The Young Master Becomes a Wife Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Refusing to Take the Blame  

Jiang Chenghan was jolted awake by a piercing scream. The vigilance honed from years on the battlefield made him open his eyes instantly, and he instinctively tried to roll to his feet. However, his throbbing, dizzy head, weak and limp limbs, and the heavy weight pressing down on him left him momentarily immobilized.  

Looking down, he saw a figure lying on top of him—long, disheveled black hair veiling the face and most of the body. Their exposed skin was just as bare as his own, with only a thin blanket barely covering their waist and hips.  

After a brief moment of shock, Jiang Chenghan’s expression turned grave. Without hesitation, he mustered what little strength he could summon and shoved the unconscious figure off himself, rolling it onto the far side of the bed.  

Once the figure lay still, he pushed aside the tangled hair obscuring the face—revealing delicate, refined features.  

When Jiang Chenghan recognized the familiar face before him, realization dawned.  

This person was none other than Yan Jingshu, the second young master of the Duke of Anguo’s family. Not long ago, Jiang Chenghan had accompanied his superior to the Duke's residence for the Duke mother's birthday celebrations, where Yan Jingshu had assisted his father, the Duke, in receiving guests.  

But the Yan Jingshu before him now was nothing like the composed and dignified young man he had first met. His brows were slightly furrowed, his face flushed, his eyes tightly shut. His lips, tinged red, parted slightly as he let out rapid, labored breaths. His entire body was feverishly hot, radiating an unnatural warmth, his expression one of extreme discomfort.  

"Young Master Yan, Young Master Yan—" Jiang Chenghan called out several times, but Yan Jingshu showed no signs of waking. Frowning in concern, Jiang Chenghan grew increasingly uneasy.  

"Young Master!" A startled cry rang out. Jiang Chenghan turned to see a young maid, no more than seven or eight years old, staring wide-eyed in shock at Yan Jingshu behind him.  

"You—"  

Judging by her attire, Jiang Chenghan recognized her as a maid of the Duke’s household. But before he could finish speaking, the little maid, startled by his sudden voice, trembled violently. As if snapping out of a dream, she spun around and stumbled out of the room, screaming in panic as she ran, "Help! Someone, come quickly! Something’s happened to the Second Young Master! Help—!"  

Jiang Chenghan was too late to stop her, watching helplessly as the maid vanished in an instant. Swallowing his words, he rubbed his temples, which throbbed even more painfully from the maid’s shrieking. Then, he pulled a brocade quilt over Yan Jingshu and got out of bed himself, picking through the scattered clothes on the floor to find his own and dressing piece by piece.  

As he was putting them on, several more people burst into the room - men and women alike, all wearing identical expressions of shock at the scene before them. Jiang Chenghan glanced at them, recognizing them as servants of the Duke’s household, and addressed the one at the front.  

"Your Second Young Master is ill. Go fetch a physician at once." When the man remained frozen, unresponsive, Jiang Chenghan frowned and said sternly, "Hurry! If you delay and worsen your young master’s condition, do you want a beating?"  

That snapped the man out of it. "I—I’ll go right away!" he stammered before bolting from the room.  

Next, Jiang Chenghan turned to the remaining two. "Could one of you go to the main banquet hall and summon the Duke of Anguo, Lord Yan, as well as General Kou from the General’s residence? My name is Jiang Chenghan. Here is my token, give it to General Kou." With that, he handed over the token he had just retrieved from the pile of disheveled clothes.  

This time, he didn’t need to repeat himself. The quicker-witted of the two servants took the token and scurried off to deliver the message.  

That left a maid, about fifteen or sixteen years old. Though she didn’t move, her eyes kept darting toward Yan Jingshu on the bed, her face full of worry and anxiety.  

She desperately wanted to check on her young master, but the towering, imposing figure of Jiang Chenghan - whose origins were unknown, blocked her path, leaving her too intimidated to act.  

Jiang Chenghan noticed her hesitation and stepped aside to make way. The maid immediately rushed to the bedside, calling Yan Jingshu’s name repeatedly. But like Jiang Chenghan earlier, she couldn't wake him up, leaving her no choice but to fret anxiously by his side.  

Seeing that the maid wasn’t causing any trouble, Jiang Chenghan found a chair and sat down, lost in thought.  

Today’s incident involved the Second Young Master of the Duke of Anguo’s family. If it wasn’t resolved properly, he might never leave the Duke’s residence alive. Moreover, since he had been dragged into this mess, he needed to get to the bottom of it. He refused to be someone else’s scapegoat.  

Certainly, with his usual skills, even if he wanted to force his way out of the Duke's residence, no one could stop him. However, it was unclear what he had been drugged with. Though his mind was clear, his body was utterly exhausted, as if he had just fought on the battlefield for three days and nights until completely drained. A deep emptiness and weakness radiated from within, leaving him barely able to walk.  

Moreover, he feared that leaving might invite further schemes or put Yan Jingshu at risk, and in the end, the blame would likely fall on him. Thus, he decided to stay for the time being.  

Before long, hurried and disorderly footsteps approached from outside the window. Jiang Chenghan turned his head toward the door and saw the Duke of Anguo striding in with a grim expression, followed by a middle-aged man and a familiar maid.  

The Duke’s eyes immediately locked onto Jiang Chenghan, and his already unpleasant expression darkened further. Before he could speak, the maid pointed at Jiang Chenghan - now fully dressed, and cried out urgently, "My lord, I wasn’t lying! This man was lying on Second Young Master’s bed earlier. I saw it with my own eyes! And Second Young Master, neither of them was wearing—"  

"Silence!" Before she could finish, the middle-aged man in a dark brown silk robe behind the Duke sharply cut her off. 

As the steward of the Duke’s residence, Yan Zhong was not as ignorant or imprudent as this maid. Even if what she said was true, matters concerning Yan Jingshu’s reputation and dignity were not for her to casually discuss.  

Though Yan Zhong silenced the maid, it was already too late. Hearing her words, the Duke’s glare at Jiang Chenghan grew fiercer, his eyes burning with barely suppressed fury. 

Jiang Chenghan had mentally prepared himself and remained calm. He stood up steadily and was about to speak when the Duke abruptly disregarded him. At the sight of Yan Jingshu lying unconscious on the bed, the Duke’s anger was instantly replaced by frantic worry.  

"Shu’er—" Heart aching for his son, the Duke rushed to the bedside. But after calling Yan Jingshu’s name repeatedly with no response, his brow furrowed tightly "What happened to the Second Young Master?"  

The maid guarding Yan Jingshu trembled under the Duke’s unusually stern gaze, her legs giving way as she knelt. Tearfully, she stammered, "I-I don’t know, my lord. When I entered, the Second Young Master was already like this. No matter how much I called, he wouldn’t wake up. At the time… at the time, aside from the Second Young Master, the only other person in the room was… was that Young Master Jiang…"  

As her trembling voice trailed off, the Duke’s gaze returned to Jiang Chenghan, the fury in his eyes even more intense than before.  

With Yan Jingshu unconscious and unresponsive, the Duke’s anxiety and heartache only fueled his rage toward Jiang Chenghan, the apparent culprit. His face flushed with anger, and his finger shook as he pointed at Jiang Chenghan, roaring, "You—what have you done to my son?! You beast! Guards—seize this shameless scoundrel, seize him at once!"  

Having heard the maid’s report of Yan Jingshu’s condition, the Duke had brought men as a precaution, though only the steward had entered with him while the rest waited outside. At his command, a group of servants rushed in and lunged toward Jiang Chenghan.  

"Wait!" Jiang Chenghan had known escaping blame today would be difficult, and the Duke’s reaction was no surprise. But that didn’t mean he would submit without a fight.  

As the servants hesitated at his sudden command, Jiang Chenghan addressed the Duke. "Lord Yan, I'm Jiang Chenghan. Today, I came with General Kou to celebrate the Dowager Lady’s birthday and had the honor of meeting you earlier. I trust you still remember me. As for your son—"  

"Silence, you wretch! Do not think invoking Kou Shijun’s name will shield you! For the disgrace you’ve brought upon my son, I will demand justice even if I must take this matter to the Emperor himself!" The Duke cut him off with a furious roar.  

Of course, the Duke remembered Jiang Chenghan. They had just met not long ago. Though it was their first encounter, Jiang Chenghan had been introduced personally by General Kou Shijun, who spoke of him with high regard. Moreover, Jiang Chenghan’s tall stature and striking appearance made him hard to forget. But even if he were a favored officer under Kou Shijun, or even Kou Shijun himself, the Duke would not let this insult to his second son go unpunished.  

Jiang Chenghan understood the Duke’s distress and remained unruffled by the scolding. However, he couldn't afford to shoulder the fatal accusation of defiling the Duke’s son. Calmly, he said, "Lord Yan, I know you will not believe me now, but I have already sent for a physician. Once the doctor arrives, the truth of your son’s condition will be clear."  

Before the Duke could respond, Jiang Chenghan continued solemnly, "There is no need to have me bound. What happened today is not as it appears. Both your son and I were victims of a scheme. When he wakes up, I'm willing to confront him directly. This matter concerns our reputations and honor. Until the truth is uncovered, even if you ordered me to leave, I wouldn’t step foot outside this estate