16
The hall fell into utter silence.
Tang Cheng’s brazen attitude as she openly demanded repayment from the Duchess of Zhen left everyone stunned.
It was as if they were seeing a completely different Tang Cheng—eloquent, sharp, and brimming with an unyielding confidence.
The Duchess’s face turned an unmistakable shade of green, her anger boiling to the surface. She let out a sharp laugh, her voice dripping with mockery.
“Absurd!”
“I wasn’t aware that the Duke of Zhen’s household owed the Fourth Miss Tang any debt of gratitude.”
“If you think that by using the child in your womb as leverage, you can extort benefits, under the delusion that you’re some great benefactor ensuring the continuation of our family line then you’ve grossly miscalculated. The Duke of Zhen’s household has no need for the ‘meat’ you’re carrying.”
“Enough of this nonsense. Madam Tang, bring me the geng tie and the marriage contract. Let’s finalize the annulment!”
The Duchess had no intention of lingering a second longer. She was afraid Tang Cheng might genuinely infuriate her to death.
Most importantly, her visit to annul the marriage had been carried out in secret, without the knowledge of the duke or her son, Wen Huai’an.
Delays lead to complications.
Judging by Fourth Miss Tang’s indifferent attitude toward marrying into the Duke of Zhen’s household, she was probably still fixated on the Fourth Prince.
Once the engagement was annulled, there was a good chance she’d resume pestering him as she had before.
Hadn’t she been clamoring about wanting to abort the child just days ago?
If not for the duke’s insistence on keeping his grandchild, she would never have forced herself to tolerate this arrogant and brainless girl.
But now, finally, she no longer had to endure it.
Once the annulment was finalized, she would write to the Xie family and invite Xuening to stay in the capital for a while—giving her son ample opportunity to grow closer to her.
Madam Zhang: “…”
Cough, cough. “My apologies, Duchess, but the marriage contract and Young Lord Wen’s geng tie are in the Marquis’s possession.”
“What?”
The Duchess of Zhen was completely stunned, her expression a mix of disbelief.
The marriage contract and geng tie were both in the hands of the Marquis of Nanyang—how could she possibly annul the marriage now?
It seemed today’s efforts would be in vain.
If she missed this opportunity, once the Duke and the Marquis got involved, annulling the marriage would become much more difficult.
The Duchess’s face darkened in frustration.
Madam Zhang suppressed the slight curl of her lips, making sure not to show that she had intentionally waited until now to reveal this information.
Tang Cheng, unfazed by the Duchess’s shocked and unpleasant expression, calmly took another sip of tea. “Duchess, don’t rush it. You can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry. The geng tie and marriage contract are in my hands. After we settle the accounts, I’ll give them to you. Now, let me explain things clearly.”
After a brief pause, Tang Cheng added with a confident smile. “Don’t worry. As soon as everything between the Duke of Zhen’s household and I is cleared up, I won’t go back on my word. A person as outstanding as me will never struggle to find a match. I won’t cling to Wen Huai’an!”
She had already subtly warned the Duchess that she twisted her words, always bringing up the child in her belly to skew her intentions.
Tang Cheng was furious.
Meanwhile, the surprise had come too quickly.
And the Duchess of Zhen was almost caught off guard. Faced with someone like Tang Cheng, who had no regard for face or reputation and was doted on by the Marquis of Nanyang, she was at a loss. She was afraid that the Fourth Miss Tang would deliberately hold onto the betrothal documents and refuse to annul the engagement. In the span of a breath, the Duchess suppressed the wild joy in her heart and calmed down.
“Speak!”
She wanted to see just how far Fourth Miss Tang would go in her unreasonable demands and claims of gratitude.
Madam Zhang, like everyone else, was curious about what kind of favor Tang Cheng, who was always fond of stirring up trouble, wanted from the Duke of Zhen’s household.
Only the four maids remained composed.
The young lady had done a great favor for Young Lord Wen.
As everyone eagerly waited for Tang Cheng to reveal the secret, she lazily leaned back in her chair and ordered her maid to massage her shoulders.
“Zhenzhu, my shoulders feel a bit sore. Give me a massage.”
“Yes, Miss!”
Zhenzhu quickly stepped forward and skillfully began massaging Tang Cheng’s shoulders.
“Miss, should I give your legs a rub as well?” Shanhu suddenly suggested.
“Sure.”
Tang Cheng shot Shanhu an approving glance.
Not bad, this Shanhu.
Without a word, Linglong brought over another huanghuali wooden chair.
“Miss, resting your legs on the chair will be more comfortable.”
Tang Cheng gave Linglong a satisfied look as well.
Linglong had good instincts too.
“Miss, allow me to help relieve your fatigue,”
Hupo offered, unwilling to be left behind as she stepped forward to massage the acupoints on either side of Tang Cheng’s forehead.
Tang Cheng’s lips curled into a satisfied smile.
Each of her four maids carried out their respective duties, ensuring her complete comfort.
The room fell into stunned silence.
Everyone watched in disbelief as Tang Cheng, in the midst of such a tense confrontation, acted like a spoiled young lady, indulging in luxury as if she had all the time in the world.
Madam Zhang’s lips twitched.
Here she goes again.
Glancing at the Duchess’s darkened face, taut with restrained fury, Madam Zhang felt a rare flicker of sympathy.
She’ll get used to it.
If the Fourth Miss weren’t stirring up trouble, that would be more unusual.
The Duchess was livid, but with the Nanyang Marchioness proving utterly spineless, she had no choice but to endure it.
Tang Cheng let her stew just long enough, about the time it took to finish a cup of tea before finally speaking again. Still enjoying her maids’ attentive care, she said lazily, “I won’t harp on my reputation—it’s meaningless to you anyway. In your eyes, I lost my name long ago. A simple word is all it takes to dissolve this engagement, and everyone will simply say I brought it upon myself.”
“Get to the point!”
The Duchess of Zhen finally lost her patience and cut off Tang Cheng’s carefully crafted opening.
Tang Cheng glanced at the impatient duchess and let out a soft scoff.
So impatient!
Fine, let’s get straight to business.
“When Wen Huai’an returned home yesterday, you must have heard the news of his miraculous recovery, right? As the one who cured him with the Strengthening Elixir, it’s only fair that I receive my due compensation.”
“Well said, Miss! You’ve always been the one taking advantage of others, never on the losing end. Now that Young Lord Wen is calling off the engagement, he’s just an outsider—this is the perfect time to settle accounts.” While massaging her mistress’s legs, Shanhu chimed in with an approving nod.
The room fell silent.
Tang Cheng found herself quite pleased with the newly appointed Shanhu.
She decided to double her monthly salary.
“Wen Huai’an clearly promised me a generous reward yesterday, yet today, the Duchess rushes over to annul the engagement. This is the very definition of burning bridges and repaying kindness with betrayal!”
“I’m someone who prefers clear transactions.”
“One thousand taels of gold!”
“And with that, our dealings will be settled. The marriage contract and betrothal documents will be yours.”
Tang Cheng raised a slender, fair finger, her expression a perfect mix of reluctance and grievance.
In an era where Strengthening Medicine was worth a fortune, she was only asking for a mere thousand taels of gold—an absolute loss on her part.
Tang Cheng felt utterly wronged.
But what could she do? He was, after all, the father of her child. If not for his sake, then at least for the child’s.
A thousand taels of gold amounted to ten thousand taels of silver.
The Fourth Miss was asking for a fortune.
The tension in the hall was palpable, as the assembled guests, unaware of the underlying situation, took sharp intakes of breath.
Madam Zhang, her face frozen in disbelief, nearly dropped the teacup in her hand. The audacity of Tang Cheng’s demand had left her stunned, and the room fell into an uneasy silence.
The four maidservants exchanged troubled glances. They knew the miraculous effects of the Strengthening Elixir, and in their eyes, the price of one thousand taels of gold seemed far too low given the value of the medicine. It was a bargain, in their estimation, but it was clear that others didn’t share the same perspective.
“One thousand taels of gold? Tang Cheng, you have an insatiable appetite! You dare to extort the duke’s residence? Who doesn’t know that the Strengthening Elixir is nothing but a scam?” The Duchess’s voice was filled with fury, her eyes flashing with disdain.
Tang Cheng straightened up in her seat, her large almond-shaped eyes narrowing with a sharp glint. Her expression hardened, the previous feigned innocence replaced by a more confrontational look.
“Are you planning to go back on your word, Duchess?” she asked, her tone cutting through the tension like a blade.
She had already lowered her price and played the role of the wronged party, but to be refused even one thousand taels of gold felt like a slap in the face. It was more than just a transaction now; it was an insult. Her patience was running thin.
The Duchess, clearly flustered by Tang Cheng’s defiance, tried to mask her irritation with a cold, biting remark: “Tang Cheng, don’t be too greedy. Be careful or you might find yourself with nothing at all.”
Her words only served to stoke the fire in Tang Cheng’s eyes. She wasn’t about to back down now.
The Duchess’s gaze turned icy as she glared at Tang Cheng, her tone dripping with barely contained anger and a veiled warning.
But Tang Cheng, far from intimidated, remained unfazed. She found it almost laughable that the Duchess was quibbling over a mere thousand taels of gold. For someone in her position, it was a paltry sum, and her lack of willingness to negotiate only spoke volumes about her insincerity.
“One thousand taels of gold is already a concession,” Tang Cheng said with a lazy smile, still enjoying her massage. “I’m only asking this much because of the child you’re so eager to claim as your grandchild. Don’t be too greedy. If you’re unwilling to pay, then by all means, don’t bother with the marriage cancellation. I really don’t care.”
Her tone was casual, almost bored, as though the whole situation was beneath her. To her, whether there was an engagement or not, it didn’t change anything. It wasn’t her who was desperate.
She wasn’t the same as her predecessor. Unlike the former, naïve version of herself, she had learned to read between the lines. The Duchess’s urgency to sever the engagement suggested there was more going on beneath the surface—something hidden that she had yet to uncover.
Perhaps the child’s father, the man who was supposed to be her fiancé, wasn’t even aware of his mother’s sudden decision. If he knew, she’d have demanded a far higher price—at least ten times more than what she was asking now.
For a powerful and deeply rooted family like the Duke of Zhen’s household, a mere thousand taels of gold was nothing more than a drop in the ocean.
Yet the Duchess was being unbelievably stingy.
She couldn’t even part with a thousand taels.
“You… you—!”
The Duchess was so enraged by Tang Cheng’s shameless attitude that she was practically fuming from every orifice.
Madam Zhang: “…”
This girl could drive anyone to their grave.
Everyone silently awaited the Duchess’s reaction even the servants and attendants she had brought along, who had otherwise remained invisible until now.
After a brief but tense silence, the Duchess, face dark with barely suppressed fury, gritted her teeth and gave in.
“Fine! I’ll pay!”
The Duchess wasted no time and promptly sent someone back to fetch the banknotes.
Tang Cheng, equally efficient, instructed Pearl to retrieve the marriage contract and Wen Huai’an’s birth certificate from the Peony Garden.
It would be a straightforward exchange: the banknotes for the documents—and, of course, the two nursemaids.
Once the engagement was annulled, the two nursemaids would no longer remain at the Marquis’ residence, which left Tang Cheng feeling a bit regretful. She made a mental note to inform her father, the Marquis, about this later.
One incense stick later.
“Miss, the banknotes are all in order.”
Satisfied, Tang Cheng took the banknotes and, with a beaming smile, handed the marriage contract and birth certificate to the Duchess. “Pleasure doing business with you,” she said with a sweet grin.
“Take care and don’t let the door hit you on the way out!”
“Oh, by the way, my apologies for sharing some bad news, Madam Min. While Wen Huai’an’s health has improved, his issue with having children hasn’t been resolved or improved in the slightest.”
Madam Zhang: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
With the marriage officially annulled, Madam Min heaved a sigh of relief. She couldn’t be bothered to entertain Tang Cheng’s provocative words. Clutching the marriage certificate and Wen Huai’an’s geng tie, she didn’t spare Tang Cheng another glance and left with her entourage.
She needed to rush to the yamen to destroy the backup copy of the marriage contract.
At that moment, no one knew that because of Chen momo had accidentally slip the news in front of Tang Xin, the news of the Duchess’s visit to annul the engagement had quickly spread throughout the capital.
At the Duke of Zhen’s residence.
When Wen Huai’an learned of the news, his expression darkened. Without a moment’s hesitation, he prepared his horse and hurried to the Nanyang Marquis’s residence.
Unfortunately, he was a step too late.
Just as Wen Huai’an arrived at the Nanyang Marquis’s residence, the duchess had already left for the yamen to destroy the registered copy of the marriage contract.
Tang Cheng glanced at the dashing young man before her, who had clearly rushed over in such haste that he looked slightly disheveled. She couldn’t help but feel a hint of regret—just a tiny bit.
“You’re too late,” she said with a faint smile. “Our engagement has been annulled.”
**