Chapter 43 - 31: The Blind-Eyed but Clear-Hearted Marquis
Ji Liruo looked up at Xiao Anning, her face already covered in tears. He was her childhood companion, he was! Only he understood her pain, only he truly defended her. Even now, he was still defending her.
"Let’s go." Xiao Anning, after letting go of Madam Ji, turned to support Commandery Princess Yong’an’s hand, intent on leaving.
"No! Young Marquis, Xiao Anning! Don’t go!" Ji Liruo’s voice was filled with despair and remorse, "Don’t go, I didn’t know, I had no idea it was you."
Xiao Anning paid no mind and continued to walk forward.
"Brother—!!!" Ji Liruo, tears streaming down her face, screamed shrilly, scrambling and crawling after Xiao Anning.
Xiao Anning stopped, but still did not turn back.
Commandery Princess Yong’an looked nervously at Xiao Anning, afraid her son might soften his heart.
Yet Xiao Anning’s voice was cold, "You mean to say, if the engagement wasn’t with me but someone else, you would still do the same to break it off. You’d still incite your cousin and the Imperial Grandson to fight, you’d still plot to ruin someone’s reputation here in the Nun Temple."
Commandery Princess Yong’an looked at Ji Liruo with growing anger. So Tan Weizhi’s issue was also her doing? Did the Imperial Grandson really do something to Ning’er? What else did she not know?
"I, I didn’t..." Ji Liruo was stunned at first, then shook her head sharply, crying, "Why didn’t you tell me, why didn’t you tell me earlier?"
"You still don’t understand." Xiao Anning’s voice was flat, "This isn’t about whether I told you or not; it’s about your conduct, which is no longer the person I once cherished." Yes, he had known long ago that Ji Liruo was the little girl he’d encountered crying heartbreakingly at the corner of the Plum Garden wall at Xuanling Temple. That’s why he agreed to the engagement, even held some hope. He had even imagined how warm a reunion would be after revealing the truth to Ji Liruo.
There were moments when he wanted to reveal the truth, but Ji Liruo brusquely interrupted.
When he had the chance to reveal the truth again, it was already hopeless.
After the unveiling of identities, there was only deep disappointment and sadness.
In Ji Liruo’s calculated steps, Xiao Anning finally understood, the little girl who cried against him, tugging at his heartstrings, was gone, never to return.
"I never wanted this! But if I didn’t use some tactics, how would my mother and I have a foothold in the Prime Minister’s Mansion? You know how hard our life was before. I became like this out of necessity!" Ji Liruo hurriedly explained, her eyes filled with anticipation as she looked at Xiao Anning’s back, hoping these words would make him understand, make him turn around.
"So-called necessity is merely a disguise for self-indulgence." Tianmiao’s voice gently sounded, like a clear spring in the mountains, "No amount of hardship justifies wantonly hurting others. Why not stay true to your original intent, not let it down."
"I, I..." Ji Liruo opened her mouth wide, wanting to say something, but no words came out.
Stay true to your original intent, not let it down.
If she hadn’t been engulfed by that darkness, could she now stand by her brother’s side, full of grace and brightness?
But, in this world, are there ifs?
"I just want to ask you one thing." Xiao Anning still did not turn around, but lightly asked a question, "Did you ever tell the Prime Minister you were unwilling for this engagement? Did you speak to the Prime Minister?"
Ji Liruo froze, for a long time, speechless.
Then she slowly, gradually bowed down, covered her face, fell to the ground, and emitted a cry of extreme pain and despair.
(Before putting it on the shelf, the daily guarantee update was two Chapters, the more is because Salted Fish White flipped and burst out. The not more is because Salted Fish White is just performing normally. If you think I’m stuck and want to mail a razor blade, I’m seriously telling you, your mindset is very dangerous, really. Salted Fish White is already working hard, cut Salted Fish White some slack.)