Reincarnated as the Abandoned Daughter of a Marquis's Mansion: I Take Control of My Life

Lady Hou, fearing that Minister Chen and his wife might speak carelessly, spoke first, "My lord, the young master and Ruyan are just arguing. Don't you have official business to attend to? Let me mediate."

Madam Chen finally understood; the Marquis was unaware of the relationship between his wife and son! So she said sarcastically, "Oh, so the Marquis doesn't know what's going on!"

No wonder, how could the Marquis possibly know about such a thing! Madam, there's no need for you to try and reconcile us; we've come to ensure our daughter can part ways with dignity.”

Startled, Lady Hou disregarded her image and shouted, "Shut up! Separation is impossible. If you want to leave the Hou Mansion, you can only divorce me."

"Divorce?!" Madam Chen raised her voice. "What kind of Madam Hou is this? My daughter hasn't committed any of the seven grounds for divorce. On what grounds do you have to divorce her?"

Lady Hou looked at the Marquis guiltily, and seeing his gloomy face, she became even more fearful and uneasy.

Lady Hou could only withstand the pressure from the Marquis and say, "My original intention was not to divorce my wife, nor to make them separate. What I just said was just an angry outburst."

Madam Chen disregarded the occasion and bluntly said, "Madam Hou, what kind of person are you? How can you do such a despicable thing and still be so self-righteous? You're a coward who dares to do it but not admit it!"

Madam Chen glanced at the Marquis's wife, then turned to the Marquis, raising her voice an octave higher—not caring how many people could hear—and loudly proclaimed, "My lord, listen carefully! Is it easy for you to wear a green hat?"

"No!" But it was too late. Lady Hou wanted to stop her, but it was too late. Lady Hou thought that Lady Chen and the others had given everyone some face in front of the Marquis, after all, it hadn't reached the point of mutual destruction.

But why doesn't Madam Hou realize that her aggressive demeanor is truly disgusting? If she had to swallow her anger for the sake of those inside, Madam Chen and the others wouldn't have come today.

When the Marquis heard Madam Chen describe his wife as some kind of scoundrel, he was actually quite angry. He was about to say something in defense of his wife when he heard something even more unexpected.

"Wearing a green hat is easy," the Marquis said, his face turning ashen. He glared at his husband and demanded, "Explain yourself! What exactly happened?"

Lady Hou was so frightened that she dropped her handkerchief to the ground, lowered her head, and stammered, unable to speak. How could she dare to speak? What she said would only make things unclear.

Seeing this, Minister Chen was secretly pleased. He pressed his advantage, saying, "My lord, this matter concerns your reputation, so it's best to get to the bottom of it."

Madam Chen continued, "My lord, you have no idea! This vast manor is full of secrets. You, a man of great talent, would be too ashamed to even step out."

If it weren't for the fact that our two families are related by marriage, we wouldn't have come to their door with the best of intentions, wanting to get an explanation.

The two families should close their doors and talk things out. We should resolve this as best we can. If, like Lady Hou, you're being aggressive towards us...

I think we don't need to save face for you or for the Marquis of Yongyi's family.

The Marquis's mind was now filled with the thought that his wife had cheated on him. His eyes blazed with anger as he glared at his wife, "Tell me! Did you cheat on me?"

Lady Hou had never seen the Marquis act like this before; he clearly wanted to kill her, to skin her alive. He had hit her yesterday, but that was only out of anger.

Lady Hou hurriedly shook her head, "No, I didn't..." She looked at the Marquis through tears, "My lord, I really didn't do anything to wrong you!" She would rather die than admit it.

The Marquis looked at his wife. After being married for many years, he believed he knew her well. She was a proper and upright person, and he figured she wouldn't have the guts to cheat on him.

"Then why does Madam Chen say such a thing? Is it just something she made up out of thin air?" The Marquis's voice was deafening.

Lady Hou trembled like a leaf, then suddenly pointed at Lady Chen beside her, "It was her, she deliberately slandered me!"

Madam Chen jumped up in anger, "You're spouting nonsense! Why don't you tell the Marquis that Ruyan confronted you two after seeing you hugging the young master, and ended up getting beaten by the young master?"

The room fell silent the moment those words were spoken.

"Guards, bring the young master to me as quickly as possible," the Marquis ordered through gritted teeth.

During the time before the Crown Prince arrived, the atmosphere in the room was at its most tense, and no one dared to breathe too loudly.

A moment later, the Crown Prince rushed in. In this winter weather, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, indicating that he had run all the way.

The current heir apparent is utterly useless, both in literature and martial arts. He's good for nothing. He can only hold a minor official position under the protection of the Marquis's mansion to pass the time. He's practically a good-for-nothing.

Why is this? It's all because Lady Hou has spoiled the heir too much. She's ruined him, and that's exactly the result Lady Hou wanted.

The crown prince is too outstanding; her son has no place to stand, let alone the position of crown prince.

As soon as the young master stepped into the room, he felt a sense of oppression. His eyes darted around, and he dared not look directly at the Marquis.

"Kneel down!" the Marquis roared, and the young master was so frightened that he fell to his knees with a thud.

"Speak! What exactly is going on between you and your stepmother?" The Marquis glared at the heir, nearly crushing the teacup in his hand.

The prince lowered his head and remained silent, his body trembling slightly.

Seeing this, Lady Hou cried even more miserably, "My lord, you must believe me! I have absolutely no affair with the young master..."

"Yes, Father, I am innocent!" the prince kept explaining.

Seeing how pathetic the heir was, Minister Chen and his wife were filled with regret, wondering how they could have agreed to their daughter's marriage to the heir in the first place.

"Innocent? Then tell me, why were you hugging your stepmother?" A hint of doubt flashed in the Marquis's eyes.

"Father, Ruyan was mistaken. She walked into my study yesterday, and perhaps because of the angle, she mistook it for us embracing," the prince tried his best to explain and defend himself.

This matter cannot be implemented, otherwise he and his mother will suffer the consequences.

At this moment, Chen Ruyan walked in. Just after the young master entered the room, Chen Ruyan also arrived.

She didn't follow him in; she wanted to hear how the Crown Prince would defend himself. The result? He said he'd misjudged…! The Crown Prince was as selfish as ever.

Chen Ruyan walked to the Marquis's side, bowed to him, and said firmly, "Father, I was not mistaken. There were servants present at the time, and they can all testify."

"Ruyan, do you really have to do this?" the prince asked through gritted teeth.

Chen Ruyan remained silent, her determined gaze fixed on the Marquis.

The Marquis looked at the heir apparent, his face growing increasingly grim. "I'm giving you one more chance to confess."

The crown prince could only keep explaining, "I am innocent!"

"My lord, I am absolutely innocent. My lord, you would rather believe an outsider than your wife and son." At this point, the Lady of the Marquis could only stubbornly deny it, she could not admit it even if she were beaten to death.