Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The crowd in the room stood like a flock of crows huddled beneath storm-battered eaves, a dark and oppressive mass.

The Marquise’s brow was stern, her fingers twitching slightly as she gestured. A matron hurried forward to draw back the bed curtains.

The Concubine, standing at the back, wore a smug smile, but her pupils contracted sharply when she saw that the woman on the bed was Yun Wan, not Shen Ruohan.

The Marquise said sternly, "Someone, the Young Master is drunk. Call the house physician to help him sober up. Additionally, seal all gates of the courtyard. No one is allowed to leave. If anyone dares to spread gossip about the Young Master and let it reach the guests, they will be executed."

The atmosphere in the room instantly froze. Yun Wan, unaware of what was happening, looked around in confusion and helplessness.

Suddenly, several burly matrons rushed into the bed curtains. Before Yun Wan could react, she was forcibly dragged out and made to kneel before the Marquise.

One of the matrons cursed, "Our lady has shown you nothing but kindness, yet you dared to seduce the Young Master!"

"I didn't..." Yun Wan whispered, but no one heard her.

She watched as Lu Yu was carried to the bed, and a bearded physician hurried in.

"Greetings, My Lady."

The Marquise, her expression grave, twirled the rosary beads in her hand. "Hurry and attend to the Young Master."

The physician quickly entered behind the pearl curtain with his medical kit, while maids quietly and swiftly placed a screen in front of it.

The room fell into an eerie silence.

Yun Wan was forced to kneel on the cold floor tiles by the matrons. If she so much as twitched, scornful glances shot her way, sharp as arrows.

Suddenly, a sound came from outside the door.

"My Lady, the maids found Miss Ruohan in the Lanyu Pavilion. She..."

The Concubine quickly stood up, calling out anxiously, "Is she injured? Or drunk? Quick, Lan'er, bring the girl back to our garden."

The matrons, however, looked troubled. "She is neither injured nor drunk."

The Marquise said indifferently, "No matter what, bring her here."

"As you command."

The Concubine’s eyes filled with anxiety as she stood watching the matrons depart.

"What are you so anxious about, sister?"

The Marquise’s icy tone sent a shiver down the Concubine’s spine. She pretended to be calm, steadying herself with a hand on the armrest as she slowly sat down. "N-nothing. What could possibly happen to a young girl?"

It was unclear whether she was trying to reassure herself or the Marquise.

Moments later, Shen Ruohan was brought in, bundled in a cloak. Her face was flushed, her eyes drowsy, yet filled with stubborn defiance.

Clutching her chest as though it were on fire, she glared at Yun Wan, who was also disheveled and kneeling on the floor.

Shen Ruohan pointed a trembling finger at Yun Wan and said bitterly, "So it was you who ruined my plan. You’ve already had him to yourself for so long—why does it have to be you again?"

Yun Wan did not understand what she meant, but the Marquise lowered her gaze, a fleeting smile touching her lips.

When the Marquise looked up again, her expression had shifted. She slammed her hand on the table and said sternly, "How dare you! Kneel!"

Shen Ruohan tilted her chin up defiantly, tears streaming down her face. Sobbing, she said, "No, I’ve done nothing wrong."

Before she could finish, a matron forced her to the ground.

The loud thud made Yun Wan tremble slightly.

Just then, the physician emerged from behind the screen. "My Lady, the Young Master is..." He paused, glancing at the people around.

The Marquise nodded. "Speak freely."

"The Young Master has been drugged with an aphrodisiac, though fortunately, the dosage was small. I will now use acupuncture to restore his senses."

The Marquise nodded again and pointed at Shen Ruohan. "Take her pulse as well."

Shen Ruohan resisted, but the matrons behind her ignored her protests, forcing her before the physician.

"Miss Ruohan has been dosed with the same drug as the Young Master."

The Marquise said, "Proceed with the acupuncture for the Young Master."

Tear streaks covered Shen Ruohan’s face. To ensure success, she had even drugged herself, only to see her plans crumble at the last moment.

The man she had pined for for ten years was now lost to her.

She glared defiantly at the Marquise, her voice hoarse. "I have not lost."

The Marquise said nothing, only turning calmly to the Concubine. "What do you think? Shall I punish her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall overnight? Tomorrow at noon, have the Zhongqin Marquisate take her away. Let her not sully the manor."

The Concubine’s face had turned pale. She opened her mouth but said nothing.

The Marquise waved her hand, and the matrons dragged Shen Ruohan away. A shrill scream echoed through the room, "This entire mansion is full of liars! Hahahaha!"

A cold dread shot up Yun Wan’s spine. She understood nothing. All she wanted to know was how her husband had turned into the Heir of the Marquis of Xuanping.

What had gone wrong?

"Miss Yun, I never expected that the mansion's hospitality would be repaid with betrayal. I showed you kindness, yet you broke the rules of this household."

The Marquise’s cold voice interrupted Yun Wan’s thoughts.

Sensing the heavy silence around her, Yun Wan stammered, "N-no, I didn’t. It was a maid... a maid named Xialin who locked me in here."

The Marquise tilted her head, and Matron Li responded, "There's no maid by that name here."

Yun Wan panicked. "No, I’m not lying."

"Yet you have lied about something else," the Marquise said calmly. "Your husband’s name is Lu Yu, as in 'jade,' not 'honor.' It is not the same as the Heir’s name."

Yun Wan hurriedly replied, "No, that’s not true. It’s because I am not very literate. I made a mistake when writing the contract. The title deed for our family’s bookshop was signed by my husband."

The Marquise chuckled lightly. "I sent someone to investigate your background in Yun County, in the northwest. Your father was a hunter, your mother the daughter of a scholar—a respectable family. Your husband likely came across the official seal by chance. Perhaps he merely looks like the Heir."

"But he died two months ago by the Yellow River's shore. You were probably on your way to the capital to find him. Your kin, unable to find you, have already buried him."

Yun Wan’s eyes widened in shock, her mind filled with the memory of the scars on Lu Yu’s body. She slumped to the ground. "No, he’s not dead. He’s right here..."

"You know what?" the Marquise interrupted her.

"The Marquis of Xuanping's household is a distinguished family that has been passed down for five generations, a noble family of high status. The heir's father was a hero who died on the battlefield. He cannot and should not have any stains on his reputation."

"And just because you did not refuse the heir's advances toward you, you caused him to make such a serious transgression. If this matter were to spread, the reputation of the five-generation Marquis of Xuanping's household would be utterly destroyed, becoming the laughingstock of the entire capital."

The Marchioness's voice grew increasingly stern. Yun Wan slumped to the ground as if drained of strength, her empty eyes fixed on her fingers, whispering faintly, "I am his blemish..."

"The Buddha is merciful. Since you returned the seal, it settles the debt. Tomorrow morning, I will send someone to take you and the child back to Yun County and personally hand you over to your uncle."

Suddenly, a clap of thunder roared outside the window. Yun Wan's cold limbs trembled in fright, and she crumpled to the ground as if drained of strength.

She did not know what to say, only weeping silently.

"...Madam... This old servant of yours is also originally from Yun County in the northwest. If this girl is sent back, she will be thrown in a pond to drown, along with the little one, stuffed into a pig cage, weighted with stones, and thrown into the Yellow River," Granny Wang sighed.

"The state has its laws; the family has its rules. The Marquis's household must not have its reputation sullied. In life, blessings and misfortunes always come."

"Those who make mistakes must be punished. Don't you agree, Miss Yun?"

Yun Wan's face went pale, her cold fingers tightly clenched in her palms. She felt chilled to the bone, dazed and unable to control herself, tears streaming down her face.

She rasped, "I... did nothing wrong."

Though Yun Wan was in a wretched state, the sorrow rising in her heart surged forth with immense force.

Trembling all over, she retorted hoarsely, "Was it wrong that I came to the capital to find my husband? Was it my fault that I was detained here after pawning my jade pendant? Was it my fault that I tried to leave yesterday but was stopped by you, Madam?"

"Then is the heir at fault? The heir to the Marquis of Xuanping can never be at fault."

The Marchioness fingered her prayer beads and said calmly.

"It is my fault." A hoarse voice sounded from behind the screen.

Yun Wan suddenly looked up, her eyes instantly filling with tears, then quickly turned away to avoid his gaze.

Lu Yu had already changed into tidy garments, his attire orderly, jade pendant and sachet properly arranged. Aside from looking weary, it was as if nothing had happened.

He sat directly in the seat below the main one, looking at the Marchioness and speaking frankly, "Since I was the one who offended Miss Yun, I will assume responsibility for this matter. I am willing to take Miss Yun as a concubine to protect her and her child."

Concubine?

Yun Wan felt as if lightning had struck her, her heart sinking as if into an abyss, an emptiness that would never reach the bottom engulfing her entire being.

What were they talking about?

She was A Yu's wife, married with proper rites and acknowledged by all.

He had said he would never abandon her.

How could she now become his concubine?

Why didn’t A Yu acknowledge her?

......

Yun Wan had countless questions in her mind. The moment they looked at her, she opened her mouth, but only one question remained, "...Do you really... not remember me?"

Lu Yu showed no emotion, neither sadness nor happiness, and said to the Marchioness, "Everything must be done for the greater good."

The Marchioness sighed, "Miss Yun, what do you say?"

At this moment, Yun Wan was as fragile as a reed. She was dazed for a moment.

She had no choice but to agree.

Either become the heir's concubine, be sent back to the northwest and sold by her uncle to the blind Old Third at the village entrance, or be stuffed into a pig cage with Xiao Bao and drowned in the Lin River.

Tears in her eyes, she nodded.

"Good. The heir has not yet married, and taking a concubine too early would not look good if it spreads. For now, assign her as a chambermaid in the rear courtyard. After the principal wife enters the household, she can be promoted to a concubine."

"What does the heir think?" the Marchioness said.

Lu Yu sat upright in his chair, turning a ring on his finger. "Good, do as Mother advises."

Yun Wan was in a daze, not hearing a word of what they said. Only after Lu Yu stood up and left did she subconsciously follow his figure with her eyes, but she did not even receive a sidelong glance.

"The heir may be aloof, but he is a good child, willing to protect the lives of you and your child. Yun Wan, the bustling capital is full of high-ranking families, but beneath the glamour lie many skeletons. You must be cautious in the future."

The Marchioness sipped her tea lightly as she spoke.

"Go back now. Your child is waiting for you."

---

The night was deep.

Even in the ancestral hall in midsummer, a chilling cold permeated the air, so biting that one could not help but shiver.

With a creak, the Concubine pushed open the side door of the ancestral hall and saw Shen Ruohan's frail figure kneeling alone before the rows of ancestral tablets.

Having raised her for so long, even a dog would develop feelings. She said with a hint of pity, "Why did you foolishly admit to the poisoning? With so many guests outside, you could have pinned it on someone else instead of being sent back to the Zhongqin Earl's residence."

Suddenly, the main door slammed shut. The flickering candlelight danced on Shen Ruohan's face, and the Concubine felt a chill run down her spine.

After a long while, Shen Ruohan said hoarsely, "Everything she said is true."