was the mark of a woman's virginity, the sign that should have appeared on the bridal sheet on their wedding night.
Xu Hongchuan walked slowly to the bed and sat down, silently gazing at the crimson stain.
At that moment, a servant boy came in to clean. Xu Hongchuan lightly ordered, "Stay there, wait at the door."
Then, he drew his dagger and cut off the cloth stained with blood. He found a brocade box to put it in, and then placed the box inside a compartment of the Cabinet of Treasures.
Rongyue sat silently in the carriage with her in-laws, head bowed in sorrow, not speaking.
Jiang Yuanfa acted as if nothing had happened, looking around at the spacious carriage, even rubbing his hands over the surfaces. He praised, "This carriage is really luxurious, tsk tsk. When we get back to Changle, we should go to the county magistrate's gate and let him have a good look."
Madam Chen gave him a sideways glance, still annoyed by the failure of her plan. She couldn't very well scold Rongyue, so she bottled up her anger all the way home.
Sure enough, as soon as the carriage arrived at the Jiang family, the servants and maids from the neighborhood all ran out to watch. Jiang Yuanfa got out of the carriage proudly. Some people came up to ask Old Man Jiang where he had been. Jiang Yuanfa casually replied that he had visited the Commander-in-Chief of Qingzhou Prefecture.
When everyone heard this, they were impressed!
In fact, word had already spread that the newly appointed Commander-in-Chief of Qingzhou Prefecture had close ties to Old Man Jiang, but the Jiang family hadn't confirmed it, so people could only guess and dared not ask.
Madam Chen forced a smile to respond to everyone. The flattering faces made her furious!
That little bastard still wanted to bring his mother back? Dream on!
Rongyue followed her mother-in-law into the house without a word. Aunt Zhao, who was always by her mother-in-law's side, quickly set out the meal.
Rongyue endured the pain in her body and heart, silently serving her mother-in-law during the meal.
The throbbing pain between her legs reminded her of the previous night's absurdity, but even more absurd was her mother-in-law's actions.
If she said her mother-in-law didn't know about the trickery with the hairpin, she wouldn't believe it.
She was Jiang Wencheng's lawfully wedded wife! Why would her mother-in-law do this to her?
After breakfast, Rongyue followed her mother-in-law to the main room. Usually at this time, she would be serving her mother-in-law, either massaging her back or kneading her legs. Only when her mother-in-law was comfortable could she step back and rest for a while.
After entering her mother-in-law's room, the maids and servants withdrew. Rongyue couldn't help but ask, "Mother, why did you do this?"
Madam Chen's face darkened, she suppressed her unhappiness, and lazily sat down on a chair in the hall, saying, "Didn't I say, it was all a misunderstanding."
Rongyue choked and asked again, "Is it really a misunderstanding? Mother, didn't you say that hairpin was a family heirloom? If so, how could there be such filthy things on it?"
Rongyue remembered how she had been tricked into losing her virginity to a stranger, and tears welled up in her eyes. She clenched her hands tightly, and for the first time, she accused her mother-in-law, "Mother doesn't like Rongyue, so Rongyue will divorce her husband. How could Mother drug Rongyue, humiliate Rongyue like this, and send Rongyue to…"
To another man's bed, Rongyue couldn't bring herself to say those words.
Madam Chen didn't know how to answer and instinctively wanted to scold, but she held back and put on a pitiful face, grabbing Rongyue's hand and saying, "Child, Mother really had no choice. Xu Hongchuan wouldn't help Brother Cheng, what could Mother do? I was only thinking of getting a hold of his weakness to make him save Brother Cheng. Brother Cheng is so frail, do you have the heart to let your husband suffer in the Prison?"
Rongyue sobbed softly without answering. Madam Chen continued, "Good child, it's the Jiang family's good fortune to have you as a daughter-in-law. Don't talk about divorce. Pretend that last night didn't happen. Mother did the wrong thing. If you resent Mother, Mother will kneel down and apologize."
Madam Chen was about to kneel, but Rongyue quickly helped her up, tears streaming down her face.
She had thought a lot on the way back. She had endured how her mother-in-law usually treated her harshly.
But this time it was too much. She was being used like a prostitute, and she couldn't bear it anymore, which was why she brought up the divorce.
Rongyue was about to speak when a series of footsteps came from outside. A thin, pale man stepped in. He wasn't tall, had a delicate face, and looked refined. He said, "Aunt has returned?"
This man was Chen Xuan, Madam Chen's nephew. When he came in, he smiled, "Sister-in-law is here too."
Madam Chen immediately feigned concern for Rongyue, saying, "Good child, go rest. You don't need to serve here for the next few days. Rest well too."
Rongyue moved her lips, but swallowed the words about divorce. She bowed to them and turned to leave.
After Rongyue left, the smile on Madam Chen's face disappeared instantly, and she sat down with a grimace.
Chen Xuan's heart sank, and he cautiously asked, "Aunt, it didn't work?"
Madam Chen sighed dejectedly, "She took the bait, but that little bastard saw through the trick with the hairpin. He insisted that we poisoned a court official. It's like we failed to catch the chicken and lost the rice."
Chen Xuan was stunned for a moment, frowned, and said, "This…what a pity…"
He anxiously asked, "What about Cousin?"
When she mentioned her son, Madam Chen started to wipe her tears, and said despondently, "What else can we do? We've tried all the methods we could…"
Chen Xuan looked back at the door and then asked, "What was wrong with Sister-in-law just now?"
As soon as Rongyue was mentioned, Madam Chen immediately changed her face and spat, "That little slut, still wants a divorce? She won't even get the Divorce Papers! She hasn't produced a single egg, and she's eaten the Jiang family's food for so long. Humph, after I rest for a few days, I'll see if I can sell her!"
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