Chapter Twenty-Five: I Want to Break Off the Engagement, Part Two

Perhaps no one had ever imagined such a scene. In an instant, Lu Yun was stunned, Uncle Wen was stunned, the two maids were stunned, and Madam Zeng, who had been scolding incessantly, was left speechless with a mouthful of mud, equally stunned. Even Zeng Lang, who had hurried over, thinking of how to ease the situation, was left dumbstruck!

While everyone stood in shock, Lu Ying suddenly let out a piercing scream, her eyes reddening. “I—I didn’t mean it.” As she spoke, tears streamed down her cheeks. Choking with sobs, she pointed at the yellow dog now standing beneath a tree to the left and said, “I only wanted to teach it a lesson because Madam Zeng disliked it so much. I truly didn’t mean to…” At this point, Lu Ying was so frightened that tears poured down her face, and the hand she pressed tightly against her mouth was trembling. She looked as pitiful and innocent as could be.

A young lady with clear, scholarly features weeping like this confused even those who had clearly seen what happened. Uncle Wen muttered to himself, “It seems she really didn’t mean it. Ying has never been bold or aggressive; even if you gave her ten times the courage, she’d never dare lay a hand on Madam Zeng.”

Lu Yun rushed forward, spreading his arms to shield his sister behind him. “No one is allowed to come any closer! My sister already said she didn’t mean it!”

Madam Zeng returned to her senses, and immediately spat out the mud from her mouth, again and again. As she did, a surge of indescribable humiliation and fury welled up within her. She rinsed her mouth haphazardly with a cup of wine, then leapt up, pointing a shaking finger at Lu Ying and shrieked, “You wretched girl! You fool! You penniless ruin! I want to be rid of you! Changzhi! Changzhi! Bring the marriage contract at once, I will dissolve this engagement!”

Zeng Lang snapped back to himself at his mother’s shrill cries. He hadn’t seen the incident clearly and was still a bit confused. But confused as he was, he knew Lu Ying was a proud, strong-willed girl; if the engagement were annulled, she would never let him near her again, which was entirely contrary to his plans—something he could not allow.

After pondering briefly, he quickly stepped forward to steady his mother, speaking softly: “Mother, this is a grave matter. Why not wait until father returns before making a decision?”

Seeing his mother trembling with rage, her face an alarming shade of blue, Zeng Lang, who knew her temperament well, led her aside and whispered in her ear, “Mother, breaking off the engagement is easy, but letting her go would be letting her off too easily. Why not…” After a few murmured words, he continued, “By then, once she’s entered the Zeng household as only a concubine, wouldn’t you be able to torment her however you wish? That’s far better than letting her live freely outside, isn’t it?”

A son knows his mother best. As soon as Zeng Lang finished, Madam Zeng’s volcanic anger quickly subsided. She gave a cold laugh and answered under her breath, “As you wish.”

Madam Zeng stood up, took a handkerchief from a maid to wipe her mouth, then walked over to Lu Ying and said sharply, “Lu, I’ll let you off this time.” Waving her hand, she said coldly, “Since I don’t intend to pursue this matter now, you should leave at once.”

There was still a residue of fury on her face, and the look she gave Lu Ying was filled with unconcealed loathing and malice.

Standing behind, Uncle Wen watched the mother and son’s performance, his brow furrowing ever more deeply.

Leave? Lu Ying had no intention of leaving.

She ceased her sobbing, lowered her head, and after stepping forward, gave Madam Zeng a graceful curtsey, her voice hoarse as she said, “I, Ying, am shallow in virtue and scant in fortune, and now I have even offended madam…” After two sobs, her voice grew slightly stronger. “I beg madam’s permission to dissolve my engagement with Zeng Lang!”

“What?” Zeng Lang exclaimed in disbelief, staring at Lu Ying. “Say that again?”

Lu Ying lifted her head, rose to her feet, and fixed Zeng Lang with a steady gaze. Her eyes reddened, but after a moment she turned to Madam Zeng and said, clear and unwavering, “Madam has never liked me—this, I know.” She sniffed, her eyes shifting to Zeng Lang, and continued, her voice ringing without the slightest hint of a sob, “Nor does Zeng Lang; he has someone else in his heart—this, too, I know.”

Covering her mouth with her sleeve, Lu Ying choked out, “I know I have made many mistakes. A few days ago, by luck, I saved a group of students, but the money I received for helping them, I spent myself without informing Zeng Lang…” At the mention of this painful matter, Madam Zeng’s face, which had only just regained its color, began to turn blue again, her expression of disgust and rage serving as an apt illustration of Lu Ying’s words. Uncle Wen, standing behind, needed no further thought to guess at Madam Zeng’s earlier machinations. Recalling how Madam Zeng had earlier cursed the dog as a stand-in for a person, Uncle Wen’s face grew grim without his realizing it.

Lu Ying went on, “Because of this, Zeng Lang was furious with me, and madam was even more displeased.” She lowered her eyes and said, choking, “Before even entering the household, I have already offended both mother-in-law and husband; I dare not mention the engagement again.”

At this, Zeng Lang couldn’t help raising his voice. “Why must you say such things, Ying? I have never despised you!”

“Truly?” At his words, Lu Ying’s eyes lit up, but the brilliance faded in an instant. “But you clearly told Ayin that you don’t like me, that you only wish to marry her.”

He was being caught in his own words again! A chill ran through Zeng Lang, and, reflexively, he snapped, “No such thing! You mustn’t let your imagination run wild!”

As he spoke, he failed to notice that Uncle Wen, standing behind Lu Yun, now wore a face as dark as a storm.

“But, but…” After stammering for a moment, Lu Ying clenched her jaw and cried out, “But I still wish to dissolve the engagement with Zeng Lang.”

Zeng Lang’s face turned livid as he glared at her. “Ying, do you know what you’re saying? Do you understand the consequences of breaking off the engagement? This is a grave matter—you don’t understand. You should go home first.”

“I do understand!” This time, Lu Ying replied swiftly, fixing Zeng Lang with a steady gaze. “I know very well. Zeng Lang and madam have always looked down on me for being orphaned and poor. Ayin, on the other hand, comes from a wealthy family—marrying her is like marrying a mountain of gold and silver. As soon as our engagement is broken, you can marry your Ayin, and I can seek my own happiness.”

At this point, Lu Ying seemed suddenly struck by a thought. She covered her mouth and exclaimed in surprise, “Zeng Lang, could it be that you refuse to break the engagement because you want to marry both me and Ayin? But Ayin’s family is so rich—her parents would never allow her to be a concubine!”

Lu Ying’s words, spoken with such exaggerated astonishment and self-importance, greatly displeased Madam Zeng, who could not help but sneer from the side, “Who said Ayin would be a concubine?”

At these words, silence fell once more.

Lu Yun was stunned. Uncle Wen was stunned as well.

Uncle Wen stared blankly at the mother and son, a thought surfacing unbidden: Could it be that these two intend to make the wife a concubine? Are they not afraid of dishonoring their departed friend? In an instant, he realized: Such cold-hearted people would hardly care about honor or shame.

As silence descended again, Lu Ying slowly straightened her back.

This time, she no longer pretended to be meek or demure.

She stood tall, the corners of her lips lifting in a faint, mocking smile. With a habitual air of cold elegance, she fixed her gaze on Madam Zeng and Zeng Lang. Bringing her hands together, she began to clap lightly. Amid the crisp sound, her voice rang out, slow and unhurried: “What a clever scheme, to make a wife into a concubine!”

As everyone stared at her in astonishment, Lu Ying stepped forward, unhurried and composed, stopping before Zeng Lang. She looked up at him, who seemed on the verge of speaking, then suddenly raised her right hand and—smack!—delivered a crisp slap to his left cheek.

“You dare strike me?” No amount of lingering affection or regret could overcome Zeng Lang’s indignation. He leapt up in anger.

As he stared at Lu Ying in disbelief, Madam Zeng shrieked, “You brazen wench, how dare you!” As soon as she finished, another resounding slap was heard—Lu Ying had struck Zeng Lang’s right cheek! Now, with a slap on each side, his face bore two symmetrical red marks.