Considering that, without a proper reason for the beating, Zhou Huizhen might very well cry injustice for Han Liao, Lu Zhuo still told Wei Rao about what happened at the banquet.

Today was the third time Han Liao had insulted Wei Rao in front of him.

The first time was when Han Liao had just arranged his betrothal to Zhou Huizhen and intercepted Lu Zhuo in the palace, insulting both Wei Rao and her cousin with a single sentence. The second time was this year when Lu Zhuo accompanied Wei Rao to the palace to pay respects to Consort Noble, and Han Liao frivolously called Wei Rao “cousin.” Today at the banquet meeting, if Lu Zhuo hadn’t preemptively silenced Han Liao, there was no telling what he might have said.

Even before making his move, Han Liao had wanted to propose that they exchange wives to sing for entertainment.

If Lu Zhuo continued to endure, he wouldn’t be Lu Zhuo.

Wei Rao had long known Han Liao was no upright gentleman, but for Han Liao to suggest having her cousin sing for Lu Zhuo was simply going too far.

After parting with Lu Zhuo, Wei Rao went directly to find Zhou Huizhen.

Zhou Huizhen was just sitting with Wang Shi.

Zhou Huizhen was tearfully complaining about her grievances. She had moved to the leisure estate for about ten days, and Han Liao hadn’t come to see her even once. Today, when her sister was getting married, if Han Liao was going back, he should have taken her along—yet he left by himself first, completely slapping her face in front of all her maternal relatives.

Wang Shi also felt sorry for her eldest daughter. Initially, she had supported her daughter marrying Han Liao, hoping that Han Liao would treat her daughter well because of her beauty and forget about those messy concubines. But for all her hopes, Han Liao hadn’t achieved any of them; instead, everything she worried about, Han Liao had done completely.

Wang Shi could only console her daughter with self-deception: “He was drunk and forgot everything. When he sobers up tomorrow morning, he’ll come to fetch you.”

Zhou Huizhen’s crying paused. Would Han Liao come?

“Madam, the Princess has arrived.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Shi immediately sat up straight while Zhou Huizhen frantically reached for a handkerchief, quickly tidying herself before inviting Wei Rao in.

Nanny Liu was standing guard outside and made a “wipe tears” gesture to Wei Rao.

Wei Rao understood and deliberately waited a while longer before entering the inner room.

“So late at night, does the Princess have some matter?” Wang Shi said with a smile. Ever since Xiao Zhou Shi became Consort Noble, Wang Shi’s attitude toward Wei Rao had become even more respectful and even carried a few hints of flattery.

Wei Rao said, “I have some words I want to say to cousin.”

Zhou Huizhen looked at Wei Rao with confusion.

Wang Shi also wanted to eavesdrop, but seeing that Wei Rao seemed to have no intention of speaking in her presence, Wang Shi tactfully left. Upon coming out and seeing Nanny Liu at the door, Wang Shi gave up any thought of eavesdropping.

“What does the Princess want to tell me?” Zhou Huizhen invited Wei Rao to sit beside her.

Wei Rao sat down next to her, looking at Zhou Huizhen’s tear-reddened eyes. Wei Rao’s mood was complex, but what needed to be said still had to be said: “Cousin, Han Liao didn’t leave because he was drunk. He’s so lecherous that he treated us sisters like singing girls to insult. The Young Master called him to the garden and, when no one else was around, beat him up, even knocking out one of Han Liao’s teeth. That’s why Han Liao slunk away through the side gate.”

Zhou Huizhen covered her mouth in shock. Han Liao was beaten by Lu Zhuo?

Wei Rao continued directly: “How Han Liao treats you, cousin, you know clearly in your heart. As long as he doesn’t say it out loud, we can pretend not to know. But he proposed at the banquet to compete with the Young Master, saying that if he lost, he’d have you sing a song for the Young Master, and if he won, he’d have me come out to sing. He insulted you and me, insulted the Young Master—how could the Young Master endure that?”

Singing girls? Singing songs?

Zhou Huizhen stared blankly at Wei Rao.

Wei Rao smiled bitterly, grasped Zhou Huizhen’s hand, pointed to her face, then gently touched Zhou Huizhen’s face: “Cousin, we two look so alike, more like real sisters than real sisters. Grandmother has always been proud of us, and you and I have always prided ourselves on our beauty. But back when Mother lived far away at the imperial palace, you and I both had poor reputations in the capital. How could someone like Han Liao possibly respect us?”

Zhou Huizhen’s tears poured out like a flood.

She knew it—knew that she had no official father to protect her, no brothers to support her, and that Han Liao only coveted her beauty. But no matter what, she was still a pure and innocent girl from a good family, and her grandmother was Shou’an Jun, personally enfeoffed by the Emperor—the only female jun in the capital. Yet Han Liao only saw her as a singing girl?

No wonder, no wonder Han Liao was only passionate toward her at night—wasn’t he treating her like a singing girl, like those lowly playthings who serve people?

Why should she endure this?

Rage, humiliation, and grievance mixed as Zhou Huizhen threw herself into Wei Rao’s arms and wailed.

Wei Rao supported her shoulders and said coldly, “I’ve never cared how others belittle us, but I cannot belittle myself. Cousin should also show the backbone of a Zhou family daughter. If you can endure even today’s incident, then I’ll act as if I never had you as a cousin. However, Han Liao insult you will have nothing to do with me. But if cousin doesn’t want to endure anymore and wants to break with him, then I will help cousin leave that wolf’s den.”

Zhou Huizhen just kept crying.

Wei Rao ruthlessly pushed her away, stood up, and said, “I’ll stay here until Huizhu’s return visit. When cousin has made her decision, let me know.”

After speaking, Wei Rao walked out.

After giving some quiet instructions to Nanny Liu, Wei Rao truly left.

Lu Zhuo was indeed still waiting for her in the same place. The early summer moonlight was bright, stretching his shadow long. From a distance, Wei Rao couldn’t see his expression clearly, but when she walked closer, she met his gentle gaze.

Lu Zhuo extended his hand toward her.

Wei Rao smiled and gave him her hand.

“Did you explain everything clearly?”

“Mm. If she still chooses to endure this time, I’ll only feel sorry for Grandmother.”

Grandmother was someone who feared neither the late Emperor nor the Empress Dowager—how could cousin be such a spineless person?

One’s temperament could be soft, but one’s backbone couldn’t bend.

Until Zhou Huizhu and Zhang Xian, the young couple, came to the leisure estate for the return visit, Han Liao never appeared.

Zhou Huizhen also didn’t come to find Wei Rao to say anything, staying shut up in her small courtyard the whole time. Today she finally showed her face, but powder and rouge couldn’t hide her haggardness.

Zhang Xian went to talk with Lu Zhuo, while Zhou Huizhu asked Zhou Huizhen with concern: “Sister, what’s wrong with you?”

Before she got married, her sister had been fine. In just two or three days, how had her sister become like she’d lost her soul?

Zhou Huizhen kept her head down and said nothing. Wang Shi didn’t know the situation, while those who did know—Shou’an Jun, Wei Rao, and Nanny Liu—all didn’t want to speak.

After the return visit ceremony was completed and they finished the noon family banquet, Wei Rao was ready to return to the capital with Lu Zhuo.

“Just live your own life well—you don’t need to worry about her.” Shou’an Jun blocked Wei Rao’s words before she could speak, saying calmly and peacefully.

What Wei Rao was most worried about was whether Han Liao would hit Zhou Huizhen—this was also why Wei Rao had been angry when she first heard Lu Zhuo say he beat Han Liao. With Han Liao’s terrible character, if he couldn’t beat Lu Zhuo and couldn’t openly get angry, Zhou Huizhen would very likely bear his displaced anger when she returned.

“I have my arrangements. Hurry and get in the carriage,” Shou’an Jun urged.

Wei Rao had no choice but to board the carriage and leave with Lu Zhuo.

Zhou Huizhu and Zhang Xian, the young couple, also left. Of the three married sisters, only Zhou Huizhen was left behind, all alone.

That evening, Shou’an Jun had one final long talk with Zhou Huizhen.

“You are my first granddaughter. When you had headaches or fevers as a child, I was more anxious than your mother.”

“From the beginning, I said Han Liao was not a good match. You insisted on marrying him, and when I disagreed, you resented me. I had no choice but to let you go and taste for yourself what life in that kind of family was like.”

“Now you’ve tasted enough bitterness. As long as you want to return, I can make the Han family write a divorce letter. As long as you still want to marry, I can find you a husband who will cherish you and hold you in the palm of his hand. Not one bit of the dowry due to you will be lacking. But let me be frank—if you’re still stubborn and still want to stay in the Han family to look at that family’s sour faces, then we’ll completely sever our grandmother-granddaughter relationship. The Zhou family doesn’t have a daughter like you.”

Zhou Huizhen kept her head down, tears falling one after another.

Shou’an Jun remained unmoved: “Tomorrow morning, I’ll send someone to take you back. I’m giving you one month to think it through clearly. If you don’t give me an answer after one month, I’ll consider that you don’t acknowledge me as your grandmother. At that time, you can live in the Han family by yourself—I’ll call Nanny Liu back to accompany me.”

Zhou Huizhen fell to her knees with a thud and hugged Shou’an Jun’s knees, crying.

Shou’an Jun stroked her head and said, finally: “If he dares to lay a hand on you, invoke my name. If he doesn’t hit you, that’s fine, but if he dares to hit you, Grandmother will enter the palace to request an audience with the Emperor.”

After speaking, Shou’an Jun returned to her room to rest.

Nanny Liu helped Zhou Huizhen away.

Early the next morning, Zhou Huizhen took a carriage back to the capital.

Marquis Xiting Mansion.

Since returning from the leisure estate, Han Liao hadn’t left his residence for several days.

Using top-quality medicinal paste, Han Liao’s face had already healed from the swelling, showing no trace of having been knocked down by Lu Zhuo’s punch. But his third tooth from the inside on the upper right side had fallen out. Although outsiders basically couldn’t notice, it greatly affected his eating. Every time he couldn’t chew food properly, Han Liao would think of Lu Zhuo and the humiliation Lu Zhuo had given him that day.

Just thinking about it, Han Liao’s eyes erupted with bloodthirsty hatred.

From the time he could remember until now, Han Liao had never been struck in the face. How dare Lu Zhuo, a junior!

“Young Master, the young madam has returned,” his attendant announced outside the study.

Han Liao’s anger that had accumulated for several days seemed to finally find an outlet. With a gloomy expression, he went to the rear courtyard.

Zhou Huizhen had just entered the room when she heard the servants outside paying respects to Han Liao.

Zhou Huizhen suddenly began to tremble. She feared her grandmother’s prediction would come true, feared that Han Liao would hit her.

She was just a vain girl who wanted to marry into a prestigious family—her aspirations were higher than the sky, but her body was still that of a delicate, pampered daughter. Facing a robust military general like Han Liao, how could she not be afraid?

Nanny Liu helped her sit in a chair and said quietly, “Miss, don’t be afraid. Think of Old Madam, think of Consort Noble. You’re not a girl from an ordinary family—you have people backing you up, too.”

Zhou Huizhen looked up with a pale face. Nanny Liu always liked to manage her, giving her all sorts of lectures, showing various forms of disdain and sarcasm when she chose to submit meekly. But at this moment, she only saw kindness and determination in Nanny Liu’s eyes.

With a “crash,” someone roughly tore open the curtain to the inner room.

Zhou Huizhen’s whole body shuddered.

Nanny Liu turned around and, seeing the fierce and menacing Han Liao, maintained her composure as she curtsied, her body half-blocking Zhou Huizhen.

Han Liao could see Nanny Liu’s protective stance. From the beginning, he had known Nanny Liu was Shou’an Jun’s person. But Nanny Liu only protected Zhou Huizhen from being bullied by those concubines and hadn’t interfered with him, so Han Liao had never taken Nanny Liu seriously. Today, for Nanny Liu to dare show him this fearless attitude, Han Liao’s anger burned three times hotter.

“Get lost,” Han Liao said coldly to Nanny Liu.

Zhou Huizhen grabbed Nanny Liu’s clothes from behind, those slender, beautiful hands trembling even more violently.

Nanny Liu glanced back sideways, then bowed her head to Han Liao: “The Young Master comes with such menace—are you blaming the young madam for staying at her maternal home too long?”

Han Liao let out a sneer and suddenly stepped forward, grabbing Nanny Liu’s shoulder and flinging her aside.

Nanny Liu flew like a rag doll and crashed into a side table. Both she and the table rushed forward a distance before toppling over together.

Zhou Huizhen watched Nanny Liu in terror, watched as Nanny Liu coughed up two mouthfuls of blood. Even so, when Han Liao reached out to grab Zhou Huizhen’s collar, Nanny Liu glared fiercely at Han Liao: “Miss is the legitimate eldest daughter of the Zhou family, the blood niece of Consort Noble. Does the Young Master truly think the Zhou family has no one?”

Han Liao’s hand paused.

If not for the wariness of the relationship between Shou’an Jun and Emperor Yuanjia, his mother would have dealt with Nanny Liu long ago.

Now, Xiao Zhou Shi had even become a Consort Noble.

Looking at Zhou Huizhen’s tear-stained, pale face, Han Liao smiled slightly and suddenly threw Zhou Huizhen back into the chair.

He couldn’t lay his hands on Zhou Huizhen, but if he killed a nanny who defied her master, even if Shou’an Jun and Xiao Zhou Shi together complained to the Emperor, the Emperor couldn’t convict him of any crime.

Han Liao didn’t believe Shou’an Jun and Xiao Zhou Shi would be foolish enough to trouble Emperor Yuanjia over a mere nanny, nor did he believe Emperor Yuanjia would develop displeasure with the Han family over a nanny.

Han Liao walked toward Nanny Liu.

Nanny Liu wiped the corner of her mouth and looked fearlessly at the approaching Han Liao. She was also a woman, but she had lived forty or fifty years. She wasn’t afraid. If her life could awaken Miss, if her life could send Miss back to Old Madam’s side, it would be worth it.

Nanny Liu looked at Han Liao with mockery.

A man so angry he would only hit women—what prospects could he have? A family leading the Longxiang Army with such a person couldn’t even surpass the Lu family’s Shenwu Army, much less expect that in time, the main general’s family of the Longxiang Army would be replaced!

Nanny Liu despised Han Liao from the bottom of her heart.

Han Liao had reached her. Just as he was about to kick, the crisp sound of porcelain hitting the ground suddenly came from behind.

Han Liao turned back with a dark expression.

Zhou Huizhen picked up a relatively large piece of broken porcelain from the floor, holding the sharp, pointed end against her throat. Though she was crying, her body had stopped shaking. With blurred vision, she said to Han Liao, “If you dare touch Nanny again, I’ll kill myself. If I die, my grandmother and aunt will demand your life in return!”

“Miss, you mustn’t!” Nanny Liu cried out shrilly.

Han Liao only smiled coldly, turning to watch as if it were a show: “Then go ahead and kill yourself. If you die, I promise not to touch her.”

How could he not understand Zhou Huizhen? She was worthless mud with no backbone. If she weren’t beautiful enough, he never would have married her.

Tears in her eyes, Zhou Huizhen still couldn’t see Han Liao’s face. When Han Liao casually told her to go die, Zhou Huizhen’s vermilion lips trembled, and two more tears rolled down.

More than two years of daily interaction—it had all been her one-sided wishful thinking. In their bedroom pleasures, she longed for Han Liao’s affection while Han Liao only wanted her body.

Closing her eyes, Zhou Huizhen thrust the porcelain shard toward her throat.

That skin was more delicate than flower petals—striking blood immediately flowed out.

“No!” Nanny Liu cried as she ran over, pulling down Zhou Huizhen’s hand and snatching away the porcelain shard to throw it aside.

Zhou Huizhen wiped the blood on her throat and looked at Han Liao through cold, tearful eyes: “Does the Young Master still want to gamble?”

Han Liao narrowed his eyes. At this moment, Zhou Huizhen even resembled Wei Rao in spirit.

With a cold snort, Han Liao left in anger.

As soon as the curtain he had flung high fell, Zhou Huizhen collapsed into Nanny Liu’s arms.

Nanny Liu was both crying and laughing: “Good girl, this is truly a good daughter of the Zhou family!”