In her previous life, the Yan family had deliberately spread rumors that she was a shrew. Since she had already been saddled with this notorious reputation, she might as well truly play the villain.
Yan Heng was stunned by the blow. A dignified man being slapped in public was a complete reversal of the natural order, leaving him utterly humiliated.
Two bloody streaks instantly appeared on his fair face. The woman, seeing this, was startled and turned toward her, her eyes darkening. She immediately knelt before her.
"Madam, you have misunderstood us."
Slap!
Without giving her a chance to speak, another slap landed on her face.
"You shameless wretch, do you think I'm blind?"
The woman covered her burning cheek, staring at her ferocious expression, and only then did the piercing chill from her knees rapidly spread throughout her entire body.
Yan Heng was right—she truly was a man-eating shrew. If she were to enter the Yan residence, there would certainly be no good days ahead.
Then, she heard her grit her teeth and say to Yan Heng, "Back then, you said you would only ever love me in this lifetime. Yet, in just a few years, you've taken a hidden mistress. You truly are heartless!"
Shunzi was Yan Heng's personal attendant, having followed him since childhood. He knew the situation well—the madam was exaggerating somewhat.
This woman could hardly be considered the master's hidden mistress at the moment; at most, she was just a paramour. Back in Pingzhou, the master would secretly rendezvous with her every few days.
But ever since arriving in Jingdu, the master had cut off all contact with her. If he truly valued her, why hadn't he brought her to the capital?
It seemed it was nothing more than physical pleasure, hardly worth mentioning.
When a military officer became enraged, he naturally exuded a murderous aura. The servants held their breath, lowered their heads, and dared not look.
At this moment, there was no trace of the tenderness that had been in Yan Heng's eyes earlier. His narrow eyes were filled with malice, fixed intently on her.
As ruthless as he was, Zhou Yunruo thought, if she no longer held any value to him, he would likely have her killed.
Lifting her head, she took a step forward. "What kind of look is that? After breaking my heart, do you now want to silence me?"
Seeing this, he let out a quiet sigh, his expression shifting as he patiently said, "Why must you act without asking for the facts, resorting to violence right away? I am, after all, an official."
Seeing her unmoved, he immediately straightened his neck and raised his voice. "You should at least get to the bottom of things before lashing out. Don't pin every crime on me. Heaven knows my sincerity toward you—it can be witnessed by the heavens!"
Then, covering his bruised face, he complained mournfully, "Look at how heavy-handed you are. Anyone who doesn't know better would think you're a vicious shrew."
He never felt guilty when lying. She watched him coldly, letting out a bitter laugh. How blind she had been back then!
Glancing at the woman kneeling on the ground, a mocking smile curled at the corner of her lips as she said coldly to him, "Yan Heng, have the courage to own up to your actions. Don't make others look down on you."
Without even hesitating, he loudly declared, "This is truly absurd! I have absolutely no connection to this woman. We are husband and wife, yet you don't trust me in the slightest. Even if I were to say it a hundred or a thousand times today, you still wouldn't believe me."
He spoke with righteous indignation, as though true gold fears no fire.
Turning his head, his neck flushed with anger, he roared at the servants, "Go outside and find my second brother! Let him bear the consequences of his own misdeeds. Tell him his sister-in-law is about to devour someone alive. If he continues covering for him, this household will surely be torn apart."
Zhou Yunruo couldn't help but sneer. What a clever scheme he had devised.
"Wah—"
The woman on the ground suddenly burst into tears. A beauty weeping was especially moving.
Yan Heng looked at her, his brow tightly furrowed. When Zhou Yunruo’s gaze met his, his eyes involuntarily darkened and shifted away, his expression growing even more somber.
He spoke sternly to the woman, “Although my Yan family is not a noble household, we are a family that upholds propriety and law. Once the facts are clarified, we will give you an answer. But if you are insatiably greedy and harbor improper intentions, even if the mistress of the house were to beat you to death, it would be your own doing.”
Upon hearing this, the woman collapsed to the floor. Her tearful eyes looked at him pitifully. When their gazes met, her face grew even more bitter, her chest heaving uncontrollably as she choked back sobs.
His thin lips pressed tightly together, thinking he had concealed his emotions well. But the slight flicker in his eyes could not escape the notice of those who were observant.
Zhou Yunruo’s eyes darkened slightly. In her past life, she had been deceived by them, leading to great suffering later on. This time, as long as she entered the Yan household, she would reclaim everything from them one by one. Unless he never touched her again, otherwise, for an official, fraternal discord was akin to destroying his own future.
She glanced at Yan Heng, not believing he would refrain.
Before long, Shunzi brought Yan Erlang over. In the dead of winter, Yan Erlang’s forehead was beaded with sweat. He kept his head lowered, not daring to look up, stammering for a long time without uttering a single word.
Yan Heng shot him an unfriendly glance. “Have you gone mute, you useless fool? At this critical moment, do you still expect me to take the blame for you?”
The half-squinted eyes, in Yan Erlang’s view, filled him with the most fear. His elder brother was domineering, and he had suffered many beatings from him since childhood.
Now, his legs trembled, and he appeared timid and pitiful.
Yan Erlang glanced at the woman on the floor, then met Yan Heng’s cold gaze, and his heart immediately skipped a beat.
Gritting his teeth and closing his eyes, he turned to Zhou Yunruo and uttered a single word: “Yes.”
“This woman is mine and has nothing to do with my elder brother.”
After saying this, the dignified seven-foot-tall man nearly broke into tears.
As if disgusted by his shameful display, Yan Heng frowned and scolded, “You spineless fool, all you know is how to cry.”
Then, turning to Zhou Yunruo, he said, “Now you should believe it, right? I serve in the imperial city every day, enduring the bitter cold, without a moment’s rest all night. What am I striving for?”
“Isn’t it to make something of myself in the future, to give you a good life, to let you stand proudly before others? And what about you? You don’t even have basic trust in me. At the slightest sign of trouble, you make a scene and torment me.”
She felt nothing upon hearing this. Instead, the standing woman was now gazing at him longingly.
Zhou Yunruo simply nodded in agreement toward him. This gesture left everyone momentarily puzzled.
Yan Heng’s face darkened, and he said irritably, “Tell me, with my face scratched up like this by you, how am I supposed to serve tomorrow?”
“Indeed, it’s not fit to be seen.”
“I have my temper too. Being slapped in public—this matter is not over.”
Compared to Yan Heng’s furious agitation, Zhou Yunruo remained remarkably calm. “My mistake, don’t be angry.”
It was like punching soft cotton—Yan Heng’s anger only grew, though he managed to restrain himself with great effort.
Then, she turned to the woman and said sternly, “Although the Yan family is not a noble household, we are a family that upholds propriety and law. Since you belong to Erlang, come back to the estate with me. Once I inform my mother-in-law, you will be given an answer.”
The woman shook her head tearfully. “Madam, I know my status is too lowly to be worthy. I will return to Pingzhou and never come back.”
Zhou Yunruo sneered inwardly, "That won't do. After making such a fuss, there must be an outcome. Otherwise, why did you come all the way to Jingdu?"