Volume One, Chapter 17: What a Spectacle of Dogs Fighting!

Page (1/3)

The Marquis of Cheng'en’s utterance of “Crown Princess” sent a shiver through the hearts of the Ning family members, who were being pressed to the ground, lamenting incessantly.

Xie Shu sneered inwardly. Despite having been summoned to the ancestral hall, Ning Rucheng deliberately feigned ignorance and sleepiness.

He simply did not want to get involved in these messy affairs. He was content to let his good wife and obedient son fight his battles ahead.

There were some things the Marquis of Cheng'en was not unwilling to do.

He just refused to do them personally unless absolutely forced to.

Xie Shu couldn’t help but recall her previous life, where her father-in-law was the consummate peacemaker. Though well aware of how much his wife and son tormented Xie Shu, for the sake of his own peace, he pretended not to see or hear.

The phrase she heard most from the Marquis in her past life was: “We are all family; just bear with it.”

One never feels pain unless the whip lands on oneself!

“Lord Marquis, precisely because we are family, I am helping you clear the house with goodwill. You must not let this heap of rats ruin the century-old honor of the Marquis of Cheng'en’s family.”

Xie Shu spoke with heartfelt sincerity. If one did not know the truth, one might truly believe she was earnestly helping the Marquis’s household.

“Nonsense!” Seeing Xie Shu stubbornly refuse to relent, the Marquis’s smile vanished. He slammed the table and said gravely, “Since we are family, we share both honor and disgrace. If any of the clan here get into trouble, we will all be implicated!”

“You must think carefully. The case of the General of Zhenyuan’s residence has not yet been resolved.”

His words carried a veiled threat.

Then Ning Rucheng shifted his tone and earnestly advised, “When the time comes, I will personally petition the Empress Dowager and His Majesty for mercy. Perhaps that could help your Xie family a little.”

What a sweet promise!

Too bad she had eaten too many such promises in her previous life and had become sick of them.

In this life, she detested empty promises most of all.

Xie Shu nodded thoughtfully. Just as the Marquis thought there was hope, she replied with righteous indignation, “Lord Marquis, that is mistaken. As your daughter-in-law, I am now part of the Ning family genealogy. If anyone in the clan commits a crime punishable by extermination of nine generations, wouldn’t I be unjustly dead?”

“Therefore, since I have joined the Ning family, I must prepare early and clear the house for the Marquis of Cheng'en’s family.” Xie Shu’s smile concealed a dagger.

Each word made Ning Rongsheng tremble inwardly. The crime of raiding a family and exterminating the clan clearly belonged to the General of Zhenyuan’s residence! Xie Shu was determined to drag the Ning family into this to the death!

Page (2/3)

“Xie Shu, if you stop now, I can guarantee the General of Zhenyuan’s residence will have no worries.” Ning Rongsheng, after much thought, finally conceded defeat. He resolved to plan anew with the Crown Prince, believing there would be other solutions ahead.

Moreover, now that the General of Zhenyuan’s residence was tied to the Marquis of Cheng'en’s household, gaining the Xie family’s support would surely please the Crown Prince greatly.

Was this a request or a demand?

“Oh?” Xie Shu’s voice held a hint of doubt. “Is this truly your word, Crown Prince?”

“Truly, truly!” Ning Rongsheng hurriedly affirmed.

Yet Xie Shu’s next words made him almost spit blood.

“But I don’t believe it!” Xie Shu shook her head. “Besides, your Ning family’s sins are grave! If it implicates our Xie family, what then?”

“Xie Shu, if our Ning family falls, I’ll drag your General of Zhenyuan’s residence down with us!” Ning Rongsheng gave up arguing and threw caution to the wind, threatening openly.

Dying together? Who’s afraid?

Upon hearing this, Xie Shu clapped delightedly and exclaimed, “Husband, rest assured, I shall follow you to the end.”

What was the use of making fierce declarations? She had already died once.

“Kill her! Kill her! Marquis, we must kill her now and punish her according to family law! No one will dare say the Marquis’s household is at fault!”

Madam Li’s eyes darted wildly. Clutching the Marquis’s trousers, she scrambled up, hurriedly covering her mouth and whispering suggestions into his ear.

“Fool! Shut up,” the Marquis snapped at Madam Li. Kill Xie Shu? She was the Crown Princess personally bestowed by the Emperor!

If they killed her today, tomorrow the officials’ impeachment petitions would drown the Marquis!

Moreover, the charges Xie Shu had just read aloud were likely already in the hands of the authorities! If anything happened now, everyone would say the Marquis’s household had murdered her to silence her!

Madam Li was stunned. She hadn’t expected the Marquis to scold her! Over the years, Ning Rucheng had always been meek and coaxing toward her. He had never raised his voice!

“You—you dare yell at me?” she fumed.

It was all Xie Shu’s fault! All her fault!

She turned toward Xie Shu, cursing the wretched woman.

“Die!” Madam Li, like a shrew, suddenly snatched the dagger from the Marquis’s belt and lunged at Xie Shu.

Before Madam Li could get close, a loud “Bang!” sounded as she was kicked away, crashing heavily against a pillar.

Page (3/3)

“Pfft!” A mouthful of blood sprayed out.

“Foolish!” Ning Rucheng was furious, wishing he could kick Madam Li to death.

He shouldn’t have married such a lowly woman from a humble background. He ordered the servants, “Madam is unwell. Send her back to the mansion to rest properly. Without orders, she is not to leave.”

“Father, how can you treat Mother like this!” Ning Rongsheng, seeing Madam Li dragged away, immediately protested. “Xie Shu clearly wants to ruin the Marquis of Cheng'en’s household! Doesn’t she deserve to die?”

But no sooner had he spoken than the Marquis slapped the back of his head harshly and scolded, “Ingrate! What nonsense are you talking?”

Since the Emperor had granted the marriage, if anything went wrong, both families would suffer greatly.

On one side was the formidable General of Zhenyuan’s residence, long feared by the Emperor. On the other, the Marquis of Cheng'en’s household, relying on the Empress Dowager.

Though the Empress Dowager was the Marquis’s maternal aunt, she was not the Emperor’s birth mother.

The Emperor ascended the throne young, and the Empress Dowager held power behind the curtain for thirteen years. Though she had long since returned rulership, the Emperor still harbored some respect and caution toward her. Otherwise, why would Ning Rucheng have feigned ignorance all these years?

“Father, I’m not lying!” Ning Rongsheng assumed his foolish father did not know the whole story and hurried to explain, “Xie Shu married me precisely to save the General of Zhenyuan’s residence!”

The next moment, the Marquis slapped Ning Rongsheng’s face. “Shut up! This mess is all your doing!”

Ning Rongsheng was close with the Crown Prince, and the Marquis had tacitly approved this.

But now, the Marquis shifted all blame onto Ning Rongsheng, distancing himself completely. His eyes gleamed fiercely as he commanded, “From now on, you are not to utter a word. Return to the mansion and reflect in solitude!”

The more one spoke, the more mistakes one made. The capital was riddled with imperial spies. The Marquis had feigned ignorance for so many years, afraid that all his efforts would be wasted!

Watching the Marquis and his son quarrel, Xie Shu’s eyes sparkled with amusement.

This dog-eat-dog scene was truly a spectacle to behold.