It turned out that Cheng Ying had been feeling a bit uncomfortable being hugged by Cheng Yaojia. She had casually reached her hand back, intending to pat her cousin to show that she had already made peace with her feelings and wasn’t as upset as her cousin imagined. But instead of touching her cousin’s soft body, her hand met a hairy leg. She was terrified out of her wits. Her first reaction was that her brother-in-law hadn’t left—he was still in bed.
Thinking that all her whispered secrets had been overheard, compounded by the fact that she was sharing a bed with her brother-in-law, Cheng Ying was overwhelmed with shame and anger. But she quickly realized the truth was even more shocking than she had imagined.
Unlike Cheng Yaojia, who was weak and paralyzed with terror, Song Qingshu showed no sign of panic. He smiled faintly and said, “Why can’t I be here?”
Having weathered countless storms over the years, Song Qingshu’s resolve was now unshakable. He probably wouldn’t blink even if Mount Tai collapsed before him, let alone in a situation as minor as this.
“You… you… she…” After her initial shock, Cheng Ying’s face darkened. She said coldly, “I never expected that the great hero spoken of by the world would turn out to be a lecherous scoundrel who forces himself on another man’s wife.”
Song Qingshu was exasperated. “That’s quite an accusation. When did I ever force myself on her?”
Earlier, Cheng Ying hadn’t thought much of Cheng Yaojia’s ragged breathing and deliberately suppressed gasps. But now, looking back, how could she not realize what he had been doing to her cousin? The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. She grabbed the jade flute she had placed by the bed and thrust it at him, executing the Eastern Heretic’s Jade Flute Swordplay.
Huang Yaoshi’s martial arts always carried a hint of wickedness. Coupled with her sudden attack and the boost from her anger, this thrust was both devious and vicious. Even a martial artist stronger than her might have been caught off guard and defeated.
Unfortunately, Song Qingshu’s martial arts had reached a realm of perfection, allowing him to act entirely on instinct. Seeing her thrust coming, a thought crossed his mind, and he moved after her but arrived before her, sealing her acupoints.
Cheng Ying was terrified. She had known Song Qingshu’s martial arts were formidable, but she hadn’t expected them to be this formidable. Finding herself defenseless, she could only say coldly, “Hmph, your martial arts have reached the level of a grandmaster, yet your conduct lacks any of a grandmaster’s bearing or integrity.”
Song Qingshu was speechless. “Hey, little miss, you can say whatever you want about food, but you can’t just say whatever you want about people. Have you considered that things might not be as you imagine?”
Cheng Ying swept her gaze over the bed. Her cousin’s clothes were disheveled, revealing large expanses of creamy skin. Perhaps because she had been violated, her skin was covered with a faint rosy blush—whether from anger or shame, it was hard to tell.
“Hmph, what’s there to misunderstand? It’s obvious you coveted my cousin’s beauty and used your martial arts to force her… to force her to submit to you. Shameless!”
“That’s… that’s not how it was.” Before Song Qingshu could speak, Cheng Yaojia timidly began to explain.
Cheng Ying knew her cousin had always been shy, timid, and soft-natured. But seeing her still taking this attitude, she was both angry and heartbroken. “Don’t be afraid, cousin. The way he’s treated you, we must seek justice. Besides, you were forced. Even if my brother-in-law finds out, he surely won’t blame you.”
Cheng Yaojia’s pretty face flushed crimson. Finally managing to seize an opportunity, she said, “I wasn’t forced. I… I did it willingly.”
“What?” Cheng Ying trembled, looking at her in disbelief. In her mind, her cousin had always been the epitome of a proper lady—virtuous, gentle, and refined. How could she do something like this?
“Cousin, does he have some kind of leverage over you? Or is he threatening my brother-in-law’s life?” Cheng Ying was an extremely intelligent woman and quickly thought of various possibilities.
Cheng Yaojia shook her head. She had always feared this secret being discovered, but now that it was out, she found she wasn’t as afraid as before. Having recovered somewhat, she calmly said, “It’s not what you think. Young Master Song didn’t force me or threaten me. I did this willingly. And your brother-in-law knows about it.”
“My brother-in-law knows?” Cheng Ying asked in astonishment.
“That’s right.” Cheng Yaojia nodded and pulled the blanket over her exposed body. She also considerately covered Song Qingshu beside her.
Cheng Ying fell silent. Words could be faked, but these small, instinctive actions could not. Her cousin’s movements came from genuine feeling, and the tenderness in her eyes moved Cheng Ying deeply.
She finally believed what Song Qingshu had said earlier. She sighed softly, “Cousin, by doing this… how can you face my brother-in-law?” Her tone was already very gentle. If it had been any other woman doing such a thing, Cheng Ying wouldn’t even have given her a second glance.
Cheng Yaojia shot her a glare. “Didn’t I tell you? Your brother-in-law knows about it.”
“How is that possible!” Cheng Ying frowned. “In the hall today, my brother-in-law was so respectful toward Song Qingshu. If he knew about you two, how could he…” Though she didn’t finish her sentence, her meaning was perfectly clear.
Song Qingshu interjected, “Why can’t your brother-in-law both know the truth and still be respectful toward me?”
“Shut up. I don’t want to hear anything from you.” Cheng Ying didn’t know why she was so angry. Snapping at him, she turned back to Cheng Yaojia. “Cousin, you tell me.”
Cheng Yaojia cast an apologetic glance at Song Qingshu, then explained, “Young Master Song is right. Your brother-in-law does know about this, and yet he still holds Young Master Song in the highest regard.”
“You’re both confusing me.” Despite her keen intelligence, Cheng Ying was baffled. According to common sense, she couldn’t fathom how her brother-in-law, knowing the truth, could still respect the man who had cuckolded him.
“Here’s the thing,” Cheng Yaojia said, pausing to choose her words before continuing slowly. “You know how severely the Old Lady regards the lack of children. Look at how close my brother-in-law’s younger uncle and Aunt Tang were, yet because Aunt Tang never bore any children, the Old Lady ordered her to be divorced… And my brother-in-law’s younger uncle is the Old Lady’s own flesh and blood, yet she was that ruthless. My situation with your brother-in-law is similar. After all these years of marriage, I’ve still not conceived, and the Old Lady’s attitude toward us has grown increasingly harsh. Your brother-in-law and I knew it wouldn’t be long before we suffered the same fate as his younger uncle and Aunt Tang. In desperation, we had to seek out Young Master Song… to borrow a child.”
The last two words spoken, Cheng Yaojia’s face burned bright red. This was a secret she had intended to bury in her heart for life. If not forced by circumstances today, she would never have spoken of it.
“This is… this is utterly outrageous,” Cheng Ying said, her own face flushed. She spat, “You and my brother-in-law are still young. There’s plenty of time. You could slowly nurse your health and eventually conceive a child. Why resort to such a desperate measure!”
Cheng Yaojia smiled bitterly. “There’s no time left. On that trip to Yangzhou, your brother-in-law had his kidney meridians injured by an enemy. He can no longer perform his marital duties.”
“Ah?” Cheng Ying’s small, rosy mouth dropped open in shock.
Cheng Yaojia roughly recounted what had happened in Yangzhou, then said, “Young Master Song saved both our lives. He has always looked after us. We had no way to repay such a great kindness… and then there was the issue of children. Later, your brother-in-law made this proposal himself. We pleaded with him countless times before Young Master Song reluctantly agreed.”
Cheng Ying’s expression was strange. *’Reluctantly agreed,’ she says. From what I just saw, he was thoroughly enjoying himself. There wasn’t a trace of reluctance.*