“Enough.”
Jiang Wansu’s eyes were red: “Yulin’s mourning period hasn’t even passed, and you’re already thinking of having me remarry? How could that be right to Yulin?”
Cui Yulin had joined the merchant ship to make enough money to marry her—he knew full well the risks of such a journey.
How could she possibly turn around and marry someone else so soon after the man she loved died for her?
“Miss… that’s not what I meant.”
Zitang supported Jiang Wansu with a pained heart: “I just worry for you, miss. The First Madam has always looked down on your mother, and she treats you…
“The husband she chooses for you likely won’t be a good match.”
And even if the First Madam did select a decent future family, given her lady’s current situation, it would be impossible for her to marry peacefully.
Jiang Wansu wasn’t ignorant of Zitang’s meaning.
She choked back tears: “I know you mean well, but who understands my hardships?
“How could I not know that the best path forward now is to seize this chance to enter the Xie family? But whenever I see Xuchuan, my heart truly aches.”
She understood that Xie Xuchuan had sent Cui Yulin to sea for her own good, but that didn’t change the fact that Cui Yulin had died because of Xie Xuchuan.
She knew she shouldn’t hold hatred, but she truly wasn’t a magnanimous person.
Jiang Wansu lowered her head to look at her abdomen, tears falling silently.
Zitang watched, then embraced her lady and wept together.
Only after both had cried themselves out did Jiang Wansu rise to eat something.
The meat broth, steamed then stewed, was fragrant and smooth, yet Jiang Wansu held the spoon for a long time without moving.
Zitang waited on her carefully, and after a long while, finally heard her lady speak softly: “I know the Xie family is the best path forward, but…”
Jiang Wansu lowered her gaze: “The Xie family cannot do without the Shen Family Dyeing Manual, and the Shen family cannot do without the Xie family’s looms and patterns. Even for business alone, the marriage contract between Xuchuan and Shen Yuanzhu cannot be broken.
“And I have no intention of disrupting this marriage.”
“Miss… even at a time like this, you’re still thinking of others?”
“It’s not for anyone else’s sake. I want Shen Yuanzhu to marry Xie Xuchuan—she must marry Xie Xuchuan.”
Jiang Wansu’s face was full of exhaustion, but her hand resting on her abdomen was incredibly gentle: “Wouldn’t ruining a marriage be sinful? I must accumulate virtue for the child in my womb.
“And only if Shen Yuanzhu marries Xie Xuchuan will the Xie family obtain the other half of the Dyeing Manual. Only then can the currently renowned Xie family Cloud Brocade reach even greater heights.”
A bolt of plain Cloud Brocade was worth one hundred twenty taels—equivalent to a county magistrate’s salary for five years. With the Shen family’s secret methods for dyeing colored Cloud Brocade, its value could multiply several times over.
It was said the remaining half of the Shen Family Dyeing Manual contained rare and true colors seldom seen in this world.
Thus, the marriage contract between Shen Yuanzhu and Xie Xuchuan could not be broken by anyone—neither the Xie nor Shen families would allow it.
And since Xie Xuchuan had promised to take her and Yulin’s child as his legitimate heir, then naturally, her child would have a share of the Xie family’s future wealth.
This was what Xie Xuchuan owed Yulin and her.
Her and Yulin’s child deserved it and was worthy of it.
Jiang Wansu scooped up the meat broth and ate it bit by bit.
A warm current flowed into her abdomen, and Jiang Wansu felt slightly more comfortable.
She looked at Zitang, thinking for a moment: “Don’t worry, I will stay with the Xie family, and I won’t be separated from my child.”
Shen Yuanzhu was gentle, simple, naive, and completely guileless—trained by her sister-in-law to be as timid as a quail.
As long as the other married into the Xie family, she would find a way to extract the other half of the Shen Family Dyeing Manual from Shen Yuanzhu’s lips.
This is what Xie Xuchuan owes her, and as Xie Xuchuan’s wife, Shen Yuanzhu must also bear this sin.
Wiping the tears from the corner of her eye, Jiang Wansu said, “Pack up the things from the other courtyard properly. Tomorrow morning, go find Xie Xuchuan and tell him I am returning to the Jiang family to confess my guilt to my father.”
“Miss…”
Zitang wanted to say more, but Jiang Wansu waved her hand to cut her off. “If he takes action, pay no mind. If he remains unmoved, help me send a visiting card to Shen Yuanzhu’s sister-in-law.”
Zitang was right—Yulin had just left, and Xie Xuchuan was filled with guilt.
But as time passes and this guilt fades, it’s hard to say to what extent he will still act.
So she must strike while the iron is hot, letting everything settle once and for all, leaving no room for reversal.