Xie Jiayan was merely the illegitimate daughter of a seventh-rank official. Thanks to her exceptionally ambitious legal mother, she had managed to marry into the prestigious Ningguo Duke's household, as the second young master's wife.
But who could have known that the sickly second young master was impotent, and that it had left him with many psychological troubles? He took pleasure in tormenting the women in his chambers.
The young woman was as beautiful as a begonia blossom. Yet after barely a month of marriage, her once flawless, snow-white skin was covered in bruises, with not a patch left untouched.
Even more disgusting, her mother-in-law, desperate to protect the family's inheritance, insisted she produce an heir for the second branch. That night, she even summoned her own nephew to pick at the lock of Xie Jiayan's bedroom door.
Terrified, Xie Jiayan had no choice but to flee to a country estate. She was no longer the innocent, naive girl she had once been. Only by giving birth to a son might she have a chance of escaping her mother-in-law. Her clear, bright eyes turned, and she fixed her sights on the village's gentle, jade-like schoolteacher.
At first, she tried to seduce him. When he wouldn't give in, she drugged him. The aloof, cold teacher went from sternly refusing her to craving her, and in the end, the two spent three months playing husband and wife at this desolate estate, entangled in passion.
Three months later, Xie Jiayan stroked her still-flat belly, left a cruel letter, and had a carriage take her back to the manor under cover of night.
She could hardly wait to see the expressions on the faces of that mother and son, forced to swallow something disgusting despite knowing exactly what it was.
But unexpectedly, that penniless scholar, who couldn't even lift a chicken, dared to come all the way to the Ningguo Duke's residence.
Under cover of night, Xie Jiayan lifted her skirt and crept to the side gate. Her pretty face turned icy as she snapped, "What are you doing here? Didn't I give you a hundred taels of gold? Get lost, and never come looking for me again."
The scholar lowered his eyes. "Did I agree to that?"
Xie Jiayan was at a loss for words. Tears instantly welled in her clear, bright eyes. Stroking her belly, she said softly, "So you want to cause a scandal and have everyone say the child I'm carrying is a bastard with no known father...?"
The scholar's heart softened. He stepped forward, put an arm around her waist, and gently comforted her. "Don't be afraid. Who would dare call the Emperor's son a bastard?"
Xie Jiayan: !
Theme: Love life and love yourself. Never give up, no matter what.
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