The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 249: Are You Forcing Me to Death?

Chapter 249: Are You Forcing Me to Death?

Ye Siheng narrowed his eyes. "You didn’t know? And you just came back from Ruyang."

Hearing this, Xie Beihan felt a sense of foreboding. "Could it be... could it be the Fan family from Ruyang?"

"Yes. I heard you fell in love with the fourth young lady at first sight, so my brother even rewarded her with a pair of jade bracelets," Ye Siheng said.

Nanli was confused at this point. What was going on?

Xie Beihan’s expression shifted from surprise to anger. Disregarding propriety, he immediately spurred his horse to the Marquis Zhenbei Residence to get a clear explanation.

As the dust settled, Ye Siheng’s expression remained calm. "I’ve watched him grow up, and this is the first time I’ve seen him so angry."

Nanli’s mouth twitched slightly. "Your Highness, you’re not much older than him, actually."

Ye Siheng said seriously, "When I was practicing writing and swordsmanship, he was still nursing. There’s no problem with saying that."

Nanli knew he was precocious, starting his education at three and recognizing all the characters by five. As he grew older, he became more mature and steady, making it difficult for him to relate even to his peers, let alone someone like Xie Beihan.

Ye Siheng thought for a moment and found it interesting. "You predicted his marriage is imminent. Can you tell if this marriage will succeed or not?"

Nanli replied, "Judging by his expression, this marriage is unavoidable. However, while his face is glowing, the slight hollowness around his spouse palace indicates discord in the marital relationship."

Ye Siheng, recalling Xie Beihan’s carefree manner, sighed, "Poor Fan family’s young lady."

The Fan family had little influence in the Capital. If her husband didn’t cherish her, the new bride would find life in the Capital exceedingly difficult.

Nanli became spirited. "I’m quite skilled at setting up feng shui arrays to harmonize marital relationships."

She was already considering how much to charge Xie Beihan for the feng shui service.

As soon as Xie Beihan entered the city, many acquaintances on the street congratulated him. Gritting his teeth, he rushed to the Marquis Zhenbei Residence, only to find the mansion already decorated festively with wedding symbols.

He felt a headache coming on and headed straight for the Marquis’s study. The door was pushed open with a loud bang.

Marquis Zhenbei looked up, displeased. The servant quickly said, "Forgive him, Marquis. It’s the Noble Prince..."

Seeing it was his son, the Marquis’s anger slightly abated. He waved the servant away and looked at Xie Beihan. "You’re back early."

"You all arranged my engagement without my consent. How could I not hurry back?" Xie Beihan fumed. "My brother and mother haven’t been gone long, and now you’re planning a wedding? Is this appropriate?"

Though he resented Lady He, he still had to observe proper etiquette.

Marquis Zhenbei’s expression turned complicated, and he sighed. "Lady He used sorcery against you. Allowing her to be buried in our family cemetery was already lenient. Besides, she wasn’t your biological mother; you don’t need to observe mourning for her."

Now that he had only this one son left, he was naturally anxious. The Xie family couldn’t be left without an heir.

Xie Beihan, full of anger, shouted, "Even so, I don’t want to get married!"

Hearing this, Marquis Zhenbei’s face turned cold. "You scoundrel, you acted inappropriately with that young lady in Ruyang and think nothing happened. How can the Xie family be so irresponsible? You must give her an explanation!"

Xie Beihan was taken aback. "How do you know so clearly? Who told you?"

Marquis Zhenbei waved his hand. "You don’t need to worry about who told me. Our Xie family will never act heartlessly. In seven days, you will marry the young lady from the Fan family."

Xie Beihan immediately concluded that it must have been the Fan family or Fan Yunxi who did this. How despicable. If they wanted him to take responsibility, they could have said so directly. Why say no on one side and then complain to his aunt and father on the other?

Double standard!

Xie Beihan clenched his fists, his eyes red with anger. "You can’t force me. I’ll go to the palace and ask my aunt to cancel this marriage!"

Marquis Zhenbei slammed the table, causing the ink brushes to roll off. "The Emperor knows about this, and he has given the Fan family girl jade bracelets as a reward. Everyone in the Capital knows about this engagement. If you beg the Empress to cancel it, you, as a spoiled brat, might not care. But the Fan family girl would probably feel so humiliated that she might hang herself!"

Xie Beihan froze completely. Although he had only met Fan Yunxi a few times and didn’t particularly like or dislike her, he couldn’t bear the thought of her being forced to such extremes.

Marquis Zhenbei softened his tone. "The Fan family has been an honorable family for centuries, and they are well-matched with our Xie family. This marriage is an excellent match, so why are you so against it? You didn’t have such demands when taking a concubine before."

Xie Beihan understood that this marriage was now set in stone. Feeling wronged, he looked at Marquis Zhenbei with resentment. "Isn’t this different? This is my wife for life. Can’t I have some say in this?"

Marquis Zhenbei rolled his eyes. "With your lack of talent and ability, and given that you already have several women in your household, you’re in no position to make demands. You should be thrilled to marry a high-born lady from a prestigious family."

Xie Beihan opened his mouth but realized he had no grounds for argument. As his sixth sister had said, even Chu Shuo had a vast fortune to his name, whereas he had nothing to show—neither academic nor martial skills, and his attempts at learning magic hadn’t borne any fruit.

Seeing his son deflated, Marquis Zhenbei knew he had recognized his shortcomings. So, he offered a piece of consolation. "No matter. Men usually establish their families before their careers. Although your aunt is handling the wedding arrangements, you should pay attention these few days. Ensure everything goes smoothly so we aren’t laughed at."

Born into a powerful family, Xie Beihan had always enjoyed a life of luxury. Still, he understood that many things were beyond his control. He muttered, "Since that’s the case, why the rush? We could get engaged first and then plan the wedding slowly."

"That’s not an option," Marquis Zhenbei replied. "We need to get the wedding done quickly. I’m eager to have a grandson."

Xie Beihan rolled his eyes internally. "Then you can wait a bit longer."

He left the study without causing any further trouble. Only then did Marquis Zhenbei breathe a sigh of relief and slowly sat back in his chair. The recent exertion left him pale and cold, breaking out in a cold sweat.

"Someone..." Marquis Zhenbei clutched his abdomen and called out weakly.

The servant, who had been waiting outside, rushed in upon hearing the noise. "Marquis!"

He quickly took out a small porcelain bottle, shook out a pill, and brought some warm water to help Marquis Zhenbei swallow it. After a while, the pain in Marquis Zhenbei’s abdomen subsided, and his complexion improved slightly.

The servant frowned deeply. "Marquis, perhaps you should inform the Noble Prince."

Marquis Zhenbei shook his head decisively. "My condition is beyond hope. Telling him won’t change anything."

The servant suggested, "The Noble Prince is close to the Ninth Princess. Perhaps she can help."

Marquis Zhenbei suddenly looked up, a flash of anger crossing his face. "Silence! If the Noble Prince finds out, I’ll hold you responsible!"

The servant shuddered and bowed his head. "Yes, I’ll remember."

Marquis Zhenbei looked down at the sachet hanging from his waist, his gaze growing deeper. Just a few more days. Hopefully, he could hold on until then.