Rejected Beauty Practices the Villain Play-Chapter 885 - 861: Husband and Wife
Words spoken without malice, yet they were received with intent. Fang Lingjun’s heart skipped a beat when she heard Dugu Jing’s confusion, and she couldn’t help but recall the argument her father had with her mother after Fang Chuning’s incident. At that time, she was deeply immersed in the sorrow of losing her brother, crying all day long, with only Xiaoqi by her side for comfort. One day, she suddenly overheard her parents quarreling. The atmosphere in the Fang family was very tense during those days, and everyone was in a bad mood, especially her mother, who fell ill and couldn’t get out of bed. Her father shouldn’t have agitated her mother, let alone argued with her. Yet when the maid reported, she said they were arguing fiercely. Fang Lingjun and Xiaoqi quickly rushed to the main courtyard, only to hear her father accusing her mother of spoiling her brother, which led to the disaster. Her mother argued back, blaming him for being too heartless since their children were young, causing a distant father-son relationship, which led her brother to often escape to Marquis Zhenbei Mansion and connect with Xie Jue. All these years of childhood familiarity and entanglement stemmed from their father’s excessive sternness in their youth.
As Fang Lingjun and Xiaoqi reached the Moon Gate, they happened to hear Mrs. Fang say something heart-piercing.
"I know you’ve always disliked Tunan because he severed the marriage you were meant to have. It was because of him that you lost the one you loved painfully. If it weren’t for him, you would already be united with Miss Li. Seeing Tunan every day reminded you of Miss Li hanging herself, causing you great hatred. Now that he is dead, are you happy now? Are you satisfied, just as you wished?" After Mrs. Fang spoke these words, she collapsed at the door, having exhausted all her strength. Fang Lingjun screamed and ran over, snatching her mother from her father’s arms.
Her emotions surged, all grievances and sorrows erupted, and she held her mother and said to the marshal, "Father, why are you like this to brother? Why are you like this to mother? I hate you, I hate you!"
That night was chaotic and painful, the greatest crack in Fang Lingjun’s heart as she shouted those long-suppressed words at the marshal.
Why treat her brother so unfairly!
She watched as her father staggered back, his face pale, yet she continued to glare at him fiercely like a little beast ready to protect her weak mother in her arms. Even until her wedding day, she never reconciled with the marshal, thinking she might never forgive him in this lifetime.
Even later on the eve of her wedding, when her mother talked with her knee-to-knee, saying many good things about her father, hoping she would talk with him before leaving, Fang Lingjun couldn’t listen. She was eager to escape from the house into the warm haven Dugu Jing provided.
After all, it’s her family’s business, and family scandals shouldn’t be made public. Fang Lingjun never talked to Dugu Jing about it in detail. Now, distant in Mudan City with only Dugu Jing by her side, she realized one thing: Dugu Jing was never part of her past, nor she in his. They’re like unfamiliar animals constantly approaching, yet without opening their hearts, they’re unlikely to get close to each other.
He’s her husband, and she needs someone to confide in, once Fengyu, now Dugu Jing.
Fang Lingjun narrated the grudges of the previous generation tearfully. "Father was always good to me. In my memory, he was responsive to my every need, upright, brave, and responsible—a very, very good father. I once felt proud of him, and I knew he was strict with my brother. At that time, I just thought he might be overly strict, hoping his son would become a dragon. But it turns out not... It pains me even more comparing this to my brother. Why could I receive father’s love, and brother couldn’t? Not only couldn’t, he never received father’s approval since the beginning. I always felt like I stole it from him, which isn’t fair."
Dugu Jing saw her crying hard, feeling uncomfortable, a strange emotion for someone cold by nature like him, someone who never felt sad about a woman’s tears. He would usually find it pretentious since Beiman women were strong, they bleed but don’t cry. Yet seeing his wife teary, he wanted to amuse her with martial arts.
But he didn’t know how to comfort her and could only crudely wipe her tears. His hands, calloused from years of drawing bows and shooting arrows, almost scratched the tender skin under Fang Lingjun’s eyes.
"Okay, stop wiping!" Fang Lingjun slapped his hand away. "Can’t you be gentle?"
"Does it hurt?"
"Nonsense!"
"Then I’ll be gentle!"
"Don’t touch me!"
"Alright, then don’t cry."
Originally crying her heart out, Fang Lingjun found it both maddening and amusing, using a handkerchief to wipe her tears. Indeed, she was more sensitive since her pregnancy, finding herself tearing up easily.
"A son like Fang Chuning, talented in both literature and martial arts, brave, resourceful, able to bring glory to the family, historically renowned—to be born into his family should have been a great fortune, yet his father didn’t appreciate it, seems a bit ungrateful."
Fang Lingjun, "..."
Reasonable... no way to refute it! Her brother was so good, how could anyone not love him?
"Someone with such high standards as Prince Yan even liked him, so why...?" Fang Lingjun realized she let slip her brother’s privacy, glancing worriedly at Dugu Jing.
However, Dugu Jing didn’t overthink it, and Fang Lingjun was relieved. "Yes, my father is indeed ungrateful."
"Then why did mother follow him to Jiangnan, still not divorced?"
"My grandmother is in Jiangnan, missing my mother, long wanting her to settle there. There are so many rumors in the capital, I’ve married far away, Xiaoqi joined the army with father, and mother, left in the capital, would surely hear endless gossip. It’s better to go to Jiangnan for peace."
"Jiangnan also has gossip. The rumors about Xie Jue and your brother are known worldwide."
"Our family holds some authority in Jiangnan. As long as we maintain strict control, no one will step out of line if mother intends not to listen. Life is precious and not worth risking for the insolent. In the capital, it’s different, with in-laws and enemies, constantly throwing shade at you, and there’s no way to refute."
"Alright, anyway, Xie Jue is searching, and it doesn’t matter if father doesn’t. Besides, the funeral was held, and reviving afterward would be quite awkward. Father’s haste in arranging the funeral was a bit urgent."
"..." Fang Lingjun was speechless beyond words, not knowing how to refute. "If brother were alive, I would rather he lead a simple, hidden life. Being father’s eldest son is exhausting, especially an unanticipated eldest son. Brother never knew about the elders’ matters. If he knew, imagine his grief."
"Why are you crying again, so many tears?" Dugu Jing sighed. "Did you drink too much water?"
Fang Lingjun took a deep breath, pushing him away. "Why aren’t you going to the army camp? Be careful not to have power seized."
"Who dares!" Dugu Jing clicked his tongue. "I’m Duke Wu’an after all, and still your husband. Han Ziqi acts like a grandson in front of me, that fawning made me sick, no wonder Xie Xun kept badmouthing him."
Fang Lingjun, "..."
How dare you just casually call Xie Xun by name? Can’t you be aware of your status as a subject?
