She got pregnant after the swap marriage, and the scumbag's family regretted it so much they cr

The two looked at each other silently, their gazes meeting, and their two chaotic heartbeats gradually merged into one.

Suddenly, a chorus of jeers erupted from outside.

"Why hasn't Brother Gao come out yet after going in for so long?"

"Exactly! They won't go in and then not want to come out, will they!"

"Hahahaha, I bet it is! Brother Gao must be itching for nightfall so he can get into the bridal chamber! Hahahaha!"

Gao Yan snapped out of his daze and abruptly took three feet back. His back slammed against the openwork wooden railing beside the bed with a thud.

Hearing that sound, Lu Huan felt a pang of pain for Gao Yan.

"I'll go and heat up your food for you."

Gao Yan picked up the bowl and walked quickly outside, looking as if he were fleeing in panic.

He kept a straight face, ignoring the ridicule from his peers in the village, and rushed into the kitchen, where his expression began to contort.

Ouch! That really hurt!

Outside the Gao family compound, Yuzhu stopped her carriage by the small gate.

Li lifted her skirt and tried to rush out, but there was no sound behind her.

She paused, turned around, and saw her husband sitting there, eyes closed, completely at ease, showing no intention of moving an inch.

"Sir, aren't you going in?"

Lu Chengde opened his eyes and glanced at Li Shi, then closed them again.

"What would I do if I went in? To yell at you and Lu Ruyi in front of the Gao family?"

"Master, what are you saying? We came here... for Huan'er, didn't we?"

Lu Chengde almost lost his temper, and shouted in a suppressed voice, "It's all because of your good daughter! She wants to use me as a pawn, doesn't she! If it weren't for the fact that she's already a member of the Gao family, I would have grabbed her and strangled her!"

“Master…” Why did it have to come to this? Li didn’t dare to say the rest of the sentence.

Let alone her own husband, if she had known beforehand that Lu Huan had connections to climb up to the Prince of Yan's mansion, she would never have dared to do such a thing.

Ultimately, she and Ruyi acted rashly. If only they had been a little more ruthless…

"Master, even Ruyi didn't know Huan'er was so well-hidden! To be honest, none of us knew she had such abilities!"

"Enough! If you had the connections, you'd make a big fuss and shout it out so everyone would know?"

Go tell Lu Ruyi to behave herself at the Gao family's house and not to provoke Lu Huan. I'll go back and scrape together her dowry; tell her to wait a couple of days.

"Master, why don't we just go to the Li family and bring the things over?"

Lu Chengde opened his eyes again, his gaze icy cold.

The carriage was already somewhat dim, and this made his face appear even more gloomy and terrifying.

"Since when have you been able to make decisions about the Lu family? As for the Li family, I'll handle that myself; you don't need to worry about it!"

Li nodded hesitantly, without giving it much thought, and then turned and got off the carriage.

Lu Chengde sat quietly in the carriage for a few more moments, gritted his teeth, and said to the outside, "Old Lei, go find someone to tell Li that I'm going back to the city first, and that she should go back by herself!"

The carriage started moving again, and sunlight shone through the curtains onto his dark face, revealing a hint of ruthlessness.

He's not a father, and he doesn't want to keep his daughter by his side for a few more years. Blame it on your mother and sister for what they did; now it's your turn to take their place.

"Old Lei, let's go to the largest clothing store in Yanjing first."

Not to mention that after Lu Chengde returned to the Lu residence with the wedding dress he had just bought from the Ni Chang Pavilion and the Qingluan hair ornament, he immediately ordered Steward Lu Zhengda to arrest several of the stewards in the backyard.

They then sent people to find the two maids, Bizhu and Ziyao, and after they were properly dressed, they sent them to Gaojia Village.

Li followed Yuzhu and entered the Gao family's backyard through a small gate.

Looking at the bare "new house," Li almost burst into tears.

When has her Ruyi ever lived in such a shabby house? Even the small kitchen in the Lu family's backyard is bigger than this room.

"Ruyi, why are you doing this to yourself!"

Lu Ruyi finally saw her savior and rushed into Li's arms with tears in her eyes.

"Mother! Lu Huan has gone too far! Not only Cheng's dowry, but even the money you secretly gave me, she had it all taken away!"

She cried for a while before realizing something was wrong. She looked around and asked, "Where's Dad? Did he go to the front to scold that little brat?"

"Hmph! I'll have Dad send her to the Li family in a minute! Then I'll tell my aunt about her secret decision to marry Gao Yan. She'll definitely get what's coming to her at the Li family!"

As soon as she finished speaking, she received a sharp rap on the head. Clutching her forehead, she complained, "Mom! Why did you hit me! I didn't say anything wrong!"

Li shook her head helplessly: "I've really spoiled you! Your father didn't even come in with you!"

"How could that be? Why isn't Father coming in to deal with Lu Huan?"

“We’ve really messed up this time! Your father knows that Lu Huan has curried favor with the Prince of Yan’s mansion, so he’s siding with her.”

Lu Ruyi tugged at Li Shi's sleeve and shook it incessantly: "Mother, what should we do! How did Father find out!"

Speaking of this, Li was furious.

She jabbed Lu Ruyi hard in the temple, exasperated: "Do you think the maid you sent back could keep this a secret? Your father threatened her family, and she confessed everything!"

"Speaking of which, you and Lu Huan spend half your time together every day, how come you've never heard her mention this?"

"Mother, you still have the nerve to say that! The female tutors you found all day long spout those clichéd lines about the three obediences and four virtues. I don't even want to listen to them, so why would I care what they are like!"

Madam Li sighed deeply; one wrong step led to another. Fortunately, Ruyi had successfully married into the family, but the future...

She looked at the furnishings of the "new house" and found them to be utterly outrageous.

"Is Lu Huan really that heartless? She won't leave you anything? I've taken care of her for seven or eight years, and I've never treated her unfairly on the surface."

Lu Ruyi hooked Li Shi's hand: "Mother, you still have to say that! She's taking the dowry list too, and she even said she wants to go her separate ways with you!"

"Fine! I'll go ask her how she's going to go her separate ways with me!" Li stood up angrily.

Previously, with that Granny Gu backing Lu Huan up, she caught both families off guard. Now that her helper is gone, let's see what Lu Huan has left to contend with her, the matriarch of the family.

"Mother! Mother! Don't panic! Has Father said when he'll send my dowry over?"

Li didn't think much of Lu Chengde's words: "Your father said he'll go back and help you raise the money, and then send it back in a couple of days."

"Why bother? Just take it back from the Li family. Even though it was hastily prepared, it's still better than having nothing at all! You can give me some extra money privately later... Wait, did Father really say that?"

At this moment, Madam Li also realized that something was wrong: "That's right, those are your father's exact words."

"How could this happen?" Lu Ruyi was also bewildered; she didn't understand where the problem lay.

Every scene that Lu Huan had witnessed since appearing at the Gao family's house flashed rapidly through her mind.

Until just before heading to the ancestral hall, Lu Huan and Granny Gu held hands.

"Mother! Did you encounter anyone on your way here?"