I Was Supposed to Be the Villainous Consort

"Besides, if there really were a family willing to joyfully welcome Qing Han as their main wife, would you even dare to marry her into such a family?"

Song Qinghan had a reputation for neither virtue nor talent. Moreover, her marriage to Xu Anxing had long since become a laughingstock. She was seen as talentless, immoral, and ruthless—and she would be a divorcée. Anyone who dared to marry her would only be doing it to target the Song Family.

If they had ulterior motives, they would send Song Qinghan back to her family to demand favors. If she succeeded, great. But if she couldn’t deliver, how could the marriage possibly last?

"If they’re after something, they’ll expect a return. If there’s no return, you’re not forging an alliance; you’re starting a feud. In the end, Qing Han will be the one to suffer. Third Sister-in-law, you must keep your eyes wide open this time. If she remarries only to get divorced again, the entire Song Family will become a joke," the First Madam said calmly.

Mrs. Cai’s expression darkened. She looked at the First Madam and said, "Eldest Sister-in-law, from what you’re saying, does this mean my Qing Han is doomed to suffer for the rest of her life?"

The First Madam ignored Mrs. Cai and stared directly at Song Qinghan. "Qing Han, tell me yourself, what do you want to do? Your Eldest Aunt has laid out all the pros and cons for you. Think it over carefully."

At this, the First Madam sighed lightly. "You are my niece. I am a mother too, so of course I don’t want to see you struggling in a pit of fire. I never agreed to this marriage in the first place, but there’s no use talking about that now. You’re still young. Life after a divorce might not be easy, but as long as you walk the right path, it won’t be too bad either."

Song Qinghan’s hands gripped her handkerchief tightly. ’I can’t accept this! Why should I be the one to end up like this? I endured everything in the Marquis Wuxin Mansion, swallowing my pride for so long I might as well have been a spineless coward, and they still want to humiliate me like this?’

’All I want is to live a glamorous and respectable life. Why is that so hard?’

Tears streamed down Song Qinghan’s face uncontrollably. Mrs. Cai’s heart ached watching her, and she went over to hold her daughter, crying along with her.

The First Madam: ...

’What damn good is crying?!’

’This mother-daughter duo. They can’t get anything serious done; all they know is how to cause trouble for others.’

Song Nanzhen’s expression contorted, and he suddenly slammed his hand on the table. "Stop crying!"

Mrs. Cai and Song Qinghan flinched, their crying instantly getting stuck in their throats.

Song Nanzhen looked at his daughter. "Every word your Eldest Aunt said was sincere. Our family’s title was earned through Lady Ming’s favor. Our foundation is shallow right now; we can’t afford for you to cause this kind of trouble. Even if you don’t consider the lady in the palace, you and your mother should at least think of Bu Yue. You must leave him a way forward."

At the mention of their son, Mrs. Cai looked slightly embarrassed, and her arms around her daughter loosened.

Song Qinghan watched her mother’s hands fall away, completely unsurprised. She closed her mouth, not saying a word, her expression tight.

The First Madam could see at a glance that the discussion was going nowhere today. She stood up and said, "Today’s events were sudden. I imagine Qing Han still needs to think things over carefully. Third Brother, I’ll take my leave for now. The Empress Dowager’s birthday is approaching, and the gift isn’t ready yet. Let’s talk again once Qing Han has made up her mind."

Song Nanzhen’s face flushed slightly as he personally rose to see the First Madam out.

After seeing her off and returning, he looked at his wife and daughter, unable to hide his disappointment. In a heavy voice, he said, "Your path in life is your own to walk. Falling into a pit once is nothing; you can still climb out. But you can’t afford to be blind a second time."

Song Nanzhen then turned and left. He had already guessed what his daughter was thinking, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Only Mrs. Cai and Song Qinghan remained in the room. Mrs. Cai looked at her daughter. "Just tell me what you’re really thinking."

Song Qinghan looked at her mother, her eyes burning with anger. "Mother, didn’t you hear what Eldest Aunt said? If I get a divorce, what kind of good family could I possibly marry into? They’d expect me to waste away in a nunnery for the rest of my life, and I don’t want that, Mother!"

"Your Eldest Aunt was just trying to scare you. She wouldn’t really make you go," Mrs. Cai said hurriedly.

"If I get a divorce, could you find me another good match?" Song Qinghan asked.

Mrs. Cai was instantly speechless. She couldn’t.

Song Qinghan covered her face and sobbed wretchedly. "Mother, why is my life so bitter..."

Mrs. Cai understood. Her daughter didn’t want a divorce. She was just using the threat of it to intimidate the Marquis Wuxin Mansion. She couldn’t bear to part with the title of Third Young Madam of the Marquis Wuxin Mansion.

Mrs. Cai fell silent. Now things were complicated.

Yun Zhao learned of Song Qinghan’s situation from a letter from the First Madam. After reading it, she gave a cold laugh. ’Insatiable greed.’

Song Qinghan couldn’t bear to give up her title as the Third Young Madam of the Marquis Wuxin Mansion, but she also didn’t want Yan Liu and her two children to be an eyesore. She was using Xu Anxing’s promotion of Yan Liu to concubine as an opportunity to deliberately cause a huge scene, trying to force her own family to step in and dispose of Yan Liu and her children.

’She hasn’t even considered that if the Marquis Wenxin’s Mansion actually did something like that, the Marquis Wuxin Mansion could immediately turn around and impeach them for bullying others by flaunting their power. And whose power would they be flaunting?’

’Mine, of course—the power of Ming Fei.’

’And who would they be bullying?’

’Yan Liu and her two children. As detestable as Yan Liu might be, those two children are innocent.’

Song Yunzhao could already imagine how the Imperial Censors would impeach her father—and her.

’Could Song Qinghan possibly not have thought of this?’

’How could someone as clever as her not think of it? But with her disposition, she would never care about the lives of others. She only ever thinks about her own gain.’

How could Song Yunzhao not be furious?

She had just managed to earn a marquisate for her family, and now Song Qinghan was already stirring up trouble.

Seething with anger, Song Yunzhao had originally intended to ignore Song Qinghan. But she couldn’t let one bad apple spoil the whole Song Family. She immediately went to her study, picked up a brush, and began to write a letter to her father.

There were some matters that even the Eldest Aunt couldn’t properly handle. Only a father could intervene with legitimate authority.

In the letter, Yun Zhao analyzed the pros and cons. Song Qinghan was selfish to the core; getting her to repent was impossible. Therefore, the only option was to lay things out for her, loud and clear.

This time, she was ruthless. She told her father that if the family dared to abuse their power to bully others, she wouldn’t wait for the Imperial Censors to act. She would personally ask the Emperor to revoke the Song Family’s title. She could not allow her son to be dragged down by his maternal relatives. She urged her father to think more about Song Bu Yue. He had yet to marry and was still studying hard, hoping to pass the exams, earn a title, and bring glory to their ancestors. Was all of that to be ruined because of Song Qinghan?

By bringing up Feng Ze and Song Bu Yue, Song Yunzhao had administered a harsh dose of medicine. She believed her father would make the right choice.

Song Yunzhao’s letter was delivered to the Marquis Wenxin’s Mansion. After reading it, Song Nanzhen was speechless for a long moment. ’I knew it would come to this.’

But he didn’t blame his sister-in-law for telling Yun Zhao. He carefully folded the letter and went to find Mrs. Cai.

Seeing her husband, Mrs. Cai hurried to greet him, her face tentative. "My lord, have you thought of a solution? Qing Han is the apple of our eye, after all. The Marquis Wuxin Mansion has gone too far this time. We must help her vent her anger."

Song Nanzhen gazed at his wife. Looking at the face before him, he couldn’t help but recall how she had looked when they first married.

Once, he had truly wanted to live a happy and harmonious life with her.