C1 Living Dead

In the first year of Yuanxi, during the height of summer, a disheveled woman was tied to a wooden post in the courtyard of the Earl Mansion. Half of her face was marred with layers of burn scars, while the other half, though sunburned and peeling, still hinted at her former beauty.

The sound of a door unlocking came from outside the courtyard. Cui Zuoyu, barely conscious, turned her gaze toward the noise. Yaen Ting appeared before her, supporting the pregnant Cui Waner, snapping Zuoyu back to full awareness.

Yaen Ting looked at her coldly. "You've gone without food or water and been left in the sun for two days, yet you still survive. Cui Zuoyu, you truly are hard to kill."

"I didn't push Cui Waner. She pretended to fall to frame me," Zuoyu rasped, her voice like sandpaper. As she spoke, her cracked lips bled, making her appear even more ghastly.

Frightened by her appearance, Waner shrieked and hid in Yaen Ting's arms. "I'm scared, darling!"

"Don't be afraid, Waner. I'm here. This wicked woman won't harm you again," Yaen Ting assured her softly, holding her close. When he turned back to Zuoyu, his expression was once again harsh and unyielding.

Waner was gentle and kind-hearted. When she gave birth to her first daughter, she painfully entrusted her to you for care. Tragically, due to your negligence, the child perished in a fire at just three months old, leaving Waner to cry until she fainted.

After much difficulty, she became pregnant with her second child, cherishing it dearly. How could she possibly do such a thing?

Cui Waner, the stepsister of Cui Zuoyu, entered the Earl Mansion as a favored concubine and has now become the Earl Madam. Two days ago, heavily pregnant, she encountered Zuoyu in the garden. During a heated argument, she suddenly fell, witnessed by Yaen Ting, who had just arrived.

Yaen Ting was furious and refused to believe Zuoyu's explanation. After beating her, he tied her up in an abandoned courtyard, intending to let her die of thirst and hunger.

"I risked everything to save the first daughter, even rushing into the fire, ruining my appearance without hesitation," Zuoyu said with a cold smile, her voice tinged with sorrow. "Yaen Ting, you believe Waner is gentle and kind, so why can't you believe that I would never harm your children?"

On the eve of her wedding to Yaen Ting, Waner claimed she was pregnant with his child and, together with Yaen Ting, pleaded with Zuoyu to allow Waner to marry into the Earl Mansion as a concubine.

She was the most beautiful woman in the city, with a brother renowned as a wealthy businessman. Raised in a life of luxury, she had countless admirers. Back then, she was proud and ambitious. If it weren't for her inability to have children and her deep love for Yaen Ting, she would never have tolerated such a situation, let alone willingly elevate Waner to the status of a favored companion and bring her into the Earl Mansion.

If she had intended to harm Waner's child, she would have done so long ago with a single dose of medicine, sending Waner away to a convent. There was no need to wait until now.

Yaen Ting looked at her with disdain. "Times have changed. Because of that incident, your beauty was ruined, and now you look like a ghost. You always valued your appearance the most. Who knows how much resentment you harbor against Waner? It's no surprise you would do something like this now."

A ghostly appearance!

Cui Zuoyu watched as Yaen Ting refused to let his gaze linger on her, and her heart turned cold. Before her disfigurement, she and Yaen Ting had shared romantic moments, harmonious and full of music. But after her face was marred, she had to scheme to bring him benefits just to have him spend a night in her room, and even then, it was only for rest. Since her disfigurement, Yaen Ting hadn't touched her once.

She had been making excuses for Yaen Ting in her heart, deceiving herself all along. But just now, the harsh truth was laid bare before her, and she finally saw the light.

She had laid her heart bare for Yaen Ting, but he dismissed it, caring only for her appearance. How shallow and superficial he was! How could she have ever fallen for someone like him?

A metallic taste rose in her throat, and Cui Zuoyu spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering both Yaen Ting and Cui Waner. Her laughter was bitter and fierce. "Yaen Ting, you're ungrateful and heartless! I must have been blind to fall for someone like you, worse than an animal!"

"How dare you insult me!" Yaen Ting's anger boiled over, and he kicked Cui Zuoyu in the stomach.

Cui Zuoyu convulsed in pain, vomiting violently. Having not eaten for two days, she retched up blood mixed with fragments of her insides.

The gruesome scene stunned Yaen Ting, his raised hand frozen in mid-air. He was a pampered young man, unaccustomed to such brutality, and couldn't help but feel a twinge of reluctance.

Cui Waner's eyes flashed coldly, and suddenly she cried out, clutching her stomach, her face pale. "Husband, my baby!"

Tears glistened as they slid down her pale cheeks. Waner, looking sorrowful, gazed at Zuoyu, her expression filled with grief. "Sister, the eldest daughter died because of you. Why do you want to harm my second child too? I wronged you back then. I couldn't help falling in love with my husband, but haven't I done enough to make up for it over the years? Why won't you let it go?"

"Every night, I hear you cursing me and my child, wishing us ill. You can take my life, but the child is innocent. He's my husband's only bloodline, and I'll do whatever it takes to protect him. Sister, I'm begging you, please spare the child!" Waner pleaded, her voice breaking as she made a move to kneel before Zuoyu.

"Waner, she's not worth you, the Earl's wife, kneeling for," Yaen Ting said, refusing to let his beloved bow down. He gently helped Waner up and then slapped Zuoyu hard across the face. "Out of respect for our three years of marriage, I was going to let you live a little longer. But since you dared to curse Waner in secret, I can't let you stay."

Zuoyu's head snapped to the side from the blow, her vision darkening, and a ringing filled her ears, almost causing her to faint. She bit her tongue to force herself to stay conscious and let out a cold laugh. "If you want to accuse me, you'll find any excuse."

Cui Waner lived at the heart of the Marquis Mansion, far from the secluded courtyard where she stayed. How could Waner possibly hear her curses in the middle of the night? It was utterly ridiculous.

Even more absurd was that Yaen Ting believed such a lie.

A flicker of joy passed through Waner's eyes as she clung to Yaen Ting, feigning sympathy. "My dear, after all, my sister did bring us together. Let's make her departure a little easier."

"I knew Waner had the kindest heart," Yaen Ting said, affectionately stroking her hair before calling out loudly, "Bring the Red Elixir!"

Such a benevolent thought!

Drinking the Red Elixir wouldn't cause immediate death. Instead, it would lead to an agonizing demise as the poison slowly destroyed the insides.

Cui Zuoyu's eyes were bloodshot. If she could, she would tear these deceitful people apart.

Waner took the poison, sighing softly, "Let me see my sister off on her final journey."

With a gentle smile but firm hands, Waner forced the poison into Zuoyu's mouth.

Pain!

Worse than the fire that scarred her face!

The sharp agony radiated from her abdomen. Zuoyu had never felt such excruciating pain, as if the poison was slowly dissolving her organs, leaving her consciousness fading.

"Sister, I managed to shake off that lifeless man from the Marquis Mansion and successfully marry my husband, all thanks to your help. Before I die, let me share two secrets with you.

First, you weren't born infertile. The doctor our mother hired was in on it from the start. The real sterilization drug was in the tea I served you during the concubine ceremony..."

Cui Waner's soft voice whispered in Cui Zuoyu's ear. Zuoyu's eyes widened in shock, momentarily forgetting the searing pain. She struggled desperately against the wooden post, gasping for breath, "What... are... you... saying?"

Waner admired Zuoyu's futile struggle with a graceful demeanor. "The second secret is that the fire that killed the head maid was set on my orders. Since she was my child, sacrificing her life to eliminate you, my greatest rival, wasn't in vain."

"Waner, you'll never die in peace!" Zuoyu cursed with all her might, struggling so fiercely that the post shook violently and eventually collapsed, though she couldn't even touch Waner's hem.

"Sister, weren't you always the one who loved beauty the most? How did you end up in such a sorry state at the end?" Waner sighed softly.

Yongjing Marquis Mansion! A living ghost!

The fall made Cui Zuoyu notice something she hadn't before.

"...Ha!" Cui Zuoyu let out a strange, eerie sound, her eyes shining intensely.

If Cui Waner hadn't brought it up, she would have forgotten about it herself. She was digging her own grave!

"Yaen Ting, do you know... why His Majesty... refuses to employ you? Cui... Waner once had a marriage contract with the eldest son of the Yongjing Marquis, but in the end... she married..."

Cui Zuoyu's voice trailed off, growing fainter, while Cui Waner's expression changed. She was about to step forward to stop her, but Cui Zuoyu had already fallen silent.

As Cui Waner anxiously glanced back, she met Yaen Ting's questioning gaze.