Su Tanghuan said, “Please don’t cry. If you have something to say, sit down first. I dare not speak with you kneeling like this.”
Yuzhi glanced at Su Tanghuan’s expression, then at Zheng Su-shi’s pained and furious face, as if understanding something.
She said gently, “Eldest young mistress, you are with child. Please don’t get too agitated. Sit down and speak slowly.”
“Alright, alright.”
Su Tanghuan was carefully helped by Yuzhi to sit in the seat of honor.
Zheng Su-shi trembled with rage.
But none of the Zheng Family servants had come in. How could she kneel before this little wretch?
Ignoring the pain in her arms and shoulders, she struggled to push herself up from the chair.
Su Tanghuan pretended not to notice, lowering her head to straighten her dress before slowly looking up, as if seeing her for the first time.
“Oh dear, has Aunt injured her knees? Someone, help my aunt up at once.”
Just as the two strong maids were about to move, Zheng Su-shi panicked and waved her hands. “No need… Ah!”
The maids ignored her, grabbing her by the arms and pulling her up, then firmly seating her on a wooden chair without a cushion.
“Ah!”
Zheng Su-shi’s arms suffered another assault, and her buttocks slammed hard onto the wooden seat. The pain from both ends was excruciating, and tears streamed uncontrollably down her face.
Su Tanghuan smiled as she watched her.
Was this all?
Zheng Su-shi was in so much pain that tears flowed freely, and she glared fiercely at Su Tanghuan.
This wretched girl seemed like a different person. She used to be obedient and well-behaved in front of her, never daring to speak loudly. Now, she dared to humiliate her in public and have servants torment her.
Look at her, dressed in mourning clothes made of fine plain silk, which only accentuated her bright and beautiful face.
Did she think she had found a powerful backer?
How dare she act so arrogantly and shamelessly!
It infuriated her!
Su Tanghuan asked with concern, “Aunt, are you still in pain? Can we speak properly now?”
Zheng Su-shi was somewhat afraid of the two maids flanking her but unwilling to lose face as an elder in front of this wretched girl.
Gritting her teeth through the pain, she said, “Send them out. It’s not appropriate for outsiders to hear our conversation as aunt and niece.”
Su Tanghuan readily agreed. “Yuzhi, you may step out. I have some private matters to discuss with my aunt.”
Yuzhi gave a soft hum, then suddenly raised her voice. “Eldest young mistress, if anyone dares to harm you, just call out loudly. We servants will be waiting outside and will not allow you to suffer the slightest harm.”
Hah, she really knew how to back her up.
Where else could she find such a good family?
Su Tanghuan smiled faintly. “Alright, please let Mother know that I will go to the mourning hall shortly, so she doesn’t worry.”
“Yes.”
Once Yuzhi left the room, Zheng Su-shi dropped all pretense.
Her face darkened, and she lowered her voice, speaking through gritted teeth. “How impressive. You’ve latched onto Ji Shizi and become the eldest young mistress. If they find out you’re an imposter and lied about being pregnant, do you think they’ll beat you and throw you out?”
Speaking so softly?
Was she trying to use her to win over Grand Tutor Ji?
Su Tanghuan lowered her head and gently touched her abdomen. “Aunt, the Ji Residence has already called a physician to examine my pulse. It’s confirmed that I am with child.”
“With child?”
Zheng Su-shi’s voice suddenly rose.
Startled by her own tone, she quickly lowered her voice again. “You can fool others, but you can’t fool me!”
She said fiercely, “Ten days ago, I had the doctor check your pulse to make sure you were in good health before allowing you into the mansion. What pregnancy are you talking about? Besides, you entered Zheng Fu as a virgin—otherwise, how could I have allowed a woman with a tainted body to marry my son!”
Su Tanghuan raised an eyebrow and looked at her. “Aunt, when you brought me here, you treated me like a loving mother, coaxing and saving me—all with the purpose of making me marry Cousin, who is incapable of being a man, right?”
Zheng Su-shi was furious. She slapped her thigh and tried to stand up, but a sudden, piercing pain shot through her knee, causing her to grit her teeth and collapse back into the chair.
Trembling with anger, she pointed a finger at Su Tanghuan. “If it weren’t for me, you would have been thrown to a seventy-year-old man by those uncles and torn apart! You ungrateful wretch!”
“Aunt, you are the true ungrateful wretch.”
Su Tanghuan lifted her eyelids, her smile not reaching her eyes.
“Grandfather and grandmother passed away early, and it was my father who raised you. You said you wanted to rise above others, so my parents tightened their belts and spent money to let you learn music, chess, calligraphy, and painting. My father treated you like a noble lady, buying you the most fashionable dresses and jewelry in the capital, letting you live a life no different from that of a noble young lady.”
Su Tanghuan grew angrier as she spoke. “But how did you repay him? Once you rose above others, you looked down on my father. No matter how difficult his life was, you never gave him a proper glance! As soon as my parents passed away, you set your sights on me.”
“You—”
Su Tanghuan cut her off directly. “Aunt, under the guise of saving me, you were actually pushing me into another pit of fire.”
“Cousin has been bedridden with a serious illness for over a year and is completely incapable of being a man. Why did you have the matron check if I was a virgin and have the doctor see if I could bear children? You knew he wouldn’t survive, yet you coaxed me into a marriage to bring him luck. You know exactly what you were scheming.”
Su Tanghuan sneered. “You wanted to leave a seed for your son? Then whose seed did you plan to give Cousin as a son? If Cousin were buried in the ground and someone planted a patch of green grass on his head, I wonder if he would crawl out of his grave in the middle of the night to settle accounts with you?”
She couldn’t understand how Zheng Su-shi could, for her own selfish gain, heartlessly treat her own niece like a lowly prostitute!
Zheng Su-shi was enraged. “How can you speak so harshly? Wasn’t I doing it for your sake, so you could live a good life and want for nothing?”
“Who wouldn’t want to marry into the Xingyang Zheng Clan, one of the Five Surnames and Seven Aristocratic Clans? Your cousin is the legitimate heir! Does being the Second Young Mistress of Zheng Fu disgrace you, a lowly merchant’s daughter?”
Only now did Su Tanghuan see clearly that her aunt was a selfish person who cared nothing for others’ lives.
She raised her willow-leaf eyebrows. “Aunt, as if you weren’t born a lowly merchant’s daughter yourself? Have you forgotten how you climbed into Uncle’s bed? You used those lowly tricks skillfully. If Uncle knew the truth, do you think he would divorce you? Would Madam Zheng tolerate you?”
“You… you… you… how dare you threaten me!”
She hadn’t expected this little wretch to be so sharp-tongued.
Zheng Su-shi was so angry her face turned ashen, her lips trembling, unable to speak for a long time.
Her aunt, who put on a noble face all day long, was now afraid of her, a helpless orphan girl?
Su Tanghuan felt like laughing. “What if I threaten you? Are you the only one allowed to threaten and harm me?”
Before she saw the full dream, in order to survive in the Zheng Family and out of gratitude for her aunt’s kindness, she had obeyed her aunt in everything, even at the cost of sacrificing her entire life.
But, the kind are bullied, and the tame are ridden!
Her forbearance and obedience had only earned her aunt’s contempt, trampling her into the mud, drinking her blood, and breaking her bones.
Su Tanghuan sneered, “Aunt, you didn’t come to Ji Residence just to quarrel with me, did you? Aren’t you trying to curry favor with Grand Tutor Ji? If you don’t know how to behave, then let’s not talk anymore. I am currently highly favored in Ji Residence. With just a few words in Lady Ji’s ear, you won’t be able to gain even the slightest benefit from the Ji Family!”
With that, she stood up and made to leave.
Zheng Su-shi, ignoring the pain, gritted her teeth and rose, grabbing Su Tanghuan’s wrist tightly.
“Fine, I’ll allow you to stay in Ji Residence!”
Su Tanghuan frowned, “You’re hurting me. If you don’t let go, I’ll call for help.”
Zheng Su-shi wished she could slap this disrespectful wretch across the face.
But establishing a connection with Grand Tutor Ji was something she had schemed over for a long time. For now, she could only endure and make use of the little bitch as part of her plan.
Otherwise, all the silver and effort spent on this wretch would be wasted.
Zheng Su-shi released her hand and assumed the air of an elder.
“For your father’s sake, I won’t make things difficult for you. I acknowledge this marriage with the Ji Family. I permit you to remarry, but your cousin has just passed away. You must return to keep vigil for forty-nine days. After that, Ji Residence can formally conduct the six rites and marry you into their family with proper ceremony. Otherwise, your shameless affair with Ji Yuan will bring ridicule upon our Zheng Fu.”
The master had calculated that this little bitch’s birth chart was most compatible with her son’s. Only by having her keep vigil for the full forty-nine days could her son be reborn smoothly into a good life.
No matter what, Zheng Su-shi was determined to drag the little bitch back first to accompany her son’s spirit!