Raising a wife? The mistress of the Hou family divorced and remarried her younger uncle

Chapter 245 Bastard
She was determined to sever Lu Jing's hopes, and bluntly told him that there was only hatred between them, and the past engagement should not be mentioned again. Su Qingwan hoped that Lu Jing would be a smart man and stop dwelling on this matter, only causing more trouble for both of them.

"Your Highness, let's assume you've come to Huainan on official business!" Su Qingwan's tone was gentle, yet carried an undeniable resolve, hoping to bring Lu Jing back to his senses and prevent him from bringing up those sensitive topics again.

"If it were merely for official business, why would I have made this long journey?" Lu Jing's gaze was fixed on Su Qingwan, and he already had a hunch about the twin flowers of the Prince of Huainan. One of them married into the Lu family but was forced to her death, while the other infiltrated the Lu family under a false identity to seek revenge. But he knew in his heart that hatred was hatred, and feelings were feelings; he had never wronged her in the slightest.

"This marriage was bestowed by the late Emperor, it's all in black and white, the imperial edict clearly states that I am granted the right to marry the Grand Princess of the Southwest. If you are unwilling to fulfill the marriage agreement, then I have no choice but to marry the Grand Princess of the Southwest." Lu Jing was determined to force Su Qingwan to submit, his words filled with resolve.

Su Qingwan devoted herself entirely to the political affairs of Huainan and had no interest in romantic relationships.

In the future, to maintain stability in Huainan, the marriage might become a transaction, like the alliance between the Eighteen Mountains of Huainan and the Prince's Mansion. If it weren't for General Xiao Ning and Zhang Huaining mediating, she might have ended up marrying Zhang San, the bandit leader, since that was the fastest way to subdue bandits, and given her personality, she was capable of doing such a thing. That's why Lu Jing couldn't sit still in the capital when news came from Huainan that the Prince's Mansion wanted to form an alliance with the bandits through marriage.

Fortunately, he heard halfway there that the marriage alliance was between General Xiao Ning and Zhang Huaining. Although the princess and Zhang San had discussed the marriage alliance, it did not come to fruition, but this still made Lu Jing feel a deep sense of crisis.

"What did you say?" Su Qingwan frowned, her eyes filled with surprise and displeasure.

"The late Emperor bestowed this marriage upon us; his words are law, and the imperial edict is still enshrined in the Prince's residence. If you do not fulfill the marriage agreement, I will have no choice but to marry the princess designated in the imperial edict!" For the sake of this marriage, Lu Jing has become reckless and unscrupulous.

Su Qingwan has an extremely close relationship with the Southwest Prince's Mansion. The Southwest Princess is frail and cannot live without the Southwest. The Southwest Prince dotes on his daughter and would only take in a son-in-law who lives with him; he would never marry her off to such a distant place, let alone to Lu Jing. The capital is far away, and the gates of noble families are as deep as the sea. The princess is delicate and may not be able to adapt to the climate and food of the capital. If they were to actually arrange a marriage, she might risk her life.

"How dare you!" Su Qingwan's expression changed drastically, her eyes burning with anger.

"You're welcome to try!" Lu Jing's attitude was even more forceful than hers. During their time together, he had figured out Su Qingwan's personality. She responded to gentle persuasion but not force. Ordinary methods were useless against her, so he could only resort to coercion. "The imperial decree has decreed our marriage. Why wouldn't I dare?"

Su Qingwan was both angry and annoyed, and was caught in a dilemma.

"Who was it that used me to kill General Mu, promising to marry me with such solemn vows, only to turn around and discard me now? Princess, I am not a pushover you can manipulate at will!" Lu Jing said mercilessly. "I've heard that you Huainan people value promises the most. Is this how you play with people?"

Before Su Qingwan could retort, Lu Jing interrupted her first: "You mean to say that your alliance and marriage with me as the Princess of the Southwest doesn't count? Fine, then I'll go find the Princess of the Southwest, that's perfectly reasonable!" Su Qingwan thought to herself, Lu Jing was clearly being a scoundrel. She absolutely couldn't let the Southwest Prince's Mansion be implicated in the trouble she had caused, and she certainly couldn't let Lu Jing act recklessly. "Lu Jing, forced marriages are never sweet. Besides, I was once your eldest sister-in-law. What kind of decorum would it be for me to marry you? Your uncle, aunt, brother, and even your mother—the entire Lu family has met me. Back then, before the Emperor, I insisted that Li Xueying had attempted murder, and the whole court knew about it. Everyone knows that the former eldest daughter-in-law of the Lu family was only divorced, not deceased. If the truth is revealed, this divorce agreement will be invalid, and my sister's household registration will still be with the Lu family for life. I absolutely refuse to agree to that! I impersonated my sister to enter the Lu family for revenge, to help my sister escape from the Lu family. Therefore, I will not reveal the truth. So… in everyone's eyes, I am your former eldest sister-in-law. A brother marrying his brother's wife—how can your reputation sound good? How can you face the ancestors of the Lu family? There was already a scandal of an uncle and sister-in-law having an affair while I was in the Lu family. If you marry me, wouldn't that just confirm the rumors? Aren't you afraid of being gossiped about behind your back?"

“I don’t mind!” Lu Jing was a stubborn person; once he made up his mind, nothing could change it. “I respect your desire to set your sister-in-law free, to leave the Lu family, and to forever take her place. But the fact remains that you agreed to marry me!”

Before Lu Jing came to Huainan, he had anticipated that Su Qingwan would not expose the fact that she had impersonated her sister.

Once the truth is revealed, the eldest sister-in-law has already passed away a year ago, and at the time of her death, she was still a daughter-in-law of the Lu family. The divorce agreement is invalid. Xie Zhaolan was born a member of the Lu family and died a member of the Lu family. Her remains cannot be moved out of the Lu family's ancestral graves, and she will be trapped in the Lu family forever.

Su Qingwan had already moved her elder sister-in-law's remains to Huainan, so naturally she couldn't reveal the truth anymore; otherwise, everything she had done before would have been in vain.

But so what?

"You don't mind?" Su Qingwan sneered angrily. "My sister has managed the Lu family's household affairs for three years, organizing banquets, burning incense to worship ancestors, and hosting guests and giving gifts. Everyone in the Lu family knows her. Now she's changed her identity and become the Third Young Mistress, and she'll also be in charge of organizing banquets, worshiping ancestors, and hosting guests. At that time, your ancestors in the ancestral hall will probably question you about how you have the face to marry your elder sister-in-law. Your relatives will also point fingers at you, cursing you for disregarding ethics and morality, coveting your elder sister-in-law, and secretly engaging in illicit relations. Of course you don't care about your already precarious reputation, but I will be labeled as promiscuous and seducing my brother-in-law. Don't even think about it!"

Su Qingwan found the thought of serving tea the day after her wedding, and the scene of Lin Shi, Zhang Shi, and Lu Feng seeing her face, utterly absurd. She and Lu Jing would likely be drowned in public scorn. All the rumors circulating in the manor would come true, accusing her of being shameless and seducing her brother-in-law, and that Lu Jing was disregarding moral principles and having an affair with his sister-in-law—the insults would be as scathing as could be.

Lu Jing, however, remained unfazed, saying calmly, "Since that's the case, just announce to the public that you are the Princess of Huainan, and that you only resemble your elder sister-in-law. There's no need to reveal the truth about the impersonation!"

Su Qingwan was so angry at his shameless remarks that she almost laughed. Pointing to her own face, she said angrily, "The exact same face, the exact same voice, the same preferences, the same temperament. Do you think everyone is stupid? Everyone can recognize you. Are you trying to drive the elders of the Lu family crazy?"

Lu Jing remained calm and said indifferently, "Xiao Wu, I am now the Regent, and the Embroidered Uniform Guard is under my control. If I call a deer a horse or misattribute something, others must accept it, or they will die!"

Upon hearing this, Su Qingwan was speechless for a moment, yet she was helpless against Lu Jing.