Yan Ting’s brows knitted together, and he looked on the verge of exploding in anger.
Beside him, Song Mei’er’s eldest daughter hurriedly interjected, “Sister-in-law, don’t be afraid. That’s not what my mother meant. It’s just that there have been so many incidents in the last two days; Mother only wanted to say that you should take care on your way to visit your parents.”
Liu Xiyin had met everyone in the Marshal’s mansion yesterday and recognized this as the Second Concubine’s daughter, Yan Changrou.
[Yan Changrou is the second female lead. In the book, she goes traveling with classmates to Hong Kong last year, accidentally meets the male lead on a cruise ship, learns of his identity as a Prince, and becomes desperate to cling to him. She is the one who actively shows off her wealth to lure the male lead to Ancheng.]
[To exploit her and accumulate wealth in Ancheng, the male lead leads her around by the nose. Yan Changrou goes to great lengths to help him hide his identity, using her status as the Marshal’s daughter to open doors for him. The male lead grows lush and strong by sucking the marrow from her bones, and she’s still here trying to play clever tricks on me.]
Liu Xiyin offered Yan Changrou a gentle smile.
[They say love-struck fools don’t end well. Yan Changrou pours her heart and soul out for the male lead, gives him access to the military government, drains her mother’s dowry, and even introduces her own mother to the male lead’s ‘Uncle Wang.’ Later, she even steals classified documents from the Marshal for him. When things fall apart, the male lead coldly sells her to Nanyang to be a hostess.]
[These explosives this time? The male lead used her name to get them. Sister-in-law! You’re finished if you get found out!]
Liu Xiyin silently ate the piece of ham that Yan Changye had placed in her bowl.
[This cannon fodder character only helps those destined for it. If you, my sister-in-law, want to set yourself against me, I won’t help you.]
[Buddha says that those who refuse to be saved cannot be saved; those who are love-struck are even more unsaveable. Amitabha~]
Yan Changye lowered his gaze, hearing every single word she muttered in her heart clearly.
So that was it.
The 540 jin of explosives from yesterday were hidden in the paving stones of the newly repaired roads on those three streets.
The municipal public works department reported that those three sections of road had suffered various degrees of damage and had been repaved with funds donated by local merchants, completed just three days ago.
The bricks themselves had been purchased through channels found by the merchants themselves, and all possessed proper documentation.
If the “male lead” had people handle it under Yan Changrou’s name, how could the paperwork be anything but legitimate?
Yan Changrou was Yan Ting’s favorite daughter and the niece of the Song family, who had earned their place as founding contributors. She was practically able to summon wind and rain in Ancheng.
With her referrals, no matter what the “male lead” wanted to do, neither the police department nor the military government would dare to trouble him; they would likely even turn a blind eye.
If he had succeeded, Yan Changrou’s death would not have been enough to atone for her sins.
From what his little bride meant, in the “book,” the male lead had indeed succeeded.
Yan Changrou saw Liu Xiyin enjoying the ham and wanted to pick up a slice for herself, but just as her chopsticks reached out, the plate was whisked away.
Yan Changye placed the plate directly in front of Liu Xiyin. As if he hadn’t even noticed Yan Changrou’s movement, he said quietly to Liu Xiyin, “This is premium Xuanwei ham. If you like it, we can take some back to the residence.”
Liu Xiyin blinked, glanced at Yan Changrou, whose smile was crumbling, and finally nodded obediently. “Okay.”
The curing method for this ham was superb; the bitterness of the salt hadn’t penetrated too deeply, and the fermentation was perfect. It tasted very similar to modern flavors.
Liu Xiyin liked it.
Everyone said she was a village girl who had never seen the world; well, if she saw something good, she was going to drag it back to her own home.
She was getting the benefit, so she didn’t care if Yan Changye was doing it just to spite Yan Changrou.
Yan Changrou pulled back her chopsticks and forced her smile to return. “Everyone used to think that Eldest Brother’s fiancée was the eldest daughter of the Liu family, and we were worried that Eldest Brother wouldn’t be happy with a last-minute replacement. Seeing how good you are to your wife now, Big Brother, I’m sure no one would dare say anything out of turn.”
As soon as she brought this up, Song Mei’er immediately recovered her momentum. “Indeed. Although the Young Marshal has been away for years, every year on the eldest daughter of the Liu family’s birthday, the Young Marshal would entrust people to send gifts from the barracks. Suddenly changing people like this, everyone was very worried about the new bride.”
[Eh? What’s this? The Marshal can marry a whole horde of concubines, but his son isn’t allowed to have a few more wives? She’s a concubine herself, yet she wants to use this to stir up trouble between me and the great villain.]
[Heh, heh. As if she needs to stir anything up when the great villain is already dying to throw me in prison?]
For some reason, Yan Changye heard a hint of smugness in that last sentence.
Yan Changye: “…”
Yan Changye’s phoenix eyes were cold as he looked at Song Mei’er. “It seems the Second Concubine has a very spacious heart. Your niece has a gunshot wound in her leg and still cannot even eat, yet you have the energy to worry about this and that. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were the mistress of the Marshal’s mansion.”
Liu Xiyin ate her fill, set down her chopsticks, and looked seriously at Yan Changrou. “I heard the younger sister is still in school and hasn’t yet been betrothed. Why have you been so concerned about how I get along with your eldest brother? Could it be… that the younger sister has a sweetheart and is in a rush to get married?”
Her round eyes darted between the Marshal and Qin Wan. “Mother, is it you who oversees the younger sister’s marriage? Are the Second Concubine and the younger sister trying to sound you out today?”
Liu Xiyin put on an earnest, helpful face, looking a bit embarrassed. “I hear that ‘free love’ is very fashionable these days. I’m afraid the younger sister is just too embarrassed to say it outright.”
“…” Yan Changrou had a guilty conscience, and her face flushed crimson. “Sister-in-law…”
Liu Xiyin pointed at her excitedly. “Mother, look, the younger sister is blushing. I must have guessed right.”
Song Mei’er turned sharply to look at Yan Changrou.
Yan Changye was composed. “Mother, you spend all your time chanting Buddhist scriptures and have forgotten that your younger siblings are all grown up and should be getting betrothed. The Second Concubine and the younger sister are complaining about you.”
Qin Wan usually fasted and had a poor appetite, having already set down her bowl and chopsticks. Hearing this, she said, “We are a democratic government now. Your Second Concubine said earlier that the children should decide their own marriages and that I needn’t worry. The Marshal has already promised them this.”
In an instant, everyone at the dining table turned to look at Yan Changrou and Song Mei’er, and then at Yan Ting.
The Marshal’s mansion had many concubines and children; a single table wasn’t enough to seat them all, so the dining room was divided into three tables.
Yan Changye, as the eldest son of the primary wife, naturally sat at the main table, and Liu Xiyin with him.
Song Mei’er was favored, so she and her four children were also at the main table—though Yan Changzhuo was absent today. It was said that Yan Ting had exploded at him yesterday regarding the explosives and had forbidden him from coming home until he had straightened out the police department.
Thus, at the main table, aside from Yan Ting, Qin Wan, Liu Xiyin, and Yan Changye, there were only Song Mei’er and her three children.
Now, everyone at the main table and the other two tables stared at Song Mei’er and Yan Changrou, their gazes threatening to crush the mother and daughter like a sandwich.
Yan Changrou panicked. “I… Father… Mother…”
[She’s panicking, she’s panicking!]
[Hahaha, sister-in-law, your sister-in-law is saving you! If you break it off with the male lead early, you won’t have to be sold to Nanyang! Thank me! May Buddha have mercy!]
Yan Ting slammed a palm onto the table, his tiger eyes glaring. He pointed at Song Mei’er, then at Yan Changrou. “So this is the fine daughter you’ve birthed for me—whoring after men in public, bringing total disgrace to my name!”