Chapter 479 – Ghost Marriage, The Indignant Widow (Part Two)
Stepmother Gu Zhen admired her armor, disdain dancing in her eyes.
“Lady Zhang must have heard by now, the Liu Residence has no one you desire. If you keep making a scene, bullying our second house without a male heir, this matter will truly never end. The Zhang clan may be a prominent family, but you? What do you even count as!”
Stepmother Gu Zhen’s words turned Lady Zhang’s face ashen, her gaze burning with venomous fury.
She took a deep breath, fists clenched tight, her long nails digging into her palms, a wicked grin forming on her face.
“What does Lady Meng mean by that? The facts are clear; you’ve taken our Young Mistress from the Zhang family! Don’t say your master isn’t present, even Liu Zhongqing must give an explanation!”
Lady Zhang mocked Gu Zhen with a sarcastic tone, heavily emphasizing the term “Lady Meng.”
Everyone knew the dirt on Stepmother Gu Zhen; who didn’t in Hejian’s social circles?
Her original husband was Meng Zhan from Cangzhou, but after training restlessness in her heart, she divorced him and married her brother-in-law, a woman without shame, indeed.
A good woman should only marry once, a girl should only have one husband; how can a woman like Gu Zhen, who has lost her moral backbone, not be thrown into the water by the Liu clan?
Hearing Lady Zhang’s jab, Gu Zhen’s already sullen face grew even darker.
Lady Zhang thought she held the upper hand and wore a smug expression.
“Once a woman marries, she is to honor her husband and stick to him for life, that’s the model example, the pinnacle of feminine virtue. I hear Lady Meng was restless even in Cangzhou, what a woman unanchored! That Meng Zhan left you for familial respect. Not that I’m being overly vocal, but Lady Meng should truly reflect on the Four Books of Women and discern what it means to have virtue.”
Upon this declaration, the room fell silent.
Lady Die exchanged a sidelong glance at Stepmother Gu Zhen, whose expression darkened ominously.
Stepmother Gu Zhen sipped her tea, suppressing the rage bubbling inside her.
Lady Zhang continued, “My daughter-in-law, restless by nature, absconded unceremoniously, such vile behavior tarnishes the Zhang family’s hundred-year reputation. We naturally must seize her back and question her properly, and as for you, Lady Meng… I advise you to stick to your own troubles, there’s enough chaos in your own life, ha…!”
Stepmother Gu Zhen leaned against the table and hurled her teacup directly at Lady Zhang’s face, splattering her with tea and stains as a fit of joyous laughter escaped her.
The room was plunged into a tense silence, only Lady Zhang’s outburst and Stepmother Gu Zhen’s melodious laughter broke through.
“I, Gu Zhen, hail from a true noble family; when it comes to knowledge and upbringing, it’s not for you, a fallen family girl, to speak upon.” Stepmother Gu Zhen tossed off her sleeves, her posture proud, “You, Zhang Zhao, as an orphaned daughter who wed the Zhang family’s only son, have indeed received some fortune. But seeing yourself as insignificant must have made you feel inferior, viewing your husband as the center of your universe… I can understand that. After all, those Four Books are cherished by the most self-effacing women. Am I right or what?”
Lady Zhang’s eyes glinted dangerously, sensing the deadly intent emitted from Jiang Nong Qin, who instantly reacted.
She moved to apprehend Lady Zhang, and Zhang’s entourage, realizing the situation was dire, attempted to intervene but found themselves subdued under the House Servants of the Liu Residence.
“Acting up at our Liu Residence, how could Lady Zhang not examine what situation our Liu family is in? Furthermore, you must remember one thing…” Stepmother Gu Zhen, proud and imposing, stepped closer to Lady Zhang, grasping her chin firmly with her armored fingers.
“Call me Lady Liu, misname me, and it could mean your life.”
Lady Zhang’s heart raced at these words, suddenly realizing why her previous attempts to retrieve Shangguan Wan from the Liu Residence had failed.
Hearing the threat of death, she panicked, her heart pounding wildly, her face paling.
“Y-you dare?!”
She didn’t intend to come personally to fetch someone, yet Shangguan Wan leaving behind a letter requesting a divorce had truly struck at Zhang’s pride.
Lady Zhang couldn’t hold back her fury any longer, arriving on New Year’s Day for retribution against the Liu family, also hoping to teach them a lesson.
But she forgot that in the face of absolute power, all the noise and chaos were meaningless!
Ever since the Four Books swept through Hejian, Gu Zhen had been ostracized by a crowd of noble ladies, avoiding her at every social gathering.
However, they also overlooked one thing—Gu Zhen preferred to stay at home, disinterested in mingling with them.
But Gu Zhen’s prolonged absence created an illusion—
Liu Zhi’s wife, Gu Zhen, a woman with two husbands, unworthy of standing at the same platform.
Stepmother Gu Zhen asked incredulously, “Why wouldn’t I dare? Who gave Lady Zhang the delusion that I wouldn’t?”
Finishing her sentence, she abruptly tightened her grip on Lady Zhang’s jaw, pulling her close.
With her full lips, Stepmother’s chilling words sent shivers down Lady Zhang’s spine.
“You come from a small family, your horizon is narrow as it gets. After reading those trivial Four Books, your already dim-witted mind has become even more foolish. If you doubt this, you can question your husband when you return, ask him if I were to bring a group and smash through your Zhang family’s door, would he dare speak back? If he utters even a word, I’ll rewrite the name Gu Zhen backward!”
Releasing Lady Zhang’s jaw, Gu Zhen elegantly wiped her hands, as if she had touched something filthy.
“Oh right, just as I suspected—coming from a humble background, how quaint…”
Lady Zhang’s face turned a deadly shade of pale, but with Jiang Nong Qin clutching her like a hawk’s talon, she couldn’t break free.
“Since Lady Zhang is so well-versed in the Four Books of Women, can you enlighten me—is a woman whose body has been seen by a strange man supposed to die for atonement?” Stepmother Gu Zhen returned to her seat lazily, leaning against the table, “I remember before you wed, you lived by the needle and thread, frequently out dealing with merchants. One year you fell into the water and were rescued by a few passing farmers… Tsk tsk, I wonder how many green hats you’ve placed upon your husband’s head?”
Stepmother Gu Zhen covered her mouth with her sleeve, her eyes glinting with mischief.
“This matter cannot be ignored, I might just drop by and ask your family’s patriarch if such a shameless woman like you ought to be thrown into the water, to preserve the Zhang family’s reputation. After all, hunger is minor, losing virtue is significant; Lady Zhang, you ought to die to maintain your purity!”
Lady Zhang’s face drained of color, fearing Stepmother Gu Zhen might just take her life.
Though she didn’t truly believe Gu Zhen would dare, her life was paramount, too risky to gamble.
“Please leave!”
Stepmother Gu Zhen’s expression suddenly turned cold, waving her hand, Nong Qin effortlessly ushering the noble Lady Zhang out as if she were handling a chick.
Lady Die chuckled, “Madam, you’re truly not afraid of trouble.”
Stepmother Gu Zhen shot a sidelong glance, nonchalantly saying, “With my brother-in-law backing me up, what do I have to fear?”
