I—I’ll take his place!
Jiang Jianzheng’s gaze was dark and cold as it swept over the scene. Wherever it landed, it felt like a wildfire scorching the earth, making every member of the Song clan feel as though they were holding a hot potato, each of them growing restless and anxious.
Madam Song gritted her teeth, her mind spinning with anxiety.
Not only was Jiang Zhaoying’s behavior and attitude completely opposite to what they had investigated, but she also gave the impression that the Jiang family had thoroughly investigated their background. Many things she guessed were spot on.
No.
If things continued to develop like this, the loopholes would only grow larger, and the troubles would multiply.
Turning her head, she gave Song Chengyu a deep, meaningful look.
Song Chengyu felt as though he had been struck by a heavy blow, suffocated by frustration. He simply couldn’t understand how Jiang Zhaoying, the daughter of a mere Chief Astronomer of the Imperial Astronomer’s Bureau, could be so bold and sharp.
He understood his mother’s meaning—this matter had to be shouldered by him alone. Otherwise, even with The Emperor’s golden words, they would still struggle to prevail.
Thud.
A crisp sound echoed as he knelt before Jiang Jianzheng.
“Father-in-law.”
“You flatter me, Young Master Song. I dare not accept the title of ‘father-in-law.’ It seems we were too naive, thinking the world was kinder than it is. We never expected you to have schemed everything before the wedding, just waiting to marry my daughter and frame her.”
“Song Chengyu!”
Jiang Jianzheng bit out the three words with particular force, making Song Chengyu’s heart tremble violently.
“If Marquis Song knew he had raised such a son, his coffin lid would probably refuse to stay shut.”
The atmosphere grew heavy.
Clan Leader Song’s face instantly turned green with embarrassment, feeling utterly humiliated.
As for Song Chengyu, he felt a pang of guilt.
Over the years, he hadn’t been by Chengyu’s side, hadn’t properly cared for or guided him, which led to such a massive blunder.
“Why did you harm my daughter?”
Jiang Jianzheng slapped Song Chengyu across the other half of his face. Now, both sides bore deep, purplish-red fingerprints, glaringly conspicuous.
Song Chengyu was knocked to the ground, clutching his numb and throbbing face. The usually proud and confident heir of the Marquis’s household was seething with rage.
But he dared not show it. Silently, he climbed back up, knelt properly again, and kowtowed with a resounding thud.
“Father-in-law, please allow me to explain.”
“Hmph!”
Jiang Jianzheng turned half away, refusing to look at Song Chengyu. Song Chengyu raised his head and gazed at the cold, distant figure of Jiang Zhaoying. His eyes reddened, and after a long moment, he sighed.
“Arranged marriages and parental orders cannot be disobeyed. I didn’t know whether the girl I was to marry was tall or short, whether we would get along, what her temperament was like, whether she would be gentle and considerate, or whether we would harmonize like qin and se.”
“From the very beginning… I was unwilling. I resented my mother for it. So… to make my resolve clear, I secretly got together with my cousin. Feigning death and leaving on the wedding day was also to spite my mother. I wanted her to know that I refused to marry a stranger.”
Wei Jiuzhao stood near the doorway. As the breeze drifted in, it gently lifted his hair. Following the wind, his gaze shifted to Xu Zhiyan, who stood behind Jiang Zhaoying.
Xu Zhiyan was looking at Jiang Zhaoying, his cool yet beautiful eyes filled with endless heartache.
Watching this scene, a faint, mocking smile flickered across Wei Jiuzhao’s face.
People are always like this—the one you desperately try to abandon is the one someone else yearns for but cannot have.
In truth.
In his idle moments, he had once divined a fortune for Xu Zhiyan—this lifetime, he simply had no marital fate!
As for why.
He dared not delve further.
“When I lifted the veil…” Song Chengyu gazed deeply at Jiang Zhaoying. “I was moved. I thought I had fallen for Ying’er.”
Jiang Zhaoying’s gaze was cold and distant, quietly fixed on the doorway.
Look.
This person was most skilled at feigning affection, so convincingly that others watching would instead feel guilt and pain.
“Ying’er, I was wrong in this matter. I harbored a rebellious heart, always wanting to marry an unconventional lady from a respectable family. I was mistaken.”
“You admit your mistake?”
Jiang Zhaoying asked him coldly. Song Chengyu hastily nodded, tears welling in his eyes as a glimmer of hope overflowed. He even crawled on his knees to Jiang Zhaoying’s side, clutching at her long skirt.
“I admit my mistake. I was utterly wrong in this matter. But one thing—I was absolutely not after your wealth or dowry. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been with my cousin who has nothing.”
Clan Leader Song watched Song Chengyu’s performance and finally felt somewhat satisfied. A true man knew when to yield and when to stand firm; it was nothing to be ashamed of.
“Song Chengyu, since you and Miss Shen are truly in love, I won’t stand between you. So, let us divorce.”
Jiang Zhaoying pulled her skirt back, a flicker of disgust flashing in her eyes. A cold glint passed through Song Chengyu’s gaze, yet a tear still fell.
“I was wrong. I will find a way to seek your forgiveness, and then we can follow the traditional roles of husband and wife. But I absolutely will not divorce.”
The words “absolutely will not divorce” were almost gritted out through clenched teeth, carrying a hint of veiled provocation.
Want a divorce?
Not a chance.
In this world, anyone else might have the opportunity to divorce, but Jiang Zhaoying alone was not qualified.
That path had long been sealed shut by The Emperor himself.
“Clan Leader Song.”
“I am here.”
Jiang Zhaoying did not dwell on the topic of divorce. Seeking a divorce was no easy matter; she needed to plan carefully. So she bowed respectfully to Clan Leader Song.
“In such matters, according to clan rules, how should they be punished?”
Shen Yuefu suddenly raised her head and threw herself into Madam Song’s arms. Just as Madam Song was about to speak, Clan Leader Song glared her into silence, causing Madam Song’s red lips to tremble with anger. She could only hold Shen Yuefu tightly.
No.
She could not be punished, or else the child in her belly would not survive.
This was the long-awaited first grandson she had yearned for.
“According to clan rules, Song Chengyu receives fifty heavy blows, and Shen Yuefu faces drowning punishment.”
“Uncle!”
Shen Yuefu screamed miserably, falling to her knees before Clan Leader Song with a thud. After kowtowing, she turned to other elders of the Song family, knocking her head against the ground. After several loud thuds, a swollen, bloody lump appeared on Shen Yuefu’s forehead.
Jiang Zhaoying watched coldly, knowing that at this point, Shen Yuefu was truly terrified.
A pity.
After being reborn, she possessed everything—except kindness.
The things they had done to her in her past life, she would repay them one by one in this lifetime.
“I cannot die. I carry my cousin’s child in my womb, the first grandson of the marquis’s household. I beg you, for the sake of the child, spare us. I… I am willing to make amends in other ways. I am willing to serve my cousin’s wife as a maid, attend to her, and endure her beatings and scoldings.”
Hmph!
Several aunts showed disdain in their eyes, snorting softly before looking elsewhere, ignoring Shen Yuefu.
It would be best if she just died.
Only then would their children have hope, for Jiang Zhaoying had said she would choose a child to raise under her name.
“Fu’er.”
Seeing Shen Yuefu’s pale face and the blood seeping from her forehead, Song Chengyu felt a flicker of emotion. He knew how much Shen Yuefu usually valued her appearance, yet for the sake of the child, she was willing to ruin her own face—a testament to how deeply she cherished her unborn child.
Guilt finally stirred within him. Song Chengyu stepped forward and pulled Shen Yuefu into his embrace, then together they knelt before Jiang Zhaoying.
“Ying’er, as long as you are willing to spare Yuefu and the child, I will accept any punishment. Whatever makes you happy, alright?”
“Chengyu, don’t speak recklessly.”
Madam Song hurriedly interrupted her son. How could he endure such punishment? Did he want all three of them to die?
Shen Yuefu understood the implication in her aunt’s words. Shock and resentment flashed in her eyes—she never expected that in a real crisis, her aunt would only think of protecting her cousin.
But she didn’t want to die.
She refused to accept it.
Between sobs, she struggled free from Song Chengyu’s embrace and cried out in anguish.
“No, I won’t let Cousin suffer any harm. It’s all my fault—I was the one who admired him, I was the one who seduced him. Let all the punishment fall on me. I’ll die, I’ll take the child and die right now.”
With that, Shen Yuefu rose, weeping, and rushed headlong toward the nearest table.