Would he even be willing to marry her?
Whatever. The matter was settled now. Even if he wasn't willing, he couldn't very well jump up and object.
But if she truly wanted to establish herself in the Xie family, she'd need a child…
Shang Mijun's gaze drifted downward, coming to a stop somewhere below Xie Yan'an's waist.
Because they were Two Souls in One Body, Shang Mijun's field of vision was also Huo Chuan's field of vision.
【What are you looking at?】
Huo Chuan spoke in a low, eerie tone.
Why did he feel like Shang Mijun's gaze was a little… off?
Shang Mijun snapped back to attention and asked gently:
【Chuan-chuan, did you have any unfulfilled wishes in life? Is there anything you wanted? Or you could point me in the right direction—I'll do everything in my power to help your descendants.】
Huo Chuan felt a twinge of suspicion. Why was Shang Mijun being so polite all of a sudden?
He wanted to return to his own body—could she help with that?
【Thank you for the kind offer, but I had no wife in life, and certainly no descendants.】
Shang Mijun was somewhat disappointed, but she didn't give up. She pressed on:
【Well, you must have had siblings, right? I can help their descendants too.】
Huo Chuan had a vague sense that she was hinting at something.
【A-Ti, just say what you mean.】
Shang Mijun bit her lip, feeling embarrassed. In the most roundabout way possible, she said:
【I'm truly unfortunate. If only I could have a child to rely on—wouldn't that be wonderful? Don't you think?】
If it really came down to doing that embarrassing deed, and Huo Chuan could take over for her… that would be even better.
Shang Mijun was startled by her own absurd thought.
Too absurd…
Would he even agree?
It'd be a miracle if he didn't curse out her ancestors for eighteen generations.
【There's nothing to be done about that.】
Huo Chuan didn't think much of it.
Shang Mijun said no more. Fine, she wouldn't try to curry favor with him for now.
She'd bring it up again another day.
If she could have a child, she'd be able to sleep easy in the Xie household.
It was just that this male ghost's presence was such a nuisance…
Maybe any random Daoist priest could drive him away?
【Never mind, never mind.】
She rose to leave.
Huo Chuan's curiosity was suddenly piqued. Why do you keep starting to say something and then stopping? Just say it.
【It's nothing. I'm tired. Going to sleep.】
Shang Mijun left Lingfeng Yuan directly and returned to Qixia Ge, where everything had already been prepared—even her bathwater had been drawn.
Qingzhi was efficient, but Shang Mijun found herself facing another dilemma. If she bathed, Huo Chuan would inevitably see things he shouldn't see.
If she didn't bathe, she was covered in sweat, and she couldn't very well go without bathing forever, could she?
And then there were private matters like using the latrine…
Just thinking about it made Shang Mijun's face burn, her ears turning bright red.
Why did it have to be a male ghost? If it were a female ghost, there wouldn't be all this awkwardness.
Huo Chuan, perhaps sensing Shang Mijun's embarrassment, wisely kept his mouth shut.
When he briefly used Shang Mijun's body, he could somewhat feel the difference between a woman's body and a man's—the heavy sensation on his chest was very unfamiliar.
Of course, there was no way he'd tell Shang Mijun any of that. What if she got so embarrassed and angry that she turned on him and never let him use her body again?
Meanwhile, after much internal struggle, Shang Mijun finally managed to finish her bath with her eyes squeezed shut, washing haphazardly.
She lay in bed, tossing and turning, until exhaustion finally overcame her and she sank into a deep sleep.
It was already the second ke of the Zi hour. Xiao Jing, after being soundly beaten by General Xiao, had been escorted back to the General's mansion.
At Old Madame Wei's Rongfu Ge, the candles still burned bright. Xie Zhaoqing's fate from this point forward would be decided tonight…
Would she accept it willingly?
…
Madam Qu fell to her knees with a thud, speaking urgently:
"Mother-in-law, we can't swap the marriage! No one saw anything—it's all Shang Mijun's one-sided account. If Qing-ge'er simply refuses to admit it, what can anyone do?
As for the rumors in the capital, let Shang Mijun explain it away. Just say it was a misunderstanding—let her and Qing-ge'er put on a show of being a loving couple, and in time, everyone will forget!"
Her eyes darted about rapidly.
"Just say… just say Qing-ge'er has a cold condition, and Xiao Jing was giving him acupuncture!"
Old Madame Wei closed her eyes.
"It's too late. When the Fourth Branch went to catch them in the act, they didn't have enough people, so they borrowed attendants from Madam Sheng the Third of Yong'an Marquis Manor.
She and that Sheng San are birds of a feather—they love nothing more than gossiping and spreading idle chatter. Outsiders have already seen it with their own eyes. How can we possibly silence all those wagging tongues?"
Otherwise, she wouldn't have gone to see Shang Mijun at all.
Madam Qu was both shocked and furious, grinding her molars as she hissed:
"Li Minru! She did this on purpose!"
Madam Li was forcing the family to punish Xie Zhaoqing severely.
Third Master Xie's forehead bulged with veins as he barked:
"This is the fine son you've raised! A filthy cut sleeve, utterly revolting! And you still have the nerve to beg Mother to cover for him? On his wedding night, he dared to bring a man into the bridal chamber and fornicate with him right in front of his bride—how utterly despicable! Even beating him to death wouldn't be too harsh!"
When he'd learned of it all, he'd felt like the sky was falling.
At his words, Madam Qu felt the world spin around her. She bit down on the tip of her tongue to keep from fainting.
Now she finally realized that Xie Zhaoqing's future and reputation were utterly destroyed—beyond even the gods' salvation!
Her daughter had been born clever and quick-witted—composing poetry at three, speaking eloquently at seven, no less talented than any man.
She had still hoped that Xie Zhaoqing would pass the imperial examinations and go on to display his ambitions in officialdom—could all of that now be reduced to nothing?
All the hopes she had held for half her life were gone…
The dim candlelight made Old Madame Wei's face appear even more imposing. In a tone that brooked no argument, she said:
"In my opinion, expel him from the clan register and send him to Yizhou at once. First, Yizhou is far away—a new place where he can start over as a new man. Second, there is a distant relative there who can look after him a bit. I don't ask for wealth or honor for Qing'er—just that he have enough to eat and wear, and live out his remaining years in peace. That will suffice.
Tomorrow at dawn, open the ancestral hall and read out the document of expulsion before everyone. We'll handle it together with Shang Mijun's matter!"
As the words fell, Madam Qu felt as though a thunderbolt had struck her.
Being expelled from the clan register meant severing all clan ties—clan membership, surname, family property, and everything else would be stripped away. From then on, the Xie family would no longer have a person named Xie Zhaoqing.
Life, death, fortune, or misfortune—none of it would have anything to do with the family anymore.
How ruthless!
But Madam Qu had resigned herself to despair. Contrary to her usual behavior, she did not wail or cry. When she opened her eyes again, she calmly wiped away her tears and said:
"Mother-in-law, no matter how you choose to deal with Qing'er, I will accept it. But this whole matter was caused by Shang Mijun. That you would marry her off to Seventh Brother in her place—this, this daughter-in-law cannot accept. For a daughter-in-law to become a sister-in-law—what face will our Third Branch have left?"
Old Madame Wei's expression was dark and inscrutable. She did not respond.
Third Master Xie's heart was also filled with ten thousand objections, but seeing Old Madame Wei's reaction, he began to discern his legitimate mother's intentions…
He quickly said:
"Don't speak nonsense. Whatever Mother decides, she must have her reasons. You and I failed to teach our son properly, causing the new bride to suffer such a great humiliation. We truly should compensate her. From now on, we must also show more care and affection toward Seventh Sister-in-law."
With that, the corner of Third Master Xie's eye quickly swept toward Old Madame Wei, his heart slightly uneasy.
He saw Old Madame Wei raise her hand and wave it lightly, her expression weary as she said:
"All of you, go back. I am truly tired."
Third Master Xie breathed a sigh of relief.
Madam Qu wanted to say more, but was silenced by a glare from Third Master Xie. She suppressed the intense unwillingness in her eyes and said:
"This daughter-in-law takes her leave!"
In those words, how much hatred was concealed…