Chu Yunxuan had just arrived at his courtyard when the people sent by the Marquise Dowager and Lady Zhou arrived with gifts. He said nothing, simply smiling and telling Qian Duo to accept them.
As for Chu Yunyu, upon returning home, he was severely beaten by his father, Chu Mode, the master of the second branch, who had learned the full story. Previously, whenever Chu Mode tried to discipline Chu Yunyu, Lady Zhou would be heartbroken and intervene. But today, Chu Yunyu’s behavior had thoroughly angered her, so she found an excuse about urgent matters in her courtyard and slipped away while Chu Mode was disciplining their son. She left with a resolute back, terrified that if she delayed by even a second, she might regret her decision.
Chu Mode had long wanted to discipline his son, and seeing that his wife was finally not protecting him, he settled old scores and new ones together. That entire night, the sound of Chu Yunyu’s crying echoed throughout the second branch.
The Marquise Dowager herself was so infuriated that she had to call for the estate physician that same evening, and the next morning, she sent word exempting her three daughters-in-law from their morning greetings.
When Lin Yanran had learned what happened at Deyuan Courtyard the previous night, she had waited for a while. Seeing that her eldest son did not come, she knew he could handle it himself, and only then did she rest with peace of mind.
The next morning, as soon as Lin Yanran woke up, she was informed that she did not need to pay her morning respects at Deyuan Courtyard. She rose leisurely, ate her breakfast, and then took her attendants to the front yard to visit the Marquis of Wenxuan, Chu Mochen.
Lin Yanran was not only unresisting about visiting Chu Mochen; she was quite enthusiastic. Seeing Chu Mochen forced to lie prone on his bed, unable to move, she derived a sense of schadenfreude every day, which kept her in high spirits all day long.
When Lin Yanran arrived at Chu Mochen’s residence, the servant attending to him was helping him with his breakfast. Seeing Lin Yanran enter with her entourage in high spirits, Chu Mochen felt his eyelid twitch violently. He felt that ever since his secret affair was exposed, his wife’s temperament had become increasingly wicked, lacking all the dignity and modesty she once possessed. He had a strange feeling that after being dealt such a blow, she was inexplicably unleashing her true nature.
After entering, Lin Yanran sat directly on the daybed. Servants immediately brought her refreshments and tea, and she picked up a popular novel in one hand and a snack in the other, reading with great interest. Accompanied by Chu Mochen’s occasional gasps of pain whenever he shifted his wounds, she found the story quite a bit more entertaining.
Chu Mochen assumed his wife was accompanying him in this way and felt quite pleased, thinking that even if he had kept a mistress, and despite her cold words, she was actually still worried about him. He indulged in this self-consolation for a while before being distracted by the variety of snacks before Lin Yanran. After resisting for a while, the aroma became too tempting, and bored by his recovery, he finally decided to stop denying himself.
“Muqing, bring me a serving of the snacks the mistress is having.”
Muqing bowed respectfully, “My Lord, you are injured. The snacks the mistress is having are not conducive to wound healing; you cannot eat them.”
Chu Mochen pointed to another plate on Lin Yanran’s table, “Then bring that one…”
“My Lord, you cannot eat those either.” When Muqing explained this, his voice was even quieter than before.
Chu Mochen retreated a second time and pointed to the remaining few options. The answer he received was an even softer, yet firm, “No.”
Chu Mochen was so angry he laughed. After this exchange, if he still thought his wife was here because she loved and worried about him, he would twist his own head off. He gritted his teeth and looked at Lin Yanran, “Wife, there is a saying that a day of marriage brings a hundred days of grace…”
Lin Yanran was focused on her novel and retorted without raising her head, “Why? Just because I was once married to you, I can no longer eat snacks I like?”
“Eating is fine, but deliberately eating them in front of me when I cannot, that is a bit childish.” Chu Mochen had been soundly beaten, but he believed that since the beating was over, the matter should be put to rest. Thus, his expression was quite serious as he spoke.
“Oh, I enjoy it.” Lin Yanran not only refused to have them removed but continued to eat with gusto.
Chu Mochen…
When this man got angry, he liked to poke at the other person’s pain points, and Chu Mochen was no exception: “I have already taken the beating, and my private treasury has been emptied by you. When will you allow Xinrou to enter the estate?”
Lin Yanran knew perfectly well that Chu Mochen said this to disgust her. As a man who cared so much about his reputation, Chu Mochen would never want his concubine to see him in such a wretched state upon entering. If the original owner had heard him, she surely would have been heartbroken, but Lin Yanran felt absolutely no pain—only a hint of wicked excitement.
“Why wait for another day? Let it be today! Just in time for your sweetheart to come in and take care of you.”
Chu Mochen saw that Lin Yanran was not only unhurt but also willing to let the woman enter today, and he felt that things were spiraling out of his control. “There is no need to be in such a rush.”
“The children are already so big; it makes no difference now or later.” Having brushed him off, Lin Yanran immediately ordered Wenmei to personally lead people to fetch them.
Chu Mochen wanted to say something more, but thinking that he had not seen his daughter, Chu Ruoyu, for a long time, he swallowed his refusal. Forget it, he thought, let it be today. After all, there are no special rituals for taking a concubine; any day is the same.
Lin Yanran had instructed Wenmei in advance, so she knew exactly what to do. She immediately bowed, took a group of people, and a small sedan chair to leave the estate.
Wenmei led her party in an imposing manner toward the residence of the mistress. Passersby gathered to watch, and Wenmei kindly stopped to explain, “It is the Marquis of Wenxuan taking a concubine.”
When they arrived, Wenmei had the door knocked open and directly invited Sun Xinrou and her two children into the sedan chair. Sun Xinrou had been reluctant at first, but upon hearing she was being taken into the Marquis’s estate, she was delighted and followed them.
As Sun Xinrou left in the sedan with her two children, Wenmei immediately ordered her men to sell everything in the house, including the house itself. Since she was entering the estate, there was no need for this property to exist. As for any valuables inside, they were things that had come out of the Marquis’s estate; since the Mistress had no interest in them, they were naturally to be sold.
Sun Xinrou sat in the sedan, holding her two children, thinking that the Marquis had promised to make her an honored concubine; she would not be some plaything for the main wife to torture or sell off at will. She wouldn’t have to be as cautious as she was while being a mistress, constantly fearing that if the main wife found out, she would have her killed in a fit of rage.
Sun Xinrou only wanted to live and possess this beautiful future. Five-year-old Chu Yunyun saw that his mother was happy and asked curiously, “Mother, where are we going?”
Three-year-old Chu Ruoyu was frightened and clung tightly to Sun Xinrou. Sun Xinrou patted their heads, “Don’t be afraid, we are going to see your father. Soon, you will also be the young master and young lady of the Marquis’s estate, and you will be able to enjoy everything that belongs to the estate openly and honestly.”