Chapter 87: Inconsistencies Between Appearance and Reality

  "Are you saying that Yi... no, the child of Yongwu Marquis is having a full moon celebration? Is it a legitimate son?"

  "Yes, of course it's the legitimate child, and a pair of twins at that. This is quite rare, so I thought I'd go take a look. Who knew Madam wouldn't allow it." Ji Shan Shan said to herself.

  Pan Ruyue's face, which was already pale, lost all its color and turned deathly white. She bit back her tears and asked, "I-I mean, is the wife of Marquis Yongwu... alright?"

  Ji Xiangxian heard her ask such a strange question and asked: "Why did you ask that?"

  Pan Ruyue forced herself to prop up her frail body, avoiding Ji Xiangxiang's gaze, and lowered her head to say: "I just arrived in the capital, I don't know any of these things, I was just curious and asked."

  "Oh," Ji Xiangxiang said without thinking much, "Speaking of that sister-in-law, she is Yan Rong's own aunt, married into the Hou Mansion for five or six years now, and finally had a pair of legitimate sons, it's considered perfect."

  Pan Ruyue's body trembled slightly, how could this be? She wanted to ask Ji Xiangxiang something else, but Ji Xiangxiang was called away by her maid. As soon as Ji Xiangxiang left, Pan Ruyue couldn't hold on anymore and collapsed onto the bed. The tears that had been welling up in her eyes flowed down her pale cheeks and dripped onto her black hair bun.

  Pan Ruyue bit her handkerchief to prevent herself from crying out loud, she didn't want to incur her aunt's displeasure again, all she could do was endure it, but her heart ached so much, Ye Biao-ge...

  It's clear that in the previous life, Su sister had passed away due to illness a year ago, but in this life, how is she still alive and well? Moreover, she even gave birth to a pair of twins for Ye brother, how is this possible?!

  Pan Ruyue's heart was filled with anxiety since she returned to her own boudoir in Jiangnan after recovering from her illness. She still yearned to marry Yi Biao, even if it meant not entering the palace, and she didn't feel humiliated by that. Even if she had to endure the coldness of her aunt, who was now her host, she didn't feel miserable. As long as she thought about being with Yi Biao in the future, playing music together, all the humiliation and suffering seemed bearable.

  There isn't a moment when she doesn't wish to see Yi Biao Ge again, to be enveloped in his warm embrace. Only then would she feel that this world still has a warm place for her to settle down. And there is also such a man who makes her think of him all her life, yearn for him all her life, love him all her life and yet still feels it's not enough.

  I don't know how much I should thank heaven for letting her come back once more, to be able to continue the unfinished relationship with Ye Bai.

  But unexpectedly, for his whole life, there was another person who took care of household chores for him and gave birth to his children. How could this person compare to the original wife?

  At the thought of this, Pan Ruyue's tears flowed freely. Her hair was dampened, her pillow was wet, and her eyes were blurry. The pain pierced her heart.

  The sound of sobbing had reached the outer house. The maid who was sent by Mrs. Ji to attend to her rolled her eyes and muttered, "Here we go again, can't even make water?"

  Ji Xiangxiang went to pester Mrs. Ji again, and Mrs. Ji was so entangled that she had no choice but to agree to take her along. Ji Xiangxiang leaned in and coquettishly said, "I knew you'd spoil me."

  Madam Ji nodded her head slightly. "You."

  Just then a maid came in to report: "Miss Pan has fainted again."

  Madam Ji said with a gloomy tone, her smile fading: "What's going on this time?"

  Xiaoyuan also felt a bit embarrassed: "Miss Pan fainted and cried, I don't know why Miss Pan is so sad."

  Ji Xianxian saw that Mrs. Ji's complexion was not very good, and she had a mind to say a few good words for Pan Ruyue, "Sister is probably thinking of home."

  "Take good care of your cousin," said Mrs. Ji with a hum, as if she was the aunt and her niece. Mrs. Ji was really annoyed, wondering how her younger sister had raised such a daughter. She cried all day, and to make matters worse, she was also sickly, what bad luck.

  "Take a look at your daughter: 'Don't learn from her'."

  Ji Xiangxiang pouted: "Alright, I'll go see my cousin then and comfort her a bit."

  "Alright, you go take a look for me."

  Ji Xiangxiang had hidden the fact that she had gone to see Pan Ruyue before, and she was also aware that Mrs. Ji didn't like women of her sister's type. Ever since she learned from her sister how to scrape snow water from plum blossoms and fell ill, Mrs. Ji thought it was her sister who had corrupted her, which made her feel somewhat guilty. In reality, she herself wanted to learn to be as elegant as her sister, but ended up implicating her instead.

  But my cousin is a bit frail, and she often faints from time to time, alas.

  When Ji Xiangxian arrived at Pan Ruyue's place, Pan Ruyue had already woken up quietly and was half-leaning on the bed with tears streaming down. The maid beside her was trying to comfort her but not quite succeeding. Ji Xiangxian hesitated for a moment before entering slowly.

  Qie Ji called out "Biao Jie" and Pan Ruyue wiped away her tears, "I was rude, don't mind me, little sister."

  Ji Xiangxiang waved her hand: "Nothing, older cousin, what's wrong with you? Are you homesick?"

  Pan Ruyue's face turned blue and white, her heart aching again. She thought of going to see what kind of person Su Jiejie was now that she was with Ye Biao.

  She had once heard Yi's elder brother praise Su's sister with a sentence "is a filial and dignified person", she felt sour in her heart at that time, but she could also see that Yi's elder brother only respected his original wife without loving her.

  Pan Ruyue came to this conclusion, feeling both bitter and sweet in her heart. The bitterness was that she was still the second wife, not comparable to the first wife, even during Chinese New Year when they paid respects to Su's memorial tablet, she had to bow slightly; the sweetness was that she believed love knew no order, she had confidence in giving Yebo a warm and loving heart, making him less lonely, they relied on each other, unfortunately her body didn't cooperate, marrying Yebo for many years but still couldn't bring good news.

  Pan Ruyue thought of those sweet but bitter days, and the smile on her face was tinged with a few more bitter flavors. "Let Aunt and sister worry about me, I... won't say anything."

  Seeing her about to cry, Ji Xiangxiang hastily advised: "Ruyue sister don't cry, why not let someone call brother over, you two siblings can see each other and slowly think of your hometown feelings?"

  ……

  When Fulu's twins were full moon, the New Year's joy was still strong, and with the addition of the full moon, the Hou Mansion was bustling.

  Su Ying's postpartum recovery was not bad, and her figure had also recovered well - this was largely due to Lu Wa's efforts. Her whole person looked radiant with a healthy glow, wearing a five-colored pomegranate-patterned brocade robe, with a beaded curtain hanging from her forehead, surrounded by pomegranate stones, with the central oval jade pendant shining brightly, like a gathering of stars around the moon.

  The Marquise of Pingyang's wife directly praised: "You are getting more and more beautiful after giving birth, just this complexion is enviable."

  Su Ying pulled open her handkerchief to cover half of her face, pretending to be shy and lowering her head: "Has the mistress wronged me?"

  The lady of Pingyang Marquis suddenly said with a smile: "Quickly lift up your head and let me see if your face is red!"

  After laughing and chatting for a while, more and more guests arrived.

  Madam Ji looked at Pan Ruyue, who was following behind Ji Xiangxiang, with a stern face. She asked in a cold voice, "What's the meaning of this? Xiangxiang, what exactly is going on?"

  Xiang Xiang's lips were still pouting, and before she could say anything, Pan Ruyue timidly spoke up for her: "Auntie, this matter was originally my fault, I was the one who dragged Xiang Xiang into it, if you want to blame someone, blame me."

  "Madam, I just wanted to take Kagutsuchi out for a walk and clear her mind, that's all. It has nothing to do with Kagutsuchi."

  Qishan's words almost made Mrs. Qi faint, how did she raise such a heartless girl? She took a deep breath: "If Ruyue wants to go out and see the world with me, just say so directly, we can go out openly and honestly. Your current attire is making people look down on you."

  Ji Xiangxiang wanted to speak but was glared at by Mrs. Ji. She lowered her head, and Mrs. Ji frowned, speaking in a gentle tone: "Although your family and ours are not from high-ranking families, our household has good morals, and you've been taught etiquette by the nanny since childhood. I'm not being harsh, but you need to know that you represent the face of the Pan family."

  Madam Ji looked at Pan Ruyue's wronged expression, her anger not subsiding, and said bluntly: "In your eyes, I'm still this unreasonable elder blocking you from going out?"

  Pan Ruyue still remembered that Mrs. Ji didn't let her participate in the talent show, so she thought Mrs. Ji looked down on her. If she told Mrs. Ji that she wanted to go to the Hou Mansion, Mrs. Ji would definitely not agree. That's why she came up with the idea of disguising herself as one of Ji Xiangxiang's maids.

  Mrs. Ji scolded Pan Ruyue severely, her face turned red but she couldn't say anything back, hanging her head and biting her lip, her eyelashes trembling slightly, tears welling up in her eyes.

  "Very well, then. Consider her your personal maid from now on, and make sure she behaves as one should. Don't let others laugh at our Season family's expense, understood?"

  Although these words were said to Ji Xiangxiang, they were actually meant for Pan Ruyue. Pan Ruyue's shoulders trembled at the ear-piercing term "servant girl", and Ji Xiangxiang felt a bit disgusted by her reaction, especially after Mrs. Ji glared at her again. She regretted agreeing to her cousin's request in the first place.

  Madam Ji was still worried, so she let her maid, Manao, follow Ji Xiangxiang, mainly to keep an eye on Pan Ruyue and prevent her from doing anything out of line, lest they lose face in front of others.

  Marnie looked at Pan Ruyue with a leg and foot that seemed to be unable to exert any strength, and said with some sarcasm: "Do you need me to support you?"

  Pan Ruyue hastily shook her head and said she could.

  Ji Xiangxiang saw Su Yanrong and said something to Mrs. Ji before walking towards Su Yanrong. Due to the relationships between the Fu, Ji, and Su families, the Ji and Su families were also distantly related. Su Yanrong and Ji Xiangxiang weren't close friends, but rather acquaintances who didn't interact deeply.

  Pan Ruyue knew that Su Yanrong was Su's sister's niece, she couldn't help but take a few more glances. Agate pulled her sleeve, Pan Ruyue suddenly felt embarrassed, lowered her head and sighed in her heart.

  She didn't know what she was now, it was probably unwillingness, but she felt that Wei Ye's brother only had respect for Su sister and no love, so she had some self-satisfaction. Pan Ruyue knew that thinking this way was wrong, but she couldn't help but feel hostile towards Su sister whom she had never met.

  Pan Ruyue secretly felt a pang of sadness as she followed Ji Xiangxiang into the courtyard, her eyes involuntarily filled with nostalgia. This was the courtyard where she used to live, and she had once thought about planting a few plum blossoms here, but unfortunately, even when she was ill, she couldn't make it happen. On ordinary days, she would only let the servants pick a few branches of plum blossoms and put them in a vase for her to appreciate their elegance.

  "Come to your aunt's place." Pan Ruyue was lost in thought when she heard this sentence, and she couldn't help but look up. She saw a smiling woman in her early twenties, with eyebrows that seemed to compete with the green willows and a face that rivaled the red peaches in beauty. Her skin was smooth and lustrous, radiating a brilliant glow. Not at all like someone who had been married for five or six years.

  Looking at her again, she was smiling brightly, with a look of having everything she wanted. Pan Ruyue's face was pale and white, her body slightly trembling, her mind empty, and tears seeping out of her eyes. It turned out that Su Jie was such a radiant and beautiful person.

  Pan Ruyue felt ashamed, but in her heart, she thought of her brother-in-law's first wife's expressionless face. Clenching her fists, no matter how brilliant and beautiful she was, her brother-in-law only had respect but not love for her, such a person is the most pitiful.

  She shouldn't be ashamed of herself.

  Marnie pulled Pan Ruyue down and said, "We're in someone else's house, Miss, please hold back your tears. If others see you crying, they'll say that our Qi Manor is lacking in discipline." Others are celebrating a happy occasion, but you're secretly shedding tears here. Isn't this bringing bad luck to their family?

  Pan Ruyue pinched her palm and hastily lowered her head so that others wouldn't see her tears, "I know, Sister Agate."

  Agate rolled her eyes slightly.

  Ji Xiangxian followed Su Yanrong as she moved closer to Su Ying. As her maid, Pan Ruyue naturally had to follow up, but in her heart, it was like overturning a bottle of five flavors, with all kinds of tastes mixed together - sour, sweet, bitter, spicy and salty. She could only timidly lower her head, afraid that others, especially her Su sister, would see her tears and look down on her.

  She's just overthinking things.

  Even if others think this girl is soft-waisted and delicate, they won't take her seriously.

  Su Ying didn't even glance at Pan Ruyue, who bit her lower lip tightly. She didn't want to lose on their first meeting, so she steadied herself and slowly raised her head, looking straight ahead with the demeanor of a Pan family daughter.

  Beyond comprehension!

  Agate was about to cry, and once again pulled at Pan Ruyue's sleeve. Indicating what her current status was. Pan Ruyue lowered her head to glance at her current maid attire, and recalled Mrs. Ji's piercing words "a maid's place", on this point she had lost a move, the strong facade that Pan Ruyue had just put up suddenly collapsed.

  Manao leaned on one hand, letting the maids of the Hou Mansion lead them to another place for refreshments. After thanking the host, Manao turned back and saw Pan Ruyue staring blankly with tears welling up in her eyes but not falling. Manao was at a loss for words.

  The kind-hearted person understood her and said: "Sister Agate, I'm fine now. You go serve Xiangxiang's sister, she can't do without someone there."

  "Miss, this isn't our Qi Manor after all, and your status is different now, so you must be extra careful. If anything happens to you, Madam will blame me, and even Xiang'er will suffer the consequences. You're such a kind and understanding person, can't you see things from our perspective?"

  Agate's tongue was pressed against her upper jaw, and this phrase still followed Pan Ruyue from home with the maid who learned it. At first, I didn't think there was anything wrong, but when I said it myself, I always felt that something was not quite right.

  Why are you all coming to force me to back down? What did I do wrong? Pan Ruyue's body trembled slightly, but under Miao Yu's eager gaze, she could only nod slightly.

  Marna thought that even if this young lady was a bit out of tune, she wouldn't make any outrageous moves in the master's mansion.

  Unfortunately, Manao was too early to let her guard down. In other people's eyes, the Hou Mansion was naturally the host family, but in Pan Ruyue's current view, it wasn't. She had lived here for a few years and this place was her home. With nostalgia, she walked around everywhere without feeling anything wrong.

  Pan Ruyue's eyes were misty with tears, and she didn't realize that she had stopped in front of a few plum blossom trees. She wiped away her tears and looked at the red plum blossoms blooming proudly on the branches. Pan Ruyue lightly opened her red lips: "The fragrance of flowers sways and falls alone, occupying all the charm towards the small garden..."

  Towards Xiao Yuan, Pan Ruyue's face suddenly flushed with a crimson color. Had her handsome and elegant brother seen it?

  Pan Ruyue was just about to reach out and touch the plum blossoms that were about to bloom when she heard footsteps, her heart racing with excitement. She quickly picked up her skirt and hid behind a nearby rockery, the sound carrying on the wind into her ears.

  "...I think this Madame of the Marquis of Bravery is a formidable figure, last year around this time she seemed to have had a miscarriage, afterwards wasn't she disliked by her mother-in-law? Now, with the change in fortune, looking at her again, she has a son, it's clear that she has good luck in the future."

  "Think about it, she can stand firm again, and the concubine-born daughter is also being raised by her side. It's not that she was favored after nailing the concubine to death, but rather that she had dealt with all of them in a way that made them obedient and submissive, showing that her methods are effective."

  When she spoke, her tone was still filled with envy. Everyone who came here was a legitimate wife, but how many of them were loved by their husbands? Even the most renowned wives weren't they all struggling to get out of the same room as concubines? They were all legitimate wives, and this bitterness was something everyone knew, which is why she envied them.

  "No matter how capable you are, if the mother-in-law doesn't like you, it's all in vain. On the day of the first grandson's full moon celebration, she seemed to be saying that her body wasn't feeling well and was afraid of passing on a bad energy to the child, so she didn't attend. All of them are legitimate wives. Why do you get to live a happy life while others don't? There must be some dissatisfaction somewhere, otherwise people wouldn't feel balanced in their hearts."

  "It's really a slap in the face, but this is going too far, aren't you afraid that Marquis Yongwu will be dissatisfied?"

  "Otherwise, why would they bring over the legitimate niece from their maternal family to be a concubine for the second wife? For this reason, wasn't the Empress Dowager's decree demoted by one rank? Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law have always been natural enemies. Which daughter-in-law doesn't harbor some resentment towards her mother-in-law? Seeing the mother-in-law suffer is naturally more satisfying than seeing a fellow daughter-in-law suffer."

  "That makes sense too."

  "Alright, we've had enough time to change clothes. Let's head back."

  After the sound of footsteps faded away, Pan Ruyue finally came out from behind the fake mountain, her eyebrows furrowed tightly. She thought carefully about what the two women had said. It seemed that after Su's miscarriage, she began to suppress Concubine Yi and gained the favor of Prince Yi, and only then did she give birth to a pair of legitimate sons for him.

  How can this be?

  How could Brother Yi like such a woman with improper behavior? Just now she still secretly thought that Sister Su was a brilliant and beautiful person, but unexpectedly she had such ulterior motives.

  Yi Biao's brother must have been misled by Su sister's appearance, Pan Ruyue thought of this and was excited again. She wanted Yi Biao to see the truth clearly. She is the one who loves him the most, even if it comes again, she still wants to continue her past life with Yi Biao.

  Pan Ruyue thought for a moment and suddenly felt a little dazed. If she could be reborn, didn't that mean someone else could also do the same?

  In her previous life, she remembered that Su sister passed away around the New Year last year. Wei Yiniang was more favored by Brother Ye, and at first, she still felt a sour heart. She also wondered if Su sister was suffering like her, but just because she had let go of it herself didn't mean that Su sister wouldn't be jealous. Thinking about this, suppressing Wei Yiniang wasn't impossible either.

  Thinking of Yihai's evaluation of Su sister in her previous life as "filial and dignified", but the current Su sister is completely different. If Su sister also came back to gain Yihai's favor, it would make sense why she is still alive and living well.

  Pan Ruyue was dazed and absent-minded, the more she thought about it, the more determined she became. Otherwise, there would be no way to explain why so many things had changed in this life regarding Yebo's mansion.

  Could it really be like this... Pan Ruyue covered her mouth with her hand, her face pale, and muttered: "What's to be done?"

  Pan Ruyue's first thought was to see Fu Yeyang urgently, but as soon as this thought emerged, she shook her head. Now Su Jie is his legitimate wife and has given birth to a pair of twin sons for him. Thinking of this, Pan Ruyue's heart hurts even more. She can't just rush over and say that Su Jie is back from the dead. In Fu Yeyang's eyes, she is probably nothing but a relative by marriage now.

  When the time comes, how will she explain how she knew that Su Jie was resurrected? She can't say that she herself is like this too. Although Pan Ruyue is often unclear most of the time, when it comes to her own safety, she can still be clear-headed.

  Thinking of this, Pan Ruyue felt a pang of hatred towards her own weakness. If she hadn't come to the Hou Mansion and didn't know that Su sister was also reborn like her, she might have told herself not to be foolishly optimistic anymore. She would have controlled herself to think about Ye Bo less every day, even if it hurt and tears would unknowingly flow down, she would have endured. She only wanted to be Ye Bo's wife, not to intervene between Ye Bo and his original partner Su sister.

  But now her heart is wavering again, and it's getting worse. It turns out that Su sister is such a hypocritical woman, how can she deserve to receive Ye brother's favor?

  Pan Ruyue clenched her fists, she had made up her mind, she was going to expose Su Jiejie's true face and let everyone scold her, so that Yi Biao Ge wouldn't be deceived anymore, and then she could reunite with Yi Biao Ge again, hehe.

  Pan Ruyue stood alone beside the artificial hill, her face changing from pale to white to red, crying and laughing and hurting in turns. A gust of cold wind blew over, Pan Ruyue shivered with a chill, spitting out tears and snot.

  ps：

  I'm about to vomit while writing this chapter (ˉ▽ˉ；) Slightly exaggerated female supporting character.

  Thank you for finding Yuqin, Zhu Lao Mi, the potato of Miren Yú, Xingyun Li Fang, and Lan Tian Hai's reward, as well as other friends' pink votes, thank you (○^～^○) muah muah.