Chapter Sixty-One: He Was Going to Take Advantage of Her Vulnerability and Have Her Treat Him

"What on earth has my good sister been up to these past few days?" Song Lian'er let fall large, heavy tears, looking at her as if profoundly disappointed. "So all those days ago, my sister was just playing hard to get. While pretending on the surface to dislike Brother Pei, behind our backs you must have resorted to some unspeakable trick to actually secure an imperial decree!"

Jiang Xiushu was furious too, gritting his teeth as he spat, "Bah! Jiang Lingyao, are you really that desperate for a man?"

This time, before Jiang Lingyao could even move, the Duke of Zhenguo delivered a vicious, resounding slap across his face, sending him reeling and nearly knocking him flat on the ground.

"Father!"

Jiang Xiushu clutched his cheek in sheer disbelief. "Jiang Lingyao has been dallying with men behind our backs and actually went so far as to bypass you to settle her marriage! You—"

"Slap—!"

Another fierce blow landed. The Duke of Zhenguo, blazing with wrath, spoke in a frigid voice, "You wretched blockhead, shut your trap! Bypassing me? This is an imperial decree! It is the Emperor's will, a supreme benevolence bestowed upon us by His Majesty! Have you completely lost your mind to utter such blasphemy?"

"Get yourself to the ancestral hall and kneel in penance! You are not to step outside without my explicit permission!"

What a fool! If words like that got out, wouldn't it imply he had objections to the sovereign's decision? Utterly idiotic!

The Duke of Zhenguo's gaze toward Jiang Xiushu was now devoid of all warmth, reduced to sheer coldness. Since Jiang Xiushu had lost the position of heir, he had grown increasingly unrestrained and brainless in his actions; he was utterly incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

Unreconciled, Jiang Xiushu could only clamp his mouth shut under the Duke's furious glare, casting a vicious look at Jiang Lingyao instead.

The lingering guilt he had felt toward Jiang Lingyao a few days prior vanished entirely. He even wondered if he had gone mad before—why on earth had he ever felt guilty toward her?

She possessed such deep scheming; how could she ever let herself suffer a loss? That pitiful facade she put on the other day must have all been an act!

Off to the side, Jiang Xiushu remained the most composed. He stepped forward and offered his congratulations to Jiang Lingyao. "Congratulations, Pearl. You have finally secured this match. One might say your fondest dream has come true."

Congratulations? What was there to congratulate?

Jiang Lingyao did not speak; instinctively, she glanced toward her grandmother. "Grandmother, let me help you back."

The Old Madam had been watching her the entire time. Hearing this, she let out a long, heavy sigh. "Let us go."

Just as Jiang Lingyao stepped across the threshold, for some inexplicable reason, she turned her head back. Madam Jiang was watching her with deep, inscrutable eyes. On her face, there was none of the joy a mother should feel upon her daughter's engagement; instead, it revealed a flicker of unconscious terror.

Her heart skipped a beat, and with an expressionless face, she turned her gaze away.

Once they returned to the Old Madam's quarters, she could no longer maintain the smile on her face.

"Pearl, do you not want this marriage?"

The Old Madam raised her eyes. "Do you already have someone in your heart?"

Jiang Lingyao shook her head with bitter resignation. "No, I just..."

For a moment, words failed her, leaving only a thick, suffocating sense of despair in her chest.

If she had not returned home, none of this would have happened. Yet, had she stayed away, she might never have laid eyes on her grandmother before her final moments, and that would have left her with no peace for the rest of her days.

"If you truly do not wish to wed..."

Jiang Lingyao snapped her head up. "Grandmother, you need not worry about me any longer. I will handle things properly. Starting today, just let me stay by your side and care for you. Please, do not dwell on this anymore, alright?"

The Old Madam looked at her, her cloudy eyes glistening slightly with moisture. She could not help but reach out and stroke her head. "Very well. Pearl has grown up now, and Grandmother can rest easy."

Jiang Lingyao's eyes grew slightly damp. She averted her gaze and murmured a muffled assent.

She had to leave. She would never stay here!

Yet right now...

How on earth was she supposed to escape?

***

Meanwhile, Jiang Xiuyu's courtyard was as still as a graveyard. Ever since he fell ill, almost no one had come to visit him.

Even Song Lian'er, who used to visit every single day, had lately been sending maidservants with trivial excuses to deliver items, remaining entirely out of sight.

His temperament had grown increasingly gloomy. Hearing the commotion outside, he barked in a cold voice, "Get in here! What are you whispering about?"

The maidservant whispering outside the courtyard was startled out of her wits. Trembling with fear, she hurried inside. "First Young Master, this servant knows her wrong. This servant will not dare do it again."

Jiang Xiuyu's face darkened further with rage. "Did I say I was going to punish you? What are you crying for? What do you take me for?"

The maidservant shuddered, pressing her forehead tightly against the ground, not daring to utter a single syllable.

Jiang Xiuyu had been unpredictable and volatile lately, and every servant in the courtyard had suffered at his hands. Who wouldn't fear him now?

Watching the maidservant weep, Jiang Xiuyu felt a mounting wave of irritation. "Shut up! I asked you, what were you discussing out there? Were you mocking me for being sick? You have quite some nerve!"

"No, no, it's not that!"

The maidservant cried out, "First Young Master, the estate just received an imperial decree a moment ago. His Majesty has bestowed a marriage between Young Miss and Young Master Pei."

Jiang Xiuyu froze. The anger on his face vanished by more than half, replaced by a sudden, surging wave of ecstasy.

His Majesty had bestowed a marriage between Song Lian'er and Pei Xingzhi? Then didn't that mean Jiang Lingyao must be heartbroken right now?

If he used this opportunity to coax her, would she return to her former disposition and help him nurse his body back to health?