You take on two husbands, I'll turn around and marry the tyrant and rule the world.

When Lin Jingrui first met Uncle Qiao, he was a little flustered and guilty, but he quickly calmed down.

Why are you panicking? There's no law against the Great Xia Dynasty about arranging a marriage for your brother.

Thinking of this, he bowed slightly to Qiao Zhaoling, his tone neither humble nor arrogant: "Uncle, please calm down. I did send someone to your residence to invite you yesterday, but you were out on business, so it was an unfortunate coincidence. Now that you are here today, let's have a frank discussion."

As he spoke, he took out a roll of brocade from his sleeve and handed it to Lord Luo Shilong with both hands: "This is the marriage contract between our two families. Please have Lord Luo and everyone else take a look. If I have breached the contract, you may deal with me as you see fit."

Luo Shilong took the marriage certificate and slowly unfolded it.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a person breathing, and all the guests pricked up their ears to listen carefully.

Luo Shilong cleared his throat and read aloud: "...This marriage certificate is presented to Heaven and Earth above, and to our relatives below...We are united in marriage, and will never betray each other..."

When he reached the crucial point of reading the name, Luo Shilong paused almost imperceptibly. He glanced up and quickly swept his eyes across Lin Jingrui's calm face before swiftly lowering his gaze again.

"Well?" Lin Jingrui asked calmly after he finished reading. "The marriage contract is in black and white. Does it prohibit a younger generation from inheriting another's lineage? My deceased brother passed away early and had no children. I married him to continue his bloodline. It is reasonable, legal, and justified. What is wrong with that?"

The guests in the hall listened, some nodding, some with subtle expressions. Indeed, the marriage certificate did not state that one could not have both parents in the same family, and this statement... seemed to be without major flaws.

However, everyone knows that forcing a marriage without the bride's family's consent is somewhat unfair to the Chu family.

Uncle Qiao slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair and coldly rebuked, "Just because it's not written in the marriage certificate doesn't mean you can do it. When you proposed, you agreed not to take another woman. We believed you, Lin Jingrui, were a gentleman. We never expected you to take advantage of such a loophole. If you truly cared about your brother, why didn't you adopt a son from the clan instead of taking another wife? You're clearly using your deceased brother's name to divorce your wife and remarry. Do you think anyone's a fool who can't see through your treacherous tricks?"

He was so angry that his beard trembled, and he kept pointing his finger at Lin Jingrui's nose without any restraint: "If you don't give me an explanation today, I will carry the golden plaque bestowed by His Majesty and beat the Dengwen Drum. I may not be able to deal with you, but His Majesty will surely uphold justice for me."

These words carried weight and immediately sparked another round of discussion in the hall.

Everyone knows that the Qiao family once donated a huge sum of money to relieve the court's urgent needs, and that imperial plaque was their talisman.

If this were to escalate to the emperor's presence, the Lin family would lose face.

Lin Jingrui's face darkened slightly. He then took out another roll of bright yellow silk from his sleeve and presented it to Luo Shilong with both hands: "Since my uncle has mentioned His Majesty, he will surely respect the law. I have already obtained the Empress's decree regarding the matter of the joint lineage. I have already informed the palace about this matter. The Empress, out of compassion for my elder brother's early death and the lack of a continuation of the family line, has specially granted this marriage."

Luo Shilong's expression hardened, and he hurriedly straightened his robes, knelt down, and respectfully accepted the imperial edict. Then he stood up, slowly unfolded it, and read it aloud.

All the guests knelt down in unison. Chu Nianci and Qiao Zhaoling exchanged a glance and also knelt down according to etiquette, bowing their heads to listen to the announcement.

After the imperial edict was read, the hall fell silent.

The guests who had been whispering just moments before now held their breath and lowered their eyes.

The Empress has already nodded; who would dare to utter another word?

The officials' wives who had initially felt indignant on Chu Nianci's behalf could only shake their heads inwardly.

No matter how wealthy a merchant family may be, they can never withstand a single word from the emperor.

Lin Jingrui looked around and, seeing that no one dared to make a sound, a barely perceptible smirk appeared on his lips.

Chu Nianci also knelt on the ground, listening carefully as he read the Empress's decree.

After he finished reading it, Lin Jingrui took out a formal marriage contract stamped with the official seal and handed it over.

Lord Luo Shilong took it and read it aloud in front of everyone again.

When Lord Luo Shilong heard that Lin Jingrui had reported his name to the Emperor as "Nianjun," a mocking smile almost unmistakably appeared on his lips.

He was just as heartless and ungrateful as he had been in his previous life; he didn't even report his own name.

I still used my own small handwriting.

This gave them an opportunity to take advantage of the situation, little did they know that Chu Nianci and the others were falling into this very mistake.

Because Chu Shunqing went to the Empress to ask for her favor, he would definitely mention his own name.

If the Empress finds out that it is her brother's wife who is going to enter the palace...

She would absolutely not agree.

Lin Jingrui turned to look at Chu Nianci and softened his voice, advising, "Nianci, stop making a scene. Get up. Don't let so many guests laugh at you."

Uncle Qiao was so angry that he trembled all over. Just as he was about to retort, he saw that Chu Nianci had already stood up gracefully.

She didn't reach for Lin Jingrui's outstretched hand, but instead helped up her uncle beside her.

Chu Nianci stood there quietly.

A pair of phoenix eyes swept over Lin Jingrui with a clear, bright gaze. There was no anger, no grievance, not even fear in her eyes, only a bottomless calm.

"I dare not disobey Her Majesty the Empress's decree," she said softly, "but I also have something I would like to ask the Crown Prince and all the elders for your permission."

Lin Jingrui frowned: "You speak."

Chu Nianci raised her eyes and looked directly into his eyes: "Please give me a letter of divorce, let me go back to Jiangnan, and never set foot in the capital again in this lifetime."

Even though she knew it was impossible, she still wanted to try.

"Whoa..." The entire wedding hall erupted in chaos.

No one expected that the new bride of the Chu family would ask for a divorce right away!

The women of the official family looked at each other, wondering if the girl had gone mad.

If a woman gets divorced, what good family can she find in the future?

"Outrageous!" Old Master Lin Beichen finally couldn't hold back any longer, slamming his teacup down. "Marriage is a serious matter; how can it be treated so lightly?"

Xie's face was ashen and pale, her voice weak yet cold and hard: "What kind of behavior is this?"

Chu Nianci seemed not to have heard their rebukes at all.

She looked only at Lin Jingrui and asked again, "Is the young master willing to grant my request?"

Lin Jingrui felt a little uneasy under her calm yet terrifying gaze.

"Don't be stubborn... Let's get married first, and I promise I won't treat you badly in the future..."

"Won't you treat me unfairly?" A faint, cold smile appeared on Chu Nianci's lips. "Young Master, don't talk about the future. Just look at the present. In the past six months, we've already spent over eight thousand taels of silver, and what's the result? We're forced to share a husband with your sister, and you expect me to wait for 'the future'?"

A collective gasp of astonishment rippled through the guests in the hall.

Several officials' wives who initially thought Chu Nianci was being unreasonable now had changed their expressions.

She's already spent so much money before even marrying into the family?

This Earl's family isn't taking a wife; they're just grabbing a money bag.

Although the Earl's family was newly wealthy, they were willing to marry a merchant's daughter; this was their true intention.

The gazes of the crowd towards Chu Nianci couldn't help but show a touch more sympathy.

Lin Jingrui's face flushed red and then turned pale, and he couldn't say a word.

"Sister," Yu Shunqing, who had been watching coldly from the side, suddenly said sarcastically, "Leaving the Earl's Mansion, with your status as the daughter of a merchant, even if you enter the palace, I don't think you'll have a good future."

When Uncle Qiao heard her constantly referring to herself as "a merchant's daughter," his anger flared up instantly: "So what if she's a merchant? A merchant is still better than you..."

"Uncle," Chu Nianci gently interrupted him, preventing him from continuing.

After all, if her true identity as a concubine's daughter were revealed in public, it would be detrimental to her maternal family.

Chu Nianci suddenly smiled.

The smile bloomed on her beautiful face, but not a trace of joy reached her eyes.

"I originally thought that my sister's entry into officialdom would broaden her horizons," she said in an icy tone, "but I didn't expect her thinking to still be so narrow-minded. Who told you that a woman must depend on her husband to live?"

Chu Shunqing's eyes widened.

How can a woman live without relying on her husband?

"Mother, she's really gone mad. She's just talking nonsense and making a fool of herself. Let's just get rid of her," Lin Jingjue interjected from the side. "Who is she trying to scare? It's like our manor can't survive without her."

Madam Xie clutched her chest and coughed softly.

"Since you're determined to leave, let's make things clear," she said, her face now showing a pained and disappointed expression. "Nianci, put your hand on your heart and tell me, in the six months since you joined the Lin family, have I ever wasted your time?"

Chu Nianci met her gaze and slowly shook her head: "No."

"That's right," Madam Xie sighed softly, "but what about you? You were jealous of Shunqing's arrival and stopped your mother-in-law's life-saving medicine. You violated two of the seven grounds for divorce. Even if I divorce you today, it's perfectly reasonable..."

Uncle Qiao immediately cut her off: "Wait, you're the one who should be asking yourself the question. Everyone with eyes can see how she's been serving you these past six months. Stop making baseless accusations!"

Madam Xie sneered, "That's right, I used to think she was a filial and sensible child, but look at her now!"

Chu Nianci looked at Xie Shi, her tone full of sarcasm: "If you divorce me, what will happen to my dowry?"

She asked that on purpose.

I just want everyone to see the true colors of the Xie family.

Sure enough, Madam Xie cleared her throat and said, "According to the law, a woman who is divorced must have all her dowry confiscated and cannot take a single penny with her. Considering that you have served me for half a year, I will only take 90% of it. The remaining 10% can be considered as your travel expenses back to Jiangnan."

Only 90% deducted?

She really dares to speak her mind!

A commotion erupted below the wedding hall.

Many ladies from prominent families couldn't stand it and showed disdain on their faces.

The way this Earl's family behaves is really too unseemly.

Isn't this blatant attempt to embezzle the bride's dowry?

"Shameless and utterly shameless!" Uncle Qiao was so angry his mustache stood on end. "To be so shameless is truly rare in this world!"

He turned to Lin Jingrui and asked, "Lin Jingrui, you embezzled your fiancée's dowry, are you even a man?"

Lin Jingrui stood at the entrance of the wedding hall, his face turning purple.

His mother's words made him lose face.

But he couldn't contradict his mother in public.

"Who said we were going to divorce her!" Lin Jingrui took a deep breath and finally spoke.

His face was expressionless, and his voice was as cold as ice. "Whether it's divorce or a peaceful separation, I disagree. Now that Chu Nianci has entered the Lin family, she can forget about leaving."

He paused, his voice low but resolute, "She was mine in life and in death, and even in death, she will be buried in the Lin family's ancestral graveyard!"

"Guards..." he suddenly raised his voice, ordering his servants with an unquestionable tone, "Drag her over here, and regardless of her wishes, have her married immediately!"