Because Old Madam was critically ill, Fu Ci did not attend court and stayed by her side in the east courtyard the entire time.
His absence gave Jiang Wan the opportunity to plan her escape.
With Old Madam risking her life to force the issue, Fu Ci’s marriage was a certainty—she had to leave the Fu residence.
If he refused to agree, then she… would have no choice but to flee.
Once her mind was made up, Jiang Wan began mapping out her route.
Fu Ci had eyes and ears everywhere in the capital; she needed to go as far away as possible.
Far enough that they would never meet again in this lifetime.
According to the trajectory of her previous life, Fu Ci and Yun Yanran would gradually develop feelings over time.
By then, he would surely have forgotten about her.
As for her, living out her life in peace and obscurity would already be a blessing.
With the Jiang family destroyed, Jiang Wan did not have a single tael of silver to her name.
Fortunately, Fu Ci had been generous to her. On the day she entered the residence, he had given her ten thousand taels in banknotes, along with countless gold and silver hairpins and jewelry.
As long as she had money, many problems could be easily solved.
It was late into the night when Fu Ci finally returned from the east courtyard.
His first words were to the maid on night duty: “Has Madam retired for the night?”
The maid was momentarily stunned before realizing that “Madam” referred to Concubine Jiang.
She nodded in response, “The concubine retired as soon as it grew dark.”
The term “concubine” grated on Fu Ci’s ears unbearably.
Yet he was powerless to change it.
Forbidding Wanwan from becoming the legal wife was The Emperor’s decree.
In The Emperor’s view, the Crown Prince’s audacity to rebel could not have happened without Grand Tutor Jiang’s instigation behind the scenes.
As Grand Tutor Jiang’s only daughter, Jiang Wan should be grateful just to have her life spared.
Fu Ci pinched the bridge of his nose.
What could he do to satisfy everyone?
The man who had rushed back to the west courtyard in such haste now seemed rooted to the spot.
Fu Ci didn’t know how to face Jiang Wan.
Putting himself in her shoes—if Wanwan were to marry someone else, he would surely go mad.
He might even kill that man!
But now, he was asking Wanwan to accept his marriage to another woman. Wasn’t that too cruel?
As he calmed down and thought it over, Fu Ci grew increasingly uncertain.
No wonder Wanwan wanted to leave him.
It wasn’t her fault, yet he had lost his temper and placed her under house arrest.
The maid kneeling on the floor stole a cautious glance at Fu Ci’s expression.
What was wrong with the master?
Wasn’t he just concerned about Concubine Jiang? Why was he standing here in a daze now?
Having stayed up all night the previous day and spent the daytime planning her escape, Jiang Wan was exhausted and fell asleep as soon as her head touched the pillow.
In her dream, she returned to that desolate little courtyard.
She saw herself truly dead, lying silently on the bed.
Then, a group of people burst in.
Leading them was Fu Ci, dressed in wedding attire. He must have run there, his breathing ragged.
“My lord, you haven’t even lifted the bridal veil in the bridal chamber yet.”
“Get out of my way!”
Fu Ci’s eyes held a tempest of emotions.
Jiang Wan was puzzled—what was he doing here on his wedding day?
Before she could find an answer, a blazing furnace suddenly pressed against her back from behind.
Her body reacted faster than her mind. Jiang Wan gasped and woke up.
Fu Ci held the struggling figure in his arms. “It’s me.”
During the time Jiang Wan was pregnant, she had lived alone. Due to her poor mental state, she would often wake up startled in the middle of the night.
Now, having just been reborn, her condition seemed to linger from that period.
She pressed a hand against Fu Ci’s chest, stopping him from coming closer.
Ever since Jiang Wan brought up the idea of leaving, Fu Ci had felt uneasy.
Even in front of Old Madam, his mind often wandered.
Only by holding her could he find peace.
He buried his face into Jiang Wan’s neck, “I told you not to stay too far from me.”
“You’re too warm, I don’t like it.”
Fu Ci abruptly released her, “I’ll go take another shower.”
With that, he got up and headed to the bathroom.
Jiang Wan’s feelings were complicated. She knew Fu Ci was sincere toward her now.
If she didn’t compete with Yun Yanran, perhaps she could live a peaceful life.
After all, wasn’t it common for men in this world to have multiple wives and concubines?
If they had never fallen in love or made solemn vows, Jiang Wan might have accepted it.
But having tried it once, she knew she couldn’t bear having other women by Fu Ci’s side.
To avoid being affected by Fu Ci, she had to make a clean break and leave as soon as possible.
Fu Ci returned with a damp chill about him, hinting meaningfully, “I’m not warm anymore.”
“I’m not feeling well.”
Since last night, Jiang Wan had been resisting him.
Fu Ci didn’t know what to do, so he simply went along with her, “I won’t touch you tonight.”
In Fu Ci’s embrace, Jiang Wan couldn’t relax. Though she was already very tired, she couldn’t fall asleep.
Fu Ci felt a deep bitterness in his heart. Why had they grown so distant in just one day?
Like soothing a child, he gently patted Jiang Wan’s back, “It’s already very late, go to sleep.”
In their previous life, they had already started quarreling by this time.
In the two years that followed, such tender moments were almost nonexistent.
Even when they were intimate, it happened in moments of emotional impulse.
Jiang Wan wondered if all men were like this—wanting to be cherished, yet not wanting the other person to be jealous.
Now that she wasn’t making a fuss, Fu Ci felt even more heartache for her.
A thought flickered in her mind—perhaps she could follow the path of her previous life.
On one hand, make Fu Ci grow tired of her.
On the other, find an opportunity to leave.
Having two plans in place was always safer.
Jiang Wan deliberately asked Fu Ci, “Do I need to move out?”
Fu Ci stiffened, his mind filled with only one thought: Wanwan still wanted to leave him.
Blinded by anger, he pinned Jiang Wan beneath him forcefully, “You are mine. Where else do you think you can go?”
In their previous life, it was always like this. Whenever they disagreed, he would try to muddle through with this method.
Looking back now, Jiang Wan felt they had been utterly foolish back then.
She kicked Fu Ci hard, “You’re about to take a wife. This is the place for the mistress of the house. Shouldn’t I move out?”
The furious man instantly deflated.
Holding Jiang Wan, the anger in his eyes was replaced by heartache and self-reproach.
He mumbled, “You don’t need to move. You’ll still live here from now on.”
“People will say I have no sense of propriety.”
“Who dares to say that?”
“It’s the truth.”
Fu Ci’s anger flared up again. Did he need others’ permission to dote on the woman he loved?
“You stay right here. I’d like to see who dares gossip behind your back.”
Jiang Wan remained silent.
When Yun Yanran entered the household, even if Fu Ci disagreed, Old Madam would make her move out.
This time, she wouldn’t obstruct Fu Ci and Yun Yanran’s marriage arrangements. Given Old Madam’s impatience, it would likely be settled within two or three months at most.
Seeing her fall silent again, Fu Ci felt a pang of heartache.
He wasn’t entirely ignorant of matters within the household. The woman his grandmother had chosen for him hadn’t even entered the household yet, but she was already posing a serious threat to Wanwan’s interests.
If she couldn’t even keep her place to live, what else would she be able to hold onto in the future?
Moreover, if he were to marry a proper wife, Wanwan would have to greet her morning and evening.
She would have to kneel and bow to her.
She might even be subjected to mistreatment.
Just thinking about such scenes made Fu Ci even more uncomfortable.
He pondered, waiting until his grandmother recovered before calling off the marriage.
So be it if he was unfilial.
Compared to Jiang Wan, none of this mattered.
If he couldn’t give her the position of a proper wife, then he would have only her as his woman.