"Sister, we've grown up together since childhood. Even if we aren't born of the same mother, we are still close siblings. Why do you insist on pushing me so harshly?" Lan Qingxuan trembled, clinging to a tree as thick as a bowl. Barely three steps away from her was the edge of a hundred-footer cliff.
The wind was strong at the edge of the cliff, and she, frail and dainty, had her dress billowing in the wind. It seemed as though at any moment, she might be swept over the edge.
Across from her stood a teenage girl, her elder sister. This girl, whose name was Lan Yufang, had several burly maids beside her, each of them ferocious and intimidating.
Lan Yufang had a beautifully shaped face, naturally charming, but her beauty was overshadowed by her viciousness. She sneered, "I'm harsh to you? Look at yourself. What's your background? Are you worthy of Young Master Gu? In the end, you're nothing more than an illegitimate daughter of a dead mother!"
"My mother was my father's legitimate wife! I'm not illegitimate!" Lan Qingxuan retorted.
"Licit marriage?" The hint of malice in Lan Yufang's eyes was evident. "Who knows what methods she used to entrap our father into marrying her back then? Moreover, she's already dead. Do you still see yourself as a legitimate daughter? The Gu household is a scholarly family, our house is now ruled by my mother. I am the legitimate daughter. Young Master Gu will never marry you! Don't blame me for being ruthless; blame yourself for being foolish!"
Lan Qingxuan and Gu Ranmo have been betrothed since they were children. The Gu family was a prestigious clan in Qianyuan City. At three years of age, Gu Ranmo was able to read and write. At five, he could compose poetry. At seven, he became a recognized scholar through the town exam. At twelve, he came first in the province's exam. This year, he was studying in the capital and topped the nationwide exam.
In addition to his literary talent, he was extraordinarily handsome, regarded as the number one young master of Qianyuan City.
For these reasons, he was the pride of Qianyuan City and also the man every lady desired as a husband.
Lan Yufang had liked him for more than just a day or two. To marry Gu Ranmo, she exhausted all her tricks.
Lan Qingxuan and Gu Ranmo were to be wed in just a month's time. Three days prior, Lan Yufang's biological mother, Lady Li, sent Lan Qingxuan to the Temple of Ten Thousand Buddhas to take a bath and make a vow. Claiming to take care of her, Lan Yufang followed her. Two days before, Lan Yufang tried to frame her for theft, and today, she drove her to the cliff behind the temple.
Ever since her mother passed away, Lan Qingxuan had been constantly mistreated. Her stepmother, Lady Li, wore a kind face but was deep and poisonous, scheming against her any chance she got. Her birth father, Lord Lan, turned a blind eye and was indifferent to her matters. All this time, she held her tongue, hoping to make an early marriage into the Gu family to escape this purgatory. She never expected to be put in such a situation by Lan Yufang.
Lan Qingxuan gritted her teeth, "He is a man of his word. He is well-read since childhood, would he despise me? Sister, if you let me go today, I'll act as if nothing happened!"
Lan Yufang laughed uproariously, "You are remarkably naive. Do you think I could act against you today without his consent?"
Lan Qingxuan was taken aback, could all of this have been orchestrated by Gu Ranmo?
Lan Yufang coldly said, "Let me tell you the truth! He has no intention of marrying you at all! Otherwise, why would he delay the wedding over and over again?”
Lan Qingxuan was stunned. She was already seventeen this year. Normally, a man could marry a woman after the betrothal once he turned fifteen, but he had been stalling the wedding for the past two years, claiming he would not marry until he passed the imperial examination.
She murmured, "Impossible! He would never do that to me!”
"Anyway, you're going to die today, let me show you something." Pride flashed in Lan Yufang's eyes as she pulled out a piece of paper from her bosom, on which unmistakably stood the characters for 'Marriage Certificate'.
When Lan Qingxuan saw the document, it hit her like a thunderbolt. It was a marriage certificate between Lan Yufang and Gu Ranmo!
In the State of Qin, marriages had to be registered at the official government office. Only after the registration were two people considered legally wedded.
Lan Qingxuan was betrothed to Gu Ranmo since they were little, yet he had gone and registered his marriage with Lan Yufang!
She exclaimed, "This can’t be possible!”
"Poor thing!" There was a look of gloating in Lan Yufang's eyes. "Despite the plain facts right in front of you, you still refuse to believe. I really don’t know whether you're truly stupid or just pretend to be!"
Marrying into the Gu family had been Lan Qingxuan's lifelong dream. Now that her hopes had been dashed, she wavered as the mountain winds blew.
She muttered, "The Gu family are well-educated, the gentleman Gu Ranmo deeply learned in classics, how could he do such a thing?”
"Let me tell you the truth! Gu Ranmo has always liked me, he never liked you!" Lan Yufang narrowed her eyes and stated coldly, "The only reason he agreed to marry you was due to the debt of gratitude your biological mother had in the Gu family. He couldn't break off the engagement without ruining his reputation, but on the other hand, he would never marry you. So, Lan Qingxuan, you have to die! Only when you’re dead, can he marry me openly and without concern."
Upon hearing these words, Lan Qingxuan was suddenly reminded of past events. When Gu Ranmo used to visit Lan’s house, he would always first visit the Li family, where Lan Yufang would always be present. She thought nothing of it before, assuming he was merely following good manners.
But now it seemed, things were not as simple as she had thought.
