Just аs Wu Ваozhang wаs fееling dееply uneаsу, Cheng Lu, whо had cоmе оut frоm thе Сheng residеnce, was walking alonе оn Vermiliоn Bird Strееt.
Тhе night envеlореd thе surroundings, thе streets quiet аnd рeаceful. Lantеrns graduallу lit up the аllеуs оn bоth sidеs, сreating а sсattеring оf lights thаt eхuded а tоuch of luхurу.
This wаs the kind of life hе wanted to livе.
Сhеng Lu thought tо himself and stoрреd in his traсks.
Сhеng Сhi hаd bеen rеlеntlesslу pursuing him. Тhe valuаbles hе hаd mаnagеd tо bring frоm hоme earliеr and the money hе had earnеd afterwаrd had slоwlу beеn exhausted during his repeated escapes.
Yet he never imagined that one day he would have to ask Wu Baozhang for two hundred taels of silver, nor did he expect that he would one day rely on a woman to survive!
How had he become like this?
Cheng Lu’s gaze turned gloomy.
He turned around and slowly walked toward Apricot Grove Lane.
In front of Cheng Jing’s residence in Apricot Grove Lane, two ginkgo trees were planted.
Their straight trunks and delicate leaves danced gracefully in the night breeze.
Cheng Lu stared blankly at the Cheng family’s grand red Ruyi gate.
Once, he had stood at the gate with envy, imagining that one day he would pass the imperial examinations, wear a brand-new green official robe, be welcomed in by the Cheng family’s steward, and sit respectfully in the spacious, bright flower hall, conversing with Cheng Jing… But now, that had become a dream.
Without the title of a dual-list imperial scholar, without the identity of a Cheng family descendant from Nine Prosperities Lane, without the spirited and extraordinary demeanor… he was now just a stray dog, driven away by the Cheng family, unable to return home or acknowledge his relatives.
He would not let things end like this!
He would not let Cheng Chi and Zhou Shaojin off!
Nor would he let Cheng Xu live a peaceful life!
Cheng Lu turned around and quickly left Apricot Grove Lane.
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In the eastern courtyard of the Cheng residence in Apricot Grove Lane, Min Jia took the large red gold-trimmed begonia flower tray from her maid Suyue and asked softly, “Is the master still reading?”
Suyue nodded and whispered, “The master hasn’t moved for two hours. This is lotus seed and lily soup I had the kitchen prepare. Please, madam, try to persuade him to eat a little. If this continues, I fear his health will deteriorate before the imperial examinations.”
She had come with Min Jia from the Min family and had seen firsthand how the Min family’s sons studied diligently and participated in the imperial examinations.
Min Jia nodded and said, “You may rest. I’ll take the lotus seed and lily soup in.”
Suyue nodded and softly reminded Min Jia, “At noon, the mistress came and spoke with the master behind closed doors for a long time. After she left, the master’s expression turned very unpleasant. Please be careful, madam.”
Min Jia couldn’t help but frown.
Her mother-in-law, even though her son was already married, sometimes interfered too much.
“I understand,” she replied, gently pushing the door open and walking inside.
Ever since returning from Cheng Sheng’s child’s full-month celebration that day, Cheng Xu had not spoken to her again, let alone shared a bed with her.
She had originally thought that since this wasn’t her fault, she would let him be angry if he wanted. But she couldn’t resist the persuasion of her wet nurse: “What good are your grand ideas? You and the master are already husband and wife. A husband and wife should live in harmony. Even if you can’t live in harmony, you should at least treat each other with respect. Acting like this will only make your mother-in-law dislike you and distance your husband…”
Min Jia thought about how she had been married into the Cheng family for less than half a year, and there was still no sign of a child. After a moment of consideration, she ultimately relented.But what she never expected was that her meek and submissive demeanor did not soften Cheng Xu; instead, he gave her a cold glance and pointed to a corner of the desk, saying, "Just put the things down there."
Fine! It was her fault for leading Zhou Shaojin to meet him. She shouldn’t have tested him in such a situation—whatever needed to be said should have been discussed privately between the two families after returning. She would endure his displeasure.
Min Jia lowered her head and placed the lotus seed and lily soup on the desk.
Immediately after, she heard Cheng Xu’s voice again: "Don’t let those maids and old women bring things to the study anymore. This is a place for studying—what kind of impression does it give when the whole room smells of food? And this sweet soup, wherever it’s placed, it leaves everything sticky..."
Min Jia restrained herself with great effort, barely stopping herself from throwing the tray to the ground.
He had an affair with Zhou Shaojin and betrayed her—that wasn’t her fault. If he had the courage, he should have resisted the marriage with his parents!
Why take his anger out on her?
Why give her such a look?
Min Jia couldn’t help but sneer, saying, "If my husband has any grievances, you should speak directly to Mother-in-law. The times for serving tea, the times for snacks, and how many meals a day—all of these were set by Mother-in-law. We are merely following the rules! After all, I am a daughter-in-law, newly arrived, and I don’t yet know the exact customs of the household. If my husband feels wronged, it’s truly unfortunate!"
Her sharp, veiled words made Cheng Xu look up in surprise.
Min Jia’s expression grew even colder. "This is lotus seed and lily soup. Will my husband have some? If not, I’ll have the maid take it back to the kitchen."
Cheng Xu was provoked.
At noon, his mother had already nagged him for a long time—how Fourth Uncle Chi had already entered officialdom, and how he must pass the imperial examination no matter what in the next round, or else he would fall too far behind Fourth Uncle Chi. How Grandmother favored the Chaoyang Gate side, and with Fourth Uncle Chi’s methods, Grandmother’s private savings would sooner or later be coaxed away by him. She urged him to quickly produce a grandson, so that when Grandmother was happy, she might take out thousands or even tens of thousands of taels from her savings for them... He was utterly annoyed and said, "Don’t you want me to become the top scholar? If you keep bothering me with these trivial matters all day, how can I possibly succeed?" That finally silenced his mother.
But he never expected that just after sending his mother away, Madam Min would come.
His face immediately darkened. "What exactly are you trying to say? You are also a lady from a respectable family, a descendant of a noble house. Can’t you just speak openly and honestly? Do you really feel more comfortable or powerful by speaking in such insinuating, roundabout ways?"
Min Jia trembled with anger.
What did he mean?
Was he implying that since Zhou Shaojin wasn’t from a noble family, everything she did was insincere?A shadow flickered in Min Jia's eyes as she said, "Cheng Jiashan, I think you're the one making insinuations and veiled accusations here! Otherwise, why would you be so defensive? I merely suggested you take any grievances to Mother-in-law, and you immediately bring up my background. What, does my background displease you? Then who does please you?" At this point, she paused deliberately before continuing, "Is it your little aunt, Zhou Shaojin? So beautiful, like a flower. Perfect in every way, pleasing to the eye no matter how you look. But what does it matter? You still married me, and she still married your fourth uncle..."
Her words felt like a stab to his chest.
"Shut up!" Cheng Xu growled in a low voice, his eyes bloodshot. "Do you even know what you're saying? Is this how a well-bred young lady should speak? Get out. I never want to hear such words again!"
He actually dared to order her out!
In all her life, Min Jia had never been ordered out by anyone.
She had never suffered such humiliation before.
"You're throwing me out?!" Min Jia glared at Cheng Xu, her gaze filled with resentment. "Am I wrong? Didn't you apologize to Zhou Shaojin right in front of me? What? You can set fires but I'm not allowed to light a lamp? You abandoned Zhou Shaojin, and we can't even mention it..."
Cheng Xu laughed then.
He remembered how Min Jia had sent her maid Suyue to deliver a message, saying she felt unwell and didn't want to disturb the elders. She asked him to come in and take her out... and how coincidentally he had encountered Zhou Shaojin then.
Min Jia's heart skipped a beat, and her words abruptly stopped.
Cheng Xu's face was pale as paper, one corner of his mouth lifted as if forming a smile, but the coldness in his eyes made that smile full of mockery.
It made her shudder just looking at it.
Min Jia instinctively took a step back.
But Cheng Xu stood up. Slowly, he walked out from behind the desk, all the way to Min Jia's side, staring straight into her eyes as he whispered, "Do you really want to know what happened between me and Zhou Shaojin? Want to know if I still think about her? Want to know if we might rekindle our old flame..."
His gaze toward Min Jia was icy and hateful. It made Min Jia shiver uncontrollably, and she murmured, "No. Don't tell me..."
Hearing this, Cheng Xu laughed heartily, though his eyes remained just as cold. He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'll tell you then... I've always admired Shaojin, but my mother didn't approve. My cousins saw an opportunity and drugged my wine, then found a way to lure Shaojin to the artificial rock cave in our family garden. In my dazed state, I sensed it was Shaojin and wanted to force the situation, to make the family agree to our marriage... So, I almost raped Shaojin! Raped her..." As he spoke, the pain buried deep in his heart erupted like a flood, crashing against the dam of his reason. His expression was filled with agony and remorse. "You wanted to know why I apologized to her? This is the truth! There's no question of who wronged whom! No secret dealings between us... Are you satisfied now? Satisfied?""No, no, no." Min Jia's face turned deathly pale, looking at Cheng Xu as if she had seen a ghost. She retreated several steps in a row until her waist pressed against the armrest of the master's chair, only then stopping. "You're lying! How could this be? You are the top scholar of the Southern Metropolitan Region, a scholar, a scion of Jinling's Nine Prosperities Lane... How could you possibly do such a thing! How could you do such a thing... No, impossible, you're deceiving me..."
"Deceiving you?!" Cheng Xu sneered. "Haven't you always wanted to know the truth? Now that you know the truth and can't bear it, you think I'm deceiving you. That's fine too. Just consider it a deception. Go ahead and deceive yourself into thinking that Zhou Shaojin and I have an affair, continue deluding yourself into believing my heart belongs to someone else... Aren't you a noble lady from a prestigious family, famous for your virtue? My mother insisted on marrying you as a daughter-in-law precisely because of your virtuous reputation. Now that something like this has happened, if you swallow your tears, endure all grievances, and make every compromise, wouldn't that perfectly fulfill your reputation for being virtuous and benevolent?"
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Dear readers, today's update!
O(∩_∩)O~
PS: Please vote with pink tickets...
※ (To be continued ~^~)
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