Chapter 132

Chapter 132

[Isn’t the Villain Tempting? Not Really – 2]

Lady He came from an eminent family and had been a legitimate daughter, so she received a fair degree of affection at home.

Her elder child, the son, possessed a fierce temperament and a rough but meticulous nature. He could find food wherever he went, so Madam He worried little about him. It was her daughter she could not set at ease.

Her husband was not a faithful man. After her death, he would certainly remarry. His second wife would then control the household accounts and inner residence. What would happen to her daughter?

If the second wife were good, all would naturally be well. But if she proved harsh and difficult, Madam He needed to prepare a road for her daughter in advance.

While her strength remained, Madam He invited her brothers from her natal family to visit, with her husband present as witness. Before everyone, she wrote a document stating that her entire dowry would pass to her daughter. Three identical copies were made: one for her natal family, one for herself, and one for her husband. She also found a prospective husband for her daughter. Once the families exchanged betrothal tokens, the marriage was firmly settled.

Later events proved Madam He remarkably farsighted.

The realm descended into turmoil, and the great aristocratic clans declined. Their children increasingly married regional lords and generals with real power, while marriages between old gentry families became less common. The He Family could not avoid being swept along by this vast tide.

The He patriarch’s second wife, Lady Pan, was the eldest daughter of a fallen gentry family. She was both fierce and alluring. The moment she entered the household, she wrapped her husband around her finger and continuously siphoned property from the He Family to support her natal relatives. After she gave birth to a son, she no longer watched only the He Family estate. Her gaze fixed upon the first wife’s dowry as well.

Unfortunately for Lady Pan, Madam He’s foresight had blocked every path in advance. Three copies of the dowry inventory existed, leaving Lady Pan no opening. She wished to control Madam He’s daughter instead, but the girl’s marriage had long since been arranged. Her birth parents had established that engagement. What right did a second wife possess to alter it?

Unable to extract any profit from Lady He, Lady Pan abandoned the idea after her first burst of resentment. After all, the target was only a girl. Once married, a daughter was water poured from the household. She would receive no part of the He estate. If Lady Pan tore away all pretense over the dowry, she would lack both law and reason, fail to accomplish her goal, and provoke endless gossip. Her own son would become even less capable of competing with that wretch He Zhenkui.

Thanks to Madam He’s painstaking preparations, Lady He suffered little while living in her natal household. When she first married, the Hu Family ranked below the He Family and treated her with courtesy. Later, however, her stepmother persuaded her father to open the ancestral hall and strike her brother’s name from the genealogy, allowing Lady Pan’s son to inherit the He Family. The Hu household’s attitude underwent a subtle change.

Later still, a daughter from a collateral branch of the Hu Family caught the Governor of Yanzhou’s eye and married him as his second wife. The Hu Family finally rose in the world. They ceased respecting not only Lady He but the entire He Family.

From then on, Lady He’s life became increasingly difficult. Fortunately, she had a son and daughter. A mother gained status through her children; without them, there was no telling how much torment she might have suffered.

On the day Old Madam Hu went out to burn incense, she should have left in the morning and returned by early afternoon. Yet the entire afternoon passed without any sign of her.

Lady He suspected something had happened and sent people to investigate. They encountered the Hu servants bringing home Old Madam Hu, soaked and shaken from her fall into the river. A pretty young woman accompanied them. Her figure was alluring, her eyes full of feeling, and her gaze fixed upon Lady He’s husband. When someone introduced Lady He, the young woman lowered the corners of her eyes with open disdain.

Lady He frowned inwardly but did not engage with her. She arranged for a physician to examine her mother-in-law’s pulse and ordered servants to heat water and prepare medicinal soup. Before she finished, Old Madam Hu summoned her. The old lady’s meaning was simple: to repay Miss Fei for saving her life, she had decided that her son would marry the girl as an equal wife.

An equal wife…

How could a respectable official family introduce such a thing into its household?

Only merchant families behaved this way!

Lady He refused. She embraced her children and wept, only for Old Madam Hu to summon and berate her. “You feel wronged, do you? Our Hu Family can no longer contain you? Fanglan saved my life. That makes her a benefactor to both you and my eldest son. She seeks neither wealth nor profit. She merely admires my son and wishes to enter this household, yet even that is unacceptable to you? Now I understand. You believe Fanglan should never have saved me. You wanted this old woman to drown in the river!”

Lady He was both furious and aggrieved, her heart filled with desolation. Yet the single word *filial piety* weighed down upon her, leaving her unable to answer. She could only kneel before Old Madam Hu, kowtowing and weeping.

Her husband, Hu Guangshuo, could not conveniently intervene at such a moment, so his younger sister, Lady Hu, stepped forward to play the conciliator. She first gently persuaded her mother to leave, then helped her kneeling, silently weeping sister-in-law to her feet. “Sister-in-Law, you know what Mother is like. Her temper is merely a little hasty. She has no malicious intentions.”

Lady Hu continued persuasively, every inch the reasonable woman. “I know this wrongs Sister-in-Law, but Mother and Eldest Brother have no choice! Miss Fei saved Mother and bestowed a tremendous favor upon our family. The Hu Family is a respectable house. How could we refuse to repay a debt? If word spread, neither Mother nor Eldest Brother would have the face to leave home!”

Then she appealed to Lady He’s interests. “She may be called an equal wife, but in a family like ours, who would truly take that title seriously? Sister-in-Law remains the principal wife and mistress of the Hu household! Besides, Miss Fei comes from a humble family, while Sister-in-Law was born to an eminent house. She has not even entered the household, while you already have both a son and daughter. How could she ever surpass you?”
How could she possibly fail to surpass me?

The tears in Lady He’s eyes briefly stopped, but those within her heart continued to fall in torrents.

In terms of status, her birth mother had been the rightful mistress of the He Family, her father’s first and principal wife. Yet in the He Family of today, who still remembered her mother?

In terms of children, her elder brother had been the legitimate eldest son and rightful heir to the family estate. Yet now that he had vanished without a trace, their father had even opened the ancestral hall and removed his name from the genealogy. Wasn’t Lady Pan’s son the one everyone openly called the young master of the He Family?

Merely seeing Old Madam Hu’s and Lady Hu’s attitudes chilled half of Lady He’s heart. When she thought of the husband who had seemingly disappeared, her heart went cold through and through.

If her husband had been willing to stand beside her, would her mother-in-law and sister-in-law have dared come before her and say such things?

She wanted to refuse, but she had no foundation from which to do so. She wanted to leave the Hu Family, yet had nowhere she could go. Trapped in such desperate circumstances, what could she do but submit to fate?

Lady He had shed more than enough tears over the past few years. She had grown thin, and her face had lost the beauty of her youth. Her smile was bleak, her slightly sunken eyes like two dried-up springs. In the end, she lowered her head obediently and whispered in a voice no louder than a mosquito’s, “Fine.”

Lady Hu visibly relaxed. Old Madam Hu’s expression also turned amiable. “Don’t think too much about it. You are still the principal wife, after all. Fanglan is virtuous and sensible. She certainly won’t be as overbearing and unruly as your stepmother.”

Lady Hu affectionately took her sister-in-law’s hand and whispered, “Don’t worry, Sister-in-Law. No matter what happens, I’ll always stand with you. We’ve known each other for so many years, while I have no friendship whatsoever with that Miss Fei!”

Lady He sneered inwardly, but forced herself to exchange pleasantries with them. Only when Old Madam Hu showed signs of fatigue did she rise, take her leave, and return to her own courtyard.

Her two children were still awake, waiting for their mother in her rooms. When they heard the servants speaking outside, they hurriedly ran out. “Mother!”

Their nurses rushed close behind them. “Oh, it’s cold outside! Put on your cloaks!”

Although Lady He’s son Hu Kanglin and daughter Hu Jiaojiao were twins, the elder brother was visibly taller than his sister and ran much faster. He reached his mother in a few long strides, only to see that her eyes were red and tear tracks still marked her face. She had clearly just been crying.

The joy vanished from both children’s faces. Hu Kanglin’s small face turned stern. “Did Grandmother make things difficult for you again?”

Lady He forced a smile. “Don’t talk nonsense.”

Taking both children by the hand, she led them inside. “Have you eaten? Everything happened so suddenly that I left in a hurry and didn’t have time to look after you.”

The two children sat side by side at the round table, staring anxiously at their mother. “We ate.”

Their little faces were full of worry, their eyes fixed upon her without blinking.

Lady He’s heart ached at the sight, and she nearly began crying again. She barely managed to restrain herself and drew one child into each arm. “Mother is all right…”

She slowly explained how Old Madam Hu had fallen into the water and been saved by Miss Fei. After a brief pause, she told them that their father intended to marry Miss Fei as an equal wife.

Ever since Lady Pan took control of the He Family, and the Hu Family married a daughter to a warlord as his second wife, Old Madam Hu had treated her daughter-in-law worse by the day. She remained fond of her auspicious boy-and-girl twins, however, and had not yet torn away her last veneer of hypocrisy.

The children were still young and did not fully understand what an equal wife meant. But one look at their mother’s expression told them it could not possibly be good. Hu Kanglin immediately lost his temper. “I don’t want an equal wife! I only want Mother! Father already has concubines. Why does he have to marry someone else?!”

Hu Jiaojiao sprang to her feet and made for Old Madam Hu’s rooms. “I’ll go tell Grandmother!”

Lady He seized her and pulled her back.

Their position in the Hu Family was precarious enough already. If the children made a scene and exhausted Old Madam Hu’s affection for her grandchildren, how would the three of them survive in the future?

Lady He swallowed her tears and forced a smile. “Mother truly is all right. That young woman saved your grandmother and wants a formal place in the household, so we can give it to her. She cannot outrank me, and she cannot outrank either of you.”

She held her children close, deceiving them and herself with the same comforting lie. “Mother doesn’t care about such a small matter, and it isn’t as though we have nowhere else to go. At worst, we’ll return to your maternal grandfather’s home. Your own uncle joined the army. He’ll be back in a few years. When he was young, he was already as sturdy as a small mountain, with fists as large as the mouths of washbasins. With your uncle here, no one will dare bully us…”

Before her death, Madam He had exhausted herself arranging everything for her daughter. Yet she had never imagined that, through a cruel twist of fate, those careful arrangements would be precisely what sent her daughter into another pit of fire after marriage.

The realm was in turmoil, and the great aristocratic clans were in decline. Although the Hu Family had married a daughter to the Governor of Yanzhou as his second wife, their foundations were far weaker than before. At a time like this, the enormous dowry Madam He had left her daughter naturally drew particular attention.

The infuriating part was that Lady He did not know her place. She had married into the Hu Family, yet did nothing to share its burdens. Old Madam Hu had hinted several times that her daughter-in-law should contribute to the household expenses and hand over a few rare treasures to enrich Lady Hu’s future trousseau. Whether Lady He truly failed to understand or deliberately pretended ignorance, she had never responded at all!
That was precisely why Old Madam Hu had elevated Miss Fei to challenge Lady He, hoping to profit from the struggle.

The He Family no longer cared about Lady He, and her full brother had gone off to war many years ago. In all likelihood, he had long since died on some battlefield. If something truly happened to Lady He one day, wouldn’t all those priceless treasures pass to her two children?

The children were still young. What could possibly be wrong with their own grandmother managing the property on their behalf?

Old Madam Hu’s calculations rattled merrily away. Lady Hu had coveted the treasures in her sister-in-law’s dowry for years, and now she sat smiling beside her mother, happily imagining the future.

The Fei Family was also making frantic preparations. Their gates had been desolate for years, and this was the first time the household had seen such bustle.

Madam Fei looked radiant, and her voice had never carried so loudly. “Move faster! Find someone to renovate the front courtyard. How embarrassing would it be if our son-in-law came to fetch the bride and saw it in this condition? And bring in more seamstresses. Our daughter is entering his household as a principal wife. We cannot allow her to suffer the least indignity!”

The Hu Family sent people over several times to inspect the preparations and gave the Fei Family plenty of face. Each side addressed the other warmly as in-laws, exchanging cordial pleasantries.

The commotion was considerable, and the patriarch of the He Family soon heard about it. He frowned deeply and immediately prepared to visit the Hu Family and demand an explanation, but his second wife, Lady Pan, stopped him. “A daughter from the Hu Family’s second branch married the Governor of Yanzhou as his second wife. Why would the Hus even deign to notice us now? Better to avoid unnecessary trouble. Why interfere?”

The He patriarch replied angrily, “She is my own legitimate daughter! How can I let them bully her like this?!”

“Then go,” Lady Pan said, no longer trying to stop him. She merely sneered. “The eldest young lady is your legitimate daughter, while my children and I were apparently picked up off the roadside. We’re worthless. It won’t matter if we die!”

The He patriarch looked embarrassed. After hesitating for several moments, he ultimately said nothing more.

The Hu and Fei families spent several days preparing at a feverish pace. Just as the auspicious day for fetching the bride drew near, a visitor arrived at the Hu residence.

Hu Guangshuo was at home when the gatekeeper reported that the Assistant Governor of Yanzhou had arrived. Secretly alarmed, Hu Guangshuo hurried out to receive him.

The Assistant Governor served as the Provincial Governor’s deputy. At present, the Governor of Yanzhou concurrently held the provincial governorship, and this Assistant Governor was one of his trusted confidants.

A distant younger cousin of Hu Guangshuo’s had married the Governor of Yanzhou as his second wife. Yet a second wife was still only a second wife. The governor’s first wife had borne him two sons, and the elder was already married. Hu Guangshuo’s cousin was young, beautiful, and favored, but she had no children. She would have no one to rely upon in the future.

The Hu Family might throw its weight around before the He Family and other paper tigers, but they would never dare put on airs before the Governor of Yanzhou’s confidants.

Hu Guangshuo hurried outside. The moment he saw the visitor, a smile spread across his face. “The Assistant Governor is so occupied with official business. What brings you to my humble residence? Does the governor or his wife have instructions for us?”

The Assistant Governor wasted no time on pleasantries. “Is your wife surnamed He?”

Hu Guangshuo’s heart skipped a beat. Confused, he answered, “She is.”

The Assistant Governor continued, “Does your wife have a full elder brother born of the same mother? Did he leave home to join the army many years ago, and is his honored name He Zhenkui?”

The man’s language was extraordinarily courteous, and his tone became especially respectful when he spoke He Zhenkui’s name. Hu Guangshuo immediately grew more cautious and answered after a moment’s hesitation, “Yes.”

“Then there is no mistake.”

Only then did the Assistant Governor smile, his manner faintly reverent. “Your wife’s elder brother changed his name and identity before traveling north to join the army. He repeatedly distinguished himself in battle and took command of Yanyun. Last month, he led his troops south and entered the capital. He has now been elevated to the rank-one office of Great General. What tremendous prestige!”

Hu Guangshuo had naturally met He Zhenkui and had always held him in profound awe. But his brother-in-law had gone off to war and vanished for so many years that Hu Guangshuo had long since treated him as a dead man. How could he have imagined that He Zhenkui would suddenly return home covered in glory-or become the Great General who, in name, commanded all military power beneath the heavens?

Hu Guangshuo froze where he stood, as if carved from wood. Then he remembered his brother-in-law’s temper and the way he had treated his wife over the years. Cold sweat instantly poured from his brow.

If He Zhenkui learned how badly Hu Guangshuo had bullied his younger sister, it would be a miracle if he did not grab a blade and hack him apart on the spot!

The Assistant Governor still failed to notice his distress. Smiling, he said, “The Great General is deeply concerned for his twin sister and has issued orders to search for her. When the governor learned of this, he sent me here to investigate at once, with no delay or negligence permitted. I have brought a letter personally written by the Great General. Where is your wife? Take me to see her immediately!”

Hu Guangshuo finally recovered from his shock. His heart filled with terror, and sweat covered his forehead. He wiped it away haphazardly with his sleeve and stumbled forward. “I-I’ll show you the way.”

The Assistant Governor could not help laughing. “As the saying goes, when one man attains the Way, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. Now the Great General holds the capital, commands Yanyun in the north, and overawes Yanzhou and Xuzhou in the south. His future is boundless. Brother Hu, are you so delighted that you’ve forgotten how to walk? Hahaha!”

Hu Guangshuo’s smile looked uglier than a grimace.

Only then did the Assistant Governor notice that the residence had been decorated with lanterns, colored streamers, and red silk. As they walked, he asked with interest, “Is your household preparing for a joyous occasion? My timing couldn’t be better! Once we finish our business, I shall shamelessly stay and ask for a cup of wedding wine.”

Hu Guangshuo fell silent.

That morning, the red gauze and silk hung throughout the residence had reminded him of his bride’s charming, begonia-bright face. When he looked again now, he saw only his brother-in-law’s savage and terrifying visage, its vast mouth ready to tear him apart and swallow him whole at any moment.
His lips moved feebly, but he had no idea what to say. Cold sweat had already soaked the clothes across his back.

Unfortunately, one of the servants chose that moment to approach with an oblivious, festive smile. “Master, the Fei Family just sent someone over. Their astrologer says you need to fetch the bride a little earlier. They ask that you arrive fifteen minutes ahead of the original time!”

Hu Guangshuo fell silent.

So did the Assistant Governor.

The smile froze on the Assistant Governor’s face. “You’re the one getting married?”

Hu Guangshuo remained silent.

He struggled to defend himself. “Th-this is a misunderstanding.”

The Assistant Governor said nothing.

He swept a glance across the Hu residence with its lanterns and red decorations, gave two cold chuckles, and asked no further questions.

…

Lady He was in her rooms teaching her children to read when a servant reported that the master had brought a guest to see her.

The brush in her hand halted, and surprise showed clearly on her face.

Years of hardship in the inner residence had long since robbed her of her beauty, and her husband rarely came to her rooms. Even when custom demanded that he spend the night on special occasions, they merely slept beneath the same quilt. Their marriage was thinner than water.

Why had he suddenly come today, and why had he brought a guest?

Lady He was puzzled but did not dwell upon it. She instructed the children to remain and review their lessons, then changed her clothes and went forward to receive the visitor.

The Assistant Governor cast aside all his former coolness. Upon seeing Lady He, he hurried toward her with both enthusiasm and respect, pouring out a string of warm words. “This humble official once witnessed the Great General’s heroic bearing from afar. Now that I have seen Madam’s valiant air and the resemblance to the Great General between her brows, I finally understand why our forebears spoke of siblings as flesh and blood connected through a single lineage!”

Lady He stared at him blankly. When understanding finally dawned, tears streamed down her face and her whole body trembled with emotion. “My brother… is he truly still alive?”

The Assistant Governor smiled. “The Great General supports the realm and is a capable minister of the dynasty. Of course he is still alive!”

He then gave Lady He a longer and more detailed version of what he had already told Hu Guangshuo.

Lady He had endured bitterly in the Hu Family for many years and suffered every imaginable grievance.

She was human. She possessed emotions and a heart. How could she not feel pain?

Yet she knew she had no one to depend upon, so she could only grit her teeth and endure in silence, never revealing her troubles to outsiders.

Now she learned that her brother was still alive and had accomplished such a magnificent feat. The grief and anguish she had suppressed for so many years could no longer be contained. She collapsed into a chair and burst into heartbroken sobs.

Hu Guangshuo’s guilty conscience tormented him, and he feared his brother-in-law even more. He quietly slipped from the room, ordered his servants to tear down all that troublesome wedding finery immediately, then sent someone to inform Old Madam Hu and his younger sister that He Zhenkui was not only alive but powerful and successful.

When Hu Kanglin and Hu Jiaojiao heard their mother crying, they naturally came to investigate. They happened upon Hu Guangshuo in the courtyard, which relieved him and stirred a rare trace of paternal affection in his heart.

No matter how much his brother-in-law disliked him, the man would surely remember that Hu Guangshuo was his sister’s husband and the father of her two children. If He Zhenkui killed him, what would become of them?

Hu Guangshuo deliberately stopped and spoke a few gentle, concerned words to his children. “There you are, my good children. Go keep your mother company. Be sensible and comfort her.”

After a pause, he feigned nonchalance and added, “Your uncle has sent a letter.”

Hu Kanglin’s expression changed, while Hu Jiaojiao’s mouth fell open in surprise.

They naturally knew they had an uncle, their mother’s full elder brother. But they had never seen this supposed uncle in all the years since their birth. Whenever they argued with their younger half brother, he always claimed their uncle had died long ago and that even his name had been struck from the He Family genealogy.

After hearing it several times, the twins came to believe that this uncle they had never met existed only in their mother’s memories and had already left this world. He was their mother’s obsession and fantasy, so why should they shatter it?

But today, they learned their uncle was not dead. Their uncle had sent a letter!

The oppressive atmosphere within the Hu Family’s inner residence had taught both children to read expressions at an early age. Their father, who had always favored their younger half brother, was exceptionally amiable today. On their way here, they had also seen servants taking down all the decorations for welcoming the equal wife. How could they fail to understand just how much weight this uncle they had never met carried?

Father was afraid of Uncle. Mother finally had someone to rely upon!

Delight spread across Hu Kanglin’s face, while Hu Jiaojiao sprinted toward the room. “Mother! Mother!”

She shouted at the top of her lungs, “Is Uncle coming? Will Uncle beat Father to avenge us?!”

Hu Kanglin followed excitedly. “Will Uncle beat my father? Will he? Will he? Will he?!”

Hu Guangshuo was speechless.

Utterly speechless.

You two heartless little beasts!