Chapter One Hundred: Refusal to Marry

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Madam Yang felt as if her life had taken a dreadful turn. She had been scolded harshly by her husband the previous night and had cried through the entire night. She couldn’t fathom how merely raising her voice at that little girl Mo Rong at the county magistrate’s residence yesterday had led to such a fright that left her ill. Meanwhile, rumors outside were painting her as scheming, cruel, and fierce, spreading every harsh word she had uttered far and wide.

Yesterday, her husband had already berated her harshly, accusing her of lacking discernment; if anything went wrong with the young lady’s marriage, she would be the prime culprit. Those words—prime culprit—cut deeply into Madam Yang’s heart. Sitting there, her mind kept replaying her husband’s angry glare and the heavy accusation. Her face was ashen, eyes swollen from crying, and even after a whole morning of applying herbal tea compresses, the swelling remained. Unfortunately, misfortunes never come singly.

Before Madam Yang's anger could subside, Hong Xing arrived with Bai Mei. Upon learning that Li Qiuping had secretly schemed against the Xu household, nearly dragging everyone into legal trouble, Madam Yang flew into a rage. She punished Bai Mei severely with a beating and, in her fury, drove Bai Mei and her entire family out.

Yet punishing Bai Mei did nothing to calm Madam Yang’s fury. She stormed into Li Qiuping’s courtyard with her maids and unleashed a torrent of curses. Without sparing Li Qiuping—seven months pregnant—she personally dealt her a brutal beating until Li Qiuping wailed and fainted. A doctor was summoned and given medicine to stabilize the pregnancy, but Madam Yang’s anger remained unabated. She warned Li Qiuping to count herself lucky to bear a son, or else she would be sent away with a divorce letter.

Li Qiuping was terrified, realizing her small scheme nearly caused a huge disaster. But since nothing had actually happened, why was she receiving such a beating? Surely Xu Ruojin, that little minx, must have reported her. She was the real villain.

Madam Yang ignored Li Qiuping and, stepping outside, ordered Nurse Huang, “Where is Second Miss? She’s piling all these troubles on me but acts as if nothing’s wrong, not even showing her face. Humph! She’s trying to drive me mad. Even if I die, I won’t let her off!”

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“Madam, please calm down...” Nurse Huang, though unbidden, had remained by Madam Yang’s side, showing some boldness. But Madam Yang paid no heed to her and launched into complaints. “I don’t know what sin I’ve committed to become the target of all this. Go fetch that little girl and bring her to my courtyard. If I can’t find peace, neither shall she. If it weren’t for her, how could I have been so cruelly slandered? Even my husband has begun to despise me.”

Wiping away her tears, Madam Yang continued. In this household, she cared little for anyone’s opinion except that of her husband—he was the one she dared not offend.

“Do you intend to tell Second Miss all these rumors?” Nurse Huang hesitated. “She has a proud spirit; don’t let this push her into doing something foolish...”

“I’d rather she were dead!” Madam Yang ground her teeth with bitterness. “If only I had been harsher in the beginning, none of this would have happened. Ever since she entered the Xu family, I’ve never had peace. She’s my bane, my curse!”

Seeing Nurse Huang hesitate, Madam Yang pointed toward Xu Ruojin’s courtyard. “Are you protecting her? If you don’t bring her to me, don’t bother serving me anymore. Everyone here hides their true intentions—I really don’t know whom I can trust!”

Without a word of complaint, Nurse Huang hurried toward Xu Ruojin’s courtyard. Madam Yang, with her maids, returned to the main residence, her heart already frozen. The biting winter wind made her not want to stay outside for a moment longer.

Before entering, she heard clear voices—it was Xu Ruojin instructing the maids to warm the tea. “...If the tea is boiled too long, it becomes intoxicating. Light the candles to keep it warm but not cold, so when Mother returns, the temperature will be just right to drink...”

“I can manage,” a maid replied as she went to fetch the wax.

At that moment, Madam Yang and her maids entered.

“Madam.”

“Mother.”

Seeing Madam Yang, Xu Ruojin rose to greet her. “I just prepared some warm tea for you. Would you like a cup first?”

“Why are you here?” Madam Yang, surprised at the speed of Nurse Huang’s action, thought this girl must have arrived much earlier.

“I was busy with the courtyard this morning and only sent Hong Xing with the others. I planned to come later and speak with you myself.”

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Xu Ruojin noticed the air of ‘entitlement’ in Madam Yang’s eyes and continued, “I also heard you went to see Sister-in-law, so I waited here.”

“You’re good at playing the saint; I’m the villain here!” Madam Yang sat in the main seat, pushing away the tea handed by the maids, spilling it on the floor in frustration. The maids nearly got scalded and hurriedly moved aside.

Xu Ruojin had anticipated Madam Yang’s words and was prepared with her reply. “Mother rules the household. If there’s trouble, I must report back to you. How dare I act without permission? Besides, even if I wanted to decide, the maids wouldn’t listen to me. The one who ordered it is Sister-in-law, so it must be handled by the elders.”

“You’re here to ask me how to deal with Li Qiuping, aren’t you?” Madam Yang sneered, waving her handkerchief. “I gave her a good beating. Isn’t that what you wanted? Now the whole outside world is targeting the Xu family, targeting me and you, and you’re stirring up trouble at home? Don’t you think the Xu family is chaotic enough? I think you little vixen just want to ruin the Xu family and bring it to ruin!”

Xu Ruojin remained calm, without a trace of anger: “What if someone in the family has sinister designs, and I stay silent? If today they poison the wine I’m sending out, tomorrow they might poison my food. Even you wouldn’t tolerate that, would you?”

“Hmph, you’re proud now. Outsiders spread tales of how I mistreat and neglect you, painting you as the pitiful second miss, constantly bullied. But don’t forget, outsiders also say you don’t deserve the Zhang family. Think about your marriage yourself!”

Xu Ruojin looked at Madam Yang. “Has the Zhang family sent anyone to break the engagement?”

“Not yet.”

“Then why should I worry about rumors?”

“But someone has suggested you enter the Zhang family as a concubine...”

Xu Ruojin frowned slightly. “Mother, don’t you want to consider why this is happening? When I tried to stop you at the county magistrate’s residence, rumors like these appeared immediately afterward. It’s clearly deliberate.”

“I don’t care who’s behind it,” Madam Yang’s fury erupted onto Xu Ruojin. “You must marry into the Zhang family, even if I have to strangle you myself!”

Xu Ruojin felt a chill in her heart. She had long known reasoning with Madam Yang was futile, but facing the reality before her, she was still filled with disappointment. Rising to her feet, she looked at Madam Yang and said, “Since you say so, then I’ll tell you: Even if they come with an elaborate bridal sedan and a grand procession, I will never marry Zhang Zhongheng!”