Upon seeing Fu Ci, the shopkeeper personally came to greet him.
“Lord Fu, the private room is ready. Please come this way.”
Jiang Wan did not want to be led by Fu Ci. She had grown up in the capital, and now that the Jiang family had fallen, it was no surprise that others would gossip.
If she had to care about the opinions of outsiders, she probably wouldn’t have survived until now.
She didn’t need Fu Ci to stand up for her. As long as she left the capital, she could naturally distance herself from all these troubles.
The more Jiang Wan tried to withdraw her hand, the tighter Fu Ci held it.
As if in a contest of wills, he even forced Jiang Wan to interlace their fingers.
Those who saw this were stunned.
Was this still the aloof and noble Lord Fu?
How could he hold hands with a woman in public?
People have a tendency to bully the weak and fear the strong.
Not daring to criticize Fu Ci, they could only despise Jiang Wan in their hearts.
Look at her delicate and fragile appearance—this coquettish manner was nothing like a carefully raised young lady from a noble family.
She was clearly a seductive enchantress.
No wonder she could only be a concubine now. Wasn’t this the result of her improper character?
A truly principled noblewoman would have perished with her family long ago.
Living in disgrace, she wasn’t even afraid of being ridiculed.
Women are more sensitive than men when it comes to perceiving emotions.
Moreover, Jiang Wan was the person involved, so she could easily sense the unspoken meanings in those glances.
At first, she had indeed wanted to live and die with her family.
But now that she had survived, she would not easily give up her life.
Tianxiang Zhai was five stories tall, and the higher one went, the broader the view.
Considering Jiang Wan’s poor health, Fu Ci had arranged a private room on the third floor.
“Lord Fu, this is the new menu from our shop. Please take a look.”
“Give it to the Madam.”
The shopkeeper was quick-witted and immediately placed the menu in front of Jiang Wan. “Madam, please.”
Jiang Wan didn’t look at it. “Serve all the signature dishes.”
The shopkeeper acknowledged and then glanced at Fu Ci.
“Listen to the Madam, and also arrange the latest dishes.”
“Yes, please wait a moment.”
The shopkeeper withdrew.
Jiang Wan didn’t want to argue with Fu Ci in front of outsiders because she didn’t want to lose face.
Now that only the two of them were in the private room, she reverted to her cold demeanor.
Her gaze fixed on the lake outside the window, she didn’t respond to anything Fu Ci said, making one suspect she wasn’t even listening.
This elusive attitude made Fu Ci feel insecure.
Does Wanwan still want to leave?
Once the thought arose, a storm surged in his eyes. Since she was already with him, he would never let her go!
He reached out, forcibly turning Jiang Wan’s face to make her look at him.
“We’ll go boating on the lake after the meal. Don’t look outside for now.”
Jiang Wan mocked him, “Lord Fu controls everything under heaven and earth. Now you even want to control what I look at?”
“When we were together before, your eyes were only on me.”
Jiang Wan’s expression remained indifferent. “You said it yourself—that was before.”
“I won’t marry Yun Yanran. I only want you in this lifetime. Stop being angry with me.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the private room door was violently kicked open.
“Fu Ci, what do you mean by this? If you don’t want to marry my sister, why did you send a matchmaker to propose? Now that the marriage is settled, you say you won’t marry Yanran. Are you playing with people?”
Four people walked in from outside.
It was Yun Yanran and her three older brothers.
Yun Yanran’s face was deathly pale, completely different from the vibrant person Jiang Wan remembered.
If it weren’t for their last meeting in her previous life, when Yun Yanran accidentally fell down the attic stairs and the Yun family pinned the blame on her, even demanding her life in return, perhaps Jiang Wan would have felt sympathy for Yun Yanran.
But now, her heart remained calm and undisturbed, seeing it all as nothing more than a farce.
Yun Yanran had the Yun family to back her up.
While she herself had nothing—where did she find the saintly compassion to pity others?
When gods fight, little ghosts suffer.
Being able to protect herself was already a stroke of luck.
Perhaps afraid of frightening her, Fu Ci immediately stepped to Jiang Wan’s side, shielding her behind him.
Jiang Wan noticed the Yun family’s expressions growing even darker.
The looks they gave her were filled with hatred, as if they wished to tear her to pieces.
The one who kicked the door open was Yun Da, his body radiating a bloodthirsty aura.
“Fu Ci, if you don’tt give us an explanation today, this matter is far from over.”
Fu Ci’s expression darkened. “Who allowed you to come in? Get out!”
General Yun’s military achievements were illustrious, his status comparable to the Three Excellencies.
With such a father, the Yun children could strut through the capital without a care.
Yun Da, having grown up in military camps, had a fiery temper and despised those who went back on their word.
“Fu Ci, don’t think that just because you’re the Prime Minister, you can bully people at will. You’re in the wrong here, and I’m not afraid to take this matter before His Majesty.”
Fu Ci’s gaze toward the Yun family grew colder.
Over the past few years, Yun Yanran had openly pursued him, causing him no small amount of trouble.
If it weren’t for Wanwan’s trust in him, she might have remarried someone else during the three years he observed mourning.
Back then, the Yun family never said Yun Yanran was in the wrong.
If it were anyone else, Fu Ci might have felt guilty for going back on his word and tried to make amends.
But for Yun Yanran, he felt not an ounce of remorse.
She knew he had a fiancée yet still clung to him, deliberately cozying up to the Old Madam.
Now that the Old Madam insisted on forcing him to marry, Yun Yanran had played her part in this “achievement.”
It was merely a matter of reciprocity—the Yun family had no right to accuse him.
He sneered coldly. “Then go and complain to His Majesty. Don’t stand here being an eyesore, ruining my wife’s appetite.”
The words “my wife” made Yun Yanran burst into tears.
Pointing at Jiang Wan, she cried, “I am your fiancée. If she is your wife, then what am I?”
“You should have expected this outcome when you spread rumors about us everywhere. In my eyes, you aren’t even worth one of Wanwan’s fingers.”
In front of outsiders, Fu Ci was often harsh.
So much so that many women in the capital admired him but dared not approach him easily.
Yun Yanran was the first to openly pursue Fu Ci.
In the past, Fu Ci had at most treated Yun Yanran as if she were invisible.
Now, however, he used the coldest words to mock her.
Yun Yanran had been the family’s treasured pearl since childhood, getting everything she wanted. How could she endure such humiliation?
Tears fell in large drops, her eyes filled with disappointment and pain as she looked at Fu Ci.
How could the three Yun brothers stand by and watch their sister being bullied?
Yun Da and Yun San clenched their fists, ready to attack Fu Ci, but Yun Er stopped them.
“Let go! I’m going to teach him a lesson today and show him that the Yun family isn’t to be trifled with!”
“Elder Brother, he’s a court official. If you hit him, both you and Third Brother will be in trouble.”
“Damn it! Are we just going to stand by and watch Yanran get bullied?”
Yun Er glanced at Jiang Wan.
“We’ll settle this score sooner or later. Let’s leave for now and not give anyone a reason to laugh at us.”
At this moment, some people on the same floor had gathered to watch.
Yun Yanran still didn’t want to leave. She wanted to ask Fu Ci whether he had any heart at all.
They were already engaged, and she had been happily waiting to marry him, yet he was planning to break off the engagement.
“Yanran, let’s go first.”
“I won’t leave.”
“Listen to me. This engagement isn’t something he can break off just because he wants to.”
As long as it was something their sister wanted, they would make sure she got it.
If Fu Ci wanted to break off the engagement, he would have to see whether the Yun family agreed or not!
At worst, they could take the matter before the emperor and see who would suffer more!