WBSGVS Chapter 6

Zheng Yihan couldn’t stay any longer and quickly bid farewell to a few colleagues.

Once he left, someone in the teahouse finally realized, “Hey, that person seemed to be the eldest son of the Zheng family?”

“Really?”

“Yes, it’s the Zheng family’s eldest son; I wouldn’t mistake him!” someone said confidently.

However, the onlookers responded, “…So what if he’s the Zheng family’s eldest son? How is he related to us?”

Everyone agreed, “He’s not related to us.”

So, the gossip continued, with everyone excited to have a new piece of news. After learning that Zheng Yihan hurried back after his wife fainted from being mistreated by Zheng’s mother, people started to wonder if he was still concerned about the Ji family.

They were curious whether he would be able to come out of this situation unscathed.

About an incense stick’s worth of time later, new gossip spread through the teahouse: “I just saw the Zheng family’s eldest son being dragged into an alley and beaten by a group of people!”

The teahouse patrons exclaimed, “!!!”

“How thrilling!”

“That’s so ruthless! Isn’t this like beating an official? The Ji family is something.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” a young man defending the general said sternly. “Who saw that it was the Ji family? The general is far away fighting at the border, and his family at home only includes a weak scholar. How could they do such a thing?”

The people who had previously claimed it was the Ji family lowered their heads in shame. “You’re right; it can’t be the Ji family.”

The gossip spreader added, “Yes, yes, I saw it too. It was a group of people in black clothes. I don’t know who they were, but I guess they were people who had enmity with the Zheng family’s eldest son and came to take revenge when they heard he was back.”

“That makes sense!”

Everyone quickly accepted this explanation and believed it. The young officials who had been invited by Zheng Yihan but were later stood up by him had not yet left and overheard the conversation. They initially tried to hold back their laughter out of respect for their colleagues, but eventually, they couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

After laughing, an official with a small mustache shook his head and said, “The Ji family went too far this time.”

“I don’t think so,” another official in a blue robe said, picking up his teacup. “Like they said, who can prove it was the Ji family? Besides, Zheng family went too far this time. The Ji family’s parents and brothers are at the border fighting for the people, and here we are, safely at home, yet we’re bullying their daughter. That’s truly disheartening.”

“Yes, Zhang is right,” the other two officials quickly agreed. “We’ve already done enough by not adding to his troubles, but someone will report him tomorrow.”

“This is a classic case of collateral damage from internal strife.”

Meanwhile, Zheng Yihan, who had been beaten, limped back to the Zheng family home with the help of his attendants.

Before he even entered the courtyard, he was stopped by Mrs. Zhang.

Seeing her son with a bruised face and a twisted leg, Mrs. Zhang was heartbroken. Her eldest son was her most cherished, the one who had endured hardships with her and remained obedient and considerate, even after the younger son arrived.

She immediately started beating her chest and crying out in anger, “The Ji family is so overbearing! What is this? Beating an official—don’t they fear us filing a complaint?”

Zheng Yihan, with a headache from her crying, wanted to offer some comfort but was troubled by Mrs. Zhang’s continued lamenting. He asked, “Mother, what happened with A-Li?”

Mrs. Zhang’s crying suddenly stopped, like a duck with its throat pinched, and she shrank her neck, speaking softly, “I didn’t do much to her. It was just like before, having a meal and serving a bit. Who knew she would faint so easily now?”

“Serving me during meals?” Zheng Yihan was bewildered and didn’t understand why his mother insisted on having Qi Qingli serve. He asked, “Don’t we have enough maids and servants at home?”

Mrs. Zhang felt very wronged. “What’s wrong with that? Isn’t it natural for a wife to serve her mother-in-law? Didn’t I serve your grandmother in the same way?”

Mentioning this, Zheng Yihan felt weak with anger and said helplessly, “Mother, it’s not about you. The situation is different now. A Li is the Ji family’s treasure, and with the border still at war, aren’t we giving people an excuse to criticize us? And I was already reported by the censors a few days ago!”

Bringing up his career, Mrs. Zhang regained some composure, though still unwilling to accept it. Why was she able to be mistreated by her mother-in-law without recourse, while the daughter-in-law had to be so careful?

Especially when the past five years had been like this—why is it different now?

But she held back her feelings, only glaring at her son with red eyes, and said, “What about your injuries? You can’t just let it go like this, can you?”

Zheng Yihan comforted her softly, “It’s nothing, it doesn’t hurt. Besides, the people who beat me might not be the Ji family. They were masked—”

“It was the Ji family!” Mrs. Zhang insisted, her face showing anger. “Wait until the Ji family is back, and I’ll deal with her!”

“Mother!” Zheng Yihan shouted angrily.

At this point, Mrs. Zhang also realized that without enough evidence, speaking up would be pointless. With Qi Qingli’s fainting adding to their guilt, they had no choice but to abandon the issue, increasing their resentment toward the Ji family.

She was determined to make her son take a concubine to show Qi Qingli that her son could live without her, and if she wanted things to go smoothly, she’d have to respect and honor her mother-in-law!

After comforting Mrs. Zhang for a while and finally managing to send her away, Zheng Yihan went to the main courtyard, his mood not improving. Even though he felt more guilty about his wife after being beaten, he couldn’t shake the suspicion that she might have fainted on purpose.

However, upon arrival, he was met with the unpleasant smell of medicine, which made his frustration increase. He limped into the room.

Wan Yue came out with an empty bowl, greeting him with a pale face, “Young Master.”

“Hmm, how is the Madam?” Zheng Yihan forced a faint smile.

Wan Yue, who had initially wanted to ignore him, suddenly felt a sense of relief upon seeing his injuries and guessed what had happened. Her mood improved slightly as she answered, “The Young Madam drank the medicine and is in better spirits, but the doctor said she needs to be on bed rest for a long time and must avoid any strain.”

Zheng Yihan nodded, “Thank you for your hard work. Please go ahead.”

After she left, he continued into the inner chamber, where he saw his wife lying on the bed, eyes closed while a maid read softly to her.

Her arrival made the reading stop.

Qing Li opened her eyes and saw Zheng Yihan with a slightly stern expression. She propped herself up a bit, and the maid quickly placed a soft pillow behind her for support.

Once comfortable, she asked, “Are you here to seek revenge, husband?”

Zheng Yihan’s expression faltered, and he found a seat, forcing a smile. “How could that be?” The effort made his bruises throb with pain, and he had to take several deep breaths before he could speak again.

Qing Li smiled, adding a touch of warmth to her previously indifferent face.

Zheng Yihan suddenly felt his wife was a bit unfamiliar, but when he looked again, she was still the same face. They had been childhood sweethearts and married for five years, their relationship deeper than most couples.

Seeing that his wife didn’t comfort him, he felt a bit wronged and said, “A Li, aren’t you going to ask about my injuries? It hurts…”

What others didn’t know was that he had recognized one of the attackers as Ji Shu Xin!

But he couldn’t say anything; this blood and tears had to be swallowed alone.

Qing Li gave a perfunctory nod, “Yes, it must hurt.”

“It does…” Zheng Yihan nodded vigorously, but holding Qing Li’s hand, he softly said, “But seeing you, it doesn’t hurt anymore.”

Qing Li smiled, “But I’m still in pain.”

Zheng Yihan: “Huh?”

Qing Li withdrew her hand, her lips still curled in a faint smile, her eyes glistening with tears. “Husband, I’ve discovered that my mother dislikes me. It’s one thing to disregard me when I come to pay respects, but this time, I even coughed up blood, and she still made me get up early to pay my respects. When I was late because of a headache, she said I was deliberately being lazy…”

As she spoke, her tears slowly began to fall, causing Zheng Yihan’s heartache.

But since she was complaining about her mother, he couldn’t say anything. He could only keep repeating, “Ah Li, I’m so sorry.”

Qing Li wiped away her tears. “It is indeed unfair! Husband, how are you going to make it up to me?”

Zheng Yihan was at a loss for words, too embarrassed to even look his wife in the eye.

He couldn’t seek justice for her or compensate her in any other way. What could the daughter of the Ji family possibly lack? He probably didn’t have anything more valuable than what she already had.

After waiting a moment and seeing that he remained silent, Qing Li let out a bitter smile.

Zheng Yihan blushed deeply and muttered, “Ah Li, I…”

Qing Li lowered her gaze and feigned distress. “Husband I don’t mind so much about all this. But when she said she wanted Miss Su to be her daughter-in-law, what does that mean? Is she so unwilling to accept me?”

“That’s not it. My mother was just being unreasonable,” Zheng Yihan said, sweating profusely as he quickly tried to explain.

Qing Li shook her head. “She’s not!” Her voice grew louder as she became more upset. “Husband, you don’t know. Two days before you came back, my mother persistently urged me to remarry. On the day you returned, she even sent me bright clothes to wear. If I had agreed, would she have had you divorce me when you came back?!”

Zheng Yihan, who had already been feeling overwhelmed, was shocked by her words. “You said my mother urged you to remarry?”

Qing Li, with red-rimmed eyes, nodded. “Yes! But I didn’t want to. On the day you came back, my mother told me to go out and offer incense for you and also told me to dress up. She made me new clothes for the first time, and they were very bright. But thinking of you, I didn’t wear them, and then you returned…”

What more could Zheng Yihan need to know?

He had sent a letter to his mother in advance. His mother knew the date of his return and deliberately didn’t tell Qing Li, and even advised her to remarry.

Of course, he knew his mother couldn’t have genuinely wanted Qing Li to remarry.

Even if she were a fool, she should know his status. Marrying the daughter of a great general is a significant match.

But Zheng Yihan could still guess the underlying meaning of the situation.

Although he knew, he couldn’t say anything, and he could only try hard to comfort her. “Ah Li, don’t overthink it. My mother personally went to the Yue family to propose marriage to you. She must like you very much. Perhaps she thought I was dead and would never return, and she wanted to spare you more pain.”

Qing Li tilted her head, pretending to be hurt. “I don’t believe it!”

Zheng Yihan was very firm. “It’s true. No one knew I was coming back. Mother was only trying to do what’s best for you…”

He exhausted his brain trying to convince both his wife and himself, and after finally calming her down, he was drenched in sweat and felt even more exhausted than reciting a book of poetry.

A couple of days ago, Zheng Yihan had thought of staying the night with his wife, but now he felt he needed to leave. He wanted to take a bath and then rest properly.

However, just as he turned to leave, his sleeve was pulled.

Zheng Yihan looked confused. “What’s the matter?”

Qing Li looked at him with pleading eyes. “Husband, I haven’t been sleeping well these past few nights. I’ve been having nightmares, dreaming that I listened to Mother-in-law’s advice, wore bright clothes to the door, and you came back. You’d blame me, thinking I was going to remarry…”

Zheng Yihan said, “…That won’t happen.”

“Then stay with me?” Qing Li asked softly. “With you here, I won’t be scared when I wake up from a nightmare.”

Zheng Yihan’s heart immediately softened. He nodded in agreement. “Alright, let go. I’ll wash up and come back to stay with you.”

“Okay.” Qing Li nodded obediently and let go.

That night, the couple slept in the same bed for the first time in more than half a year. Wan Yue was on night duty and initially sneered privately because she was resentful of Zheng Yihan.

But after hearing the noises in the room for most of the night, she began to gloat.

In the room, Qing Li lay awake and tugged at Zheng Yihan beside her, calling out anxiously, “Husband!”

Zheng Yihan, who was just about to fall asleep, was jolted awake and hurriedly asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just can’t sleep and wanted to call you.”

“…” Zheng Yihan was silent for a moment, resignedly comforting her, “Alright, go to sleep now.”

Qing Li replied, “Mm.”

However, just a short while later, she called out again, “Husband~~~”

Her voice was soft and somewhat shy as if she was very embarrassed, and yet she perfectly timed it to wake Zheng Yihan, who was almost asleep.

After a little while, she switched tactics, waking up from a nightmare, crying, and insisting on not sleeping until she confirmed that Zheng Yihan was beside her. Only then would she calm down a little.

Sometimes Zheng Yihan was so annoyed that he asked, “Ah Li, are you blaming me?”

Qing Li, equally tired but unwilling to sleep, looked innocent. “How could I?”

Zheng Yihan sighed heavily, resigned to continue comforting her.

With his gentle reassurances, Qing Li closed her eyes, feeling the sounds around her growing softer until they disappeared. She subtly curled her lips into a smile, but the next second, she was awake again, grabbing Zheng Yihan and calling out, “Husband!”

Zheng Yihan was startled, his heart pounding painfully, and his eyes felt heavy.

But Qing Li didn’t care. Since she had been wronged by his mother, she naturally wanted to get some revenge. It was no fun tormenting Zhang Shi; torturing her favorite son was far more satisfying. She continued to feign distress, “I’m scared~~~”

Zheng Yihan: “…”

He was scared too!

Really!

After one night, the teapot had been emptied three times, Zheng Yihan’s mouth was dry from talking too much, and he kept drinking water.

When dawn finally broke, it was time to go to court.

But Zheng Yihan had stayed up all night, endured countless moments of being jolted awake from nearly falling asleep, his heart racing wildly, feeling like he was floating, and his eyes barely able to open. By the time he got to the court, he was desperate for sleep.

After all, in the grand Hall of Supreme Harmony, standing at the back, he was quite inconspicuous. The voices from the front didn’t reach him.

Plus, court sessions usually lasted over an hour, with the ministers arguing. But since they were literati, their voices were reasoned and unhurried, which made it an ideal sleep aid.

And so, he did fall asleep.

Until he heard someone calling his name.

In his daze, Zheng Yihan thought it was his wife scared again and irritably replied, “What now?!”

The surrounding debates suddenly fell silent, creating an eerie quiet.