Chapter 136: Qiu Wen’s Wedding

Chapter 136 Qiu Wen's Wedding

Her daughter was too obedient, so much it pained her.

A Yuan gently stroked her head. "Mama isn’t upset."

Perhaps for her daughter’s sake, she shouldn’t keep resisting Wei Xun like this.

But the matters of the Marquis’ estate had to be resolved.

......

The division of the estate proceeded swiftly. With Marquis Wei overseeing it, neither Madam Wei nor the second branch could make trouble.

The Anning Marquisate was split into two courtyards. The second branch moved out, though Marquis Wei and Madam Wei still lived in the same compound—Marquis Wei and his wife occupied the main house, while Wei Cong and Zhao Wan were assigned the side courtyard.

The bulk of the family fortune went to the heir. Wei Cong held no official position, and Zhao Wan no longer had to mingle with noblewomen, so Marquis Wei allocated only a few shops and rural estates outside the capital to them, leaving the most profitable assets to Wei Xun.

Zhao Wan had married into the household over a decade ago and had managed the estate’s finances from the start. Now, suddenly reduced to overseeing just a handful of shops, the fall from grace was crushing.

Wei Cong lazed in his room, fooling around with his concubines, completely unbothered by the division of the estate.

Zhao Wan marched in, face thunderous, and the sound of giggling and flirting only worsened her mood.

"You shameless hussies! The family’s in ruins, and you’re still here tempting your master? Get out!"

Her words were a thinly veiled jab at Wei Cong. With him being unreliable and Madam Wei confined by Marquis Wei, the second branch had lost all support in the household.

Zhao Wan was seething with regret. Had she known it would come to this, she would never have married Wei Cong.

A sickly degenerate drowning in women—what future could she possibly have with him?

The concubines scurried out like frightened mice. Wei Cong’s smile faded as he regarded her with irritation. "Why the drama? The sky isn’t falling."

"Just the division of the estate?" Zhao Wan exploded.

"Father gave us scraps! How are we supposed to support ourselves in the future? All you care about is rolling around with those sluts—have you ever thought about me and Cheng Ye?"

"Thought about what? This rotting body of mine could give out any second. You knew what you were getting into when you married me—Wei Cong, not Wei Xun, the heir of this household. Those things were never meant for you."

Wei Cong was icy and vicious, his face twisted in scorn.

Didn’t he want to fight for more?

But his body had been a death sentence from birth.

He was doomed to be nothing but a wastrel.

Since he didn’t know when he’d die, why not indulge himself while he could?

"Call Li Niang and Xiao Wu back. I’m bored and need them to entertain me."

Wei Cong lounged on the bed, a sleazy grin spreading across his face.

Zhao Wan exploded. "They are not coming in!"

She had tolerated it before for the Marquisate’s standing, but now that Wei Cong had nothing left, why should she endure it any longer?

"Zhao Wan, have you lost your mind?"

Wei Cong sat up straight, eyes blazing with anger.

Zhao Wan laughed bitterly at herself. "Yes, I'm mad—mad enough to marry you! You share the same mother as Wei Xun, yet you're not half the man he is! No wonder Father dislikes you. All you do is spend your days chasing skirts. You're nothing but a worthless wretch!"

"Zhao Wan!"

Wei Cong’s eyes bulged with rage. "And what are you? Just some minor official's daughter. Do you really think I had no choice but to marry you?"

"Hah! Then who would you marry? Qiu Wen?"

Now that they had torn off all pretenses, Zhao Wan saw no reason to hold back.

"If you hadn’t been so lust-driven and harassed Qiu Wen, the second branch wouldn't have been forced to split off."

In the end, it was his insatiable desires that dragged them all down.

Wei Cong’s frail health made even anger exhausting. Bracing himself against the bed, he clutched his chest, wheezing heavily. "You harpy! I'll divorce you!"

Unbeknownst to the quarreling couple, Qiu Wen—the woman they had mentioned—was oblivious to it all. She was about to get married.

......

A few days earlier, she had sent a letter to the general’s estate, but A Yuan wasn’t home and only saw the message upon her return.

At the dumpling shop, A Yuan’s eyes crinkled with warmth as she looked at the radiant bride-to-be.

"Who knew that in just a month, I’d hear such happy news from you?"

Qiu Wen was the same age as her. After what had happened at the Marquis’ estate, A Yuan had assumed she would never marry again.

But now that Qiu Wen had found happiness once more, A Yuan’s heart swelled with joy.

"He was afraid you might try to take me by force and actually abduct me. He thought that once we were married, he’d have a legitimate claim to get me back from the marquis’ estate if anything happened."

Qiu Wen’s cheeks flushed pink as she spoke, though she pretended to complain. The joy in her eyes, however, was unmistakable.

Zhang Feng was usually quiet and reserved, but when it came to her, he acted like an impulsive young man.

A Yuan had met Zhang Feng twice and thought well of him. Though just a blacksmith, he was honorable and reliable—someone who could protect Qiu Wen.

Moreover, Madam Zhang treated Qiu Wen like her own daughter. In such a family, she wouldn't suffer any mistreatment.

"The marquis' estate has already been divided. The second branch has been separated, and with the marquis keeping an eye on things, Wei Cong won’t dare cause any more trouble. You and Brother Zhang can rest easy."

News of the household’s division hadn’t yet spread, and A Yuan, not wanting Qiu Wen to live in constant fear, shared the update with her first.

Qiu Wen visibly relaxed upon hearing it. "Amitabha, thank heavens the old marquis is wise. Otherwise, the estate’s reputation would’ve been ruined by that wastrel Wei Cong."

"And this time, it’s all thanks to you. I truly wouldn’t have known who else to turn to."

"Sister Qiu Wen, there’s no need for such words. We grew up together—consider me like family. If Brother Zhang ever wrongs you, I’ll have your back and make him pay."

A Yuan grasped her hand firmly.

They had entered the Chunyan House in the same year and knew each other’s suffering all too well. Unlike A Yuan, who at least had her brother’s protection, Qiu Wen had no one to defend her when she was wronged.

"Alright, alright, I won’t stand on ceremony with you."

Qiu Wen’s eyes reddened. The luckiest break of her life had been helping A Yuan once, gaining a sister’s loyalty in return.

For Qiu Wen’s wedding, A Yuan gifted her two sets of gold and jade hairpieces for her trousseau.

......

The Zhang family were all honest folks. When Zhang Feng married a concubine from a wealthy household, many relatives and neighbors mocked them.

But once A Yuan presented those two sets of gold and jade hair ornaments, all the gossip stopped.

So what if she was an ex-concubine? She was beautiful, virtuous, and even had a high-born lady vouching for her—truly a cut above the local village girls.

When you think about it, Zhang Feng was the one who got lucky.

Wei Cong also heard about Qiu Wen’s marriage. Ever since the family split up, Zhao Wan had been done putting up with him.

She seized the chance to sell off every last concubine and servant in the back courtyard, and Wei Cong couldn’t do a thing to stop her.

“The little lady you’ve been mooning over finally tied the knot today. She’d rather marry a blacksmith than be your concubine—that’s how pathetic you are!”

Zhao Wan sat across from him, her round face twisted with spite.

She wanted him to suffer. Why should he still get to play the role of the marquis household’s second young master after the split, while she was left with nothing?

“And guess what? Even Third Brother sent her wedding gifts. After all, you *are* his elder brother—this is a blatant insult to you. And that whole business with taking a concubine earlier? I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who snitched to Father about it.”