Life Snuffed Out
Gong Chengsi has been enjoying immense prestige these past few days.
A few days ago, the eldest son of the Jimo Household suddenly came here, and repeatedly embarrassed him because of his precious younger sister.
Gong Chengsi was initially worried that this person might be deliberately targeting him because of their previous unpleasantness at the Dragon-Slaying Grand Assembly.
But he quickly dismissed the idea.
It's unclear whether Jimo Zanxing said something nice for him, but apart from Jimo Qing's poor attitude towards him on the first day, in the following days, this usually arrogant young master actually took the initiative to approach him, and his words seemed to speak highly of him.
Gong Chengsi always felt inferior to his younger brother because his talent was not as good as his brother's, and he had no competitive edge.
Now that he had Gong Chengsi's support, he felt he had an advantage and couldn't help but have more ideas.
But he wasn't stupid. Jimo Qing was ultimately an outsider. Even if he was willing to help him seize power, what the Gong Household valued most was still that pair of Wisdom Eyes.
After much deliberation, Gong Chengsi did not dare to openly seize power from his younger brother. Instead, he decided to first make contact with the eldest daughter of the Liang Household at Shengxiao Courtyard, who had been staying at home for a long time.
Outside of Delusion-Breaking City, it was already a barren land where even spiritual soil couldn't support any crops. But inside Delusion-Breaking City, Liang Ranyue was holding a newly grown spiritual fruit in her yard, complaining that it didn't taste good enough.
It was at this time that Gong Chengsi came to visit.
Liang Ranyue was not unsurprised to hear that Gong Chengsi had come.
After offending Sang Ying, she specifically sent a message to her parents. She explained the wrongdoing she had done, indicated that the marriage agreement with the Gong Household was probably off, and asked her parents to take her back.
Unexpectedly, after hearing that she had offended the eldest daughter of the Jimo Household, her parents immediately ordered her to apologize to the person, saying that if she could not get Sang Ying's forgiveness, they would no longer acknowledge her as their daughter.
Most people would probably have complied with these words, but Liang Ranyue is the type who responds better to gentle persuasion than force. If Liang Household parents were to talk to her properly, there might still be a chance to apologize.
But the two men's serious attitude immediately stirred up Liang Ranyue's rebellious spirit.
Forget about apologizing or making amends; she simply stopped leaving the house altogether and pretended nothing had happened.
At first, Liang Ranyue was worried that Sang Ying might personally come to teach her a lesson.
She thought it over and over, even considering how to protect her face and how to use this incident to break off the engagement with the Gong Household. But Sang Ying didn't come, and the first person to arrive was actually her fiancé's older brother.
Liang Ranyue became curious and didn't stop him, so she ordered someone to let him in.
As soon as Gong Chengsi entered the courtyard, he saw Liang Ranyue's leisurely demeanor.
He recalled all the gifts his family had sent out as apologies for offending Sang Ying. Then he looked at the culprit, who was leisurely sitting in the courtyard.
Seeing this made him feel depressed.
But Liang Ranyue couldn't be bothered to look at his sour face. Upon seeing him, she asked rudely, "Young Master, what brings you here?"
Ever since she caused trouble, none of the three masters of the Gong Household have dared to set foot here.
"I'm here because I have important matters to discuss with Miss Liang." Gong Chengsi glanced at the maids. "Would it be possible to speak with Miss Liang privately for a few minutes?"
Everyone in this courtyard was brought by Liang Ranyue herself. It can be said that apart from the courtyard belonging to the Gong Household, Liang Ranyue paid for all her other expenses herself.
This is also one of the reasons why the Gong Household can't control her.
Upon hearing this, the maid immediately said to her mistress in a panic, "This won't do, Miss! What if something happens if we leave?"
As she spoke, the maid glanced at Gong Chengsi with considerable suspicion, as if she already regarded him as a villain who was plotting something bad.
But Liang Ranyue didn't care, cracking the whip at her waist. "Don't worry, if anyone dares to touch me, I'll beat them until they can't have sex!"
Even if Gong Chengsi didn't mean it that way at all, upon hearing these words, he felt a dull ache in his lower body.
The maid knew Liang Ranyue's capabilities well; her whip looked intimidating, but it was no match for Gong Chengsi.
But the maid dared not speak out, and in the end, she could only leave the courtyard, turning back to look at Liang Ranyue as she took each step.
After everyone had left, Gong Chengsi chose a chair and sat down, explaining his purpose to the person in front of him, "I've heard that Miss Liang is quite dissatisfied with this marriage to my brother?"
"So what if it is?" Liang Ranyue didn't understand what Gong Chengsi was trying to do by saying that.
Fortunately, her question was soon answered, as Gong Chengsi suddenly gave her a strange smile, "In that case, why don't you join forces with me to ruin this marriage, Miss Liang?"
Two pairs of eyes met, which seemed to signify the birth of a new force within the palace.
Rivers and Seas Courtyard, located to the west of the palace, was already a fine courtyard that rivaled the residences of the masters. Now, under the master's orders, it had been thoroughly renovated and now looked even more magnificent than the residences of the three masters.
And this is precisely where Jimo Qing currently resides.
Originally, Gong Chengjue hadn't caught the assassin and was worried that Jimo Qing would cause trouble if he came in, so he wanted to arrange for Ji Moqing and Sang Ying to stay somewhere outside the palace.
Despite Gong Chengsi's meddling, Jimo Qing still managed to move into the Gong Household safely.
At this moment, he was looking for his younger sister, chatting idly when he was bored:
"Today, Gong Chengsi seemed to have gone to Miss Liang Household's courtyard. If I remember correctly, the Liang Household seems to have arranged a marriage between Gong Chengjue?"
As the future head of the Jimo Household, even though the Liang Household had long since disappeared from public view and had not appeared for a long time, he still knew some of this information.
Sang Ying nodded upon hearing this. "Big brother is indeed well-informed. It seems your stirring up trouble these past few days hasn't been in vain."
Gong Chengsi did not disappoint them, and as expected, his ambition grew day by day.
Jimo Qing Sang Ying poured Sang Ying a cup of tea. Amidst the rising aroma, he smiled at her and said, "Since this young master has already made a move, we should lend him a hand."
The two looked at each other and smiled; their faces were completely different, yet somehow they resembled each other.
In the days following Gong Chengsi's meeting with Liang Ranyue, this willful and capricious young lady finally stopped keeping her courtyard gates closed, and even took the initiative to approach the second young master, whom she had always disliked.
It is said that Miss Liang has finally figured things out and is ready to get along well with the second young master!
The servants of the Gong Household couldn't help but be happy upon hearing this news. After all, their lives were easier when their masters got along well.
However, this joyous atmosphere did not last long, as trouble struck the Gong Household again—their patriarch inexplicably fell ill!
After the physicians and healers in the manor examined the patient, they were shocked to learn that the patriarch had been poisoned.
Upon hearing this, the elder son of the Gong Household immediately pointed at his younger brother's face and angrily rebuked him, "I knew you were resentful because Father favored me more. But I never expected you to dare lay a hand on Father! You, Gong Chengjue, you are truly ruthless!"
Everyone was startled upon hearing this.
Under the eldest son's stern rebuke, the second son's rebuttal seemed pale and powerless.
However, the second young master had been operating in Delusion-Breaking City for many years and had long gained the support of many clan elders. Under the suppression of the clan elders, the eldest young master's accusations were unfounded.
However, before everyone could catch their breath, the second young master's fiancée stepped forward and declared that she possessed evidence that Gong Chengjue had murdered her own father!
Thus, this farcical power struggle finally began.