Volume 1 Chapter 14: Shamed
At this moment, the entrance of Yan Manor was surrounded by a crowd.
Lu Qiao Nan knelt before the gates of Yan Manor, carrying a thorny branch covered in barbs on his back, drawing the attention of numerous passersby.
"Isn't that Heir Lu? What happened?"
"You don’t know? Heir Lu married the legitimate daughter of Yan Manor the day before yesterday, but ended up consummating the marriage with the illegitimate daughter. The legitimate daughter left a divorce agreement and returned to the manor in the middle of the night."
"What? Didn’t Heir Lu only love the legitimate daughter of Yan Manor? How could he end up with the illegitimate daughter…"
"Men’s words are deceitful. I’ve seen that illegitimate daughter of Yan Manor—she looks like a seductress. Few men could resist her…"
"Wasn’t that illegitimate daughter carried into the Marquisate last night? They even paraded around the city three times to show off. Everyone knows about it."
"Exactly! To be so proud of becoming a concubine—she’s the first one!"
The onlookers whispered among themselves as they watched Lu Qiao Nan, some even recounting how Yan Tan had paraded around the city three times yesterday before entering the Marquisate as a concubine.
Madam Zhen stood at the entrance of Yan Manor, her face pale with anger.
What pride? What showing off? Who would show off about becoming a concubine? If it weren’t for that little wretch Yan Qing, would her Tan'er have to suffer such humiliation?
And Lu Qiao Nan—what did he mean by this?
Tan'er was only carried into the Marquisate last night, and today he came here to apologize to Yan Qing by carrying thorny branches. Where did that leave Tan'er?
Madam Zhen glared at Xue Qin. "Has that little wretch arrived yet?"
Xue Qin replied, "Madam, Nanny Li has gone to fetch her."
Madam Zhen took a deep breath.
She forced a smile and walked up to Lu Qiao Nan. "Heir, if there’s something to discuss, why not come inside? What’s the point of kneeling here?"
Lu Qiao Nan hung his head, his voice hoarse. "I’ve wronged Qingqing. If she doesn’t forgive me, I won’t get up."
Madam Zhen’s expression darkened. "And what about Tan'er? Have you wronged her too?"
Lu Qiao Nan’s face paled slightly.
His lips moved, but in the end, he remained silent.
Madam Zhen was furious but helpless. Lu Qiao Nan was the heir of the Marquisate and the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Guard. As a woman, how could she dare offend him?
If he insisted on kneeling here, Madam Zhen had no way to stop him.
Although she didn’t want that little wretch Yan Qing to have anything more to do with Lu Qiao Nan, his display before the gates of Yan Manor would only bring further shame to Tan'er and the family’s reputation.
That was why Madam Zhen had sent Nanny Li to fetch Yan Qing, hoping the little wretch would hurry over and bring him inside to avoid becoming a public spectacle.
"Is that the mistress of Yan Manor? She doesn’t look quite like it."
"Of course not. The mistress of Yan Manor is the eldest daughter of Old General Ye. How could it be this country woman from the countryside?"
"Country woman? She looks quite dignified…"
"You clearly don’t know what happened back then. Don’t be fooled by her gentle appearance—she’s a ruthless one. Back in the day, she took that illegitimate daughter and sued Master Yan before the Prefectural Magistrate, forcing Madam Ye to personally bring her back to the manor and treat her as a co-wife…"
"What co-wife? That’s just a fancy term merchants use to make themselves sound respectable. In truth, she’s nothing but a concubine!"
The voices of the commoners pierced Madam Zhen’s ears like needles.
She was originally Yan Junyuan’s first wife, bearing him children and caring for his parents. After finally bringing the whole family to the capital, she learned he had already married the legitimate daughter of a general.
She took her daughter and sued before the Metropolitan Governor, only then securing herself the status of a co-wife.
How could she be called a concubine?
She was a wife!
Not a concubine!
"What nonsense are you all talking about?"
Madam Zhen's face turned ashen as she glared at the surrounding commoners. "I am the wife of the Yan family! I went through a proper ceremony with my husband before heaven and earth!"
"What wife of the Yan family? Ye Xi Ruo is the true wife…"
"That's right. Clearly just a concubine, yet she insists on imitating merchant families by calling herself a co-wife. How laughable…"
"I heard Lord Yan has been favoring his concubine over his wife all these years. Now it's this concubine who represents the Yan Manor publicly, while the true wife has been locked away in the manor for years…"
"She snatched the true wife's husband as a concubine, and her daughter snatched the true wife's daughter's husband as a concubine too. Tsk, truly a fine pair of mother and daughter…"
For some reason, the commoners today were particularly critical of Madam Zhen and seemed unusually well-informed about the affairs of Yan Manor, pointing and whispering about her.
Madam Zhen's face flushed crimson with rage!
She couldn't understand why Lu Qiao Nan had come to Yan Manor's gate carrying thorny branches to apologize, yet instead of discussing him and that little wretch Yan Qing, everyone was pointing fingers at her instead!
Hearing the crowd repeatedly comparing her to that old wretch Ye Xi Ruo, Madam Zhen's face visibly contorted. Trembling, she pointed at the crowd. "Guards! Drive away these insolent commoners for me!"
The Yan Manor guards immediately filed out.
Just as they were about to beat away the onlookers gathered before Yan Manor's gate, Yan Qing finally arrived, unhurried.
"Stop."
Yan Qing halted the guards and raised her eyes to look at Madam Zhen. "Madam, what are you doing?"
Madam Zhen's eyes were bloodshot. "These people are spouting nonsense before Yan Manor's gate. What's wrong with me having them driven away?"
"Nonsense?"
Yan Qing spoke leisurely. "Are you referring to them calling you a concubine?"
Madam Zhen's eyes nearly burst from their sockets in an instant!
Yan Qing smiled faintly. "Were they mistaken?"
"You—"
Madam Zhen was so enraged she nearly fainted backward, almost choking on her breath.
How dare this little wretch Yan Qing? How dare she speak to her like this in front of so many people!
"Madam, calm down!"
Xue Qin stepped forward to pat Madam Zhen's back, whispering, "The Second Young Miss just had her marriage snatched by the Eldest Young Miss and is resentful. She's deliberately provoking you."
Madam Zhen regained her composure and sneered. "Second Young Miss, I am the wife personally acknowledged by the Old Madam and the Master. How could I possibly be a concubine!"
Ignorant!
Yan Qing curled her lip.
In her past life, Madam Zhen had styled herself as a co-wife, throwing her weight around in the manor.
Her mother, unwilling to ruin Yan Junyuan's official career, had chosen to seclude herself, out of sight and out of mind.
Yet she never imagined Wang Zhenzhen would truly come to see herself as the lady of Yan Manor.
"Nanny Li, didn't you tell Madam?"
Yan Qing suddenly glanced sideways at Nanny Li, who was lurking furtively behind the gate.
Nanny Li was instantly so frightened her legs went weak. Stumbling, she threw herself beside Madam Zhen. "M-Madam…"
Madam Zhen frowned. "What did she tell you to inform me?"
Nanny Li trembled as she spoke. "Th-the Second Young Miss said if you insist on being the Master's wife, y-you'll be arrested and thrown into prison…"
"Nonsense!"
Madam Zhen kicked Nanny Li away. "You old fool, stop spouting such lies!"