The noise outside stopped instantly. Xin An closed her eyes to clear her head, but as she tried to wake up, she fell back asleep. During the six months the Marquis's estate was being raided, she had barely slept well. In those final days, she had kept her eyes open until dawn. Even now that she was back, she felt incredibly exhausted and couldn't wake up.

The maids and matrons at the door were pacing in circles. At this point, they didn't realize the severity of the situation. Hearing movement in the room next door early on, they assumed the "Second Young Master and Second Young Mistress" had already gone to the front courtyard to serve tea, and they were anxious that their own "Heir and Heir's Wife" hadn't woken up yet.

"Young people have so much energy, they don't know how to pace themselves."

After muttering this, they went to knock again. Just then, hurried footsteps came from the courtyard entrance. The head maid beside the Marchioness, Wang, arrived with an anxious expression. Without exchanging pleasantries, she whispered a few words to the people in the courtyard. Everyone hurriedly covered their mouths, and Mother Wang looked as if she were about to faint. "This..."

"How could such a thing happen?"

The ones next door were the Heir and the original Second Young Mistress, so who was lying in this room?

The Second Young Master and the original Heir's Wife?

At the same time, in the main hall of the front courtyard, Tang Rong knelt before several elders. "Yesterday, I drank too much. I was dazed and didn't recognize who it was, and in my confusion, I consummated the marriage. I have failed my second brother in this matter, but since it has already happened, I must take responsibility. I must be responsible for Yiran."

The Marquis of Weiyuan, Tang Gang, had a face ashen with rage. "Drank too much" was complete nonsense. Tang Rong mistook the person, and Tao Yiran was also drunk?

Looking at this eldest son he had once been so proud of, his eyes filled with disappointment. If he had discovered it and spoken up immediately, and the two brides had been quietly swapped in private, the matter could have passed without incident. At the thought of the impending scandal that would rock the city, Tang Gang’s expression grew even uglier.

Before the marriage was set, he had personally asked him who he favored. If he had said he wanted to marry the Tao girl, he, as a father, would naturally have maneuvered for it. But he had said, "The command of parents and the words of the matchmaker."

What a fine "command of parents and words of the matchmaker"!

Wang put on a show of being a benevolent mother, first tearing up and saying a few words of self-reproach, then rising to kneel. "Old Madam, Master, this matter cannot be blamed on the eldest son. It is only my fault for not arranging things properly. But since things have reached this point, we must consider the reputation of all three families. For now, we can only let the mistake stand. Later, I will take generous gifts and visit the Tao and Xin families to ask them to accept this. If all three families keep the same story, even if there is gossip outside, it will soon pass."

The Old Madam of the Tang family was already gasping for air, disappointed in her grandson and even more dissatisfied with this daughter-in-law. "Go and see what the situation is with the second boy."