After Transmigrating, I Was Kidnapped By A Scheming Beauty Into The Bridal Chamber - Chapter 5

Wu Daoyuan had nurtured this flower bud for three years, watching it blossom, only to have it snatched away by some pretty boy. No, not a pretty boy… a damn dog! He stormed back to the main hall in the west wing, smashing several vases in a fit of rage. Spotting Old Woman Wu outside the door, he turned his fury on her.

“How could they carry on right under your nose?” he roared. “You couldn’t even keep an eye on one little girl! What use are you to me?”

“Master, Miss Jiang used some kind of trick to fool me,” Old Woman Wu sobbed, tears streaming down her face. “As soon as I heard a man had entered the estate, I rushed to her room. But she refused to open the door, and that girl Chuntao kept distracting me. She was determined to be with that man.”

Hearing that Jiang Chenyu was so determined to be with that dog, Wu Daoyuan’s headache intensified. If not for my protection, that pretty little thing would have been devoured by wolves long ago. Now that her wings have grown, she thinks she can fly off on her own? Not so fast.

His gaze turned fierce as he glared toward the eastern room, plotting how to drive out that outsider. The sudden turn of events had shattered his carefully maintained facade of a gentleman.

Now that the girl had thrown the embroidered ball, making her marriage plans public knowledge, and the man seemed to have some skill, quietly making him disappear was likely impossible. He’d have to devise a more elaborate plan.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chenyu woke up at dawn, her hand resting on smooth fabric and the slightly slender waist beneath it. She jolted awake and scrambled back to her side of the bed, touching her burning cheeks. I’m done for, she thought. I can never face him again! I rolled into his arms in the middle of the night and even clung to him tightly!

Aaaaaaaah! She screamed silently in her mind. She knew Shen Hetang had married her partly because she had lost her memory and had nowhere else to go and partly because she wanted to help her out of a difficult situation. Their marriage was bound to face many uncertainties in the future, such as whether Shen Hetang had been married before or had a fiancée.

But when she recalled how he, with his gentle and elegant demeanor, had kicked the courtyard guard flying over six meters, it was hard not to feel her heart flutter. Peeking through the gaps between her fingers, she gazed at his face in the soft morning light. His skin was as pale and flawless as fine jade, his lips beautifully shaped and colored like vermilion. At first glance, his sharp, phoenix-like eyes would draw people’s attention, radiating noble arrogance. But a second look would inevitably captivate you with his alluring red lips.

As Jiang Chenyu continued to stare, she unconsciously reached out and took his hand, entwining their fingers. His hand felt firm, the knuckles clearly defined beneath her touch, unlike her own boneless softness. Even just holding it made her feel safe.

Could she be a bad person and keep him by her side…?

After days of escalating excitement, sleep truly was the best way to rest. When she opened her eyes, the chaos of the previous day had passed, but she had no idea what drama awaited her today.

For the past two nights, she had slept in the same outer robe and inner garments. Each morning, Jiang Chenyu would prepare fresh clothes for him. It was truly remarkable how a sixteen-year-old girl could manage everything so meticulously, both inside and out.

In this era, men over 1.8 meters tall were rare. Shen Hetang, standing at 1.7 meters with long legs, exuded an indescribable elegance when she wore a high-collared robe. Fortunately, her cold demeanor deterred casual advances, allowing Jiang Chenyu to claim her.

Shen Hetang changed into a sky-blue robe embroidered with cloud patterns. She touched the high collar of her inner garment, feeling a sense of security.

The original owner’s figure was average, at most a B-cup. Just as Shen Hetang considered mimicking the TV trick of wrapping her chest twice, she discovered the original body was already wearing a modified vest. This garment not only flattened her chest but also provided slight shaping, saving her the trouble.

After washing up, Jiang Chenyu entered carrying breakfast.

“Husband, you’re awake! Breakfast is ready. You’ve worked hard these past two days. I had chicken soup simmered for you, skimmed of oil for a light taste.” Seeing no movement in the west room, Jiang Chenyu personally brought Shen Hetang’s breakfast.

“Thank you for your kindness. I’m not picky,” Shen Hetang replied warmly, though inwardly she felt a little embarrassed. She hadn’t yet adjusted to the local schedule and had been waking up later than Jiang Chenyu. I must fix this tomorrow, she resolved.

“Why are you being so formal, Husband? When my mother was still alive, she used to call me Yaoyao. You can call me that too. They never let anyone else use it,” the girl said, her bright eyes seeming to smile as if sharing a secret.

“Okay, then I’ll call you Yaoyao from now on. It’s a lovely name,” Shen Hetang replied, unconsciously thinking of the “Yaoyao” from “Peach Blossoms Bloom,” a name that truly suited her.

“Then let’s return the favor. Can I call you A-Tang?” she asked, testing the waters like a climbing vine.

“Of course. Husband and Wife feels so awkward,” Shen Hetang agreed. Using their given names felt much more comfortable.

Shen Hetang discovered she had quite an appetite, eating more than twice as much as Jiang Chenyu. How does someone so slender eat so much? she wondered. Fortunately, despite her thin frame, she wasn’t frail. Shen Hetang, still new to the household, hadn’t yet realized that even when she simply stood still, she radiated the sharp intensity of an arrow drawn taut on a bowstring.

Across from her sat Jiang Chenyu, petite and perfectly proportioned. How does someone with such a delicate frame, where even a single extra ounce would look excessive, manage to maintain it on just that tiny bowl of rice?

“The Son-in-law looks so blessed when he eats! Even Miss Jiang drank an extra bowl of soup!” Chuntao remarked, watching the two of them. The more she looked, the more perfectly matched they seemed, and her chatter grew livelier.

Is she saying I eat too much? Ah…? Could I really be eating that much? Sigh, living under someone else’s roof makes me so sensitive! Shen Hetang glanced subtly at Jiang Chenyu across the table. Seeing no reaction, she stopped worrying. Food comes first, above all else. If it weren’t for my appetite, I wouldn’t have gotten mixed up in this mess in the first place.

Shen Hetang maintained a composed demeanor, but her mind was racing with thoughts.

After the meal, Jiang Chenyu handed her a piece of paper detailing her new identity: a native of Lin’an County in Suizhou, whose parents had passed away, leaving her with a hundred acres of farmland. After selling the land, she used the proceeds as travel money to seek out relatives in Qingyuan County, only to find the address was incorrect. She then married Miss Jiang at the Golden Encounter and became a son-in-law at Jiang Manor.

While mentioning her parents’ deaths might seem impolite, it simplified matters considerably. Besides, Shen Hetang’s parents had indeed passed away years ago, so she didn’t find the document offensive.

“Here’s five hundred taels of silver for you,” Jiang Chenyu said, handing Shen Hetang five hundred-tael silver notes from her purse. “The joint trial will likely be held in a few days. This should help you prepare.”

“With so much silver in my hands, aren’t you afraid I’ll just run away?” Shen Hetang asked, looking up at her.

“A woman who runs away without permission is considered an adulteress,” the girl explained slowly, her voice soft and clear, each word carefully enunciated. “The punishment is fifty lashes. For more serious cases, she’ll be stripped of her status as a free person and sold into slavery. If she’s married into the family, the same applies.”

Shen Hetang’s fingers trembled as she held the silver notes. “Miss,” she said ingratiatingly, “why don’t you keep these for me?”

“If I show them, they won’t believe it’s your money. Just keep them. I trust you!”

Shen Hetang looked at the substantial sum in her hand, her earlier excitement now tinged with unease. This money wasn’t easy to come by; it was payment for risking her life in battle. Still, glancing at the pretty girl before her, she suspected she would have stepped forward even without the money.

Jiang Chenyu’s suspicions were correct. Wu Daoyuan was indeed scheming to transfer all the Jiang Family’s assets into his own pockets. Before his death, Old Master Jiang had bequeathed over a dozen shops to his daughter, which effectively meant they now belonged to Wu Daoyuan.

However, he had also left two modest but reliable rice and tea shops to Jiang Chenyu. Compared to the bustling cloth merchants and restaurants, these shops were quiet and steady. More importantly, they were run by stubborn old managers who recognized only the Jiang Family’s bloodline and refused to acknowledge Wu Daoyuan’s authority.

Back then, Mother Jiang was weak and easily manipulated, always doing what Wu Daoyuan said. He hadn’t even bothered with the two shops left for the little girl. He figured he could gradually transfer the deeds into his own name. After all, Jiang Chenyu was right under his nose, so taking over those remaining shops was only a matter of time.

His only disappointment was that Old Master Jiang hadn’t left much cash. After scraping together what he could over the years, he only managed to accumulate a little over twenty thousand silver taels in bank notes. He’d suspected more, but his wife wouldn’t lie, and his stepdaughter seemed genuinely clueless. In the end, he couldn’t find any more banknotes.

For years, he’d pretended to be running business trips, but his limited skills meant he could barely keep the shops Old Master Jiang had left afloat. The annual profits went to bribing officials, appeasing the Jiang family relatives, and funding his own lavish lifestyle while traveling. By the end of each year, there was hardly anything left.

No matter how much he indulged himself on the road, he always returned to Qingyuan County as the perfect son-in-law. The Jiang family had a few distant relatives who were eagerly waiting for him to slip up so they could take his place.

Now that the sparrow he’d held in his palm had flown away, he was determined to make sure no one else would have it easy either. The little girl’s wings had grown strong, so she couldn’t blame him for no longer sheltering her from the storm.

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