Yi Zichuan narrowed his eyes, staring dangerously at Yuting before him. Suddenly, he saw in her the assassins he had once cast into hell—they had been just like this, with outrageously stubborn bones.
Those people were assassins, so Yi Zichuan could assume they had undergone inhuman training since childhood, enabling them to withstand interrogation. But the one before him was merely a maid from the rear courtyard.
This seemingly fragile woman not only endured verbal and physical interrogation but also counterattacked in the hall. By all appearances, she was no ordinary person, especially since she was entangled with those rebels.
“Not good—she’s going to kill herself!” Xia Maoshan suddenly stood up and rushed to Yuting’s side with lightning speed, gripping her jaw to prevent her from clenching her teeth.
Soon, someone went to pry open her teeth and, sure enough, found a black poison pill inside.
Yi Zichuan slowly rose to his feet, his expression growing increasingly grim. “On my way back to the capital, I encountered no fewer than dozens of assassins, if not hundreds. Almost every one of them had this hidden in their teeth. Master Xia, your rear courtyard truly conceals dragons and tigers!”
Xia Ershu was so frightened he immediately stood up. “Wang Ye, this girl has been in our residence since she was very young. She… she’s just a child from an ordinary family! This humble official… this humble official has no idea how she became involved with the rebels!”
“Let go of me!” After the poison was extracted, Yuting suddenly became agitated. She screamed like a madwoman, trying every possible way to end her life, but Yi Zichuan’s men tightly restrained her.
Watching the nearly deranged Yuting, Yi Zichuan suddenly let out a cold laugh, then turned his sharp gaze toward Xia Jianxi. “It seems these rebels not only want my head but are now trying to drag the General’s Manor down with them!”
Xia Maoshan’s body stiffened abruptly, and he instinctively turned to look at Yi Zichuan. “Wang Ye…”
“Master, you’d better protect your wife and children well!” Yi Zichuan walked up to Xia Maoshan. “I’ll take this rebel and this Shu Tong away. As for Miss Xia saving my mother, I will report it to the Emperor to clear Miss Xia’s name!”
Upon hearing this, the Shu Tong was so terrified he nearly fainted, immediately kowtowing frantically and begging for mercy. “Heir, I really only received fifty taels of silver! I have no connection whatsoever with those rebels! Heir, please save me! Save this lowly one!”
Kang Muze coldly watched the Shu Tong without speaking up for him. Soon, someone gagged him and swiftly dragged him away.
Xia Jianxi looked at Kang Muze’s demeanor and suddenly let out a cold laugh. “The Heir is truly heartless!”
Kang Muze immediately raised his eyes to look at Xia Jianxi, meeting her blatant mockery. For a moment, he felt utterly ashamed. “Jianxi, things aren’t what you think…”
“What do I think?” Xia Jianxi stared at Kang Muze and suddenly felt that her past self, who had wholeheartedly wanted to marry him, must have been a pig demon reincarnated—stupid beyond measure. How could such an irresponsible man, who only knew how to retreat when faced with trouble, be worth her preparing wedding robes with all her heart and soul?
“I… today I…”
“You came today to break off the engagement!” Xia Jianxi interrupted Kang Muze. “No… you want to switch brides, to have Xia Yuruo replace me and marry you instead! This way you maintain the alliance between our families—avoiding the disgrace of breaking a betrothal while still getting a beautiful bride. Kang Muze, you’ve truly disappointed me!”
Song Taifei watched tears welling in Xia Jianxi’s eyes and couldn’t help stepping forward to grasp her hand. “Good child, being able to see such a person’s true nature before the formal betrothal gifts are exchanged is heaven’s mercy upon you!”
In that moment, the despair and bitterness of being deceived in her previous life came rushing back. A sour ache exploded in her chest, and salty tears immediately began falling.
Seeing Xia Jianxi completely overcome by sobs, Song Taifei’s anger flared. “Yong’an Wang! Is this how you and your wife have raised your son?”
Yong’an Wang stood frozen in place. The burly middle-aged man could barely lift his head in shame. “Yes, I have failed in teaching my son properly.”
Xia Jianxi watched this man who had always carried himself with such superiority in front of her now bending under Song Taifei’s questioning. The resentment in her heart suddenly eased considerably. She remembered how in her previous life, Yong’an Wang had laughed uproariously on the day he welcomed Xia Yuruo into his household.
“Father, Mother, I want to break off the engagement!” Xia Jianxi wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and spoke each word deliberately.
Xia Madam looked at Xia Jianxi, her gaze steady and completely unsurprised. How could the pearl they had cherished in their palms ever compromise for such a man!
“Good!” Xia Maoshan’s voice was rough but firm. “Someone, fetch the marriage contract!”
“Brother Maoshan, this marriage was arranged by the late emperor! You must think carefully!” Yong’an Wang immediately grew anxious. “This isn’t a marriage you can simply break off as you wish!”
“Yong’an Wang, if your Wangfei and Heir can treat my daughter with such disrespect now, who knows how they would treat her after I’m gone? She’s the only child I’ll ever have in this lifetime. I will personally bring this marriage contract before His Majesty. Even if the emperor charges me with defying an imperial decree, I will never hand my daughter over to your family!” Xia Maoshan coldly stared at Yong’an Wang.
Xia Jianxi, her eyes red, looked at Xia Maoshan standing protectively before her and burst into fresh tears.
Seeing her father who had always stood firmly before her since childhood, she suddenly seemed to glimpse—in a dazed moment—the Xia Maoshan from her previous life, stumbling through winter rain while desperately clutching the corpse of his only daughter. Her heart ached unbearably, and tears burst forth like the Yellow River breaching its banks.
Soon, someone brought over a small box containing the marriage contract personally written by the old Wang Ye and Xia Jianxi’s grandfather.
Xia Maoshan opened the box, took out the marriage contract, and held it before Yong’an Wang. “Wang Ye, see clearly—this is the marriage contract your father personally delivered to the Xia residence back then!”
“Xia Maoshan!” Yong’an Wang fumed. “Do you have any idea what you’re doing?”
“I, Xia Maoshan, have never cared to form a marriage alliance with your Yong’an Wangfu. My Duke of Protectorate Manor has only ever had one daughter—there has never been a so-called second Miss Xia!” Xia Maoshan glared coldly at Yong’an Wang standing before him, then abruptly tore the marriage contract to shreds. “From this day forward, our families shall have no further ties! Each may marry as they please, with no concern for the other!”
The torn marriage contract fluttered like broken wings, hovering in the air for a moment before settling on the ground.
Xia Jianxi glanced at Xia Yuruo, who still sat on the floor, and let out a cold laugh before turning to Kang Muze. “Kang Muze, now you can properly go to the neighboring residence to seek marriage with Xia Yuruo!”
“Without the dowry from the Duke of Protectorate Manor, how could Yong’an Wangfu possibly seek to marry the daughter of a mere fifth-rank official—a woman with neither power nor influence?” Yi Zichuan’s clear, cold voice cut sharply through the silence.