I was pampered like a treasure after being married off to the young marshal, but my father and broth

With a loud "boom".

Shang Pengyue felt as if something had exploded in her mind, and her face instantly turned ashen.

She stared incredulously at the older brother she had so desperately wanted to support, her lips trembling. "Brother... what did you say? You also think I'm... dirty?"

Even her own brother thought she was a used woman who had been played with by a beggar?

Shang Li felt a little guilty under her desperate gaze, but when he thought of the humiliation he had suffered that night, his guilt vanished instantly.

"Isn't that right?"

Shang Li snorted coldly and turned his face away.

There's no smoke without fire, and flies don't land on eggs without cracks.

"If you're an upright person, how could you have gotten involved with a beggar like that?"

Shang Pengyue gritted her teeth so hard that her nails dug deep into her palms, piercing her skin but she felt no pain.

I fed the dog out of kindness.

She was reborn and tried her best to pave the way for her elder brother, hoping to help the business reach new heights, but what she got in return was such humiliation and betrayal.

"parking!"

Shang Pengyue suddenly screamed.

The driver was startled and instinctively slammed on the brakes.

The car stopped right in front of the Chi family's gate.

Without saying a word, Shang Pengyue pushed open the car door and rushed out.

The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, rushed towards her, but it couldn't dispel the anger and chill in her heart.

"Fourth Sister!"

Shang Li called out, but did not get out of the car to chase after him.

He watched Shang Pengyue's figure standing in the wind and snow, gritted his teeth, and ordered the driver outside, "Drive back to Shang's house."

The Packard spewed out a plume of black smoke and drove off without a second thought, leaving Shang Pengyue with only two blindingly red taillights.

Shang Pengyue stood there, watching the car disappear into the night, and finally, tears welled up in her eyes.

She stomped her foot angrily and turned to look at the tightly closed gate of the Chi family mansion.

The heavy, dark door was tightly shut, without even a lamp on.

"Open the door! Open the door!"

Shang Pengyue pounded on the door knocker.

After knocking for quite a while, a series of slow footsteps finally came from inside.

The side door creaked open a crack, and the gatekeeper, wearing a tattered cotton-padded coat and carrying a dim oil lamp, peeked out sleepily.

Upon seeing that it was Shang Pengyue, the doorman's impatience vanished. He didn't even fully open the door, but spoke sarcastically through the crack, "Is this the young mistress? What time is it? Our Chi family has rules; we lock the door after curfew. Your late return puts me in a difficult position."

Shang Pengyue was already seething with anger, and when she saw a servant daring to give her attitude, she became even angrier.

"You dog of a servant, who are you talking to?"

Shang Pengyue kicked the door and shouted angrily, "I am the eldest young mistress of the Chi family. I can come back whenever I want. Open the door now!"

The doorman was kicked back a step, and his face darkened.

He slowly unlatched the door, muttering under his breath, "What young mistress? She's just a run-in bride, everyone knows it. You're a slut who's been slept with by a beggar. It's only because our young master is kind-hearted that he hasn't divorced you. And yet you still act all high and mighty..."

Although the voice was soft, Shang Pengyue heard it clearly.

She froze, raising her hand to strike.

The gatekeeper nimbly dodged to the side, picked up his lantern, and turned to leave: "Young mistress, you should rest early. I need to go back to sleep."

Shang Pengyue's hand froze in mid-air as she looked at the servant's disrespectful back, trembling with anger.

She returned to her courtyard in a rage.

Pushing open the door, the room was freezing cold; there wasn't even a charcoal brazier lit.

The ornately carved bed was empty, the bedding neatly folded, clearly indicating that no one had slept there that night.

Chi Qingyuan didn't come back again.

It's obvious he's off having some fun with a woman again.

Looking at the chilly silence of the room, Shang Pengyue recalled Shang Sheyu's dazzling success at the banquet tonight, and Quan Tuo's meticulous care for Shang Sheyu, before looking at her own current predicament...

Her elder brother berated her, her husband neglected her, and even the servants dared to bully her.

"what!"

Shang Pengyue screamed like a madwoman, grabbed the teacup on the table, and smashed it hard on the ground.

With a crisp "crack," the exquisite porcelain shattered into pieces, shards scattering everywhere.

"It's all your fault, Shang Sheyu! You're the one who ruined it!"

If Shang Sheyu hadn't stolen her thunder at the banquet, why would her elder brother have scolded her?

Furthermore, on her wedding day, Shang Sheyu brought that beggar into the room, letting everyone know that she had been humiliated by him...

Otherwise, Chi Qingyuan wouldn't have disliked her and wouldn't have stayed out all night.

...

Quan Mansion, West Garden.

As night deepened, the once bustling mansion gradually quieted down.

Shang Sheyu followed Quan Tuo into the courtyard.

Xi'er had been waiting under the eaves. When she saw the two of them return together, she was first taken aback, then a look of joy appeared on her face, and she quickly went to greet them.

"Young master, young lady, you're back."

Xi'er deftly took the fox fur cloak from Shang Sheyu and hung it on the clothes rack beside her, then secretly glanced at the tall and upright figure standing in the center of the room.

Quan Tuo took off his overcoat, revealing a dark gray suit underneath, which accentuated his tall, slender figure with broad shoulders and a narrow waist.

Instead of just glancing at the table and leaving as he had done before, he went straight to the table and sat down.

Xi'er's heart skipped a beat.

This is...

She leaned closer to Shang Sheyu, lowered her voice, and asked cautiously, "Miss, is the young master... going to stay overnight tonight?"

Shang Sheyu was unbuttoning the collar of her cheongsam when she heard this and paused.

She turned around and looked at the man sitting under the lamp.

The warm yellow candlelight bathed him, softening the hard lines of his profile, but his imposing aura remained undeniable.

For the past month, although they had gotten married, Quan Tuo had been busy with military affairs and mostly lived in the military district. He would only visit the mansion briefly and never stayed overnight in the West Garden.

But tonight, he not only accompanied her to the banquet, but also escorted her back to her room, and he shows no sign of leaving.

Shang Sheyu felt a little nervous.

Although she has lived two lives, she is still a complete novice when it comes to matters of love and sex.

In her past life, she married Chi Qingyuan and lived a life of widowhood.

I'll marry Quan Tuo in this lifetime...

She knew this day would come sooner or later.

Since we've become husband and wife, sharing a bed is a matter of course.

"Um."

Shang Sheyu took a deep breath, suppressing the panic in his heart, and instructed Xi'er, "Go and fetch some hot water."

Xi'er responded, turned around and quickly left, closing the door behind her.

The room fell silent, save for the occasional soft crackling of the lamp wick.

Shang Sheyu stood there, twisting her handkerchief in her hands, somewhat at a loss.

She looked at Quan Tuo, but Quan Tuo was looking at something else and didn't seem to notice her embarrassment.