Union

Chapter 159 Vent
The storm has passed in the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, but the same storm has had a far greater impact on the Chang'an Marquis's Mansion, and it will take much longer to subside.

Before the palace banquet was over, the people from the Marquis of Chang'an's residence came out of the palace one after another.

Marquis Chang'an was still drinking and chatting with others at the palace banquet when he received a message from his wife urging him to leave the palace immediately. He dared not delay and could only leave the palace as soon as possible.

But once she was in the carriage, she couldn't help but complain, "What happened during the New Year? Why do I have to leave the palace at this time?"

It's a rare occasion for the emperor and his ministers to gather, with all the powerful and influential people present. At such times, you'll often see people you'd like to see but never expected to. A simple toast, a few subtle compliments, and you've established a connection. Later, if you wish to seek their help, you'll have a pretext and be more likely to gain entry.

Marquis Chang'an was of average height and had become somewhat overweight. His aged face revealed that he had once been a renowned and handsome man in his youth. However, he could not resist the allure of beauty and was busy scheming and flattering every day, which caused his face to show a hint of obsequiousness, making him lose his youthful charm and become just another face in the crowd.

Marquis Chang'an was never a capable man. In his early years, he won the hand of his wife with his outstanding looks. But no matter how capable his wife was, she was only capable within the inner quarters, and she rarely had a say in official matters. As a result, despite his abilities, Marquis Chang'an currently only holds a nominal fifth-rank position in the government.

Even so, the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion was still considered one of the most prestigious noble families in the capital. Although it was on the decline, it was still barely hanging on, so people wouldn't say anything too harsh about it.

While part of the reason for this was that the Marquis of Chang'an was able to lower himself and act modestly when necessary, another part was inseparable from the Marquis of Chang'an's wife's smooth "diplomatic" skills.

Every year, countless beauties, antiques, and silver are given away, all thanks to the skillful management of Lady Chang'an, who owns several shops in the mansion that rake in money daily. Otherwise, it would be difficult for the Chang'an Marquis's mansion to maintain its opulent appearance.

Knowing full well that the current prosperity of the manor is inseparable from his wife, the Marquis of Chang'an holds her in high esteem.

Specifically, if the lady makes a request, even if he is busy with another woman's belly, he must quickly get up and go see her.

The respect and awe that the Marquis of Chang'an had for his wife can be glimpsed from this. This feeling was deeply ingrained, and even at palace banquets, if his wife made any request, the Marquis of Chang'an dared not refuse. Even if he was unwilling, he dared not delay and would leave the palace as soon as he was told to.

Although he left the palace, the Marquis of Chang'an still harbored resentment.

Especially since the journey had been so desolate along the palace road, and everyone else was enjoying fine wine and food and the Emperor's grace, it only made his current miserable situation stand out even more.

Marquis Chang'an considered turning back more than once, but then he thought that his wife was not an unreasonable person. If he wasted time and it caused a major incident, it would be too late to regret it.

He understood this principle, but thinking about missing a good opportunity and not knowing when he would see Prince Zhaoyang again, Marquis Chang'an was also very resentful.

So much so that as soon as he got into the carriage, he couldn't help but criticize Lady Chang'an, "What can't wait until the palace banquet is over? There's not much time left. Is it too late to talk about it when we get back to the manor?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Marquis Chang'an casually lowered the carriage curtain and plopped down on the couch next to him.

Only then did he raise his head and look at Lady Chang'an, and upon seeing her, he looked as if he had seen a ghost.

Lady Chang'an was in tears, her body dazed and blank, as if she had lost her soul. Looking at her side, there was a noticeable bulge. Chang'an Marquis got up in fright and went to take a look, only to see his own Shuqing's stubborn and unfilial face.

After his initial shock, Marquis Chang'an became suspicious, and his suspicion turned to fear. He pointed a trembling finger at Lin Shuqing, "Nonsense! Nonsense! Why did you bring Shuqing onto the carriage during the New Year? I know you feel that your daughter has had a hard time. Yanzhou is not in the capital, leaving your daughter to serve her mother-in-law alone. She has suffered and been mistreated without anyone saying a word. But now Yanzhou has returned, and it's the New Year. Shuqing is a married woman now. How can you still bring her back to her parents' home during the New Year? If the Rongguo Duke's Mansion finds out, they will scold your daughter."

Marquis Chang'an even lifted the carriage curtain and called for someone to come over, "Quickly, quickly send the Third Miss to the carriage of the Duke of Rongguo's mansion."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Lady Chang'an pulled the curtain aside and ordered the coachman outside, "Let's set off back to the Marquis's residence."

"What are you doing? Oh, Madam, you mustn't be so foolish..."

“I’m not confused, and I hope you’re not either.” Lady Chang’an wiped away her tears. “If there’s anything, go back and talk about it. Don’t whine here. If even a single word gets out, our whole family will be ruined.”

Does this whole family want to give up their humanity?
Marquis Chang'an paused, no longer daring to say anything. But his brows remained furrowed, and he would occasionally glance at Lin Shuqing, who was unconscious and had an injury on her forehead, as if he were wondering something.

They arrived at the Chang'an Marquis's residence in silence. The Marquis's wife dismissed everyone, including the young master and his wife, as well as the second young master of the mansion, and sent them all back to their courtyards to rest. She then had a servant carry Lin Shuqing back to the main house with the Marquis of Chang'an.

Once the main room quieted down and the surrounding servants and maids dispersed, a series of clanging and banging sounds suddenly erupted from within. Then came the Marquis of Chang'an's furious roar, "I'll beat this unfilial daughter to death!"

Lady Chang'an did not stop her, but pointed at her unconscious daughter and said, "Go ahead and hit her, kill her right now. If I try to stop you, I'll be run over by a carriage and die."

Looking at his wife's calm and composed demeanor, the Marquis of Chang'an was suddenly startled and dared not move.

But the thought of this rebellious woman cheating on him and cuckolding the young master of the Rongguo Duke's mansion sent chills down his spine, and he trembled with fear.

Especially considering the powerful and robust physique of the Duke of Rong, when his ferocity flares up, ten of them wouldn't be enough for the Duke of Rong to cut down with a single blow.

Marquis Chang'an stammered, "I'm willing to let her go, but I'm afraid the people from the Rongguo Duke's mansion won't let me go."

In his shock and fear, Marquis Chang'an immediately began to blame his wife, "Tell me, how exactly did you raise your daughter? How could she do such a disgraceful thing? Not only has the Rongguo Duke's Mansion been disgraced, but the entire Chang'an Marquis's Mansion has been utterly shamed. How can anyone from our mansion ever go out in public again? Won't we be laughed to death by everyone in the capital?"

Lady Chang'an said, "Then what can we do? Things have come to this, so what do you suggest we do? Is it because I didn't discipline my daughter properly? I carried her for ten months and raised her from a young age, never daring to look away from her. I believe I raised her very well. But she has turned out badly, and her temperament has become distorted. Is it all my fault?"

Marquis Chang'an reflexively yelled, "If it's not your fault, who is? Although you've disciplined her quite a bit, you've spoiled Shuqing too much. You give her whatever she wants. The fact that Shuqing did what she did today is all because you spoiled her too much."

As soon as the sound came out, the room fell silent.

Lady Chang'an looked flustered and her lips were pale. Looking at Marquis Chang'an, he felt relieved after speaking his truest thoughts, but seeing his wife's broken state, he couldn't help but regret it.

Although Madam doted on Shuqing excessively, she was perfectly responsible for the upbringing of her other children. The mansion's current prosperity is largely thanks to Madam.

Marquis Chang'an had some regrets, but a man's words are like water spilled; once spoken, they cannot be taken back.

He could only mutter with slight frustration, "No matter what, things have come to this point, and we still need to come up with a proper solution. Otherwise, we won't be able to get past the Duke of Rong alone."

"What other options are there now...?"

The couple sat facing each other, neither able to come up with a proper solution.

A moment later, the Marquis of Chang'an suddenly remembered something. "That female rapist..."

Lady Chang'an lowered her voice, "It's the Second Prince."

Marquis Chang'an's eyes widened suddenly, "She actually, she actually..."

Lady Chang'an: "Shuqing was seduced by the Second Prince..."

Marquis Chang'an: "Do you dare say that out loud? Even if it really is the Second Prince, we can only swallow this bitter pill." The Marquis's wife said quietly, "It's not necessarily a loss; Shuqing still has something to rely on. She's pregnant, already over two months along..."

Marquis of Chang'an: "..."

The couple looked at each other, and suddenly neither of them could speak.

If that's the case, then perhaps Shuqing's life is not truly over!
More than two years after the Second Prince's marriage, although there are several wives, concubines, and maids in his household, the infighting in the Second Prince's harem is fierce, and so far only three or five women have become pregnant, but no child has been born.

If Shuqing can safely give birth to this child...

Marquis Chang'an was daydreaming, while his wife was thinking about protecting their daughter. Therefore, even though the couple knew that the wisest course of action was to have an abortion, neither of them said it.

They remained silent for a while, then Lady Chang'an said, "Go to the Rongguo Duke's mansion tomorrow and ask them to get a divorce."

Upon hearing this, Marquis Chang'an shrank back, "Divorce? The Rongguo Duke's Mansion probably wants to just abandon Shuqing, right?"

“They will divorce, whether they like it or not! This isn’t just their family’s business; the Second Prince is involved too. Furthermore, if they divorce Shuqing now and it blows up, there will be rumors all over the capital, which is not what the Rongguo Duke’s Mansion wants to see.”

"Okay, okay." It was as if there were no rumors in the capital if they got divorced at this time.

But Marquis Chang'an didn't dare to say these words. Because of his wife's livid face and the wrong thing he had just said, Marquis Chang'an was very cautious in front of his wife, afraid that he would say another wrong word and provoke her to a furious rage.

The couple had just finished discussing the matter when they heard a noise coming from the next room.

Soon, Liu Mama came in and said, "My lord, my lady, the third young lady has woken up and is making a fuss..."

The third girl asked her for the "second prince".

Liu's mother didn't dare say these words aloud, but a series of thunderclaps resounded in her heart.

At this moment, she suddenly realized why the Marquis and his wife had returned from the palace banquet; why they had brought back their married third daughter; and why the Marquis and his wife looked so grim, as if a great disaster was about to befall them.

Now, everything has an explanation.

It turned out that it was their own third daughter who had made a mistake and had an affair with the second prince.

Liu Mama lowered her head even further, not daring to let the Madam and the Marquis see her frightened and uneasy expression.

Fortunately, the Marquis of Chang'an and his wife were too preoccupied to pay attention to her at the moment.

The couple exchanged a glance, then looked up at each other before heading to the next room.

In the next room, Lin Shuqing had regained consciousness, but she seemed to still be in a daze.

She stopped spouting nonsense about wanting the second prince. But seeing her mother and father enter together, she couldn't help but frown, complaining, "Wasn't I in the palace? Father, Mother, why did you..."

"Snapped!"

Lin Shuqing couldn't finish her sentence before Chang'an Hou slapped her head so hard it tilted to the side.

Lin Shuqing's words were abruptly cut off, and she couldn't help but scream.

"what!"

"You still dare to yell! You unfilial daughter! I must have done something terrible in my past life to have such a wicked daughter like you in this life! If there were a way to undo my mistakes, I would have drowned you in the chamber pot the moment you were born."

Still not satisfied with what he had said, Marquis Chang'an slapped him hard again.

Two slaps in quick succession swelled up Lin Shuqing's face.

Lin Shuqing dared not shout again. Now that things had come to this, even the most foolish and dull-witted person would know that the matter had been exposed.

If things hadn't been exposed, she would be in the palace right now, with the Second Prince by her side.

She shouldn't have been in the side room of her mother's courtyard, and she shouldn't have been beaten by her father while her mother just stood by and did nothing.

All of this tells her that her affair with the Second Prince has been discovered!

Because the matter was exposed, Lin Shuqing felt very guilty and did not dare to fight back even after being slapped twice.

But even after she had humbled herself so much, her father still wouldn't stop and continued to beat her.

Concerned about the child in her womb, and thinking that since her parents hadn't immediately tried to kill her after the incident was exposed, there was still room for maneuver.

Since there is room for maneuver, she naturally wants to seize the initiative.

Suddenly, Lin Shuqing was no longer afraid. With her barely visible belly protruding, she moved closer to the Marquis of Chang'an's hand, saying, "Hit me! Hit me here! There's this bastard here; you might as well kill him too!"

Marquis Chang'an never imagined that the girl he had raised with such pampering, the legitimate daughter of their Marquis Chang'an family, would reveal such a shameless, scoundrel-like, and filthy appearance beneath her glamorous undergarments.

He was so angry that he trembled all over, and his mouth almost twisted into a crook.

Seeing this, Lin Shuqing felt only satisfaction.

“I told you before that I didn’t want to marry Chen Yanzhou. I said I wanted to marry a prince, become a royal consort, and live a life of luxury. But you wouldn’t agree! You insisted that I had lost my virginity and that Chen Yanzhou was willing to take responsibility, so you forced me to marry him. Now that things have come to this, are you satisfied?”

The Marquis of Chang'an was so angry that his head was practically steaming. His wife looked coldly at her hysterical daughter, her eyes dark and brooding, as if a storm was brewing.

Lin Shuqing was still going crazy, talking about her frustration, her desire for revenge, and how long she had been waiting for this day.

She vented hysterically until she was completely exhausted, then collapsed dejectedly into the bed.

Lady Chang'an said nothing more, but pulled Chang'an Marquis along, and the couple left through the door together, leaving Lin Shuqing to fend for herself.