Chu Ruolan suddenly paled.
Chu Ruoyan turned back with a mocking smile, addressing the crowd of onlookers: "And to all you righteous souls—since I’ve been worrying about lacking attendants to serve my future husband, why don’t you kindly send your beloved daughters or younger sisters to me? I’ll treat them all as honored concubines. How does that sound?"
The clamor of voices instantly died down.
What a joke! Most of the Yan Family’s men were already dead, leaving only the elderly and children behind. Who in their right mind would send their womenfolk to suffer in such a household?
A flicker of scorn passed through Chu Ruoyan’s eyes as she declared coldly, "Moreover, I never once mentioned withdrawing from the marriage. Wherever Third Sister heard such baseless rumors, spreading them not only damages my reputation—but worse, if His Majesty were to misinterpret our Chu Family’s intentions, no amount of explanation could save us!"
The marriage between the Yan and Chu families had been decreed by the Emperor himself.
For the Chu Family to withdraw before the Emperor spoke would be outright defiance of imperial will!
Lady Jiang the Younger’s face drained of color. Seeing Chu Ruolan still defiantly opening her mouth to argue, she swiftly slapped her across the face. "Silence! You will not speak another word about your elder sister’s betrothal!"
Chu Ruolan’s eyes welled with tears, staring at her mother in disbelief.
Steeling herself, Lady Jiang the Younger ignored her daughter’s gaze and forced a smile at Chu Ruoyan and the dispersing crowd. "Today’s disgrace is due to our lax household discipline. We apologize for the spectacle—please, everyone, disperse."
As the crowd scattered, Chu Ruoyan no longer had the energy to engage with Lady Jiang the Younger and her daughter. Leaning on Yulu for support, she retreated into the mansion.
The moment she entered the Bodhi Courtyard, a trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her lips.
"Young Mistress!"
Yulu gasped in alarm, but Chu Ruoyan shook her head weakly. "It’s nothing… just an old ailment."
Her health had always been frail, plagued by chronic coldness in her limbs. Nine out of twelve months, she was steeped in medicinal brews.
Countless renowned physicians had examined her over the years, yet their verdict remained the same: an incurable affliction.
Yulu helped her onto the daybed, muttering indignantly, "Madam and Third Young Miss knew you’d just recovered from a serious illness and had even made the trip to the palace gates. Yet they cornered you at the entrance for so long—utterly heartless!"
Chu Ruoyan smiled faintly.
Lady Jiang the Younger had once coveted this marriage alliance, repeatedly begging Chu Ruoyan’s father to let Chu Ruolan take her place. But her father had refused.
Now, of course, they wouldn’t let this opportunity slip.
"How is the Yan Family faring?"
Yulu paused while pouring tea, then sighed deeply. "What else? The womenfolk are either weeping or fainting. The Fifth Young Master’s wife, Lady Yao, even threatened to follow her husband in death—her family had to drag her back home."
The Yan Family had five sons and one daughter. Apart from Yan Zheng and the youngest, Yan Zhao, the rest were already married.
Lady Yao, the Fifth Young Master’s wife, was the second daughter of the Tiger Might General. Could she truly have grown so attached to Yan Fifth Young Master in just two months of marriage?
Suppressing her unease, Chu Ruoyan pressed further. "And Grandma Yan? How is her health?"
Yulu’s brows knitted tightly. "The moment news of the tragedy reached her, she took to her bed. The imperial physicians have been rotated endlessly—they even summoned the retired head of the Imperial Medical Bureau. Rumor has it… she may not have much time left."
Chu Ruoyan’s heart sank.
In her dream, Grandma Yan’s condition had soon turned critical, requiring a thousand-year-old wild ginseng to survive.
Yet the last root at the Hui Chun Pharmacy had been bought by the Marchioness of Yongding, who refused the Yan Family’s plea, citing her own son’s grave illness.
Grandma Yan had passed soon after, and the Yan Family collapsed like a tree stripped of its monkeys…
A shiver ran down her spine. "Yulu, withdraw two hundred taels from the accounts and purchase a certain medicine for me from Hui Chun Pharmacy!"
Hearing this, Yulu tensed. "Is Young Mistress unwell again?"
Chu Ruoyan patted her hand reassuringly. "No, this medicine serves another purpose. Just procure it and keep it safe for now."
Yulu obeyed, swiftly returning with the medicine.
The next morning, after breakfast, Lady Jiang the Younger’s maid Yuetao arrived with a summons: "Eldest Young Miss, an esteemed guest has arrived. Madam requests your presence."
The Duke of Chu’s Mansion was no stranger to high-ranking visitors, yet Lady Jiang the Younger always paraded only her own daughter before them.
This could only mean trouble.
Sure enough, upon entering the main hall, a woman in her thirties—dressed in a peach-red satin jacket—seized Chu Ruoyan’s hands with exaggerated warmth. "This must be Eldest Miss Chu! Such a beauty—one glance and I’m already fond of you!"
Chu Ruoyan withdrew her hands discreetly.
A young girl beside the woman curtsied. "Yuan pays her respects to Elder Sister Chu."
Chu Ruoyan glanced questioningly at Lady Jiang the Younger, who introduced, "This is the Marchioness of Yongding, and her daughter Lu Yuan—two years your junior."
The Marchioness of Yongding’s family had come so soon?
Suppressing her surprise, Chu Ruoyan curtsied properly.
The Marchioness hurriedly raised her. "No need for such formalities, Eldest Miss Chu. We’ve come today to ask a favor." She signaled Lu Yuan, who promptly added, "Elder Sister Chu, to be frank, my elder brother is gravely ill and desperately needs the thousand-year-old wild ginseng you purchased yesterday. The Duchess has already agreed—please, will you yield the medicine for my brother’s sake?"
Yield?
Chu Ruoyan scanned behind them.
Empty-handed.
Did they truly expect to obtain the medicine through mere words?
As she remained silent, Lady Jiang the Younger tittered behind her fan. "The Marchioness need not worry. Our Eldest Miss has the kindest heart—how could she bear to watch the Young Marquis suffer? She’ll surely agree."
The implication was clear: refusal would brand her as monstrous.
Chu Ruoyan’s lips curved into a sorrowful smile. "If the Young Marquis is truly at death’s door, of course I cannot stand by..."
The Marchioness’s eyes lit up. "He is! My son has been bedridden for ages—this is common knowledge!"
"Is that so? Then why did I hear that yesterday, the Young Marquis hosted a lavish private performance at Tianxiang Pavilion, splurging a fortune on dancing girls?"
The Lu mother-daughter pair stiffened.
No one knew the Young Marquis’s debauched habits better than them—his endless womanizing, his obsession with slipping beneath skirts.
But to preserve their dignity, his exploits were always confined to Tianxiang Pavilion, owned by their family. How had this Chu girl uncovered it?
A cold glint flashed in Chu Ruoyan’s eyes.
The Young Marquis wasn’t ill—he’d merely hoarded the ginseng upon hearing it could enhance virility.
In her dream, when the Yan Family offered three thousand taels for the medicine, he’d demanded five thousand instead.
By then, the Yan Family had been destitute. Grandma Yan had perished untreated.
Later, when Yan Zheng rose to power, he’d razed the Yongding Estate to the ground.
Five thousand taels per life—in the end, only the backyard’s yellow dog survived...
Returning to the present, the Marchioness forced a smile. "Eldest Miss Chu must have misheard. My son is far too ill to visit such places—idle gossip means nothing."
Lu Yuan chimed in hastily, "I saw Brother confined to bed all day yesterday! He never left!"
Their frantic denials only betrayed their guilt.
Lady Jiang the Younger cursed their incompetence internally and intervened. "We naturally trust the Marchioness. The priority now is for Eldest Miss to produce the medicine—lest the Young Marquis’s condition worsen."
