The heavy rain continued, and the world was pitch black. Then a bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating half of Jiang Shuwan's profile.
Qingxing then came to her senses.
"Miss, is Mama Chang joking? The Fourth Miss is of the Marquis's bloodline, and the Fourth Master has gambled her away?"
"And she's going to marry such a shameless scoundrel?"
Qingxing almost vomited when she thought about what she had just seen in the front yard.
"Miss, that man is not only ugly, but he also has fleshy, spiky hairs on his neck. I heard that only people with syphilis grow that kind of hair..."
"Moreover, the more severe the illness, the more it grows. I just took a look in the front yard, and that person's neck was covered in them."
As Qingxing spoke, she shivered, and goosebumps rose on her skin from disgust.
Jiang Shuwan didn't say anything; she saw it too.
The disease is called venereal disease here, but it is actually a virus, and people who play around with it are more likely to get it.
"Miss, the Fourth Miss's life will be ruined if she marries him..."
"Don't worry, with the old lady here, it's still uncertain whether this marriage will go through."
Jiang Shuwan walked inside with a sullen face.
When this incident happened in her previous life, although Madam Wen was also reprimanded by the Emperor, she was still the undisputed mistress of the household.
At that time, the old Marquis and Pei Yanzhi were escorting the coffin back to their hometown, and the Wen family was in charge of the entire Marquis's mansion.
The Wen family had never cared much about Pei Shushu's marriage, so of course she let her marry anyone she wanted.
But things are different now.
She's in charge now, and Old Madam Pei is still alive...
Thinking back to her previous life, after Pei Shushu was rescued by Pei Yanzhi, she was emaciated and lifeless, and spent her life as a Buddhist nun.
Jiang Shuwan secretly vowed that she would never let Pei Shushu, this lovely little girl, follow the same old path for the rest of her life.
"Young Madam, you've arrived. The old lady has been waiting for you."
Seeing Jiang Shuwan walk in through the rain, the maid guarding the door quickly put away her umbrella and lifted the curtain to invite her in.
Jiang Shuwan stood at the entrance of the main house, and before she even stepped inside, she heard the heart-wrenching cries of the fourth wife.
"God, just kill me! I've never seen a father like this before. Shushu is your own daughter, a piece of my flesh and blood that I carried for ten months and gave birth to! How could you gamble her away like this? Are you even human?"
"You beast, you don't deserve to be a father..."
"I'm going to kill you..."
Inside the house, the fourth wife's eyes were bloodshot with rage. She bared her teeth and brandished her claws as she rushed towards the fourth master, ready to fight him to the death.
"You damned beast!"
"You beast! You're a complete beast!"
The fourth wife beat and kicked the fourth master relentlessly, leaving him bruised and swollen.
The old lady, Madam Wen, and the third wife were all in the room, and none of them stopped them.
The maids inside looked at the fourth master kneeling on the ground with even more disdain.
"I've never seen a man like the Fourth Master before. He's incompetent, but as long as the Marquis's mansion exists, he won't lack for food or clothing."
"I never expected that she would go gambling, not only losing all the money she had, but also pawning the fourth young lady to the casino owner."
"That cripple has a lewd look on his face; he's obviously no good."
"How could he bear to part with such a beautiful and charming young lady as the Fourth Miss?"
"What's there to be reluctant about? It's not like he was the one who carried the baby. It's the fourth wife who suffered the pain of childbirth..."
"Oh dear, the fourth wife is so pitiful!"
"Poor Fourth Miss, her own father has gambled away all her money, what are they going to do..."
"What else can we do but marry him? Didn't you hear that cripple say he only wants the person, not the money?"
"That cripple is indeed a bit old and unsightly, but he is also quite wealthy. Look at the carriage he's riding in; it probably costs a thousand taels of silver."
"With such immense wealth, and no sons or daughters in the household, the Fourth Miss will be the principal wife after marrying into the family, and she will have plenty of good days ahead of her."
"In the end, the Fourth Miss is just the daughter of the Fourth Branch of the Marquis's family. The Fourth Master is a commoner. What difference is there between the Fourth Miss and those ordinary people outside? She is just lucky to be born into the Marquis's family. But when it comes to power, she has absolutely nothing."
"The fourth branch is ultimately inferior to the first branch. They are commoners; do they really think they can marry into the Duke's mansion like their aunt?"
"Why not just get married..."
Hearing these hushed sounds, Jiang Shuwan glanced at them with her sharp eyes, and the gossipy old woman quickly shrank back in fear.
That's terrifying!
The young mistress is usually quite kind, so why does she glare at people so fiercely?
The gossipy old woman trembled with fear, and the other maids dared not discuss it anymore, each lowering their heads and behaving as obediently as quails.
"Wan, you're finally back. What do you think we should do about this?"
When Madam Pei saw Jiang Shuwan, it was as if she had found her pillar of support. The old lady beckoned Jiang Shuwan to her.
"What else can we do? Marriage is a major life event, decided by our parents. Fourth Master has even written the marriage agreement. Can we possibly deny it?"
Jiang Shuwan didn't speak, but Wen Shi, who was fiddling with her Buddhist prayer beads, did.
"Madam, how could you say that?"
"You've watched Shushu grow up since she was little, haven't you?"
The fourth wife was shocked by Wen's words and stared at her in disbelief, tears streaming down her face.
"Sister-in-law, you're being insensible by saying that. Do you think I would harm Shushu?"
"Just like you said, Shushu is also my niece. There are so many princes and generals in the capital. I also want her to marry into a good family, but what can I do if the Fourth Master has arranged the marriage?"
"It's written in black and white, you saw it yourself, we can't deny it even if we wanted to!"
As Wen spoke, she shook the marriage certificate in her hand.
The fourth wife's tears flowed even more fiercely. She covered her mouth and sat on the ground, crying loudly.
"Don't cry. He does look older, but he's rich. It's a good marriage prospect..."
"..."
The fourth wife looked at her husband in shock, never expecting him to say such a thing.
"You wretched child!"
"Are you even speaking human language?!"
Madam Pei was so angry that she picked up the dragon-headed cane that was lying to the side and started hitting the Fourth Master.
The fourth master groaned and grimaced in pain, while the old lady struck him hard, leaving a bruise with each blow.
After several blows, his back swelled up, but he didn't dare to dodge. He just shrank back, covered his head, and begged for mercy.
"Grandma, I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me..."
"What a tragedy!"
"If I spare you, who will spare our Shushu!"
With tears welling up in her eyes, Madam Pei saw Pei Shushu enter through her blurry vision.
The little girl had just regained consciousness when she saw her grandmother hitting her, her wailing mother, and her father crawling all over the floor. She didn't know whether to cry or laugh.
Since the Marquis's mansion was established, it has never been this chaotic.
Even though the Madam was reprimanded by His Majesty last time, the Marquis's residence remained orderly.
“Good child, come here to Grandma, Grandma will protect you.”
"grandmother……"
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