Chapter 6: Returning Home After Marriage...
Upon entering the mansion, Yan Yize parted ways with Shang Xu. She walked with her attendants along the winding corridors, a smile always on her face, but a cold glint flashed in her eyes. According to the rules, it should be Grand Tutor Shang, her mother-in-law, waiting for her. But now she was putting on airs, demanding that she come to pay her respects in person. She truly exemplified the saying "looking down on people."
After turning through the winding corridor, the attendant stopped. "Your Highness, we have arrived."
Yan Yize glanced at her casually, waved for her to leave, and once the servant was out of sight, she stepped forward, her smile growing wider, and the coldness in her eyes deepening.
——
Shang Xu followed Su Shi into a room. Once inside, the two did not exchange any words, each sitting in their own place, their indifference unlike that of a biological father and son.
He held the teacup, his head bowed, his eyes calm and undisturbed. Shang Xu had long since given up on his father.
His father, Su Luoyun, was his mother's second wife. He was born the year after their marriage. Even though he was clearly his biological child, he treated him coldly, as if Shang Jue and his sister were his children.
When he was young, he was also unwilling to accept this, and had a conflict with Shang Jue. The two of them fell into the water together. His father rushed over anxiously, but he could only see Shang Jue. He asked him about his well-being and was worried that he would catch a cold from falling into the water.
But he couldn't see him standing right next to him, his clothes soaked and his whole body shivering from the cold. He stubbornly looked at his father, hoping that he would also look at him and say a word of concern, but he didn't even look back at him until he left with Shang Jue.
As night fell, his father finally remembered him. The moment he saw his father, Shang Xu completely forgot the heartbreak of the day, forgave his father's favoritism, and happily rushed towards him, wanting to tell him about his grievances. But before he could get close, he was pushed away by his father with a cold face.
He fell to the ground, his eyes brimming with tears. He looked up in disbelief, but before he could react, his father's cold voice rang out, "Why did you push Xiao Jue?"
"Do you know that because of you, Xiao Jue caught a cold and got sick?"
"Go to the ancestral hall and kneel down."
Unstoppable tears streamed down his face, blurring his vision, yet he could still see the coldness on his father's face. He reached out his hand, tears welling in his eyes, hoping for his father's pity. "Father, I'm sick too."
"Slap—" His hand was ruthlessly slapped away, the back of his hand quickly turning red. His father looked at him with eyes devoid of warmth, "Didn't you ask for this?"
He couldn't remember what his father said after that, but from that moment on, he clearly realized that he no longer had a father.
After that, he stopped bothering them, and their relationship grew increasingly distant.
His thoughts were abruptly interrupted. Shang Xu snapped out of his reverie, looked up, and calmly gazed at Su Shi. "Father, what did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly."
Su Luoyun frowned unhappily, her hurtful words coming out without mercy, "When will you ever be even a fraction as good as Xiao Jue?"
"Forget it." Su Luoyun shook her head, her disdain undisguised. "How could you possibly compare to Xiao Jue?"
Shang Xu had long since given up on him, but seeing the naked look in his eyes still stung his heart. He clenched his fist, letting his fingertips prick his skin, and looked down on himself. After all these years, how come he still hasn't gotten used to it?
After a few breaths, Shang Xu relaxed his grip, leaving a deep crescent-shaped mark on his palm. He did not refute, but lowered his head and said meekly, "Father is right."
Su Luoyun's prepared words were stuck in her throat. He glanced at him and turned his face away, "You and His Highness haven't consummated your marriage yet?"
"Yes." Shang Xu lowered his eyes and nodded, his gaze falling on his wrist. Although it was covered by his clothes, he had seen the red mark on his wrist hundreds of times, and the red dot was already engraved in his heart.
Upon hearing this, Su Luoyun's face darkened, and she glared at him, saying, "If it were Xiao Jue, she wouldn't be as useless as you."
Shang Xu exhaled a breath of stale air. His heart was already numb. He and Shang Jue had a deep father-son bond. He knew he was useless in Shang Jue's heart, and there was no need to remind him all the time.
"Father is right."
Shang Xu lowered his eyes and answered expressionlessly.
——
After paying his respects to the matriarch, Yan Yize walked out of the study with little interest, intending to take a stroll.
Shang Jue had been waiting there for a long time. When he saw her come out, his eyes lit up and he quickly went to greet her, saying shyly, "Your Highness, let me show you around."
Although Yan Yize was a princess, she had no power or influence, so he naturally looked down on her. However, she had a beautiful face and was now Shang Xu's wife, which made him very resentful. A hint of hostility flashed in Shang Jue's eyes. He hated Shang Xu, hated him very much.
I hate it for no reason.
He has already taken Shang Xu's father away, but that's not enough. He also wants to take away his wife. As long as Shang Xu is unhappy, he is happy.
Yan Yize walked past him without stopping, not even bothering to glance at him, his voice calm and unreadable, "No need."
Shang Jue didn't take her rejection to heart, thinking she was just being coy. After all, he had been engaged to her and was of high status. Although Shang Xu was also a legitimate son, he was ultimately inferior to him, so it was normal for her to be angry with him.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up as if he had thought of something. Shang Jue's voice softened and suddenly became tearful, "Your Highness, I actually have my reasons."
Yan Yize had already seen through his tricks and didn't want to pay him any attention. But thinking about how boring the rest of the time would be, she decided to find some fun. She stopped, raised an eyebrow, and although her eyes had already seen through the truth, she still cooperated and asked, "What's your predicament?"
Seeing that she believed him, Shang Jue's eyes lit up with joy, and he covered his face and began to sob, "If it weren't for someone interfering, how could I have ended up like this..."
The words were left unsaid, but the meaning was clear: Shang Xu had interfered and ruined their engagement.
"I see." Yan Yize replied lightly, her calm words leaving it impossible to tell whether she believed it or not.
Shang Jue observed her for a second or two, then nodded repeatedly. Afraid that she wouldn't believe him, he prepared his next ruthless move. He looked at her with a shy expression and said, "If I could become Your Highness's wife, it would be a blessing earned through three lifetimes of good deeds."
Yan Yize suddenly lost her interest and felt disgusted, as if she had swallowed a fly. Her face instantly turned cold. "Young Master Shang is still a better match for my Third Imperial Sister."
After saying that, she turned and left without looking back, the fluttering hem of her clothes revealing her disdain.
Shang Jue's face stiffened, and she stared angrily at his departing figure, wishing she could rush up and bite him. Since he knew the truth, why did he still respond? It made him look like a fool.
So what if she's good-looking? She's still just as annoying as Shang Xu. The more he thought about it, the more he couldn't swallow his anger. He stared intently at her back, clearly harboring a grudge against her.
A note from the author:
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