“They humiliated you?” Liu Ruoye was taken aback and asked in disbelief, “How? How is that possible? You are the youngest lineal daughter of the first wife! Even though Aunt Duanmu has passed away, isn't Uncle Wei still here? You still have two brothers, too! Even though your two sisters-in-law are now in charge of all affairs, how can they humiliated you? You were Aunt Duanmu’s favorite when she was alive, weren't you? Now that she's gone, how can they neglect you like that?”

When Wei Changjuan heard Liu Ruoye say “You were Aunt Duanmu’s favorite when she was alive”, it immediately triggered her sadness and she sobbed uncontrollably, “Stop it! Stop it!”

It would be foolish for one to stop at this point. Hence, Liu Ruoye who was holding her prompted, “What's going on? I thought your two sisters-in-law were too sad to handle matters so they didn’t notice what was going on here. Or maybe it was maybe you're too upset so you hated crowds and sent them away. Is their deliberate mistreatment the reason why it’s so quiet and lonely here? How can that be? Or are your two sisters-in-law overwhelmed by the sudden surge of affairs they had to handle?”

Wei Changjuan could not hold back her grief and sobbed for a long time. After Liu Ruoye enquired about it repeatedly, she finally cried, “Who am I to send people away? I could barely even order my maidservants around now! As for my sisters-in-law, now that they are in charge, they turned their backs against me immediately! They didn’t even pay me a visit, but I’ll let that pass. However, when I asked them for anything, they said this to my face, ‘Mother has just passed away, and the whole family is still in pain and mourning, so stop enjoying your life.’ I sent someone to ask for charcoal when it was so cold that I even coughed, but they said the same thing! Is that even considered as enjoying my life?”

Liu Ruoye was dumbfounded, “That’s too much!”

“There’s much more than that.” Wei Changjuan decided to go all out since there was no going back now. “Sister Min came over to see me twice and brought me some stuff during her visit. After Sister Min left, my first sister-in-law came to me and said, ‘Just so you know, Yinuo is also my family sister. It’s just she’s here all the time just for you. I’m not trying to imply anything, but I just don’t get why she’s always bringing you food. Are we treating you so badly to the point where you’re not full enough, or the food isn’t up to your standards? That’s why you asked Yinuo to bring you food? Well, we’re all still in the process of mourning, so I would advise you to suck it up. Don’t forget your mother was the one who raised you. Am I right?’”

Liu Ruoye immediately exclaimed that she had never heard of a sister-in-law who’d act this way. The fact that her mother-in-law had just passed away and she was being so mean to her sister-in-law was outrageous! Righteously, she said, “Sister Wei, you are being too nice to them! Why don’t you mention such injustice to your father and brothers? How can you let these two rude and unrighteous sisters-in-law mistreat you just like that?”

Upon hearing this, Wei Changjuan felt even sadder. In her head, she thought, “If my father and brothers loved me, would I keep my mouth shut?” She choked back her tears for some time and only said bitterly after being pressed repeatedly by Liu Ruoye, “My father, my brothers, and my elder sister all think I was the reason for my mother’s death. Hence, they are all annoyed at me! Otherwise, I would not have been mistreated by Mrs. Min and Mrs. Zhou.”

Upon hearing the statement “They all think I was the reason for my mother’s death”, Liu Ruoye's eyebrows rose immediately, but she immediately suppressed her emotions and listened quietly with concern.

The more Wei Changjuan thought about it, the sadder she became. She couldn't help but sob aloud again, “When my mother was alive, Mrs. Min and Mrs. Zhou would always greet me from afar with smiles on their faces. I always felt that they were very polite although they were not clever, nor were they from a prestigious family, but as soon as my mother passed away, they immediately revealed their true colors!” She said with hatred, “A leopard never changes its spots. Seems like daughters from the aristocratic family will always stay the same. They’ll never change! They aren’t virtuous at all. All they know is to put on a show! If it hadn’t been for my father and brothers, I would’ve…”

“Mrs. Min and Mrs. Zhou are really too much!” Liu Ruoye lowered her long eyelashes and said bitterly, “Although Aunt Duanmu passed away, as they’re merely her daughters-in-law, how could they compare what they’re going through with you? They didn’t show any empathy and even mistreated you just because they were in charge! They’re really lacking the kindness and benevolence they should have as elder sisters-in-law!”

Wei Changjuan laughed coldly through her tears and said, “How would I expect them to be kind to me now? All that I wish for now is that they’ll give me food, so I won't starve to death!”

These were obviously words she said out of frustration. Sighing, Liu Ruoye wiped her tears with a handkerchief and asked in a low voice, “Sister Wei, this won’t do! It’s already such a hard thing to mourn for three years, yet you’re still mistreated by your sisters-in-law. Plus, you used to be Aunt Duanmu's favorite. It’s three years! How would you be able to stand this?”

At first, Wei Changjuan thought that her father and brothers were only mad at her temporarily and that they still loved her in their hearts. But upon recalling the last time she was so angry with Mrs. Min that she passed out, she only saw her maidservant beside her when she woke up. When she asked the maidservant, she was told that Mrs. Min was shocked to see her faint so she sent for a doctor to check on her. Her father and brothers had never paid her a visit, nor did they send anyone over to ask about her condition. She was hopeless and discouraged ever since that incident.

Upon hearing Liu Ruoye ask, she said indifferently, “That’s alright then. I don’t mind dying, either. I’d rather die than be humiliated by others!”

Liu Ruoye's eyes flashed as she said, “Sister Wei, don't be like this. Can I ask you a question?”

Wei Changjuan said dully, “Go on?”

“Has Uncle Wei ever said anything about you these days?” Liu Ruoye asked softly as she leaned towards Wei Changjuan’s ear.

Wei Changjuan almost started to cry again, “Father doesn’t even care whether I’m alive or not.”

“You're just talking out of frustration.” Liu Ruoye said solemnly. “In my opinion, your father and brothers might still have you in their hearts!”

Confused, Wei Changjuan said, “If they still loved me, how could they let Mrs. Min and Mrs. Zhou make me suffer so much? Mrs. Min literally made me pass out! And guess what? They didn't even bother asking about me! I know that they’re all annoyed with me!”

Liu Ruoye whispered, “Sister Wei, grief has taken over you! Think about it. Aunt Duanmu had just passed away. Wouldn't Uncle Wei and your elder brothers feel bad too? If they really hated you, how would they ignore you? I'm sure they would have scolded you again and again instead! If they really hated you so much, why didn't they send you away to the village outside the city so they won’t see you again?”

“But when we were at Mother’s wake, my first sister and brothers… They… Well, in front of Wei Changying…” Wei Changjuan murmured, “They are so annoyed at me that they don't even bother to talk to me anymore!”

Liu Ruoye sighed, “Sister Wei, how foolish of you! Your first sister reprimanded you in front of Wei Changying, right? Do you think she meant it? Or was it just to put on a show in front of Wei Changying?”

Wei Changjuan was shocked, but then shook her head, “That’s impossible. If my first sister had only done it just to put on a show in front of Wei Changying, why hadn't she explained to me afterwards? Instead, she left furiously.” When she left, she even instructed Wei Changjuan to never meet Liu Ruoye ever again, but Wei Changjuan chose to hide this from Liu Ruoye.

“Maybe your first sister was so aggrieved by Aunt Duanmu’s passing. That’s why…” Liu Ruoye sighed, “Sister Wei, think about it. Apart from that day, have you ever been scolded by them?”

Seeing Wei Changjuan biting her lips silently, Liu Ruoye knew she guessed it right and whispered, “Besides, I heard that your grandmother is very fierce. Maybe your first sister is afraid that someone might be eavesdropping?”

Shocked, Wei Changjuan let out a cry, “Are you implying…”

“Sister Wei, watch out what you say!” Liu Ruoye held her finger to her lips to ask Wei Changjuan to be silent. Softly, she said, “Anyways, in my opinion, your father and brothers are probably letting your sisters-in-law bully you because they might have their own difficulties!”

Wei Changjuan slightly trembled as she murmured, “According to you, could it be because they’re scared?”

“Well, I just thought that your father, brothers, and first sister had always loved you. Now that Aunt Duanmu has passed away, shouldn’t they pity you more? How could it be possible for them to ignore you?” Liu Ruoye said in a serious tone, “It’s just Uncle Wei’s identity that’s the issue here. Even if it is someone from the Royalty, I think it’s pretty unlikely that he would be scared to such an extent? Most likely, well, don’t blame me for being nosy, but I think, would it possibly be due to the elders at home?”

Wei Changjuan clenched her fists furiously, “Grandmother! It must be her! She was the one who forced my mother to death. Is she planning to take my life as well?”

Finally getting some insider info, Liu Ruoye narrowed her eyes slightly and covered her mouth in surprise, “Sister Wei, what are you saying? Didn’t Aunt Duanmu pass away due to an illness? I didn’t expect it to be…”

“Mother has always been in good health. How would she suddenly get acute appendicitis all of a sudden?” Wei Changjuan was so agitated that she said what was on her mind without hesitation. “And it just so happened when neither Ji Qubing nor Duanmu Xinmiao was in the capital! I sent someone to look for them, yet it was useless! Before Mother died, she held my hand and told me a lot of things. I knew something was wrong at that very moment, but I did not think much about it because I was so busy due to New Year's Eve. How would I have known…? Upon recalling, I only understood what Mother meant when she passed away! She was definitely forced to death by Grandmother!”

Liu Ruoye hurriedly covered her mouth and said in a low voice, “Do you want to get killed? How could you tell me things like this?”

Sobbing, Wei Changjuan said, “Now that Mother is gone, my life is nothing more than a speck of dust to my grandmother. If she wanted to kill me, then so be it!”

“Your life may not mean much to your grandmother, but what about your father, your brothers, and your first sister?” Liu Ruoye reminded her sternly, “If they hadn’t taken your life seriously, how would they have put on a show in front of Wei Changying while still being aggrieved over your mother’s passing? How could they bear to see you being bullied by your sisters-in-law just like that? Don't you understand? It was all because they were afraid that your grandmother would target you next!”