The man took the bait and eagerly pressed, "But what?"
Chu Lianxin waved for the two maids to leave, then sighed heavily before continuing, "What I want to say is that my hand is fine, but Zhu'er's face is in trouble."
She faced Jiang Yucheng and pondered for a long time before finally making a helpless expression.
"My husband, let me tell you the truth. In fact, Zhu'er and Prince An are in love and have already crossed the line. Moreover, Zhu'er is now pregnant with Prince An's child."
"What! Zhu'er and Prince An are having an affair, and she's pregnant!!"
Jiang Yucheng was taken aback, and then he wanted to get angry.
Chu Lianxin quickly comforted him: "Husband, don't be angry, listen to me first."
"What else is there to say? A young woman getting pregnant out of wedlock, what kind of image will that have if word gets out? Does the Jiang family have any face left?"
Jiang Yucheng was so angry that his chest heaved. He, who always prided himself on being refined and disliked loud noise, spoke more than twice as loud as usual.
Chu Lianxin quickly stopped him: "Husband, please keep your voice down. If others hear us, the reputation of our Jiang family will be ruined."
Fortunately, Jiang Yucheng was still rational enough to realize his mistake and quickly shut up, sitting in his chair panting with anger.
Chu Lianxin's eyes darted around, and she quickly whispered, "When I first heard about this, I was very angry, but thinking about it again, it might not be such a bad thing."
Jiang Yucheng glared at her angrily: "Are you out of your mind, woman? A perfectly innocent girl, having an affair with another man before marriage, what kind of good thing is that?"
Chu Lianxin ignored the man's anger and continued to explain.
"Husband, think about it. Luo Xue is so immature. Not only did she cancel the marriage with the Duke of Anguo's mansion, but she also angered the Duchess of Anguo and made her leave."
"Our Jiang and An families, who were supposed to be in-laws, have instead become enemies."
"I'm sure that in the future, Duke Anguo will inevitably target you, my husband, in court."
Jiang Yucheng gradually calmed down and began to listen carefully to what she had to say.
Chu Lianxin was very good at reading people's expressions. Seeing that the man's face had softened a lot, she knew that he had listened to her.
Overjoyed, she quickly continued, "My lord, now that Zhu'er and Prince An are in love and have his child, this marriage can be considered to be renewed."
"Don't you think this is a good thing?"
Jiang Yucheng's anger completely dissipated, and after careful consideration, he realized it was indeed a good thing.
But he was still a little embarrassed that his daughter was pregnant out of wedlock, so he didn't say anything immediately.
Chu Lianxin saw that he didn't say anything, but his expression clearly showed that he agreed with her.
So he deliberately sighed, revealing a face full of sorrow.
"Alas! It's a pity that Zhu'er's appearance is now ruined. Even if she is pregnant, I'm afraid it will be difficult for her to enter the Duke of Anguo's mansion."
"After all, even ordinary official families cannot accept a disfigured matriarch, let alone a family like the Duke of Anguo's mansion."
"A good opportunity to resolve the feud with the An family has been ruined."
"And our poor Pearl, who could have married into a wealthy family and brought you, my husband wealth and glory, so much better than now...!"
Chu Lianxin deliberately stopped talking and silently wiped away her tears with her handkerchief.
This approach is even more captivating to men than direct statements.
Chu Lianxin sobbed while secretly glancing at Jiang Yucheng's expression out of the corner of her eye.
Seeing the man's expression change drastically, seemingly both angry and pleased, she couldn't help but slightly raise the corners of her mouth, which she had been covering with her handkerchief.
When Jiang Yucheng heard that his second daughter had an affair without a matchmaker, he was furious and even wanted to summon Jiang Ruzhu to the Repentance Hall to punish her according to family law.
But upon hearing Chu Lianxin's words, his mind began to stir again.
The eldest daughter has indeed broken off her engagement with the Duke of Anguo's family, and it was a very unpleasant affair.
These past few days, when he went to court, that old man, Duke Anguo, was always acting strangely and disrespectfully towards him because of this matter, which made him feel very uncomfortable.
If the youngest daughter could marry Prince An, then not only would the two families no longer be enemies, but the marriage could also be renewed.
With the Duke's mansion as his backing, his career path became even more secure.
As Jiang Yucheng thought about it, his anger dissipated and was replaced by joy. He even felt that his second daughter's move was truly brilliant!
When he heard from his wife that his second daughter had been disfigured and would likely be unable to marry into the Duke of Anguo's household, his anger was reignited.
However, this time it was for the eldest daughter.
"If there is any trouble with Zhu'er's marriage, I will never forgive Jiang Luoxue, that wretched girl."
He slammed his hand on the table, his eyes filled with disgust for his eldest daughter.
In the past few days, he had come to realize that although his eldest daughter had climbed up to the General's Mansion, she was short-sighted, arrogant, and rebellious, and had no intention of considering the Minister's Mansion at all.
Not only did she not help him connect with Ye Xuanchen, but she also abused his power in the General's Mansion, completely disregarding her own father.
A daughter who has no value is simply a useless child.
Jiang Yucheng grew angrier the more he thought about it, a sinister glint flashing in his eyes.
If the eldest daughter ruins the younger daughter's marriage, she will also ruin his own promising future.
Even if she has General Ye backing her up, he has plenty of ways to make her die a reasonable death!
Chu Lianxin had been secretly observing the man's expression, and naturally she didn't miss the murderous intent in his eyes.
He was overjoyed and wished Jiang Yucheng would get rid of the thorn in his side immediately.
However, Chu Lianxin also knew that now was not the time to take action against Jiang Luoxue, as that woman still held the leverage that her daughter was pregnant out of wedlock.
If Jiang Yucheng makes a move now, that bitch will fight to the death, and her daughter's reputation will be ruined.
Moreover, the reason she brought this up was to show Jiang Yucheng the value of his second daughter, so that he could use his connections to ask the Emperor for the White Jade Beauty Cream to restore her daughter's appearance.
As for Jiang Luoxue, with Shi Yu's dual plan, she's like a turtle in a jar—she can't escape!
We must not let Jiang Yucheng's impulsive actions ruin things.
Chu Lianxin gently patted the man's back to soothe him, and said softly, "Husband, don't be angry. Luo Xue is just young and doesn't know any better, so she made a mistake."
As her stepmother, I also bear some responsibility for not raising her well, so neither I nor Zhu'er blame her, and you shouldn't blame her either.
Jiang Yucheng was moved by his wife's understanding nature and gently patted her shoulder.
"How can you blame yourself, Madam?"
"It's that unruly and incorrigible girl who has caused you and Ruzhu to suffer."
"To have my husband's understanding is enough; I would gladly endure any hardship." Chu Lianxin gazed at Jiang Yucheng with affectionate eyes, causing the man to stir.
He reached out to touch her face, but the thought of the sores on her face made him feel uncomfortable, even with the mask on, and he immediately lost interest.
Instead, he patted her shoulder and said, "I knew I hadn't married the wrong person. You are truly the best wife in the world."
Chu Lianxin didn't miss the disdain in his eyes. She despised this man for being heartless and ungrateful, but on the surface she pretended to be happy after being praised.
She then put away her smile and said, "My husband, what I'm worried about now is that the Duke of Anguo's mansion will use the excuse that our daughter's appearance is ruined to refuse to marry her. What should we do?"