19
The Heir of Marquis of Dingbei cleared his throat. “Huai’an, I have a great idea. You can use a woman’s jealousy to—”
Wen Huai’an immediately cut him off.
“Forget it! That idea is worthless!”
Tang Cheng had always been unpredictable. For all he knew, if she heard such rumors, she might even cheerfully congratulate him.
Just the thought of it made Wen Huai’an feel stifled and frustrated.
“Come on, Huai’an, hear me out! I wasn’t finished,” the Heir of Marquis of Dingbei protested. “I’m saying we should spread a rumor that another woman is pregnant with your child. That would surely spark Fourth Miss Tang’s jealousy and competitive spirit! Wasn’t she acting all high and mighty just because she carried your child? If she loses that exclusive status, she’ll definitely start to panic. Who knows? She might even beg you to get engaged again!” His excitement grew as he spoke.
This was even more absurd…
Wen Huai’an’s expression darkened as he shot him a glare. He should’ve known better than to expect anything useful from them.
The eldest son of the Duke of Qiguo twitched his lips and cast a disdainful look at the Heir of Marquis of Dingbei. “Su Jingxing, did you leave your brain at home today? What kind of rotten idea is that? Who doesn’t know what kind of person Fourth Miss Tang is? She used to cling to the Fourth Prince relentlessly and even threatened to abort her child for him! If it weren’t for the Marquis of Nanyang stopping her, Huai’an’s child would’ve been gone long ago. And you really think she’d care whether Huai’an got another woman pregnant?”
“She might even use this as an excuse to get an abortion!”
The eldest son of the Duke of Qiguo wasn’t exaggerating. He had once overheard Fourth Miss Tang shamelessly telling her maid that she was destined to marry into the royal family and rise above everyone else. The woman had absolutely no self-awareness, so this scheme would be completely useless against her.
“So what if she aborts the child? It’s not like she’s the only one who can bear Huai’an’s children. Didn’t Auntie already spread the word that Huai’an is in perfect health? The rumor is everywhere now,” the Heir of Marquis of Dingbei retorted, unconvinced.
The eldest son of the Duke of Qiguo: “…”
Wen Huai’an’s expression turned as dark as the bottom of a pot, his whole body practically radiating black energy. Gritting his teeth, he said, “My health may have improved, but the issue of my difficulty in producing heirs hasn’t been resolved.”
The Heir of Marquis of Dingbei was dumbfounded.
“But Auntie said—”
“We had an imperial physician examine me yesterday. My mother refuses to believe their diagnosis and thinks I colluded with them to deceive her. She also went behind my and my father’s backs to annul the engagement. By the time I found out and rushed over, it was already too late.”
Wen Huai’an closed his eyes briefly, his fingers tightening around the teacup, veins faintly visible on the back of his hand.
He had no idea why, after unilaterally canceling his engagement to Tang Cheng, his mother had been so eager to spread such a blatant lie.
It seemed that ever since his engagement to Tang Cheng was settled, his mother’s attitude had changed.
The main reason he wanted to reinstate the engagement—aside from not wanting his child to have a stepfather, was to protect his own flesh and blood.
Now that the engagement was annulled, who knew how the Marquis of Nanyang would react?
Tang Cheng had sworn she would give birth to the child, but what about the Marquis of Nanyang? He had nearly overlooked the man’s response in his calculations.
Had his mother truly not considered this possibility?
Wen Huai’an’s gaze darkened.
An eerie silence filled the private room.
The two men had initially been ready to celebrate after hearing that the Duchess of Zhen had spread word of Wen Huai’an’s supposed recovery, believing that his struggles with fathering heirs were no longer an issue. But now…
This was awkward.
For Tang Fourth Miss to conceive Wen Huai’an’s child from a single encounter—it wasn’t just luck, it had something to do with her physical constitution. She was, in all likelihood, the most suitable woman for him.
No matter how arrogant, brainless, or vain she was, if they were in Wen Huai’an’s position, they would cling tightly to this lifeline as well. Love had nothing to do with it.
Moreover, Tang Fourth Miss was undeniably beautiful.
A woman of her temperament could never become the primary wife of a noble family, but she could bear children—and that alone mattered. Prestigious families valued lineage above all else. Any child she bore could be taken from her and raised separately, ensuring they were properly groomed. Not to mention, she had the unwavering support of her father, the Marquis of Nanyang, who doted on her endlessly.
And yet, the Duchess’s actions ran completely counter to this logic. On the surface, she seemed to be acting in Wen Huai’an’s best interests, but under closer scrutiny, her reasoning didn’t hold up.
A flicker of something unreadable passed through the eyes of the Duke of Qiguo’s eldest son. He wasn’t sure if Huai’an had realized it yet. Perhaps he had, but he didn’t dare dwell on it too deeply.
The three men finished their tea in silence before each departed for home.
Outside, all of the capital was abuzz with discussion about the Wen heir’s remarkable recovery and the dissolution of his engagement. Public opinion overwhelmingly sided with the Duke of Zhen’s household, with many saying the annulment was the right decision—Tang Fourth Miss was simply unworthy of Wen Huai’an.
At the Jian’an Earl Manor, Liu Jintong’s smile had not faded since she first heard the news.
She had known all along that Tang Cheng, that brainless fool, would end up ruining herself. And now, just as expected—the engagement had fallen through.
How satisfying.
The only pity was that the child in Tang Cheng’s womb was still alive. If only it were gone then she would never have any chance of tying herself to the powerful Duke of Zhen’s family again.
“Yaohong, do you think the Wen heir’s health has truly improved?”
Liu Jintong narrowed her eyes as she asked. In her past life, Wen Huai’an’s condition had been far from good—he had to live a life of restraint to avoid an early death. The Duchess of Zhen had once resorted to disgraceful means against him for the sake of her niece, Xie Xuening. Though her plan ultimately failed, it left Wen Huai’an on the brink of death. Enraged, the Duke of Zhen had exiled his wife to a temple, publicly declaring that she had chosen to become a nun to pray for her son’s recovery.
Because of this, the Duchess had earned widespread admiration.
Liu Jintong only knew of this secret because she had once saved a servant who had secretly worked for the Duchess. From that moment on, she had lost all respect for the woman.
Yaohong replied respectfully, “This news came directly from the Duchess of Zhen. It shouldn’t be false.”
Liu Jintong let out a mocking laugh, her tone laced with meaning. “I do hope it’s true.”
Because if that were the case, then Tang Cheng’s foolish child would be completely irrelevant.
But she knew that was impossible.
Suddenly, a thought struck her like lightning, and her eyes widened in shock.
How could she have forgotten about the Marquis of Nanyang—the man who spoiled Tang Cheng beyond reason?
The Duchess of Zhen had annulled the engagement—after the Marquis of Nanyang learned of this, he would be furious. And once enraged, he would never allow that foolish daughter of his to give birth to the child.
With that thought, Liu Jintong’s mood brightened once more.
The Marquis of Nanyang had not expected the Duchess of Zhen to visit today, much less to abruptly break off the engagement.
The entire capital knew exactly what kind of temperament his precious daughter had. The Duchess of Zhen had known from the very beginning. So what if Tang Cheng had caused some trouble for that brat Wen Huai’an? Was that really reason enough to use it as an excuse to call off the marriage?
The Duke of Zhen’s household was utterly insufferable.
Even if the duke himself repeatedly insisted that this was not his decision, what did it matter? The engagement was already broken!
All his careful planning for his beloved daughter had gone to waste.
This was far from over.
Sitting inside his carriage, the Marquis of Nanyang turned the jade thumb ring on his finger, his gaze dark and ruthless.
The moment he returned home, he headed straight for the Peony Garden.
The women of the inner courtyard quickly caught wind of this, and their hearts filled with unease. Madam Zhang, however, remained indifferent. She had no time to concern herself with Tang Cheng—her focus was entirely on her own daughter now.
The servants had already informed Madam Zhang that Tang Xin had gone to Peony Garden to see Tang Cheng. Disappointment flickered in her eyes. If Jinshu hadn’t assured her that Xin’er had given up on such thoughts, she would have confined her to her courtyard and made her transcribe The Admonitions for Women as punishment.
By now, the Marquis of Nanyang had already arrived at Peony Garden.
Tang Cheng’s first reaction upon seeing her marquis father was to present him with a tricolor peony.
“Father, look! This is a tricolor peony I got from Tang Xin. Isn’t it beautiful? I heard it’s very rare.”
The Marquis of Nanyang stared at the flower in shock, inspecting it over and over again to make sure it truly had three colors and wasn’t just something his precious daughter had dyed herself.
“It is indeed beautiful.”
Tang Cheng beamed. “I’m giving this tricolor peony to you, Father. Do you like it?”
“I love it!”
The Marquis chuckled as he reached out to ruffle her hair, casting an amused glance at his daughter. How could he not see through her little schemes?
It was clear that she wasn’t the least bit affected by the broken engagement.
Relief washed over him. Thinking back to how she had been adamant about getting rid of the child just days ago, he realized that if he had known the Duchess of Zhen would end the engagement, he wouldn’t have stopped her.
But it wasn’t too late.
“Cheng’er, Father won’t stop you from aborting the child anymore.”
**