Su Tanghuan knew she could no longer avoid this.
Taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and stepped forward, slowly kneeling down.
Lady Ji was startled and hurried to help her up: “Oh, my child, what are you doing? If you have something to say, just say it—you mustn’t kneel.”
Yuzhi quickly helped her to her feet.
Ji Yan glanced at her coldly: “Could it be that the Cousin Miss the Zheng Family is looking for is you?”
Su Tanghuan answered honestly: “Mother has been so kind to me, I don’t want to deceive her.”
Ji Yan raised an eyebrow.
At least she’s honest.
Let’s see how she performs.
Lady Ji stared at her in astonishment.
The young girl bit her delicate lip, holding back tears, looking utterly wronged.
“Good child, don’t be afraid. Whatever it is, speak up. I will certainly stand up for you.”
Su Tanghuan felt a warmth in her heart.
Steadying her nerves, she said: “The Second Madam of Zheng Fu is indeed my biological aunt. After my parents passed away, my uncles forcibly seized our family’s farmland and property, and even wanted to marry me off to a seventy-year-old man as a Replacement Wife.”
Lady Ji was shocked: “How despicable! They are your own flesh and blood!”
Ji Yan stared at her coldly, scrutinizing the subtle expressions on her face.
But the sorrow on the girl’s face seemed utterly genuine. Tears fell uncontrollably, one after another, and her eyes were clear and transparent, showing no sign of deceit.
Her deception is truly skillful!
“Fortunately, my aunt took me in and arranged for me to stay temporarily at the Zheng Family’s villa thirty li from the capital. Coincidentally, it was nearby that I encountered the injured Eldest Young Master. We spent half a year together until his injuries improved enough for him to walk with difficulty. He said he would first return home to inform Mother of our marriage. I was both overjoyed and filled with insecurity.”
Ji Yan frowned deeply.
Thirty li from the capital?
That was indeed where he had met the woman who saved him.
Su Tanghuan stole a timid glance at Ji Yan and saw his face full of suspicion.
But she could no longer afford to hesitate.
Sobbing, she continued: “I felt that my humble origins made me unworthy of the Eldest Young Master. Fortunately, ten days ago, my aunt brought me back to Zheng Fu, where I stayed under the identity of a Cousin Miss from Yingyang. Because I feared that without a proper matchmaker or betrothal, our relationship would be condemned by society, I didn’t dare to tell my aunt openly. I thought I would discuss it with the Eldest Young Master once I saw him again…”
Ji Yan rolled his eyes.
So now she knows that without a matchmaker or betrothal, society won’t accept it?
Yet she dared to engage in illicit relations with a man, secretly become pregnant, and shamelessly seek another man of higher status to take the blame?
This female swindler is not only shameless but utterly despicable!
“But who could have imagined…”
The girl’s weeping voice trailed off, pitiful and heart-wrenching.
“My aunt brought me back only to have me serve as a ‘joy-bringer’ for my seriously ill Cousin. Seeing that my Cousin was on the verge of death, my aunt, without my consent, forcibly arranged the wedding for today. But how could I let the Eldest Young Master’s child call another man father?”
She clutched Lady Ji’s hand excitedly, her body trembling slightly: “In desperation, I could only sneak out to find the Eldest Young Master. Who would have thought that, on his way home, he would meet with misfortune once again… For the sake of my unborn child being recognized by his father’s family, I had no choice but to disregard propriety and shame.”
“It’s my fault for deceiving Mother and the Second Young Master. I will return to Zheng Fu now and accept whatever punishment my aunt metes out, whether it be beating or scolding. If my aunt imprisons me again, I will mourn for the Eldest Young Master in the Zheng Family. Once I give birth to the child, I will find a way to send him to Ji Residence.”
Su Tanghuan sobbed: “…After that, I will become a nun, spending the rest of my life praying for the Eldest Young Master with only a dim lamp and ancient Buddha for company.”
With that, Su Tanghuan, tears streaming down her face, bowed to Lady Ji, stood up, and walked out.
Ji Yan was almost amused by her audacity.
This female swindler certainly has some tricks up her sleeve!
She had precisely targeted her mother’s kind heart, knowing she wouldn’t allow her eldest son’s bloodline to be left adrift, thus putting on this pitiful act.
Lady Ji snapped back to reality and quickly grabbed Su Tanghuan.
“Poor child, you don’t need to handle this matter yourself. Let Second Young Master negotiate with Zheng Fu.”
Ji Yan: …
Huh?
He was supposed to negotiate on behalf of a liar with the liar’s maternal family?
Lady Ji declared firmly, “Since you are part of our Ji Family, regardless of your background, we must protect you. I will never allow anyone to bully you.”
She turned to Ji Yan. “I’ve heard some things about the conduct of this branch of the Zheng Family in Chang’an. The Second Young Master of the second branch has been bedridden with a serious illness for almost a year, and his wife actually forced her own niece, who is as delicate as a flower bud, to perform a wedding to ward off his illness. It’s simply inhuman.”
She pointed toward the door. “Go and make it clear to them: Huan’er is the eldest young mistress of our Ji Family. Tell them to get lost.”
Su Tanghuan hadn’t expected Lady Ji to defend her so staunchly and was deeply moved.
She understood clearly that if she didn’t resolve the matter with her aunt, not only would Ji Yan find out, but her aunt would also not let her off.
By then, she would be in a passive position.
She had already devised a way to get her aunt’s permission to stay at Ji Residence, but she absolutely had to meet Zheng Butler alone.
She absolutely could not let Ji Yan accompany her.
Su Tanghuan choked back a sob. “Mother, this trouble was caused by your daughter-in-law. I should clarify things myself to prevent them from having any excuse to harass Ji Residence.”
She turned to Ji Yan and bowed respectfully. “My personal matters, I will handle them myself. There’s no need for Second Young Master to trouble himself.”
Ji Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, scrutinizing the female liar.
What trick was she trying to pull now?
Lady Ji couldn’t bear to see such a good daughter-in-law being wronged. She grasped Su Tanghuan’s hand. “I’ll accompany you. I want to see just how your aunt intends to bully you.”
Su Tanghuan hurriedly said, “Mother, the visitor is a servant, unworthy of your personal attention. Rest assured, if the Zheng Family insists on taking me back to continue the wedding to ward off illness, Second Young Master will certainly intervene. He won’t stand by and watch his little nephew acknowledge another man as father.”
She turned her head and looked at Ji Yan. “Second Young Master, right?”
Ji Yan laughed in anger.
His smile didn’t reach his eyes. “Right.”
In front of his mother, he couldn’t say otherwise.
Lady Ji looked sternly at her younger son. “If you don’t bring Huan’er back safe and sound later, I’ll make you pay.”
Ji Yan tried his best to put on a filial smile. “Don’t worry, Mother.”
Lady Ji wasn’t reassured. “Yuzhi, take more people with you to accompany the eldest young mistress. Don’t let her suffer the slightest harm.”
Yuzhi immediately selected four maidservants and four sturdy matrons to follow Su Tanghuan.
Lady Ji still worried. “Support the eldest young mistress; she has a weak constitution.”
Yuzhi quickly held Su Tanghuan’s arm.
Su Tanghuan took the opportunity to soften her posture, displaying a willowy, wind-swaying demeanor.
Staring at the tall, straight back ahead like a sturdy pine, her mind raced.
In a moment, she had to find a way to meet Zheng Butler alone.
If Ji Yan were present and discovered she had lied, all her efforts would be wasted.
Su Tanghuan gritted her teeth.
Summoning her courage, she quickened her pace and caught up.
Su Tanghuan called out respectfully ahead, “Lord Ji, please wait.”
Without Lady Ji present, she didn’t dare call him Second Young Master or brother-in-law, fearing she might anger him to the point of exploding on the spot.
Ji Yan turned and looked at her coldly.
Su Tanghuan was so startled she took a step back, her small face paling. Her apricot-shaped eyes stared at him in fear, her body trembling slightly.
Ji Yan’s gaze was icy.
Hah, quite a rich performance.
Now she’s acting scared too?
Su Tanghuan’s voice trembled slightly. “You are the esteemed Grand Tutor. Accompanying me inside would make it seem as though you value me too highly. The Zheng Family has long sought to ingratiate themselves with you—wouldn’t this give them an excuse?”
Her words sounded as if she were on his side.
She clearly understood that Zheng Fu wanted to curry favor with him.
Ji Yan wore a cold expression, waiting for her to continue spinning her tale.
Under the icy, sinister gaze fixed upon her, Su Tanghuan felt as though she had been stripped bare, gripped by fear and a chilling dread.
Her palms grew sweaty with tension, and she swallowed hard with difficulty.
“C-could you allow me to meet Zheng Butler alone? There are some matters I need to clarify with the Zheng Family… I don’t want Zheng Fu to use this incident to tarnish the Eldest Young Master’s reputation.”
As long as she could meet Zheng Butler alone and negotiate terms with her aunt, she would have time to continue planning.
Ji Yan thought: Not allowing me to follow, so you can collude, is that it?
Su Tanghuan was so nervous that her back was drenched in cold sweat. Fortunately, she then heard his icy tone.
“You’d better retrieve the seal. Otherwise, get out and return to the Zheng Family.”
He had no desire to see the Zheng Family members, but he wanted his elder brother’s seal back.
Su Tanghuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The seal?
She didn’t want it to remain in her aunt’s hands either.
If she retrieved the seal, wouldn’t he believe that she had saved Ji Dalang?
Su Tanghuan quickly replied, “Yes. I also intend to retrieve the seal. The Eldest Young Master’s token certainly shouldn’t fall into someone else’s hands.”
Ji Yan’s fingers rapidly rubbed the jade thumb ring.
Nice words.
In a moment, he would sit in the next room and listen.
Five years of martial arts training had honed his keen hearing.