"Ms. Sang," Jiang Jinzhao, who had been silent all this time, finally spoke.
His voice was calm, so calm that no ripples could be heard. There was neither the anger of his fiancée's betrayal nor the embarrassment of being humiliated in public.
He just turned slightly, his eyes lightly falling on Sang Wenyin's hands protecting her lower abdomen. His eyes were distant, as if he was looking at a stranger. "You just said that you didn't want to marry into the Marquis' Mansion?"
Sang Wenyin was stung by his overly calm attitude, but she immediately straightened her back and met his gaze. "Yes! When we were engaged, did anyone ever ask me if I was willing? I, Sang Wenyin, have never thought about becoming the Crown Prince's wife!"
These words were like thunder, and Mrs. Sang almost fainted: "Yin'er, shut up! What nonsense are you talking about!"
Jiang Jinzhao seemed not to hear Mrs. Sang's scream, and there was even a very cold arc at the corner of his mouth. There was no smile in that arc, only complete indifference.
He turned to his mother, Mrs. Xu, and said, "Mother, since Miss Sang already has someone she loves and is already pregnant, forcing her is useless. Let's just call it quits."
Mrs. Sang's whole body went limp, and if the nanny behind her hadn't been quick to support her, she would have almost collapsed to the ground.
She looked at her daughter's stubborn expression, then at Jiang Jinzhao's icy attitude, and finally at Xu, whose face was becoming increasingly gloomy in the main seat. The huge fear and shame almost overwhelmed her.
She suddenly broke free from the nanny's hand, staggered forward a few steps, and bowed deeply to Xu:
"Marquis's wife! Prince! All the mistakes are my Sang family's fault! It's my fault for not raising my daughter properly, and for raising such a shameless evildoer! The Sang family will immediately return the betrothal gifts in full! No, double it! I only ask for mercy from the Marquis' Mansion!"
She raised her head, tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with desperate pleading, "Please, Marquis Mansion, please don't spread this matter! Wenyin was confused for a moment! If this gets out, her life will be ruined! The other unmarried girls in our Sang family will be too embarrassed to face anyone! Madam Marquis, please! Leave a way out for the Sang family!"
She crawled on the ground, her posture lowered to the dust.
Xu sat upright, her fingers unconsciously twisting the Buddhist beads on her wrist.
There was no expression on her well-maintained face, but her eyes were deep and unfathomable, as if she was weighing something.
[No! Absolutely not! Mother, please don't give in to your weakness and agree! This Madam Sang has a plan! Reject the betrothal gift? Compensation? Just thinking of using money to shut the Marquis's mouth? You're dreaming!]
If this matter is kept secret, what will people outside say? Those who don't know the truth will definitely think that my brother Jiang Jinzhao has done something to offend Sang Wenyin, or that our Marquisate is bullying others and canceling the Sang family's marriage for no reason! Will my brother's reputation be saved? Will he still be able to gain a foothold in the capital? Will he still be able to discuss marriage? Why should our Marquisate bear this heavy and shameful blame?
Sang Wenyin herself committed such an immoral act, and she should bear the consequences! If she didn't want to marry, she could have said so earlier, and the two families could have parted ways amicably. But she insisted on secretly having an affair and getting pregnant. This is clearly a malicious deception, an attempt to confuse the Marquis's bloodline! Her heart is damned! Now that the truth has been revealed, is she afraid? Trying to cover it up? Too late!
[Mother! Wake up! We must not tolerate this kind of malice! The truth must be made public! We must let everyone know that it was the Sang family's daughter who was unfaithful to her husband first, and our Marquis' Mansion is the victim! Only in this way can we preserve my brother's reputation! Only in this way can we maintain the dignity of the Marquis' Mansion!]
Jiang Songyi roared inwardly, but on her face she still maintained the dignity that a county lady should have, except that the fingers holding the teacup tightened slightly.
At this moment, Xu, who had been twirling the Buddhist beads with her eyes lowered, suddenly stopped.
She slowly raised her eyes, and her gaze was no longer as deep and weighing as before, but became cold and sharp.
"Madam Sang, you just asked the Marquisate not to publicize this matter?"
Madam Sang nodded repeatedly as if she had grasped a lifeline: "Yes, yes, yes! Please, Madam Hou, have mercy! The Sang family is extremely grateful! We will definitely..."
"Oh," Mrs. Xu sneered softly, interrupting her plea. "Have mercy? Be grateful? Madam Sang, don't you think this is just a momentary confusion on the part of Miss Sang?"
She leaned forward slightly, her gaze blazing. "She's been secretly having an affair with that Liao man you mentioned, and is pregnant, yet she's still carrying on with her engagement to my son Jinzhao! If it weren't for what happened today, would you, the Sang family, still be planning on forcing this child into the Yongding Marquisate, passing her off as our bloodline, and letting her secure her place as the Crown Prince's wife?"
"No! No! Madam Hou, please understand! We have no such intention!" Madam Sang was so frightened that she denied it repeatedly.
"That's absolutely not her intention?" Xu's voice suddenly rose, tinged with thunderous fury. "If that wasn't her intention, why didn't she say so earlier? If she truly didn't want to marry into the Marquis' Mansion, she could have just formally called off the engagement! Is our Yongding Marquis' Mansion the kind of place that forces marriage? But she refuses to do that! While enjoying the honor and respect that comes with marrying into the Marquis' Mansion, she's secretly pregnant with someone else! If that's not a malicious deception, a vain attempt to confuse the bloodline of our Marquis' Mansion, what is it?"
Every word was like a heavy hammer, hitting Mrs. Sang and Sang Wenyin's hearts hard.
Sang Wenyin's hands, which were protecting her lower abdomen, trembled slightly, and her face turned even paler.
Madam Xu stood up and looked down at the pale-faced Sang mother and daughter, leaving no room for maneuver. "This matter concerns the reputation of my son Jinzhao and the century-old good name of the Yongding Marquisate! It cannot be resolved with just private compensation from your Sang family! Whatever the truth is, I will send people to investigate thoroughly! We will not shirk responsibility for what our Marquisate should bear, but don't expect us to swallow our anger when it's a stigma we shouldn't bear!"
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