Mrs. Jiang was reprimanded by her mother-in-law and did not dare to defend herself. After seeing her mother-in-law off, she sat back down in the hall.
Mrs. Jiang sent soone to call her son back to the house, but after hearing the news, Dong Side did not feel happy; instead, he went directly to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion.
When Mrs. Dong heard that her nephew had co, she imdiately let him in, thinking he had co to admit his mistake. But upon hearing him say he wanted to marry Sister Jian, Mrs. Dong was so angry she wished she could slap him.
"Get out, just get out! I called you to the mansion because I thought you still felt guilty towards Sister Hui. After all, you are cousins, and even if you don’t beco husband and wife, you shouldn’t beco enemies. It’s best to talk things over face-to-face. But what did you do? You ca in here talking about marrying that concubine’s daughter. I’m telling you, give up on that idea; even if she wants to marry you, the Marquis Mansion will never allow it. Do you really think the Marquis Mansion is a place where you can do as you please? Today, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear any of this. Get out now, and don’t co to the mansion anymore. I’ll regard it as if I never had a nephew like you. At least this way, you won’t help outsiders disgrace us."
"Aunt has always been a kind person. Given the situation, not only do I need to take responsibility for Sister Jian, but how could she marry into a good family now? I know my actions will sadden you, but both you and Sister Hui are good people and will surely understand my intentions." Dong Side pleaded.
Mrs. Dong imdiately called in Jingfu to escort him out, "Take the Young Master back and inform Mrs. Dong Sr. to keep an eye on him. Tell her he shouldn’t co to the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion seeking marriage lightly."
Jingfu, having overheard the commotion inside, agreed and gently advised, "Young Master, let escort you back to the manor. Don’t let this incident ruin your family relations."
Receiving a look from Jingfu, Dong Side thought for a mont, bowed to Mrs. Dong, and followed Jingfu out of the courtyard.
On their way out, Jingfu whispered, "Young Master, things have reached this point, so let it go. Our eldest lady was sent away, and we don’t know which estate she’s been sent to. The Marquis arranged it. The matriarch visited the mansion today, and the marriage has been annulled. There’s no need for you to ntion it again."
"Sister Jingfu, I know you’re kind-hearted, but it’s still my fault that Sister Jian was wronged. As a man, I must take responsibility for my actions."
Jingfu, unwilling to hear him out, interrupted, "Young Master, there’s no need to say that to . Can you honestly claim you weren’t interested in our eldest lady, and that’s why you sought marriage here? If you weren’t interested, why did you touch her face?"
Dong Siwu was left speechless by her question. They had reached the gate of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion by then, and Jingfu curtsied, "I’ll accompany you just to the gate, not into the mansion. I’ll advise Madam to treat today’s incident as if it never happened, or else it won’t be good for you back at your manor."
Without waiting for a response, Jingfu curtsied once more and left.
Dong Side stood at the gate of the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, motionless, inadvertently attracting attention. The doorkeeper of the East Mansion saw this and reported it to Li Si, who in turn reported it to the Marquis.
Gu Yifeng was reading with Sister Ning when he heard about it. He waved his hand, "Send soone to escort him back to the Dong Mansion. If anything happens here, they might hold the mansion responsible."
Li Si acknowledged and left. When the Dong Mansion learned that Dong Side had been sent back from the Dingyuan Marquis Mansion, Mrs. Jiang was a bit comforted but showed a stern face after everyone had left.
To preserve her son’s dignity, Mrs. Jiang dismissed the servants and then said, "You are so muddle-headed! Neither your father nor grandmother has yet settled accounts with you, and you’ve already run off to the Marquis Mansion. Don’t think I don’t know what you’re plotting. Are you still hung up on that concubine’s daughter? Just give it up! The Dingyuan Marquis has already sent her away, and the marriage to Sister Hui has been annulled. With all this happening, you should be staying put in the mansion. Do you not want to pursue your academic achievents anymore?"
Dong Side lowered his head, remaining silent.
Mrs. Jiang continued, "You’re always like this, silent and stubborn. Whatever I say to you does no good. Out there, you’ve caused such a scandal. Usually, you reject every concubine I send your way. What are you thinking? If you didn’t like them, you could have told , and I’d have switched them out. Why fixate on a concubine’s daughter? You’ve ruined your own reputation for what exactly?"
She said a few more words, seeing her son still unresponsive, and waved weakly, "I won’t say any more. When your father cos ho tonight, who knows what punishnt you’ll face? Go wash up and settle down. I don’t even know where you’ve been staying all these days."
Reluctantly, Dong Side bowed and retreated.
But no one expected that when the father ca back in the evening to talk to his son, he found him already hanged in his room.
Mr. Dong Sr. made the discovery when he pushed the door open, collapsing in shock. Never did he imagine he’d find such a scene. The servants rushed in, equally stunned. They had been sent away by the Young Master himself, who only said he wanted to be alone. Who would have thought he’d be driven to such despair?
The Dong Mansion had only this one male heir, who suddenly took his own life, leaving Mr. and Mrs. Dong devastated. It was a crushing blow. Mrs. Dong Sr. fainted upon hearing the news.
Mrs. Jiang was left in a daze, as if her soul had been sucked out, muttering that it was her fault for scolding her son. She was alternating between crying and laughing, needing constant care.
News of the catastrophe in the Dong Mansion spread throughout the Capital by the next day.
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