Chapter 188 – The Bigger the Spectacle, the Better

Chapter 188 - The Bigger the Spectacle, the Better

Indeed, why would they lie? There was no need for it.

Madam Yang grew flustered.

She quickly changed her tune. "I didn't say you were lying. It must be… it must be that Su Su's illness has reached an incurable stage, and her mind is confused, causing her to speak nonsense."

"Hmph." Xie Peichen sneered. "Confused? Was she confused when she left, and has she been confused for these past five years? Haven't you thought about why she never came back to her parents' home in all this time?"

"Her health wasn't good…"

"Her health might not have been great, but she could still visit temples to burn incense. An Guo Temple is even farther from your Yang Family than it is from here."

Xie Peichen looked coldly at Father Yang and taunted, "Father-in-law, have you forgotten about your daughter Su Su? Can you still remember what she looks like?"

Father Yang was speechless.

But Xie Peichen walked towards the coffin. "Father-in-law, take another look at her. Otherwise, you'll never see her again."

Mr. and Mrs. Xie felt uneasy and somewhat hesitant. "Chen'er, this... there's no need, is there?" Ignoring them, Xie Peichen proceeded to open the coffin and lift the yellow paper covering Madam Yang's face. Gazing at her pale, emaciated countenance, a surge of sorrow engulfed him. "Father-in-law, don't you want to see her one last time?" Mr. Yang found himself drawn to the scene almost involuntarily. Looking down at his eldest daughter in the coffin, he could barely recognize her. Is this my eldest daughter? After studying her skeletal features for a while, he managed to discern a faint resemblance to her former self. "She... how did she become so thin?" Xie Peichen chuckled softly. "Wasn't she always frail?"

Yang Patriarch recalled the truth.

Indeed, his eldest daughter had always been frail.

Xie Peichen placed the yellow paper down, covering her face.

Stricken with grief, Yang Patriarch felt even more guilt-ridden.

Beside him, Madam Xie didn't wish for the situation to escalate further. She consoled, "Father-in-law, how could someone who has died of illness look presentable? Our Chen'er is just too heartbroken, that's why his words sound harsh. Please don't take it to heart."

Madam Yang was about to say something but, seeing the expressions on everyone's faces, she held back her words.

Miss Yang felt indignant and tugged at her mother's sleeve.

Madam Yang gave her a look, silencing her with a stern gaze.

It was no longer appropriate to discuss this matter now. As Fang and Xie Peichen had mentioned, if he was unwilling, the Yang Family could not force this marriage. Offending Xie Peichen would accomplish nothing.

The banquet had already begun outside. Throughout the event, Madam Zheng kept glancing in that direction. Seeing the Yangs finally emerge while the Xie family wore grim expressions, she finally relaxed.

She turned her head and whispered to Zheng Jinxiu, "Look, judging by her expression, the proposal must have been rejected."

Zheng Jinxiu nodded in agreement.

Madam Zheng reassured her, "Don't worry, whoever brings it up at this moment will only bring misfortune upon themselves. You saw how Lord Xie felt about his wife last time. Funerals are not the time for marriage discussions; wouldn't that just invite scolding?"

Zheng Jinxiu smiled faintly and gave a cold glance to the approaching Lady Yang and her daughter.

"From one look, you can tell that Lady Yang is not the sharpest tool in the shed," Madam Zheng spat disdainfully.

They spoke softly, but their words were still picked up by bits and pieces by a nearby Lady Li who was sitting close by.

"Madam Zheng, what do you mean by 'not the sharpest tool'?"

Madam Zheng glanced over and, noticing that Lady Yang and her daughter were seated far away, decided to speak frankly.

"Well, Lady Yang, of course."

" Lady Yang?" How could Lady Yang be lacking in intellect? Oh, wait, isn't she... "Isn't she the mother of Young Master Xie's wife?"

The mother of the deceased?

Madam Zheng nodded.

Madam Li, sitting beside her, was confused. "What do you mean? Why does Madam Zheng say that Madam Yang is not of sound mind?"

Madam Zheng lowered her voice. "She's not really Madam Xie's birth mother, but her stepmother."

Someone who knew the story nodded. "Madam Yang is the second wife of Master Yang. Madam Xie's birth mother was the first wife and passed away after giving birth to Young Lady Xie. Fearing that Young Lady Xie would be bullied, her maternal family sent her aunt to marry Master Yang as his second wife. I heard this aunt was also born to a concubine."

"I see now. Then did this stepmother mistreat her?"

Everyone else said they didn't know, while Madam Zheng cryptically replied, "Probably."

All eyes turned to her.

Madam Zheng smiled slightly. "I don't know. I was just guessing."

"Where there's smoke, there's fire. Why would you guess like that? Did you hear something?"

Madam Zheng then said, "Our Zheng family has some acquaintance with the Xie family. A few days ago, when we heard that Young Madam Xie had complications during childbirth, we came to visit her. At that time, Young Madam Xie told Young Master Xie that under no circumstances should he marry her younger sister after she was gone. For a daughter of the Yang family to marry Young Master Xie is an honor; such a fine match. If their relationship was good, why would she object? So I speculate that she must have had a strained relationship with her stepmother."

The crowd found her reasoning plausible.

Madam Li tsked and said, "Young Madam Xie also had a hard life. Her mother passed away right after giving birth to her, and now she's met an even sadder fate. The child was stillborn, and she followed soon after."

"Indeed. It's said her grandmother also died in childbirth."

"Tsk, oh dear. That's a terrible legacy. Perhaps it's for the best she's gone. If the child had survived, it would've been a girl, and who knows, she might have ended up on the same path. Eldest daughters are cherished, but an eldest daughter without her birth mother is pitiful."

"Yes, that's true."

"Ai, Madam Zheng, you mentioned earlier that Madam Yang isn't quite right in the head, but you didn't elaborate. Why do you say so?"

Madam Zheng smiled faintly, intentionally keeping them in suspense.

Someone grew impatient, urging, "Well, out with it!"

Only then did Madam Zheng reveal, "She intends to use today's occasion to make Young Master Xie swear before Young Madam Xie's coffin that he will wed her own daughter as his wife."

"Ahh? So it was because of this..." The person lowered their voice. "They suddenly decided to have the feast first and then pay respects in the afternoon because the Yang Family caused a scene."

Someone who had been present at the time added, "Yes, we were just kicked out right after we arrived. We saw Young Master Xie fly into a rage and scatter yellow paper all around the house."

The crowd gasped in disapproval. "She came to talk about marriage while they were mourning – wasn't she asking for it? Her brain must be malfunctioning."

"Let's not talk about her anymore. Let's eat. The Xie Family would never acknowledge such in-laws. They'll be shown the door once the funeral is over."

Zheng Jinyu listened to their gossip without saying a word. In fact, she knew that the Yang Family played a significant role in the original novel. Later on, when Zheng Jinxiu aspired to marry into the Xie Family, the Yang mother and daughter stirred up quite a bit of trouble, contributing to at least a third of the plot.

Of course, those who opposed the protagonist didn't end well. Lady Yang was eventually divorced for mistreating her legitimate eldest daughter. They both suffered a tragic demise.

After the meal at the Xie Family, Lady Zheng took Zheng Jinxiu away.

The Yangs stayed behind, likely planning to cause more trouble. Zheng Jinyu could guess what was coming and had no intention of sticking around to get embroiled in the chaos.

No sooner had Zheng Jinyu stepped out of the Xie Family gates than Xie Peiyu chased after her.