Chapter – 01
Return to the Capital
“It is common for a man to take three wives and four concubines. If you continue to make a scene, you will only be seen as jealous, and it is your own reputation that will suffer.”
“Besides, even if you don’t consider yourself, you must consider A Li.”
The atmosphere in Tongxin Residence was frozen.
Jiang Li stood beside her mother, her clear, cold eyes fixed on her father and grandmother seated at the head of the hall.
Her father had guarded the border for many years and had finally returned in triumphâonly to bring back a mistress and a pair of children, a son and a daughter, who were the same age as her!
Jiang Changyi, clad in his armor, had sharp, cold brows and a chiseled face with distinct features. Years of wind and sand at the border had left his skin rough and dark, lending him an air of stern fortitude.
The Old Madam Jiang could hardly hide the joy on her face. Advanced in years, though she had other sons and grandsons by her side, her greatest wish was to see her eldest son and eldest grandson before she died.
She turned to her daughter-in-law and said matter-of-factly, “Jinzhi, you mustn’t blame Changyi either. For all these years, he was stationed at the border and could not return to the capital. Now A Li is already eighteen, and he has no male heir to his name. He cannot stand by and watch himself have no descendants.”
Xia Jinzhi curved her lips into a mocking smile.
“I was pregnant with A Li when he received the imperial order to leave the capital. For all these years, I have served your parents-in-law, toiled tirelessly for over a decade managing the household affairsâand this is what I get in return.
Had he mentioned even half of this in any of his letters over the years, I would not be so humiliated today.
Jiang Changyi, have you no conscience toward me?
When your father passed away, it was I who donned mourning clothes and arranged his funeral to fulfill your filial duties. When your mother was ill, I tended to her bedside and sought out renowned physicians to treat her.
And what do I get in return? Only lies!”
The woman standing nervously at the front of the hall trembled slightly. As she looked at Xia Jinzhi, her eyes flickered with shame and reluctance.
“I did not know he already had a wife and daughter in the capital. Though I am of merchant stock, I was married to him with proper rites.
Since she came first, I am willing to be a concubine and serve you, elder sister.”
Su Jingwan held her two children close, already on the verge of collapse.
As a woman, she had no way out.
Her parents were already dead, and now she had only Jiang Changyi to rely on. What would become of her son and daughter if not?
If she were alone, she would never endure such humiliation.
Xia Jinzhi’s face was expressionless. She did not even glance at the SuæŻć (mother and children).
She could not help but harbor resentment toward this woman who had stolen her husband, nor could she easily believe her words.
Jiang Changyi, who had taken another wife while his first still lived, did not believe he was in the wrong. He fixed his gaze on Xia Jinzhi and said arrogantly, “I know you have worked hard all these years, but my life at the border was also difficult. How many times did I narrowly escape death?
If not for that, how could you and your daughter live in peace? Where do you think this family’s glory, your title, and your wealth and honor come from?”
Xia Jinzhi’s breath caught. Jiang Changyi’s heartless words pierced her heart like needles.
“What Mother cares about is not your taking a concubine or your illegitimate children, but the deception! Why must Father deflect and talk around the point?”
Sensing her mother’s distress, Jiang Li clenched her handkerchief tightly. The red mole between her brows seemed almost demonic, made more striking by the faint anger on her face.
She had witnessed her mother’s persistence and sacrifice over all these years.
The men of this world were, indeed, mostly fickle.
Jiang Changyi’s sharp gaze fell upon this daughter he had never met before.
She stood tall and graceful, with a composed bearing, her features bearing a six-out-of-ten resemblance to Xia Jinzhi. But Xia Jinzhi was headstrong, so the joy of meeting his daughter for the first time was somewhat diminished.
Especially her eyesâbarely a teenager, yet as deep and unfathomable as a cold abyss.
His gaze grew complex, and with distaste, Jiang Changyi said, “When your parents are speaking, when is it your turn to interrupt? A daughter should be gentle and obedient. I see you are in dire need of learning the Three Obediences and Four Virtues.”
On the surface, he was reprimanding his daughter, but in truth, he was warning Xia Jinzhi.
Jiang Li’s expression darkened. She had imagined her father countless timesâin her mind, he was a towering hero. Yet he dared to say that she and her mother lacked proper upbringing?
Her eyes unconsciously drifted to the sister of the same age, born of a different mother.
She had grown up by her father’s side. Had he ever been so harsh with her?
Jiang Yue stood quietly beside Su Jingwan, her thin frame wrapped in plain clothes. As if sensing the gaze upon her, she looked up and met Jiang Li’s eyes.
Both were daughters of the same father, but she had grown up at the border and could not compare to the radiant and elegant Jiang Li.
A sense of inferiority welled up within her. She lowered her head slowly and clutched the hem of her garment.
Jiang Li looked away.
This younger sister was too thin and small, making her eyes appear unusually large. In them was an innocence untouched by the world, mixed with a timid fear of the scene unfolding before her.
Xia Jinzhi could not tolerate Jiang Changyi speaking harshly to her daughter. She slammed her hand on the table and said sharply:
“Jiang Changyi, outside the mansion gates earlier, the second and third branches of the family, along with countless commoners, were watching. I held my tongue and came back to Tongxin Residence in silence.
The fact that I can still sit here and speak with you is already giving you face. You took another wife while your first still livesâdo you truly believe the Xia family has no one to stand up for me?”
Xia Jinzhiânot born of gold, yet worth more than gold.
She was of the same clan as the Empress Dowager. Her mother died early, and her father had fought at the border for many yearsâthough unfortunately, he had gone missing in battle several years ago.
She had been entrusted to the Empress Dowager’s care since childhood and had grown up alongside the Emperor. The Empress Dowager had only one son, the Emperor, so she treated Xia Jinzhi like her own daughter.
The Xia family was now at the height of its power; her second uncle had inherited the Duke’s title.
Jiang Changyi’s face turned ashen. His arrogant demeanor was doused like cold water, and his gaze at Xia Jinzhi was venomous.
Seeing her speak to her son in such a manner, the Old Madam Jiang’s cloudy eyes flickered with displeasure.
“Why must you make this so ugly? Even if Su Jingwan is a wife of equal status, she cannot surpass your position as the primary wife. The household will still be under your control.
If you blow this out of proportion, it will damage A Li’s reputation and your own.
A Li is already betrothed and will be married within half a year. It would be unseemly for everyone if this turns ugly.”
Xia Jinzhi’s main concern was indeed her daughter, which was why she had held back in public and only confronted him in private.
What infuriated her was that Jiang Changyi showed not a trace of apology or remorse, but instead acted as if everything were only right and natural.
And her mother-in-lawâafter all these years of serving her tirelessly, never daring to slack off for even a moment, even giving up her life-saving treasure to herâshe had never expected such ingratitude.
She even seemed to have known all along about the existence of Su Jingwan and her children.
How pitiful. She had lost her mother at birth, had been separated from her father for years, and then he had gone missing at the border. She never had the chance to fulfill her filial duties to him.
Yet she had done everything for her mother-in-lawâmore than she had ever done for her own parents.
It was utterly disgusting, disappointing, and heartbreaking.
“Mother, you need not consider me. If you are humiliated and wronged, and I urge you to endure it for the sake of my reputation, then I would be unworthy of being your child.
If word of today’s events spreads and Gu Huai’an looks down on me, then he is not the right match for me.”
Xia Jinzhi’s eyes suddenly reddened. At the gate, when she had seen Jiang Changyi accompanied by Su Jingwan and her two children, her heart had already died.
Her only weakness now was her daughter.
And precisely because of that, the Old Madam Jiang and Jiang Changyi were so brazenâlikely banking on the fact that she no longer had her father and brother to back her.
Jiang Changyi stared coldly at Jiang Li, deeply displeased by what he saw as her instigating discord.
Jiang Li met his gaze without flinching. She had given her father a chance, but he had proven utterly unworthy. Now, she had no intention of holding back any longer.
