Wife, Don't Be Like This!

Chapter 12 - You Really Are a Good Person

Whether by force or by coincidence, in this world, Song Yan could now be considered a married man.

Having lived two lives, this was his first time getting married, and he hadn't even seen the bride. His shoulders also felt a bit heavy.

Although they were escorted to the bridal chamber, it wasn't time for the wedding night consummation just yet. After all, it was currently noon. An era where Confucianism held sway did not advocate for debauchery in broad daylight... at least not openly.

Of course, this wedding night would most likely be spent alone. No matter how much his mother-in-law, Luo Yuheng, doted on her son-in-law, she wouldn't go so far as to let the younger sister consummate the marriage in her sister's place.

And Gu Banxia, the bed-warming maid, couldn't possibly climb into the young master-in-law's bed on the wedding night.

Next was the much-anticipated feasting segment. As the groom, Song Yan still had to go around and toast each guest. This was the custom and could not be broken.

A few handmaidens surrounded Luo Tianyi and led her away. Just then, a sharp, drake-like voice came from the main gate:

"An Imperial Edict has arrived~~~~"

The drawn-out voice, rising and falling with cadence, echoed in every guest's ears.

An Imperial Edict?

In the small Ningping County, an imperial edict was a rare thing, especially on the wedding day of the Luo family's eldest daughter. Many people's hearts skipped a beat. Could it be that the Ning Emperor was here to cause trouble?

Looking up, they saw three men dressed in futou headwear and robes entering from the main gate. All three held horsetail whisks. The two younger ones, in light red robes, followed bowing from behind. These were Fifth-Rank eunuchs.

The man in the lead had white hair and a beard, his old face resembling withered tree bark. He wore a purple robe. This was a Third-Rank Grand Eunuch.

Luo Yuheng's expression, however, was calm. She silently watched the three eunuchs enter the main hall, her delicate brows slightly furrowed:

"Wei Zhong, where is that old brother of mine planning to banish me to this time? I'm just a commoner now. He's not planning to demote me to the lowest class, is he?"

Wei Zhong, a good name. If you added a 'xian' to it, it would be even better. A proper 'Nine-Thousand Years'. Song Yan complained internally, finding it amusing.

The surrounding guests, however, had strange expressions. If you hadn't held a feast every time the Ning Emperor lost a son or daughter, would it have come to this? Now look, your daughter gets married, and the Ning Emperor has come to make trouble for you too. Truly a worthy pair of siblings.

Wei Zhong was also familiar with Luo Yuheng's personality. Hearing her words, he gave a helpless, bitter smile, cleared his throat, and opened a roll of yellow silk with both hands:

"Your Highness, how about you receive the edict first?"

Although Luo Yuheng had many grievances with the Ning Emperor, at this time, she ultimately gave the emperor some face. She snorted a couple of times and knelt down reluctantly. Immediately, everyone around knelt down, with no exception for the guests.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims..."

"It has come to Our attention that the woman of the Luo clan, Yuheng, feels great remorse for her past actions and often weeps bitterly in the dead of night. We are greatly gratified... We hereby specially pardon Luo Yuheng's crimes, restore her position in the imperial clan, and bestow upon her the title of County Mistress of Ningping."

The surroundings were as quiet as a chicken. Many guests looked at each other, the corners of their mouths twitching continuously!

Is this the rhythm of the two siblings finally reconciling? County Mistress, a Fifth-Rank title with no fiefdom, naturally couldn't compare to her previous status as Grand Princess. But just the acknowledgment of her status as an imperial clan member was enough to cause a huge upheaval for the Luo family.

It's just... could this imperial edict be any more nonsensical?

Feels great remorse, often weeps bitterly in the dead of night?

Is this something Luo Yuheng is capable of doing? Not even a dog would believe it.

Most likely, the Empress Dowager missed her daughter and couldn't bear to see her suffer outside, so she went to the Ning Emperor. The Ning Kingdom advocated for filial piety, and faced with the Empress Dowager's request, even the Ning Emperor couldn't easily refuse. He could only casually fabricate an excuse and issue this edict.

One can imagine the Ning Emperor's teeth-gritting appearance when he wrote this edict.

Only Luo Yuheng was unconcerned. She tossed out a "Go back and thank him for me," and considered the matter finished. As for the rules and etiquette, she didn't care much.

The various guests hurried forward to congratulate her. Only the three Song family brothers exchanged a glance, their faces all grim.

They had thought Luo Yuheng would never have a chance to make a comeback, which was why they had substituted the groom. Who would have thought that this emperor didn't play by the rules. Right now, Luo Yuheng is only a County Mistress, but one can imagine that restoring her status as a Princess is only a matter of time.

In the Ning Kingdom, for a princess who marries out, her son inherits the Prince Consort's title, and her daughter inherits the Princess's title, just one rank lower. Thus, Luo Tianxuan, as the legitimate eldest daughter, would be a future Commandery Princess, and Song Yan would become the Commandery Prince Consort.

Song Zhen's eyes were bloodshot.

His.

It was all his.

That damned Song Yan, on what grounds did he snatch all of this away?

It was as if countless maggots were gnawing at Song Zhen's heart, causing waves of sharp pain in his chest. His gaze towards Song Yan was filled with such hatred that he wished he could slice him into a thousand pieces.

Song Yan, however, was even calmer. Speaking of which, the phrase "By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims" seems to have started during the era of the Hongwu Emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He didn't expect it to appear so early in this world.

The three eunuchs were also asked to stay for the feast.

Luo Tianyi, attended by a few handmaidens, went to the back hall. Song Yan did as well. The groom's attire was too cumbersome, and he needed to change into something more comfortable.

Yang Guifang and the other three old servant women arranged by Song Hongtao supported Song Yan to the backyard. As soon as they entered the room, the original smiles on the four old servant women's faces vanished, replaced by gloom and indifference. Even the hands supporting Song Yan were immediately released.

In their eyes, even if Song Yan had climbed a high branch, a live-in son-in-law was still a live-in son-in-law, unfit for high society.

"Song Yan, you were utterly spineless today. Seeing the Fifth Young Master being reprimanded by Luo Yuheng, you didn''t even know to help speak up. What's the use of the Song family raising you?"

"You must remember, the Song family are your real relatives. To the Luo family, you are just an outsider. Only with the Song family as your backer will they not dare to bully and humiliate you as they please."

Yang Guifang lectured, clearly not taking this master, Song Yan, seriously.

She had Song Hongtao's orders, so naturally, she wasn't afraid of Song Yan. What's more, having watched this good-for-nothing grow up for so many years, her contempt for Song Yan was already deeply ingrained. So what if she had swollen his mother's face and broken that woman's teeth? So what if she had damaged his ears? Besides wailing on the ground, what else could he do?

Although he seemed to have shown some spine a few days ago, he quickly returned to his old ways, holing up in the Green Bamboo Courtyard and not stepping out. Sure enough, a person's nature is hard to alter. Even after growing up, a good-for-nothing will always be just a good-for-nothing.

Hearing this, Song Yan did not retort, but only narrowed his eyes slightly, a cold glint hidden within them.

Outsider?

Relatives?

Heh!

The so-called relatives from your mouth beat me, curse me, humiliate me, bully me, sell me, and try to poison me to death!

And the outsiders from your mouth protect me, care for me, respect me, value me, love me, and dote on me.

So what if it was false affection?

At least at that moment, his heart was warm.

Seeing Song Yan remain silent, looking like a dead pig that isn't afraid of boiling water, Yang Guifang spat, cursed 'good-for-nothing' in her heart again, and then threw a red robe over, telling Song Yan to change into it himself.

She served the First Mistress and the Old Master. Make her serve Song Yan? In his dreams.

Song Yan changed his clothes and went out with the four old servant women. Once in front of the crowd, the four old servant women immediately shed the arrogance on their faces and put on the humility of a servant.

As soon as he reached the front courtyard, Luo Tianshu and Luo Tianquan walked over. One held a wine cup, the other a wine pot. They were going to accompany Song Yan to toast the guests. At the same time, they also had to introduce the guests' identities to Song Yan, to avoid the awkwardness of mutual non-recognition and staring at each other. When Song Yan couldn't handle it anymore, they also had to block drinks for him.

Originally, this was Luo Tianyang's job. This guy loved to drink the most, but for some reason, he had run off somewhere and was nowhere to be seen.

Toasting, naturally, had to start with the in-laws.

Even if they were dissatisfied with the Song family, it wasn't good to break the rules. Thinking about how the Song family had broken off the marriage, and now the imperial edict had arrived and their imperial status was restored, although the two brothers were mature for their age, they were still children at heart. Seeing the three Song brothers looking as if their parents had died, they were secretly delighted, and couldn't help but look a little smug.

Luo Tianquan smiled and sidled up to Song Zhen, reaching out to pat his shoulder:

"Fifth Young Master, look at what a mess this has turned into. Originally, my brother-in-law was supposed to be you. But there was nothing to be done. Who let my Luo family be mere commoners, unworthy of the Duke's mansion's status? So we can't really blame the Fifth Young Master."

Song Zhen's already ugly face immediately looked as if he had eaten two jin of fly shit.

A wave of repression was stifled in his chest, and a sharp pain wracked his heart, nearly making him pass out.

Luo Tianshu, however, glared at Luo Tianquan. You speak without thinking. The brother-in-law now is Song Yan. What would Song Yan think in his heart after hearing that?

"Ahem, Second Brother, stop talking nonsense." Luo Tianshu reprimanded.

"My second brother is lively by nature. Fifth Young Master, please don't take it to heart. Speaking of which, our Luo family really must thank the Song family."

"Back then, your esteemed mother said that our brother-in-law is a person of deep fortune. I didn't believe it at first, but now it seems brother-in-law truly has great fortune. Ever since the engagement with brother-in-law, our imperial status has been restored, and Eldest Sister's health is also improving day by day. The doctors have even found a way to cure consumption..."

Song Yan's expression was strange. He thought to himself, You really know how to twist the knife.

Sure enough, the expressions of the three from the Song family changed again, especially Song Zhen, whose lips were trembling:

"What did you say? Miss Tianxuan's health is starting to improve? They've found a way to cure consumption?"

"How could that be false? Although it's a bit difficult, as long as she follows the doctor's orders, my sister's lung disease can be completely cured in a year and a half. At that time, she and brother-in-law will live in marital harmony. And in another year and a half, the Luo family will have a third generation. That will be your little nephew, Fifth Young Master. Don't forget the gift money then."

Luo Tianxuan's consumption can be cured?

A wedding night with a woman as beautiful as Luo Yuheng?

A bed-warming maid like Gu Banxia.

Gift money?

Song Zhen's face suddenly turned deathly pale, and then a strange flush rushed to his forehead.

Gaakh!

A mouthful of fresh blood sprayed straight out.