Zhongyong Hou stared at the scene before him and immediately roared in anger, “You unfilial son! How dare you bully Qing Wan again?”
If only Zhongyong Hou’s legs were functional, he would have leaped from his wheelchair to strike his son.
He hurled the hand warmer in his grasp toward his son. Made of bronze and filled with burning charcoal, the hand warmer would have surely split open his skull had it struck his head.
Gu Yunrui instinctively dodged, and the hand warmer shattered at Su Qingwan’s feet, its embers scattering wildly.
Qinxin quickly supported Su Qingwan as she stepped aside, avoiding the flying sparks that might have singed her skirts.
Su Qingwan cast a deep glance at Gu Yunrui and said softly, “If you truly were the Shizi, you would have protected me just now instead of dodging.”
Before they were married, during a banquet, a maid had nearly spilled scalding tea on Su Qingwan, but Gu Yunrui had swiftly blocked it with quick reflexes.
Now, in a similar situation, he had chosen to evade, contradicting his earlier claims once again.
Gu Yunrui felt a pang of regret and tried to explain, but Su Qingwan had already hurried to Zhongyong Hou’s wheelchair. She curtseyed and choked out, “I beg Father to uphold justice for me. Second Brother has suddenly gone mad, insisting he is the Shizi and demanding I abort the Shizi’s child in my womb. What does he mean by this?”
As she spoke, she pressed a handkerchief to her reddened eyes, looking utterly aggrieved.
Zhongyong Hou already felt deeply guilty toward his elder daughter-in-law, and the hand warmer he had thrown had nearly hit her. A rough military man and her father-in-law, he could say little else but glare at his son.
“You unfilial wretch! Do you want to split the family and be cast out of Hou Manor right now? Apologize to your elder sister-in-law at once!”
Gu Yunrui hurriedly replied, “Father, it was a misunderstanding. I never meant to harm Elder Sister-in-law. I… I thought she missed Elder Brother too much and wanted to comfort her by pretending to be him. After all, you all agreed to me inheriting two family lines, didn’t you?”
Zhongyong Hou paused, remembering the matter of inheriting two family lines.
Su Qingwan tightened her grip on her handkerchief. “Father, Second Brother and I have always maintained propriety. I have repeatedly refused the matter of inheriting two family lines. Now that I carry the Shizi’s posthumous child, let me state clearly once more: let us never speak of inheriting two family lines again.”
Zhongyong Hou nodded, seeing the logic in her words. “Let the matter of inheriting two family lines be dropped. Still, you have been wronged.”
Su Qingwan shook her head. “I have no other wishes now. I only hope to safely deliver the Shizi’s child, raise him peacefully, and comfort the Shizi’s spirit in heaven.”
Zhongyong Hou was deeply moved and felt even more remorseful.
Gu Yunrui, listening nearby, grew increasingly furious and anxious. “Father, how can we just drop the matter of inheriting two family lines? What will outsiders think of our Hou Manor?”
With Su Qingwan, Zhongyong Hou was patient and made an effort to appear gentle, but when it came to his disappointing son, his expression darkened instantly, his eyes glaring fiercely. “How dare you speak? Go kneel in the ancestral hall at once! You will not leave until Qing Wan’s anger has subsided!”
Gu Yunrui had never been punished to kneel in the ancestral hall since childhood. He wanted to explain further, but when he saw Zhongyong Hou looking for something else to throw at him, he could only glare resentfully at Su Qingwan before turning to go kneel in the ancestral hall as punishment.
Su Qingwan still wore the expression of someone who had been bullied and deeply wronged. But once she returned to her room in Linglong Yuan and removed her handkerchief, there was no trace of redness at the corners of her eyes. Her expression had returned to normal.
Qinxin snorted beside her, “He actually planned to make you get rid of the child yourself? What wishful thinking!”
Su Qingwan: “He doesn’t want to miss out on the Shizi position. But from the moment he returned from the battlefield claiming to be Gu Yunci, the real Shizi has been dead in my eyes. He can forget about remaining as Shizi.”
Qinxin: “Exactly! Since he’s dead, he should behave like a memorial tablet and stay properly placed on the altar. Why does he keep jumping around? Like a corpse coming back to life.”
Meanwhile, Qiyi worriedly said: “Miss, what if he goes to tell the truth to Lord Marquis? The Marquis would surely take his side, wouldn’t he?”
Su Qingwan shook her head: “The Marquis has always been upright and impartial. If Gu Yunrui dares to tell the truth, the Marquis would deliver him before His Majesty for punishment. After all, that would be the crime of deceiving the emperor.”
However, Zhongyong Hou was rough-minded and couldn’t properly manage household affairs, often being deceived by Feng Shi. Even his greater favoritism toward Gu Yunrui was largely related to Feng Shi’s influence.
How could she weaken Feng Shi’s status in Zhongyong Hou’s heart?
Su Qingwan suddenly thought of something and asked: “What do the Marquis’s concubines usually do?”
Qiyi replied: “They live in seclusion most of the time. The two illegitimate young misses are still young, so they mostly keep to themselves, guarding their daughters and living very law-abiding lives.”
After Zhongyong Hou suffered severe injuries and was confined to a wheelchair, the Imperial Physician said he would likely have no more children. Besides Feng Shi giving birth to twin sons, the other concubines were not only older but had only produced two illegitimate daughters.
Feng Shi also had an elder daughter who married the legitimate eldest son of the Ministry of Rites Vice Minister and had followed her husband to his provincial post in Suzhou three years ago.
Zhongyong Hou’s inner courtyard was actually quite simple, which was why Feng Shi had so much time to dote on her son and deceive Zhongyong Hou.
Su Qingwan’s lips curved slightly: “Since my mother-in-law has so much free time, let’s find something to keep her busy. Qiyi, go chat with the older servants in the manor and inquire about Hou Manor’s secrets. See if we can find an opening.”
“Yes.”
Meanwhile, news of Gu Yunrui being punished to kneel by the Marquis reached Haitang Courtyard. Su Xiyue was at a loss and could only go seek help from her mother-in-law Feng Shi.
“Mother, when I tried to go to the ancestral hall to bring my husband back, I was stopped. Please go check on him quickly. He’s been kneeling for two hours already—his knees must be swollen by now!”
Actually, it wasn’t that serious, and Gu Yunrui knew martial arts besides. But Su Xiyue knew how much Feng Shi doted on her son, so she deliberately exaggerated to make Feng Shi worry and anxious.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Feng Shi immediately became restless. As she hurried toward the ancestral hall, she frowned: “Why would the Marquis punish A-Ci for no reason?”
Su Xiyue hinted meaningfully: “Perhaps it has something to do with sister-in-law.”
Feng Shi angrily said: “How is it Su Qingwan again? She and the child in her belly have already won, why is she still being so aggressive?”
When the two arrived at the ancestral hall, they were still stopped outside by the steward, who said respectfully, “Marquis’ Wife, the Lord Marquis has said that the Second Young Master can only leave the ancestral hall when the Heir’s Wife has calmed down.”
Feng Shi was frustrated. “A-Ci still has to report for duty at the government office tomorrow!”
The steward replied, “The Lord Marquis said that if the Heir’s Wife hasn’t calmed down by then, the Second Young Master will have to continue kneeling in the ancestral hall, and he will request leave on the Second Young Master’s behalf.”
Feng Shi glared angrily, not daring to confront the Zhongyong Hou directly. Instead, she asked the steward about the details of what had happened. After forming a plan in her mind, she turned and headed straight for Linglong Yuan.
Su Xiyue, however, lingered behind for a moment and pressed the steward, “Did you really hear clearly that the Second Young Master said he would pretend to be the Shizi to comfort the elder sister-in-law?”
The steward gave an awkward laugh. “This servant doesn’t know the specifics, but that was roughly what was said. Many people in the courtyard heard it at the time. If the Second Young Mistress doesn’t believe me, you could ask others?”
Su Xiyue’s face darkened, a shadow of gloom flashing in her eyes.
She naturally believed it—it must be that Gu Yunrui had regretted his decision and now wanted to win back Su Qingwan? No, she would never allow it!
Meanwhile, Feng Shi had already stormed into Linglong Yuan in a rage. Seeing Su Qingwan’s calm and composed demeanor only fueled her anger further.
“Qingwan, how could you do this? No matter what, after A-Ci inherits two family lines, he will still be your husband in name. How can you be so aggressive? Go to the ancestral hall at once and tell the steward that you’ve forgiven A-Ci. If you do, I won’t hold this against you.”
Su Qingwan replied calmly, “Mother, previously, the Second Young Master remained chaste for Xiyue’s sake, so he and I are still merely sister- and brother-in-law in a clear, proper relationship. Moreover, I am now carrying the Shizi’s child. Father has also said that the matter of inheriting two family lines is hereby canceled, and no one should bring it up again.”
Feng Shi was left speechless for a moment. “Even so, A-Ci is still like a younger brother to you. How can you bear to see him kneeling in the ancestral hall like this?”
Su Qingwan said, “Speaking of this, Mother, you should discipline the Second Young Master more. How could he show such disrespect to me, his elder sister-in-law? He even spouted nonsense, claiming that he is the Shizi. But how could that be? Mother and Father care deeply about the Shizi and would never allow him to impersonate someone else, right?”
Feng Shi’s face began to pale as she realized that A Rui must have come to tell Su Qingwan the truth, but Su Qingwan did not believe it.
She stammered awkwardly, “Th-there was such a thing?”
Su Qingwan nodded. “If we keep it within the family, it’s one thing, but if such wild talk spreads outside, it would be the crime of deceiving the emperor and could lead to the extermination of nine clans! Besides, the Shizi is wise and intelligent—why would he abandon me to be with Xiyue instead…” Her gaze swept over Su Xiyue, who had turned pale, and she added, “Of course, Xiyue, I don’t mean to say you’re not good, but you must admit that your status in the Su family is inferior to mine, and the support you can offer the Shizi in his career is far less than what I can provide. The Shizi isn’t foolish enough to mistake a fish eye for a pearl, don’t you agree?”
With a few light, effortless words, Su Qingwan had completely shut down any arguments Feng Shi and Su Xiyue might have.
Even if the truth were laid bare, she would never believe that the current Gu Yunci was actually Gu Yunrui.
Feng Shi was already drenched in sweat. She forced a dry laugh, “This matter was A-Ci’s foolish mistake, but he has been kneeling in the ancestral hall for a long time. After all, you are his sister-in-law. Could you relent and spare him this once?”
Su Qingwan sighed softly, “Very well, I shall give Mother some face this time. But please also speak with Second Brother and remind him that there must be propriety between sister-in-law and brother-in-law. I hope he will not spout such nonsense again in the future.”
Feng Shi could only nod in agreement.
When they hurried to the ancestral hall, Qinxin massaged Su Qingwan’s calves and grumbled indignantly, “Young Lady, you are too kind-hearted! Second Young Master should have suffered more!”
Su Qingwan shook her head with a light laugh, “What does kneeling as punishment amount to? There’s no need to rush. Rest assured, he will have his fill of suffering in the future.”
Shortly after, Gu Yunrui left the ancestral hall. Frowning, he said to Feng Shi, “Mother, do you think Su Qingwan truly doesn’t believe me anymore, or does she have some other scheme?”