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

Chapter 263 Follow the trend
A few days later, high-ranking officials and nobles from various prefectures received invitations from the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence, inviting them to a banquet celebrating the return of the Marquis of Cheng'an's eldest son to the family.

Not long ago, the General Protector of the Nation found his wife and daughter. The banquet was a grand affair, especially the scene of the General Protector of the Nation personally welcoming his wife and daughter home, which was very spectacular.

With the banquet hosted by the Grand General serving as a comparison, everyone paid particular attention to the arrangements made by the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence. The banquet arranged by the Grand General was top-notch, with each table filled with precious dishes. The cost of the food alone amounted to several thousand taels of silver, not to mention the fine wines and pastries. Some people estimated that the banquet cost more than ten thousand taels of silver.

The banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence was different. In front of everyone, Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang were first registered in the Xia family's genealogy, and with the blessings of the family elders, they officially returned to the family.

The entire ceremony was so complicated that it made people want to doze off. Many guests simply couldn't stay awake and went out for a stroll halfway through, thinking they would come back for the meal after the ceremony was over.

"The eldest son and his wife have returned to the family and been recorded in the family genealogy. The ceremony is complete. Let's serve wine."

As the eldest elder of the clan announced the completion of the ceremony, a servant brought in fine wine. Once Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang drank that wine, the ceremony would be over.

Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang drank the wine.

Jiang Yihuan stood in the crowd, watching Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu drink the wine, her eyes filled with excitement.

However, she waited and waited, but the result she wanted to see did not come.

what happened?

Shouldn't that glass of wine have been poisoned?
She deliberately arranged for her maid to poison her, waiting for the poison to take effect on the spot, and then watching the Marquis of Cheng'an's mansion and the Protector General tear each other apart and fight on the spot.

"What happened?" she asked the maid.

The maid shook her head and said fearfully, "Master, I really did get up. I don't know what went wrong."

Zhou Wangshu and Su Yaoguang parted ways. Zhou Wangshu went to entertain the male guests, while Su Yaoguang followed Lady Cheng'an to greet the female guests.

Jiang Yihuan frowned: "No, we have to find another opportunity, otherwise we'll miss a good chance today."

A maid brushed past her.

A note appeared in Jiang Yihuan's hand.

She clenched her fists, walked to a corner, and unfolded the note to read it when no one was looking.

The note contained only one address: Linqi Hospital.

"Go and inquire whether there is a Linqi Courtyard in the manor," Jiang Yihuan instructed the maid beside her.

The maidservant obeyed the order and went to gather information. She returned quickly and told the maidservant the location of Linqi Courtyard.

Jiang Yihuan guessed that Xiao Yanci had sent it. He must have also seen that Su Yaoguang and Zhou Wangshu were not poisoned and wanted to ask her why she hadn't followed the original plan. She had to explain, otherwise that despicable man would misunderstand her as disobedient and spout nonsense in front of Marquis Jing'an, ruining her life of wealth and luxury, which would be a great loss.

Jiang Yihuan did not let her maid accompany her and went to Linqi Courtyard on her own.

Linqi Courtyard is an empty courtyard, no one lives there, but it is kept quite clean.

As soon as Jiang Yihuan pushed open the door, she immediately sensed that this was a perfect place for a rendezvous, and became even more certain that the note was sent to her by Xiao Yanci.

Today is the auspicious day for Zhou Wangshu to be recognized as a member of his clan, and Su Rende and his wife, as in-laws, have certainly come as well. The people of the Cheng'an Marquis's residence are very hospitable to them, and for a moment, the atmosphere is harmonious and joyful.

Su Yaoguang greeted the female guests in a very generous and open manner.

In her past life, she was always harassed and ridiculed by the noble ladies at such banquets. In order not to embarrass Xiao Yanci, she worked hard to learn how to become an official's wife, tried to integrate into their circle, and tried to make herself look less out of place.

Now she doesn't need to please others or gain their approval. No one will laugh at her to her face no matter how rude she acts. Even if something unpleasant happens, people will first ask her if she is hurt.

The banquet at the Marquis of Cheng'an's residence was far inferior to that at the residence of the Grand General Protector of the Nation.

Even among the nobility, there is a penchant for comparison. However, given the power of the Grand General's Mansion, it's likely that no official's family, except perhaps the royal family, would dare to make such a grand spectacle.

"Fire! Fire!" someone shouted.

Upon hearing that there was a fire, everyone quickly left the banquet and ran outside.

When they ran out of the courtyard where the banquet was being held, they found that the fire was not far away. Even if they wanted to leave the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion, they would have to pass through there, so they hurried in that direction.

"What happened?" someone said. "Isn't this an empty courtyard? And it's not a dry day, so it shouldn't be so easy for water to flow here."

There seems to be someone inside!

Two servants helped a disheveled woman out.

Immediately afterwards, a naked man was also helped out.

"Then... isn't that woman the second wife of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion?" someone shouted, pointing at Jiang Yihuan.

"The man looks familiar! He's too far away to see clearly."

“The man is Prime Minister Wang’s new son-in-law, Xiao Ci, who is the third-ranked scholar in this imperial examination,” another person said. “I have good eyesight and I would never mistake him. Although he is not wearing clothes and his face is blackened by smoke, it is almost certainly him.”

"This man and woman in this deserted courtyard caused a fire. I don't believe it's because they were too passionate and got into a fight."

In the crowd, Su Yaoguang looked at Jiang Yihuan and Xiao Yanci's figures, a mocking look flashing in her eyes.

Those two are really persistent; they're everywhere. However, today's events probably weren't a coincidence. It's likely a scheme set up by her little fox, though I wonder what he's up to.

"Well, you can't blame them, they can't forget their old feelings!" Su Yaoguang said casually, then quickly covered her mouth, as if she had said something wrong.

The person next to them immediately fell for the trap and asked curiously, "What does 'unforgettable old feelings' mean? Did these two have a past relationship?"

"No...you misheard..." Su Yaoguang looked troubled. "Madam Li, please pretend you didn't hear what I just said, and please don't spread it around."

Madam Li became even more curious and lowered her voice, saying, "Sister Su, we're already so familiar with each other. I'm a regular customer of yours. Is it appropriate for you to have secrets but not tell me?"

"This matter is of great importance and cannot be spread. Otherwise, it will not only ruin one family, but two families. I do not want to become a sinner."

"Tell me, and I promise I won't tell anyone else."

"Then you mustn't tell anyone. I'll only tell you." Su Yaoguang said, leaning close to Madam Li's ear and telling her that Jiang Yihuan was Xiao Yanci's first wife. Madam Li's eyes widened: "What? You're saying that the second wife of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion is Xiao Yanci's first wife?"

Su Yaoguang covered Madam Li's mouth.

However, many people had already heard this. When Su Yaoguang turned around, she saw pairs of eyes staring at them, filled with shock.

“Madam Li, how could you…” Su Yaoguang said in frustration, “I didn’t say anything, and you didn’t hear anything. Today’s fire must have been an accident.”

Wang Ruyan is present today, as is Marquis Jing'an.

Today, Su Yaoguang was the center of attention, surrounded by many people. Wang Ruyan watched her from the crowd, but had no chance to get close to her.

At this moment, Wang Ruyan appeared, jogging along. She had obviously heard some news and rushed over to confirm its truth.

When she saw Xiao Yanci naked, her eyes were filled with anger at being humiliated and resentment at being betrayed.

Marquis Jing'an also appeared.

Marquis Jing'an was a middle-aged man with a rugged appearance, but he was still quite decent-looking. Marrying a petite and dependent woman like Jiang Yihuan was no different from raising a daughter, which explained why she received Marquis Jing'an's favor.

Men have always loved beauty, especially the beauty of youth. Even if Marquis Jing'an was a true man, he was no exception. In addition, Jiang Yihuan's skills in seducing men were superb, so it was no wonder that Marquis Jing'an fell into her hands.

When Marquis Jing'an saw that Jiang Yihuan was unconscious, he coldly picked her up and strode away.

No one stopped him at that moment.

"The Marquis of Jing'an is truly tolerant. His woman is making a fool of herself here, and everyone has caught her and her lover, yet he can still pick up his second wife without batting an eye."

“If I were him, I would write a letter of divorce right now and divorce that unfaithful woman,” said the official next to him. “It’s too shameful. She actually ran into someone else’s house to have an affair and was caught by so many people.”

"I think the most shameful thing is that they were having an affair in someone else's house and didn't know how to be careful. They actually burned someone else's yard down like this."

"That's strange, why is the fire getting bigger and bigger the more we try to put it out, and it's even burning down the house next door?" someone said, looking in the direction of the house next door.

"Is there no one next door?"

"Next door..." a servant exclaimed, realizing what was happening. "Oh my god, the second young master's courtyard is next door! All the servants in his courtyard should be helping out today, but the second young master is locked in his room alone. Everyone, hurry and go see how he is..."

When Lady Cheng'an arrived in a hurry, the neighboring courtyard had already been engulfed by fire snakes.

She looked at the fire dragon before her in despair and asked the servant beside her, "Where is the second young master? Has the second young master come out yet?"

“No,” the servant beside him said, trembling.

Zhou Wangshu appeared, took the bucket brought by a servant, and poured the water over himself, immediately drenching himself with cold. Then, he grabbed the soaked quilt, covered himself with it, and rushed into the sea of ​​fire.

"My God, Lord Zhou actually ran in to save the Second Young Master! Anyone would be terrified by such a huge fire. He risked his own life to save the Second Young Master. That's so noble."

"Lord Zhou is truly a man of great loyalty and righteousness. Compared to the second young master who only knows how to indulge in debauchery and cause trouble, the return of Lord Zhou, the eldest son, is a real treasure for the Cheng'an Marquis's mansion."

Su Yaoguang said worriedly, "That idiot, how could he dare to start such a big fire?"

Lady Cheng'an Hou never expected Zhou Wangshu to rush into the inferno to save people. The fire was so large that even her threats to the servants wouldn't have deterred them. Yet, he did.

So many people witnessed his heroic rescue of his brother.

Xia Zhen's reputation was terrible, but his reputation was good at this moment.

"They're out, they're out..." Someone pointed in the direction of the sea of ​​fire and saw one person carrying another on their back, the other person covered with a quilt, rushing out like that.

Su Yaoguang went to greet her.

Zhou Wangshu appeared carrying Xia Zhen on his back. Xia Zhen looked like a piece of charcoal; the fire had not only burned his clothes to ashes but had also turned him into a charcoal.

"My God! Is this person still alive?" Someone saw Xia Zhen's current appearance and backed away in fear.

"What exactly happened?" Marquis Cheng'an was drinking with his colleagues, hoping to take this opportunity to win people over and climb the social ladder by getting on the good side of his in-law, Su Rende.

However, the drinks had just been served, and before they had even had two drinks, someone was shouting that there was a fire.

They saw the fiery serpent in mid-air and knew this was no ordinary matter, so they rushed over here.

Someone whispered a few words in Marquis Cheng'an's ear.

When Marquis Cheng'an learned that the fire was caused by an adulterous couple—the man being the son-in-law of Prime Minister Wang and the woman the recently favored second wife of the Duke of Zhenguo—he immediately felt an urge to curse.

Although the affair between the adulterous couple on his territory had nothing to do with him and was not something he had arranged, the fact that the Marquis of Jing'an's residence and Prime Minister Wang had lost face on his land meant he would still be held responsible for their actions.

"My lord, my lord, please look at our Zhen'er! He's burned so badly, we don't even know if he'll survive!" Lady Cheng'an pleaded tearfully when she saw her husband appear.

Xia Zhen was burned to such an extent that he looked like a piece of charcoal that was still breathing. He could even smell the aroma of meat emanating from him.

“My lord, my husband was also injured while saving people,” Su Yaoguang said. “Indeed, we should call the imperial physician. Both my second brother and my husband need treatment from the imperial hospital.”

"The head of the Imperial Medical Academy is currently at a banquet; quickly invite him over to take a look," Marquis Cheng'an instructed his servant.

The servant quickly invited the head of the Imperial Medical Academy, who was sitting at the table, over.

The head of the Imperial Medical Academy first examined Xia Zhen's injuries, as he didn't look well and if he wasn't treated in time, he might not survive.

"How is it?" asked Lady Cheng'an.

"He was covered in so much flesh that there were hardly any good patches on his body. When his rescuers came, he was probably already engulfed in flames. His rescuers were very brave; they actually put out the fire for him and brought him out. In his condition, we can only take it one step at a time, and I can't guarantee that he will wake up. Anyway, he's not dead yet, and whether he lives tomorrow depends on his own will."

"No matter what, please do your best. As long as he survives, our Cheng'an Marquis's Mansion will support him for the rest of his life. Sigh, this child has been a worry since he was little, but what can I do when he is my son? What father doesn't love his child? Seeing him like this makes me feel terrible too."

"Imperial Physician, please take a look at my husband. When he rushed in to save people, the fire was already raging. Even if he poured water on himself, it was still very dangerous," Su Yaoguang said to the imperial physician.

The imperial physician quickly took Zhou Wangshu's pulse and examined his body, saying, "Lord Zhou does indeed have burns of varying degrees. I'll prescribe some medicine for him; if he applies it daily, he'll recover faster. However, burns of this severity may leave scars, so Lord Zhou should be prepared."