Volume One, Chapter 16: If You Refuse to Obey, She Must Die

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“I have already investigated thoroughly. It was not Wan’er who pushed Su Yan’er into the water at the birthday banquet. It was she...”

“So what? She has confessed. What difference does it make whether she pushed her or not? Her incessant crying and shouting disrupted everyone’s enjoyment at the banquet. As the legitimate daughter of the Marquis’s household, she has shown such a lack of manners. I truly don’t understand what you see in her,” Empress Shen said firmly, leaving Xiao Jingyu no chance to argue.

He knew what kind of temperament his mother had, but he still refused to give up.

“Mother, no one is without fault. Since Wan’er has already acknowledged her mistake, why not give her a chance to make amends?”

Empress Shen looked at Xiao Jingyu, truly wondering whether he was genuinely foolish or merely pretending.

Since that was the case, she no longer intended to hide anything. Frowning slightly, she sighed and said, “I never expected to have such a foolish son. You are my child, and although His Majesty has not yet appointed a crown prince, most of the ministers support you. The position of crown prince belongs to no one but you.

But to ensure everything goes smoothly, you cannot marry that girl from the Qin family. I have already arranged everything for you. The woman you are to marry is your cousin, Shen Siyu!”

The Shen family is the Duke of the Nation’s household, renowned for their military achievements and controlling half the military power. Empress Shen is the legitimate daughter of the Shen family, and the Duke of the Nation is her eldest brother.

Currently, the Shen family supports Xiao Jingyu, but Empress Shen dared not take a chance. If Shen Siyu were to marry another prince, her elder brother would naturally prioritize his own daughter.

Moreover, the Qin family is only a marquis’s household. In terms of merits and status, it falls far short of the Shen family. Therefore, for the sake of the crown prince position, Xiao Jingyu must marry Shen Siyu.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingyu stood frozen, his mind filled with the image of Shen Siyu’s face. But he did not like her, nor did he wish to marry someone he did not love.

“What if I refuse?”

He could not understand why, as the fourth prince, he could not decide his own marriage. He wanted to fight for it.

Seeing Xiao Jingyu so stubbornly unyielding, Empress Shen raised her hand and slammed it heavily on the nearby table.

“If you refuse, don’t blame me for being ruthless!” This was no threat. “Do you think I wouldn’t have found out what happened at the banquet? Did I need you to tell me? Do you know why I didn’t expose everything?”

Hearing this, Xiao Jingyu broke out in goosebumps, looking at Empress Shen in disbelief, stammering, “It was you?”

Empress Shen snorted coldly. “Yes, it was me. If you hadn’t been so infatuated with the Qin family girl, to the point of refusing to marry anyone else, I wouldn’t have had to set such a trap. But I truly did not expect the Qin family to go along with my plan and blame Su Yan’er’s drowning on Qin Wan. I had already arranged witnesses, but in the end, they were unnecessary.”

On that day, Empress Shen had also been surprised. She had arranged guards to strike Su Yan’er when she reached the middle of the bridge, causing her to fall into the water, then framed Qin Wan, who was nearby.

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She had thought the Qin family would defend Qin Wan, but instead, they insisted that Qin Wan pushed Su Yan’er into the water. This was unexpected, yet brilliant.

Empress Shen continued, “I originally planned to send her to Lei Mountain Temple to reflect quietly, citing her lack of manners since she refused to admit her guilt. But unexpectedly, she confessed. I had no choice but to punish her with twenty strokes as a warning.”

At this, a trace of regret appeared on Empress Shen’s face. If only she had not confessed and kept denying, it would have been much easier to destroy her completely.

“However, if you still intend to marry her as your legitimate wife, I have many ways to ruin her!” Empress Shen’s tone grew low and authoritative, leaving no room for refusal.

Xiao Jingyu was stunned. Learning the truth, he staggered and sank into a chair, his back cold, sweat breaking out all over him as if he had fallen into an icy pit.

It turned out that everything at the birthday banquet happened because of him, and Wan’er didn’t deserve such treatment.

Knowing Empress Shen’s ruthlessness, Xiao Jingyu dared not gamble anymore. He could not afford to lose. If he continued to resist, Wan’er’s life might be at stake.

Empress Shen looked at Xiao Jingyu, who was terrified beyond measure. She stepped down from her seat and approached him, changing her tone from oppressive to gentle.

“If you listen to me, I promise I will no longer harm Qin Wan. She will still be a legitimate daughter of the Qin family!”

This was the choice she offered—and his only option.

Tears welled up in Xiao Jingyu’s eyes as he glared resentfully at Empress Shen, his clenched fists bulging with veins.

Seeing this, Empress Shen’s heart tightened briefly, but she quickly calmed herself. He was still trapped in love. Once he moved past this phase, he would thank her.

“I have already informed His Majesty about your marriage to the Shen family. The imperial edict will be issued soon. You’d better not cause any more trouble during this time!”

Though Empress Shen resided in the inner palace and could not interfere with state affairs, she could still control her son’s marriage. His Majesty was so eager to match him with Qin Wan precisely to prevent him from marrying Shen Siyu and gaining the Shen family’s support.

Xiao Jingyu was Empress Shen’s own son, and the emperor did not want him to slip out of control. Therefore, the bride’s status could neither be too low nor too high, making the Qin family the best choice.

Unfortunately, Qin Wan’s lack of manners and domineering behavior had spread throughout Wind City, so this marriage had to be abandoned.

Xiao Jingyu didn’t know how he left the Palace of Compassion and Tranquility. His head was heavy and foggy, Empress Shen’s words repeating endlessly in his mind.

“Brother!” The fifth prince, Xiao Jingyan’s call snapped Xiao Jingyu out of his daze.

“What’s wrong, brother?” Xiao Jingyan hurried over, concerned as he saw Xiao Jingyu’s lost expression.

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Xiao Jingyu quickly regained composure and shook his head at Xiao Jingyan. “It’s nothing. Are you going out of the palace?”

“I heard that Fan Tower has invited a new troupe for tonight’s performance. I’m going to watch. Do you want to come?” Xiao Jingyan didn’t pry further; if Xiao Jingyu didn’t want to talk, there was no use asking.

“No, I have other things to do tonight.”

“Alright then, I won’t disturb you!” Xiao Jingyan bowed and took his leave.

Watching Xiao Jingyan’s retreating figure, Xiao Jingyu sighed. If his mother were a less favored consort, or if he were a more carefree prince like Xiao Jingyan, perhaps he could have married Wan’er.

Night fell.

At the Pingding Marquis’s residence.

The events of the day had left everyone unhappy. Han Shu cried again and again, and no amount of coaxing from the men could soothe her.

Upon hearing the news, the elderly matriarch Qin was furious. She immediately ordered Qin Huai to lift Qin Wan’s house arrest, but despite being freed, Qin Wan still refused to leave.

“Miss, Nurse Sun is here. The matriarch sent some tonic medicine and insists on watching you drink it,” said Wan Shuang.

“Let her come in,” Wan Shuang replied weakly, lying on the bed with her swollen face still showing bruises from the beating.

Nurse Sun entered carrying the tonic. She dared not delay, fearing the medicine might cool on the way here; now was the perfect time to drink it.

“Fourth Miss, the matriarch heard that your injuries have worsened and specially ordered me to bring this tonic. Please drink it quickly.”

Wan Shuang brought the tonic to Qin Wan, who lay sideways in the candlelight, her swollen and reddened face even more apparent.

Seeing this, Nurse Sun’s heart ached. She had watched the young miss grow up. Although miss was a bit mischievous, her nature was not bad. She had never seen her punished so severely before. The heir’s hand was truly merciless!