CHAPTER 389: CHAPTER 357: WORSE THAN DEATH (PART 1)

Once the Yu mother and son had left, the crowd quickly dispersed as well. However, the news about Hao Yun marrying before he entered the Su Family’s door and then abandoning his wife after passing the exams to climb the social ladder had already spread.

Housekeeper Jin glanced at Hao Yun, whose face looked stormy and unsightly, shook his head in disappointment, and turned to enter the house with his people.

"Housekeeper Jin!"

Hao Yun suddenly called out to him.

"What else would the esteemed son-in-law like to say?" The title did not change.

Even in the end, Housekeeper Jin gave him enough face.

"Do you believe, like those ignorant, uneducated commoners, that I’m that kind of person?"

Housekeeper Jin said earnestly, "Actually, in these prestigious households, how much is true, and how much is false? No one really investigates deeply. Once enough people say it, even lies become truth."

Hao Yun understood the logic of a lie repeated often enough becoming truth, but he felt wronged, "Someone is setting me up."

Clearly, it was the Yu family’s shamelessness leading to her first leaving with another man, yet in the end, he is accused of dishonorably abandoning his wife and child for wealth?

Who exactly is lacking decency?

"Then, esteemed son-in-law, you should even more vigorously expose the person framing you, or else it will be hard to explain to the Duke."

Finished, Housekeeper Jin didn’t linger and went straight to report to the Duke.

Hao Yun was deeply aware that Duke Su wasn’t one to be easily fooled. He didn’t rush inside, instead stood by the gate contemplating his next move.

"Hao Yun!"

Su Yu arrived at some unknown time, looking aggressive. Before he could react, she dealt him two slaps right and left.

"You’re worse than a beast!" Su Yu angrily retorted with teary eyes, "What have you done?"

Seeing Su Yu refuse to let it rest, Hao Yun grabbed her wrist in time, mindful that she was pregnant, he tried to control his temper, "Don’t make a scene; it’s not what you think."

"Then what is it?" Su Yu forcefully shook off his hand, her eyes like daggers fixated on him, "Your first wife came to confront you, and you still want to deny it, is that it?"

Hao Yun glanced outside, seeing people who heard the commotion coming out to watch, he lowered his voice, "Let’s talk inside instead of making a scene at the gate."

"You still care about face?" Su Yu raised her voice as if intentionally wanting others to hear.

Fearful that she would escalate the situation, Hao Yun forcibly dragged her inside.

Su Yu couldn’t break free, so she resorted to kicking him while cursing, "If you don’t explain clearly today, then get out and never step foot into the Su Family again!"

Her yelling infuriated Hao Yun. Taking advantage of no servants being around, he warned her, "I did willingly marry into the Su Family, but do you think your father did it for you? Ha! That was because I could help him deal with Song Wei; otherwise, how much value do you think you have that he’d waste time on you?"

Su Yu, eyes blazing with rage, opened her mouth to bite the hand he was holding her with.

Hao Yun, taken aback by her brazenness, instinctively pushed her away in pain.

Su Yu lost her footing, her back hitting the rockery behind her. Weak from the push, she fell to the ground, immediately paling, her forehead beading with cold sweat, struggling to speak, "I... my stomach hurts."

Seeing the bright red blood under her, Hao Yun was frightened and hurriedly crouched to help her, "Su Yu, how are you?"

"Don’t, don’t touch me, it hurts."

In mere moments, Su Yu became feeble, unable to even push off Hao Yun’s hand and her hands fell midway, a faint groan of pain escaping her throat.

Suppressing his fear, Hao Yun called out, "Someone, quickly get the household doctor!"

...

The fetus, barely steady after four months, couldn’t withstand such torment. Su Yu’s child was lost, her husband’s push being too forceful, causing a miscarriage.

When Su Yu awoke to the news, she lay on the bed, a windproof headband tied around her forehead, her eyes fixated soullessly on the canopy above, empty and hollow.

"Young Miss." Her personal maid, Jade, noticing she hadn’t spoken for a long time, asked with concern, "Are you hungry? Shall I fetch something to eat?"

After speaking, she glanced at the figure on the bed. Su Yu didn’t make a sound in reply, not even moving her eyes, resembling a living corpse.

Jade, young and inexperienced, had never seen such a disturbing scene, quickly left to find Aunt Qiu in Wutong Garden.

Aunt Qiu had herself prepared porridge, already packed in a food box, and was heading over. Seeing the hasty footsteps of Jade, she asked what was going on.

Jade was full of anxiety, "Aunt Qiu, please go and take a look. Ever since the eldest miss woke up, she seems like a completely different person, staring blankly all the time. When I talk to her, she doesn’t respond. It’s really frightening."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Qiu replied with a hmm and quickened her pace.

When she reached Su Yu’s room, a faint smell of blood lingered in the air.

Aunt Qiu paused her steps before crossing through the partition to enter the inner chamber.

"Yuyu, I made your favorite porridge," Aunt Qiu said as she stopped by the table, uncovering the food box while speaking to the person on the bed. Her voice was gentle, exuding the kindness of a good mother.

Su Yu did not respond.

Aunt Qiu served a bowl of porridge, placed a spoon inside, and, pulling a stool over, sat by the bedside, blowing on a spoonful to cool it before attempting to feed her.

Su Yu turned her head away, clearly unwilling to eat.

"Yuyu, your body is weak. You must eat something at this time, listen to your mother, eat a little, or you won’t be able to bear it."

"Mother, I have no appetite," Su Yu finally replied, her voice was so faint it was almost inaudible.

Aunt Qiu sighed, "The child is gone, but as long as you’re okay, there will be other chances in the future."

Su Yu suddenly turned her head, eyes red, and looked at Aunt Qiu, "Are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending not to know? Such a big thing happened in the house, and you’re completely unaware?"

Aunt Qiu said, "I can’t take care of other people’s matters, I can only take care of you."

This statement made Su Yu’s tears well up in her eyes.

"Mother, I don’t want to live like this anymore." Su Yu cried out, the grievances and bitterness she had been holding in since waking up flowed out as tears, "I thought that by listening to you and reconciling with him, having a child, I could elevate my status and hold my head high in the Su Family, but all he gave me was humiliation after humiliation. His first wife even brought her son to confront me, and he didn’t bother to explain anything to me, just blamed me for being unreasonable. He easily shattered the relationship and our child with one push. What does that say? It shows that he never cared about me, and it was my blindness that led me to trust him completely and foolishly get pregnant with his child."

Su Yu spoke while tears streamed down her face.

Seeing her refusal to drink the porridge, Aunt Qiu placed the small bowl back on the table and carefully wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

After Su Yu finished speaking, Aunt Qiu slowly said, "If you can’t go on, then separate."

Su Yu opened her mouth in astonishment.

Her mother had not been strong many times in her life, and when she was, it was always for her sake. So no matter how poisonous or cruel Su Yu might be, she always had a soft spot for her mother.

Seeing the doubt in Su Yu’s eyes, Aunt Qiu smiled gently and took her daughter’s slightly cold hand in hers, her gaze tender yet firm, "Mother supports you."

——

After Hao Yun pushed Su Yu down, he was dragged to the main hall by the house servant.

Duke Su kicked him to his knees with two angry kicks and, without another word, called for a whip to personally enforce family law.

Hao Yun hadn’t yet recovered from the shock of Su Yu’s miscarriage when a sudden whip struck his back, the pain making him almost roll on the ground, but he still gritted his teeth and explained, "It’s clear someone is framing me with the recognition issue. Father-in-law, you must not listen to the villain’s one-sided story. Before Su Yu, I never married nor had a son; they’re simply making things up!"

Duke Su didn’t want to say anything at this point. Raising his arm, he brought down the second lash.

The back of Hao Yun’s clothing was soon stained with blood, and the pain made him break out in cold sweat.

"Father-in-law," Hao Yun trembled as he spoke, "I am to blame for the child. I’ve realized my mistake. I promise you that from now on, I will treat the eldest miss twice as well to make up for it. We’re still young, and there will be a chance to conceive again."

Duke Su still didn’t speak, with each lash coming harder than the last, and it wasn’t long before Hao Yun’s skin was lacerated.

As he was about to lose consciousness, he heard Duke Su say something.

——The sinful child you two had, I don’t care for, but if you dare lay a hand on Little Four, I’ll make your life a living hell!

Housekeeper Jin ordered people to drag him away, and Hao Yun’s hand was still reaching out, as if trying to grasp something.

Housekeeper Jin sighed, "Aunt Qiu confessed everything, so why struggle further? Although you intended to release the Kongming Lantern as a means to deal with Song Hanlin, it was an accident that nearly killed the Fourth Young Master and left him disfigured, something you cannot compensate for."

No! It wasn’t like that! It was Aunt Qiu who suggested to Su Yu that they, as a couple, should order the Kongming Lantern. She said that the lantern was magical and could fly directly over the Song family, and then they could hire archers to shoot it down, the special oils inside would burn the Song family to ashes within.

Hao Yun wanted to explain that he was the victim, but his injuries were too severe, and he lacked the strength to speak.

Aunt Qiu.

Aunt Qiu...

Only now did he realize who was the most deeply hidden in the household, but unfortunately, he understood it too late.