The male supporting character was actually myself.

I've lived a peaceful life for the past few years and I know how to be grateful. Now that things have come to this, I'm willing to take the blame for Miss. As long as I can save my whole family's lives, I'll accept being skinned alive!

Young Master, since you're by Second Master Li's side, you'll have some influence. See if you can…

"How could a little girl like you know how serious this is?" Zhang Mingyuan analyzed the current situation with a gloomy face. Only then did Zhang Ziqiu realize the magnitude of her mistake.

She thought it was just some gossip spreading around her, who knew it would involve so many people?

"Brother, the young master will help us get through this, right?" Zhang Ziqiu was truly terrified. She was afraid that she, so beautiful and in the prime of her life, would be silently killed and drowned in the river. That would be too terrible!

She twisted her handkerchief with trembling hands, trying to comfort herself, "The young master will definitely save us, he won't stand idly by..."

"Ha, you still can't tell people from people even when you're about to die!" Zhang Mingyuan slapped her again and said angrily, "Tonight, Li Dongchen took people to collect debts and had already gotten together with Ruan Xiangqin, the eldest daughter of Ruan Fannan of Qinya Manor. Do you really think you have any influence? Do you think Li Dongchen is as loyal as Second Master?"

In Li Dongchen's eyes, you're just a used shoe that he can throw away at any time!

Let me tell you, in a man's eyes, if you can have a secret rendezvous with your fiancé today, you can cheat on him with other men tomorrow! Li Dongchen won't save you. Right now, he'd rather our whole family die quickly so he can get rid of the blame and find a young and beautiful woman to seduce.

Zhang Ziqiu, you still don't know who to ask for help. You're hopeless.

If you weren't my only sister, and if I weren't afraid of implicating our parents, I really wouldn't have bothered to save your worthless life!

"Yuan'er, you...you begged the second young master? Will he help us?" The Zhang couple looked at their son with hopeful eyes, placing their hopes for the family's survival on him.

After being slapped twice, Zhang Ziqiu finally stopped arguing. Trembling, she looked at her brother, whose face was pale with anger, and softly called out, "Brother..."

Having finally suppressed his sister's arrogant and self-important attitude, Zhang Mingyuan took a deep breath, sat down in a chair, drank a cup of tea, and then slowly said, "Second Master was very angry after learning about this, but he is clear about his grievances and values ​​relationships very much, and is willing to help our family overcome the difficulties."

Ziqiu, this time, more than a dozen members of our Zhang family suffered because of you, and it was thanks to Second Master that we were saved. We must repay the debt of gratitude we owe Second Master in the future.

If you cooperate with me and the Second Young Master, I guarantee you'll be able to marry Li Dongchen and achieve your dream.

But you must remember—never forget the kindness of Second Master in stepping down to help and protect the Zhang family. If he ever needs your help, you must never hold him back, or I will shoot you dead.

Also, Li Dongchen is just toying with your feelings. No matter what, you must remember this and never be foolishly devoted or blindly obedient, otherwise you won't even know how you died!

"I...I understand, I'll follow your instructions, brother!" Upon hearing that she could still marry Li Dongchen, Zhang Ziqiu was overjoyed but tried hard to hide her excitement as her voice trembled as she asked, "Brother, what should I do?"

Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Zhang Mingyuan said coldly, "From this moment until you die, there is only one truth about what happened this afternoon—you were coerced into rape by Li Dongchen because he was jealous of your marriage agreement with your younger brother, Li Jiangchen, and he wanted to use this to humiliate his rival for the position of heir to the Marshal's Mansion. Do you understand?"

Only this explanation can convince the commander-in-chief to overlook past grievances and allow you to marry into the family; otherwise, you will be a despised harlot and will be drowned in a pig cage!

Even in the inner room, facing Li Dongchen's sweet words, you must never admit to having an affair with him. Because marrying you would be a humiliation for Li Dongchen; he would definitely try every means to divorce you, or even frame you and have you drowned in a pig cage. If you confess and your accomplices overhear, you're doomed!

"Gudong!"

Zhang Ziqiu was still full of joy and anticipation, thinking that she could take this opportunity to marry her beloved and become a loving couple. However, her brother's words made her feel as if she had fallen into an ice cave. She lost her mind and sat on the ground, feeling as if her soul had left her body.

This afternoon, when I was whispering sweet nothings to Dongchen, he was so affectionate and tender. He had clearly promised to ask the Marshal to change the engagement and marry me. How could this be...?

"Sister, you will soon be marrying into the Marshal's mansion." Zhang Mingyuan reassured his parents, finally calming them down. Then he said earnestly, "That's the Marshal's mansion. The Marshal has thirteen concubines, none of whom are easy to deal with. I've seen plenty of power struggles and intrigues in that kind of family. It's not as simple as ours."

If you want to keep your position as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family and save your life, you must listen carefully to what your brother has to say.

With her emotions fluctuating like a rollercoaster, Zhang Ziqiu slowly stood up with the help of her maid Xiu'er. She smoothed her hair, composed herself, and replied, "Brother, please speak. I'm listening carefully."

Zhang Mingyuan took a sip of tea and pondered for a moment before saying, "I will stay by Second Master's side and keep an eye on the situation in the mansion for you. As long as you can win over Li Dongchen, you can establish a firm foothold. After a year or two, if you have a son or daughter and do nothing out of line, your position will be secure."

You can't win over a womanizer like Li Dongchen with just your looks.

The second young master said something very insightful: "Girls won't stay eighteen forever, but there will always be eighteen-year-old girls."

Li Dongchen pursued you because of your beauty, so once he gets tired of you and finds a younger, prettier girl, he will abandon you. You've already gained an advantage by marrying into the family and becoming the young mistress; now it's time to use your influence to win his heart.

You were too frivolous before, which made him look down on you. You can't let Li Dongchen lead you by the nose anymore!

A woman should be like a book, not a blank sheet of paper that he can read at a glance and find uninteresting; she should also guard against him having affairs outside the home and taking concubines into the household.

"Starting tomorrow, I'll find a few doctors to give you some good treatments, so you can impress Li Dongchen on your wedding day and make him unable to leave you, thus securing your position as the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family!"

Zhang Ziqiu was a little confused, but she still obediently nodded in agreement.

The autumn night was chilly and the lights in the Zhang family's living room had been on for a long time. Zhang Mingyuan discussed the arrangements and explanations with his parents and then set off in a carriage to the Marshal's Mansion that very night.

Jiang Chen had already arranged for the servants at the side gate to wait at the street corner to bring the Zhang family's carriage into the mansion. The two sides talked for a long time before parting ways.

So, just as Li Dongchen was tossing and turning and finally fell asleep, immersed in a beautiful dream of playing in the water with a beauty, a major event in his life was decided.

"The Marshal's Mansion has sent out wedding invitations! Go see what's going on!"

"Oh? What kind of wedding invitations are they sending out at the Marshal's Mansion right now?"

"Have you heard? There was a huge event happening last night, but unfortunately we were too tired after a long day and went to bed early to hear the news!"

"Hehehe, it's the eldest young master of the Li family and Zhang Ziqiu, right? I heard it first thing this morning, it's so damn exciting!"

"Don't talk nonsense, the Marshal's Mansion has already posted a notice to refute the rumors!"

"Why bother refuting the rumors? Refuting them now would just be like protesting too much."

"It seems that's not the case. I overheard someone deliberately smearing the Marshal's Mansion. The world is in turmoil, and wars have broken out in many places. At this critical juncture, a scandal involving the Marshal's Mansion will definitely benefit Qin Laoxi. There's a lot more to this than meets the eye!"

"Oh? Really?"

"The Marshal's Mansion reacted quickly, immediately posting wedding invitations and a clarification announcement. I'm on the Marshal's Mansion's side this time. The whole story is clearly written; the couple engaged back then were the eldest son, Li Dongchen, and Zhang Ziqiu, the daughter of the Zhang family!"

It's just that the eldest son's studies were so demanding that he couldn't wait for an auspicious engagement date, so the second son stepped in for him at the ceremony. It's nothing serious. Last month, my second aunt's daughter got married, and the groom unfortunately broke his leg, so his younger brother took his place to fetch the bride. To dispel that rumor, the Marshal's family moved up both of their wedding dates.

"Oh dear, it really is easy to spread rumors but exhausting to refute them."

"Of course! Qin Laoxi is full of bad intentions. If he can't win a fight or demoralize the troops, he resorts to these underhanded tactics. It's absolutely disgusting!"

"Something doesn't feel right... Li Yexiao has been sending a lot of gifts to the Zhang family these past few years, and the one he's getting engaged to is the eldest son... It's a bit strange that he's so attentive to his future sister-in-law, isn't it?"

"How do you know the things were sent by the second young master? Did you announce it with gongs and drums or did you tell me on purpose? It's always the Marshal's mansion that delivers them, so it must be the eldest young master who asked you to send them. Especially the Western-style clothes and perfume, they look like the work of the eldest young master who studied abroad."

“That’s absolutely right. Those who spread rumors and slander against the Marshal’s Mansion are despicable! The Marshal’s Mansion must investigate this thoroughly. Everyone should be careful what they say.”

"Who cares who's who? I can't even afford to eat, who cares about that?! I heard them reading the wedding invitations saying the young master's wedding is going to involve giving out steamed buns and throwing money around? Is that true? I need to prepare in advance and grab a few more to have a full meal!"

"It's said that the distribution of lucky money will continue for several days. The Marshal's Mansion is really extravagant when it comes to weddings..."

…………

The dissenting voices quickly disappeared amidst the heated discussions among onlookers about giving away money, rice, and noodles. Not long after the wedding invitations and notices were posted, the prevailing opinion completely changed.

Some people envied the extravagance of the Marshal's Mansion in hosting weddings;

Some people are jealous that the Zhang family finally managed to sell their daughter for a good price after years of hard work;

Some have even analyzed the hidden information revealed throughout the rumor-mongering incident, conducting in-depth analyses of the military struggles between warlords and the various conspiracy theories that arose suddenly from the turbulent situation and news of war from other places...

Chapter Sixteen: The Young Master is Immature

People in the city are showing great enthusiasm for gossip, but no one is discussing the fleeting rumors themselves anymore.

After all, the public's imagination is incredibly rich, capable of providing a constant stream of more exciting, "realistic," and unverified material—conspiracy theories about warlord infighting are obviously more thrilling. Moreover, discussing these topics is certainly safer and more popular than discussing smear campaigns against the warlord's government.

"Lieutenant Li, how was Jiang Chen's performance last night?" Li Tianxing asked casually as he came out of the room, dressed by the help of his thirteenth concubine, and slowly fastened the buttons around his neck.

The other person remained standing ramrod straight, his cold face expressionless. After a few seconds of contemplation, he replied, "I heard it when the Second Young Master rushed into the courtyard. It didn't seem like he was faking it. Given his usual impulsive nature, he certainly wouldn't consider the consequences, let alone such rumors. For the hot-blooded and proud Second Young Master, that's absolutely intolerable."

The second young master jumped and shouted for a while, but he quickly calmed down and came up with a new solution... I think it's because the second young master has matured a lot recently.

It was evident from last night's debt collection that although the second young master's tone was arrogant and domineering, he was very reasonable in his actions, had a strong sense of justice, clearly distinguished between public and private matters, and dared to take responsibility, leaving no room for criticism.

I observed that Zhang Mingyuan played a significant role by the side of the second young master, and he had probably grown up gradually with his assistance over the past few years.

"That's excellent! The second young master is decisive and ruthless, and now he can control his emotions and no longer act rashly. Given time and experience, he will surely grow into the commander-in-chief's right-hand man!"

"How did these rumors suddenly start circulating last night? I heard Jiang Chen say something like, 'Dong Chen forced Zhang Ziqiu?' What exactly happened?"

"I went to investigate immediately after hearing the news, but I don't know where the rumors came from. You know how fast news spreads in places like brothels, and even faster with embellishment and fanning the flames. I heard no less than ten versions, and it was only later that the rumors evolved into the story that Zhang Ziqiu was forced."

After all, I observed carefully yesterday afternoon by the Autumn Water Pavilion, and the Zhang family girl showed no reluctance whatsoever; on the contrary, she was quite adept and proactive. The person involved certainly wouldn't blurt out such a thing, so perhaps… there were other outsiders present at the Zhang family's villa besides me at the time.

After all, there was no one watching over it, so climbing over the wall wouldn't be difficult.

There are also many fruit trees in the yard, all laden with fruit. Some street thugs might run into them while picking fruit; and on the Qiushui River, someone rowing by in a boat might also see them…”

"Forget it, just make a show of arresting the rumor-mongers in the city. If their own dirty deeds get seen and spread, they can't blame anyone else."

His most trusted confidant clearly had a high opinion of his youngest son, and Jiang Chen had indeed matured recently. In comparison, Dong Chen, on whom he had placed more hope, was too disappointing. Li Tianxing pondered for a moment and couldn't help but sigh.

"Is Dongchen up yet? Send someone to tell him that the wedding is in seven days and he should get back into the swing of things. Even if it's just for show, he needs to look cheerful so that outsiders don't laugh at him!"

"Whether Zhang Ziqiu is a harlot or not, it's just a formality to quell the rumors. Have your people keep a close eye on her; if she makes even the slightest mistake, deal with her immediately."

"Yes! I'll go and have someone inform the young master right away." Lieutenant Li nodded in agreement and turned to leave.

Having spent most of the night dealing with the mess of cleaning up his eldest son's bottom, Li Tianxing was clearly in a bad mood. Early in the morning, he was dissatisfied with everything and found fault with everything, cursing and swearing so much that the concubines in the various rooms didn't dare to breathe loudly.

The fluffy little dumpling bounced around the Marshal's Mansion a few times before running back to its host, munching on dried fish and meowing gossipy. "Host, there's a newbie auxiliary system on the forum asking for help."

Hehehe~ It and its host also entered an alternate history warlord-themed mission world. Damn, the protagonist is a woman who transmigrated here and is obsessed with becoming a concubine who brings disaster to the country.

Its host was some kind of young marshal who did nothing but follow the main system's missions and act as an accomplice to the female lead. The female lead was also a scumbag; she gave up being a proper young lady to become a dancer and singer, causing the host so much distress that he had to try every means to save her from her misery. Tsk tsk, so pitiful.

Meow was thinking, aren't singers, dancers, and concubines all lowly playthings? Was the scriptwriters deliberately making fun of the female lead?

"It's not exactly a joke." Jiang Chen was busy checking the money exchange project and didn't even look up. He said casually, "Most of these scripts involve the female lead degrading herself. It's basically just a fictional warlord era setting, where the domineering CEO falls in love with me. The lower and more pitiful her status, the better the effect of the so-called love story."

Whether it was the warlord or the young warlord, they were all incredibly short-sighted. They would see a dancer and think about spending their lives with her, even neglecting their military duties.

The female lead, a singer and dancer, is adorned with gold and silver and reaps all the benefits, yet she must maintain a haughty demeanor, claiming that she sells her art but not her body to earn the male lead's respect.

Ha, in an era where human life is as worthless as grass, if you didn't have the protagonist's halo to play this game, you would have been taught a lesson long ago about how to be a well-behaved dancer who sells her art and her body while keeping a low profile.

Even if she becomes a concubine in the mansion, she is just a plaything, to be beaten or killed at will.

The devoted love of some male protagonists, like young warlords, is often built upon the indiscriminate killing of other innocent concubines, creating a carefully crafted atmosphere of deep affection for the female lead.

The fluffy little dumpling drooped its round face and said, "I get it, meow~ The whole world still revolves around the main character, and they can do whatever they want, how disgusting!"

"The protagonist is getting married, this is a joyous occasion, we must prepare a generous gift." Jiang Chen sorted out the accounts he had taken out and returned home full of confidence.

At the same time, Li Dongchen had just lazily gotten out of bed.

He was whipped yesterday. Although Dr. Yang immediately gave him anti-inflammatory treatment, applied medicine, and administered various injections, it was still a merciless thirty lashes. How could his injuries heal so quickly? He could only sleep on his stomach. After the medicine wore off, the wounds on his back were excruciatingly painful, keeping him awake all night.

Adding to his woes, yesterday's series of setbacks and the unexpected misunderstanding with his sweetheart while collecting debts made him even more upset.

Even though the servant came over and called him several times, he didn't want to pay attention. He had to yell twice to finally quiet things down and stop disturbing his nap.

"It's been four years since I last came back, and the Marshal's Mansion has indeed become more and more unruly. Everyone bullies the weak and fears the strong, and they only learn to behave when they are scolded." He mumbled something, not knowing what time it was, and called for someone to come in and help him get dressed and wash up.

The maids and servants in the east courtyard who were responsible for serving him immediately got to work when they heard the call.