Chapter 51: Breaking the Engagement

At dawn, sunlight filtered through thin clouds and scattered down onto the bluestone path. A burst of urgent yet solemn footsteps shattered the silence.

The imperial edict granting Jun Jun Zhidie a marriage had arrived. The eunuch delivering it read the Emperor's decree aloud in a loud voice: "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees..."

Jun Jun Zhidie accepted the edict with a blank expression. After the eunuch and his attendants left, she immediately tossed the edict aside without hesitation.

But Jun Jun Zhidie, who had just turned and taken a few steps, suddenly stopped. As if remembering something, she turned back, picked up the edict again; this was perhaps the only lifeline she could grasp for now...

The eunuch who had read the marriage decree had barely left when the people from the Prime Minister's residence arrived to break off the engagement.

Lady Gao, who had suffered a stroke from being angered by Jun Jun Yiyi, had been treated by Seeing Jun Jun Zijin and carefully nursed according to his prescription for a month. Indeed, just as Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had predicted, Lady Gao could now not only speak but also walk.

Had it not been for the fact that the Young Lady of the Jun residence had gained the Emperor's favor and been titled a County Princess, Prime Minister Gao, concerned for the Emperor's dignity, would likely have suppressed his anger no longer and come to the Jun residence to break off the engagement long ago.

Now that Jun Jun Yiyi's reputation was in tatters, coupled with Lady Gao's urging, the Prime Minister's residence no longer wished to delay the matter of breaking the engagement.

Xiang Xiang Junzheng, though feeling his face was lost, could not stop it; the things Jun Jun Yiyi had done had also left him, her father, with a ruined reputation.

Upon hearing the news, Jun Jun Yiyi turned deathly pale. Ignoring her leg injury, she pushed past the First Lady and rushed to Xiang Xiang Junzheng, crying and complaining:

"Father, the engagement cannot be broken! How can I face people in the future?"

Jun Jun Yiyi had indeed wanted to break the engagement with the Prime Minister's residence originally to marry the Crown Prince, but times had changed. Her reputation was not what it once was; she had not even gotten close to the Crown Prince, and now she risked losing even the title of the Prime Minister's daughter-in-law. Moreover, to secure the Prime Minister's engagement, she had already... with that Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's residence...

Xiang Xiang Junzheng sighed and said:

"Lady Gao was so angered by you that she nearly lost her life. That day, the Third Young Master of the Prime Minister's residence also lost face and no longer wishes to marry you. Since things have come to this, I, your father, am helpless."

The First Lady, who had chased after Jun Jun Yiyi, was so angry she nearly vomited blood. She pointed at Xiang Xiang Junzheng and said:

"Master, how can you give up so easily? Let us think of another way."

Xiang Xiang Junzheng swept his sleeve in frustration and said irritably:

"What other way is there? Jun Jun Yiyi's willfulness and recklessness—wasn't that all because you spoiled her!"

... Did you not also indulge her? The First Lady's anger ignited instantly. She truly wanted to scream and curse at Xiang Xiang Junzheng regardless of the consequences, but she dared not; the last shred of reason held her back tightly. The First Lady stood there straight, staring blankly at Xiang Xiang Junzheng.

The First Lady hated Xiang Xiang Junzheng for not granting her the honor and exalted status of a Prime Minister's wife. Regarding Seeing Jun Jun Zijin, she hated her so much her teeth ached; that wretched girl surpassed her own daughter in every way, stealing Jun Jun Yiyi's spotlight. She also hated Jun Jun Yiyi for being useless, not even getting close to the Crown Prince, and now losing the engagement with the Prime Minister's residence.

The First Lady also hated Wu Zhou Yiniang of the Prime Minister's residence. Originally, she had hoped Wu Zhou Yiniang would become the Prime Minister's wife, allowing her, as the elder sister, to share in the glory. Who would have thought her younger sister was also useless? Not only had she lost favor in the Prime Minister's residence, but now she could not even secure Jun Jun Yiyi's marriage.

Besides the First Lady Wu, Jun Jun Yiyi was also filled with resentment, but aside from harboring hatred in her heart, she could only continue to cry and beg.

The people from the Prime Minister's residence soon arrived at the main hall of the Jun residence. After stating their purpose, they refused to say more. Hearing the cold, brief words from the Prime Minister's residence, everyone in the Jun residence looked embarrassed. The First Lady could not help but speak up:

"How can a marriage be treated so lightly, changing at will?"

The people from the Prime Minister's residence showed no mercy:

"With things as they are, how can my Young Master marry? Do not persist any further." With that, they left.

Jun Jun Yiyi's legs gave way, and with a "plop," she collapsed onto the ground.

In the Ao Xue Courtyard, Seeing Jun Jun Zijin was fiddling with her hard pen, waiting only for the assembly to be complete so that the first fountain pen in Emperor Tianqi could be unveiled. Seeing Jun Jun Zijin felt somewhat proud. At this moment, Xiao He ran in happily:

"Young Lady, Young Lady, someone from the An Xiang Pavilion has had their engagement broken. Shall we not go to watch the spectacle? The Third Young Lady of the Second House has already gone!"

Seeing Jun Jun Zijin placed the fountain pen she was assembling onto the table:

"Go, we must go. If you don't watch a good show, you're a bastard!" Besides, there were other accounts to settle today.

"Go and invite the Old Lady as well." Seeing Jun Jun Zijin instructed Han Xiao. The Old Lady was still recovering from her injuries, and Seeing Jun Jun Zijin had originally not wanted to disturb her with such troubles, but today's matter was too big to hide; it was better to invite the Old Lady to calm the situation.

Hearing this news, Jun Jun Zhidie, who had been in a gloomy mood over the imperial marriage edict, instantly turned her mood around by one hundred and eighty degrees, becoming cheerful. She sneered: "Jun Jun Yiyi deserves to end up in such a state. Relying on her looks and the engagement with the Prime Minister's residence, she was always arrogant and disdainful before me. Now look, she has even lost the engagement with the Prime Minister's residence. Let's see what capital Jun Jun Yiyi has left to strut before me!"

Jun Jun Zhidie could not wait to see Jun Jun Yiyi's wretched appearance. She hurried to the front hall with her maid. Seeing Jun Jun Yiyi's disheveled hair and collapsed posture on the ground, Jun Jun Zhidie's face was full of triumph.

"Oh, what has happened to the Eldest Sister?" Jun Jun Zhidie said, deliberately raising her voice.

Jun Jun Yiyi raised her head, her eyes full of hatred.

"Jun Jun Zhidie, do not be too arrogant. You are merely a concubine in the Second Imperial Prince's residence, and you are not even married yet!"

Jun Jun Zhidie laughed contemptuously:

"Hmph, in the past, you always flaunted your power as the legitimate daughter of the First House. Now, are you not even as good as me?"

In Jun Jun Zhidie's eyes, she was already superior to Jun Jun Yiyi even in her worst state. Moreover, she had ended up this way because of Jun Jun Yiyi's medicine; with Jun Jun Zhidie's nature, how could she hold back?

"Impudent! You have rebelled!"

The First Lady took a few steps forward and slapped Jun Jun Zhidie across the face. The First Lady had never endured such humiliation from the Second House; due to the broken engagement with the Prime Minister's residence, she had already been stifled with anger, and now she had found an outlet.

"Enough!" Xiang Xiang Junzheng roared in anger. He had not yet recovered from yesterday's anger, and now this incident had occurred. He truly did not want to speak. After stewing in silence for a long time, seeing these women—elders not acting like elders, juniors not acting like juniors—made Xiang Xiang Junzheng's veins bulge with rage.

When Jun Jun Zhidie first entered the room, she was so focused on cursing Jun Jun Yiyi that she didn't notice the First Lady's slap until then. Only then did she realize that besides Jun Jun Yiyi, Xiang Xiang Junzheng and the First Lady were in the room. Jun Jun Zhidie did not fear Jun Jun Yiyi, but she was still somewhat afraid of Xiang Xiang Junzheng and Wu Shi. Jun Jun Zhidie covered her face and dared not make another sound.

When Seeing Jun Jun Zijin arrived at the front courtyard, she saw Han Xiao pushing the Old Lady over from the Jing Zhu Courtyard, so she stood by the roadside waiting for the Old Lady. Along the way, Han Xiao told the Old Lady everything about Jun Jun Yiyi drugging and framing Seeing Jun Jun Zijin yesterday. The Old Lady was so angry she kept cursing "wicked creature."

When Seeing Jun Jun Zijin pushed the Old Lady into the front hall, what she saw was this scene: Jun Jun Yiyi sat on the ground with a face full of tears, Jun Jun Zhidie held her swollen half-face with one hand, Xiang Xiang Junzheng looked furious, and Wu Shi's face was full of venom.

"Have you made enough of a scene?" the Old Lady said coldly with a stern face.

"The whole of Jingcheng knows. If my maid had not gone out of the residence to buy things, you would have kept this from me alone. Eldest Daughter, confess honestly: where did you get the poison used to harm people in the palace yesterday?"