Chapter 258: Farce
Xia Zhen was trembling all over.
His mind was completely blank, he who had always been arrogant and domineering.
“Young Master…”
Xia Zhen glared with bloodshot eyes, searching for Zhou Wangshu’s figure in the crowd.
Zhou Wangshu stood in the crowd, arms crossed, grinning with a provocative expression.
Xia Zhen got back up, but tripped over the quilt underfoot, and his whole body lunged forward.
The quilt came loose, revealing his disheveled body.
Blood splattered out.
“Ah…” Xia Zhen screamed in agony.
The people around showed expressions of being unable to bear watching.
Xia Zhen screamed: “Get lost, all of you get lost…”
“You unfilial son, what have you done?” Marquis Cheng’an rushed over, looking at the mess at the scene, nearly unable to catch his breath.
The groom and bride’s worship ceremony had already ended, and the guests who hadn’t arrived immediately earlier were arriving one after another.
“Prime Minister, trouble you to disperse the crowd.” Marquis Cheng’an said weakly.
Prime Minister Wang now also had the impulse to curse. His daughter was getting married, first the groom’s old lover came to make trouble, and now his good nephew toyed with the Heir of Marquis Cheng’an on the wedding banquet day. If it were a woman, no matter which family’s young lady, it could at least be turned into a small matter or nothing, but in this situation, it was probably hard to handle.
“Disperse, disperse.” Prime Minister Wang said to everyone.
The crowd had already watched the show, staying longer would be useless and would only offend Marquis Cheng’an and Prime Minister Wang, so they all dispersed.
Su Rende sneered: “Some young people, even if born as men, may not have the heart of a man.”
“Dad, are we still eating?” Su Yaoguang said.
“Eat, of course we eat, not only eat, but eat more, after all, we sent a pair of jade ruyi!”
Although to bury Prime Minister Wang, that pair of jade ruyi not only had poor quality, but also many flaws on them, at least he had sent the gift.
After sending the bride into the bridal chamber, Xiao Yanci came out to toast.
After experiencing the matter with Wen Shi earlier, Wang Ruyan hadn’t flared up yet, and he knew the two were already tied to the same boat, so no matter how annoyed she was inside, as long as he coaxed her, she would eventually forgive him. Otherwise, having just married him, could she divorce? He didn’t care, but he was afraid this eldest daughter of the Wang family couldn’t afford to lose face. Therefore, for what happened earlier, Miss Wang not only couldn’t trouble him, but had to find ways to cover for him, best to perfectly cover it up.
He returned to the banquet and found the atmosphere strange. He thought it was because of Wen Shi and the child’s appearance earlier, so he squeezed out a smile and shuttled through the crowd, enthusiastically greeting those guests, making sure to appear unaffected, letting that ‘rumor’ collapse on its own.
Strange! Where did Prime Minister Wang go? On such an occasion today, shouldn’t he be helping greet guests and introducing those officials to him?
He saw the father-in-law and son-in-law pair, Great General Who Protects the Nation Su Rende and Zhou Wangshu, seeing Su Rende helping Zhou Wangshu build connections at the wine table, jealousy flashed in his eyes.
Both were fathers-in-law, Prime Minister Wang always acted superior, unlike Su Rende who was so casual, treating Zhou Wangshu like his own son.
“Where is the Prime Minister?” Xiao Yanci asked the servant.
The servant replied: “The Prime Minister is in the backyard.”
Xiao Yanci’s face grew even uglier.
Now was the toasting segment, for Prime Minister Wang to hide in the backyard, what was that? He wouldn’t be doing it on purpose, to express dissatisfaction with what happened earlier, right?
Wen Shi was just an insignificant woman, he could deal with her immediately. But that child…
This child was his first child. He could handle Wen Shi, but had no way to handle this child. This reminded him that at this time in his previous life he also had a child, but the birth mother wasn’t Wen Shi, but that woman Jiang Yihuan.
Jiang Yihuan…
Last time in the theater they had been intimate, could that woman be pregnant with his child again? If she was pregnant with his child, and that child inherited the marquis manor’s title, it would be equivalent to him letting his descendant inherit someone else’s title without lifting a finger, just thinking about it made him excited.
He saw Jiang Yihuan among the female relatives. That woman was really glamorous now, after careful dressing up she quite looked like a noblewoman, most importantly still as alluring as before.
Worthy of a woman who had experienced many men, she was very skilled at serving men, making him somewhat unable to stop.
Jiang Yihuan sensed something and turned back, seeing Xiao Yanci in wedding clothes.
For this man Xiao Yanci, Jiang Yihuan already had no feelings. Her mind always recalled the scene of her personally witnessing him kill Zhong Lanhua, then wanting to stay away from this man.
However, this man was like a malicious ghost, unwilling to give up her this money tree, thinking of every way to extort silver from her.
“Find out what happened, why do I feel everyone’s expressions are strange?” Xiao Yanci instructed his attendant.
Su Yaoguang and Zhang Zhaodi sat on the female relatives’ side. The mother and daughter elegantly ate various delicious food, while the other female relatives talked about the two big pieces of gossip that happened earlier, even lowering their voices, those laughs still came through.
“Do you think the eldest Miss Wang can tolerate that child?”
“Didn’t Prime Minister Wang just say? They will first check if that woman is a liar, if the child is Xiao Lord’s. Whether the child is Xiao Lord’s, ultimately isn’t it up to them? They say no and it’s no, that woman is probably also pitiful, actually ending up with such a vain man. If it were me, I wouldn’t appear here, directly take the child to a place where no one knows us to live. Now it’s good, she made Prime Minister’s Mansion lose such big face, I’m afraid the mother and son both won’t live long.”
“Indeed a pitiful person!”
Prime Minister Wang arrived late. At this time Xiao Yanci’s attendant had just inquired about the news and was reporting to Xiao Yanci. And the latter, after knowing what happened, had a strange expression.
Compared to his minor matter earlier, that Heir of Marquis Cheng’an was the one really playing wild. Normally how he played was fine, but to come to his wedding banquet to play, that was unhappiness.
“The one who used force on him was the Prime Minister’s Mansion’s cousin young master, that is, the son of the Prime Minister’s only elder sister. This Young Master Zhang has lived in Prime Minister’s Mansion for several years, equivalent to Prime Minister Wang’s half-son.”
If Wang Ruyan hadn’t taken in a son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family, everything in Prime Minister’s Mansion would probably be half inherited by this nephew. Now that Wang Ruyan took in a son-in-law who lives with the wife’s family, that Young Master surnamed Zhang saw the property he was about to get slip away, in a bad mood, drank too much, and then became like this.
However, this was the appearance in outsiders’ eyes, in fact…
The truth, only a few people knew, among them one was the victim and instigator Xia Zhen, the other was Zhou Wangshu who almost got caught.
Zhou Wangshu stood by the horse-drawn carriage, waiting for Su Yaoguang and Zhang Zhaodi to come out. His good father-in-law had drunk too much and was resting in the carriage.
Marquis Cheng’an walked out supported by his attendant.
He who had experienced a heavy blow walked unsteadily, and when passing by Zhou Wangshu’s side, his foot slipped, falling toward him.
Zhou Wangshu moved to the side a bit, letting Marquis Cheng’an fall on the ground without paying attention.
Marquis Cheng’an’s attendant looked at Zhou Wangshu with strange eyes.
Marquis Cheng’an looked at Zhou Wangshu in front of him, his gaze flickering: “You look very much like one person… my legal wife. If my eldest legitimate son hadn’t died, he would be about your size.”
Sarcasm flashed in Zhou Wangshu’s eyes.
“Is that so? Marquis Cheng’an actually had an eldest legitimate son, how come I’ve never heard?”
“That child had a thin fate, gone at ten years old.” Marquis Cheng’an unsteadily stood up.
The attendant supported him.
Marquis Cheng’an looked at Zhou Wangshu, the more he looked the more familiar this face seemed.
Actually, when Zhou Wangshu became Top Scholar back then, he had some doubts in his heart, always feeling this child looked like his early-deceased legitimate son. That legitimate son was born of the original wife, drowned to death at ten years old.
He had collected his corpse and buried him in the ancestral hall.
If that eldest legitimate son were still alive, it definitely wouldn’t let him lose face like today.
That bastard Xia Zhen was already ruined, completely hopeless.
He had never lost such face in his life like today.
No! He was still young, could still have sons. He needed to take in several concubines, especially those who could bear children, soon give birth to a son to take over Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion’s title.
“Back to the mansion, immediately back to the mansion.”
Zhou Wangshu looked at Marquis Cheng’an’s figure and showed a cold laugh.
Pretending to be what kind of loving father?
Since the second wife entered the mansion, he never asked about this eldest legitimate son of his, to the point that young him was grasped by the second wife. He was once the noble young master, the predetermined Heir Apparent of the marquis manor, ended up reduced to fighting a puppy for things to eat, and doing work like a servant. That vicious woman poured boiling water on him, deliberately pricked him with needles. Later she couldn’t tolerate him, wanted to put him to death. Fortunately he discovered the conspiracy in time, found a boy’s corpse similar in build to him to substitute.
He dressed that boy in his clothes, put on his jade pendant, let him soak in water for several days until face unrecognizable before letting him float up.
He took silver notes secretly from the mansion wanting to leave that hell, but young him was like a lamb to the slaughter, just escaped one tiger den, soon encountered another wolf den. He was targeted by a human trafficker, and then began a disastrous life.
Before leaving the capital city, he also discovered a secret, turns out his maternal family’s home being raided and exterminated was all because his good father provided some evidence. At that time he was too small, could do nothing, but these one grudge after another and lives owed, he never forgot.
“Wangshu… Wangshu…” Su Yaoguang waved her hand in front of Zhou Wangshu. “What are you looking at?”
Zhou Wangshu came back to his senses, smiling: “Drank a bit too much, a little dizzy.”
“Then get in the carriage quickly, we’re going home.” Su Yaoguang helped Zhou Wangshu into the rear horse-drawn carriage.
The front horse-drawn carriage was left for Su Rende and Zhang Zhaodi.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t saving resources, but Su Rende and Zhang Zhaodi now were even more clingy than young people, not allowing this young couple to disturb that old couple.
After getting on the horse-drawn carriage, Zhou Wangshu leaned over, hugging her tightly.
“Feeling very uncomfortable?” Su Yaoguang asked, “Headache? Or want to vomit?”
“A bit weak, want to hold you. Yaoguang, let’s always be like this, never separate, okay?”
“Drank alcohol, suddenly becoming so sad, why? Over these many years, we haven’t separated, right!” Su Yaoguang touched the back of his hand.
Zhou Wangshu rested his head on her shoulder, rubbing against her neck.
Su Yaoguang stroked his hair, like stroking a puppy.
“Yaoguang, if one day I become very scary, will you hate me?”
“How scary? Will you bully me?”
“No.”
“Will you bully my parents?”
“No.”
“Then will you bully…”
“I won’t bully the people we both care about.” Zhou Wangshu said.
“Then what’s there to be scared of? No matter what you do, I believe you have your reasons. If you bully someone, it must be their fault. Otherwise why don’t you bully others, only bully that person, shows that person has problems themselves.” Su Yaoguang said, “As long as you don’t go against your heart, I’ll support you.”
Zhou Wangshu kissed her forehead: “My Yaoguang is so good.”
“If uncomfortable, just rest your head and nap, I’ll wake you when we arrive at the general’s mansion.”
“Yaoguang…” Zhou Wangshu acted coquettish, “Let’s have a child!”
Su Yaoguang: “…”
Zhou Wangshu took her hand, kissed it by his lips: “With a child, I’ll have kin with blood relation to me.”
“Lord Zhou Wangshu…” Su Yaoguang held his cheeks, “Isn’t this up to me? No matter how hard I try alone I can’t give birth, you have to work hard too. If you like children, of course no problem, however many you want to have.”
Zhou Wangshu chuckled muffledly.
“No laughing.” Su Yaoguang pushed him, “You’re really strange today, what exactly happened?”
“Actually I have something hidden from you.” Zhou Wangshu hugged her and said, “That Xia Zhen today… was done by me.”
Su Yaoguang was stunned for a moment, but thinking of what Xia Zhen had done to him before, thinking of that person’s tyrannical style.
“That kind of person deserves it. You this is eliminating harm for the people, what’s to be unhappy about?”
“Besides the previous grudge, also because of something else.” Zhou Wangshu said, “That Xia Zhen is my half-brother, same father different mother.”
“What did you say?” Su Yaoguang was shocked, “Then you are Marquis Cheng’an’s…”
“Right, I am Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion’s eldest legitimate son. My mother was originally Marquis Cheng’an’s original wife, later maternal family had an incident, she couldn’t bear the blow and fell ill, soon passed away. After my mother left, Marquis Cheng’an quickly married a new wife. That woman appeared loving and gentle to me on the surface, but secretly thought of every way to torment me. She discovered Marquis Cheng’an didn’t care about my life or death at all, acted more and more ruthlessly on me. Those years, on the surface I was Marquis Cheng’an’s Mansion’s eldest legitimate son, actually lived worse than a dog. Later, she wanted to kill me, I discovered in advance, found a way to fake death and escape. In that family’s eyes, I am already dead. But over these many years, I’ve constantly wanted revenge.”
