SGEIRS -Chapter 343 Fanning the Flames

Upon hearing this, the heir of the Wu’an Marquisate’s eldest son turned pale in an instant. His previously composed face drained of color, and he trembled as he asked, “Father… what… what should we do now?”

The Wu’an Marquis shot his son a glare full of frustration, speaking with an annoyed tone: “You’re only asking me what to do now? What were you doing all this time? Acting so impulsively! You should have stabilized her first. Even knocking her unconscious and placing her under house arrest would have been better, rather than laying a hand on her.”

As he spoke, his expression hardened with severity. “Moreover, there are countless ways to make her keep quiet—even methods that could silence her permanently without anyone knowing. And yet, you chose the most foolish course of action, creating this mess. Usually, you seem so clever and composed, but when faced with a real problem, you act so recklessly.”

The heir lowered his head, too intimidated to respond. He hadn’t actually wanted to harm Xuanyí, but when she declared she would divorce him and expose his disgrace, he panicked. He lost his reason, only thinking to silence her. It wasn’t until she mentioned the Marquis of Changxing that he let go—after all, it wouldn’t look good to the Marquisate if she died.

The Wu’an Marquis took a deep breath, suppressing his anger. “When we go to the Marquis of Changxing’s residence, you must admit your fault. No arguing.”

The heir looked up in shock. “F-Father, I…”

“Do you think you can deceive the Marquis just because he’s your father-in-law?” The Marquis shot him another frustrated glare. “He’s solved countless cases. That he became Minister of Justice proves his insight surpasses ordinary men. Don’t even think about showing off your little tricks in front of him, or he definitely won’t spare you.”

The heir’s heart pounded, yet he still clung to a thread of hope: “Father, Xuanyí isn’t the Marquis’s daughter, just his niece…”

The Marquis was furious. “Xuanyí isn’t merely his brother’s daughter—she’s from the Gu family. By striking Xuanyí, you’ve not only hit her but slapped the Marquis of Changxing’s household in the face. And with this deception, it’s clearly a marriage fraud! Do you think the Marquis will let you off? Do you think he would silently endure someone harming his family? If I had known you had such a shameful proclivity, I would never have agreed to this marriage. I would have found you a low-born, easily controlled girl.”

After saying this, he shot his wife a glance. If not for her vanity—her insistence on a match of equal status and the shame she would feel marrying a low-born girl—none of this trouble would have arisen. A low-born girl wouldn’t dare make a scene, and her family would have minded their own interests. Now he was both angry and resentful: his son had this tendency, and his wife should never have hidden it from him. He could have prepared for it, avoiding the mess of today.

Lady Wu’an, sensing her husband’s murderous gaze, shivered and quickly said, “Husband, since the matter has already happened, regretting it won’t help. The urgent task is to resolve the problem first. As for Xiao’er, you can punish him afterward.”

The Marquis snorted coldly. “He will certainly be punished; otherwise, how do we explain ourselves to the Marquis of Changxing’s household? But don’t forget, you, as his mother, are not blameless either.”

Turning to his son, he gave a nearly merciless warning: “When we go to the Marquis’s residence, you must admit your fault. Don’t say that I or your mother knew about it beforehand. Understand this: we only learned of your outrageous actions after arriving there and hearing it from the Marquis’s household. If they find out from the Gu family, your mother and I will be furious.”

The heir’s heart sank. He couldn’t believe it. He had always thought parents would protect their children, yet at this critical moment, they seemed ready to abandon him, leaving him to bear the consequences alone.

The Marquis’s gaze softened slightly. “Don’t blame us for being cold. If they knew we had prior knowledge, it would make matters worse. How could we rescue you then?”

Though Lady Wu’an felt for her son, she knew her husband was right. She spoke gently: “Xiao’er, your father is correct. If they knew we were aware, we wouldn’t even have the chance to plead for you. We’d make enemies of the Marquis of Changxing’s household. Our family is already unstable, and the Marquis’s household has us in their sights. We would truly be beset from within and without.”

The heir remained silent, weighing his options. Finally, he nodded lightly, agreeing to take full responsibility.

The Marquis patted his son’s shoulder. “Xiao’er, you are our child. We won’t abandon you; we will do everything we can to protect you. It’s getting late—we’ll go to the Marquis’s residence now.”

He had taken just a step when the heir froze. “Father… what about my reputation?”

His voice trembled with panic. He was genuinely terrified. He couldn’t imagine the shame if others learned of his proclivity—it would invite ridicule and scorn.

But he couldn’t help it. He had no interest in women. Faced with a beautiful woman, he felt nothing. But with men, he had impulses, regardless of their demeanor or physique. That was simply who he was.

The Marquis stopped as well, turning to him: “At this point, reputation doesn’t matter. Your reputation is already gone. As for your preference, perhaps, with repeated pleading from your mother and me, the Marquis’s household might agree not to reveal it to outsiders.”

The heir’s face turned deathly pale.

The Marquis gave him no chance to argue further, speaking with restrained anger: “Let’s go. This trip is unavoidable. If we don’t go, will you have our whole family suffer for your mistakes? If we fail to go today, tomorrow a memorial accusing our family will reach the Emperor. Then, it won’t be resolved by merely apologizing.”

Lady Wu’an didn’t dare let her son dawdle, fearing his hesitation would further enrage her husband. She grabbed him and led him outside.

The heir’s face was as pale as paper, his expression anxious, like a man being led to the execution ground.

Meanwhile, the Fourth Madam of the Wu’an residence went to the matriarch to report the events in the main branch: “Mother, around noon, someone from the Marquis of Changxing’s household came. Our eldest brother, sister-in-law, and Xiao’er have all gone out. It seems they are heading to the Marquis’s residence.”

The matriarch smiled gently, her words tinged with coldness: “Paper can’t hide fire forever. If it could, you’d need outside force to pierce it. Look—the fire is burning brightly, isn’t it?”

The Fourth Madam complimented her with a smile: “Mother, your plan is brilliant.”

The matriarch’s smile deepened. They had long suspected that the heir was up to something. They never imagined that their investigation would uncover such explosive news—he has a same-sex preference and committed marriage fraud, targeting the Marquis of Changxing’s ward. This would be quite the spectacle.

Their heir enjoys watching dramas, and now he’s the star of a real-life one.

The Gu family girl proved resourceful. Thanks to their subtle fanning of the flames, she discovered the truth.

At this point, she should be grateful for their manipulation, which allowed her to leave the Wu’an residence safely and report to the Marquis of Changxing. Without their aid, a young girl like her could never have escaped successfully.

At just sixteen, divorcing and remarrying would be easy. A bright future still awaited her.