The Homecoming Uproar

When Fang Junping and Zheng Bi heard that An Ziran had returned, they immediately hurried over with their daughters.

When they saw an extra man beside An Ziran, they froze just like Wang Qinglan had. They had not expected An Ziran to bring several outsiders back with him.

"So the An Family's eldest young master finally decided to come back. It seems he found his relatives after all. I wonder how that relative of the An Family is doing?" Zheng Bi's words were barbed. As she spoke, she glanced around the hall and did not spot An Yuzhi. Thinking An Yuzhi had returned to her room, she saw Fu Wutian sitting beside An Ziran in one of the two seats of honor and assumed he was An Yuzhi's husband.

At this time, news of An Yuzhi fleeing from her marriage had not yet reached Anyuan County.

Everyone present knew that the so-called "relative" was actually Fu Wutian, An Yuzhi's betrothed. Since they had married and performed the wedding rites, they were naturally relatives.

The moment An Qiaoe and An Kexin saw Fu Wutian, the jealousy in their hearts grew even stronger.

Fu Wutian was handsome and imposing. Unlike his subordinate Guan Su's refined beauty, his was a virile dominance and heroic vigor, brimming with masculine charm and an innate sense of security. A man like him was far more likely to attract women than the beautiful Guan Su, especially sheltered young ladies like An Qiaoe and An Kexin, who could practically fall for him at first sight.

Still, they could not really be blamed for being captivated by Fu Wutian.

Ever since the rumor that Fu Wutian was ugly had been disproven, all of Gentlemen City knew that Da Ya's God of War, Prince Jun, was a handsome, dashing, wild, and uninhibited man.

Especially the young ladies who had seen Fu Wutian on his wedding day—their hearts had nearly become tied to him. Even though he was already married, countless people still had their eyes on the position of secondary consort. Had it not been for the fact that they had been married for less than three days, the threshold of Prince Fu's Manor would likely have been worn flat by visitors.

Zheng Bi's gaze fell on Fu Wutian. Covering the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief, she smiled. "Could this gentleman be the An Family's relative? May I ask your honorable name, and which branch of the An Family do you belong to?"

Her words were far from polite.

She had been married to An Changfu for nearly twenty years. There was no way she did not know who the An Family's relatives were. Since she knew perfectly well that Fu Wutian could not possibly be an An Family relative, her words carried a mocking edge. Especially that final question—it plainly meant, I know you are not an An Family relative. She was simply treating him as a joke.

But who was Fu Wutian?

Even Da Ya's hundreds of thousands of soldiers had to behave obediently before him, let alone a mere woman.

Fu Wutian's deep, sharp black eyes settled on Zheng Bi. "Does the An Family's son-in-law count as a relative?"

Zheng Bi had never seen such unfathomable eyes before. Her body immediately stiffened in fear, and she nearly dropped her handkerchief. Her scalp tingled, and she could barely speak. Forcing out a smile, she said, "This humble woman has never heard of any young lady from the An Family getting married. Are you joking, sir?"

Fu Wutian said casually, "Just because you have not heard of it does not mean the An Family has no son-in-law. If you have not heard of it, that only means you are not qualified to know."

Zheng Bi's face immediately twisted.

Fang Junping and Wang Qinglan's expressions were not much better either. Saying Zheng Bi was unqualified meant he had included them as well. Although they had long known that concubines were of lowly status, hearing it said aloud was still humiliating.

Wang Qinglan suddenly said, "Ziran, why has Yu Zhi not returned with you?"

She had been the first to come out to "welcome" them and had been standing on the steps outside the hall, where her view was broad. Although she could not see the An Family's main gate, even if An Ziran had told An Yuzhi to return to her room, it could not have happened so quickly. The only explanation was that An Yuzhi had not come back with them. Why had she not returned? Her instincts told her something was amiss.

An Ziran's gaze immediately shifted to her. He had always known Wang Qinglan was intelligent, so he had expected her to notice An Yuzhi's absence.

"She fled from the marriage."

The moment those words came out, everyone was stunned.

Even An Qiaoe and An Kexin, who had been keeping their heads lowered obediently, could not help looking up in shock. For the moment, they could not process such explosive news, much less take pleasure in it.

Zheng Bi hurriedly covered her mouth with her handkerchief to hide the gleeful smile she could not suppress. "Our Yu Zhi is the An Family's legitimate third young lady. How could she possibly flee from her marriage?"

"That's right. Could you have gotten it wrong? How could the An Family's legitimate young lady possibly flee from her marriage?" Wang Qinglan echoed her. Though she tried her best to sound surprised, she could not conceal the delight lurking in her tone.

Only Fang Junping, who was less articulate, said nothing. Yet a trace of pleasure showed in her eyes.

An Ziran took in all their expressions. "As for why she fled from the marriage, you can ask her yourselves if you ever get the chance to see her in the future. But I must make one thing clear: An Yuzhi is no longer the An Family's third young lady. Even if she returns someday, without my permission, no one may allow her through the An Family's gates."

Was it really that serious?

Their faces were filled with disbelief. An Yuzhi was his biological younger sister, yet he was casting her out of the family just because she had fled from her marriage? An Ziran did not seem like someone so heartless that he would disregard blood ties. Could something major have happened during their time in Gentlemen City?

"But if Yu Zhi fled from the marriage, why did this gentleman say he is the An Family's son-in-law?"

Wang Qinglan, whose thoughts were the most active, immediately recalled Fu Wutian's words. With the man unmarried and the woman unmarried, no matter how one looked at it, he could not be called the An Family's son-in-law. An Qiaoe and An Kexin did not even have prospective husbands, so it could not be them either.

An Ziran's expression darkened.

He should not have let Fu Wutian speak just now.

Fu Wutian said blandly, "Who said I am the husband of the An Family's third young lady? The An Family has more than one junior."

After the women understood, they could not help exchanging looks. Could he mean what they thought he meant? Because An Yuzhi had fled from the marriage, this man wanted to choose another young lady from the An Family to marry in her place? If that was truly the case...

An Qiaoe and An Kexin's faces flushed with excitement.

The man was clearly no ordinary person, and he had even come from Gentlemen City. If they married him, they could move to Gentlemen City and meet more people. Perhaps they could even become acquainted with the powerful nobles there. Then they would truly prosper.

Fang Junping and Zheng Bi were not as optimistic as their daughters. What they were thinking about instead was why An Yuzhi had fled from the marriage.

This man appeared flawless in every respect. Unless there was some special reason, how could a young lady like An Yuzhi, raised in the inner chambers, possibly have the courage to flee from her marriage?

Their daughters were what they would rely on in the future, so they had no choice but to think more carefully.

"May I ask what business this gentleman does in Gentlemen City?" Zheng Bi asked somewhat anxiously. It was an abrupt question, but she did not want her daughter to regret marrying him afterward. Not everyone who lived in Gentlemen City was an aristocrat or high-ranking official, so she had no choice but to swallow her pride. Still, her question was phrased tactfully enough. At the very least, she knew not to directly ask about his status and position.

The two young ladies immediately pricked up their ears.

This concerned the rest of their lives. They could not afford to be careless!

Standing to one side, Ge Qian'an coldly swept his gaze over them and said in an almost icy tone, "Our master is a merchant. What business he does is not something women like you need to know."

It was like a basin of cold water had been poured over everyone's heads, extinguishing all their little schemes.

An Qiaoe and An Kexin could not help feeling disappointed, and they could not even hide it from their faces. Da Ya valued agriculture and suppressed commerce, so merchants generally held low status. Though they would not lack food or clothing, the two of them wanted even more to marry high-ranking officials or powerful nobles and become lofty, respected noblewomen. That was the future they believed they deserved.

The expressions on their faces were painfully obvious. They had no idea how to conceal them.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly turned cold.

Fang Junping and Zheng Bi saw it and could not help worrying silently for their daughters. Even if they looked down on merchants, they should not make it so obvious. They hurriedly shot them meaningful glares, and only then did the two reluctantly rein in their expressions.

"You want to marry our master without even weighing your own worth? Born of concubines, you are not even qualified to be our master's secondary consorts. Besides, our master has already married the An Family's eldest young master." Shao Fei, who had been listening with an increasingly displeased expression, finally could not hold back. The mocking look on his face made several women's faces darken, but before they could retort, his next words nearly scared their souls out of their bodies.

"What nonsense are you talking about?!" Wang Qinglan's shrill voice suddenly rang out.

Fang Junping and the others were already too shocked to speak. The An Family's eldest young master had married someone? What kind of joke was that?

Seeing that neither his master nor the Princess Consort stopped him, Shao Fei was no fool. He knew they would have to find out sooner or later. The Princess Consort was surely too embarrassed to say it himself, so someone had to expose the matter. His courage immediately swelled. "I am not talking nonsense. The An Family's eldest young master married our master two days ago. Today is his day of returning to his family home."

Fang Junping and the others looked as though they had been struck by lightning, their faces filled with shock.

How could An Ziran possibly have married someone?