80 village women marry military officers; it was supposed to be a fake marriage.

Su's mother was just trying to scare them. She had also questioned Su Qingya carefully and found out that nothing had happened between her and Chang Jinxiang. Her daughter was still a virgin.

This means there's no evidence to deny it. If things escalate and they go to the hospital, the examination will expose their lie.

She cursed Su Qingya inwardly for being useless. The man had practically offered himself up, so why couldn't she win his heart? At least something should have happened between them so that she, as his mother, could be of any help.

Her tone softened, "You see, you misunderstood me. I'm just worried about the child. Qingya cries every day at home. How can anyone be happy when such a good marriage is ruined like this?"

As she spoke, she glared fiercely at Lin Yue, "I don't know how your parents raised you, but they always taught you to have a sense of order. You can't just break up other people's marriages like this. If you know what propriety and shame are, then take the initiative to get a divorce."

My daughter is an innocent and upright young woman. I can't let this ruin her future. How will she ever face anyone again?

Our Su family will compensate you properly. I'll give you a year's salary, enough for you to live on in the village for a lifetime. Your status isn't suitable for living here.

Lin Yue looked at her with amusement. She couldn't win an argument with her, so she resorted to a self-inflicted injury tactic.

She deliberately nuzzled her head against Chang Jinxiang's chest and said in a pitiful voice, "When I married Jingxiang, I was a perfectly innocent young woman. You can ask him if you don't believe me. If you ask me to divorce my wife and go back to the village alone, everyone will think I was kicked out. How am I supposed to live?"

Are you now determined to break us up? Have you no sense of propriety or shame? Or are you deliberately trying to drive me to my death?

As she spoke, she buried her face in Chang Jinxiang's arms and began to cry pitifully.

Those present felt even more embarrassed. They couldn't win the argument, nor could they pretend to be wronged. They all felt incredibly ashamed standing there.

One by one, they all said their goodbyes and left, leaving only Su's mother standing there, glaring at Lin Yue through gritted teeth.

Mother Chang clapped her hands and coldly dismissed them, "Alright, you said it yourself, your Qingya is so outstanding, there are many men lining up to marry her. I'll keep an eye out for her and find someone that will satisfy you both."

Su's mother's eyes were red and she said angrily, "You make it sound so easy. Now that things have come to this, my daughter's reputation is ruined. How is she going to get married?"

This matter won't just end like this. My daughter's youth these past few years can't be wasted. The Chang family must give the Su family an explanation."

Originally, Chang's mother wanted to save face for her, but since she was going to break off relations, Chang's mother had no more scruples. "You should go back and ask your daughter what she's really up to by slandering our Jinxiang like this. There are plenty of good men in the world, why bother competing with others? It'll sound terrible if word gets out."

Su's mother opened her mouth, wanting to say something more, but Chang Jinxiang had already picked up Lin Yue. "Mom, Xiaoyue is a little tired. I'll carry her back to the room to rest. Aunt Su, I won't see you off."

Lin Yue raised her head, put her hands around Chang Jinxiang's neck, rested her chin on his shoulder, and stuck her tongue out at Su's mother.

Su's mother was so angry that she jumped up and down. "Look at this! What kind of behavior is this? Going back to your room to rest in the middle of the day, have you no shame? Our Qingya is a well-mannered and knowledgeable woman, she would never be so shameless."

Mrs. Chang lost her patience at Lin Mei's voice. "Lin Mei, that's enough. This is my house, and it's not your place to boss people around. Are you leaving by yourself, or are you going to have the servants kick you out?"

Su's mother looked at her in disbelief, "You...you actually treat me like this for a country bumpkin? We've been friends for so many years! How much did our Su family do to help you clear your name? Are you trying to kick me while I'm down?"

The Chang family is currently at the height of its power. Marrying Su Qingya into the Chang family is not only for the sake of their daughter's happiness, but also to win over the Chang family and the power they wield.

If Su Jianmin wants to continue climbing the ranks, he still needs some help. The fact that the Chang family was able to be exonerated without incident shows that they still have some connections at higher levels.

Mrs. Chang saw the shrewd glint in her eyes and sneered, "Are you sure you've helped? Aren't you just kicking someone when they're down?"

Su's mother froze, her eyes widening in surprise. How could she have known?

In fact, the Chang family's relocation to the countryside was Su Jianguo's doing. Su Jianguo was jealous of Chang's father's family background when he was young, and later, after Chang's father became a leader, things went even more smoothly for him.

By chance, Su Jianguo got some inside information that someone in higher-ups wanted to deal with the Chang family, so he used some methods to successfully push things forward.

Originally, they intended to confiscate the Chang family's property and put it into their own pocket, but unexpectedly, someone in higher positions protected the Chang family. They only demoted the person in charge, and the property was seized but not touched.

Su Jianguo continued to plot to completely destroy the Chang family, but things did not go according to his plan. The Chang family was exonerated and returned to the capital, and were even reinstated to their original positions.

No matter how unwilling the Su family was, they could only endure it. When Su Jianguo realized that this path was not feasible, he urged his mother to quickly marry Su Qingya into the Chang family.

Even if the truth comes out later, the Chang family won't touch the Su family, and it might even help Su Jianguo's career.

Mother Su clenched her fists, trying to hide her guilt. "Of course, Old Su pulled a lot of strings and used every connection he could find. Now that you're all safe, you can't be ungrateful."

"Our two families have a long-standing relationship, and Qingya and Jingxiang are childhood sweethearts. You should try to persuade Jingxiang. She's just a village woman; how could she be worthy of him? He'll be laughed at when he goes back to the army."

Mother Chang twitched the corners of her mouth. She had heard Father Chang mention that their being sent to the countryside was related to the Su family, but they hadn't found any concrete evidence yet.

Now, Su's mother actually has the audacity to come and claim credit, and even wants to use this to blackmail Chang Jinxiang into marrying Su Qingya. Birds of a feather flock together. How come I never realized this family was so treacherous before?

She even felt a little bad for Su Qingya, because now she couldn't even squeeze out a little bit of time.

Chang Jin smiled sadly, "Lin Mei, I don't want to interfere in their men's affairs, nor can I, but Lin Yue is my Chang family's lawfully wedded wife, and no one can change that."

Let me give you a piece of advice: forced marriages are never happy. You should find a better husband for your daughter. Our Chang family doesn't have a tradition of remarriage; once someone is chosen, it's for life.

Su's mother was slapped in the face by Papa and said through gritted teeth, "What do you mean by this? You really don't know what's good for you. My daughter is so outstanding, and she doesn't mind that your son is a divorcee, but you still pick and choose."

Mother Chang made a gesture to see the guest out, saying, "You may not mind, but I do. We don't care about what others have used."