Chapter 228: The Real and the Fake Princess

It was noon and there were few people at the commercial house. Both of them went up the flower ladder that was placed outside. They had just reached the second floor when they heard a loud noise from below.

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Su Jiu turned her head and look down. She saw a large sedan carried by eight people parked just in front of the doors of the commercial house. “Princess Zhuo Yan has arrived! Everybody that has no business with her, scram!”

What a grand and arrogant entrance she made for herself!

Even the princesses of Daliang Country did not get this kind of treatment when she traveled out of the palace!

“I heard that Princess Zhuo Yan is proficient in everything from martial arts to books. She is a strange woman that is comparable to a man,” Su Jiu said lightly.

“There are many rumors about her that may not be true. The kind of person Princess Zhuo Yan is, your husband will take a look and find out in no time!” Ji Yuxian smiled lightly.

The servant lifted the beaded curtain hanging at the opening of the sedan and a woman walked out. Dressed in a gown with pink flowers, butterfly-cloud brocade, and layered chiffon, she looked gorgeous. In addition, she had on embroidered shoes that were decorated with countless precious stones and pearls. As one looked up at her head, between full locks of black hair, sat eight dazzling golden hairpins on the left and right side of her head. Under the glow of the midday sun, they reflected the natural light, making her a bedazzling person that stunned everyone whose gaze happened to fall on her.

Just like the day she entered the capital; the woman was wearing a veil.

Su Jiu said with a smile, “Is it the custom of Jinli Country for women to be veiled?”

Ji Yuxian shook his head lightly. “No.”

The servants and guards of Princess Zhuo Yan lined up in two rows by the entrance of the commercial house, a formality to invite her into the commercial house.

Zhuo Yan placed her hand in her servant’s and guided her into the shop.

Su Jiu stared at the woman’s back and suddenly said, “Ji Yuxian, don’t you think Princess Zhuo Yan looks familiar?”

Earlier, she had been distracted by the frontal view of the princess and was bedazzled by the pearl-like treasures covering her entire body. Now, looking at her back, she felt like she had seen her before.

Ji Yuxian took her hand and smiled. “Go on then, take a closer look!”

Princess Zhuo Yan entered the commercial house. The servants and guards blocking the way opened up a path for her to enter. Other people who were shopping were shoved to the sides. When they saw that the person instigating this was a princess, they did not dare to speak out, for fear of punishment.

The princess seemed to behave like a country bumpkin once she was in the shop. As long as it was something new and refreshing that she saw, she examined it. Even before she reached the second floor, the hands of more than a dozen servants were full of the things she picked.

One servant had to carry two big Japanese melons in her arms. She probably felt ashamed, from the way she held her head down all the way.

Once on the third floor, upon seeing all the gold, silver jewelry, and satin silk, Princess Zhuo Yan’s eyes widened. She was bedazzled by what she saw.

“This, and this, I want them all!”

Princess Zhuo Yan held an emerald bracelet in one hand and a white jade bracelet in the other. For a brief moment, she didn’t know which one to wear, so she decided that she might as well take both.

She turned back to her servant and asked, “Is it nice?”

The row of servants stood behind her, holding melons, carrying rice, and holding porcelain bottles and water jugs…looked at her expressionlessly.

Princess Zhuo Yan was extremely delighted and didn’t seem to notice their lack of response, taking another gold hairpin carved with a peony flower and placing it in her hair.

Su Jiu stood on the stairs on the third floor and asked the man next to her in astonishment, “Is Jinli Country very poor?”

Were they so poor that they had never seen a Japanese melon before?

Ji Yuxian narrowed his eyes, and a smile hovered at the corner of his lips. “Do you think she is behaving like a princess?”

Most definitely not!

Although she looks beautiful, she behaved as if she had never seen the world before. She was like a country bumpkin who had just entered the city for the first time. She was in no way carrying herself like a proper princess from a big country like Jinli.

There were others peering at her from a distance who could not stand her behavior anymore. Onlookers disdainfully murmured to their companions, “Where did this country bumpkin come from? Is she really a princess?”

Although Princess Zhuo Yan had never seen the world, her ears were sharper than any ordinary person’s. Her face darkened immediately, and she pointed at the woman who whispered, shouting, “Pull her out! Beat her to death!”

Several bodyguards immediately walked over and grabbed the woman.

Knowing that her mouth had brought calamity on her, the woman hurriedly begged for mercy, “This ordinary citizen recognizes her mistake!

“Please, princess, spare my life!

“Please, princess, spare this commoner’s life!”

Princess Zhuo Yan glared at her fiercely. “No need to drag her all the way out. Just cut off her tongue here, now! I want to see her tongue fall!”

The woman was so frightened, tears streamed down her face like a waterfall. She fell to the ground, trembling, and begged really hard for mercy.

The shopkeeper of the commercial house wanted to step forward to dissuade her, but when he looked up and saw Su Jiu standing on the stairs, he bowed and withdrew quickly.

The bodyguard had already drawn out his long knife.

The woman was struggling to squeeze through the crowd and run away from him as she cried, so loud that it seemed like her lungs were about to burst at any time.

Everyone hated that a princess from another country came to Daliang Country and acted so arrogantly, but no one dared to step forward and offer assistance because they saw the big bright knife that the bodyguard had drawn out.

“Wait!”

A clear voice came through the crowd, and everyone turned their heads in unison. When they recognized who it was, they were all very relieved.

“Master Jiu!”

“Master Jiu is here!”

There were certain expectations of her in the pride and joy their cries expressed.

Princess Zhuo Yan saw Su Jiu and her facial expression changed immediately, from a look of shock to one of panic. She raised her hand to pull the veil further up her face, so that it almost covered her eyes as well, and tilted her body slightly away.

“Master Jiu, please help me!” The woman in trouble threw herself down and knelt at Su Jiu’s feet.

Su Jiu grabbed her arm and used some strength to pull the scared and panicking woman upright. She looked at Princess Zhuo Yan and said, “Princess, this woman spoke too quickly and did not think it through. She had no intention of offending the princess. I beg you, Princess, spare her life.”

The guard with the sword stared at Su Jiu and yelled, “Who are you? How dare you plead with the princess?”

Su Jiu kicked at his arm holding the knife. “I am a Daliang citizen!”

Clang! The weapon fell to the ground, and the bodyguard screamed and clutched at his arm.

The other guards immediately drew their swords.

Su Jiu was amazed at their reactions and smiled faintly. “Am I wrong? I should abide by the law of Daliang while I am in Daliang. I don’t know which law this woman violated in Jinli Country, so much so that her tongue is to be cut off, but this is Daliang. All of you who protect the princess from Jinli Country, are all of you now in Jinli Country?

“Tell me, are you from Daliang or Jinli?”

“You’d kill your fellow citizens on behalf of a princess from Jinli Country! All of you are traitors!”

“Get out of Daliang Country!”

Now that the subdued crowd had Su Jiu backing them up, they felt braver. They shouted their discontentment in unison.

More than a dozen guards glanced at each other in panic, then deciding to retreat. They were afraid that they would be charged for treason.

Princess Zhuo Yan walked over, covering her veil with her hand. She seemed a little panicked and laughed in a dumb voice. “Okay, whatever happened today, let’s forget it! I will not pursue it anymore. Let’s head back to the palace!”

With that, she hurried out of the commercial house.

Su Jiu raised her hand as she walked past Su Jiu, immediately, she covered her face with both hands, fearing that her veil would be torn from her face. She hurried down the stairs.

The servants behind her holding Japanese melons and water jugs tried hard to keep up with her.

As Princess Zhuo Yan walked away, the people left behind started laughing.

“Master Jiu is the best! You scared the princess so much that she immediately took off!”

“That is right! As soon as Master Jiu came, the princess didn’t dare to say anything, and ran off with her tail between her legs!”

“A princess of Jinli Country dares to come to Daliang Country and behaves this arrogantly! She should find a mirror and take a good look at herself to see where she belongs!”

The woman who had been rescued by Su Jiu also thanked her repeatedly.

Su Jiu smiled faintly. “It’s okay, it’s okay. Everyone, please go back to minding your own things!”

Everyone dispersed quickly, laughing a little and discussing the matter as they left. Su Jiu went to the window and saw Princess Zhuo Yan get into her sedan and quickly left the commercial house.

Looking back at Ji Yuxian, who had been standing on the stairs, their gaze met once more. Without discussion, both of them headed for the attic.

Entering the small hall and closing the door, Su Jiu immediately said, “The princess is Yun Zhu!”

Ji Yuxian seemed to have come to the same conclusion and nodded slowly. “Yun Zhu is pretending to be a princess from Jinli Country.”

A while back, Yun Zhu had been taken away by the assassins on Wushan Isle. Now, she had appeared again, together with Lord Ruiyang, and had turned into a princess from Jinli Country.

Could it be that the one plotting against Wushan Isle and Ji Manor was Lord Ruiyang from Jinli Country?

No wonder Lord Ruiyang wanted to Princess Zhuo Yan to be betrothed in Daliang Country. Su Jiu and Ji Yuxian were very puzzled as to why he would want to do this, but now they finally understood his intentions.

Lord Ruiyang already possessed a streak of disloyalty towards his own country. He intended to have the fake princess get married into Daliang Country so that he could dictate matters in his favor.

Wasn’t he afraid that the news of his plans would get leaked, and then the Emperor of Jinli Country would send troops to kill him?

Unless, at this current moment, Princess Zhuo Yan was not in Jinli Country as well. Lord Ruiyang then found another person to pretend to be the princess while he sent assassins out to murder the real princess.

If the real princess dies, Yun Zhu would really become the princess!

Ji Yuxian pointed at the case on the table beneath them and said slowly, “I have sent someone to investigate. They found out that Yan Shu’s Glass of Ten Thousand Eyes indeed belonged to Jinli Country’s royal family. It was a birthday gift from the Emperor of Jinli Country to his daughter. So, she must be the real Princess Zhuo Yan.”

Su Jiu’s eyes were filled with surprise. She had not expected that Yan Shu would be the well-known Princess Zhuo Yan of Jinli Country. If that was the case, why did she become Wu Yi’s apprentice?

Before Wu Yi came to Wushan Isle, he had stayed at Jinli Country for many days. He was known to have unique medical skills. Perhaps the Emperor of Jinli Country was sick?

And so, Lord Ruiyang was eagerly arranging his own countermeasures to rebel against his own emperor.

“Lord Ruiyang personally came to Shengjing City. It will not be a simple matter to marry a fake princess to Xiao Lie,” Su Jiu said coldly.

Yun Zhu had disappeared before Su Jiu and Ji Yuxian returned to Shengjing City. At that time, Lord Ruiyang had to have already been on his way to Daliang Country. Therefore, Yun Zhu’s role should be a decision that he made recently.

“Lord Ruiyang has Jinli Country’s most powerful navy under his command. However, his weaponry is not as developed as the royal guards of Jinli. If he really wants a successful rebellion, he will need to come up with a more shrewd and critical strategy,” Ji Yuxian said.

“What can he do though?” Su Jiu frowned.

Did he intend to use a beautiful maiden to trick Xiao Lie into dealing with Ji Manor?

Say that Xiao Lie would fall for the allure of this beautiful maiden, even if Xiao Lie dealt with Ji Manor and snatched Wushan Isle from them, his penultimate strategy of ascending the throne might not pan out as shrewdly as he expected it to.

“We will know soon!” Ji Yuxian said lightly, his phoenix eyes giving off a mysterious aura. He took Su Jiu’s hand. “In the coming days, Ji Manor might experience a little turbulence. No matter what happens, don’t panic, and protect yourself. Your husband will find a way.”

Su Jiu nodded slightly.

“Oh right!” Su Jiu suddenly thought of something and said hurriedly, “Call back the people who were sent to chase down Wu Yi and Yan Shu. Yan Shu can’t be killed right now!”

Yan Shu was the real Princess Zhuo Yan and an important person in their dealing with Lord Ruiyang. She cannot be killed!

“It is probable that she will soon have no reason to hit you again,” Ji Yuxian sneered as he squinted his eyes and looked at Su Jiu.

Lord Ruiyang must also be looking for clues about Yan Shu’s whereabouts. If he knew that she had come to Shengjing City, she would have no peace.

…

Yun Zhu went back to the palace, albeit highly agitated. She had just sat down, about to drink a sip of water, when a palace maid came in to report that Lord Ruiyang had come.

Yun Zhu’s hands trembled as she hurriedly got up to welcome him.

“Greetings to the Emperor’s brother!” Yun Zhu said.

“The princess doesn’t have to be so polite.” Lord Ruiyang smiled softly and helped Yun Zhu stand back up.

The two entered the hall with only Yun Zhu’s personal maid and Lord Ruiyang’s personal guard. Everyone else left.

As soon as the hall doors were closed, the look on Lord Ruiyang’s face took a 180-degree turn. With a darkened look, he raised his hand, and with a loud slap, he smacked Yun Zhu across the head, hard.

Naturally, he could not hit her face. Otherwise, how would other people interpret the slap mark on the princess’s face?

Yun Zhu fell to the ground with a loud thud. She was stunned for a moment, and her head spun.

“Are you done playing and exploiting the princess’s authority?” Lord Ruiyang stared coldly at the woman on the ground.

“I was wrong! I won’t dare to do this again!” Yun Zhu hurriedly begged for mercy.

“I told you not to go out, and just stay inside the palace obediently! Not only did you ignore my instruction, you left the palace, and also decided to behave arrogantly. Do you want others to know that you are a fake?”

Yun Zhu’s face turned pale. With her head pressed against the carpet, she did not dare even to breathe.

“Was anyone suspicious when you went out today?” Lord Ruiyang demanded.

Yun Zhu did not dare to mention that she had encountered Su Jiu, fearing that she would be punished more severely. She quickly shook her head and said, “No, no! Nothing out of the ordinary!”

“Hmph!” Lord Ruiyang gave a deep nod. “What about the matter of seducing Emperor Xiao?”

Yun Zhu’s eyes avoided his gaze. “Emperor…the Emperor…he will not come to Cuiwei Palace!”

“Useless thing! If he doesn’t come, why don’t you go out and look for an opportunity to seduce him? Do you even know how to seduce a man?” The tension on Lord Ruiyang’s face eased as he looked at the woman on the ground with an unyielding smile.

Yun Zhu hurriedly replied, “Yes, I understand!”

“Come. Pretend that I am Emperor Xiao. Why don’t you show me…how will you seduce him?” Lord Ruiyang swept his breath across the woman’s neck. With lewdness in his eyes, he got up and turned towards the bedroom.

Yun Zhu bit her lip for a moment, then staggered behind and followed him.

Soon, a woman’s suppressed gasps and cries came from the bedroom.

The guards and Yun Zhu’s maid, Jia Yi, kept watch at the door, preventing anyone from approaching.

In less than the time it took for an incense to be extinguished, Lord Ruiyang dressed himself and left the room. He was probably satisfied, and the look on his face was not as sour as before. He looked at Jia Yi and said, “Guard her well. Do not let her leave the palace! If there is another attempt like this, I will immediately send you off to a military prostitute camp!”

“Yes!” Jia Yi hurriedly bowed her head in response.

Then, Lord Ruiyang left.

The medical hall opposite the commercial house had been closed for a while, and the passing crowds began to make comments about the place as they walked by.

The doctor had looked good, elegant, and was polite. He seemed to have excellent medical skills, so did he close his shop after a few days?

Su Jiu stood in the attic of the commercial house and looked across the street, wondering where Wu Yi and Yan Shu could be at this time.

Lord Ruiyang came prepared, but he had not taken any action yet. What conspiracy did he have up his sleeve?

Qiao An came up the stairs and smiled. “Chief, you came early today.”

“Master An, sit.” Su Jiu turned to face him and sat on a wooden chair. She got the servants to leave, then asked him, “Anything unusual happening in the courts recently?”

Qiao An was stunned when he heard this. “What do you mean, Chief?”

“Lord Ruiyang!” Su Jiu said directly.

Qiao An frowned. “Lord Ruiyang came to the capital and has been here for nearly ten days. He currently resides in the palace. I heard that this person is extremely lewd. He brought many concubines with him and has them sing and dance all day long. He doesn’t seem to discuss any official business.”

Su Jiu told him solemnly, “I am afraid this person has bad intentions.”

“I also think that it is rather weird. I heard that internally, Jinli is not stable. In addition, the powers of Lord Ruiyang is constantly expanding, which has made the Emperor fearful of him. In this period of time, what does he intend to accomplish by staying in Daliang Country?” Qiao An wondered.

“If Lord Ruiyang wanted to start a rebellion, what would be the biggest obstacle to that plan?” Su Jiu asked.

“The emperor of Jinli Country is old and their crown prince is sick. Only Princess Zhuo Yan and some ministers who support the king have the power to fight against him. So, he intends to marry Princess Zhuo Yan over to Daliang Country, so that his usurpation will be smoother?” Qiao An analyzed.

“Wrong.” Su Jiu shook her head. “The Princess Zhuo Yan in the palace is a fake!”

“What?” Qiao An was slightly startled.

Su Jiu briefly shared with him how she got to know Wu Yi and his apprentice at Wushan Isle, and what transpired after their meeting.

Qiao An was shocked. “Lord Ruiyang is outrageous!”

However, if he had killed the real Princess Zhuo Yan, and the fake could be manipulated by him, it was indeed a good move on his part.

“Should I tell the Emperor about this?” Qiao An said.

Su Jiu shook her head. “For the time being, we don’t know what Lord Ruiyang wants to do. It would be better not to alert him of our actions just yet.”

In addition, she believed that even if Xiao Lie did not know that Zhuo Yan was a fake, he would not be easily fooled by Lord Ruiyang.

The two discussed other court matters for a while, then Su Jiu remembered something that Qiao An had been involved in, and asked, “Has your back injury gotten better?”

Qiao An nodded. “It’s all right now!”

“Have you meet with Lady Fang since?” Su Jiu smiled.

Qiao An lowered his eyes slightly and sipped the tea in his cup. “No, she only sent someone to deliver the medicine once.”

Su Jiu was a little stunned. She could tell that Fang Zhen had a deep affection for Qiao An and thought that she would visit Qiao An in person. She certainly did not expect her to simply send someone over to check in on him.

But the two of them did not know that Fang Zhen had already been forced to a dead end.

Previously, Fang Yuan had made a big fuss about Zhang Yun visiting prostitutes at the Drunken Flower Pavilion. The saga had gotten blown out of proportion and spread across the capital.

Ever since then, the Fang family had waited outside the Zhang family home to apologize, yet no one from the Zhang family came to meet them.

Fang Mingtai could not take the insincere treatment anymore and angrily barged into the house to settle the score.

Although Fang Mingtai talked down to the Zhang Family, they were not ashamed or disturbed by his demeanor. Instead, they said that since Zhang Yun had made such a huge mistake, the marriage between the two families could be terminated.

Whatever losses the Fang family wanted to be compensated for, the Zhang family was more than happy to make up for it.

When the Zhang family told him this, Fang Mingtai was stunned as if hit in the stomach by a strong punch. He felt highly unsettled and uncomfortable.

He returned home, feeling that things were quite strange and that something was not right. The Zhang family’s indifference to his words and their treatment of them was unusual.

Madame Sun discussed the matter with him as well and screamed that the Zhang family was preposterous.

They knew that Fang Yuan was no longer young, and it was impossible to marry her off to a proper family.

Perhaps the Zhang family knew about this and therefore dared to treat them in this manner.

Fang Mingtai still thought there was something was wrong, and said coldly, “Go and ask Yuan’er, if it is because…”

His face was dull and he paused momentarily. He did not continue his sentence.

Madame Sun froze for a moment, but she seemed to understand what Fang Mingtai meant. She immediately shook her head. “Impossible!”

“There is nothing right now that is impossible. Hurry and ask her!” Fang Mingtai shouted.

Madame Sun hurried to Fang Yuan’s yard. Fang Yuan had been crying in the house for several days, her face pale and haggard.

Madame Sun dismissed all the servants, sat on the bed, and asked, “Yuan’er, tell me the truth. Is it that…are you, are pregnant?”

Fang Yuan hugged her quilt tightly. She did not comb her hair and felt so guilty that she did not dare to speak. She merely bit her lips.

“You have to speak up and talk to me!” Madame Sun saw the look on her face, and in her heart, she already knew the answer. As she thought about it, she started to panic.

Fang Yuan moved further into her bed and nodded slowly.

Madame Sun looked as if she had been hit by a thunderbolt, shell-shocked and stunned.

After recovering from the shock, she found random things lying around and used them to beat Fang Yuan. “I will kill you! You useless thing who knows no shame!

“No wonder the Zhang family had no qualms about marrying you into their family! It turns out, you already have their baby!

“I will kill you today! Or else I would be ashamed of you in the future!”

“Mother!” Fang Yuan cried for mercy, trying to evade the blows. “I was wrong, I was wrong!”

Madame Sun soon got tired of beating her. She sat in a corner, wheezing and gasping. She was angry, but no matter how angry she was, it had already happened, and they would have to find a solution.

Fang Yuan was pregnant with Zhang Yun’s child and must be married to the Zhang family. This marriage arrangement could not be renounced.

Fang Yuan’s hair was in disarray and she was crying hard into her quilt.

Madame Sun glanced at her angrily and got up to find Fang Mingtai to discuss what to do next.

Fang Mingtai listened and was naturally furious. He wanted to beat Fang Yuan to death but luckily, he was stopped by Madame Sun.

The two of them were so angry that they skipped dinner. In the end, they decided that they would not go to the Zhang family to discuss this matter. Fang Yuan would have to find Zhang Yun herself and talk to him about it.

Fang Yuan had no choice but to ask Zhang Yun out to discuss matters.

When she met Zhang Yun again, his attitude towards her was drastically different from before. The tenderness he had for her, the kisses, and the hugs were all history. Instead, he had an impatient look on her face. He was still angry at her for embarrassing him at Drunken Flower Pavillion.

Fang Yuan had no choice but to coax him. She said that she acted on an impulse that day, but she would never do it again.

After talking for a long time, Zhang Yun finally seemed to calm down.

Fang Yuan said that the child in her stomach was almost two months old and asked when he would marry her.

Zhang Yun agreed to marry Fang Yuan but put forth another condition. The condition was that the Fang family needed to give him both their daughters, Fang Yuan and Fang Zhen. Fang Yuan would be his wife, and Fang Zhen would be his concubine.

Fang Yuan naturally disagreed and cried for a while, but Zhang Yun walked away without looking back.

Back at Fang Manor, Fang Yuan continued bawling as she returned to the room, scolding Zhang Yun for being such an asshole.

Madame Sun asked her to tell her what happened for a long time before she finally heard what Zhang Yun had said to her.

Hearing these words, Madame Sun did not react as emotionally as Fang Yuan did, but instead, persuaded her, “It’s nothing. Sooner or later, men will have concubines anyway. Didn’t you always think of Fang Zhen as the sister who always stepped all over you and bullied you? Now, as the wife, and with her status as a concubine, you will be above her. Also, the son you give birth to will be the legitimate eldest son as well.”

In the past, not only had Fang Yuan hated Fang Zhen for being the legitimate eldest daughter, she had also hated that Fang Zhen’s mother was the wife.

Fang Yuan looked at Madame Sun with tears in her eyes and sobbed hard, “But she and I will share the same husband. She will also enter their family together with me on the same day! What pride will I have if that happens?”

“Yes, the same husband, but she will be a concubine! Besides, how much is pride worth? You must think about the future, Fang Zhen will have to do your bidding instead to survive. By then, all your pride will have returned!”

Fang Yuan’s eyes rolled, but she knew that what Madame Sun said was right. She asked, “Would Fang Zhen agree?”

“Humph!” Madame Sun sneered coldly. “She has to agree even if she doesn’t agree!”

Madame Sun left Fang Yuan’s room and immediately went to see Fang Mingtai. She repeated the new demands of the Zhang family to him.

Fang Mingtai was furious and smashed his teacup on the table. “One of his sons wants to marry two of my daughters. No way! We will no longer proceed with this marriage arrangement!”

“Old Master, don’t be so foolish! Yuan’er has been pregnant for two months already! If at this time, we cancel the marriage arrangement, you will certainly kill Yuan’er!” Madame Su persuaded her husband.

“It’s all her own fault!”

“However, Yuan’er is also the Old Master’s daughter! You still need her to be filial to you in the future!”

Fang Mingtai sat firmly in his chair, wheezing and panting hard.

“It’s not a bad thing if you ask me! The rumors about Fang Zhen and her being with a married man are spreading, so it is better to marry her off quickly as well!” Madame Sun glanced at Fang Mingtai’s eyes and she slowly persuaded him.

Fang Mingtai sighed heavily. “How am I going to tell Zhen’er?”

“Old Master, rest assured, your wife will be the one who tells her!”

Madame Sun saw that Fang Mingtai had somewhat agreed to her proposal, and immediately went to find Fang Zhen.

When she met with Fang Zhen, naturally, Fang Zhen did not have a pleasant attitude when she heard this. She was forced to leave after speaking just a few words.

Madame Sun had started off coaxing with nice words, but after seeing that Fang Zhen refused to budge after attempting to talk to her once, twice, then three times, she decided to not hold back anymore. She scolded Fang Zhen for seducing a married man, spoiling the Fang family’s reputation, and so she had no choice but to marry the man they dictated for her, even if she refused.

She also restricted Fang Zhen’s freedom. Every day, a few strong family servants kept watch outside her door, and she was not allowed to go anywhere. She could only wait, along with Fang Yuan, to marry into the Zhang family.

Seeing that Fang Mingtai and Madame Sun were so determined that Fang Zhen was to marry Zhang Yun and be a concubine, Fang Zhen could not help but panic. Every day, she washed her face with her tears.

Liu’er persuaded. “Young Mistress, why don’t you find the Old Master and beg him? The Old Master dotes on you a lot!”

Fang Zhen shook her head. “After my mother’s death, my father only listens to Madame Sun. How will I ever persuade him about this?”

“Then, your servant will head out to find Master An immediately,” Liu’er said anxiously.

A hint of hope rose in Fang Zhen’s eyes, but soon, dimmed again. “I merely met him a few times. There is nothing between us. Will he help me?”

“Even so, we have to try!”

Liu’er decided to look for Qiao An, but alas, she was intercepted by Madame Sun before she could leave the house. She was sent back after being heavily beaten.

Seeing this, Fang Zhen knew that all her hopes were shattered. However, she secretly made up her mind and decided that no matter what, she would maintain her virginity, even on the night of her union.

Even if she died, she still would not marry someone like Zhang Yun!

The marriage to the Zhang family was negotiated and decided. It would happen in a month’s time. Fang Yuan was happily preparing to be a bride when heard of these arrangements, but Fang Zhen’s courtyard was solemn and deathly quiet.