In the book, Madam Yao had taken advantage of a time when Marquis Zhao was out socializing to drug him and climb into his bed.
As the Marquis’s first wife, Madam Shen, was nearing her due date, Madam Yao discovered she was pregnant. She went to their home and told Madam Shen that she was carrying the Marquis’s child.
Overcome with shock and fury, Madam Shen suffered a difficult labor. She passed away shortly after giving birth to Zhao Shen.
Six months later, Madam Yao gave birth to Zhao Heng.
Under the pressure of public opinion and to preserve his reputation, Marquis Zhao eventually took Madam Yao as his second wife.
This was also the reason why Zhao Shen’s relationship with his father had always been strained once he learned the truth about his mother’s early death.
However, since Madam Yao was the mother of the male lead, this dishonorable rise to power had been written quite cryptically in the book. It was even whitewashed later when the truth of the male lead’s lineage came to light.
But now that Ji Yunshu was inside the book, she knew just how difficult it must have been for Madam Yao’s series of maneuvers to succeed.
If the Marquis hadn’t fallen for the trap, or if Madam Shen hadn’t died, everything would have been different.
As the biological mother of the male lead, it wasn’t surprising that she possessed such scheming and ruthless methods.
Ji Yunshu couldn’t help but wonder: were Zhao Shen’s broken legs and his later death truly accidents?
Both events were glossed over in the book.
However, the first incident allowed Zhao Heng to take the marriage that should have belonged to Zhao Shen, gaining the support of the Marquis of Wu’an’s household. The second cleared the path for Zhao Heng to inherit the title.
Ji Yunshu broke out in goosebumps at her own thoughts. Just as she was wondering why she hadn’t seen Zhao Heng, she heard the Marquis, seated at the head of the room, say, “Heng Ge’er did something wrong. I administered the family law on him last night and ordered him to reflect on his mistakes behind closed doors for three months.”
Though she didn’t know exactly what the Zhao family’s punishment entailed, seeing Madam Yao’s expression made it clear that Zhao Heng had been punished severely.
Ji Yunshu knew this was an explanation given to her, so she said gratefully, “Thank you, Father.”
The Marquis nodded. “You are a sensible girl. Live well with Shen Ge’er from now on.”
When Ji Yunshu returned to her room with a heap of gifts, she still felt that everything had gone so smoothly it was almost unbelievable.
As expected, she was just a vicious female supporting character. The plotlines from the novel where the female lead is made things difficult for during the tea ceremony simply wouldn’t happen to her.
Zhao Shen turned his wheelchair into the room himself. One look at her, and he knew what she was thinking. “The Marquis’s household has few people, and no one would be so blind as to offend you today. Even Madam Yao wouldn’t do anything to give people cause for gossip in front of everyone. However, you have offended her quite deeply, so be careful in the future.”
Ji Yunshu huffed. “She offended me too. Why don’t you tell her to be careful?”
Seeing her puffed-up, angry look, Zhao Shen couldn’t help but chuckle. “Still angry about last night? You probably don’t know how heavy the family law of this house is. Since Father said Zhao Heng is grounded for three months, it means he won’t be able to get out of bed for those three months.”
Ji Yunshu hadn’t expected the Marquis to punish him so harshly, but she was happy to see Zhao Heng suffer.
The hatred Madam Yao showed her today made her realize that even without marrying Zhao Heng, she had still become a thorn in the side of this mother and son.
It made sense; the Marquis’s promise had completely turned Zhao Heng’s hopes of inheriting the title into a pipe dream.
Then there was Yao Ruolan.
She wondered if that woman really had some kind of protagonist’s halo.
She couldn’t help but ask, “What about that woman? How will the Marquis deal with her?”
“You mean Miss Yao?” Zhao Shen thought for a moment and said, “She grew up in this house, and Madam Yao treats her like her own daughter. It was one thing when Zhao Heng had a marriage contract, but now that they are in love and have already had an entanglement, Father might just fulfill their wishes.”
This was something the Marquis would do, and it was the best outcome.
But Ji Yunshu knew that Zhao Heng would not marry Yao Ruolan at this time.
In the book, the reason the male and female leads suffered so much wasn’t just because of a vicious female supporting character like her, right?
“What are you thinking? Do you feel that isn’t enough to vent your anger?”
Zhao Shen asked when he saw her resting her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
“What does their business have to do with me?” Of course, Ji Yunshu couldn’t tell him her real thoughts, so she decisively changed the subject. “This bridal chamber was prepared for Zhao Heng. Won’t it be inconvenient for us to stay here? Can we move to your courtyard?”
She had noticed this morning that even the clothes and items Zhao Shen used were temporarily brought over by the young servants attending him. With his legs being inconvenient, suddenly changing his living quarters must be quite uncomfortable for him.
Besides, living in the bridal chamber intended for her marriage to Zhao Heng felt disgusting to her.
Zhao Shen glanced at her and said, “Of course we can. However, this courtyard was just renovated and its location is excellent. Although the Qionghua Courtyard where I live is larger, it is quite remote. Are you sure you want to move there?”
“No matter how good it is, it’s someone else’s place. Of course we’re moving.”
Ji Yunshu didn’t agonize over the issue. She knew Marquis Zhao treated Zhao Shen very well—to the point where he’d give him the stars if he asked for them. The place where he lived might not be as newly renovated as this courtyard, but it certainly wouldn’t be bad.
Zhao Shen had lived in his own courtyard all these years and was naturally uncomfortable being suddenly pulled in as a temporary groom. Seeing her insistence on moving, he made the decision immediately and called people to pack up and move.
Ji Yunshu’s people began to move, and Zhao Shen’s servants helped as well.
As the two were making arrangements, someone suddenly came from outside to report that the Empress Dowager had summoned them.
The moment Ji Yunshu heard this, she felt a headache coming on.
With the sudden change in her marriage, it was impossible for her Aunt, the Empress Dowager, not to intervene. But she had thought it would at least wait until her return visit to her parental home.
Given how much her Aunt doted on her, she could only imagine how furious she would be after hearing about last night.
Most importantly, she felt the Empress Dowager might not let her stay married to Zhao Shen.
Seeing her expression, Zhao Shen lowered his eyes and said, “Are you worried the Empress Dowager won’t agree to our marriage? In truth, you really should consider it more carefully. This is a life-altering matter; you shouldn’t make a rash decision out of a momentary fit of pique.”
“Who says I’m acting out of pique?” Ji Yunshu shot him a sidelong glance. “I only regret that we didn’t have our consummation last night.”
Although they were technically married, whether or not they had consummated the marriage made a difference.
Her Aunt’s haste in summoning her to the palace likely involved considerations of that nature.
Hearing her shocking words, Zhao Shen didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Don’t speak nonsense. I will go with you. Tell the Empress Dowager exactly what you’re thinking. If you really can’t convince her, push the blame onto me. As long as you don’t regret it, I’ll always stand behind you.”
“You are so good to me, why would I regret it?”
Zhao Shen’s words, full of tolerance and responsibility, made Ji Yunshu feel that her choice was more than correct.
Zhao Heng—who was head over heels in love with Yao Ruolan but refused to marry her openly—absolutely lacked the backbone to say such things.
The two arrived at the Empress Dowager’s Ningshou Gong and found that the Emperor was actually there as well.
When Ji Yunshu bowed in greeting, she missed the flash of complex emotion in her cousin the Emperor’s eyes.
By the time she rose, the Emperor had already called Zhao Shen out, leaving the space for the Empress Dowager and her.
The Empress Dowager kept a stern face and said in a heavy voice, “Tell me, what exactly happened last night?”
Ji Yunshu sat below and answered obediently, “I discovered that Zhao Heng and his cousin were… well, that. So I didn’t want to marry him anymore. I wanted to marry Zhao Shen in the first place, so I suggested we switch the marriage back, and Marquis Zhao agreed.”
The hall fell silent for a moment, followed by the Empress Dowager’s voice: “At that time, you should have been in the bridal chamber. Why did you run out? Or rather, how did you know they were together?”
Ji Yunshu’s heart tightened. As expected of the Empress Dowager; she had pinpointed the biggest loophole in those few short sentences.
In this whole affair, it was the hardest thing for her to explain.