Chapter 3: Taking Responsibility

    The sound of horse hooves striking the ground and the noise of carriage wheels moving over soil and stones

    rhythmically rocked Ling Wei back into consciousness, along with a headache and severe pain in her midsection. She had fainted multiple times after waking up on that bed in the inn to find herself in an unexpected situation.

    "Ah...it hurts," Ling Wei exclaimed, tears streaming down anew, overlaying the paths of many tears she had shed since waking.

    "Awake now?" Suddenly, a powerful, deep voice sounded next to her, causing Ling Wei to startle significantly before becoming fully alert.

    Ling Wei blinked rapidly upon realizing she was sitting in a carriage, next to the mysterious, large man she had encountered on the bed.

    "You, why did you...sob..." The young woman managed to say just that before feeling a large lump blocking her throat.

    She looked at the large man sitting beside her in the carriage, not understanding why. He was sitting with his arms crossed next to her, glaring at her with intense anger. His strong jaw clenched so tightly it protruded, and his sharp gaze was filled with lethal intent. Although his face was handsome and chiseled, his large stature and stressed gaze made his godly looks seem devoured by a demon.

    Ling Wei was more confused, but she was sure she did not know this man and had no prior grudge with him. Why was he treating her like this? Why!?

    The woman began to cry profusely, her tears flowing endlessly like a dam burst.

    "You...you violated me," she said with a trembling voice, the most painful she had ever felt, causing the man beside her to roar out loud.

    "Stop your theatrics now!"

    Such a phrase, such a tone, made Ling Wei jump in shock, her eyes wide as she stared at him through her tears.

    What!? Was it not she who should be angry enough to want to kill him?

    "You...you..." Ling Wei stuttered amid tears, seeking to claim the loss he had taken from her, but before she could finish, the carriage suddenly came to a halt.

    The handsome, fierce-eyed man stood up and left the carriage without glancing back or waiting to help her down.

    The woman tried to gather her wits for a moment before attempting to follow him out of the carriage, intending to scold him with several harsh words.

    However, the sudden pain in her midsection overwhelmed her, forcing her to sit down and clutch her stomach for a moment. Her beautiful brows furrowed tightly, and her eyes widened in shock upon seeing the Ling family manor right in front of her.

    "Miss, please come down," followed by a man's voice calling to Ling Wei.

    Ling Wei struggled to descend from the carriage herself due to the excruciating pain from head to toe. She tried to follow behind a servant as he led her to the main hall, with three other men following behind to escort her.

    What madness was this? Why was she so unfortunate? Could this be her father's plan? Was he angry that she had run away from the manor? Why go to such lengths? Hadn't they tortured each other enough? Why resort to such vile methods? Was he even human anymore?

    Ling Wei lamented in her heart, feeling the deepest sorrow of her life as tears of grief welled up, spilling over in long streams. She walked with her head down, resigned to her dark fate, into the reception house.

    Suddenly, a deep voice boomed.

    "I will take responsibility. A courageous soldier dares to act and dares to accept the consequences."

    It was the voice of the man who had shared the carriage with Ling Wei. The young woman recognized it and looked up after walking in with her head down, taking a seat on the floor in the middle of the room to await her grim fate. She saw him, the large man was indeed the one who spoke.

    "That would be for the best," another elderly male voice followed, belonging to the head of the Ling family manor, Ling Wei's father. She then turned to look at her father through tears.

    "I will arrange for the marriage to take place in three months, as is appropriate," the deep voice of the same large man spoke again, prompting Ling Wei to turn her gaze back to him.

    "The auspicious wedding date, I want it to be in three days. She is my daughter, not a random woman on the streets. Now that the rice has become porridge, waiting would bring further shame upon our family," Ling Yitang, the treasury minister, spoke up firmly, his serious demeanor asserting dominance over the large man in the dark brown attire. Ling Wei then turned her gaze back to her father's side.

    Feng Xinyang clenched his teeth and responded in a low voice. "Agreed." With that, he turned and strode out of the hall.

    Ling Wei watched the man who had ridden in the carriage with her in shock, following him with her gaze.

    She silently watched his broad, dignified back as he walked away without looking back at her.

    Her brows furrowed tighter; her father was undoubtedly the perpetrator of this forced rabbit-to-tiger scheme.

    Ling Wei turned her face back to look at her father again, unsure of what to say to such an inappropriate father.

    Ling Yitang looked at his daughter with a nonchalant smile, his beautiful, chiseled face that showed signs of age. His precious daughter dared to think of fleeing from the marriage he intended to use to elevate the family's status.

    He never imagined she would secretly love the young and mighty General Feng Xinyang, to the extent of secretly lying in love together in an inn, even if Feng Xinyang seemed furious, as if drugged.

    But if he was indeed drugged, then his daughter must be brilliantly cunning, ha ha!

    Ling Yitang thought happily inside, not the least bit saddened, and instructed the servants around,

    "Wei’er must be very tired. Follow her and take good care of her, do not let her out of your sight," he emphasized at the end, fearing his daughter might change her mind and elope with a man, leaving him without any compensation for the cost of raising her.

    "Yes, sir," the servants answered in unison before approaching Ling Wei, who was still too weak to even breathe, seemingly lifeless, to lead her away until she was out of sight.

    Inside the cramped room that had been Ling Wei's sleeping quarters for many years since her mother passed away,

    servants were now bustling in and out, a stark contrast to before.

    In the past, while servants did enter her room, it was only to mark their presence since she was neither a favored daughter nor had a mother as a protector. The cleaning was done half-heartedly and not on a daily basis.

    But now, after she decided to flee yesterday and was brought back, her room was full of servants—some cleaning, some preparing fragrances, others arranging garments, and many taking care of Ling Wei with an attentiveness unlike before.

    She had always been invisible in the eyes of others, so much so that no one even realized she had left the manor.

    But now, even standing up drew attention, let alone sleeping; there were always servants by her bed, making it impossible for her to think of escaping again.

    Was she destined to end up like her mother, one of the many wives of a single man, unable to escape her fate? Would her children be doomed to share her lot?

    Ling Wei could only sit with her eyes closed, suppressing various emotions, becoming nothing more than a doll for the servants to fuss over with fragrances and beauty treatments.

    In the magnificent and vast Chen Region palace, adorned with auspicious golden yellow decorations,

    was the beautiful and serene pavilion amidst the lush garden of the Xian Gong Palace, belonging to Chen Wang, named Yang Long.

    A young man with a sharp face and a tall figure, dressed in a navy military uniform, exuded an imposing aura as he sat drinking tea with another handsome, fair-skinned young man in a gentle white robe, the owner of this palace.

    Their personalities were starkly different, yet they sat together, each in their own world.

    "I am indeed pleased that the valiant general, who has never shown interest in forming attachments with any woman, is finally settling down," said the man in white, lifting his tea as if toasting with wine. He smiled charmingly, his eyes gleaming with mockery.

    "Humph! It was my own mistake," Feng Xinyang, the man in the dark uniform, replied with a deep voice, his fierce eyes not softening.

    He had not expected to be drugged into making love with that woman, only for her family to come in and intensely pressure him as witnesses.

    Such clever cruelty!

    Chen Yanglong continued to smile, amused, "The Ling family is prominent. Even though Ling Yitang is cunning, having his daughter is an advantage. I don't see any harm."

    Hearing this, Feng Xinyang narrowed his eyes at the nobleman before him and said what was on his mind. "I was drugged. His daughter is shameless." Anger boiled within him as he spoke.

    What a woman! Absolutely repulsive.

    The handsome owner of the Xian Gong Palace teased further, "If you hadn't fully consumed her in that manner, you might have been able to refuse. But now...sigh!"

    He sighed dramatically, his eyes still twinkling with amusement.

    His friend, victorious on countless battlefields, had been defeated by a mere woman. Whether to sympathize or laugh, he was not sure.

    "Are you sympathizing with me?" Feng Xinyang's voice deepened, his sharp face showing no hint of jest when he saw his friend's face clearly mocking him. How utterly embarrassing!

    "Come on, A’Yang, having a wife is no big deal. I myself have several, and every night is a joy. What's not to like? Soon, you'll have Master Ling's beautiful daughter, who I've secretly adored, in your arms to delight in," Chen Yanglong earnestly consoled his friend as he noticed his increasingly sullen expression.

    Feng Xinyang remained silent, lost in his own thoughts, paying no more attention to the friend before him.

    He had not formed any attachment to her. Who was this woman to him? He never even saw her face in those moments. How could they live together, especially now that his parents knew of his drugged and forced marriage? They would be deeply disappointed in him.

    Chen Yanglong, understanding his friend's plight, spoke earnestly.

    "I won't tell anyone, A’Yang. Your biggest mistake, Feng Xinyang, will remain our secret."

    The large man in the dark uniform met his friend's gaze.

    The owner of the Xian Gong Palace continued, "This will stay between us...okay...?" He finished, gesturing towards his friend with a complicit smile.

    Feng Xinyang could only sigh. How had he become friends with this Wang? He was still puzzled!

    Back in the same Yi Chang Inn, where Feng Xinyang’s no longer stayed,

    the innkeeper named Mei Li was running around screaming in different corners of the inn's back garden.

    "Calm down, I didn't know anything," Mei Li pleaded as she ran from Yu Ting's grasp, who was trying to strangle her.

    "Give me my money back," Yu Ting demanded in a low voice while reaching out to grab Mei Li's neck again.

    "I did as you asked, placing the aphrodisiac and bringing witnesses to force responsibility. Anything beyond that is your responsibility, not mine. So, I have no reason to refund you," Mei Li staunchly refused, determined not to return the money once it was in her hands!

    "The woman beneath the general should have been me. Who is she?" Yu Ting continued to press with the same question.

    "She's the daughter of Minister Ling. You better accept it," Mei Li tried to reason with Yu Ting.

    "No way!" Yu Ting's eyes blazed with anger. "I won't let her get away with it. I'll make her miserable."

    Mei Li questioned while avoiding Yu Ting's grasp, "Are you planning to be the general's concubine or something?"

    "No way. I will have General Feng as my husband, and no one else," Yu Ting declared determinedly.

    "But they're getting married soon," the innkeeper pointed out once she successfully hid behind a bush.

    "So what? If she can be married, she can be divorced," Yu Ting remained adamant, standing firmly above the bush. "If she doesn't divorce him, I'll kill her."

    Mei Li was taken aback, staring at Yu Ting in silence.

    It was a good thing then that the general did not end up with this woman. What a relief!