As the saying goes, three women can make a drama. Chen Yao's return gave Chen Yan a splitting headache.
"Didn't I say I wouldn't be able to come back when I got married? Why am I back now?" After not seeing her family for so long, she said such things as soon as they met. Chen Yao felt very wronged.
"Brother, are you blaming me for not attending your wedding? I didn't want to either, but my husband was promoted and had to fight on the border. Now that the war is over, we've hurried back to see you." Recalling the days of constant worry on the border, Chen Yao felt a little scared.
Chen Yao's husband's family was also in this small town. When she married him, her husband was just a minor scholar, but she never expected him to join the army without a word.
Everyone thought that as a scholar, he would be sending himself to his death on the battlefield. Perhaps he would be killed in battle not long after, but who knew he would rise to become a general step by step.
"Now that you're back, you're not leaving, are you?" Chen Yan felt he had been a bit too much and quickly changed the subject.
"I'll leave in a while. After all, his duty is to fight on the battlefield and protect the country." Chen Yao said sadly. Everyone wants to be by their loved ones' side, but marrying him meant she had no other choice.
Liu Wenyu and Chen Yan were having a cold war. Chen Yao returned but did not show up, so she first developed dissatisfaction with her sister-in-law.
After chatting with her brother for a while, she hurried to see her mother and father. Her brother had already informed her of her father's condition in a letter before she returned, so she was not surprised to see his pathetic state.
Chen Father became emotional upon seeing his daughter and tried to reach out to her, but his hands were unresponsive. He wanted to speak, but after a long time, he couldn't say anything. He wanted to tell his daughter that they were the ones who caused it, but his daughter left soon after, leaving him to weep alone.
Chen Yao had many things to attend to upon her return. She left after lunch.
With a bad reputation and a lack of security, Liu Wenyu also started asking Chen Yan for money daily, just like Wu Caiwei. However, Wu Caiwei held his weakness, so he had no choice but to comply. Liu Wenyu, on the other hand, still had leverage over him. In the end, they compromised and agreed on five taels of silver per day.
Liu Wenyu was not one to suffer losses. Chen Mother looked down on her, and they glared at each other every time they met, unable to stand each other.
Chen Yan felt his life was getting worse and worse. He thought they would be sweet and loving, but every time he returned home, she either asked him for money or caused a ruckus. To be honest, it was better when Ouyang Xue was around. At least Ouyang Xue was gentler and more tolerant. Unlike now, the house was like a grand opera every day.
"Oh, I haven't seen you in so long, I thought you had left the Chen family." As Chen Yao entered the house that day, she saw Liu Wenyu sunbathing in the yard and said sarcastically.
"Doesn't the General's wife interfere too much? No matter what, I'm still a part of this family, unlike you, a daughter who's already married off." Liu Wenyu retorted directly, unwilling to indulge her.
"No matter what, I'm still better than you, a promiscuous woman. You're just a disgrace." Chen Yao said impolitely. She had heard from her mother that her brother couldn't have children precisely because he was involved with this woman, and their father had ended up in this state. No matter what, she had to get revenge.
"You're all bullying me. Your brother's infertility has nothing to do with me. He was beaten like that because he wanted to ask the Li family for money. He's greedy and can't blame anyone." Liu Wenyu could imagine that they must have blamed Chen Yan's infertility on her.
Originally, she wanted to say that the child in her womb wasn't Chen's, but she was afraid that if the words reached Madam Li's ears, she didn't know how she would deal with her. The words lingered on her lips but were swallowed back.
"Are you telling the truth? I don't believe it. Brother isn't that kind of person." In Chen Yao's eyes, her brother was a righteous man who protected her dearly.
"He could blame Ouyang Xue for his infertility for twenty years, what else can't he do?" Liu Wenyu said with a cold laugh. Although she hadn't been married to him for long, she had practically figured out his temperament – extremely selfish.
Chen Yao looked at her frank eyes and felt her worldview severely impacted. She stumbled back, somewhat lost.
She seemed to remember something and rushed to her mother's room. The two of them whispered and discussed. Liu Wenyu wasn't interested in this but was a little worried that if these words came from her, Chen Yan might reveal her secrets.
She was overthinking. The Chen family acted as if nothing had happened. It made sense; why would they publicize something shameful instead of covering it up?
The Chen family subsequently quieted down under this strange atmosphere, giving the impression of a calm before a storm.
Meanwhile, in the prefecture's prison, a jailer called out impolitely, "An Yuchen, come out!"
A man with a refined and gentle appearance walked out from among the many prisoners, looking at him calmly.
The jailer was new and this was the first time he had seen An Yuchen. He couldn't understand how someone with such a clean aura could be a prisoner.
He nervously swallowed, his voice involuntarily becoming softer, "You can go home now. Live a good life from now on."
An Yuchen nodded calmly, his gaze steady as the jailer removed the chains on his wrists and ankles.
He slowly walked out of the prison. The sunlight hit his face, and he instinctively shielded his eyes. He hadn't seen the sun in many years and was suddenly a little unaccustomed to it.
Of course, he hadn't been idle in prison all these years, practicing internal energy according to the incantations he remembered.
Finally able to walk out of the prison openly, he didn't know where to go for a moment. After hesitating for a while, he walked onto the street he remembered.
His name was An Yuchen. Before he was imprisoned, he was a scholar, a renowned prodigy in the area. His parents had high expectations of him, believing he could elevate the An family to greater heights.
Unfortunately, a few days before the imperial examination, he was falsely accused of theft. It was originally a minor charge, punishable by at most five years, but he was sentenced to ten years, spending his time from fifteen to twenty-five in prison.
The An family had three sons, and he was the youngest. Initially, the An couple would bribe the jailers to bring him things. But at some point, they never saw them again.
As a scholar in such a brutal place as prison, one could imagine his tragic fate.
He was beaten by other inmates every day and could barely get enough to eat. Coupled with the mental torment, he couldn't understand why he had been framed. Under the multiple blows, he died.