Chapter 18: Imperial Marriage Decree
Though Kou Shijun had long been absent from the capital, he commanded hundreds of thousands of elite troops guarding the border for years, having weathered countless bloody battles on the battlefield. His imposing presence was naturally not to be underestimated. Moreover, unlike the refined and scholarly Duke of Anguo—whose weakness he had already grasped, Kou Shijun was not one with a good temper. He was utterly intolerant of any wrongdoing and would not hesitate to resort to violence at the slightest provocation.
Thus, while the Marquis of Yongchang dared to confront and harass the Duke of Anguo, even with ten times the courage, he would never dare to act so brazenly toward Kou Shijun. After all, he knew perfectly well whether his son’s injuries were truly inflicted by the Duke of Anguo. If he dared to claim that Kou Shijun had been bribed by the Duke to give false testimony, the hot-tempered general might just punch him to death on the spot.
The Marquis of Yongchang was well aware of his own incompetence, but he excelled in assessing situations. Realizing that his original scheme was no longer feasible, he immediately accepted Kou Shijun’s words to avoid further offending the General. He even repeatedly apologized to the Duke of Anguo, begging for forgiveness for his recklessness. Without waiting for the Duke to speak, he proactively promised to clarify matters publicly—assuring that neither the rumors nor Zhao Xian’s injuries had anything to do with the Duke’s estate.
This left the Duke of Anguo with no chance to voice the many arguments he had prepared. Though everything had proceeded smoothly, he felt little satisfaction as he left the Marquis’ estate.
Still, the matter was finally resolved. Grateful for Kou Shijun’s assistance, and as noon approached, the Duke invited Kou Shijun to dine at the finest restaurant in the capital. Kou Shijun accepted without hesitation.
Meanwhile, back at the Marquis of Yongchang’s estate, after the two men departed, the Marquis slumped in his chair, his face a picture of defeat and disappointment. After all his scheming, he had ended up with nothing.
Yang Shi, appearing anxious, said, “My lord, are we just letting this go? What Kou Shijun said might not even be true!”
Though she disliked the idea of the Yan family’s second son becoming her daughter-in-law, she still hoped her son could secure a powerful in-law to aid his future prospects. If her son achieved greatness, why worry about not finding a suitable wife?
Frustrated by his failed scheme, the Marquis had even less patience for Yang Shi. “What else can we do?” he snapped. “That’s Kou Shijun—a man who kills without blinking! Even my in-laws have to tread carefully around him. Without solid evidence, if I contradict him, he’ll attack me on the spot. Are you hoping he’ll beat me to death?”
Such incidents had happened before. In fact, if not for Kou Shijun’s tendency to resort to violence rather than words when angered, the Emperor would not have exiled him to guard the border for so many years.
“My lord, I would never wish such a thing!” Yang Shi hurriedly replied. “But I can’t help but doubt—if it really was as Kou Shijun said, and his subordinate merely happened to help Yan family’s second son, why did the Duke of Anguo hide the truth and act so mysteriously? It wasn’t until you proposed marriage that he suddenly turned hostile. So I suspect the rumors might not be entirely false—except the man involved wasn’t Xian’er, but Kou Shijun’s subordinate.”
As she spoke, Yang Shi grew increasingly convinced of this theory, and with it, a surge of indignant fury rose in her heart.
If Yan family’s second son had already disgraced himself with another man, her family’s willingness to marry him should have been met with gratitude. Yet not only had the Duke of Anguo refused the proposal, but now, to reject the match, he had even risked exposing the scandal by bringing Kou Shijun to clarify matters. This proved that, in the Duke’s eyes, her son was inferior to some random subordinate of Kou Shijun’s.
This infuriated Yang Shi. I'm not even rejecting your second son despite his sullied reputation, yet your Yan family treats my son isn't good enough! How unreasonable!
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she voiced these thoughts to the Marquis.
The Marquis had also considered this, but what could he do? His scheme had failed. Pushing further would only provoke both the Duke’s estate and the General’s estate—an outcome he desperately wanted to avoid.
“Enough. Let this matter rest. If we keep pushing, we’ll gain nothing and only enrage the Duke and Kou Shijun. That would be a true loss.” With that, the Marquis stood and walked out, adding, “I must inform my in-laws about this. I won’t be back for lunch.”
After the Marquis left, Yang Shi remained seething. The Duke of Anguo’s contempt for her son was something she simply could not swallow.
After the Duke of Anguo finished expressing his gratitude to Kou Shijun over the meal, he returned to his estate and reported the successful resolution to the Dowager Lady Yan. Though the Dowager Lady appeared relieved, she secretly felt that things would not end so simply.
Sure enough, a few days later, though the Marquis of Yongchang had indeed kept his word and publicly clarified that the Duke’s estate had no connection to Zhao Xian’s injuries and that the rumors were false, the gossip did not disappear. Instead, its content shifted.
The man rumored to have been involved with Yan Jingshu was no longer Zhao Xian but Jiang Chenghan of the General’s estate. And because the General’s estate was now implicated, the rumors grew even wilder, spreading like wildfire.
The Duke of Anguo immediately knew this was the Marquis’ doing. Furious, he prepared to confront him—but before he could, the Marquis arrived first, ostensibly to apologize.
The Marquis took full responsibility, blaming his own lax household management. He even brought along two badly beaten servants, claiming they were the ones who had leaked Kou Shijun’s words, and handed them over for the Duke to punish as he saw fit.
The Marquis, ever adaptable, groveled before the Duke, nearly kneeling in apology. But the Duke saw through his act, his expression remaining dark, his eyes burning with suppressed fury.
Seeing no softening in the Duke’s demeanor, the Marquis inwardly cursed his meddlesome wife, Yang Shi. If not for her reckless actions, he wouldn’t be suffering the Duke’s wrath now.
Still, to prevent retaliation, the Marquis had to resolve the matter and placate the Duke. “Lord Yan,” he said hurriedly, “though things have come to this, I know these worthless servants’ lives cannot make up for the harm done to your son. But rest assured, I’ve found a solution—one that will not only shield your estate and your son from the rumors but turn this misfortune into a joyous occasion, resolving your dilemma entirely.”
The Duke had no intention of letting the Marquis off lightly, but the claim piqued his interest. “What solution?”
The Marquis grinned, eager to take credit. “You’ve no idea how much effort I’ve spent on this! I begged my in-laws for help, and Consort Li has persuaded His Majesty to issue an imperial marriage decree. The eunuch delivering it should arrive soon. Congratulations, Lord Yan!”
“What imperial marriage decree?” The Duke was stunned—but then, recalling the Dowager Lady’s earlier words, his eyes turned red. He seized the Marquis by the collar. “Who is being married to whom?”
Had the Marquis, still scheming, actually secured an imperial decree forcing Yan Jingshu to marry Zhao Xian?!
Seeing the Duke’s rage only intensify, the Marquis panicked. “O-Of course, it’s your second son, Yan Jingshu, and Kou Shijun’s subordinate—that Jiang Chenghan!”
Relieved it wasn’t Zhao Xian, the Duke’s grip loosened—but the next moment, he punched the Marquis square in the face.
The Marquis howled, collapsing to the ground. The Duke, still furious, kicked him repeatedly. The Marquis’ servants tried to intervene, but Yan Zhong and the Duke’s men held them back.
Only after thoroughly venting his rage, his hands and feet aching, did the Duke stop. Breathing heavily, he glared at the groaning Marquis. If not for his last shred of restraint, he might have killed the man on the spot.
How had things come to this?
Yan Jingshu had never been defiled, and nothing had happened between him and Jiang Chenghan. He could have still married a woman and had children. Even if his shuang'er nature made heirs difficult, taking a few concubines would have ensured a bloodline.
But now, if he were to marry out, he would be the one expected to tolerate concubines. If heaven proved unkind and denied him a child of his own, he would have to raise another woman’s son. Such was the plight of those married off—which was why loving families rarely allowed their shuang'er children to wed.
As for the rumors, they might have made finding a bride difficult, but lowering standards and offering a generous dowry could have secured a match. And rumors, in time, would fade—Yan Jingshu could have left the capital or traveled until they died down.
But now, with the imperial decree, there was no turning back. All plans were ruined. The Marquis had congratulated him—for what? For his “son” becoming a “daughter” overnight?
The thought reignited the Duke’s fury…
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