Shang Mijun raised an eyebrow.
"Talk? Go ahead, say what you have to say!"
She didn't care that Qingzhi and Mama Liang could see her hatred for the Third Branch. She simply hated them.
Why else would she want Xie Zhaoqing disgraced and ruined?
The Old Matriarch had already seen through her, so there was no need to hide anything.
In her past life, Madam Qu had been her mother-in-law, but now they were equals in generation. If she didn't vent her anger thoroughly, how could she do justice to the version of herself who had suffered so much in her previous life?
"What I want is a private conversation!"
Madam Qu could no longer contain herself.
"Oh, so you want to talk privately…"
Shang Mijun let out an "oh," then decisively refused:
"No."
Madam Qu was thoroughly enraged. "Are you toying with me?"
Shang Mijun raised her eyes, her words laced with thorns, speaking slowly and deliberately:
"Third Sister-in-law, oh Third Sister-in-law, do you think I don't know what you want to say? Let me tell you—the Old Matriarch's word is law. I am already the Seventh Lady of this household, and that will absolutely not change. I don't know what conditions you think you can use to persuade me, but I can tell you clearly: it's impossible!"
She strolled forward and stopped in front of Madam Qu, her voice carrying a cold edge:
"I should actually thank Xie Zhaoqing for being born lascivious—for dragging a man into the bridal chamber on his wedding night and indulging in pleasure right before my eyes. Otherwise, I wouldn't have had the good fortune to marry the Seventh Lord instead. Third Sister-in-law, since you gave birth to such a filthy, depraved son, you should be reflecting in the ancestral hall. How do you have the nerve to come here and accuse me? Third Sister-in-law, your son nearly ruined me. If you have any conscience at all, you should be the one apologizing to me."
Shang Mijun's words were like knives, each one stabbing straight into Madam Qu's heart.
Hearing this, Madam Qu's fury shot straight to her head. Her face turned grim and livid—where was her reason now?
"You little slut! How dare you! It was you who caused this mess! Today I'll teach you, you troublemaker, a lesson!"
Madam Qu raised her hand and swung it toward Shang Mijun's face!
But Shang Mijun seized her wrist firmly, her gaze sweeping coldly over Madam Qu's contorted face, full of disdain.
"This is not a place where you can run wild."
With that, she flung Madam Qu's hand away with force. Madam Qu stumbled back, staring at Shang Mijun with disbelief.
"You! You're utterly arrogant!"
This little slut—did she think that just because she'd latched onto the Old Matriarch, she could look down on everyone else?
A petty person who had come into power!
Just then, Mama Liang came out from the house and stepped in front of Shang Mijun, her expression solemn as she spoke:
"Third Lady, you are behaving improperly."
Madam Qu's face tightened, and her eyes blinked with guilt.
"Ma—Mama Liang, you're here too?"
Mama Liang's tone brooked no argument as she continued:
"The Seventh Lady has just arrived in this household. As her sister-in-law, the Third Lady should act the part. Regarding Young Master Qing's matter, the Old Matriarch will make her own judgment. The Third Lady need not waste her efforts."
Madam Qu's face cycled through shades of pale and green—an ugly sight indeed.
She shot Shang Mijun a vicious glare, let out an angry snort, and swept away in a huff!
Shang Mijun raised an eyebrow, sneering inwardly.
[This old bitch.]
She must be cooking up some scheme—thinking that because Shang Mijun was young and easy to fool, she could use threats and bribes to make her swallow her grievances.
As if!
[Exactly, exactly!] Huo Chuan chimed in.
Shang Mijun was startled. She'd been thinking to herself, yet she'd said it aloud where Huo Chuan could hear. It seemed she'd need to be more careful from now on—otherwise, wouldn't all her private thoughts be overheard by this male ghost?
Shang Mijun walked over to the little maidservant who had been slapped, asking with concern:
"Are you alright?"
The little maidservant's cheeks were bright red. She shook her head. "This servant is fine. Thank you for your concern, my lady."
Shang Mijun's heart ached for her.
"Qingzhi, please fetch some ice for her to apply…"
Then she pulled a banknote from her sleeve and pressed it into the little maidservant's hand. "You've been wronged. Take this."
It was a fifty-tael banknote.
The little maidservant was overwhelmed with gratitude and surprise, as if the banknote were burning her hand. "No, no, no, my lady—this is far too much…"
"It's fine. It's because of me that you were struck." Shang Mijun gave her a reassuring smile.
Behind her, Mama Liang witnessed all of this, thinking to herself that this young lady was someone who loved and hated with equal clarity—sharp-tongued and fearless against the Third Branch, yet showing warmth and gentleness toward a little maidservant.
No wonder the Old Matriarch had taken a liking to her.
Mama Liang walked over with a smile and said in a gentle voice:
"My lady, let Qingzhi fetch the ice for her. This old servant will help you with your grooming—today is an important occasion."
"Very well. Thank you, Mama." Shang Mijun returned a smile.
Shang Mijun wore a crimson maple-colored brocade dress, a pearl-and-jade hairpin tucked into her locks, delicate coral earrings dangling from her ears, and her lips painted a vivid red.
Radiant and charming, yet coolly beautiful and striking.
The gauze wrapped around her forehead did nothing to diminish her beauty—if anything, it made her look all the more delicate and pitiable, stirring involuntary sympathy in anyone who saw her.
Facing the bronze mirror, Shang Mijun gently touched the gauze on her forehead. "I wonder if it will leave a scar?"
What Shang Mijun saw was also what Huo Chuan saw.
Huo Chuan gazed at the beautiful face reflected in the bronze mirror. He'd meant to toss off a casual remark, but for a moment, he found himself lost in thought.
After today, she would be his rightful wife.
A fine woman, married into the Xie family only to be wronged, then remarried to a comatose cripple—the Xie family truly did her a disservice…
Huo Chuan felt guilty toward her.
【A-Ti, if you ever need anything in the future, just say the word.】
Hearing Huo Chuan's voice, Shang Mijun's hand paused. That address, A-Ti—he was getting more and more comfortable using it.
【Alright…】
Shang Mijun's voice was soft and gentle.
【Mm.】
Huo Chuan gave a short grunt in acknowledgment.
Shang Mijun gently rubbed her wrist. Although Huo Chuan could take control of her body to fight, he hadn't given her a frame of steel and iron. Her wrist was now throbbing with pain.
But she said nothing.
She had already decided that since she and this solitary ghost named Huo Chuan now shared one body, she might as well keep the relationship amicable.
A male soul with such formidable martial skill would surely prove useful in many ways down the road. Besides, the control of the body rested in her hands, so she had no fear of it being taken from her.
Perhaps, when it came to the important matter of bearing children, he could even lend a hand.
After all, Huo Chuan was also a man.
What she didn't understand, he probably would—right?
…
Shang Mijun ate a simple meal and went straight to Old Madame Wei's Rongfu Ge, where she awaited the elders to open the ancestral hall and amend the Clan Genealogy.
"Mama Liang has explained the rules for entering the ancestral hall to you, hasn't she?" Old Madame Wei asked.
Shang Mijun performed a salute.
"In reply to Mother, she explained them all on the way here."
Madame Murong of the eldest branch smiled with proper decorum.
"Mijun, if you need anything, or if there's something you don't understand, feel free to come to Cuihua Yuan and speak with your eldest sister-in-law."
Shang Mijun nodded in acknowledgment. "Eldest Sister-in-law, Mijun understands."
Madam Li of the fourth branch smiled so wide her eyes nearly disappeared.
"Dear sister, whenever you're free, do come sit in your fourth sister-in-law's quarters!"
She had thought this little girl would meet a miserable end for exposing the third branch's scandal.
Unexpectedly, the girl had real ability—she'd actually caught the Old Matriarch's eye and, in a single turn, become the seventh son's wife?
The seventh son was the Old Matriarch's most beloved youngest child. With Shang Mijun as his wife, her status naturally rose along with it, no longer what it once was.
Regardless, thanks to her, the third branch had been thoroughly crushed!
At that thought, Madam Li's smile grew even wider.
Old Madame Wei cast her a sidelong glance, her gaze as cold as a frozen pool. She said not a word, yet it instantly pressed down on Madam Li until she could barely breathe.
Madam Li shrank her neck, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
Old Madame Wei calmly withdrew her gaze. "Your matter will be dealt with later."
Madam Li stammered an acknowledgment, speaking with guilt:
"It was rash of me, Daughter-in-law. I meant well, but it turned out badly."
Hurried footsteps sounded from outside, and Madam Qu swept into the courtyard in a whirlwind.
After greeting Old Madame Wei and Madame Murong, Madam Qu shot Shang Mijun a vicious glare, gnashing her teeth in resentment, then turned her gaze upon Madam Li like a venomous serpent.
"You dare speak of 'meaning well'? I think you did it on purpose!"
She would never forget—the catching of the adulterer had been Madam Li's doing!