September 13, 2021
The Meeting Hall of the Tianen Marquis Estate.
In the lavishly decorated hall, Lady Hu, the mistress of the Tianen Marquis Estate, sat sternly in the center seat, her face clouded with anger. Lu Xian, standing in the middle of the hall, was tall and corpulent, blessed with a striking appearance reminiscent of a peach blossom. However, Lady Hu, with her slightly sharp triangular eyes, scoffed and scrutinized him judgmentally.
Lu Tai, the Tianen Marquis, was originally a distant relative of the Leiguo Ducal House. He had average talent and character among the vast Leiguo Ducal House clan, and was just a low-ranking officer in the Feather Forest Army, relying on his family's power.
Lady Hu, on the other hand, came from an ordinary merchant family and had never seriously studied or had the refinement of a noble lady. She was naturally outspoken and crafty.
When she married Lu Tai, her family bestowed a generous dowry, which could be considered a perfect combination of "money" and "power." Moreover, her considerable beauty was probably one of the reasons that Lu Tai decided to marry her.
However, she never expected to have such good fortune. Just two years into their marriage and after giving birth to two sons, Lu Tai suddenly gained a great achievement out of nowhere and was honored by the current Emperor with the title of "Tianen Marquis."
Lady Hu went from being an insignificant sparrow to a phoenix on a branch, with a completely different spirit and aura from before.
Lu Xian respectfully greeted Lady Hu and addressed her as "Aunty," bending at the waist. According to their family bloodlines, Lu Xian's great-grandfather and Lu Tai's grandfather were half-brothers. Lu Xian was the legitimate nephew of the Tianen Marquis, so his address of "Aunty" was perfectly appropriate.
In addition to Lady Hu, there were two other guests in the hall.
One of them was a man wearing a blue silk robe with a three-beam crown on his head. He appeared to be in his early thirties. He sat on the guest seat to Lady Hu's left, holding a delicate porcelain teacup in his hands, with one leg crossed and an air of arrogance. He looked at Lu Xian with a disdainful sideways glance.
The other was a young woman about the same age as Lu Xian. She wore a white plum blossom-patterned palace skirt over a silver fox fur vest, with a tall and slender figure and a delicate and charming appearance.
At first glance, the girl appeared to be indifferent and detached, a "woman of the world" who had nothing to do with worldly affairs.
But when she suddenly saw Lu Xian, her eyes lit up, her gaze intense and fixed on his chiseled and masculine face.
From his bold sword-like eyebrows to his bright star-like eyes, to his straight nose and firm lips, and the tanned skin resembling ancient bronze, the girl's eyes scanned every inch of Lu Xian's face.
Then, she quickly assessed his stature—her eyes suddenly shining.
Lu Xian was nearly nine chi tall, with broad shoulders, a slim waist, and long and powerful limbs. His upright figure resembled a tall and unyielding pine tree. Coupled with his determined appearance, he exuded a masculine grandeur that was vastly different from the elegant and refined qualities of the young talents she usually associated with.
But soon, the girl realized her own indiscretion.
She slightly adjusted her sitting posture, composed her expression, and regained her original cold and serene demeanor, like the fragrance of an orchid in a secluded valley.
Lu Xian couldn't help but glance at the girl a few more times.
He had rarely encountered a girl of such beauty in his life before.
In the Leiguo Ducal House, Lu Xian had glimpsed the daughters of the noble families a few times. Those daughters' wealth surpassed their beauty, and they lacked a certain charm that was evident in the girl before him.
However, this girl's beauty seemed ethereal, like a painting or a flower's reflection in water. It felt somehow unreal.
"Ding-dang."
The man next to her covered the teacup and placed it on a small table next to him.
With his right hand on the clean robe and a flick of his fingers, the man said softly, "Lady Hu, as the mistress of the Tianen Marquis Estate, you have authority over all the members of the Lu clan. Please make a decision regarding this matter."
Lady Hu, with a gloomy expression, forced a smile and then forcefully slapped the armrest of her chair, pointing accusingly at Lu Xian.
"Lu Xian, you are truly an unlucky and worthless individual."
Lu Xian was startled by Lady Hu's sudden scolding and looked at her in astonishment, bowing and asking, "Aunty, what did I do wrong?"
Lady Hu looked at him disdainfully and said, "You are embarrassing yourself."
After a brief pause, Lady Hu pointed at the man and said, "You should recognize this Mister Bai Qiong, right?"
Without waiting for Lu Xian to respond, Lady Hu pointed at the girl and said, "You should also know her name, Miss Bai Lu."
She clapped her hands and said in a cold voice, "You are not worthy of her, so hand over the marriage contract and write a 'self-deprecating and morally bankrupt' annulment letter to her. Bring this matter to an end!"
Lu Xian widened his eyes and looked at Lady Hu, then glanced at Mister Bai Qiong.
If he admitted to being "morally bankrupt," it would ruin his future and potentially ruin his entire life in the Great Yinyan Dynasty. It was devastating!
"Is this how you treat a father-in-law?" Lu Xian's voice turned cold.
Bai Qiong's face changed slightly, and he picked up the teacup, taking a big gulp. He didn't utter a word and couldn't be bothered to speak to Lu Xian.
"Do you have no shame? Is this what you call a father-in-law?" Lady Hu slammed the armrest forcefully and berated loudly, "In the Lu clan of the Tianen Marquis Estate, how did we end up with such a shameless and opportunistic scoundrel like you?"
"Shameless and opportunistic?"
A surge of anger rose in Lu Xian's heart. His forehead throbbed with a pulsating vein, his heart pounding.
"Aunty, how can you say that? What have I done wrong?" Lu Xian's voice gradually grew louder as he sternly reprimanded, "While it is true that Miss Bai and I have a marriage contract, that contract was arranged by our ancestors. At that time, not only was I not born, even my father hadn't been born yet. How could Lu Xian, who was born much later, be so 'shameless and opportunistic' and 'clinging to wealth and status'?"
Lady Hu was at a loss for words.
Although she was the mistress of the Tianen Marquis Estate, she had come from a small merchant family and had never received a proper education. She couldn't even recognize more than a few characters.
In the estate, she was tyrannical and arrogant, taking advantage of her position as the mistress. But when it came to reasoning and directly confronting someone, she was not capable.
Bai Qiong sneered, closed the teacup with the lid, and placed it on the small table. He stood up, folded his hands behind his back, walked up to Lu Xian, and stared at him intently.
"Do you think you have a future?" he asked. "Do you think you can make a name for yourself? Do you think you can hold a high rank? Do you think you are worthy of this young lady?"
"Do you not feel ashamed? Do you not feel burdened by the fate of 'shameless and morally bankrupt' in writing the annulment letter?" he continued relentlessly.
Veins throbbed on Lu Xian's forehead.
He remembered the essay topics that Lu Jun, the clan school instructor, assigned to him for the end-of-year evaluations in the past few years. According to Lu Jun, the clan school was a place to "measure talent and impart education," so the essay topics for the end-of-year evaluations were different for each person.
But for four consecutive years, Lu Xian's essay topics were all life-threatening!
Lady Hu grew impatient and scolded, "Enough! How can a toad dare to eat swan meat without considering whether it has the ability?"
"Enough! Mister Bai, Miss Bai, I will make the decision."
"Lu Xian, hand over the marriage contract and write a voluntary annulment letter according to my instructions. This matter is settled."
(End of Chapter)