Chapter 37: Drag this shameless woman out!

The morning sun filtered through the carved wooden windows, casting dappled light and shadows across the side hall. The servants had long since finished their duties, leaving only Liu Yanyan and Wen Yan sitting opposite each other.

Liu Yanyan wiped the corners of her mouth with a silk handkerchief in a leisurely manner, then set her teacup down on the table with a deliberate, sharp clatter.

"Wen Yan, it is not for me, as your mother-in-law, to criticize you. But since you have entered the Qiao family, you must abide by the Qiao family’s rules. At yesterday’s family banquet, you rebuked Guodong in front of so many relatives—it was truly disgraceful."

"If you cannot even perform the simple act of serving tea, what else are you good for? Don’t say I didn't warn you; being cast aside by Li Jingyan would be the easiest thing in the world for a woman like you."

Wen Yan sat upright, her gaze meeting the disgusting face opposite her with calm indifference. "The Qiao family is a house of scholarly tradition, not some den of gluttony and debauchery. Do you even understand what it means to uphold a husband’s dignity and observe proper boundaries?"

"What a sharp tongue!" Liu Yanyan sneered. "Dignity? Boundaries? Is this the defiant attitude you use to uphold dignity? Wen Yan, let me tell you, don't think that just because Li Jingyan is protecting you for now, you can climb all over us."

"In this deep, secluded manor, I am the one who has the final say! You had better recognize your place! Otherwise, don't be surprised if you end up dead in some corner, with no one the wiser!"

Wen Yan’s fingertips tightened slightly, yet her expression remained unruffled. "Are there outsiders here? Who are you putting on a show for? Are you trying to brag to me about climbing into an old man's bed? If you aren't disgusted with yourself, I am certainly disgusted just hearing it."

"The Qiao family’s ancestral teachings are not to be trifled with; be careful not to get caught," Wen Yan added.

Stifled by these needle-sharp words hidden in silk, Liu Yanyan turned pale. She slammed her hand on the table. "You! How dare you use the ancestral teachings to suppress me? And how dare you curse me? Wen Yan, I truly underestimated you! There is no one else here, why must you keep up this charade?"

"I should have killed you that very day! But it doesn't matter; I will make you live in hell from now on! You mark my words!"

Wen Yan looked at her, her eyes gradually turning cold. "You speak of identity? Let us discuss our respective identities."

"You are nothing but a tool for sexual gratification for that father and son—a communal vessel. Why bother deceiving yourself with the title of 'mother-in-law'?"

"I, however, was married in through a proper, public ceremony. I hold a legal marriage certificate. You should know that the status promised by a man’s empty words is never guaranteed."

"After all that has happened, you still haven't learned to be clever. Don't end up being tossed out naked after years of serving under him!"

She leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice, but imbuing it with greater weight. "Mother, you must understand that the Qiao family values family reputation above all else and governs by ancestral law. If the elder Master Qiao knew that you were entangled with both Guodong and my husband, would he tolerate you? How much of your dignity as a mother-in-law would remain? Do not wait until it is too late to regret it, or worse... be sent to the basement to contemplate your sins. Wouldn't that be ridiculous?" (Note: "Basement" here refers to the place where the Qiao family confines members to enforce family law and punish those who have committed serious transgressions.)

"How dare you! How dare you!" Trembling with rage, Liu Yanyan swept the tea set off the table and shrieked at the servants standing by, "Get out! All of you, get out!"

Once the servants had scrambled away, Wen Yan stood up slowly. Looking down at her mother-in-law, who had lost all composure, her tone was as cold as iron. "Liu Yanyan, I will warn you one last time. If you dare to spout nonsense or sow discord in front of me or Guodong again, I will not hesitate to drag these words of yours—along with your past unsavory schemes—into the light. Let everyone see how you, the noble Mistress Qiao, secretly plot to disrupt your own son’s household and are willing to stain the Qiao family name. Tell me, who will be the one humiliated then?"

With that, Wen Yan placed her bamboo chopsticks on the table with a crisp click. She glanced at the ashen-faced Liu Yanyan and turned to walk out. Reaching the door, she seemed to recall something and looked back, calmly instructing the housekeeper waiting outside: "Please, prepare a few light dishes and send them to my room. I have been feeling unwell lately and need to recuperate so that I may strive to bring a healthy child to Jingyuan and Guodong as soon as possible. Thank you."

Her tone was ordinary, even carrying a perfectly measured humility, as if the storm that had just occurred in the room had never happened. Having said this, she cast one last meaningful look back into the hall and departed.

Behind her, Liu Yanyan swept the remaining vessels off the table, the crashing sound venting her fury. Her chest heaved violently, her eyes full of venom.

"Fine! Very well, Wen Yan! You just wait!" Gritting her teeth, she lunged for the desk and began to write frantically: "To Father: My situation in the Qiao household is dire. That Wen Yan is exceptionally arrogant and seeks to ride roughshod over me. The time is ripe, and the plan is feasible. I beg you to assist me! This must succeed; failure is not an option!"

Less than two hours later, the guard quietly delivered a small packet of powder. At the same time, a ragged beggar appeared near the Qiao family’s back gate, lingering day after day.

Liu Yanyan received the powder, walked to the window, and watched the figure near the back gate with cold eyes. She instructed her trusted guard, "Keep a close eye on him. Later... find an excuse to let him in through the back gate and lead him directly to the side wing room. Do you understand my meaning?"

The guard followed her gaze, understood, and bowed his head. "Yes, Mistress. I understand."

Liu Yanyan walked to the small kitchen and used an excuse to clear out all the staff. She quickly poured the powder into the calming soup being prepared for Wen Yan, stirring it gently.

When the soup was ready, she carried it herself to the side wing room—she knew Wen Yan was resting there due to her poor health.

Watching the maid serve the soup to Wen Yan, she waited until, soon enough, the room fell silent. Liu Yanyan pushed the door open a crack and saw that Wen Yan had fallen into a deep, unconscious sleep.

Ecstatic, she immediately opened the door and signaled to the guard waiting outside. The guard understood, quickly shoved the long-waiting beggar inside, and shut the door.

Liu Yanyan hurried to the corridor and called Qiao Guodong in a panic-stricken voice: "Guodong! My husband! Come quickly to the side wing! I... I think I heard strange noises inside... I just peeked through the door crack... My god! It’s Wen Yan! She is actually... huddled with a strange man, disheveled! I... I couldn't have seen it wrong!"

On the other end of the line, Qiao Guodong felt a surge of secret joy, but he feigned shock and anger. "What? Are you sure you didn't see wrong?"

"It is absolutely true! The man’s back was certainly not one of our people! And the sounds... I couldn't be mistaken! Guodong, this... how can such a disgrace be allowed!" Liu Yanyan’s voice was choked with tears, her performance flawless.

"Outrageous! Stay by the door, don't make a scene; I will bring Father there immediately!" Suppressing his excitement, Qiao Guodong went to find the elder Master Qiao, who was reading in his study.

"Father," Qiao Guodong said with a pained expression, "something unspeakable seems to have happened in the side wing. I fear it might stain your ears. But the household is in turmoil, and you must preside over the situation yourself."

The elder Master Qiao knitted his thick brows and set down his book. "What is the meaning of this panic?"

"This... I do not know the details myself, but Yanyan came to report in a hurry that Wen Yan’s... behavior seems to be improper. It would be best if you saw it for yourself."

The elder Master Qiao’s face darkened. He stood up, leaning on his cane. "Lead the way!"

As the group arrived near the side wing, they could indeed hear sounds coming from the room—cries from a woman that seemed to be a mix of pleasure and pain, punctuated by heavy, ragged breathing. The sounds grew increasingly bold and wanton, causing the maids and matrons following them to blush and lower their heads.

The elder Master Qiao’s face turned livid. He struck his cane heavily against the floor and roared, "Outrageous! In broad daylight, who is committing such lewd acts inside! What kind of disgrace is this!"

Qiao Guodong immediately signaled to a matron he had arranged beforehand.

The matron threw herself onto her knees, trembling. "Reporting... reporting to Master... the one resting here today... is... is young mistress Wen Yan... She said she was unwell, so she came here to rest... Your servant... your servant truly did not know such a thing would happen!"

Hearing this, the elder Master Qiao trembled with rage. He pointed at the door from which the lewd sounds continued to pour out and shouted, "The Qiao family’s century-old reputation, ruined by such a scandalous act! Guodong!"

"I am here, Father!"

"The Qiao family’s ancestral laws can never tolerate such filth! Go! Fetch the family instruments at once! Drag this shameless woman out and lock her in the basement! Make her kneel before the ancestral tablets and reflect on her sins! No one is to let her out without my command! Not until she confesses her guilt!"

"Yes, Father!" Qiao Guodong bowed his head, his lips curling into an irrepressible, triumphant sneer. Once Wen Yan was locked in that cold, damp basement and tortured until she was half-dead, let alone losing the child she might be carrying, would she ever be pregnant again? That would be unlikely!

He immediately commanded the servants he had brought: "You lot, get inside and drag that wretched woman and her lover out!"