The Rebirth of Han Yuxi

Chapter 0767 The Jealous Wife (1)

Yuxi's punishment of the Sun family was very simple. First, she dismissed Old Master Sun and Sun Yulian's two elder brothers from their positions. Then she sent a disciplinarian mama to the family. It was said that when hitting someone, one did not hit the face; when exposing someone, one did not expose their shortcomings, but Yuxi's action both slapped them in the face and exposed their shortcomings.

After finding out about this, Old Master Sun told Second Master Sun, "I am already over fifty, with half of my foot about to step into the coffin. If I am dismissed, then so be it! Fortunately, you and Old Three were not implicated; this can also be considered a great blessing amid misfortune." Yun Qing had given Old Master Sun a position in an attempt to win him over. Even without this incident, Old Master Sun would not have stayed in the army for much longer.

Second Master Sun also felt that this punishment was lighter than expected. "Dad, I've already picked someone. He was a former subordinate of mine."

Old Master Sun was not interested in knowing anything about the chosen man's character or abilities. In any case, Sun Yulian was as good as dead to him. No, she was even worse than a dead person. "Have him come tomorrow and carry her away." This scourge had better leave the Sun family as soon as possible.

Second Master Sun nodded. "All right, I will send someone to tell him now." The man Second Master Sun chose for Sun Yulian was surnamed Yu, and he was a deputy battalion commander of the lower sixth rank. That Master Yu was thirty-five this year, and had three sons and two daughters. His eldest son was already married and had a son.

When Eldest Madam Sun, Pu Shi, heard this news, she fainted on the spot. After someone pinched the philtrum area under her nose to wake her up, Eldest Madam Sun burst into loud sobs. “My poor Yu’er, my poor daughter!” Not only did her daughter have to marry a widower, but he also had many children.

After crying, Pu Shi kept muttering, "I must think of a way. I must think of a way to save Yulian. If she really marries that widower, then her whole life will be ruined." However, the more anxious she became, the less able she was to think of a solution.

An old woman servant said, "Eldest Madam, this matter has already enraged the Old Master. If we make any more unusual moves, the Old Master will absolutely not let Eldest Madam off." If the Eldest Madam had not given birth to the eldest and second young masters, she would probably have been divorced and sent back to her maiden family.

Tears gushed from Pu Shi's eyes like spring water as she said, "Then what should I do? What about my Yulian?" After Sun Yulian returned to the Sun family, she was locked up, and nobody was allowed to see her.

No matter how hard the old woman servant tried to persuade her, she could not succeed. Her throat was practically burning. If she had not been thinking of preserving her little life, she truly would not have wanted to keep persuading her.

Once the scandal involving Sun Yulian was exposed, the Old Master Sun ordered that all of her personal maids be beaten to death, after which their bodies were thrown into a mass grave. The other maids and older servant women in her courtyard were sold off, too. The mere thought of that scene was enough to make one shudder.

Pu Shi grabbed the old servant woman's hand and said, "I will go beg Han Shi. I will beg her to raise her noble hand high and spare my poor daughter." Fearing that Pu Shi would ruin things, the Old Master Sun ordered that she be forbidden from leaving her courtyard. In other words, Pu Shi was also placed under house arrest.

The old servant woman was frightened into breaking out in a cold sweat. If Pu Shi were allowed to sneak out to the wangfu and beg Wangfei for mercy, they would all die without even a place to be buried.

The old servant woman hurriedly said, "Eldest Madam, it is broad daylight now. As soon as you step out of the courtyard, people will know. If you want to leave, we still have to think of a safe method." Persuasion was useless now; she could only calm Pu Shi down first.

Pu Shi nodded. "You are right. It won't work now. We'll think of a way to leave after dark." In order to save Sun Yulian, Pu Shi was also ready to risk everything.

Pu Shi was merely the daughter of a local gentry family, but because she was as beautiful as a flower, Eldest Master Sun took a liking to her the moment he saw her. At that time, Old Madam Sun was actually unwilling to let her son marry Pu Shi, feeling that Pu Shi was unsuitable to become the matriarch. However, the Eldest Master Sun insisted on marrying her no matter what, fighting against his family for two years, until Old Master Sun and Old Madam Sun had no choice but to give in and agree. However, apart from being good-looking, Pu Shi didn't have a single good point. She could not even manage the most basic household affairs properly. No matter how much Old Madam Sun taught her, she could not improve. Ultimately, with no other options, Old Madam Sun had to let her second daughter-in-law help manage the household. Nevertheless, Pu Shi was blessed with good fortune. In the year she married into the family, she gave birth to a big, chubby boy. In the third year, she gave birth to another son.

As long as Old Madam Sun was around, she could keep Pu Shi completely under control. But not long after Sun Yulian was born, Old Madam Sun passed away from illness.

In terms of appearance, Sun Yulian inherited all the best features of both Pu Shi and the Eldest Master Sun in terms of appearance. In addition, the mother-in-law who had been pressing down above her head disappeared as soon as her daughter was born, making Pu Shi feel that Sun Yulian was her little lucky star. She treated Sun Yulian as if she were truly afraid her daughter would melt if held in the mouth, and afraid she would fall if held in the palm. If anyone dared to bully Sun Yulian, Pu Shi would kick up a fuss and refuse to let it go. Because Sun Yulian had such a mother, the other girls in the Sun family never dared to provoke her.

Sun Yulian grew even more beautiful, and Pu Shi felt honoured through her. She even kept saying that with Sun Yulian's looks and talent, she was more than enough to be matched with even kings, princes and imperial grandsons. Growing up in this kind of environment, it would have been difficult for Sun Yulian not to be taught crooked.

The old servant woman could not leave the main courtyard either, but she told the person who came to deliver meals that Pu Shi wanted to go and beg for Yuxi's mercy. This matter was of great importance, so the person who received the news did not dare to hide it and immediately informed Old Master Sun instead.

Old Master Sun summoned the chief steward and ordered him to send Pu Shi to a country estate overnight. Had Pu Shi not given birth to two sons, Old Master Sun would have wanted his son to divorce her. When the wife was virtuous, the husband had fewer disasters. If not for this foolish woman, how could this matter have been stirred up?

The next morning, Sun Yulian was carried away in a sedan chair. There was no eight-man bridal sedan, nor any ten li of red bridal dowry. Being sent out the door like this was even more desolate than becoming someone's concubine.

Sun Yulian had been drugged and stuffed into the bridal sedan. At the time, she was not clear-headed. Even during the wedding bowing ceremony, she could only complete it with the support of the old servant women. Of course, the so-called wedding ceremony consisted of nothing more than three kowtows; there was no master of ceremonies or guests.

When Sun Yulian woke up and discovered that she had married an old man in his thirties, and become a ready-made grandmother, she immediately tried to smash herself against the wall. In the end, all the old servant women beside her stopped her.

The Sun family had sent four elderly female servants to keep an eye on Sun Yulian in case she tried to take her own life once she had sobered up. They took turns guarding her and preventing her from committing su*cide. They could not let anything happen to Sun Yulian before the matter was settled; otherwise, the blame would be placed on Wangfei. If that happened, the Sun family would suffer greatly.

After Yuxi learned of this matter, she asked Xu Wu, "Why would that man surnamed Yu marry Sun Yulian?" The Yu fellow had a government position. Wouldn't he fear becoming the target of someone's anger and jeopardising his future in office by marrying Sun Yulian?

Xu Wu had investigated this matter quite clearly. "Deputy Battalion Commander Yu once received a great favour from Second Master Sun. This time, he should be marrying Sun Yulian in order to repay that kindness. Wangfei, although Deputy Battalion Commander Yu is older, he is a kind and honest person."

Hearing this, Yuxi nodded. "This Second Master Sun is rather decent." After all, since Deputy Battalion Commander Yu owed Second Master Sun a great favour, he wouldn't mistreat Sun Yulian. As long as Sun Yulian didn't do anything foolish, she wouldn't have a hard time. At the very least, she certainly wouldn't have to worry about food or clothing.

Despite the trouble Sun Yulian had caused the family, Second Master Sun did not consider taking her life as a way of solving this huge problem. Instead, he married her off to someone trustworthy who had received his kindness. Such a man was truly quite good.

Xu Wu was somewhat surprised to hear this. He had not expected Wangfei to praise Second Master Sun. He had thought that she had grown tired of the Sun family.

After leaving the study, Xu Wu shook his head. Because Old Master Sun and all the male members of the Sun family's eldest branch had been dismissed from their posts, and Sun Yulian had married the elderly Deputy Battalion Commander Yu, rumours were spreading among the general public that Yuxi was an extremely jealous wife. Xu Wu simply did not dare to tell Yuxi about the rumours, fearing she would be angry upon learning of them.

However, Xu Wu's silence did not mean that everyone else would do the same. After Momo Quan learned of the matter, she told Yuxi, "Wangfei, people outside are now all saying that you are an extremely jealous wife. What do you think?" Those in the Yun household's inner quarters were quite well-connected when it came to outside news.

Yuxi smiled and replied, "Mouths grow on other people's bodies. If they want to talk, let them talk!" She could tolerate other matters, but she absolutely could not tolerate a woman coveting her husband. If Yuxi did nothing about Sun Yulian's actions, more women like her would appear in the future. Although Yuxi had confidence in Yun Qing, she was not foolish enough to test him on such a matter. What if she became careless and someone took advantage of that? She would be left totally helpless, with no one to blame but herself.

Momo Quan acknowledged this and asked, "Have you not thought of suppressing this rumour?" With Yuxi's current power, suppressing this kind of rumour would be very easy.

Yuxi smiled and responded, "Suppress it? How could this kind of thing be suppressed? If they want to talk, then let them talk. I won't lose a piece of flesh just because they talk about it." Even if she used her power to suppress them and stop them from speaking, these people might not say it to her face, but they would still say it behind her back. Besides, what was done was done, and Yuxi had never thought of hiding it.

Momo Quan looked at Yuxi's expression and hesitated for the first time, unsure whether to carry on speaking.

Seeing Momo Quan's expression, Yuxi smiled and encouraged her: "Momo, whatever you have to say, just say it. There is no need to have any misgivings."

Momo Quan sighed. "Yuxi, seeing you like this worries me greatly. Men's hearts are easy to change. You and Yun Qing are loving and affectionate right now, but what if he falls for another woman in the future? What will you do then?" Yuxi had been taught by Momo Quan herself, so she knew Yuxi's nature very well. Yuxi had placed Yun Qing on the very tip of her heart, and that was why her eyes could not tolerate even a grain of sand. Otherwise, Yuxi would not have disregarded her own reputation and taken such a ruthless approach against the Sun family.

Yuxi's expression instantly turned ugly. However, she did not lose her temper with Momo Quan. She only smiled bitterly before responding, "Loyal advice goes against the ear. Today, I have finally experienced it."

Since Momo Quan had brought up the topic, she had to say the following as well. "Within three to five years, I believe Wangye will not change his heart. But what about ten or twenty years later? When your years of beauty gradually pass away, and Wangye faces those young women of two-eight years, fresh, youthful, and delicate, will he still be able to hold himself back?"

Yuxi's hand trembled, but she quickly regained her composure. "Momo, what are you trying to say? There's no harm in speaking directly."

Momo Quan replied, "You should be able to guess what I want to say."

Yuxi fell silent. Truthfully, she did not want to hear these words from Momo Quan at all. But she knew that Momo Quan was doing it for her own good.