At the head of the table, Prime Minister Su Hongye stroked his long beard, raised his eyes from the teacup in his hand, and glanced at his daughter. His expression was still as distant as usual, as if his daughter was just an insignificant figure in the Prime Minister's residence. Only the slightest raise of his eyebrows revealed a subtle surprise.
On the pearwood chair below, Liu had already risen, beaming. She wore a bright red jacket embroidered with gold, her hair adorned with pearls and jade, her complexion rosy and rosy, the look of a kind stepmother. Seeing Su Jinli emerge, she hurried forward, her voice so soft it could drip with water: "My son, you're finally awake! Come and see me. Did you not sleep well last night? Look at your face, so pale it makes me feel distressed."
As she spoke, she extended her hand, clad in red gold armor, and tried to tug at Su Jinli's wrist. Before her fingertips could touch, Su Jinli had already moved aside imperceptibly, her tone calm and composed, "Thank you for your concern, stepmother. I just woke up a little too hastily, and I'm not feeling unwell."
Liu's hand froze in mid-air, her carefully maintained smile faltering for a moment. The Su Jinli before her seemed different. In the past, this girl had always been timid and withdrawn when she saw her, never before so cold and distant. But she quickly regained her composure, her face still gentle. "I'm glad you're alright. Today is your big day. Come, bow to your father first, so he can see how good our Jinli is."
Su Jinli followed his instructions and stepped forward, bowing to Su Hongye. Her voice was clear, but without any intimacy: "My daughter, Su Jinli, greets my father."
Su Hongye said "hmm" as a response, but his eyes fell back on the teacup in his hand, as if he had little interest in his own daughter's coming-of-age ceremony.
Seeing this, Liu quickly perked up and smiled at the guests, saying, "It is truly an honor for the Prime Minister's residence to have you all here for my daughter's coming-of-age banquet today. Speaking of which, I do have a happy event I'd like to discuss with Master, Jinli, and all of you."
She paused, looking around with a mysterious air, her voice tinged with a hint of unconcealed pride. "A few days ago, I specially asked the Taoist priest from Baiyun Temple to read Jinli's fortune. He said that she and Erlang from the Earl Wang Mansion in the capital are destined to be together. Our horoscopes couldn't be more compatible. And now, the Wang family has sent a matchmaker, interested in arranging a marriage with my Su family. Today, while everyone is here, why not finalize this marriage and put an end to a worry for me as a mother?"
"Wang Erlang?"
"Is it that Wang Erlang who frequents brothels?"
"I heard he lost so much money at the gambling den last month that he pawned his jade ring passed down from his ancestors..."
As soon as Liu finished speaking, a murmur erupted in the hall. Wang Erlang's reputation was already notorious among the capital's aristocracy. Cockfighting, running errands, and sleeping with prostitutes were commonplace. Furthermore, he was a compulsive gambler, and had a mountain of debts. Liu actually wanted to marry the prime minister's daughter to him? Wasn't that just pushing a good girl into a fire pit?
Su Hongye's fingers gripping the teacup tightened slightly, his brows furrowed imperceptibly. He seemed about to say something, but ultimately pursed his lips and swallowed his words. His second wife had always been tactful, but he had never expected her to be so absurd.
Seeing that her husband didn't object immediately, Liu assumed he acquiesced and grew bolder. She turned around and took Su Jinli's hand again. This time, Su Jinli didn't shy away, but her eyes were as cold as ice, causing her fingertips to tremble slightly.
"Jinli," Liu's voice softened, her eyes welling up in time. "Mother knows you might be feeling a little apprehensive, thinking Wang Lang is a bit playful due to his youth. But men, every one of us is like this. Once you get married and have a wife to look after you, you'll naturally settle down. Think about it, if you marry into the Earl's Mansion, you'll have the best food and clothing, be respectable when you go out, and have a son in the future, who will be your lifelong support. This is much better than living in the Prime Minister's Mansion..." She paused, sighing as if unintentionally, "Much better. Mother is saying this for your own good."
It’s “for your own good” again!
Those three words pierced Su Jinli's eardrums like poisoned needles. In her past life, she had been deceived by those very words, step by step walking into hell. What kind of vicious heart was hidden beneath this kind face? He was using her marriage to curry favor with the Wang family, using her dowry to fill their holes. He might even have colluded with the Wang family long ago and taken advantage of them!
Su Jinli felt nauseous and suddenly pulled her hand away. The force was so great that Liu staggered and almost fell to the ground.
"For my own good?" Su Jinli's voice was quiet, but it carried a chilling chill that echoed throughout the front hall. "Stepmother, do you think marrying me to a dandy boy who's so swamped with gambling debts that he's about to sell off the stone lions in front of his family's grave is good for me?"
With a loud "bang", the whole room was in uproar!
Everyone was stunned. No one had expected that the usually taciturn daughter of the prime minister's family would actually be so ruthless to her stepmother and say such shocking words in front of all the guests at her coming-of-age banquet!
Liu's face suddenly turned pale, as if all the blood had been drained out of it. Her lips trembled, "Jinli! You...what nonsense are you talking about! Wang Lang...he's just young and hot-headed, just playing around occasionally. How could he..."
"Am I talking nonsense?" Su Jinli stepped forward, her eyes sharp as a knife, piercing Liu's heart. "Then may I ask, stepmother, three days ago, was Wang Erlang trapped at the entrance of the Jufulou gambling house in the south of the city for three thousand taels of silver in gambling debt? Was he nearly beaten to death by the gambling den's men? Is this true?"
As she spoke, she pulled out a bundle of things wrapped in mulberry paper from her sleeve and waved it. Although the paper package was small, it seemed like a heavy burden in the eyes of everyone.
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