Chapter Twenty-Three: Therefore, Rou Niang, you must die.

"At that time, I did not yet understand the true purpose behind their words; I only felt a sincere, heartfelt joy. I said, 'That is wonderful! That is an excellent thing. Brother-in-law has labored so diligently, and now that he has passed the examinations, it is a reward well-deserved for over a decade of hard study... We should drink heartily tonight to celebrate his success.'"

Cheng Yingrou repeated the words she had spoken all those years ago, her eyes fixed and distant.

"My parents-in-law replied that they agreed—only, the reason they had summoned me that day was not for that at all."

"'Then for what purpose?' I asked. But the two of them did not answer; they simply kept that gentle, affectionate expression that chilled me to the bone, staring at my face with beaming smiles." As she spoke, the woman closed her eyes tremulously—she seemed to be enduring a profound terror. Su Changling and her companion, standing to the side, could clearly see her eyelashes fluttering uncontrollably.

"'Rou-niang, you know that An'er’s grasp of the classics is not exactly the finest,' my mother-in-law finally said with a smile, just as I was about to reach my breaking point and find an excuse to leave the front hall."

"'Your father-in-law and I have discussed it. We have decided that after the New Year, An'er will submit his application to the Ministry of Personnel—we shall see if he can secure a middle-tier appointment and serve as a county magistrate nearby.'"

"'So, what you are both implying is...?' I suddenly felt an inexplicable fear."

"'What your father-in-law and I mean is, Rou-niang, ever since Yan'er passed, you have managed the household affairs day in and day out. You have labored enough; it is time for you to have a proper rest.' My mother-in-law smiled with such benevolence, yet I sensed a hidden, unspeakable, and chilling malice behind that expression."

Cheng Yingrou’s closed eyelashes trembled even more violently. "Almost in the next breath, she could not wait to confirm my suspicions."

"My mother-in-law told me: 'Besides, An'er has grown into a man, and it is time for him to marry. For a sister-in-law of similar age who has been a widow for so long to remain in the house... it simply does not look right to outsiders.'"

"I knew then that she was forcing me to die." Two trails of water instantly cut across the woman’s cheeks, making her appear even paler and more gaunt. "But I did not want to die—"

"Before the New Year, I had promised my mother that I would find an opportunity to visit her. The last time I left my maiden home, ten-year-old A-Xue was clutching my waist, begging me for the top-tier pastries from the shop on the street."

"I did not want to die, so I asked my mother-in-law: if I were willing to go to an old temple tomorrow, become a nun, and spend the rest of my days in the company of green lamps and ancient Buddhas... would they spare my life?"

"If it was merely to secure a marriage for my brother-in-law that matched his status, then I only needed to leave the Luo family."

"As long as I left the Luo family and entered the monastic life, there would no longer be any scandalous gossip concerning my brother-in-law. I thought then that would be enough to satisfy them, but when my mother-in-law heard my request, she simply shook her head without a change in expression."

"'That will not do, Rou-niang.' Her previously kind face suddenly turned hideous. 'We want an Arch of Chastity and Filial Piety.'"

"'An Arch that can bring glory to the Luo family name, and pave a path for An'er's future career.'"

"'So, Rou-niang, you must die.'"

"'You must die as a chaste and virtuous martyr.'"

"I did not want to die, so I immediately rose to escape the man-eating Luo estate... but my mother-in-law and the others had clearly prepared well. Before I could even flee the hall, a dozen of the household’s rough servants and maids had surrounded me completely."

"Later, I was stifled into unconsciousness and locked in a small, pitch-black room. They forcibly cut off my access to food and water. My will to live was strong; despite being starved and dehydrated, I survived two more days by clinging to my clothes and the stagnant rainwater pooling in the corner... After being tormented by them for over a dozen days and nights, I finally starved to death in that small wooden room."

"Later, my resentment before death was so intense that after my soul left my body, I waited in vain for the emissaries of the underworld... I watched as my mother-in-law ordered them to remove my cold corpse, dress me in finery, and bring in the spirit tablet of my husband, Yan-lang."

Cheng Yingrou’s spectral form shuddered, her voice breaking into sobs. "They disguised me as if I had voluntarily starved myself to death out of grief for Yan-lang, and they summoned the local magistrate..."

"Eager to have my brother-in-law become his future colleague, and hungry for the merit of having a 'virtuous martyr' within his jurisdiction, the magistrate ignored the suspicious findings of the coroners. He reported my name, and thus, the Luo and Cheng families gained a blood-stained Arch of Chastity!"

"So that is how it was... so that is how it was!" Having heard the woman’s tearful account, Cheng Yingxue’s gaze went blank, her hands trembling uncontrollably on her knees. "No wonder you have become like this, Sister..."

"And—and what of the injury on your head? I remember just now it seemed as though half of your skull was missing..."

The young girl leaned forward as if struck by a sudden thought, her hand passing through the woman’s ethereal form once more. "And our eldest uncle."

"Does he know you were starved to death by the Luo family?"

"He knows," Cheng Yingrou replied with a bitter smile. "But even if he knows, what can he do?"

"It is not only the Luo family that desires that Arch to bring glory to their house... Though he holds the title of 'Head of the Household,' there are many elders in the clan above him."

"A-Xue, my sweet sister, remember this—" The woman wiped the corners of her eyes, a shadow of worry surfacing on her face. "The Cheng family is not a place where the 'Head' has the final word, and my father’s power is not as great as you think."

"Do not trust the elders of the clan; they only care for the vanity and interests of the Cheng family."

"As for the wound on my head," Cheng Yingrou’s smile grew increasingly bitter, "that is because... the Luo family was in such a hurry to claim that Arch that they did not prepare a proper coffin for me."

"After I was buried in that flimsy wooden box along with a few pieces of gold and silver, grave robbers soon dug a hole through it. They stole the burial goods but did not bother to patch the hole. Later, rats found their way in through that opening... and they gnawed my skull into that state."

"So, A-Xue, I hate them so much..." The woman gritted her teeth, tears streaming down her face once more. "How can you ask me not to hate them..."

"How could I not hate them!!"

She let out a low cry, and the baleful aura surrounding her surged violently once more, despite Su Changling’s suppression.

Sensing the shift, the young girl whipped her sword through the empty air. The ancient rafters collapsed, the long blade hummed, and the falling wood kicked up a cloud of choking dust—

At that same moment, the ghost that had been hiding for nearly half the night finally revealed its true form.