The General Seized Her by Force - Chapter 19

Madam Yang was a woman who still retained much of her charm. She might not have been exceptionally stunning in terms of beauty, but her demeanor perfectly matched the world’s definition of a lady from a distinguished family.

Wen Shu raised her eyes to take a brief look before withdrawing her gaze. She bowed and stated the purpose of her visit.

Madam Yang sat in the seat of honor. Upon hearing her words, she simply picked up her teacup, took a light sip, and gestured for Wen Shu to sit down with a gentle attitude. “Don’t be nervous. Although I married into the Yang family, my maiden family consists of civil officials.”

Her breezy tone stood in stark contrast to the sarcastic butler from just moments ago.

Wen Shu’s heart hung in mid-air. She dared not sit down properly, letting her weight rest only on the edge of the chair, while she racked her brains trying to come up with an excuse to take her leave.

Unfortunately, Madam Yang did not give her that opportunity. First, she had a maid bring over fruits and pastries, and then she immediately continued, “I dislike the style of those military generals the most. They act like boors, picking up gifts and finding a matchmaker to propose marriage just like that. It must have shocked you, right?”

Wen Shu didn’t know whether to nod or shake her head, so she simply offered a forced smile and said nothing.

Clearly, Madam Yang did not intend to hear her opinion on the matter, as the “boor” she spoke of referred to Assistant Minister Yang. If Wen Shu dared to agree with her, Madam Yang might not treat her with such a gentle demeanor any longer.

Madam Yang said, “In my opinion, marriage is first and foremost a matter between the two of you children. At the very least, the two of you should have met and assessed one another first.”

Alarm bells rang in Wen Shu’s heart, and she sat up straight instantly.

Madam Yang smiled. “It is not for me, as a mother, to boast about my daughter, but my child’s appearance is indeed not bad, and her temperament is even more outstanding. She also loves to read books and write poetry. Once you two start a family, with your shared interests, you will certainly be able to get along well.”

The more beautiful the picture Madam Yang painted, the tighter Wen Shu’s skin felt.

Assistant Minister Yang was perhaps too lazy to waste effort on her, so he directly invited a matchmaker to “propose” the marriage—straightforward like a sharp blade; it hurt, but one could dodge it. Madam Yang, however, spoke in soft whispers to finalize the daily life of her and the Yang family’s daughter after marriage, like a dense net that caught her inside, leaving no room to escape.

Wen Shu hurriedly stood up and bowed again. “I appreciate your kindness, Madam, and the Yang family young lady is naturally outstanding. However, my family is of low status, and I have no plans to start a family at the moment. I hope you will forgive me.”

Upon hearing this, Madam Yang set down her teacup. In the quiet, cool hall, even the slightest movement was amplified.

“Family status is of no concern. The Yang family has status, and if that is not enough, there is the Manor of the Count of Sinan behind us. Others would have to exhaust themselves just to climb that high to reach a status like this. Now that it has been offered to you repeatedly, you must not fail to cherish it.”

Her voice could not be called stern, and her tone was light and soft, yet Wen Shu felt that the invisible net was tightening, as if it were about to cut through her clothes and dig into her flesh.

Madam Yang’s attitude was very clear: if Wen Shu refused again, it would be a case of not knowing how to appreciate a favor. After all, for the Yang family to propose marriage to her repeatedly, they had already set aside their dignity to speak to her so kindly.

But Wen Shu could absolutely not agree to this marriage.

She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, maintaining the posture of bowing and asking for forgiveness—frail, yet stubborn.

Madam Yang’s smile slowly changed, revealing a cold, thin chill. “Scholar Wen, you should know what it means to ‘use courtesy before force,’ shouldn’t you? In this massive manor, if Scholar Wen were to run into some ‘trouble’ later, you would certainly need to give our Yang estate an explanation.”

“If Scholar Wen is determined to refuse even unto death, our Yang family cannot tie you to the bed, but I do not know if your father’s bones are as hard as yours. I have also heard that your mother has recently made two friends who love to play cards… oh yes, and your grandmother is not young either… is that not so?”

Wen Shu’s expression turned cold, and she even felt a bit nauseous.

She had only eaten half a steamed bun early in the morning. It was now nearly noon, and she was already hungry to the point of feeling sick; especially after hearing Madam Yang’s threat, she almost threw up.

The Yang family had absolutely no intention of letting her family go, so there was no need for Wen Shu to concern herself with face. She stated directly, “I have delivered the apology gifts, so I shall take my leave.”

After saying this, she turned to walk out.

However, she had only just exited the hall and had not yet descended the steps into the courtyard when she was intercepted by the butler and his men.

The butler still wore that look of contempt, looking down on her. “My young lady has lost an earring and cannot find it anywhere. It is quite a coincidence that you are the only outsider to come to the estate today. I wonder if you picked it up and hid it on your person? After all, it is possible that you fancy my young lady and have hidden her belongings.”

Only then did Wen Shu understand the Yang family’s plan.

She had thought that a family like the Yangs would care about their reputation. Now it seemed that Li Chu was much more sensible. At the very least, whatever thoughts Li Chu had, she said them to her openly. If she shook her head, Li Chu would at most pinch her cheeks out of anger, rather than plotting against her with such schemes.

With the butler in front and Madam Yang slowly emerging behind her, Doubai, whom Wen Shu had brought along, was already being held by the Yang family servants with their arms pinned and their mouth gagged. As for Wen Shu herself, she was caught between the two groups, with no path of retreat in front or behind.

Madam Yang reached up to lightly touch her hairpin. “Scholar Wen, would you like to reconsider? Will you gracefully complete this marriage, or will you lose all reputation and become a live-in son-in-law for my Yang family?”

She said slowly, “Although you have entered the Hanlin Academy, you have not yet officially taken your post. If such a scandal were to break out today, and I were to invite my brother and sister-in-law to cry before the Emperor, do you think you would be able to step into the doors of the Hanlin Academy tomorrow?”

“Scholar Wen, accept your fate. No one will believe that our fifth-rank Yang family would sacrifice our daughter’s reputation just to frame you, a mere seventh-rank compiler.”

Wen Shu was trembling all over; she truly could not understand. “Why me?”

What exactly did the Yang family see in her?

Only at this moment did Madam Yang use her gaze to examine Wen Shu from head to toe before smiling with great satisfaction. “Naturally, because the Top Scholar is talented and good-looking, and will have an unlimited future.”

She had thought it was a grievance for her daughter, but who knew that Wen Shu did not look bad at all. Moreover, she had a gentle and honest temperament, and her family background was clean, making her easy to manipulate.

The Yang family was very satisfied, but Wen Shu was not willing.

She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. She wanted to roar, but she really lacked the inner strength, so she could only speak with a soft tone but hard words: “Even if my reputation is ruined, I would rather go home tomorrow to farm with my parents than agree to this marriage!”

If that were truly the case, the Yang family would be even more satisfied.

The butler stepped forward, pressing closer, intending to go up the steps to seize her.

Wen Shu felt icy cold all over. Just as she was considering whether it would be feasible to rush over, pull the hairpin from Madam Yang’s head, and take her hostage, a Yang family servant ran in from the moon gate opposite them, his face panicked. “Madam, General Li has arrived at our gate.”

Wen Shu’s hand was still trembling with anger, but her eyes brightened instantly.

Madam Yang frowned. “Li Chu?”

She knew that Li Chu had beaten her nephew just last night. How could she not know?

Madam Yang feared unexpected changes the most and blurted out, “Stop her first.”

The servant replied, “She cannot be stopped. She has already entered.”

That was why he said General Li had arrived at their gate, rather than saying she had come to visit.

Wen Shu felt like laughing; she felt that this dialogue was very familiar. It was worthy of General Li—forceful and overbearing. Whether it was mounting a carriage or visiting an estate, she always walked straight in.

Wen Shu instinctively looked ahead and saw Li Chu leading a few servants from the official residence as she crossed the moon gate into the courtyard.

Wen Shu pressed her lips together tightly. Just by looking at that bright, smiling face, she felt inexplicably aggrieved.

Especially when Li Chu looked at her, and with a smile, yet forcefully commanded, “Wen Shu, come here.”