Chapter 10

Chapter 10

I took my mother’s words to heart at the Xie Family banquet that day.

Because of that, I drank a few too many cups of wine and ended up completely intoxicated.

It seems I always have a knack for ruining things.

When we returned to the manor later that evening, I was so drunk that Xi’er told me Cheng Wenting personally carried me from the carriage back to our courtyard.

It should have been such a perfect opportunity.

The night was late; I was drunk, and he had indulged in a few drinks himself.

As the saying goes, one should laugh and be merry when there is wine, for how long does life last? In such a setting, it would have been a disservice to the moonlight outside the window not to seek a little pleasure.

However, just like on our wedding night, I failed to keep my mouth shut at the critical moment.

I prattled on incessantly. Inside the bed curtains, he had already stripped away my clothes, watching my nonsensical rambling with a smile and responding with tenderness.

Then, out of nowhere, I blurted out, “Do you know why I don’t deign to deal with Wei Shi?

“Because she hasn’t done anything wrong. You’re the one in the wrong. All this talk about the ‘Way of Heaven’ and ‘distinctions between superior and inferior’-it’s clearly just nonsense made up by those of you in power. Since you’re the one who said it, why don’t you follow it? How dare you treat me this way!

“What fault does Wei Shi have? The ones who deserve to die are all of you! ‘A man, though lowly, remains superior; a woman, though noble, is but the shadow of the nation.’ What a load of rubbish! It’s absolute horse shit! Worthless! Lower than dirt!

“Cheng Wenting! Why do you treat me like this? Is this status something I ever wanted? Do you know that I’m not afraid of ending up in a pauper’s grave? I’m only afraid of scraping by in this world, forced to live a lie…”

I said a great deal of reckless things that day. Xi’er said she stood guard outside the door, trembling with fear as she listened to me wailing and screaming until everything finally fell silent.

There wasn’t a sound from the room.

When Cheng Wenting left, his eyes were bloodshot with rage, and his expression was as cold as thousand-year-old ice.

Lost in my drunken stupor, I had already drifted off to sleep.

On the table, the white porcelain lidded bowl with its floral jade pattern had been smashed clean in two, leaving a smear of blood along the crack.

That vibrant red was exceptionally piercing to the eye.