Chapter Ten: Returning to the Residence

The carriage swayed unsteadily, and Gu Shijin’s voice came out word by word between clenched teeth. He did not bother to hide the disgust in his eyes, glaring heavily at Su Zhinian’s fair and delicate face.

Yuqing, who was outside helping to drive the horses, was dumbfounded by the harsh tone. He had long heard the household servants mock General Gu for mistaking something common for a treasure—that their young lady, a woman of such refinement, was being compared unfavorably to a rustic and uncultured girl by his own words.

He even felt a bit indignant on behalf of their young lady.

Before Su Zhinian could speak, Yushu, eyes red and choking back tears, was the first to speak up.

“General, you were the one who sent people to insult our young lady first.”

“Why do you always refuse to believe in our young lady?”

“Believe her? Ha! Su Zhinian, then explain to me clearly—what is going on between you and Prince Yu?”

Gu Shijin sneered coldly at Yushu’s words, his gaze dark and fierce as he fixed it on Su Zhinian, trying to find a flaw in her expression.

“Why does His Highness Prince Yu repeatedly help you?”

“You, a married woman, actually dared to get into his carriage?”

Su Zhinian narrowed her eyes; he was always watching her every move.

Before she could reply, Yushu urgently interjected beside her.

“General, you abandoned the young lady in the street, and Prince Yu merely kindly came to her aid!”

“Enough!” Gu Shijin cut her off.

“Whether there is something going on is not something you can explain away in a few words!”

He flung his hand dismissively, speaking coldly.

He had seen everything and naturally had no wish to listen to her evasions.

In response, Su Zhinian merely lifted her dark lashes slightly, her deep black eyes sweeping over his face, distorted by anger.

“What do you mean, General? Didn’t you say you intended to divorce me as soon as Ren Xixi returned?”

“There are still two days left; have you changed your mind, General?”

She knew this man best—stubborn, hypocritical, and treacherous.

So she deliberately spoke to provoke him.

Sure enough, Gu Shijin’s expression darkened, and he instinctively retorted, “I absolutely would not change my mind!”

Then his tone shifted sharply: “But you are still a member of the Gu family, so naturally I must consider the family’s reputation.”

His words sounded lofty and dignified. Su Zhinian closed her eyes again, afraid that looking at his face would make her want to lash out and kill him.

“The things you’ve done yourself have long since ruined the Gu family’s reputation!”

Su Zhinian mocked calmly, but this frightened Yushu beside her.

She watched Gu Shijin’s every move closely, ready to stand up for the young lady if the General made a move against her.

“You...!”

“General, madam, we’ve arrived.”

The carriage came to a steady stop at the gates of the General’s mansion. Yushu finally let out the breath she had been holding.

“Sharp-tongued—Xixi, such a free-spirited woman, knows how to stand with the General through thick and thin, yet you, even as the daughter of a prominent family, are not in the slightest comparable to Xixi!”

Gu Shijin’s words were like sharp jewels. He leapt down from the carriage and entered the mansion without a backward glance.

“Miss, what shall we do now?”

Yushu instinctively felt that returning would bring nothing but turmoil and bloodshed; she worried for her young lady.

“Don’t worry, Ren Xixi hasn’t come back yet. He wouldn’t dare do anything to me.”

Seeing Yushu’s worried face, Su Zhinian couldn’t help but pinch her cheek.

“Miss!” Yushu touched her face, her expression like a peach blossom, playfully scolding.

“Let’s go!”

Su Zhinian was the first to step down from the carriage. Yuqing was already waiting below, holding a bundle.

“Miss...” Yuqing’s face was grave. Having witnessed Gu Shijin’s attitude toward their young lady along the way, he knew she must have suffered many grievances here.

“Yuqing, let’s go inside.”

The group followed Gu Shijin back into the General’s mansion in turn. As soon as Su Zhinian returned to Nianyun Pavilion and had yet to sit down to sip some hot tea, the matron of the main courtyard sent someone to summon her.

“Madam, the matriarch requests your presence at Pine Crane Residence.”

Wang Mama’s demeanor was respectful and impeccable, awaiting Su Zhinian’s reply.

But Su Zhinian knew that the most ruthless and cruel person in the entire Gu family was this very matriarch.

If she hadn’t died once in her previous life, she might never have known that this matriarch had known about Gu Shijin’s faked death all along.

Yet she had concealed it for three whole years.

During those three years, she repeatedly used the excuse that Gu Shijin had died for marrying her to make Su Zhinian sacrifice everything for the General’s household.

Many in her previous life said Gu Shijin had died because marrying her brought misfortune—that she was an ill omen.

Everyone said she was unlucky, but only the matriarch stood up for her, moving her to tears many times.

She believed that of all the Gu family, the matriarch cared for her the most.

So she devoted herself wholeheartedly to the matriarch, showing utmost filial piety, even supporting the entire General’s mansion with her dowry.

It turned out it had all been a pretense.

Today, she wanted to see what kind of performance the matriarch intended to put on this time.

Su Zhinian, accompanied by Yushu, followed Wang Mama all the way to Pine Crane Residence. Wang Mama found it strange.

In the past, the first thing Su Zhinian did upon returning was always to visit the matriarch.

She was the most filial woman.

And every time she came, she was polite and courteous. How was it that now she seemed so cold and distant?

Wang Mama furrowed her brow, stealing a glance at Su Zhinian.

Seeing her calm expression and serene, distant demeanor with no signs of strangeness, she withdrew her gaze a little.

“Madam, the matriarch heard that the General locked you in the wood shed and was so angry she scolded him thoroughly.”

“But the General did not heed her at all, which made the matriarch so upset she fell ill.”

“Now that she hears you and the General have quarreled and you’ve returned to your natal home, she is here to support you.”

Su Zhinian did not ask, so Wang Mama spoke on her own.

After all, only a few things had happened these past days.

She guessed that madam must have been disheartened by the General’s actions.

Along with that, she must have harbored resentment toward the matriarch as well.

If Su Zhinian had not uncovered their true nature, she might have been deceived by them again.

The matriarch always spoke through Wang Mama when she felt wronged.

But when it came to Su Zhinian herself, it was always complaints that she was incompetent and the like.

Each time, Su Zhinian would feel a pang of sympathy for the matriarch’s efforts on her behalf. Wang Mama was confident that after she finished speaking, Su Zhinian would be filled with guilt.

Unexpectedly, Su Zhinian only replied calmly.

“General Gu has finally returned from the frontier; would the matriarch really punish her own grandson?”

“Or is it all for someone like me, an outsider?”

Wang Mama broke out in a cold sweat at her words. She did not know why Su Zhinian had suddenly changed her tone today. Momentarily at a loss for words, she forced out a strained laugh.

“Madam, what are you saying? The matriarch naturally cares for you; you are not an outsider.”

“When you are before the matriarch, you must not say things that would hurt her heart.”

“If the matriarch truly cared for our young lady, she would never have watched her get beaten nearly to death by the General!”

Yushu, unable to bear it any longer, spoke out indignantly.

With a sharp slap, Wang Mama shot Yushu a fierce glare.

“You’re just a servant; what are you stirring up in front of your mistress?”