Oops! The Black Lotus Can’t Be a Female Supporting Character

CHAPTER 18

“This is not a trivial matter,” Madam Yin said coldly.

How could she stand by and watch a young girl, as delicate as a budding flower, be pushed into the fire?

Zhao momo was about to persuade her further when a maid suddenly curtsied at the door and announced, “My lord!”

The curtain was swiftly lifted from the outside.

A tall, broad-shouldered figure strode in with long, purposeful steps—it was none other than Marquis Wu’an, Xiao Yan.

Dressed in a deep blue robe embroidered with subtle bat motifs, his neatly combed hair framed a face of sharp, masculine features. His thick brows and piercing eyes were set in an expression as cold as frost—he was clearly here to settle accounts.

At Madam Yin’s silent command, the servants bowed their heads and withdrew, leaving only Zhao momo behind to attend to her mistress.

Xiao Yan swept his robes aside and sat heavily on the Luohan bed, his posture imposing. His voice was deep and cold as he addressed Madam Yin.

“Ru’er has always been respectful toward you and has never overstepped her bounds. Why did you reprimand her so harshly in front of Mother today? What was your intent?!”

His face was dark with anger, his brows furrowed, and his sharp gaze locked onto Madam Yin.

“I did scold her a little,” Madam Yin arched a delicate brow and cast Xiao Yan a sidelong glance, her tone light.

The words Concubine Cui had uttered in front of the Matriarch were no different from those of a brothel madam so Madam Yin had spared her no dignity, reprimanding her the moment she entered the room. As expected, Concubine Cui had run off crying—clearly, she had gone straight to the Marquis to lodge a complaint.

With a composed grace, Madam Yin smoothed her sleeves. Though anger flickered in her eyes, her voice remained steady and cold.

“My lord, you’ve come charging in to demand answers, but do you even know who Concubine Cui is trying to send Yanfei to?”

She let the question hang for a moment before her voice turned sharp.

“Gao An. Eunuch Gao! A eunuch. And my lord is willing to allow this?!”

Xiao Yan was momentarily at a loss for words.

He, too, felt that this matter was inappropriate. No matter how much their Wu’an Marquis Manor had declined, it was still a noble house.

A concubine-born daughter might have a lower status, but she still bore the surname “Xiao.” He could not afford such a disgrace.

He immediately turned to reprimand Concubine Cui, but she, looking pitifully aggrieved, pleaded, “My lord, I truly did not know what to do, which is why I sought the Matriarch’s guidance… How could I dare to make such a decision on my own?”

“Sigh, it is all my fault.”

Compared to Concubine Cui’s tearful sincerity, Madam Yin seemed nothing but sharp edges—always so aggressive, every word laced with thorns, utterly lacking the softness and gentleness befitting a woman.

Was she reprimanding him now?!

Fury surged within Xiao Yan, his anger mounting with each passing moment. Overcome with rage and humiliation, he slammed his palm onto the tea table with a resounding crack, sending the teacups trembling from the force.

“Smack!”

Xiao Yan did not answer Madam Yin’s question. Instead, he said coldly, “Yanfei is Ru’er’s daughter. Her affairs are none of your concern.”

Madam Yin was momentarily stunned, her eyes narrowing slightly.

This wasn’t the first time Xiao Yan had said those words.

Twelve years ago, he had said the same thing.

Back then, Xiao Yanfei was only three years old, yet Concubine Cui had already begun teaching her to dance. When Madam Yin discovered the child’s small body covered in bruises, she immediately understood Concubine Cui’s intentions. She found it utterly inappropriate—after all, for a young girl to be trained in dance, it carried the implication of using beauty to serve others, making it easy for people to look down on her.

She had reprimanded Concubine Cui for it.

That very night, Xiao Yan had stormed into her chambers in a fury, throwing those same words at her.

Recalling that moment, Madam Yin’s gaze toward Xiao Yan grew colder, more distant, and a faint sneer curled at the corner of her lips.

It was like adding fuel to the fire—Xiao Yan’s anger flared even hotter. His brows slanted sharply, his frustration demanding an outlet.

“Enough! Yanfei’s affairs will be decided by Ru’er!”

“You have no business meddling!”

Xiao Yan’s voice was as cold as shards of ice, his gaze sharp and oppressive, leaving no room for argument.

At this moment, all he wanted was to put Madam Yin in her place—to make it clear that he was the master of this household.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet in an instant, spring turning to the dead of winter, a chill settling in the air.

“Meddling?” Madam Yin let out a soft, mocking laugh.

The corners of her lips pressed downward, her gaze growing colder by the second, as if coated in frost. Slowly, she asked, “May I ask, my lord—are you planning to favor a concubine and cast aside your wife?”

“Concubine Cui is but a concubine—a servant in all but name. There is a distinction between master and servant. Yanfei is a young lady of this household, even Concubine Cui must address her as Second Miss. What right does a servant have to make decisions for her master?”

“I am Yanfei’s legal mother. Without my permission, no one—no one—is allowed to lay a hand on her.”

“I am the true mistress of this household!”

Her voice was not loud, but every word landed like a hammer on Xiao Yan’s chest, each syllable striking deep.

His face burned with humiliation. Madam Yin’s words left him speechless.

His chest rose and fell violently, his breathing grew heavy, and his face shifted through shades of red, white, and purple.

Suddenly, he shot to his feet, his abrupt movement knocking over the teacup on the table. The tea spilled, spreading across the surface…

But he didn’t care. His rage had drowned out all reason.

Looking down at Madam Yin from above, his eyes were filled with undisguised contempt. His voice was sharp as a blade as he called her by name:

“Yin Wan, you’re nothing more than a merchant’s daughter, yet you dare put on the airs of a marquis’s wife before me? Without me, you are nothing—not even worthy of standing beside Ru’er!”

“Don’t forget what got you into this marquis’s household in the first place!”

Xiao Yan flung his sleeve and strode out without a backward glance, leaving behind only a cold, resolute silhouette.

Tea dripped from the table—drip, drip—pooling onto the floor. The Luohan bed and tea table were in complete disarray.

Sitting on the bed, Yin Wan’s face turned deathly pale, devoid of all color. Her slender frame trembled with fury.

“Madam…” Zhao Momo choked out, her voice thick with sorrow. Her heart ached for Yin Wan.

The Yin family was the wealthiest merchant family in Jiangnan, and Yin Wan was their only daughter. Her parents had planned to arrange a suitable match for her, carefully selecting a husband who could inherit their family business.

But fate had other plans.

At fifteen, Yin Wan had fallen into the water by accident—right in front of a crowd. And it was none other than the heir to the Marquis of Wu’an, Xiao Yan, who saved her. Though unintentional, the incident tarnished her reputation, leading to the annulment of her original engagement.

Not long after, the old marquis personally came to propose marriage on behalf of his son. And so, through all the proper rites, Yin Wan became the Marchioness of Wu’an.

The Yin couple, devoted to their only daughter, sent her off with half of the family’s wealth as her dowry, transporting it all the way from Jiangnan to the capital. It was said that by the time the first palanquin of dowry entered the marquis’s residence, the last one had only just been unloaded at the docks. A ten-mile procession of red-lacquered chests—such an extravagant display caused a sensation across the entire capital.

People whispered behind closed doors, speculating that Yin Wan must have resorted to every trick imaginable to marry into the marquis’s household. A mere merchant’s daughter becoming a marchioness? She must have burned incense and prayed to the heavens for such fortune in her past life.

“Madam,” Zhao Momo gently helped Yin Wan up from the Luohan bed, guiding her to sit on a nearby armchair. She lightly rubbed Yin Wan’s back, her voice soft with concern. “Second Miss is Concubine Cui’s own daughter. If even Concubine Cui doesn’t care, why should you? It’s a thankless task…”

She hesitated, then added in a lower voice, “Besides, the Third Young Master has yet to be named heir…”

Zhao Momo felt deeply aggrieved on her mistress’s behalf, but before she could finish speaking, Yin Wan interrupted her.

“Momo, even if Yanfei isn’t my own daughter, I cannot stand by and watch a young girl’s entire life be ruined like this.”

Her gaze was clear, her tone steady, and her posture impeccably upright.

For the sake of Ye’er’s smooth succession as heir, she had initially refrained from clashing with the marquis. But she simply couldn’t turn a blind eye to this.

She couldn’t feign ignorance—nor could she tolerate such filth unfolding before her eyes!

Zhao Momo knew that Yin Wan had always been stubborn. Once she made up her mind, no one could change it.

Sigh—

A heavy, complicated sigh echoed through the room, followed by silence.

After Xiao Yan stormed out of the main courtyard in anger, the couple remained in a cold war for two full days before he finally returned.

It wasn’t long before the servants of the main courtyard heard the lady of the house erupt in fury—

“Get out!”

***