I have suffered enough in my previous life, my cousin will never marry me

Chapter 7 Dissolution of Engagement
"Wanwan."

Ji Yuan and Ye Huaisu were so frightened that their faces turned pale. They quickly bent down to support Ye Wanshu.

"The traitor."

Gu An was so angry that he was about to slap Gu Tingzhou again, but he was held tightly by him.

"If father wants to kick Yue Ling out of the house, why not kick me out as well? I will never marry anyone but Yue Ling in this lifetime."

After saying these harsh words, he pulled Jiang Yueling away.

Gu Tingchen snorted gloatingly and was about to follow him out the door when Gu An's expression suddenly became angry: "Stop right there."

"Why, father failed to threaten my elder brother, and now he wants to threaten me?"

Gu Tingchen turned his head and glanced at Ye Wanshu arrogantly: "I'm not a rag picker, I only pick up other people's leftovers."

After saying that, he walked out the door.

A wedding banquet was turned into this mess. Ye Huaisu was so angry that his heart was bleeding. He supported Ye Wanshu but before he could comfort her, she was already crying uncontrollably.

"Brother-in-law, Wanwan, this must be a misunderstanding. I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation."

The father and daughter never complained from beginning to end. Gu An was very anxious, but he suppressed his anger and quickly explained to them.

"Stop calling me brother-in-law. It's disgusting."

Ji Yuan stood up in a rage and glared at Gu An fiercely: "Is this the good son you boasted to me about? He never lets my Wanwan suffer even a little bit of injustice?"

Although he was humiliated by those two bastards, he began to feel secretly happy in his heart.

Now that Wanwan has seen the ugly faces of the Gu brothers, she has completely given up and will obey her arrangements. When she marries into the royal family, he will still be able to rise to prominence and enjoy wealth.

"Wanwan, come home with your father."

Ji Yuan grabbed his daughter's hand and tried to pull her up: "Your father will definitely find a better marriage for you."

There was no sadness or joy on Ye Wanshu's face, only relief at being free from her shackles.

But she knew very well in her heart that she could not go back with her father, otherwise she would be trapped in the Ji family's cage and would be truly hopeless.

Now she just wants to complete today's coming-of-age ceremony, completely control her own destiny from now on, and fly freely in the vast sky and sea.

Just as she stood up and followed Ji Yuan's steps, Ye Huaisu suddenly called her with tears in her eyes: "Wanwan."

Gu An was already dizzy with anger at his two sons, and now seeing his niece about to leave again, he was so furious that he spit out a mouthful of blood.

"Prime Minister Ji, Tingzhou and Wanwan's marriage was arranged by the Empress Dowager. Do you intend to disobey her order?"

Ji Yuan shook his head in disdain: "Duke Rong, you must understand that it was your precious son who disobeyed the Queen Mother's order, not my Wanwan."

After saying that, he pulled Ye Wanshu and was about to go out.

Ye Huaisu rushed forward and grabbed her sleeve: "Wanwan, you can't go back with your father. He won't treat you sincerely."

Ji Yuan's face darkened with anger: "Madam, I advise you to be careful with your words."

Listening to her aunt's words, Ye Wanshu felt only amused.

In the morning, she was still being taught by Cui Weitang that she should learn to be more confused and be submissive to her father. How come she had forgotten what she said in just half a day?

"Father, today is Girls' Day, and I want to have my coming-of-age ceremony."

Looking at Ji Yuan, she spoke in a lukewarm voice, shook off her aunt, and walked out of the house first.

Although abandoned by her two most trusted cousins, this girl's face showed no sadness or despair. She didn't cry or make a fuss. Instead, Ji Yuan felt anxious and he didn't dare to force his daughter anymore.

"Wanwan, Daddy is with you today and will personally consecrate your coming-of-age ceremony."

After Ji Yuan finished speaking, he immediately chased after him. Gu An and Ye Huaisu glanced at each other, quickly put away their worried expressions, and followed him out.

Many of the guests outside heard the noise inside and roughly guessed what was happening.

But the two people involved, one is a royal relative who is highly trusted by the Empress Dowager, and the other is a powerful minister. If they say a wrong word, they will be doomed. No one dared to say a word about it in the Duke's Mansion, and just pretended to be nothing and came forward to congratulate.

Outside the east room, the nannies of the Duke's Mansion had already prepared the coming-of-age dresses and were standing on both sides. Ye Wanshu walked forward slowly to wash her hands, and after trying them dry, she followed Ji Yuan into the venue for the ceremony.

Her face was calm, as if the only thing that mattered today was her coming-of-age ceremony, and she seemed unperturbed by the Gu brothers.

Seeing her father's absent-mindedness, Ye Wanshu quickly reminded him, "Dad, let's get started."

Hearing the voice, Ji Yuan finally came to his senses. He looked at his daughter who was sitting upright in the east while reciting a blessing.

"On the auspicious day of the month, you will start to add Yuanfu, abandon your young ambitions, obey you and become virtuous, live long and test your luck, and introduce you to Jingfu."

Recalling his daughter's appearance when she was young, Ji Yuan's heart moved slightly.

When he first learned that he was going to be a father, he was just an insignificant official and was in a state of panic all day long. Fast forward more than ten years later, and now he not only holds a high position in the government, but his daughter has also grown up.

It’s a pity that I couldn’t watch her grow up.

Thinking that he would have to persuade Wanwan to marry that person next, Ji Yuan acted extremely attentive. He patiently guided her through every step of the three plus three bows of the coming-of-age ceremony.

Gu An and Ye Huaisu watched silently with uneasy hearts, and did not dare to disturb them until the ceremony was over.

Seeing Ji Yuan leaving with his niece, Gu Ancai whispered in Ye Huaisu's ear, "Madam, you must persuade Wanwan and not let her return to the Ji family."

Watching the father and daughter disappear, Ye Huaisu's eyes were remarkably firm. "Master, don't worry. Wanwan is a smart child. She knows what kind of person her father is. She won't go back. I invited her father here today just to show off to him."

At this point, she suddenly sighed, "It's a pity that Tingzhou misunderstood Wanwan."

"That rebellious son." Gu An gnashed his teeth in hatred: "Don't worry, Madam, this is a marriage granted by the Queen Mother. He doesn't have the guts to disobey."

The master has confidence in the prince, and Ye Huaisu is not worried that his niece will have other thoughts. The old house has been sold, and Ji Yuan is not someone she can rely on. The only ones this girl can rely on now are himself and the Duke's Mansion.

At worst, she could wait until things calmed down a bit, then she could mediate and take that brothel bitch as her concubine, so that both sides could save face.

With this in mind, Ye Huaisu went with Gu An to greet the guests with peace of mind.

Ji Yuan accompanied Ye Wanshu back to Cuiweitang and dismissed Chunhong and Xingtao. Seeing his daughter's face still as calm as still water, he said with some concern, "Wanwan, cry if you want to. When you're done, Dad will take you home."

She stared quietly at her father's kind face. If it weren't for the memory of him allowing those concubines to bully and humiliate her and her mother, Ye Wanshu would have actually believed that he would be a good father.

No matter how her aunt schemed, she would never threaten her life, but it was hard to say about the person in front of her.

"Father, if I go back with you, have you thought about how to explain to the Queen Mother?" Ye Wanshu began to think of an excuse to evade him.

Ji Yuan curled his lips in disdain: "Silly girl, so many people saw it today. It was that bastard who betrayed you. Why do you even need to think about explaining it to the Queen Mother?"

Ye Wanshu said, "But there's still room for change. My father is in a high position and is feared by others. I'm afraid that if I leave, my uncle will turn against me and put the blame on me."

This reminded Ji Yuan.

Today, that bastard Gu Tingzhou said those outrageous words. If it were an ordinary person, he would have been thrown into prison and had his tendons and bones peeled off. But he is the nephew of the empress dowager, not to mention that Gu An controls the imperial army, and even the emperor has to be a little wary of him.

If Gu Tingzhou cannot be convicted of the crime of refusing marriage and disobeying the imperial order, it will be a difficult matter for him to take Wanwan back.

"Wanwan, then you should stay in the Duke's Mansion and endure this for a few more days."

Ji Yuan said, "Your uncle said the wedding will be in a month. Father will definitely inform His Majesty before then to cancel the engagement."

This really touched Ye Wanshu's heart.

She knew that besides her father, there was another person in Lin'an who did not want her to marry into the Duke's Mansion. As long as her father persuaded the emperor to intervene in this matter, she could legitimately get rid of this marriage.

(End of this chapter)