Chapter 47: Revenge Arrives

That faint creak, though barely audible, struck Chen Yue Ru's heart with the force of a heavy blow.

Her whole body shuddered violently, but she froze, unable and unwilling to move a single inch.

She could only watch helplessly as the window was slowly pushed open.

The moon was bright tonight, and with a glance, she saw everything outside clearly.

A white shadow drifted past the window, followed by a chilling, hollow voice: "I've come for revenge. I've come to avenge myself."

As the white shadow flickered by, she caught a glimpse of its face.

It was a face once intimately familiar to her—a face she hated to the marrow.

But now, that face bore none of the beauty she remembered. It was deathly pale, devoid of any trace of color, its gaze hollow and, above all, terrifying.

It was Shen Nian Qing.

The birth mother of Tan Qing Jiu—Shen Nian Qing.

Chen Yue Ru felt as if her throat were being strangled, unable to utter a word, her heart in chaos as she desperately tried to convince herself.

No, no, it’s not Shen Nian Qing.

Shen Nian Qing has been dead for so many years. In the beginning, Shen Nian Qing did occasionally appear in her dreams, but those visits had dwindled over time.

If Tan Qing Jiu hadn’t returned to the manor, she would have almost forgotten that such a person ever existed.

Chen Yue Ru bit down hard. It’s not Shen Nian Qing—it must be Tan Qing Jiu. Yes, it must be her trick.

Tan Qing Jiu resembled Shen Nian Qing, and today Chen Yue Ru had made things difficult for her several times. Tan Qing Jiu must be dissatisfied and is deliberately playing ghostly tricks in the dead of night to frighten her.

With this thought, the terror in her heart eased slightly. She suddenly stood up and rushed to the window: "Tan Qing Jiu, is that you?"

"Up in the middle of the night, pretending to be a ghost—are you trying to scare me? Do you think this will frighten me?"

"Hmph. Your mother’s death had nothing to do with me. Don’t think you can intimidate me with such crude means."

Having said this, she looked up and saw that indeed, someone was standing in the courtyard—it was Tan Qing Jiu.

Chen Yue Ru looked carefully; it was truly Tan Qing Jiu.

Tan Qing Jiu was even wearing the same clothes as earlier.

Chen Yue Ru breathed a sigh of relief, her expression growing colder. "So it really is you. Making ghostly mischief in the middle of the night—do you want me to go tell the master?"

Tan Qing Jiu blinked, her face full of innocence and confusion. "What is Mistress Chen talking about? When have I ever played ghostly tricks?"

As she finished, her gaze suddenly brightened. "Mistress Chen, my mother is right behind you. Please, help me see—is that my mother?"

Still pretending?

Chen Yue Ru sneered. "Very well, I’d like to see what you’re up to tonight."

She turned around directly, and suddenly, a deathly pale face loomed before her.

"Ah!"

Caught off guard, face-to-face with such a visage, she felt her heart leap out of her chest.

"Is that so?" The chilling, hollow voice sounded again. "Did my death truly have nothing to do with you?"

Chen Yue Ru gripped the window frame behind her, her voice trembling. "Stop pretending to be a ghost. I want to see what you really are…"

She raised her hand and abruptly grabbed the face before her. Her fingers met a patch of icy coldness, as frigid as a block of ice.

No… no disguise.

Her hand froze.

But Lin Nian Qing drifted away—truly drifted, her feet never touching the ground.

"Mistress Chen, you are indeed bold. No wonder you dared to do what you did before."

The voice grew ever more hollow. "You found someone to defile me, switched my contraceptive soup. For the sake of becoming Madam Tan, you certainly went to great lengths."

Chen Yue Ru felt as if her heart had stopped beating, her hand still numb from the icy touch—it was Lin Nian Qing, truly returned.

These matters, apart from those who handled them, were never spoken of to anyone.

Lin Nian Qing—has she come for revenge?

"Mistress Chen, my death was truly miserable."

"So many years, I lingered in the mortal world, stayed in Tan Manor, just to see what fate would befall you."

"I watched you take the position of Madam Tan, watched you torment my daughter. Unfortunately, at the time, I lacked power and form, unable to protect my child. But now, with Qing Jiu’s return, I find myself able to take shape, able to appear. Every debt—I remember it all."

"Now, I am here for you. Here for vengeance."

Chen Yue Ru trembled all over, barely able to keep herself upright against the wall, forcing herself not to collapse: "You… you… what do you want?"

"What do I want? Naturally, I want you to taste suffering worse than death. Come down and accompany me."

Lin Nian Qing reached out and grasped Chen Yue Ru’s throat.

Chen Yue Ru felt the hand around her neck was bone-chillingly cold, robbing her of breath.

"No… don’t."

She shook her head in panic. "It wasn’t me. Those things back then—it wasn’t me who did them."

Lin Nian Qing snorted. "Not you? Mistress Chen, I remember it all."

"It was the master," Chen Yue Ru bit out, "The master made me do it. Truly, it was the master."

A murderous light flashed in Lin Nian Qing’s eyes, her expression growing colder. "Is that so?"

"Yes. I was only a concubine. No matter how much I coveted the position of wife, I wouldn’t dare do such things. Everything was done at the master’s command. The man who defiled you was found by the master. The final blow was his order…"

Lin Nian Qing laughed coldly. "Very well, I’ll believe you this once. I’ll investigate the matter thoroughly. If I find you lied, I will not spare you."

Lin Nian Qing tightened her grip. Chen Yue Ru’s eyes rolled back and she fainted.

Chen Yue Ru collapsed by the bed. Only then did "Lin Nian Qing" raise her hand and touch her neck, making sure she had truly lost consciousness, before slipping out the window.

In the courtyard, Qing Dai, who had been pretending, couldn't help but burst into laughter. "She’s fainted?"

"Yes."

"She’s really not much for fright, is she?"

Tan Qing Jiu took an ice block from her sleeve, tossed it into the grass, and finally let out a breath. "I’m freezing."

"The mistress has suffered. Go back and have a good soak in hot water. Luckily, we had those ice blocks—Chen Yue Ru is a bold one, daring to grab directly."

"If not for the ice, we’d have been exposed."

Qing Dai glanced toward the house. "Are we just letting her off like this?"

Tan Qing Jiu narrowed her eyes. "She can’t die yet. It would be too easy for her. But I’ve already drugged her. The effects of that medicine are particularly unpleasant—let her enjoy it for a while."