Chapter 24 Call Him Husband

Liu Rumei arrived late.

She arrived and apologized, saying she was feeling unwell. Then she clutched her chest and coughed for a while, coughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

Seeing her frail and weak appearance, the old lady sighed deeply, no longer intending to criticize her in public, but instead looking at her with pity.

Unlike the old lady, Sheng Huai'an, who had previously wanted to speak up for Liu Rumei, now that she was here, held his teacup and didn't even look at her.

Ye Mingzhu observed this scene and sneered inwardly.

"Now that everyone's here, I'll begin," the old lady said.

Everyone immediately sat up straight.

The old lady said, "There have been a lot of rumors going around lately, and I really can't stay at the estate in peace, so I had to come back to check on things."

"This matter was caused by the East Mansion stealing the West Mansion's marriage proposal... Ronghua, although Jia Shi withheld Ye Shi's dowry, her reputation outside is not good, and she has also disgraced our Duke of Wei's Mansion. Please be more lenient."

"Grandmother, I didn't!" Madam Jia stood up angrily, but Sheng Huai'an grabbed her hand, seemingly trying to dissuade her, but actually pleading in his eyes, he cried out, "Mother..."

Jia's expression changed.

She understood what Sheng Huai'an meant.

If she doesn't admit to the crime of withholding Ye Mingzhu's dowry, and if the matter is truly investigated, it will inevitably lead to Sheng Huai'an.

He is so upright and virtuous, he is destined to be a top scholar and a high-ranking official. How can he have any blemishes on his record?

Besides, the reason her son took Ye's dowry was to show his filial piety to her...

Thinking of this, Jia shut her mouth.

The old lady asked, "Is there anything you want to say?"

“No…” Jia said, “No.”

Sheng Huai'an secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and shook Jia's hand with a mixture of guilt and reassurance.

The old lady said, "If you're not going to talk, then sit down."

Jia suppressed her anger and sat down.

The old lady continued, "This time, Liu's younger brother smeared Ye, and the West Mansion has wronged the East Mansion. But Liu was also implicated. It is not easy for her to be a young widow. Fortunately, the matter has been clarified. Liu will kneel in the ancestral hall for three days and be confined to her quarters for half a year as punishment."

Princess Ronghua disagreed: "Grandmother, how can we let this go like this?"

The old lady sighed again and asked, "What do you think?"

Princess Ronghua said, "When Junzhao married Ye, I compensated the Western Mansion with ten thousand taels of silver! The Western Mansion withheld Ye's dowry, and the Liu family smeared the Eastern Mansion outside, yet they still haven't given us an explanation, not even a word of apology!"

Madam Jia jumped up in anger: "What's wrong with ten thousand taels? The Ye family is rolling in money. Your son kidnapped Madam Ye and took her home. He stole a golden baby! I only accepted ten thousand taels from you because I'm not going to hold it against you. To be honest, I feel like I lost out!"

Ten thousand taels, is that a lot? She gave her family a few thousand taels, kept some for herself, and put some into the public account, and that was it!

Although she looked down on Ye Mingzhu, Ye Mingzhu's dowry was truly substantial!

How long can 200,000 taels of silver be used as a stash?!

If it weren't for the shamelessness of the Eastern Mansion, would she be scheming and worrying about money right now?!

Thinking of this, Jia felt a pang of sadness.

She deliberately provoked, saying, "Why don't you ask Madam Ye if Sheng Yunche hadn't tried to steal the bride, would she have preferred to be our Xi family's daughter-in-law? Her relationship with Huai'an is very deep, unlike anyone else's!"

"Mother!" Sheng Huai'an called out, seemingly about to dissuade her again.

However, the grievance on his face was barely concealed.

Princess Ronghua's face turned ashen, and she was so angry that she couldn't speak for a moment. In her heart, Sheng Yunche was indeed in the wrong for forcibly taking the bride, and the person she felt most sorry for was Ye Mingzhu. She had worried more than once that Ye Mingzhu was unwilling and that the young couple would not be able to live happily together.

Sheng Yunche's face also darkened, a faint smile playing on his lips, but his deep phoenix eyes held a suppressed rage.

Ye Mingzhu suddenly chuckled, picked up her teacup and looked at Sheng Yunche beside her: "Husband, please try it. The Biluochun tea here is the best. I'm sure you'll like it."

Sheng Yunche turned to look at her.

This was the first time she had ever called him "husband"...

He picked up his teacup and took a sip: "Not bad."

He put down his teacup and smiled.

Princess Ronghua smiled as well.

After laughing, she said sternly, "Jia, aren't you shameless?! Publicly sowing discord among the younger generation—is this something an elder should do?!"

Jia was furious: "I'm shameless? It's you who are shameless! Ye Mingzhu is helping you because she's already lost her virginity, a used and worthless woman, and can only spend her life with your son! Even if she likes my Huai'an, she wouldn't show it now, otherwise she would only be abandoned and sent home. She wouldn't dare!"

Ye Mingzhu's almond-shaped eyes turned cold as she recalled the humiliations she suffered at the hands of the Jia family in her past life, and her face turned very ugly.

But before she could even stand up and retaliate, Sheng Yunche grabbed her wrist and shielded her behind him.

"You're saying I, the Duchess of Wei, am a withered flower or a fallen woman?"

Sheng Yunche slowly stood up, his cold and deep phoenix eyes looking at Jia Shi. Jia Shi, who was arrogant and domineering, felt her heart skip a beat and her face turn pale.

Only then did she realize why Sheng Yunche and Wei Ji, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, were known as the "Black and White Duo"... His ruthless reputation was stained with blood!

But no matter how cruel and violent he was, would he dare to kill himself in front of the old lady?

"What's wrong with the Duchess of the State?!" Jia stammered, then suddenly said sarcastically, "You are of higher status than Huai'an, but you are in poor health. In the future, Ye Shi will probably end up like me and your mother. It would be better if you married Huai'an!"

What's the same?

Both widows?

This blatant curse was too much for Princess Ronghua to bear, no matter how composed she was. She slammed her hand on the table and roared, "Jia, you're asking for death!"

The old lady was so angry her hands trembled: "You, you...you..."

"Grandmother, don't worry. Mother, don't worry either." Ye Mingzhu gently comforted them, then looked at Sheng Yunche and said, "Husband, don't worry either. The Ye family has been practicing medicine for generations. I will definitely take good care of your health so that you can live a long and healthy life and stay with you for the rest of your life."

Her eyes were clear, and her expression was serious.

"What if I die?" Sheng Yunche suddenly asked.

The shocking statement stunned everyone.

Even Jia was dumbfounded. Who would curse themselves to die?

But upon further reflection, it's Sheng Yunche's personality.

Ye Mingzhu was also surprised, but she quickly regained her composure and said with a smile, "If you live, we will be loving and affectionate for a hundred years. If you die, I will guard you for a lifetime."

"Really?" Sheng Yunche raised an eyebrow.

Ye Mingzhu raised her hand and swore to the heavens: "I..."

But she only managed to utter one word before Sheng Yunche interrupted her.

"Alright, enough talk," he said. "I don't want to hear your oath."

Ye Mingzhu: "...?"

Don't you want to hear it?

Why did she feel that he had suddenly become smug?

If he were truly dead, she would indeed stay by his side for life, but...

The main reason is that she feels men are dispensable.

Rather than marrying a man whose background she doesn't know and gambling on an unpredictable future, she'd rather live a quiet life in the Duke of Wei's mansion.

It was only after his health improved that she began to seriously consider the future.

"Alright, let's not get off topic!" Princess Ronghua clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention back. "What we're talking about now is Liu Rumei secretly instigating Liu Pinliang to tarnish the reputation of the Eastern Mansion!"

Liu Rumei, who had been trying to minimize her presence, was startled and knelt on the ground with tears in her eyes.

“Your Highness, I am truly innocent! I haven’t been home for a long time. The last time I sent a letter home was two months ago. I really don’t know why my brother would say those things! But ultimately, it was my brother who did wrong. No matter how the Ancestor or you want to punish him, I am willing.”

The old lady couldn't bear it and tried to smooth things over: "Ronghua, why don't we just let it go? She's pitiful too, you can't just beat her to death."

This statement carries a hint of disapproval.

But Princess Ronghua ignored that and only asked Liu Rumei, "Do you really think I can punish you however I want?"

Liu Rumei was startled, vaguely sensing that something was wrong.