When Lin Jingrui first saw Uncle Qiao, he felt a moment of panic and guilt, but quickly composed himself.
Why should he be nervous? Arranging a marriage for his elder brother did not violate the laws of the Great Xia Dynasty.
With this thought, he bowed slightly to Qiao Zhaoling, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: “Uncle, please calm your anger. Yesterday, I did indeed send someone to your residence to invite you, but you happened to be away on business. It was simply an unfortunate coincidence. Since you are here today, we can speak openly and directly.”
As he spoke, he retrieved a scroll of brocade from his sleeve and presented it with both hands to Official Luo Shilong: “This is the marriage contract between our two families from years past. Please review it, Official Luo, along with everyone present. If I have violated any terms, I will accept any punishment.”
Luo Shilong took the marriage contract and slowly unrolled it.
The hall fell so quiet that one could hear the sound of breathing. All the guests pricked up their ears to listen.
Luo Shilong cleared his throat and read aloud: “…This marriage contract is declared to heaven and earth, and reported to the ancestors… to form a blessed union, never to betray…”
When he reached the crucial part with the names, Luo Shilong’s voice paused almost imperceptibly. He glanced quickly at Lin Jingrui’s calm face, then swiftly lowered his gaze.
“Well?” Lin Jingrui asked composedly after he finished reading. “The marriage contract is written in black and white. Does it forbid me from fulfilling the duty of continuing both family lines? My late brother passed away early without an heir. I am marrying to continue his bloodline—this is reasonable, justified, and lawful. What fault is there in that?”
Upon hearing this, some guests in the hall nodded, while others wore subtle expressions. Indeed, the marriage contract did not explicitly forbid continuing both lines. His words… seemed difficult to fault.
However, everyone knew that forcing a marriage without the consent of the bride’s family was somewhat unfair to the Chu family.
Uncle Qiao suddenly slammed the armrest of his chair and coldly rebuked: “Just because it’s not written in the marriage contract doesn’t mean you can do it. When you proposed, you promised not to take another wife. We believed you, Lin Jingrui, were a gentleman. Who would have thought you would exploit such a loophole? If you truly cared about your elder brother, why not adopt an heir from the clan instead of marrying a new wife? You are clearly using your late brother’s name to abandon your current wife and marry another. Do you think anyone is foolish enough not to see through your deceitful tricks?”
His beard trembled with anger, and he pointed repeatedly and unceremoniously at Lin Jingrui’s nose: “If you do not give an explanation today, I will take the golden plaque bestowed by His Majesty and go beat the grievance drum. If I cannot deal with you, His Majesty will surely uphold justice for me.”
These words landed with force, and the hall immediately buzzed with discussion again.
Who didn’t know that the Qiao family had once donated a huge sum to relieve the court’s crisis? That imperial plaque was their protective talisman.
If this were truly brought before the emperor, the Lin family would also lose face.
Lin Jingrui’s expression darkened slightly. He retrieved another scroll of bright yellow silk from his sleeve and presented it respectfully with both hands to Luo Shilong: “Since Uncle has mentioned His Majesty, he will surely respect the royal law. I have already obtained an edict from Her Majesty the Empress. Regarding the matter of continuing both lines, I reported it to the palace long ago. Her Majesty, taking pity on my brother’s early death and lack of an heir, has specially approved this marriage.”
Luo Shilong’s expression turned solemn. He hurriedly straightened his robes and knelt, respectfully accepting the edict. Then he rose, slowly unrolled it, and proclaimed it aloud.
All the guests in the hall knelt in unison. Chu Nianci and Qiao Zhaoling exchanged a glance, then also knelt according to etiquette, bowing their heads to listen.
After the edict was read, the hall fell silent.
The guests who had been whispering moments ago now held their breath and lowered their eyes.
With the Empress’s approval, who dared say another word?
Even the few officials’ families who had privately sympathized with Chu Nianci could only shake their heads inwardly.
No matter how wealthy a merchant family may be, in the end, they cannot withstand a single word from the imperial family.
Lin Jingrui glanced around, and seeing that no one dared to speak further, the corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly.
Chu Nianci also knelt on the ground, listening carefully as he read the Empress’s decree.
After he finished reading, Lin Jingrui took out the official marriage contract stamped with a government seal and handed it over.
Lord Luo Shilong accepted it and read it aloud once more before the crowd.
When she heard Lord Luo Shilong read that the name Lin Jingrui had reported to the authorities was “Nianjun,” a faint, almost imperceptible mocking smile appeared at the corner of her lips.
He truly remained as heartless and faithless as in her past life—he hadn’t even reported her real name.
Instead, he had used her childhood name.
This, however, gave her an opportunity, though he had no idea that Chu Nianci had been waiting for precisely this mistake.
Because when Chu Shunqing went to seek the Empress’s favor, he would surely have mentioned her formal name.
If the Empress were to learn that it was her sister-in-law who was to enter the palace,
she would absolutely never agree.
Lin Jingrui turned to look at Chu Nianij, softening his tone as he urged, “Nianci, stop making a scene. Get up now, and don’t let so many guests witness this embarrassment.”
Uncle Qiao trembled with anger, about to retort, when he saw Chu Nianci gracefully rise to her feet.
She did not take the hand Lin Jingrui extended to her but instead helped her uncle beside her to stand first.
Chu Nianci stood there quietly.
Her phoenix eyes swept coolly over Lin Jingrui, bright and clear, holding no anger, no grievance, not even a trace of fear—only a deep, unfathomable calm.
“I dare not defy the Empress’s decree,” she began, her voice soft but firm. “However, there is one matter I would like to ask the heir, as well as all the elders present, to grant me.”
Lin Jingrui frowned. “Speak.”
Chu Nianci raised her eyes, her gaze piercing directly into his. “I ask the heir to grant me a letter of divorce, allowing me to return to Jiangnan, never to set foot in the capital again for the rest of my life.”
Even knowing it was impossible, she still wanted to try.
“Whoa…” The wedding hall erupted like a boiling pot.
No one had expected that the new bride of the Chu family would open her mouth and ask for a divorce!
The noblewomen exchanged glances, all thinking the girl must have gone mad.
Once a woman is divorced, what respectable family would ever accept her in the future?
“Preposterous!” Old Master Lin Beicheng finally couldn’t hold back, slamming his teacup down heavily. “How can marriage be treated as such a trivial matter?”
Madam Xie, her face pale and gloomy, spoke weakly yet with a cold edge. “What kind of behavior is this?”
Chu Nianci seemed not to hear their reprimands at all.
She only looked at Lin Jingrui and asked again, “Will the heir grant me this?”
Lin Jingrui felt a flicker of unease under her unnervingly calm gaze.
“Don’t act out of spite… Let’s proceed with the wedding first. I promise I won’t treat you poorly in the future…”
“Won’t treat me poorly?” A faint, cold smile touched Chu Nianci’s lips. “Heir, let’s not speak of the future. Just look at the present—over the past six months, I’ve already contributed more than eight thousand taels of silver. And what was the result? What I received in return was the prospect of sharing a husband with my sister. And you still ask me to wait for the ‘future’?”
Gasps of shock rippled through the guests in the hall.
Several noblewomen who had initially thought Chu Nianci was being unreasonable now changed their expressions.
She had contributed so much money even before marrying into the family?
This wasn’t the Lin family taking a bride—it was more like they had latched onto a money bag.
Though the Lin family was newly ennobled, they were willing to marry a merchant’s daughter—now it was clear what their true intentions were.
The gazes of the crowd toward Chu Nianci couldn’t help but fill with a few more traces of sympathy.
Lin Jingrui’s face flushed red then paled white, unable to utter a word.
“Sister,” Yu Shunqing, who had been watching coldly from the side, suddenly sneered, “leaving the Earl’s manor, with your status as a merchant’s daughter, even if you enter the palace, I doubt you could secure any promising future.”
Uncle Qiao, hearing her repeatedly mention “merchant’s daughter,” felt his anger flare up instantly: “What’s wrong with being a merchant? Merchants are still better than you…”
“Uncle,” Chu Nianci gently stopped him, not letting him continue.
After all, if her illegitimate daughter background were truly exposed in public, it would also harm her maternal family.
Chu Nianci suddenly smiled.
That smile bloomed on her stunning face, yet not a trace of it reached her eyes.
“I originally thought that with you entering officialdom, sister, you would have gained some insight,” her tone was icy, “but it seems your thinking remains just as narrow. Who told you that a woman must rely on her husband to live?”
Chu Shunqing’s eyes widened.
How could a woman… not rely on her husband to live.
“Mother, she’s truly gone mad, spouting nonsense and making a spectacle of herself. Just drive her away,” Lin Jingjue interjected from the side, “who is she trying to scare? As if our Earl’s manor couldn’t survive without her.”
Madam Xie covered her chest and coughed lightly.
“Since you’re determined to leave, let’s make things clear,” she adopted an expression of heartache and disappointment, “Nianci, search your conscience and tell me, in the half year since you entered the Lin family, have I ever mistreated you?”
Chu Nianci met her gaze and slowly shook her head: “No.”
“That’s right,” Madam Xie sighed leisurely, “but what about you? Jealous of Shunqing’s entry, you stopped your mother-in-law’s life-saving medicine. You’ve violated two of the seven grounds for divorce. Even if we divorce you today, it would be perfectly justified…”
Uncle Qiao immediately cut her off: “Wait, you should search your own conscience. How she has served you these past six months is plain for all to see. Stop making false accusations!”
Madam Xie sneered: “That’s right, I too once thought she was a filial and sensible child. But look at what she’s like now?”
Chu Nianci looked at Madam Xie, her tone full of sarcasm: “If I am divorced, what will happen to my dowry?”
She asked this deliberately.
Just to let everyone see Madam Xie’s true face.
Sure enough, Madam Xie cleared her throat and said: “According to the law, those who are divorced must have their entire dowry confiscated, not a single coin can be taken away. Considering the affection of you serving me for half a year, I will only confiscate ninety percent. The remaining ten percent can serve as your travel expenses back to Jiangnan.”
Only confiscate ninety percent?
She truly dares to say that!
The wedding hall erupted in an uproar.
Many noble ladies couldn’t bear to watch, their faces showing expressions of disdain.
The Earl’s manor’s greed was truly unsightly.
Wasn’t this clearly an attempt to embezzle the daughter-in-law’s dowry?
“Utterly shameless, the height of disgrace!” Uncle Qiao’s beard bristled with anger, “To be so brazen is truly rare in this world!”
He turned to Lin Jingrui and asked: “Lin Jingrui, embezzling your fiancée’s dowry—are you even a man?”
Lin Jingrui stood at the entrance of the wedding hall, his face flushed purple with shame.
His mother’s words had utterly humiliated him.
But he couldn’t publicly contradict his own mother.
“Who said anything about divorcing her!” Lin Jingrui took a deep breath and finally spoke.
His face showed no expression, his voice cold as solid ice. “Whether it’s divorce or separation, I do not agree. Since Chu Nianci has already entered the doors of my Lin family, she should not think of leaving.”
After a pause, his voice, though not loud, was resolute. “In life, she is mine; in death, she is my ghost. Even if she dies, she must be buried in the ancestral graves of my Lin family!”
“Servants…” he suddenly raised his voice, commanding the attendants on either side without a hint of doubt. “Drag her over here. Whether she is willing or not, we will perform the wedding ceremony immediately!”