Chapter 63: Soul-Shattering Jade Banquet (Part 1): No Main CP Appears in This Chapter Oh Part 1

Ji Ce glanced downward and saw a bright red, round tattoo on that patch of fair skin. He said casually, “It might be an identity mark. What’s strange about that? It’s common for killers. But is there a killers’ pavilion in the jianghu with this kind of mark? Ji Ce has never heard of one.”

“Who knows? We haven’t gone out for a long time, so it’s normal not to know.” He pulled the woman’s collar back into place and laid her down again. Cong Rong turned to the side, observed the sky, picked up her weapon, and stood. “Milady, we should head back.”

The woman was too severely injured, and tending to her took quite some time. By the time they returned from the Marriage Affinity Temple, it was still afternoon, but now the sky outside was pitch black, with a few faint stars twinkling.

It was getting late, and there were hardly any people left on the street in front of the door, but it still made one worry. What if some beggar rested here, discovered the unconscious woman, got scared, and reported it to the officials? Wen Yu said in a low voice, “Are we just leaving her here?”

After a moment of silence, Ji Ce said, “Then… take her back with us?”

He sounded very uncertain. Wen Yu couldn’t help but imagine a certain scene and shuddered, immediately shaking her head. “No need. Let her sleep here for now.”

Cong Rong saw through her concerns and said, “Milady need not worry about her safety.”

As she spoke, she cleared out a clean spot behind the dilapidated altar, carried the woman inside and propped her up, then placed some debris nearby to block the view so no one could easily see her. Once done, she said, “All set.”

Wen Yu also checked from outside and saw that it was indeed unnoticeable, so she let out a breath of relief.

The three of them then returned to the Wen Mansion. They had planned to hurry back and avoid the head of the Wen Family so they wouldn’t get scolded. But who would have thought their luck would be so terrible today? They had just entered the gate when they ran into Wen Wu, who had only just returned.

He was a man who vaguely retained the handsomeness of his youth. The general shape of his features was still there, but years of indulgence had warped them. His nose was bulbous and red, his eyes cloudy, his belly protruding, and he was dressed in luxurious brocade robes—like an upright brocade-clad red pig.

Hearing movement behind him, he turned his head and saw the three hurrying back home. He snorted coldly. “Where have you been whoring around?”

There were red lipstick marks on his cheeks and neck, layered one over another, completely unhidden. It was clear he had just come from the red-light districts. His whole body reeked as if dredged from a mix of booze and debauchery, the stench making one want to cover their nose.

And yet this man had the gall to ask others where they had been whoring around without a hint of shame.

The two guards habitually lowered their heads. Wen Yu said, “We went to pray for marriage affinity.”

Wen Wu said, “I think it was more like meeting a lover!”

Wen Yu replied respectfully, “No, Father.”

He took a tea cup handed over by a nearby servant, swished the expensive tea in his mouth, then spat it onto the grass. Wen Wu said, “Praying for marriage affinity until late at night? That’s not meeting a lover?”

“You’d better mind yourself and not get any ideas. All those poor men outside dreaming of soaring to the top are just dying to trick a foolish young lady like you. Don’t ruin your reputation, or how will you find a good family to marry into? If you don’t marry out, how long do I have to keep you around?”

He strictly limited her outings and kept her from meeting people precisely so she wouldn’t be deceived out of her body, heart, and money by some smooth-talking man. It wasn’t really for her sake; to him, a daughter had to be married off eventually.

If she married into another wealthy family, a perfect match, they could form a happy union and bolster business ties. But if it was one of those who just wanted to take advantage, tricking her and then using her to rise up and swallow the family fortune, he’d have to swallow a huge loss and count those ten-plus years raising her as wasted.

At times like this, saying anything would only invite even harsher insults. So Wen Yu let it go in one ear and out the other, looking as if her soul had left her body. She only said softly, “Understood.”

Wen Wu got worked up, his anger turning to the two guards behind her, spewing even more filth from his mouth. The servants followed their master’s lead and pretended not to hear, no matter how much he ranted.

After venting his foul mood, Wen Wu looked Wen Yu up and down again, dissatisfied. “You don’t even bother dressing up every day. Where does all the money I give you go? Look at you—like plain boiled water, utterly bland. What kind of young lord hasn’t seen all sorts of women? How could he take a liking to you? Not a shred of self-awareness. Even the whores in the brothels know how to make themselves presentable better than you.”

Hearing this, Jiang Yuanqi sighed softly. “To actually compare his own daughter to women from the brothels… This really shows he doesn’t care at all. Not sure if it’s a curse or what.”

Shang Shan asked, “What is a brothel? Are there many women there?”

Caught off guard by the question, Jiang Yuanqi opened his mouth, then said awkwardly, “It’s a… place for seeking pleasure…” Not knowing how to explain further, he finally summed up, “Miss Shang, you’d best not ask anymore.”

Shang Shan said, “Alright then, I’ll ask Master when I get back.”

“Your master… had better… not ask either.”

No one could listen to that without feeling bad, but Wen Yu remained calm, obediently agreeing.

Any normal person seeing her so meek and submissive would soften and shut up, but Wen Wu showed no restraint. Instead, he got more and more excited, dredging up old minor incidents to rehash over and over, his words growing harder and harder to bear.

The two guards were no longer calm, as if bludgeoned over the head. They buried their heads even lower, not daring to show their rage, only gripping their long sabers tightly until their knuckles turned white. The nearby servants exchanged covert glances. They had all watched Wen Yu grow up and had seen her insulted countless times. Though they felt for her, they were used to it and could only sigh inwardly.

Lately, it seemed the family business had run into some issues, so Wen Wu was just using this as an excuse to vent. After this round of nitpicking, he finally calmed down.

Standing amid the wreckage of the storm, Wen Yu bowed. “Understood, Father.”

She had endured countless such moments and had long found a way to protect herself: just endure. Once it ended, the pain ceased to exist.

Wen Wu’s mouth went dry from talking, so he drank more tea, snorted coldly, then flicked his sleeves and left with the tea cup in hand.

On the way back to her quarters, Cong Rong kept saying, “Milady, don’t listen to the head of the Wen Family’s nonsense. Cong Rong thinks you’re beautiful just as you are, without any powder or makeup. No need to waste effort on dressing up.”

Ji Ce said, “Exactly. Ji Ce is a man, and men understand men best. A beauty like you is exactly what we men like most. The head of the Wen Family is old; he doesn’t know what’s best!”

Cong Rong said, “Shut your mouth. Milady doesn’t need men’s approval no matter what she’s like. Don’t get ahead of yourselves. Milady, don’t take the head of the Wen Family’s words to heart. He’s soaked his head in powder and perfume, confusing you with those brothel girls.”

“I know, of course. I’ve never taken it to heart.” Stepping along the uncomfortable pebbled path, Wen Yu smiled. “But even in front of me, you should watch what you say now. Don’t let anyone with ulterior motives overhear and report it to my father, or you’ll get punished again.”

These two guards had protected her since childhood, staying by her side day and night, tending to her daily needs, practically eating and sleeping together. Their bond was deep. And since Wen Yu never acted like a high-and-mighty mistress, their relationship was more like close friends than master and servant, so when alone, they could speak freely.

One day, Wen Wu had come looking for trouble again and even struck her, slapping her tender cheek until it swelled with a clear five-finger red mark that lingered for days. While Cong Rong was tending to it, she cursed him harshly in anger. A passing servant overheard and told Wen Wu.

That stirred up a hornet’s nest. Wen Wu, self-proclaimed master, could not tolerate subordinates getting uppity. He demanded severe punishment, even threatening to kill her. If Wen Yu hadn’t begged for days, vouched repeatedly that it was just a slip of the tongue, and had Cong Rong kneel for five full days—nearly crippling her knees—it might not have blown over.

Recalling this, Cong Rong snorted disdainfully, but thinking of the filth from earlier, her expression changed slightly. She gripped her saber tightly. “Punishment is better than this. At least it’s straightforward pain, not this chest-stifling oppression!”

She was the one with the weapon that could take life in her hand, yet she had to listen to a red pig spew nonsense at someone important to her and could only endure silently. All because of worldly rules—under someone else’s roof, servants must not overstep, rendering the blade powerless.

“Provoking my father never ends well. I don’t want you getting into trouble, so just endure it. No need to make a fuss.”

Wen Yu walked ahead, fallen leaves rustling, garden lights sparse. “I don’t care what he says about me. Just listen and let it pass. Once I’m married out, I’ll take you with me, and I won’t have to hear it anymore.”

Ji Ce asked, “Who will Milady marry?”

Discussing her own lifelong matter, Wen Yu looked lost. “I don’t know yet.”

They finally entered the courtyard, where a row of willows swayed silently in the wind. The path to the door was winding for aesthetics—a sight she had seen countless times since childhood. She could walk it blindfolded.

And she did, turning around and walking backward step by step, looking at the two in the lamplight and night shadows, like a pair of slender saber blades. “You don’t need to worry about me all the time either. My father still loves me in the end. He’ll definitely find me a good match.”

She had never particularly wanted to do anything and had never needed to do much, muddling through to her current age in a daze. Wen Wu felt it was time; she couldn’t stay home forever. He told her to marry and bring some benefit to the family. Since she had to leave eventually, she agreed.

Her father had begun selecting a husband, with strict requirements, and hadn’t settled on one yet. So it seemed her father really did love her. His mouth was unkind, but he never skimped on her food, clothing, or expenses, and now he was still running around finding her a good husband. What else could that be but love?

Her mother had said her father was a good man, just with a bad temper. As a daughter, she should endure more, and the same with her future husband—no straying hearts, since everyone went through it.

Hearing that, Cong Rong clearly disagreed but seemed afraid that speaking some harsh truth would hurt the girl, so she only said, “I hope Milady finds a good home. But marrying a stranger, bearing children, living together—aren’t you scared?”