The Rebirth of an Ill-Fated Consort (Chapters 1- 203)

Chapter 168 : An Ending

Translated by : Mazu

Edited by : Anks & Ely

**********

Trigger Warning: domestic violence, suicide, instigation to commit suicide, nonconsensual group sex.

**********

Jiang Su Su's unexplained disappearance was eventually revealed. The entourage of more than a dozen guards who followed did not discover anything was amiss until daylight the next morning. It was only when they had not received any response to their numerous calls did they discover the dead body of the maidservant inside the carriage with nary a sign of the young miss.

The guards returned panic-stricken to the Jiang fu to report to Jiang Quan what had happened. Jiang Quan was so incensed that he was on the verge of collapse. However, the guards' report made it evident that Jiang Su Su had killed her maidservant and escaped while posing as her. No one was to be blamed, since the people Jiang Quan had sent out confirmed that it was true. Jiang Quan couldn't say anything else besides cursing the damnable girl. Nonetheless, the fact that the young miss of a grand fu fled with her whereabouts unknown was not a topic that could be discussed. Therefore the guards could not be allowed to survive and so Jiang Quan commanded that these people be dealt with. Perhaps those guards were aware of their future unjust treatment because they used unknown means to expose the matter before their deaths. Consequently, in no time at all, the whole capital learned that Jiang Quan had lost the fu's Second Miss.

The entire Jiang fu was on the cusp of a storm these days. From every street and alleyway, the topic on everyone's lips was somehow related to the Jiang family. Jiang Quan was furious, but it was difficult to stop people from gossipping. Xiao Shao had taken Jiang Ruan back to the Jinying Wangfu, otherwise she would have gone to the palace to keep Empress Dowager Yi De company. Ultimately, the whole debacle made him feel as if the rug had been pulled out from under his feet and Jiang Quan had no control over the situation at all. Thus, Jiang Quan doubled his rage at Hong Ying, who had just had a miscarriage. Hong Ying was already in poor health, but Jiang Quan beat her up every day, intending to torture her to death. Knowing there was no other way out, one night, Hong Ying took her own life by swallowing gold.

Thus a yiniang fell out of favour yet again and died just like that. Jiang Quan didn't even have a coffin arranged for her, but rather, he instructed an old female servant to roll her inside a worn-out mat and throw it into a mass grave. It was the fall of yet another beautiful woman[1], however it was hard to say if it was something to sigh about or not.

[1] 香消玉殒 (xiāng xiāo yù yǔn) – falling like jade or withering like a flower. It is a metaphor for the death of a young woman.

Except for the reclusive Eldest Yiniang, there were no more concubines left in the huge Jiang fu. Jiang Quan was in a state of shock and frequently stood in the yard in a daze. The gentle voices of women chattering in the past stood in stark contrast to today's cold and desolate atmosphere. It was increasingly clear that the entire Jiang fu had gradually collapsed.

The people that were sent to look for Jiang Su Su had been gone for a long time without sending any news. In the end, the one who was more anxious than Jiang Quan was Jiang Chao. Jiang Chao and Jiang Su Su were born to the same mother after all. Jiang Su Su had always been doted on since childhood, so it was only natural that Jiang Chao loved her dearly. Despite his indignation at Jiang Su Su's rash behaviour, he turned to Xuan Li for assistance who then dispatched a group of people to search for Jiang Su Su's whereabouts. He was now useful to Xuan Li especially since Xuan Li had always presented himself as a wise monarch who went out of his way to recruit talented men. As such, he did everything in his power to help with the search.