Chapter 45: Who Looks Better

This was clearly an attempt to take the blame upon herself, yet it only served to ignite Luo Zeting's fury all the more.

Assuming the stern dignity of an elder, he glared at her with knitted brows. "After kneeling for three months, you still show no remorse. Taking advantage of Zhen'er's gentle nature, you bully and wrong her without restraint. Even so, she is still willing to make excuses for you. But look at yourself!"

"Do you possess even a shred of decorum befitting the eldest daughter of a marquis's estate?!"

Luo Yunqiao actually caught a glimpse of utter disappointment in Luo Zeting's eyes directed at her.

In the past, she would have simply assumed she had fallen short somewhere, but now she only thought Luo Zeting was utterly blind.

"My eldest brother now holds an official post at court. If you were to render judgments based solely on the one-sided words of an accused party, there is no telling how many unjust, false, and wrong verdicts would plague this world." She took a step closer to Luo Zeting, her voice chilling. "If whoever cries the loudest in this world is deemed to be in the right, then there is no need for debate at all—everyone might as well just sit and weep."

"You!"

Luo Zeting was filled with blazing fury, yet found himself entirely unable to refute her.

Luo Yunqiao lowered her gaze to look at the set of hair ornaments, her tone indifferent. "Since I am found wanting in every respect in my eldest brother's eyes, I need not attend the Prince of Nanan's wedding banquet, lest I bring shame upon the marquis's estate."

Her leg ailment had been growing increasingly severe, and having a rare moment of leisure, she naturally had no desire to exert herself with travel. Yet to Luo Zeting's ears, this sounded entirely like she was throwing a tantrum.

Luo Zeting's voice turned cold as well. "You need not use such words to threaten me. Without the marquis's estate, I doubt you would even know where the gates of the Prince of Nanan's manor are located."

"It is a pity that Grandmother dotes on you and asked me to investigate the grievances you suffered at Zhaojue Temple. Seeing how things stand now, Grandmother's sincere kindness was poured upon an ungrateful wretch—utterly wasted!"

Luo Yunqiao's spine suddenly stiffened.

Behind her back, just how much had the Old Dowager of the Luo family actually done for her?

Luo Yunzhen, on the other hand, was utterly dumbfounded.

That day, she had bribed people at Zhaojue Temple, instructing them to torment Luo Yunqiao to the brink of death. Now that Luo Zeting had investigated the matter and brought the truth to light, her own standing within the marquis's estate would inevitably be severely tarnished.

No!

She could never allow such a thing to happen!

"Eldest Brother, Grandmother acted out of the deepest affection, and Eldest Sister will surely understand in time. Please do not blame her today."

Luo Zeting turned his head and happened to catch sight of her pale complexion. He immediately stepped forward to support her, asking with concern, "What is wrong, Zhen'er? Were you frightened just now? Do not be afraid, Eldest Brother was not shouting at you."

Luo Yunqiao simply could not bear to watch this affectionate and tender scene any longer.

"Since younger sister Yunzhen is feeling unwell, you should hurry back and rest. Make sure nothing happens to you here, otherwise even with a mouth full of tongues, I would never be able to clear my name."

"You!" Luo Zeting wanted to reprimand her further, but his deep concern for Luo Yunzhen's health left him with no choice but to leave first.

The night wind blew gently.

The late spring evening breeze still carried a biting chill, mixed with the lingering cold of wind and snow.

Luo Yunqiao stood beneath the veranda, feeling no chill at all; instead, her mind grew remarkably clear.

Abruptly.

An elderly voice approached from behind her, traveling from afar: "Since you suffered from the cold at Zhaojue Temple, you ought to take proper care of yourself now, nursing your health carefully for a full year. Once the winter returns, your body will no longer ache."

"The pain in the body can naturally heal, but how can the pain in the heart ever be mended?"

Luo Yunqiao's heart was filled with utter disappointment toward the people of the marquis's estate, and she harbored not a shred of expectation left. Right now, she was simply consumed by a sense of unwillingness.

Unwilling that she had foolishly walked right into Luo Yunqiao's—no, Luo Yunzhen's—trap, and unwilling to be wronged without cause.

At present, she was merely fighting to maintain her dignity.

She suddenly recalled something else, turned her head, and asked, "When Grandmother spoke to me about marriage today, could it be that she was also afraid I would ruin the matrimonial alliance between the marquis's estate and the Third Prince?"

"I used to think you were a clever person, but it turns out you are just as thick-headed." The Old Dowager shook her head. "The Emperor has harbored suspicion toward the marquis's estate for many years; how could a marriage involving one or two individuals ever alter that? It is merely a pretext. Even if the marquis's estate had no marriage tie with the Third Prince, would the Jing'an Marquis's Estate cease to be the Third Prince's maternal family?"

"They remain bound by shared honor and shared disgrace; it is only that father of yours who fails to see the truth."

"Then why?" Luo Yunqiao could not fathom it.

"Since no one in the marquis's estate treats you with kindness, why must you insist on staying here? You would be far better off leaving quickly to live in peace, and who knows, you might even live a few years longer."

"I am unwilling!" Luo Yunqiao shook her head, her eyes filled with stubbornness. "I merely want justice. Am I wrong?"

"When you reach my age, you will realize that justice is the most useless thing in this world."

The Old Dowager gave a bitter laugh.

The air suddenly grew still, and for a long time, no sound was heard.

Realizing she could not alter the girl's determination, the Old Dowager dropped the matter and simply said, "I overheard the argument between you and your brother today. When all is said and done, your mother was biased, but I have already admonished her. I expect she will change her ways."

A single sentence pulled Luo Yunqiao's thoughts back.

Recalling Luo Zeting's words from earlier, she sank to her knees. "Your granddaughter did not know how much Grandmother had been doing for her behind the scenes, and I am endlessly grateful. From this day forward, I shall serve Grandmother dutifully and never let her down."

"Help you? I merely did it for the sake of the marquis's estate."

The Old Dowager waved a hand. "As long as you do not bring disgrace upon the marquis's estate, I naturally will not let you, the eldest daughter, lose your dignity."

"Very well, the night wind is fierce. Go back inside."

When Luo Yunqiao raised her head, the Old Dowager's figure had already receded into the distance.

Although those words had not been entirely spoken in her defense, she had nonetheless caught the genuine concern woven into the Old Dowager's tone.

She thought to herself that she was not entirely despised by everyone in the marquis's estate after all.

In the blink of an eye, the grand wedding day of the young Prince of Nanan arrived, proving to be a rare and sunny day.

Having recuperated for several days, Luo Yunqiao's leg ailment had improved somewhat; while not as sound as before, at least the agonizing pain no longer plagued her every night.

Ever since that day, Madam Luo had taken back all the clothing and hair ornaments, purchasing two brand-new outfits for Luo Yunqiao from outside—their sheer magnificence was enough to leave onlookers tongue-tied.

No sooner had she stepped down from the carriage than the gazes of the crowd were instantly drawn to Luo Yunqiao.

Xiao Jinglin had originally been waiting at the entrance for Luo Yunzhen, but his gaze was captured by Luo Yunqiao, leaving him momentarily unable to look away.

When he finally regained his senses, he felt all the more convinced that this woman was utterly shameless, actually trying to show off and draw attention at someone else's wedding banquet!

He walked toward Luo Yunqiao, his tone maintaining its usual gentleness. "Although you have been spending a great deal of time near my uncle lately, there is no need to dress yourself up in such a flashy manner. Today is, after all, the Prince of Nanan's wedding banquet. By dressing like this, aren't you simply stealing the bride's thunder?"

Luo Yunqiao clearly detected the underlying sarcasm in his words.

"What the Third Prince says is entirely true, but Mother is the one who made me wear this, and I truly dared not disobey."

Originally, she would have disained to pay Xiao Jinglin any mind, yet she had no wish to let Luo Yunzhen off easily either, deliberately intending to stir up her jealousy.

Once Luo Yunzhen was consumed by the fires of jealousy, her true nature would inevitably reveal itself.

With that in mind, she stepped slightly closer to Xiao Jinglin and smiled, "Does the Third Prince think younger sister Yunzhen or I looks more pleasing to the eye today?"