Farmer girl swaps husbands: buys a sickly villain and pampers him

Chapter 257 Promotion
Xiao Yanci moved to the Prime Minister's residence and settled in the backyard, becoming the soon-to-be son-in-law of Prime Minister Wang.

He was waiting for the emperor's summons. Even if he wasn't summoned, he should at least be promoted.

However, after waiting for several days, he did not receive an audience with the emperor or news of a promotion. Instead, he learned from his servants that Zhou Wangshu had been promoted again in a short period of time and was now the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

This is absolutely the youngest Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in history, and also the fastest-promoted official.

"Why? Because he has a good father-in-law, and he can reach a position that others can never achieve in their entire lives without doing anything. Is that fair to others?"

"Master, the Prime Minister requests your presence in his study to discuss state affairs," the attendant said to Xiao Yanci.

These are the attendants arranged for him by the Prime Minister's office.

Half a month later, Prime Minister Wang married off his daughter, and the groom was the newly appointed third-ranked scholar.

In the past two weeks, Xiao Yanci's reputation has improved rapidly. Now everyone is saying that Xiao Yanci was framed. Because he is too outstanding, he always encounters women who try to seduce and plot against him. Those women love him but cannot have him, so they spread rumors about him everywhere. As for his ex-wife's infidelity, it's because he was so focused on the imperial examinations that he neglected his wife. She couldn't stand the loneliness, and it was that woman who was shameless. He did nothing wrong.

Prime Minister Wang and General Su were at odds, and when General Su first recognized his daughter's kinship, he didn't invite Prime Minister Wang. However, this time, Prime Minister Wang invited the General's residence to his daughter's wedding.

Su Rende didn't want to go at first, but then he thought that since the other party had sent an invitation, if he didn't go, it would seem like he was afraid of him.

So Su Rende brought his wife, daughters, and son-in-law to the door to offer his congratulations.

"The General's Mansion is sending a pair of jade ruyi scepters," the servant in charge of registering the gifts announced loudly.

Upon hearing the gift list, Zhang Zhaodi said to Su Rende, "You are really generous, actually giving such a valuable thing as a jade ruyi."

Su Rende leaned close to Zhang Zhaodi's ear and said, "Madam, you don't know this, but jade is the most difficult thing to estimate its value. The best jade is of course priceless, but the poor quality jade is worthless. I certainly won't let that old scoundrel take advantage of me."

"That's more like it." Zhang Zhaodi was satisfied. "You don't like that guy surnamed Wang, and I don't like his son-in-law. Birds of a feather flock together, it seems. There's not a single good person in that family."

"If there is someone you don't like, my wife, you don't have to put up with it. You can hit or scold them if you want, and I will cover for you."

"Where are Yaoguang and Wangshu?" Zhang Zhaodi looked around.

“Wang Shu is a male guest, so he must have been pulled away by his colleagues. As for Yao Guang, she was just here a moment ago, so she was probably pulled away by someone else as well.”

Xia Zhen saw his former playboy brothers not far away and was about to go over to join in the fun when he saw them scatter as soon as they saw him, each going to a different spot.

Xia Zhen's expression turned ugly.

Ever since that damned horse kicked and injured the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo, he hasn't had a single day of peace. His father took him to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion to apologize, and almost broke his leg. He was the only son of the Xia family, and his father was really willing to go to such lengths to protect his own wealth and status.

Xia Zhen was just about to find a place to drink when he saw a familiar figure walking past from the opposite direction. He would never forget that figure, not even if he turned to ashes. After all, lately, he had been haunted by the memory of that damned lowly commoner in his midnight dreams.

I heard that he is no longer a commoner, but a newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination, and also the son-in-law of the Grand General Protector of the Nation.

He told his father about the origin of the Akhal-Teke horse, but his father forbade him to go to the Protector-General's Mansion to cause trouble. He said that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion was not to be offended, nor was the Protector-General's Mansion. Now that they had already offended the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, it would be foolish to offend the Protector-General's Mansion as well.

He can't confront him openly, but there's no problem if he does it secretly.

As long as he does it secretly, who will know how that person died?

He—the heir of the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion—had never suffered such a great loss before, and today was the perfect day to avenge himself.

"You two, follow that person ahead and see where he goes. Once you've found out, come back and report immediately."

Xia Zhen's followers had all done many bad things with him, and besides continuing to obey his orders, they dared not betray him.

Even if they were uneasy and felt that their young master shouldn't have caused trouble for that general's son-in-law, they had no choice but to obey once their master spoke.

Not long after, the attendant returned and said to Xia Zhen, "Young Master, that man went to the backyard just now. He seems to be drunk and needs to rest."

"You guys do this and that..." Xia Zhen whispered a few instructions. "Make sure it's done without anyone knowing, and get your revenge."

The attendant accepted the order and left.

After instructing his attendants, Xia Zhen's eyes were filled with excitement as he thought about how Zhou Wangshu would lose face at Prime Minister Wang's banquet.

The Prime Minister and the General Protector of the Nation are at odds. Now that the General Protector of the Nation's son-in-law has suffered a great loss in the Prime Minister's residence, it will only make the two giants, one civil and one military, fight even more fiercely.

Xia Zhen was very satisfied with her plan.

The groom was a son-in-law who married into the bride's family, so the bride's family welcomed the groom to their home.

After the bride welcomes the groom to her home, the wedding ceremony begins immediately.

As soon as Su Yaoguang arrived at the Prime Minister's residence, she was entangled by several female relatives of officials. She made a quick escape to urinate, but even when she went to the outhouse, someone accompanied her. Now that the ceremony has officially begun, she is surrounded by people from all sides, and it is no longer convenient for her to squeeze out.

Xiao Yanci and Wang Ruyan, holding hands with a red ribbon, began their wedding ceremony in front of everyone.

"One bow..."

"Wait a minute..." a voice trembled with tears.

Everyone turned to look towards the doorway, where a rather plump woman stood, holding a child in her arms.

The woman was dressed in coarse linen clothes, her appearance shabby, like a beggar who had traveled a long way by begging. However, she was different from other beggars; even in her disheveled state, her face was still clean, revealing a pitiful face that seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words.

"Husband, I've brought Cheng'er to find you. Are you planning to marry a new wife and abandon us, mother and son?" Madam Wen didn't shout; her silence spoke volumes.

Her tears flowed like pearls, falling drop by drop onto the child who looked to be just over a year old.

The child clung to Wen's neck, found a comfortable spot to snuggle up, and looked around anxiously.

"This is……"

"Isn't Xiao Tanhua the widow's lover in that opera?"

Xiao Yanci's face darkened, and he winked at the servant beside him: "Get this crazy woman out of here."

"Husband..." Madam Wen ran over, carrying the child. "Come quickly and see your child. You haven't seen him yet, have you?"

"I don't know you," Xiao Yanci said. "Guards, take her away."

"Wait a minute..." Su Rende chuckled from the crowd, "Prime Minister, don't be in such a hurry, groom, don't be so hasty either. Who is this woman? We need to find out. We can't let Miss Wang become someone else's concubine." "That's right, if the daughter of the Prime Minister's family were to marry a married man, that would be a bit... Groom, tell me, you and Miss Wang are getting married here today, where did this woman come from? And that child she's holding, is it really yours?"

Xiao Yanci gave Wen Shi a meaningful look, signaling her to leave first, and that he would come to find her later.

However, Ms. Wen did not move; she just held the child and cried.

“My status is lowly, and I am not worthy of your high position, Mr. Xiao. It is normal for you to choose another beautiful wife. But the child is innocent, Mr. Xiao. You must look after the child.”

"Xiao Yanci, you tell me, who is this woman, who is this child, and how do you plan to handle this matter?" Prime Minister Wang looked sharply at Xiao Yanci.

Xiao Yanci saw Wang Ruyan on the other side of the red silk and spoke.

"Father, distinguished guests, I think I understand what you mean. How about this, since they are my husband's children and concubines, let them stay in the manor and be given a courtyard."

“Yan’er, when have you ever suffered such an injustice? That woman has no marriage certificate and is not qualified to be Xiao Yanci’s wife.”

Xiao Yanci chimed in from the side: "Father-in-law, Yan'er, this woman's child is not mine. Although we have a master-servant relationship, it is only limited to that relationship."

"Xiao Lang..."

“Mrs. Wen, I don’t know how many favors others have given you that have made you come here to slander me. In any case, I have done you a favor in the past, and you should not repay kindness with enmity. I am getting married now, and my wife and I are in perfect harmony and love. I will absolutely not take a concubine.”

"This child is yours..."

"I've never touched you, so where did this child come from?"

“You…” Madam Wen glared at Xiao Yanci in exasperation.

It was only at this moment that Ms. Wen realized that the man she had chosen was such a hypocrite.

In his quest to climb the social ladder, he even disowned his own flesh and blood.

At Wang Xiang's signal, the servants immediately took the troublemaking woman away. As she was being led away, she kicked and cursed, spewing insults at Xiao Yanci.

"My child...my child is innocent, please don't hurt my child..."

Su Yaoguang watched as Wen was taken away, and at that moment, someone was standing next to her. Smelling that familiar fragrance, she turned around and looked over.

Zhou Wangshu's face was damp and flushed. He stood beside her and asked in a low voice, "What just happened?"

"Wen appeared, carrying a child who was a little over a year old. She kept saying that Xiao Yanci was the child's father. Xiao Yanci did not admit it, and Prime Minister Wang felt even more ashamed and immediately ordered his men to take Wen away."

"Do you feel better now? If not, I'll think of another way to vent your anger," Zhou Wangshu said.

Su Yaoguang pointed at him in astonishment, then pointed in the direction Wen Shi had left: "I was wondering why Wen Shi, with her status, shouldn't have barged into the Prime Minister's residence. Even the doormen there could have stopped her. It turns out it was all your doing."

"This is not mischief, but rather a gesture of goodwill. Today is the wedding day of Xiao Yanci and the young lady of the Prince's Mansion. After Xiao Yanci divorced Jiang Yihuan, he wanted to find someone to comfort him, so he accepted the offer of Wen Shi. At that time, in order to appease Wen Shi, he treated her with tenderness and affection for a few months."

Wen had always admired him and was even proud to have snatched him away from Jiang Yihuan.

But when she finally won him over, she discovered that he wasn't as good as she had imagined. He was more hypocritical than many others.

If she hadn't been pregnant, Wen would probably have already found another target. But now that she has given birth to his child, he has to take responsibility for her.

Putting everything else aside, Xiao Yanci has now climbed the social ladder to the Prime Minister's mansion, and he himself is an official. It would be better for the child to stay with him.

She deliberately made a scene in front of everyone to let everyone know that she was Xiao Yanci's woman. For the sake of his reputation, the Prime Minister's mansion would definitely keep her and let her and her child live in the mansion. Not only that, but she and her child couldn't afford to get hurt; if anything happened to them, that Miss Wang's reputation would be ruined. She would become a notorious shrew and jealous woman in the entire capital.

"Prime Minister Wang, no matter what, today is a joyous occasion, and we must not let any blood be shed. Those are your son-in-law's former lover and child."

Prime Minister Wang forced an awkward smile and said impatiently, "General Su, rest assured, I am not a petty person. If I find out that the woman is indeed my son-in-law's woman, I will naturally make proper arrangements for them so that the mother and son can live a peaceful life."

"This general trusts Prime Minister Wang's character. Now that the woman has been taken away, let's continue the wedding ceremony!"

With everyone present as witnesses, this farce finally came to an end.

However, they had only just approached when a servant rushed in and said to them, "Something has happened in the backyard."

"What happened?"

"There's something in the backyard... My lords, my esteemed guests, you'll see when you go and take a look." The attendant looked embarrassed.

"This is the Prime Minister's residence, what could possibly happen here? Let's go take a look."

A group of guests arrived at the backyard.

Xiao Yanci and Wang Ruyan, who were originally preparing for the wedding ceremony, completed the ceremony in front of a small number of guests. Next, the bride was to be escorted to the bridal chamber.

When the bride and groom returned to their new home, something indescribable happened in the backyard.

In the empty courtyard of the Prime Minister's residence, intimate sounds were heard, clearly indicating that someone was making love.

"Who on earth dares to commit such a vile act in the backyard of the Prime Minister's residence?" Bang! Someone kicked open the door.

Xia Zhen's two attendants stood in the crowd, watching the scene inside with wicked intent.

However, when the door was kicked open and the scene inside was exposed to everyone, the two attendants' faces turned ashen.

Two men...

A fat man with a large head and ears.

One was young and fairly fair-skinned, but had a notorious reputation.

“The heir of the Marquis of Cheng’an…” someone said, “This… at such a young age, he has such a peculiar hobby.”

That fat man is the cousin of the Prime Minister's family.

"Young Master..." The two attendants quickly covered Xia Zhen's body with blankets.

Xia Zhen remained conscious throughout; only the fat man seemed off. At that moment, two of his henchmen knocked the fat man unconscious.