Waking Up to an Imperial Marriage with My Archenemy - Chapter 20

On the other side of the city, Zheng Wei was a walking powder keg. Having been humiliated twice in one day and by women he utterly despised, he felt as though his very internal organs were being incinerated by rage.

In his worldview, women were meant to be playthings for men. How could they be allowed to enter the imperial court and flaunt their authority? He blamed the spineless weaklings of the previous dynasty who had let a woman climb onto the throne, setting a precedent for female governance. Otherwise, these women would be doing what ancient rites dictated: staying home, waiting to be married off, and awaiting a man’s favor. They would never have the chance to show their faces in public, let alone exert power.

He spent the entire afternoon in a foul temper, inventing flaws in his subordinates’ performance just to give them a public whipping to vent his frustration. When he returned home that evening and crossed the vestibule, he was greeted by the sounds of a heated argument, punctuated by the faint, rhythmic wailing of a woman.

Zheng Wei rounded the corner of the hall and entered the main courtyard. The doors to the central parlor were wide open. Inside, Chen Huiru was screaming as she yanked a woman by her hair. Seated nearby were his hypocritical father, his dull-witted older brother, and his sister-in-law, Lady Wang who was busy playing the “peacemaker” as usual.

Several maids and hags were peeking in from the outside; the moment they saw Zheng Wei, they scattered like startled rats.

“What is all this racket in the middle of the night?” Zheng Wei’s mood was already abysmal; seeing Chen Huiru’s tyranny only added fuel to the fire. He couldn’t stand the sight of an overbearing woman right now, yet here she was, in full predator mode.

“Master, you’re finally back! You must protect me.” The woman on the floor saw Zheng Wei and tried to crawl toward him, crying out in agony. However, Chen Huiru yanked her back by the scalp and silenced her with a sharp slap across the face before she could get two words out.

Disheveled hair covered the woman’s face, one cheek was already swollen, and the skin of her arms visible through her torn sleeves was a map of scratches and bloody welts. It took Zheng Wei several moments to recognize her as one of his concubines, Pei Shuang.

He had many concubines, but being a man who tired of the old and favored the new, he preferred “hunting” outside. He hadn’t even looked at Pei Shuang in three or four months. In his memory, she was a timid, submissive creature; he couldn’t imagine how she had managed to provoke Chen Huiru.

“Whore! You dared to steal my things!” Chen Huiru didn’t even spare Zheng Wei a glance as she backhanded Pei Shuang again.

Zheng Baorong and Zheng Yi sat in silence, watching the spectacle. Lady Wang, noting the darkening, predatory glint in Zheng Wei’s eyes, stepped forward to smooth things over. “Oh, sister, why such a temper? And you, Pei Shuang—if you stole something, just admit it. We’ll finish the punishment according to house rules and be done with it. It’s better than suffering like this.”

“I was framed! I really didn’t steal the Lady’s thi—AAAH!” Pei Shuang’s sentence was cut short by a sharp tug on her scalp.

“The items were found in your room, and you still dare to lie!” Chen Huiru shrieked.

“Enough. What exactly was stolen?” Zheng Wei asked, his brow furrowed in irritation.

Chen Huiru ignored him. Lady Wang signaled one of the maids from Chen Huiru’s quarters, who brought forward a cloth bundle filled with assorted jewelry.

“Answering the Second Master: when the Lady returned to her room after dinner, she found several pieces missing from her vanity. Suspecting an inside thief, she ordered a search of every room. The items were eventually found in Concubine Pei’s quarters.”

“I didn’t! Someone must have planted them there.”

Seeing Pei Shuang continue to protest, Chen Huiru raised her hand for another slap, but this time, Zheng Wei caught her wrist mid-air.

“What do you think you’re doing? Let go!” Chen Huiru glared at him, barking the command.

“Let her finish her explanation,” Zheng Wei said coldly.

Lady Wang forced a smile. “That’s right, sister. Perhaps it’s a misunderstanding? Don’t be so hasty; we have her trapped, she can’t run. Let’s hear what she has to say.”

“What is there to say when she was caught with the loot?” Chen Huiru tried to wrench her arm away, but Zheng Wei’s grip was like iron. Enraged, she let go of Pei Shuang’s hair and jabbed a finger at Zheng Wei’s nose. “Who do you think you are? Look at you, bringing every piece of trash into this estate and then ignoring them. You go out and play your games, and when I try to discipline a thieving whore for you, you take her side?”

Zheng Wei, who had been suppressing a mountain of resentment all day, finally snapped. He gave Chen Huiru a violent shove.

She stumbled back, nearly hitting the floor if not for Zheng Baorong catching her.

“You godforsaken bastard! You dare hit me? Why don’t you just kill me then? Go on!” Chen Huiru pulled open her collar, baring her throat, and screamed at the top of her lungs. “Come on! Draw your sword and cut right here! Kill me and everyone will have some peace!”

Chen Huiru’s shrieking, shrewish face merged perfectly with the face from his nightmare the night before. Zheng Wei’s eyes turned bloodshot. With a sharp shing, he actually drew his blade.

Lady Wang jumped in horror, frantically nudging her husband. Together, the couple rushed forward to restrain Zheng Wei.

“She’s just angry and talking nonsense, why take it so far?” Zheng Yi gripped Zheng Wei’s hand, prying the sword away. He lowered his voice to a whisper: “Killing is a small matter, but she is a Chen. If you kill her, how will you answer to the Chen family?”

Zheng Wei stood there, chest heaving as he glared at Chen Huiru. After a long silence, he finally let go of the tension. With a furious grunt, he turned and stormed out.

This only made Chen Huiru bolder. Her shrill laughter followed him out: “Hahahaha! I knew you didn’t have the guts! You coward who can only crawl under a woman’s skirt, you call yourself a man? Ptu!”

“Sister, please, say less.” Lady Wang’s placating voice drifted off into the distance, followed by the voice of his wretched father.

“Huiru, don’t be angry. Don’t ruin your health over this. It’s just some jewelry; I’ll buy you more later. Don’t take it to heart.”

Standing under the covered walkway, Zheng Wei could still hear the muffled voices from the hall. The more he thought, the angrier he became. He slammed his fist into a wooden pillar with a muffled thud.

“Ah!” A soft gasp came from behind him.

Zheng Wei turned to see Pei Shuang. She had followed him and was standing nearby, seemingly terrified by his violent outburst. She was covering her mouth with wide, trembling eyes full of anxiety and panic.

In the past, Zheng Wei found her boring. He liked two types of women: the fiery, passionate ones he could play with wildly, and the virtuous, “pure” ones whose futile resistance and silent tears under him gave him a twisted sense of pleasure. A submissive, cotton-soft creature like Pei Shuang offered him nothing. He couldn’t even remember why he had brought her into the house in the first place.

“What are you doing here?” Zheng Wei demanded.

“I, I was afraid that if you left, the Lady would beat me to death.” Pei Shuang said, her voice trailing off as tears began to fall.

Normally, Zheng Wei would have found this annoying. But today, having been trampled by powerful women all day, her submissiveness felt exceptionally soothing.

This is how a woman should be, he thought. Relying on a man for everything. How could such creatures ever be allowed to ride over a man’s head?

Looking at Pei Shuang, the fire in his chest began to cool. For the first time all day, he felt his masculinity restored. A sense of satisfaction seeped into his bones.

“So, what really happened?” Zheng Wei asked, his voice softening. “Why would you steal her things?”

“How would I ever dare steal from the Lady? It’s because, it’s because.” Pei Shuang looked at him, then lowered her eyes and sobbed.

“Because of what? Don’t be afraid. Tell me.”

“This morning, I felt restless in my room, so I went for a walk in the garden. I never expected to stumble upon the Lady and A-Quan doing that kind of business.” Pei Shuang covered her face with a handkerchief, her voice trembling with sobs. “My parents are both dead; I am all alone. To have food and clothes in the Duke’s Estate is a blessing from eight lifetimes.”

“Her jewelry—I can’t wear it, and if I sold it, I’d have nowhere to spend the money. Why would I provoke her? Besides, when she goes to eat, are there no servants guarding her room? How could I possibly steal anything? She clearly hates me for walking in on her ‘affair’ and is using this as an excuse to kill me.”

A-Quan was a manservant in the estate. Hearing this, Zheng Wei’s mind flashed back to his nightmare. With a roar of fury, he drew his blade and hacked a thick emerald bamboo stalk outside the walkway in two.

Pei Shuang fell to her knees in terror, clutching the hem of his robe. “Master, please, calm your anger! I shouldn’t have spoken out of turn. Please don’t be angry anymore—if the Lady hears.”

“What if she hears?” Zheng Wei was beyond livid. He took several steps back toward the central hall and bellowed at the top of his lungs: “I’m saying it now! If she ever dares to commit such a shameful act again, I will personally see her dead!”

Behind him, Pei Shuang remained bowed low. The fragile, weak expression was gone. In her cold eyes, there flickered a sharp, unwavering light of pure hatred.