Chapter 63: Good Days Are Ahead

Chapter 63: Better Days Are Yet to Come

Chen Yuhu snatched a teacup from the table and hurled it across the room, roaring, "Who do you think you are? What kind of upbringing did your family give you, to dare criticize my son here!"

Her sudden outburst caught everyone off guard.

The crowd was stunned.

Of course, Chen Yuhu hadn't intended to hit anyone—that would have been too much. After all, it was just a sharp-tongued young girl; if she were disfigured and couldn't marry, what if her son ended up having to marry her?

The cup shattered at the girl's feet, startling her so badly she froze, unable to react for a long moment.

Chen Yuhu pointed at her. "The Cheng family's upbringing is truly something. Yuhu has witnessed it today."

Chen Yuhu stood cold and ramrod straight, her gaze fixed on the girl.

Madam Cheng, however, was incensed. She pulled her daughter behind her, shielding her. "Madam Lin, why such a temper? Though my daughter is young, she wasn't entirely wrong. Why must you pick on a child?"

"Besides, my daughter and I didn't injure your son. There's no need for Madam Lin to target us so fiercely."

Chen Yuhu was so furious she almost laughed, her eyes reddening with rage. "I'm picking on her? What do you mean by 'it's all fate'? She openly cursed my son—is that what your Cheng family considers 'not wrong'?"

"Targeting your family? What is there about your family worth targeting? A den of vice and deception, yet you think so highly of yourselves. How laughable to assume I'd even bother."

"Even stepping into the same space as you soils my feet."

A hush fell over the entire hall. Madam Cheng was so enraged by the phrase "a den of vice and deception" that she nearly fainted.

Pointing at Chen Yuhu, she stammered, "You... you... do you even know what status my daughter holds now?"

Chen Yuhu scoffed dismissively, "What status? Is the palace about to welcome another imperial consort?"

Even if an imperial decree were issued on the spot, appointing the Cheng girl as a noble consort, Chen Yuhu wouldn't be afraid. The only ones she feared were the Empress and the Empress Dowager.

Madam Cheng, on the other hand, grew visibly flustered, her attempts to cover up only making things more obvious.

Chen Yuhu rolled her eyes, utterly impolite.

Madam Cheng spotted Lin Qingjiao standing nearby with a grim expression and pointed at her, saying, "A daughter raised by someone like her is going to marry into the family of the Minister of Rites? It seems the customs and laws of Great Yong have fallen into disarray—"

"Madam Cheng, mind your tongue!"

"Cheng Shi, hold your tongue!"

The first warning came from An Ze, who had followed Lin Ji into the inner courtyard. The second was shouted by Chi Wanqing and the Madam of the An family.

The Madam of the An family stood coldly beside Chi Wanqing. "The An family's decorum is not for you, Cheng Shi, to criticize."

Chi Wanqing nodded vigorously beside her, like an eager subordinate.

An Ze also stepped forward with a cold expression, staring at Madam Cheng. "Does Madam Cheng even understand the meaning of 'decorum'?"

This time, Madam Cheng didn't dare respond, for Lin Ji had also arrived and was standing coldly beside Chen Yuhu.

Lin Ji saw only his wife, red-eyed, shaking with rage, facing the crowd, looking as though she might collapse at any moment.

Behind the Cheng mother and daughter stood a throng of onlookers.

Convinced that they had bullied his wife, Lin Ji quickly supported Chen Yuhu. "Madam, don't be upset. Whatever happened, tell me everything."

Chen Yuhu discreetly pulled her hand away from Lin Ji. Tell him? What good would that do?

Could he beat up the mother and daughter?

Seeing Lin Ji, Chen Yuhu suddenly remembered—the child!

She grabbed Lin Ji's arm again, startling him and confirming his suspicion that she had been greatly wronged.

"Lord, the child! Qing Tong..."

An angry tear slid down Chen Yuhu’s cheek. The fierce attitude she had while scolding others vanished, replaced by a pitiful vulnerability.

It was just her tendency to cry easily—earlier, she had held back tears to avoid losing her composure, but now was the perfect moment to shed them.

Lin Ji grasped her arm firmly. "Madam, don't worry. I promise you, the child will be fine. Nothing will happen."

The tears Chen Yuhu had held back now flowed freely.

"What assurance can you give me? All three of my sons are at the border. They're inseparable—if anything happens to any of them, it will break my heart!"

Chen Yuhu wept into Lin Ji's arm.

Though mostly performative and quite exaggerated, to the mothers in the room, it seemed completely sincere.

The crowd began to look upon the Cheng mother and daughter with even more contempt.

An Zhi, her eyes red, stepped forward to support Chen Yuhu, preparing to later extract her mother from her father’s embrace.

She didn't know why her mother had instructed her to do this, but she followed instructions unquestioningly.

Lin Qingjiao stepped forward and bowed with perfect grace and etiquette. "I will remember the words Madam Cheng and Miss Cheng offered today."

She simply stated that she would remember, without making any further threats.

"What did they say?" Lin Ji demanded.

An Zhi suppressed a cry, as if holding back tears, and answered for her elder sister: "They said our brother deserved his fate."

"What?" Lin Ji roared.

His commanding glare swept over the trembling Cheng mother and daughter.

Equally bewildered and shocked were General Yu and Madam Yu, who had arrived just in time to hear the exchange.

Lin Ji took a deep breath to suppress his anger and bowed to General Yu. Seizing the opportunity, An Zhi steadied Chen Yuhu.

Lin Qingjiao took out a handkerchief to wipe her mother’s tears.

"Today's disturbance is entirely our fault. We have interrupted the celebration at the General's residence. Another day, Jun Shi will come in person to apologize and ask for your pardon, General and Madam."

"For now, I must take my wife away. She has been anxious about our child, having been ill multiple times. I..."

Lin Ji paused, lowering his head as if unable to continue. General Yu and Madam Yu quickly expressed their understanding.

In an instant, the Cheng mother and daughter were portrayed as the villains who had bullied the entire family.

"I've also heard that Yuhu hasn't attended any banquets in the capital for some time because of illness. When you return, consult a trusted physician to examine her. You must also offer her more comfort."

At this point, Madam Yu remembered the letter that came today about their son's serious injury. Any attempt to offer comfort now would only add fuel to the fire.

Madam Yu fell silent and sighed.

Her husband's family also had military backgrounds. She shot Madam Cheng and her daughter a look that was anything but friendly.

Madam Cheng tightened her grip on her daughter's sleeve, wanting to say something but knowing the situation left no room for excuses.

Whether Miss Cheng’s words had been intended that way or not, under this family’s twisted interpretation, they certainly were now.

Chen Yuhu’s elder sister-in-law had watched the entire scene unfold without saying a word, remaining utterly composed and steady.

Lin Ji led Chen Yuhu away, but before leaving, he turned back and shot Cheng Shi and her mother a look full of meaning.

Dare to curse my son to die? Cheng Shi’s comfortable days are over!

In ancient times, the importance of children was self-evident, and all three of the Lin family’s adult sons were stationed at the frontier.

If anything were to happen to them, the Lin family would take at least twenty years to recover.

So, to Lin Ji, the girl’s words hit him right where it hurt.

And he had never been the forgiving type.