Chapter 28: Protecting the Li family is my wife, whom I married with great ceremony and proper rites...
"Changjun, Changjun?"
Seeing that he remained silent, Huan Dalang patted him on the shoulder.
"Um."
Yan Ning turned around.
Did you hear what I said?
Yan Ning remained as taciturn as ever, simply replying, "Mm."
Huan Da, unlike Wang Wulang, was a man of many thoughts and a straightforward, honest person. He genuinely cared for his close friend and believed the two were mismatched. Now that the royal family was in decline, their situation was even worse; worthless people shouldn't be part of their family circle. Therefore, despite knowing Yan Ning had some affection for others, he advised, "That princess is never one to stay quiet, and it seems she's revealing her true nature again. Why don't you take this opportunity to divorce her and marry a noblewoman of equal standing? No one will say anything then." Li Yunru's reputation before her marriage wasn't good. Some said she indulged in sensual pleasures, while others said she was spoiled and domineering, often bullying men and women among the common people. They said she was young and not learning good things, but instead imitating those unfaithful, seductive widows who kept male concubines…
Things were better after she married Yan Ning. No rumors circulated in Jiankang. However, everyone thought this was because the Yan family had raised her well, turning a wild and unruly girl into a well-bred lady. But a pheasant can't become a phoenix. Once Emperor Xuan left, the commoner princess revealed her true nature.
His words were exactly what the Yan family was thinking.
Or rather, all aristocratic families do the same thing, just to varying degrees.
Yan Ning once thought the same way.
Emperor Xuan wanted his daughter to marry into the Yan family for protection, while the Yan family also wanted military power in Jiangzuo.
The contract between the two families has nothing to do with feelings; it is a mutual benefit. During the marriage, he will give her the position of his legal wife and give her enough respect, thus fulfilling his duties as a husband. If the situation becomes irreversible, he will protect her safety according to the agreement. As for whether she stays or leaves, that is her choice.
She was leaving, and no one would mistreat an orphaned girl who had lost her family and country; they would surely give her plenty of wealth and protect her from harm.
If she stays, even if he can't be her legal wife, he will still give her dignity and won't humiliate her too much.
But when all of this actually happened, he suddenly realized that he was no longer the person he had initially thought.
He didn't want her to leave, and even had a ridiculous thought: to marry her as his legal wife and never marry anyone else or take concubines...
This is utterly absurd and completely outrageous, and he himself is well aware of it.
But he did think that way.
But that person was truly heartless.
They never intended to just let him stay; instead, they used him as a bargaining chip, and now they've gone to such lengths to act so outrageously.
She truly didn't consider his feelings at all, and didn't give him any room for maneuver in this matter.
How hateful!
Even so, he still longed for her and wanted her to stay by his side...
Yan Ning never imagined that he would one day be so infatuated with a woman; she was simply like a seductive ghost from a storybook, capable of bewitching one's soul...
He should go back.
Whether it's a demon or a ghost, we must go back and face it!
After thanking Huan Dalang, the man hurriedly headed to the Yan family's house.
He didn't send a letter back first, but someone was already waiting at the entrance of the Yan residence—it was Cui Wan.
She wore a light purple brocade gown and had her hair styled in a flying cloud bun. Unlike her usual dignified and beautiful appearance, she looked much more fresh and lovely.
Seeing his carriage stop, Cui Wan hurried forward, anxiously saying, "Cousin, you're back! The princess...she..."
The music was out of tune, and in the end there was only one sentence: "My uncle and aunt were both driven mad with anger, and my aunt has fainted."
Yan Ning frowned.
Cui Wan immediately said, "But don't worry, the family physician examined her and there's nothing seriously wrong. She was just upset. That's understandable, my aunt comes from a noble family and was a model of aristocratic ladies in her youth. How could she have ever seen anything like this..."
She wanted to say that Li Yunru was being extremely improper!
Before she could finish speaking, Yan Ning stepped out, entered the room, and hurried towards Jing Shui Xuan.
The courtyard was deep and secluded, filled with the aroma of wine, and the tranquility of the room was replaced by noise.
“Cousin,” Cui Wan called out to Yan Ning.
He kept a somber face but said nothing more, only saying, "Please trouble my cousin to tell Mother that I will go and apologize to her after I have finished dealing with things here."
Cui Wan thought that since things had come to this point, Yan Ning would definitely not allow Li Yunru to stay any longer, so she obediently replied, "Yes, I'll take care of Aunt, Cousin, you can rest assured."
...
Yan Ning suppressed her anger and entered the courtyard. She saw the group of people off and then pulled Li Yunru into the house.
He used great force, showing no mercy whatsoever. A red mark appeared on Li Yunru's wrist, which ached terribly. But she was always the most delicate and afraid of pain, and her face showed no sign of suffering at this moment. Instead, she revealed a triumphant smile.
"What are you doing, my lord?"
She asked knowingly, "Haven't I been listening to my husband's instructions properly, not even stepping out of the courtyard?"
Li Yunru's words were barbed; she was doing it on purpose.
On the one hand, she was emotional at the time, and on the other hand, she wanted to provoke him. However, he seemed to have seen through her intentions and, contrary to her expectations, forgot his feelings and lost all his composure.
He stared at her intently with his dark eyes for a long while, then gradually released her hand, pressed her down to sit on the couch, cupped Li Yunru's face in his hands from above, and said to her with a firm gaze, "Stay here obediently and wait for me to come back."
After saying this, he walked out without waiting for Li Yunru to say anything. He saw Shu Yun and instructed her, "Take good care of your princess. Before I return, she is not allowed to leave this door or see anyone."
After giving his instructions, he was still worried, so he ordered his personal servant Chen Jingsheng to stay and keep an eye on things, while he went to the front hall alone.
...
With such a huge commotion, everyone from the Yan family was present. The atmosphere in the hall was extremely oppressive. The head of the Yan family sat there upright, seemingly waiting for his arrival to demand an explanation.
People usually don't concern themselves with matters of the inner quarters, but today, Yan Ning knows that Li Yunru's matter has blown up, and the Yan family will definitely demand an explanation from her.
This was expected.
He composed himself, stepped inside, bowed respectfully to his father, mother, and two elder brothers, and said, "The princess's behavior is absurd and has disturbed my parents. I, the eldest prince, apologize to you on her behalf."
“Third brother, I know you and the princess have a good relationship, but you can’t just let her get away with this. She’s made such a scene and has completely disgraced the Yan family. Why didn’t she even come out to say a word? You just gave her a flimsy apology and that’s it.”
"She dared to invite those men to the mansion in front of her parents today; who knows what might happen tomorrow..."
"Brother!"
Yan Ning looked displeased and said coldly to Yan Jun, "I know the princess best. She is not that kind of person. I urge you, brother, to be careful with your words!"
"You bastard!"
"How dare you speak to your brother like that!" The head of the Yan family was furious and slammed his fist on the table.
"I think you're becoming more and more unruly!"
The head of the Yan family believed that Li Yunru had corrupted him, so he demanded that he immediately issue a letter of divorce and divorce her.
Yan Ning clasped his hands together in front of him and bowed respectfully, saying, "The princess has just lost her country and home, and is in a difficult time. If I were to write her a letter of divorce now, it would be like crossing the river and burning the bridge, which would violate the teachings of the sages. Please forgive me, Lord Changjun, for not being able to do so."
Yan An feigned concern, saying, "Third brother is a gentleman of integrity and loyalty, but this is not the time to be so concerned about such things. The Li family has already fallen, and the princess is now of no value to you. You have a bright future ahead of you, so don't ruin yourself for a girl. Even if you give her a letter of divorce after she has made such a scene, no one will say anything, and it won't tarnish your reputation as a gentleman."
If they were similar to Huan Dalang, having been raised in such a prestigious family since childhood, they would prioritize the interests of the family. Regardless of their temperament or age, everyone maintained a certain tacit understanding on this matter.
Yan Ning said, "Changjun doesn't need her to have any value. Li Shi is my wife, whom I married with great ceremony. Once she entered my courtyard, she was mine. I acknowledge her, and I will not betray her at this time."
He added, “The princess’s behavior today is my fault for not disciplining her properly. I am willing to take the punishment in her place. I beg my father and mother to be magnanimous and forgive her this time.”
Madam Cui had long anticipated this outcome, but seeing his resolute expression, her eyes still reddened.
The head of the Yan family was initially furious, but for some reason, he suddenly fell silent as he listened to Yan Ning's words. He pursed his lips, staring at Yan Ning with his deep eyes, unable to understand what she was thinking. After a long while, he finally spoke, "Since you are willing to take the punishment in her place, then go to the ancestral hall and copy the family precepts a hundred times."
This punishment was so light, it was not even as severe as the punishment Yan Ning received for supporting the Li family. Yan Jun and Yan An thought that this time their younger brother would suffer a bit, so they put aside their work and waited, but they never expected it to be so lenient.
They were dissatisfied, but since the head of the Yan family had spoken, they dared not say anything. One by one, people left, leaving only the head of the Yan family and Madam Cui in the hall.
The two remained silent for a while, then looked at each other and sighed, "It seems that this Li family should indeed be sent away as soon as possible."
...
When Yan Ning came out, he asked someone to deliver a letter to Jing Shui Xuan, telling her not to act recklessly and to wait until he returned from the ancestral hall before discussing anything further. Fearing that she might be bored, he found a myna bird from the flower room and sent it to her.
His princess has always loved excitement, and being confined by him these past few days must have driven her crazy, which is why she did such an absurd thing, deliberately taking revenge on him.
Li Yunru has indeed been quite depressed these days, but not because of this, let alone because of any quarrel with others. Her unconventional behavior is more out of spite towards the Yan family!
"Princess, why don't you tell the prince consort about what happened yesterday? He treats you well, so he will definitely side with you."
Shu Yun was talking about what happened last night.
Yesterday, at the hour of the night watch, Lady Cui invited several prominent families to her residence.
It's unclear what they talked about, but after a few rounds of drinks, some people left the banquet and came to the backyard.
Li Yunru was taking a break in the waterside pavilion, leaning on the railing. The two of them should have been undisturbed and had nothing to do, but who would have thought that the man would be so bold as to feel disgusted by her beauty and dare to come over and harass her.
He was vulgar and said that she was the concubine of some young master in the mansion. He even said in a wanton manner, "If you serve me well, I will ask my master to take you and make you a noble concubine."
From childhood to adulthood, she was the most beloved daughter of Emperor Qi Xuan and Empress Zhenyuan. She had everything she wanted and was always pampered and fawned over. She had never been humiliated like this before.
Naturally, they refused to listen to such words, but they also did not want to cause any trouble. After all, this was a critical moment, and anyone who could be invited by the Yan family must be a person of great importance.
She endured her disgust and revealed her identity to him, but she never expected to be met with even greater humiliation.
"Princess? Ha, what is a princess of the Joseon Dynasty? She's just a slave of a conquered country, living at the mercy of others and begging from us. If I wanted, I could easily make her carry my shoes."
It was unclear whether he genuinely didn't believe her identity or simply didn't care. He didn't restrain himself and started touching her inappropriately. Men are generally stronger, especially when they've been drinking. His haphazard and rude actions made it impossible for Li Yunru to predict his movements. As she dodged and cursed, her outer clothes were ripped off.
Seeing this, the man became even more excited, leering at her and rushing towards her. In the midst of her struggle with him, Li Yunru, in a moment of quick thinking, pulled out the gold hairpin from her hair and stabbed it into the back of his neck. He screamed in pain, which also alerted the people outside, including Cui Shi and the head of the Yan family.
They thought that since she was still considered a daughter-in-law of the Yan family, and out of consideration for Yan Ning's reputation, the Yan family should stand on her side.
However, in order to settle the matter peacefully, the two listened to the man's one-sided account, claiming that she had deliberately seduced him, was immoral, and had tarnished his reputation, and even forced her to apologize to him.
Li Yunru was unwilling to accept this; once her temper flared, she disregarded everything else.
She insisted that she had done nothing wrong, so Cui looked at her with a pained expression and said, "I have already promised to help you deal with this, why are you in such a hurry? How is Sanlang supposed to conduct himself in this situation?"
Cui's words clearly implied that these were all influential figures who could speak out on this matter, but she couldn't wait. So, disregarding the reputation of the Yan family and Yan Ning, she used this body to ask a man who could be her father for help.
It's all her fault!
She still won't admit it!
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Author's Note: I'm back after a week's break. Starting this week, I'll be updating 7000+ words per week. The next chapter will be posted around 11 PM on Sunday. I'll also update based on the rankings after that. Thank you to everyone who has added this to their collection! Love you all!
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