The crabapple-red bellyband, embroidered with orchids, exuded a delicate fragrance. But Jiang Yushu was not used to it. She stretched it left and right, roughly brushed her hair, and shook out her coat before putting it on.
She heard footsteps but didn't even look up. She asked, "Xiao Tao, you came back—cough, cough, cough. What delicious food did you bring?"
Guo Honglei was caught off guard and hesitated to speak. Suddenly, his eyes were filled with only two colors: red and white: the red was the bellyband, the thin red belt; the white was the smooth, flawless skin, the slender back, and the waist that could be held in one hand. When she turned sideways, the plump, white, and soft breasts trembled.
"ah!"
With a scream, Red and White disappeared, tightly wrapped in a lotus-colored coat.
Jiang Yushu died in a car accident in her previous life before she got married. She had no experience and was so scared that she covered her clothes with her hands, her face flushed, and she quickly hid behind a low screen. Her heart was pounding as she looked at the handsome man with bated breath.
Face to face, after their wedding night, the newlyweds should be in love, but instead, they seem like strangers, utterly alienated. The wife hangs herself on her wedding day; the husband, just after the ceremony, faces the dilemma of his brother being arrested and his wife attempting suicide.
There is no trace of affection at all.
Guo Honglei was tall and straight, a full head taller than his wife. He came to his senses and turned away, silently exiting the inner room.
"Hey?" Jiang Yushu called out blankly, still in shock. She bit her lip, slapped her forehead, and smiled bitterly, reminding herself that she was already married, and that the man just now was her husband.
A deep, urging voice came from outside, "Hurry up and put on your clothes, and come out to talk."
talk?
What? Divorce?
If I were to be divorced while living together in the capital, my parents would undoubtedly know. At that point, my elders would most likely not allow me to freely dispose of my dowry and live outside. Furthermore, it's entirely possible that someone in the Jiang family has framed me, and perhaps my enemies will harm me further... What should I do?
I am not familiar with the place, so I cannot act rashly.
Jiang Yushu, who had just entered another world, was nervous. She quickly straightened her clothes, took a deep breath, forced herself to be strong, and stepped out of the inner room.
Guo Honglei sat upright, nodding his chin at the stool, "Sit."
Jiang Yushu sat down as she was told, feeling a little restrained, and waited for the other party to speak.
"Why are you alone? Where are the girls?"
"Xiao Tao went to find me something to eat." Face to face again, Jiang Yushu suppressed her uneasiness and curiously examined the sharp-browed, star-eyed young master of the Marquis's mansion. She thought to herself: In my memory, he was seventeen. He was really tall, with broad shoulders and long legs, and full of heroic spirit.
Guo Honglei asked again: "Except Xiaotao, where are the other maids?" He had been out for a day and a night, and was hungry and thirsty. He picked up the pot and poured water himself. After drinking it all, he poured a cup for his wife in name only.
Up to now, they have only hugged each other when they were unconscious and confused, and there has been no real physical contact.
Jiang Yushu thanked him and took the teacup. She answered truthfully in a hoarse voice, "I don't know. When I woke up, I only saw Xiaotao."
"Oh?" Guo Honglei frowned slightly, but didn't ask any further questions. He stared at the glaring bruise on the man's throat and asked calmly, "Is your throat okay? If it's not convenient for you to talk, let's talk tonight."
Jiang Yushu immediately shook her head, drank some water to moisten her throat, and said sternly, "From your tone, it sounds like something important. Let's talk about it first. My injury is not serious."
Guo Honglei nodded, revealing a sad expression. He sighed deeply and said slowly, "My eldest brother passed away. My parents are extremely sad. Now the mansion is in chaos—"
"What?" Jiang Yushu couldn't help but interrupt, asking in astonishment, "Someone just told the old lady that you brought the prince back home. How, how could he be dead?"
Guo Honglei squeezed his eyes shut, his jaw clenched, and he clenched his fists as he spoke in silence, "I did bring my eldest brother back home. But... I brought back his body, which is currently in the Tingsong Tower in the South Courtyard."
"Why? What on earth caused his death?" Jiang Yushu asked hoarsely, in disbelief. "A dignified heir of a marquisate, he just disappeared like that. It's simply too bizarre."
Guo Honglei's eyes flushed red as he explained in a hoarse voice, "Yesterday morning, just after we finished our wedding ceremony, the Ministry of Justice suddenly arrested my elder brother without explanation. I went out to gather information and learned that he had been implicated in the embezzlement of military funds from Yongzhou in order to repay his gambling debts!" He paused and continued, "Last night, His Majesty came to the Ministry of Justice. The three courts conducted a secret investigation and the evidence was irrefutable."
Jiang Yushu thought for a moment and asked cautiously, "How much did you embezzle?"
"Nine hundred thousand taels of silver. My eldest brother was formerly the head of the Ministry of Revenue. He was one of the accomplices, and there were three main conspirators. He embezzled sixty thousand taels."
Jiang Yushu pondered this for a moment, her heart skipping a beat. She asked solemnly, "So, it was His Majesty who personally ordered the execution of my eldest brother on the spot? And what about the accomplices?"
Guo Honglei was young after all, and his anxiety was so intense that he felt hot. He poured himself another glass of water and said, "The mastermind was sentenced to death by slicing, and his entire family was beheaded. The accomplices were also sentenced to beheading, along with their entire families. However, His Majesty, considering that the Guo family's ancestor was a founding hero, granted my eldest brother a glass of wine and spared his body."
When they looked into each other's eyes, they were both filled with sorrow.
"The entire family of the mastermind and the other accomplices will be implicated." Jiang Yushu frowned, having to face the reality of the Qian Dynasty where "one person breaks the law, and the whole family suffers." She spoke bluntly and whispered, "Then what about the Jingyang Marquis' Mansion?"
"Unknown yet. But judging by His Majesty's will, the Guo family is likely doomed." Guo Honglei stood up and looked down at the delicate girl. "The military pay of Yongzhou has been repeatedly embezzled, causing the army to lose morale. At the beginning of last year's twelfth lunar month, the enemy nation of Beijiao seized the opportunity to launch a large-scale invasion. During this year's Lantern Festival, Yongzhou City was breached, and approximately 100,000 soldiers and civilians were brutally massacred. Corpses littered the ground, and blood flowed like a river. The court and the people were shocked. His Majesty ordered a thorough investigation. After two months, the truth has been revealed."
"Yongzhou was lost?"
Guo Honglei nodded heavily.
Jiang Yushu patted her head, propped herself up on the table, and murmured, "I'm ashamed I didn't hear about it until now."
"Girls like you stay in your boudoir all day, so it's not surprising that you didn't know about this." Guo Honglei thought for a moment and said seriously, "Miss Jiang, I know you don't want to get married, but this marriage is out of necessity. In that situation, you were the one who suffered. If I don't agree quickly, you'll be in a very awkward situation."
Jiang Yushu's face flushed as she recalled the scenes of them sleeping in each other's arms with their clothes disheveled. Trying to remain calm, she blurted out, "I have a terrible reputation, and you don't mind?"
"I can see that the young lady is not someone who doesn't love herself. There must be something hidden behind the chaos that day, but the Jiang family is not under my control, so I cannot clear your name."
Guo Honglei's eyes were deep, filled with emotion. "I originally thought that this was a fateful marriage, so I took the liberty to marry you. But now, there may be a disaster in the mansion. You just came in yesterday. If you were implicated, it would be too pitiful. Therefore, when my father-in-law comes to offer condolences, I will discuss with him and try to find a reason to write a letter of divorce. If it works, you can go back to the Jiang family." After speaking, Guo Honglei strode out of the door, but stopped at the threshold, turned his head and whispered:
"Don't try to commit suicide again. I will do my best to arrange for you to leave." After saying that, he left without looking back.
Jiang Yushu was deeply moved and hurried after him, holding onto the door frame and asking, "Where are you going?"
"Nanyuan, we must quickly take care of eldest brother's funeral."
"Leave me alone, okay?"
Guo Honglei replied in surprise: "You are not locked up. But your injuries have not healed yet, so it is not appropriate for you to move around."
"Know!"
After watching her husband walk away like a gust of wind, Jiang Yushu saw Xiaotao returning with two maids.
"Young Madam, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Xiao Tao panted, put the food box on the table, and explained with a pale face while filling the porridge: "Because the Crown Prince and the Crown Prince passed away, everything was very busy. I worked in the kitchen for half a day and finally made a bowl of bird's nest porridge."
Jiang Yushu said gently: "It's okay, I didn't wait long."
"Juan'er greets the Young Madam." The maidservant named Juan'er knelt and saluted. Her companion then said, "Biyue greets the Second Young Madam."
"No need to be so polite." Jiang Yushu was too hungry to stand up. She sat down and asked, "Who are you...?"
Juan'er answered respectfully, "I am a servant in this courtyard."
Bi Yue, with willow-shaped eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, replied softly, "I am the second young master's maid."
Jiang Yushu glanced at Biyue, then remembered and asked doubtfully, "Where are my people?"
The three maids looked at each other in bewilderment. Xiao Tao bravely replied, "You were unconscious after hanging yourself yesterday. The old lady thought the servants were lazy and negligent, so she ordered your servants to follow the head nanny and learn the rules of the Marquis' Mansion."
So that's how it is. Jiang Yushu nodded helplessly.
"Porridge, please."
Jiang Yushu took the spoon, looked around, and sighed, "The mansion is currently holding a funeral for the prince. You should quickly put away the red things in this room. It's not appropriate to keep them here."
"Yes." The three of them answered in unison. Xiao Tao called the gatekeeper and quickly cleaned the house.
Now that you are here, make the most of it.
As the second young lady of the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion, we share the same glory and loss, so it is not reasonable for me to be indifferent.
A quarter of an hour later, Jiang Yushu changed into an ivory-white dress, covered her bruises with a stand-up collar boa, and went to the South Courtyard to check on the situation without putting on any makeup.
When the master and his servants arrived outside Tingsong Tower, they saw Guo Honglei standing on the steps, and his trusted servant was replying:
"...Lord Qian, Lord Wu, Lord Ma, and eight families, over two hundred people in total, have been taken to the execution ground. The supervising officer has ordered the execution to begin immediately at three quarters past noon."
Guo Honglei waved his hand and said, "Go explore again."
"yes."
More than two hundred people? How terrifying! Jiang Yushu gasped, her hair standing on end.
"You are injured, why are you here?" Guo Honglei walked down the stairs.
Jiang Yushu asked softly, "How can I help?"
Guo Honglei was quite surprised. Just as he was about to respond, he saw the butler Luan Shun rushing in to report, "Second Master! Several relatives have come to offer their condolences, but everything at the mansion isn't ready yet. What do you think we should do?"
"Wait a moment." Guo Honglei went to meet the housekeeper and discussed the reception arrangements first.
"Um."
The mourning hall was right in front of her, and bursts of crying could be heard. Jiang Yushu had just sighed when she suddenly heard an old curse mixed in with the crying:
"A loving mother often spoils her son! A loving mother often spoils her son!" Marquis Jingyang, nearly fifty years old, his hair and beard white, gazed at his eldest son's body, grieving and accusing him. "You've spoiled Hongyao from birth. From childhood to adulthood, whenever I tried to discipline him, you always tried to dissuade him. You only indulged and spoiled him, raising a spoiled child who is arrogant, extravagant, addicted to gambling, and who threatens to bring disaster to the family!"
The Marquis's wife, Wang, had red and swollen eyes and was inconsolable. She beat her chest and cried, "The child is gone, and you still scold him? How can you bear it?"
Marquis Jingyang replied in a trembling voice, "This evil creature brought this upon himself. He deserved it. He absolutely should not have dared to embezzle military funds. Who can be blamed for his death?"
"It's just 60,000 taels, what's that? What does the defeat have to do with Hongyao? The fall of Yongzhou was clearly the fault of the border guards. This silly boy owed a gambling debt, why didn't he tell me -"
"Shut up! You ignorant fool! Stop your nonsense." Marquis Jingyang interrupted sternly, filled with regret. "If I had known this would happen, I would never have given the title of Crown Prince to Hongyao, let alone allowed him to serve in the Ministry of Revenue."
Wang was stunned and choked up to remind her, "Hongyao is our eldest son, the legitimate prince!"
Marquis Jingyang was utterly disappointed with his eldest son, filled with worry and self-blame. "Alas, I should have chosen a virtuous man. Honglei was raised by me personally, and he has always been sensible and filial. He is far more stable than Hongyao. It is right for him to inherit the title."
In an instant, Wang's accumulated grievances and resentment for more than a decade were ignited, and her face changed drastically. She stood up suddenly and was about to refute, but she caught a glimpse of Jiang Yushu outside the hall. She was immediately furious and walked quickly towards her new daughter-in-law.
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