Chapter 374 The Prefect's Wife Arrives

Cheng Wanwan stood at the entrance of the banquet hall of the Leng family mansion, exuding an imposing aura.

Upon seeing her, Master Leng's expression changed slightly. He had repeatedly warned those good-for-nothings at the gate why they had let the Cheng family members in.

He thought that since he had already offended the Cheng family, he might as well go all the way.

After the two children's wedding ceremony, he will personally visit them with his wife and daughter to apologize.

He had been in control of the situation, but this woman suddenly appeared. What if she said something inappropriate...?

He immediately gave the steward beside him a look.

The steward, accompanied by two servants, strode over forcefully: "Sister-in-law, have you come to the wrong place? But today is a joyous occasion at the Leng residence, and guests are honored. We cannot turn you away. We have prepared a table in the side hall. Please, sister-in-law, take a seat there..."

Two servants stood on either side of Cheng Wanwan.

Cheng Wanwan laughed directly: "With the Leng family's attitude towards guests, you still want to be in-laws with the Cheng family? You're dreaming! Master Leng, I advise you to hand over my nephew voluntarily, otherwise, don't blame me for not giving the Leng family any face."

She spoke bluntly, her eyes sharp, leaving all the guests stunned. They looked at each other, wondering what she was up to.

Master Leng took a deep breath. He knew that this was a hostile move, and he had no idea what the woman's next move would be.

However, as long as the Leng family still wants Cheng Zhao as their son-in-law, they cannot afford to have too much of a falling out with the Cheng family, otherwise their daughter's life will not be easy in the future.

But with so many guests watching, he was even more unwilling to let the Leng family lose face.

He strode towards Cheng Wanwan, lowering his voice: "A few days ago, when the embroidered ball was thrown, it was indeed your nephew who caught it. Their marriage is a predestined fate, how can we break up such a loving couple..."

“Master Leng, that’s not right,” Cheng Wanwan chuckled. “We both reached an agreement to cancel the engagement that day, so this shouldn’t have happened today. Should you inform the guests that the wedding is canceled yourself, or should I do it?”

Madam Leng walked over, her voice extremely low: "Back then, you deliberately deceived our Leng family with those words, otherwise why would the Leng family have pushed away such a wonderful marriage... Now that the embroidered ball has hit him, and he has now entered the bridal chamber, and the marriage is almost finalized, then he is our Leng family's son-in-law!"

Cheng Wanwan took a step back and stood on the steps.

If this had happened in Dahe Village, hundreds of men would have been willing to stand up for her as soon as she spoke up.

But this happened in Huzhou, at the Leng residence, and with only her and Shen Zheng present, they were indeed no match for the Leng family.

But! Sometimes, the damage caused by public opinion can exceed that of hundreds or thousands of people.

Since the Leng family has no shame, then she no longer needs to give them any face.

She was about to speak.

Just then!

A voice rang out from the doorway: "The Prefect's wife has arrived!"

Master Leng and his wife were both stunned. They hadn't even sent an invitation to the prefect, so why was the prefect's wife coming?

However, the fact that the prefect's wife could attend the Leng family's celebratory banquet was a great honor for the Leng family.

Although the Leng family held the title of wealthy landowners, they were still merchants, while the prefect's wife was an official. There has always been a great chasm between officials and merchants. With the arrival of the prefect's wife, the Leng family's status was instantly elevated.

Master Leng was overjoyed and hurried outside.

Not only the two of them, but also the guests in the banquet hall were stunned. They quickly stood up and stood in neat rows at the front of the banquet hall to greet them.

Soon, a lady dressed in a dark purple embroidered dress walked in. She looked to be about forty years old. She was accompanied by two maids and two old women. She was very well-dressed. Even though no one present had ever seen the prefect's wife before, they knew that this lady must be someone special.

Master Leng hurriedly cupped his hands in greeting: "Greetings, Madam Prefect. Your arrival is an honor to our Leng family. Please, Madam Prefect, take a seat."

As he spoke, he gave Cheng Wanwan a warning look, assuring her that if she dared to cause trouble in front of the prefect's wife, then the Leng family would not be so polite.

The prefect's wife smiled and said, "I heard that Madam Sui is also here. She is a seventh-rank Madam personally appointed by His Majesty. She cares about the people and brings them good. She has made countless merits, but I have heard of her for a long time and rarely see her. So, taking advantage of the Leng family's happy occasion, I shamelessly came over. I did not receive an invitation, but I came here abruptly. I hope that Master Leng will not mind."

When these words were spoken, everyone in the audience was shocked.

Lady Sui!

Everyone present had heard of those three characters.

It was already astonishing that a peasant woman was granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Court, but in just six months, she rose from the ninth rank to the seventh rank, a promotion of two ranks!

Everyone had only heard of Lady Sui's name, but had never seen her in person.

Judging from what the Prefect's wife said, Lady Sui also came to attend the Leng family's wedding banquet today?

The guests looked around, trying to find Lady Sui.

Master Leng and his wife were completely bewildered. They didn't know any Lady Sui and hadn't invited her.

"So Lady Sui is so young."

The prefect's wife smiled and looked in Cheng Wanwan's direction, her eyes full of goodwill.

Cheng Wanwan stepped forward and gave a slight curtsy: "Greetings, Madam Prefect."

"Oh dear, I can't accept such a courtesy." The prefect's wife quickly helped her up. "You are a court lady personally appointed by the Emperor, while I am nothing. I should be the one bowing to you."

This scene, witnessed by Master Leng and his wife, left the two of them as if struck by lightning, frozen in place, unable to move.

The guests who had been watching the spectacle suddenly realized what was happening.

"So this is Lady Sui!"

"We have met Lady Sui!"

"Please, Madam Sui, do not hold our rudeness against us!"

"..."

The backyard of the Leng residence.

The maids and servants quickly applied bridal makeup to Leng Rushuang, changed her into her wedding dress, and took her to the bridal chamber, where they carefully placed her on the large bed.

On the large bed lay another person, Cheng Zhao, who had been knocked unconscious.

Both were dressed in bright red wedding gowns, lying with their eyes closed under the mandarin duck quilt, looking like a perfect couple.

After the servants finished their business, they quietly withdrew.

As soon as they left, Leng Rushuang opened her eyes. She seemed to smell a fragrance, an unusual fragrance.

She quickly got out of bed, first extinguishing the incense burner, then leaned over the bedside and whispered, "Young Master Cheng, wake up, please wake up!"

Cheng Zhao didn't even blink.

Leng Rushuang turned around, poured a glass of water, and splashed it directly on Cheng Zhao's face.

"Cough cough cough!"

Cheng Zhao finally woke up and coughed violently. After he finished coughing, he looked around and saw red everywhere. For a moment, he didn't know where he was.

"Are you awake now?" Leng Rushuang took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so rude, but there's really no time. Change into this servant's clothes now and leave through the back door. Once you leave, this marriage will be automatically annulled."

In that brief moment, Cheng Zhao understood his current predicament.

The Leng family is forcing him to marry Miss Leng and consummate the marriage. Once the dust settles, he will have no choice but to admit it.

The best course of action right now is to leave first, and then publicly clarify the matter later...

He got out of bed, and as soon as his feet touched the ground, he felt dizzy. He felt a sharp pain as someone hit him hard on the back of his neck.

"Young Master Cheng, are you alright?" Leng Rushuang poured him a glass of water. "Drink some water to soothe your throat."

"Thanks."

Cheng Zhao tilted his head back and drank the tea in one gulp, which made him feel much better.

He took the clothes, went behind the screen, and began to change. After a while, he took off his groom's clothes and came out wearing a servant's uniform.

The servant's clothes were just ordinary dark gray short-sleeved shirts with a belt at the waist. The clothes were unremarkable, but when worn by Cheng Zhao, they made his temperament appear even more gentle and refined.

Leng Rushuang quietly opened the door and whispered, "Go out from here and head southeast..."

"Miss is awake..." The maid at the door looked surprised, then froze, "Why is the young master dressed like this..."