Chapter Eighty-One: The Way You Kneel at a Man’s Feet Is Truly Pathetic

Xiao Jingxuan moved his lips but dared not speak; now, both Song Yunmo and Su Jingluo were sharper with their words than ever, and Su Jingluo’s outburst at Lin Wanwan seemed less about the matter itself and more a display of jealousy. Though Su Jingluo’s words were barbed, Xiao Jingxuan couldn’t help but feel a faint sense of triumph.

Seeing Xiao Jingxuan remain silent, Lin Wanwan felt a chill seep into her heart and turned her sorrowful gaze toward Song Yunmo. Though he appeared to side with Su Jingluo, surely the affection built since childhood would prompt him to say something fair, especially since Su Jingluo’s words had been so unseemly. As the Grand Tutor, Song Yunmo ought to uphold decorum.

“Why are you looking at me? Your own husband hasn’t said a word. Crude as the words may be, the logic stands,” Song Yunmo remarked coldly. In the past, Lin Wanwan had seemed unremarkable, but with age, every gesture and expression of hers now appeared unbearably affected.

“Enough, stop seeking help elsewhere. You two can tend to your ailments; I’m leaving.” Su Jingluo couldn’t be bothered with Lin Wanwan’s pretense and strode out purposefully.

“Your Highness, please, I beg you to save me,” Lin Wanwan finally remembered her true purpose and hastily grabbed the hem of Su Jingluo’s sleeve, desperate for her help to heal her face.

Su Jingluo pried Lin Wanwan’s hand away with a sneer. “Oh? I thought a few whimpers in Xiao Jingxuan’s arms would be enough to heal your face. Why beg me? Still acting before me, as if everyone else is a fool?”

“Your Highness, I beg you,” Lin Wanwan pleaded, her voice trembling. “Since childhood, I’ve been alone in this world. I’ve grown to this age without a family of my own. If my face is ruined, my life is finished. The imperial physicians and famed healers have all failed me. I’ve long heard of your unparalleled skill—please, help me.”

Lin Wanwan had always heard Su Jingluo was timid and easy to bully, someone who faded into the background. That day in the great hall, she’d thought Su Jingluo’s outburst was simply due to drunkenness; today, she realized that ferocity had nothing to do with wine.

“Well, aren’t you desperate? How you care! Just moments ago, you seemed indifferent. But why should I? Am I supposed to pity you because you’re all alone? There are plenty of lonely people—I have been too, but I never begged anyone for mercy. You’re Xiao Jingxuan’s cousin; you call him ‘Cousin’ and me ‘Your Highness.’ I have no obligation to save you.” Watching Lin Wanwan weep in distress, Su Jingluo felt a surge of satisfaction, as if she could raise a glass in celebration.

“Cousin-in-law, please, I beg you,” Lin Wanwan finally uttered the words, feeling a wave of humiliation.

“Oh, no, I want nothing to do with a cousin who seduces her own relative while pretending to be pure. Go ask him to heal you,” Su Jingluo replied, pointing at Xiao Jingxuan with a look that said, ‘Yes, I am making things difficult for you.’

Suddenly, Lin Wanwan dropped to her knees before Xiao Jingxuan, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Cousin, I beg you, help me. If there were any other way, I wouldn’t trouble you. I’ve endured five or six years alone, swallowing every hardship. If I had a choice, I would never disturb you.” Her voice broke as she clung to Xiao Jingxuan’s leg, sobbing uncontrollably.

Xiao Jingxuan frowned and exchanged a look with Su Jingluo before speaking slowly. “Whatever you need, you may take it from the household accounts—be it rare treasures or silver, it’s yours.” He was powerless before Su Jingluo, but seeing Lin Wanwan brought so low—a state caused by Yunbai—he couldn’t harden his heart against her misery.

Su Jingluo laughed coolly. “I am your wife; what’s in your treasury is mine as well. If you use my property as payment for Lin Wanwan’s treatment, do you take me for a fool? Any gift of shared marital assets requires my consent, and I do not consent. Lin Wanwan’s act is impressive—kneeling before Xiao Jingxuan as if he were the savior, yet I’m the one who heals. What kind of performance is this?” Her retort left Xiao Jingxuan’s face dark with displeasure.

“And as for you, Miss Lin, let me remind you: did Xiao Jingxuan ask you to remain unmarried for five or six years? If you cherish him and choose thus, that’s your business. Do not try to burden others with your obsession through tears and moral coercion. Your weakness only proves your uselessness; it is no justification.” Su Jingluo bent down, meeting Lin Wanwan’s beautiful eyes.

“Kneeling at a man’s feet is an ugly sight.”