Chapter 4: She Really Come Back

Had she... really come back from the dead?

Ying Shi felt her scalp tingle, and a shiver ran down her spine, her legs giving way as she collapsed in front of Liang Ji's coffin.

Had she truly returned to Liang Ji's death anniversary?

Had heaven allowed her to return to the past, but why now?

Was she supposed to continue as Liang Ji's widow, enduring all the humiliation when he returned?

If it had been just two days earlier, everything would have been fine.

Two days earlier… she would rather face the world's insults, let them accuse her of betrayal, and leave the Liang family forever, cutting ties with anyone in the Liang household.

But now? Now her marriage to the dead man had become a big topic, with the entire capital praising her loyalty. How could she turn around and make a scene about not wanting it anymore?

If she did, the Liang family would never accept it, and the Ruan family would probably disown her too...

Where could she go? Where could she possibly go?

With so many thoughts in her mind, Ying Shi was overwhelmed by grief, rage, and despair.

"Third Young Madam is causing chaos, trying to break in. What is she doing?"

"Who knows? I heard she was making a scene outside, saying she wanted to open the coffin, to see the third master!"

"This is absurd!"

"How could they raise such a wild daughter-in-law? No manners, no decency, acting like a madwoman! What a disgrace!"

The critical voices around her made Ying Shi's negative emotions halt abruptly.

She slowly raised her eyes, quietly looking at the disapproving glances of the men in the incense room. Only then did she realize how dangerous the situation was.

If anyone realized that she had returned from the dead, they might think she was possessed by a ghost, and they might burn her alive...

What should she do? What should she do?

She grabbed onto the edge of the coffin to steady herself, her trembling hand reaching for some incense sticks to try and maintain her composure as she moved toward the incense burner.

As she walked, her mind was spinning, trying to figure out how to explain her earlier madness. She could just say that she missed her husband so much and wanted to see Liang Ji for the last time…

Yes! That's it!

Ying Shi, in a daze, walked with her mind in turmoil. When she finally snapped out of it, she found herself standing very close to the incense burner. A tall figure stood right beside it.

Outside, the evening glow spread over the gold-and-red patterned carpets, and the dark sleeve of a robe seemed to shimmer.

The man had a flawless appearance, his high nose and thin lips, his black hair like satin. His long dark robe stood tall among the curling smoke from the incense, his brows furrowed and his expression cold.

Ying Shi was momentarily stunned, and only after a while did she realize who the person in front of her was.

She saw the Liang man from the East River, as if approaching a jade mountain, reflecting the person.

The "Liang Lang," hailed by the world as the most talented and elegant person of his time, was none other than the man before her—Liang Ji's older brother, Lord Liang Yun.

Liang Ji and Liang Yun were biological brothers, naturally similar in stature, with their facial features bearing some resemblance.

However, their personalities... were truly worlds apart.

Liang Ji was wild and rebellious, full of the youthful arrogance that came with his free-spirited nature.

As the elder brother, Liang Yun had long shed the vigor of his youth.

He stood there, having accumulated a long-standing aura of authority, not easily given to speech or smiles.

Ying Shi had no significant past interactions with Liang Yun in her previous life.

Coming from a prominent family with strict customs, she rarely left the inner court, and her brother-in-law was busy with state affairs, often absent even during holidays and festivals.

But Ying Shi hated Liang Ji, hated the corrupt family they belonged to, and by extension, she hated him as well.

Suppressing her resentment, Ying Shi turned her gaze away and continued lighting the incense in her hands, deliberately pretending not to see him, unwilling to greet him.

However, the incense was not cooperating.

Her hand shook as she tried again and again to light it, but she simply couldn't get it to catch. It was truly an unlucky moment.

Ying Shi almost wanted to throw the incense directly into the burner, to find an excuse to leave this place of strife and go somewhere quiet to clear her chaotic thoughts...

Before she could do so, a hand, cold and clean like jade, stretched out toward her.

Liang Yun's fingers gently lifted the incense holder a couple of inches, offering her a new stick of incense, carefully avoiding any accidental physical contact when handing it over.

After a moment of contemplation, Liang Yun spoke, "Shun Gong has passed. My sister-in-law, please take care."

His voice was low and stern, flat without any emotional fluctuation.

Calling her "sister-in-law" was meant to comfort her, but his tone, cold and distant, made it clear they were not close.

This time, Ying Shi could no longer pretend not to see him.

She froze for a moment, then slowly raised her hand to take the incense from his, turning her back to him to light it and place it in the burner.

For a brief moment, her heart raced, and when she turned back, her eyes were already filled with tears.

She cried in sorrow, explaining her earlier actions to Liang Yun, "I know I shouldn't have entered here. I couldn't help it... I couldn't help but want to be closer to him..."

Liang Yun raised his gaze, and his eyes met hers—eyes filled with misty tears.

In the glow of the incense burner, her delicate face was streaked with tear marks, silently telling the story of the grief she felt after losing her husband.

Liang Yun knew of the past between his younger brother and Ruanshi.

They were childhood sweethearts, inseparable since they were young.

After Liang Ji's death, the Liang family should not have continued to delay Ruanshi's life. Although the two families had gone through the formal marriage rituals, they had never officially wed.

It was better to part on good terms and allow her to remarry.

But the world had its selfish desires, and so did Liang Yun.

His brother Shun Gong had not yet turned twenty. He had never married, had no children, and could only be buried alone in the cold earth.

Ruanshi knew that Shun Gong was dead, yet she still willingly followed through with their marriage agreement, marrying the spirit of Shun Gong.

Liang Yun was naturally pleased with this.

But when he saw this young sister-in-law, disregarding the world's opinions, daringly entering his younger brother's memorial hall alone to offer her respects, wanting to see her husband for the last time—at that moment, a late-born guilt clung to him like a sickness.

It was he who had stubbornly sent Liang Ji to the battlefield.

This had led to the separation of a young couple who should have been in love, with death keeping them apart.

He felt guilty toward Shun Gong, and more... he felt guilty toward her.

In the silence of the room, Liang Yun calmly looked at her, then suddenly asked, "Sister-in-law, do you wish to see Shun Gong?"