Intimidation

The entire hall fell silent because of Shao Fei's words.

Wang Qinglan's vision went black. An Ziran had actually married this man? An Ziming was only four months old. Wasn't he practically giving the entire An Family away as dowry? What would she do without the An Family?

Fang Junping and Zheng Bi wore equally twisted expressions. They thought the same as Wang Qinglan, except they also worried about their daughters' dowries. If the An Family fell into this man's hands, who knew whether he would refuse to give them the dowries or withhold them?

"An Ziran, you shameless thing! You actually degraded yourself by marrying a man as his concubine. If your parents knew in the afterlife, they would surely be angered to death by you!" Zheng Bi's cutting voice was even shriller than Wang Qinglan's. Her eyes had turned so fierce that they were beginning to gleam red. All she knew was that if her daughter lost her dowry, her daughter would certainly be looked down upon by her husband's family after marrying. The wonderful future they had imagined would become nothing but a bubble.

An Ziran had long expected this reaction from them.

He had already learned from Steward Su that An Changfu had prepared dowries for his two daughters long ago, but had never told them. It was therefore easy to guess what they were thinking now.

However, the other man was nowhere near as calm as he was.

A trace of coldness appeared in Fu Wutian's eyes, and the hall seemed to be shrouded in a suffocating pressure.

Although Zheng Bi felt chills run down her spine beneath his gaze, once she learned that he was merely a merchant, she was no longer as wary as before. Her eyes remained fixed on An Ziran as though she wanted to skin him and tear him apart.

"Who told you he is my concubine? If I hear you say another bad word about my wife, woman or man, I'll strip you naked and parade you through the streets. Don't think I'm joking." Fu Wutian looked calm and casual, but his words struck Zheng Bi's heart like every syllable carried immense weight. Her eyes widened in terror.

Even An Ziran could not help turning to glance at him.

Saying something like that to a woman in her thirties or forties took an extraordinarily thick skin.

Shao Fei and Ge Qian'an were used to it. Being paraded through the streets was a light punishment. Back on the border battlefield, certain people had even run naked before the enemy army. Only those who had been punished could understand the feeling of having their little brother dangling in the open.

Zheng Bi did not believe he would dare to do such a thing, but she was still intimidated by his presence. She muttered incoherently and did not dare curse An Ziran again, though her face had flushed bright red.

"An Ziran, your parents have not been dead long, yet you could not wait to marry. Is this your filial piety? I would like to see what everyone thinks when they learn that the eldest young master of the An Family married himself off right after his parents passed away!"

Fang Junping, who had remained relatively silent despite harboring the same thoughts, suddenly stepped forward. Her personality was rather rigid, and she was clumsy with words. Unlike Zheng Bi, she could not casually hurl insults, but neither was she someone willing to let the matter rest.

An Ziran's expression did not change. "Da Ya has clear laws stating that one may not marry within a hundred days of the death of an immediate family member. My parents have been gone for more than four months already. The hundred days have passed, so there is nothing improper about my marriage to him."

"What about consummating the marriage? Da Ya has the same rule. Marriage is permitted after a hundred days, but children must abstain for half a year to show respect for their immediate family members." Fang Junping shamelessly pressed on, seemingly determined to catch An Ziran in some fault. The fact that she could even ask such a question showed how resolute she was.

The others immediately showed varying expressions.

Aside from Zheng Bi and the others who did not know, everyone from the Prince's residence, including Steward Su, believed that the young master and Prince Fu had already consummated their marriage. They could not help feeling worried. If this got out, it would not be good for the young master's reputation.

"Concubine Fang herself said we must abstain for half a year, so naturally we have not consummated the marriage." An Ziran answered at once. He had not expected matters to develop this far, but he immediately realized this was a good opportunity to clear up the rumors, so he replied without hesitation.

Ge Qian'an and the others were instantly astonished.

They had not?

Then they understood that rumors truly could not be wholly trusted. Given An Ziran's personality, since this was merely a substitute marriage, he probably would not let the prince go all the way. If the prince wanted to truly claim him, he would still have to put in more effort.

Fang Junping sneered. "You can say whatever you want. After all, only the two of you know; no one else does." Her meaning was clear: she believed An Ziran was lying.

"Whether you believe it is your business. If anyone continues to make trouble without reason, they will be dealt with according to family rules, without mercy!" An Ziran was not angered.

Their hearts all skipped a beat when they met his cold gaze, especially Fang Junping. Only then did she remember that An Ziran was a man with methods. Though he was only sixteen, he handled matters like an adult, and when he needed to be ruthless, he was ruthless. He had even plotted against his own uncle, ruining his reputation completely in just a few days. Now his uncle was like a rat scurrying through the streets, hiding at home every day and not daring to step outside. How could An Ziran possibly spare them?

Realizing this, they no longer dared say anything. Whatever they wanted to say would have to wait until they found another opportunity.

Afterward, the three women returned to their rooms with their daughters.

As they left, Zheng Bi and Fang Junping still looked indignant.

Though An Ziran had returned under the pretext of a post-wedding visit, he did not intend to immediately return to Gentlemen City with Fu Wutian. Everything belonging to the An Family was in Anyuan County. If he left for too long, trouble would inevitably arise. Therefore, before returning, he had discussed staying in Anyuan County for several more days with Fu Wutian. The price was letting Fu Wutian sleep in the same bed as him. Originally, he had planned to make him sleep on the floor.

Steward Su could not help saying thankfully, "Fortunately, Da Ya's laws concerning mourning were amended a year ago. Otherwise, they really would have caught us by the handle. It would have been bad if they made a public fuss about it."

"Someone's little friend might not be able to endure it." Shao Fei, who happened to hear this as he walked past, immediately turned back. After saying this meaningfully, he walked away, leaving Steward Su utterly confused.

Speaking of the rule requiring half a year of abstinence, the matter had begun a year ago.

Da Ya had once placed great importance on filial piety. Thus, it stipulated that when an immediate family member died, their children had to observe mourning for three years. During those three years, they had to abstain from sex. As emperor, Fu Chong was supposed to set an example, but he was a lecherous and debauched ruler. Of thirty days in a month, he spent twenty-nine in his concubines' beds.

The Empress Dowager was the emperor's birth mother. After her death, Fu Chong should have observed half a year of mourning and abstinence for her, but he did not. Before even the first seven days had passed, word spread that he was enjoying a ménage à trois in a concubine's chambers.

Later, news came that a remonstrating official who submitted a memorial had instead been executed by Fu Chong. Then, to satisfy his own desires, Fu Chong overrode all objections and used lofty-sounding excuses to change the three years into half a year. This matter had always been a royal scandal, so very few people knew about it.

The high-ranking officials who knew the truth at the time did not dare reveal such a scandal either, because it was not only the royal family that would lose face, but also veteran ministers like themselves.

However, Fu Chong had done quite a few absurd things like this since ascending the throne. If not for his several clever sons and a formidable nephew guarding the border, Da Ya's fortunes would have long since been squandered away by him.

It was only normal that Steward Su did not know about this.

After that farce, the An Family returned to peace once more.

That afternoon, An Changde and his wife learned that An Ziran had returned for a post-wedding visit.