348: Tuberose was beaten

Wan Xiangyu's eyes flew open, a flicker of panic instantly flashing in their depths. She instinctively straightened her back, her hands tightly clutching the hem of her skirt as she warily looked towards the door.

"BANG—"

The heavy door was kicked open, and a pungent, sharp odor of alcohol instantly flooded the room, mingling with the elegant scents of sandalwood and cosmetics in the air, creating a particularly acrid and unpleasant smell.

Situ Jun's brows knitted tightly together, a flash of coldness passing through his eyes.

Following the sound, he saw two men dressed in the blue servant attire of the household, flanking a portly, red-faced middle-aged man as they entered.

The man was past fifty, his belly round and protruding, straining the brocade robe he wore. A large, milky-white jade pendant hung from his waist, swaying with his movements, yet it could not mask the overwhelming smell of alcohol and vulgarity that clung to him.

"Madam, the master is drunk. There are still guests in the mansion who need attending to, and we must go see them off. We'll trouble you to look after the master."

The servant on the left spoke with a fawning tone, but his gaze unconsciously swept towards the inner chamber door, carrying a hint of ill-intentioned scrutiny.

Without waiting for Wan Xiangyu's reply, the two servants hastily retreated, slamming the parlor door shut with another "bang," completely isolating the space inside from the outside world.

That middle-aged man was the master of this Wang Mansion, Steward Wang.

He let out a drunken belch, a thick wave of alcohol breath bursting forth. His bleary eyes swept towards the chamber door, and then he staggered over, his steps unsteady as if he might collapse at any moment.

Sitting before her dressing table, Wan Xiangyu had initially thought these people were merely passing by; she never expected they were coming for her.

Hearing the noise, she whirled her head around, her face full of astonishment and confusion.

She stood up, instinctively pulling her collar together to cover the fading red marks on her neck.

Seeing Steward Wang walk in, her voice carried a barely perceptible tremor:

"Husband? You... why have you come?"

She and Steward Wang had been married for ten years.

In the first few years, Steward Wang still held some marital affection for her. Though it couldn't be called deep love, he at least treated her with respect.

But ever since he took a third concubine six years ago, he had never set foot in her remote courtyard again.

The servants in the mansion were all opportunists. Seeing her fall out of favor, they gradually grew negligent and disrespectful. Even the Family stewards looked at her with a touch of scorn and disdain.

Over these years, she had long grown accustomed to guarding an empty room alone, to the cold treatment and neglect within the mansion.

Now, for Steward Wang to barge into her bedchamber late at night, dead drunk, truly left her bewildered, and an inexplicable unease rose in her heart.

Steward Wang let out another drunken belch, a strong wave of alcohol breath bursting forth.

His bleary eyes swept over Wan Xiangyu, lingering on her for a moment with a drunken greed and impatience, as if appraising an object rather than his own wife.

Staggering forward, he stretched out a thick, fleshy hand, trying to grab Wan Xiangyu's wrist, mumbling incoherently:

"What? Does... does your husband need your... your permission to come see his own wife?"

Wan Xiangyu instinctively took a step back, avoiding his touch, her tone carrying a hint of distance:

"Husband, you're drunk late at night. If you're tired, perhaps you should rest in your study or go to one of the other sisters' quarters. My place here is remote and humble; I'm afraid I cannot entertain you well."

Her words seemed to anger Steward Wang.

The drunkenness on his face faded slightly, replaced by a hint of malevolence.

Staggering forward another step, he closed in on Wan Xiangyu and said roughly:

"Cannot entertain me well? Wan Xiangyu, do you still think you're that delicate lady I once cherished? You're nothing but... nothing but a discarded woman your own Family doesn't even value! How dare you put on airs with me!"

The three words "Wan Xiangyu" clearly reached Situ Jun's ears, making his heart stir slightly as he hid behind the beam.

So her real name was Wan Xiangyu.

Wan Xiangyu... as elegant as the fragrance of flowers in the deep night, as pure as warm, smooth jade—perfectly suited to her.

He silently repeated the name in his heart, feeling it fit her so perfectly, as if she was born to be called that.

Situ Jun's heart stirred slightly. He had forgotten he possessed the 'Eye of Detection,' which could have easily revealed her name. Yet, due to that indescribable reluctance and concern in his heart, he had lost his usual calm.

Wan Xiangyu's face instantly turned deathly pale. The fingers clutching her skirt tightened slightly, their knuckles turning white, as if she might tear the fabric apart.

Her Aptitude was mediocre. In a Family that valued cultivation talent, she had never been valued since childhood. After marrying into the Wang Mansion, her natal Family paid her no heed, having long regarded her as a discarded pawn.

The cold treatment in the mansion, the servants' neglect—she could endure it all. But to be humiliated so directly by Steward Wang, to have her shame laid bare so nakedly, still caused a sharp, piercing pain in her heart, as if being pricked by needles.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the surging feelings of grievance and sorrow in her heart. Her voice carried a tremor of restrained emotion:

"Husband, please calm your anger. I did not mean to offend, it's just..."

"Just what?"

Steward Wang roughly interrupted her, his gaze growing fiercer. The alcohol surging within him further clouded his reason:

"Do you resent me for neglecting you? Let me tell you, if it weren't for the slight face your Family still had back then, offering me some assistance, do you think you could still live peacefully in this courtyard, enjoying a life of luxury?"

As he spoke, he staggered forward again, extending his thick, fleshy hand to tug at the collar of Wan Xiangyu's robe around her neck. His tone was full of suspicion and malice:

"I heard you recently dismissed even your maidservant and always keep the courtyard gate shut. Could it be... could it be you've hidden some scoundrel here, afraid of being discovered?"

"Husband!"

Wan Xiangyu, both shocked and furious, violently pushed his hand away:

"Don't talk nonsense! I have always upheld wifely virtues! In the ten years since entering this mansion, I have never committed the slightest transgression! How can you slander me like this!"

Her resistance completely enraged the drunken Steward Wang.

Already frustrated by recent troubles in his business and having drunk heavily, being pushed by Wan Xiangyu now made his anger blaze even hotter, his reason utterly consumed by the alcohol.

He raised a large, fan-like hand and, with a fierce gust of wind, slapped Wan Xiangyu hard across the face.

"SMACK—"

The crisp sound of the slap echoed in the silent bedchamber, exceptionally jarring.

Wan Xiangyu was struck so hard her head snapped to the side. On her fair, delicate cheek, a perfectly clear palm print instantly appeared, and a trickle of blood even seeped from the corner of her mouth.

Clutching her cheek, she looked at Steward Wang in disbelief. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears, crystalline and transparent, yet stubbornly refusing to fall.

Within those tears were grievance, anger, and a deep despair.

She could never have imagined that this man, who had once sworn vows of eternal love to her, could now treat her so brutally.

Ten years of marriage, and in the end, all she received was such humiliation and abuse.