Three hours later, they arrived at the Young Marshal’s residence.
The estate was said to have once belonged to a prince. It stood in the most prestigious district of Pingjin City, where influential families gathered. Surrounded by towering walls and deep courtyards, the mansion was heavily guarded.
The vermilion gates slowly opened, and the automobile drove inside.
Rather than feeling any festive atmosphere, it felt as though they had plunged straight into a vortex of oppression.
The servants hurried about with anxious expressions, while the red wedding decorations hanging throughout the estate looked perfunctory and devoid of joy.
Leaning against the car window, Su Nuohan carefully observed the entire Young Marshal’s residence.
The car eventually stopped outside a five-story Western-style mansion.
A servant approached the vehicle and helped her out.
“Young Madam, the Young Marshal’s condition suddenly worsened. Madam said there is no need for the wedding ceremony. As long as you step through these doors, you will be considered the Young Marshal’s wife.”
The servant supported her as they walked.
After hearing this, Su Nuohan nodded slightly.
The servant then guided her into the mansion.
The interior decoration blended Eastern and Western styles. Traditional redwood carvings coexisted with crystal chandeliers and stained-glass windows.
Yet the entire building was shrouded in a suffocating atmosphere.
The servants kept their heads lowered and hurried through the halls.
The air was thick with the strange mixture of disinfectant and expensive incense, making it difficult to breathe.
“Young Madam, the Young Marshal is currently receiving emergency treatment. I will first take you to your room.”
Emergency treatment?
Su Nuohan paused.
A moment later, she slowly turned toward the servant supporting her.
“Take me to the Young Marshal’s room.”
“What? You wish to go to the Young Marshal’s room?”
The servant looked troubled.
Su Nuohan nodded.
After thinking for a moment, the servant said,
“Young Madam, please allow me to report this to Madam first.”
“Very well.”
…
Not long afterward, the servant hurried back.
“Young Madam, please follow me.”
Immediately afterward, she was led directly to a spacious bedroom permeated with an overwhelming smell of medicine.
Su Nuohan lifted her bridal veil and surveyed the room.
There were many people gathered inside.
A middle-aged woman dressed in an elegant dark-purple qipao stood nearby. Endless exhaustion and anxiety filled her features as she continuously wiped away tears with a handkerchief. Her gaze remained fixed on the carved canopy bed in the center of the room.
This must have been Fu Chengyan’s mother, Madam Fu.
Several renowned Chinese and Western doctors stood nearby, dressed in long robes or suits. They were engaged in intense hushed discussions, all shaking their heads with grave expressions.
Several well-dressed members of the Fu family were also present.
Their faces were solemn, and their complicated gazes shifted between the bed and the newly arrived Su Nuohan.
The moment she stepped into the room, every eye focused on her like sharp needles.
There was scrutiny.
Pity.
Indifference.
And undisguised contempt.
Meanwhile, Su Nuohan’s gaze pierced through the crowd and landed directly on the man lying on the bed.
Although illness had reduced him to skin and bones, his deeply sculpted features remained striking.
His face was pale as paper, and his cheeks had sunken deeply.
Yet even in such a state, he still radiated the cold, commanding aura of a man accustomed to holding power and making life-or-death decisions.
His eyes remained tightly shut.
His breathing was so faint that his chest barely moved.
It seemed as though he could depart from this world at any moment.
This was Fu Chengyan.
The youngest Young Marshal in the North.
Her husband.
A man who already had one foot in the gates of the underworld.
Madam Fu looked toward her.
Rising from her chair, she quickly walked over and grasped Su Nuohan’s hand.
Her voice was filled with affection.
“You must be Nuohan, right?”
Su Nuohan nodded.
“Beautiful. Truly beautiful.”
Madam Fu’s voice trembled with emotion.
“If Yan’er hadn’t fallen ill, he surely would have liked you very much.”
Her voice became increasingly choked with tears.
“But good child, you’ve suffered a grievance. I had intended for you and Yan’er to complete the wedding ceremony properly. I never expected his illness to suddenly flare up.”
Su Nuohan shook her head slightly.
“Are you my mother-in-law?”
Although tears lingered in Madam Fu’s eyes, she forced out a smile and nodded kindly.
“That’s right, my good daughter-in-law. I am Yan’er’s mother.”
“Since you’ve entered the Fu family, you’re now my daughter-in-law and the Young Madam of this household.”
“It’s just that Yan’er…”
As she spoke, tears once again rolled down her face.
Su Nuohan looked toward the bed again before asking,
“May I go take a look at him?”
Hearing this, Madam Fu stopped crying and was about to answer.
At that moment—
A middle-aged woman wearing a qipao sneered.
“Tch. Yan’er is already dying. Do you really think your so-called marriage for good fortune can save him?”
After speaking, she turned toward Madam Fu and mocked her openly.
“Younger Sister-in-law, I told you long ago not to believe those charlatans.”
“You insisted that bringing in a bride would cure Yan’er.”
“Well, today is his wedding day. Did he get better?”
“Not only did he not improve, his condition became even worse.”
“Exactly.”
Another middle-aged woman chimed in immediately.
“Second Sister-in-law, Yan’er was perfectly fine yesterday.”
“But look at him today.”
“The moment this bride entered the house, he ended up like this.”
“If you ask me, she isn’t bringing good fortune.”
“She’s bringing disaster.”
“That’s right, Second Aunt.”
A young man joined in.
“I’ve said all along that Big Brother’s illness may have been brought on by this woman.”
“I suggest throwing her out.”
“Maybe once she leaves, Big Brother will recover.”
After the three of them finished speaking, many others in the room began echoing their sentiments.
Madam Fu’s face darkened with displeasure.
“Enough!”
Her furious shout instantly silenced the room.
She looked directly at the two middle-aged women.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re really thinking.”
“Since Nuohan has entered the Fu family, she is my daughter-in-law and the Young Madam of this residence.”
“I want to see who dares say another word against her.”
After hearing Madam Fu’s declaration, the room immediately fell silent.
The two women snorted coldly but said nothing further.
Once the room became quiet again, Madam Fu gently patted Su Nuohan’s hand.
“Good child, don’t pay attention to them.”
“Come, let’s go see Yan’er.”
Su Nuohan swept her gaze across the room before smiling and nodding at Madam Fu.
Then she followed her to Fu Chengyan’s bedside.
“Child, this is Yan’er.”
Madam Fu looked at her son with heartache as she spoke.
Su Nuohan nodded.
Her beautiful eyes remained fixed on Fu Chengyan’s face.
This man is certainly handsome.
But what exactly is wrong with him?
Why does his body feel as though it’s filled with icy deathly energy?
Hm? No… that’s not right.
This feels more like poisoning.
A slight frown appeared between her brows as she studied him carefully.
After a while, she reached out, intending to check his pulse.
Before her fingers could touch him, however, the same middle-aged woman shouted,
“Hey! What are you doing?”
Su Nuohan turned toward her, about to answer.
The other woman immediately sneered.
“I think she’s trying to harm Yan’er.”
“How dare you try to harm my elder brother!”
The young man immediately followed up with an angry shout.
Su Nuohan swept a cold glance across the three of them and ignored their accusations.
Instead, she turned toward Madam Fu and spoke softly.
“Mother, your daughter-in-law knows a little traditional medicine.”
“I’d like to check Chengyan’s pulse.”
“What a joke!”
One of the women immediately scoffed.
“These doctors are the finest physicians in the entire city, and even they can’t figure out what’s wrong.”
“What could you possibly know?”
“Exactly.”
The other woman sneered.
“I heard you’ve been abandoned in the countryside by the Su family your entire life and were only brought back because you were about to be married off.”
“If you actually know medicine, then pigs would be climbing trees.”
“That’s right…”
Before Madam Fu could even speak, the two women and the young man once again jumped in, taking turns mocking Su Nuohan.