Chen Chunsi grew somewhat panicked—this was not the outcome she had wanted. “Grand‑Aunt…’
Madam Jiang shouted, “Shut up! Who do you think you are, daring to claim kinship with the Old Madam? If you dare be rude again, you will be punished without mercy!”
Chen Chunsi’s anger flared, and she retorted recklessly, “Now the First Madam blames me? I am also the daughter of a respectable family. If no one had instigated me, how could I have…”
Madam Jiang nearly spat in her face. “Daughter of a respectable family? Ha! What respectable daughter would flirt with men and lose her chastity? If I were you, I’d die of shame!”
Chen Chunsi’s face burned red. She placed a hand on her belly and cried to Old Madam He, “Please, Grand-Aunt, uphold justice for me!”
Old Madam He, seeing through everything, said calmly, “Uphold justice? Do you mean to have Baoyan marry you as his wife?”
Madam Jiang was dumbstruck. “…What?!”
She truly hadn’t expected Chen Chunsi to be so bold.
Chen Chunsi insisted, “My ancestors once held official posts!”
At first, when she began seducing He Baoyan, she worried Madam Jiang would notice. But she soon discovered things were going unusually smoothly—some servants even helped her. She was clever enough to connect this with He Baoyan’s unhappy betrothal and quickly realized Madam Jiang wanted to use her. So she went along with the plan, crossed the line with He Baoyan, and became pregnant. She knew one thing clearly: once Madam Jiang had used her, she would never let her get what she wanted—she would simply cast her aside. But being pregnant changed everything.
The child was her talisman. Yes, she did not want to be a concubine or a mere bed-servant; she wanted to be He Baoyan’s wife. By family background, she was indeed unworthy of He Baoyan. But she was a distant relative of Old Madam He. How could Old Madam He allow her to become He Baoyan’s concubine? If that truly happened, then Old Madam He herself would be related to a concubine, and what face would she have left before her daughter-in-law, Madam Jiang?
Chen Chunsi thought long and hard, and her final conclusion was: as long as she dared to risk everything, she had a chance to become the Third Young Madam of the He household.
Old Madam He saw through her thoughts at a glance, shook her head, and sighed, “Deluded wishful thinking, self-deception, arrogance!”
This girl had been blinded by wealth and passion, trapped in a daydream, imagining everything as she wished, refusing to open her eyes to reality. She was beyond saving.
Old Madam He could not control her, nor did she want to. Feeling somewhat weary, she ordered Madam Jiang and Chen Chunsi to withdraw.
Chen Chunsi still wanted to cling on, but Madam Jiang had her dragged away.
By evening, He Xiulang returned home from court. Hearing his wife Madam Jiang recount the day’s events, he hurried with her to Shou’an Hall to beg forgiveness. Ashamed, he said, “That wretched girl committed such a deed because I failed to discipline her. Please, Mother, punish me!”
Old Madam He closed her eyes to rest, leaving them waiting for quite a while before finally saying, “Baoyan’s betrothal to Zhu Zhu—I will annul it. From now on, they will each marry elsewhere.”
He Xiulang was overjoyed, but quickly added, “Mother, why do you say this? Baoyan was at fault, and I will discipline him myself. How has it come to the point of breaking off the engagement!”
His mother’s decisiveness was beyond his expectations.
Old Madam He said, “Even with your own mother, you still pretend?”
No one knows a son better than his mother; how could she not understand what her eldest was thinking?
He Xiulang was caught off guard by her bluntness, his expression faltering. “Hehe, I wouldn’t dare, wouldn’t dare!”
He truly liked Zhu Zhu—he really did! Such a sweet and lovable little niece, how could he not? But this niece had no father or brothers; she could neither help Baoyan nor benefit the He family.
Marriage alliances are about alliances of interest.
Old Madam He glared at him and said sternly, “Even if the betrothal is annulled, Zhu Zhu is still your niece, and you are still her uncle!”
He Xiulang laughed, “Of course, of course! I regard Zhu Zhu as my own daughter!”
These words came from the heart. As his daughter-in-law, he was dissatisfied. But as his daughter, he was very pleased. If he could marry this daughter into a wealthy and powerful household, it would also benefit the He family. That would truly be the best of both worlds. While assuring his mother he would treat his niece kindly, he was already thinking about which noble families he knew.
Madam Jiang also swore she would treat Xiao Yunzhu as her own daughter. They agreed that the public explanation would be that the marriage was inauspicious—that Xiao Yunzhu and He Baoyan’s fates clashed, and they were not destined to be husband and wife. It was not that either side wished to break the engagement. Whether others believed it or not was beyond their control.
Old Madam He looked at the couple and said meaningfully, “I have only one sentence: do not regret this.”
He Xiulang and Madam Jiang dismissed her words. They had already weighed the pros and cons of this marriage thoroughly—no regrets—certainly no regrets.
The next day at noon, Xiao Yunzhu received her betrothal document back. Her engagement to He Baoyan was not just a verbal promise—the two families had formally exchanged betrothal papers and even hosted a banquet for guests.
Handing the document to Qing Zhi for safekeeping, she smiled at Old Madam He and said, “Grandmother, I didn’t bring my third cousin’s with me. I’ll have to fetch it from home.”
Old Madam He’s voice was low and heavy: “Zhu Zhu, the day after tomorrow you will set out for the capital.”
Xiao Yunzhu was taken aback and pouted, “Grandmother doesn’t like me anymore, you’re driving me away!”
Usually, she would stay half a month before returning.
Old Madam He stroked her hair and forced a smile. “How could I not like you? Zhu Zhu is my favorite!”
She was reluctant to part with her granddaughter, but the household was about to face turmoil, and she did not want those filthy matters to taint Zhu Zhu’s ears and eyes.
Seeing her grandmother’s mind was made up, Xiao Yunzhu had no choice but to order her servants to pack, while she herself spent most of the day accompanying her grandmother. By the time she returned to Guanhu Cottage, the sun had already set.
As she watched the maids check the luggage, He Baoyan limped in, his eyes bloodshot. “Yunzhu, I’m only taking a concubine—are you truly so heartless? Or is it that you’ve always been cold as stone, without a shred of feeling for me?!”
The night before, his father had punished him harshly with family discipline, beating him so badly he could not rise. At the same time, he learned that his engagement to Xiao Yunzhu had been annulled. But how could that be! He had never thought of marrying another woman—Yunzhu was supposed to be his wife!
Xiao Yunzhu replied coolly, “Think whatever you like.” She had tried reasoning with him before, but since he refused, she no longer bothered.
He Baoyan: “You…”
His agitation pulled at his wounds, making him cry out in pain. After a pause, he softened his tone: “Yunzhu, don’t make trouble, all right? If you dislike Chunsi, I won’t take her. I’ll send her home tomorrow! Let’s marry at year’s end, just as we agreed!”
Even now, he could not believe she truly meant to break off the engagement.
His grandmother was old, his aunt indifferent—she was alone. If she annulled the betrothal, what then? She was already of marriageable age, and most young men of similar age and good family were already engaged. Who else could she marry?
Xiao Yunzhu said, “Third Cousin, don’t speak nonsense. Please leave.”
He Baoyan was on the verge of collapse, shouting, “It was just a small mistake! Why must you cling to it so relentlessly!”
But while he unraveled, Xiao Yunzhu remained calm: “Before the wedding, you let another woman become pregnant, and you wanted her to enter the household ahead of me, even to secure legitimate status for her child. Third Cousin, you call that a small mistake?”
He Baoyan muttered, “I didn’t think that far.”
A trace of coldness flickered between Xiao Yunzhu’s brows. “No, it’s not that you didn’t think it through—it’s that you never considered me at all.”
He Baoyan: “Yunzhu, listen to my explanation…”
Xiao Yunzhu’s gaze was full of contempt, each word sharp as a blade. “Do you think that because I have no father or brothers, you can treat me as you please? He Baoyan, who do you take me for? My Xiao ancestors once followed the Taizu Emperor in battle across Shayang, driving out the northern tribes and earning glorious merit! Though my father and brother have passed away, they too served the court and were cherished by the Emperor. How dare you deceive and insult me?!”
“See the guest out!”
Moments later, He Baoyan left Guanhu Cottage in a daze, utterly broken.