Chapter 3 — The Wedding Veil Still Cold, Loyal Bonds Severed

The echoes of his declaration had barely faded before he lunged forward in a blind rage. This time, I did not wait for him to snatch her; instead, I released my grip and shoved Ning Yuanxi straight into his arms. Beneath his furious, bloodshot glare, I spoke in a voice sharp as ice.

You have finally deigned to admit it, Han Chen.

He hastily wrapped his outer robe around the trembling form of Ning Yuanxi, grinding his teeth as he spat out his reproach.

So what if I admit it? The family affairs of the House of Han are none of your concern, and you have no right to meddle here!

He cursed bitterly, ordering me to clear out and never dare show my face before him and Ning Yuanxi ever again. Yet I did not waver in the slightest. With deliberate calm, I slid a folded document from my sleeve and met his gaze with a cold, mocking smile.

Lord Heir, would you prefer to drop to your knees and confess your wrongdoing right here before everyone, or shall we adjourn to the ancestral hall of the Han family, where you can kowtow before your forebears?

Why on earth should I apologize to you? Shen Wu, younger sister, you have truly lost your mind!

The fury on Han Chen's face froze instantly, replaced by a pale panic the moment he recognized the paper in my hand. He had clearly forgotten that half a year ago, in a desperate bid to prove the absolute innocence of his relationship with Ning Yuanxi, he had signed a formal pledge of accountability. There it was in black and white, stamped with his personal seal. The text read explicitly: Should there ever be any further intimate conduct between myself and Ning Yuanxi, I willingly bind myself to kneel and beg forgiveness from Shen Wu in public view. The color drained from Han Chen's face, only to flood back in a furious, humiliating crimson.

You and I have already annulled our engagement! Why on earth are you still holding onto this trash? Do you honestly still harbor delusions of marrying into the Marquis's estate? After the disgraceful scene you have caused today, I tell you that is utterly impossible!

Hearing this, the rest of the Han family swarmed in to support him, raising a chorus of accusations. They claimed that it was I who had demanded the cancellation of the wedding back then, creating a bitter rift between our two households, and that now I was simply staging a malicious disturbance, refusing to let go out of sheer spite, purely intent on sabotaging Han Chen's new marriage.

You all seem to well remember that I was the one who called off the wedding. Then tell me, why did I do it?

Faced with the hostile barrage from the Han clan, I showed not a flicker of fear. Instead, I calmly recounted the events of the broken engagement from six months ago, ensuring everyone present understood the truth. I had not been cast aside by the Han family as the malicious rumors whispered; rather, it was I who had rejected Han Chen with utter disdain. As for the underlying reasons—I had thoughtfully had my maid copy out hundreds of duplicates of his signed pledge, accompanied by a detailed, unvarnished account of everything Ning Yuanxi had pulled on the night of our aborted wedding. At that very moment, my personal maid was moving through the crowd, distributing these exact copies to every guest in attendance. As each person scanned the contents, their expressions shifted dramatically, and the weight of their gazes slowly turned from curiosity to profound disgust, fixing squarely upon Han Chen and Ning Yuanxi.

No wonder the young lady of the Shen family demanded the return of her ceremonial wedding gown! So this was a case of fighting poison with poison!

Lady Shen has done entirely the right thing! If I had suffered such public humiliation on my wedding day, I would never have let the matter rest either!

The murmurs of the crowd grew steadily louder, swelling into a tide of condemnation that threatened to drown the pair. Han Chen tried desperately to block the whispers and halt the distribution, but it was far too late. He could only glare at me with eyes blazing with helpless hatred.

Shen Wu, just what is it that you want from us?

I raised the original pledge high in the air so all could see.

The esteemed Heir is about to become a father, yet surely his memory cannot have deteriorated to the point where he forgets his own solemn promises?

He understood well enough that I had come to collect a debt. But to demand that a proud, aristocratic heir drop to his knees and offer a public apology before a crowd of peers was an humiliation he simply could not swallow. The House of Han would certainly never permit such a disgrace to stain their name. Instantly, the entire family banded together, attempting to drive me out of the courtyard by force.

Yet my family was not so easily bullied. My parents had long anticipated my actions today and had given me their full, unwavering support. The martial guards of the Shen estate had already mingled seamlessly among the invited guests, and before the Han family retainers could even raise a hand, they stepped forward to form a protective wall around me. Most of the guests were relatives of high-ranking court officials who, while maintaining social ties with the Hans, were equally familiar with the influential weight of the Shen family. At first, they had merely stood back as spectators, but the shameless conduct of Han Chen and Ning Yuanxi had truly crossed the line of common decency. Everyone present had daughters of their own; who would not shudder at the thought of them falling into such a wretched predicament?

As if by unspoken agreement, the crowd collectively shifted to my side. Those blessed with sons seized the golden opportunity to lecture them loudly on the spot: when venturing out into the world, they must steer entirely clear of women like Ning Yuanxi to avoid bringing disaster upon their ancestral homes. An increasing number of voices joined the chorus, demanding that Han Chen fulfill his vow and apologize to me. Some even shouted that Ning Yuanxi deserved to share the punishment and kneel beside him.

Using the guise of brotherhood to tear apart another's rightful union, and now shameless enough to parade an illegitimate pregnancy through the front doors!

If a daughter of my lineage ever dared to commit such a vile act, I would be the first to break her legs myself!

Crushed beneath the relentless wave of insults, Ning Yuanxi could only shrink into the embrace of Han Chen, too terrified to utter a single syllable, though her eyes burned with venomous hatred as she stared at me. Through the gaps in the crowd, I met her gaze and let a faint, cold smile touch my lips. Finding it difficult to bear, are you? Then let me assure you… this is merely the opening chapter.

Realizing that intimidation was failing entirely, the Han family abruptly changed their tactics, shedding their aggressive demeanor for a mask of false warmth. Madam Han was the first to plaster a benevolent smile across her face, hurrying forward to grasp my hand as though she meant to guide me into the inner chambers for a private reconciliation.

You and Chen'er have grown up alongside each other since childhood. What grievance could possibly be so grave that it cannot be resolved behind closed doors? Why make such a public spectacle for the entire capital to mock?

There's a good girl. Once this evening passes, I will personally force Chen'er to make a proper, sincere amends to you. Our Han family is more than willing to dispatch the grand ceremonial procession of eight red palanquins once again to welcome you home as his legitimate primary wife.

As she spoke, she intentionally raised the volume of her voice, declaring for all to hear that the exalted position of primary wife to Han Chen had always been reserved exclusively for me, and that the previous cancellation of the wedding had merely been a foolish, heated dispute between hot-headed youths. Madam Han repeatedly flashed frantic signals toward her son, silently pleading with him to play his part and cooperate.

Yet the moment those words left her lips, panic seized Ning Yuanxi. She gripped the fabric of Han Chen’s sleeve with white-knuckled desperation, terrified that he might actually yield to the pressure. Her father was nothing more than a minor sixth-rank official, a man whose social standing could never hope to bridge the vast chasm separating them from a Marquis's household. It was precisely because of this disparity that she had resorted to calculated schemes to sink her claws into Han Chen, determined to wedge her way into this family by any means necessary. To have Madam Han casually sweep away all her painstaking efforts with a single sentence—how could she possibly reconcile herself to such a fate?

Han Chen, acutely sensitive to Ning Yuanxi's fragile panic, reached out to soothe her trembling hands. His voice grew thick and defiant as he spoke.

I refuse to marry her. My primary wife can only ever be Yuan'er. As for this matter of confessing and apologizing—fine, I will do it.

Before Madam Han could intercept him, Han Chen strode stiffly forward until he stood directly before me. His expression was a strained mask of awkward resentment.

Shen Wu, it was my own lack of foresight in the past that led me to agree to that union. It is true that I failed you first. But my feelings for Yuan'er are genuine. If I were to stubbornly force myself to marry you now, it would only inflict an even deeper wound upon your life. I did what I had to do, driven by circumstance...

A sharp, crisp crack echoed through the courtyard, cutting his words brutally short as my palm swung hard across his cheek.