Chapter 22: Moral Blackmail

Chapter 22: Guilt-Tripped

"Stop pinning all that bullshit on me—I won’t take the blame for any of it!"

Jiang Huailiang snorted, crossing his arms and leaning casually against the wall.

"I won’t waste words on you. Even if you two got unfairly scolded, it’s definitely not on me. Whoever gave you the order—go seek justice from them!"

Li Changhuai, standing at the far left, shot his bastard of a brother a fierce glare.

"So what if I was the one who ordered it? If you weren’t so wishy-washy and afraid of your wife, would I have had to resort to this?

Listen up, Jiang Huailiang—get this damn issue sorted out quickly. Don’t let it interfere with the real business we have to handle later!"

He stepped closer to his brother and lowered his voice to add,

"Little Zhu’s own brother died saving you. You promised Zhu Mingye you’d look after his sister. All our brothers heard it back then—are you going back on your word now?"

Jiang Huailiang fell silent.

It was precisely because of his history with Old Fourth Zhu and the very real life debt between them that he and his wife were in such a difficult position now.

"Can’t I just take her as a sworn sister? I’ll help find her a husband, prepare her dowry. If she’s ever mistreated by her in-laws, I’ll step up as her older brother—why does it have to be marriage?"

"Then why are you so against marrying her?"

"I already have a wife!"

Jiang Huailiang retorted loudly, drawing the attention of everyone in the courtyard.

Abandoning any pretense of subtlety, he strode into the inner courtyard and stopped before his wife. The couple exchanged no words—a single shared glance said everything that needed to be said.

Standing protectively in front of his wife, the tall, sturdy man turned to face Zhu Mingzhi, who was kneeling on the ground in tears, and formally reiterated:

"Little Sister Zhu, I’m not much to look at, and truth be told, I’m not going to amount to much in life. All I want is to stay by your sister-in-law’s side and live a simple, quiet life with our family—the elders and the children.

I’ve said it over and over: I already have a family, a wife, and children. I’m truly unworthy of your affection. Please… find another match."

He had rejected her many times before, but only this time did he strip away the last shred of pretense before everyone’s eyes, shattering every last bit of false hope Zhu Mingzhi had been clinging to.

This heartless man! Why was he so cruel to her? It took every ounce of her self-control to keep the sharp hairpin in her hand from plunging into the hearts of the two people standing before her.

"Eldest Brother Jiang… what is it about me that’s so lacking?"

Like a devoted woman struck by a heartless betrayal, the delicate woman who had been kneeling collapsed fully to the ground. The sharp end of her gold hairpin grazed her pale neck, leaving a faint red mark. Paired with her falling tears, the sight was truly pitiful.

"Your Highness… wasn’t it you who made this match for me? Why doesn’t he want me anymore? What if I don’t ask to be a secondary wife? Can I be his concubine? His maid?"

Having been directly addressed, Li Changhuai had no choice but to step in, inwardly cursing while maintaining a calm expression.

"Don’t worry, Mingzhi. This matter will be settled. You’re a fine young lady from a good family—don’t talk nonsense about being a concubine or a maid. That’s out of the question! Just be patient—I’ll talk to him again properly. I’ll make sure you get a resolution."

But he, too, was no good—his words were empty, repetitive, and he never gave a straight, proper answer.

Having been brushed off like this many times before, Zhu Mingzhi only cried more bitterly, collapsing fully onto the ground.

"Wuwuwu… Brother…

Do you see this?

This is the ‘good match’ you died to secure for me! Jiang Huailiang has betrayed me… and he’s betrayed you, too! Wuwuwu… Brother…"

Every word of her weeping accusation struck deep.

Bringing up Old Fourth Zhu was a clear reminder of the life debt Jiang Huailiang owed.

Not only did many of the men present begin to look at her with pity—their eyes turning somewhat accusatory toward the Jiang couple—but even the women who had been watching from the sidelines couldn’t help feeling that Madam Jiang was being overly inflexible.

What noble household didn’t have other women? Wasn’t it the duty of a principal wife to manage the household and raise the children? Why did this Xu Shi have to be so different from everyone else?

"Madam Jiang, sometimes we women really ought to think more about our husbands’ positions. Don’t you agree?"

"Exactly. Miss Zhu has already yielded so much—isn’t it about time to let it go? Even killing someone only requires a quick strike. Since you’ve won, be magnanimous. You wouldn’t actually push the sister of your husband’s savior to her death, would you?"

"A woman should be virtuous, kind, and moral…"

"After all, a life is at stake here. Your general doesn’t want to gain a reputation for ingratitude either. It’s difficult for everyone. If you can yield a little, then yield."

"That’s right, Sister Xu. We’re all women here—who doesn’t understand a woman’s difficulties? Where you can afford to be forgiving, you should be."

Several ladies who had been chatting pleasantly with Xu Shi just moments ago now came over, offering their quiet advice one after another. Regardless of what they truly thought, every word out of their mouths was framed as being for her own good.

What’s more, a few other women followed behind Lady Min and Lady Han to help Zhu Mingzhi to her feet, comforting her in soft voices.

"Don’t cry, Miss Zhu. I’m sure General Jiang won’t disregard the life debt he owes your brother."

"Indeed, we all understand your difficulties. If you hadn’t been pushed to your limit, why would you ever compromise your reputation like this? We all see clearly what’s right and wrong here. Please, don’t cry anymore."

"Right! His Highness is backing you—what is there to fear? That was a living life, after all—it can’t just be brushed aside without a word!

Since General Jiang promised your brother he would take care of you, he’ll certainly honor that. You just wait for his decision…"

These calculated remarks instantly backed the Jiang couple into a corner on the precipice of moral obligation. One misstep, and they could be pushed over the edge, pinned down and overwhelmed by the weight of so-called "morality."

Jiang Wan, who had been attentively listening to the entire scene, glanced back at her younger siblings—whom she’d had the maid Hong Zhu summon earlier—and raised her eyebrows at them with practiced ease.

The second and third children nodded in understanding, rolled up their sleeves, and followed their older sister into the fray.

"You’d better stop crying. Otherwise, if my head starts hurting, I might not be able to control my feet again."

Her voice was cool and carried little obvious threat, but it was far more effective than all the gentle coaxing from the ladies around them.