Blossom In Adversity - Vol. 2

C351. Willing to be a Concubine.

Chapter 351: Willing to Be a Concubine

After artfully smoothing things over with her mother, Hua Zhi embarked on a dutiful round of paying respects to the family elders. Eventually, her path led her to Fourth Aunt’s residence, where a peculiar tension seemed to linger in the air.

“You’ve certainly taken your time,” Wu Shi remarked with a polite smile, though her eyes flickered with a subtle, unreadable complexity.

Wu Shi had barely slept since witnessing the injuries Hua Zhi endured the previous evening. Hearing about danger was one thing, but seeing its brutal aftermath had unsettled her deeply.

Hua Zhi stepped closer, her gaze sharp as ever. “Ying Chun mentioned you seemed upset, and now I see you’re looking far from your best. What’s going on?”

Wu Shi pressed a hand to her forehead, hesitating. “It’s almost too absurd to admit aloud, but… do you remember Hua Yan from the Fourth Branch?”

Hua Zhi leaned back, vaguely recalling the name. “Hua Yan… tall, willowy, and pretty enough, right?”

“There are no unattractive girls in the Hua family,” Wu Shi replied with a pointed glance. She studied Hua Zhi, whose transformation in recent months was undeniable. While Hua Yan may have once turned heads, Hua Zhi had long since surpassed them all. Her appeal wasn’t just in her looks—it was the commanding confidence and unshakable charisma that set her apart.

Unfazed by the backhanded compliment, Hua Zhi raised an eyebrow. “I’ll take that as flattery. So, what about Hua Yan? What kind of mess has she gotten herself into?”

Wu Shi’s smile tightened, her tone bitter. “She’s been fraternizing with Feng Changyu from the Feng family. A few days ago, they sent someone to propose marriage.”

“Propose?!” Hua Zhi snapped upright, her voice laced with incredulity. She knew exactly what Wu Shi meant but needed to hear it spelled out.

“Yes,” Wu Shi sighed, her bitterness deepening. “She willingly agreed to become his concubine, just for the sake of being associated with the Feng family.”

“Has the girl completely lost her senses?” Hua Zhi’s expression hardened, a steely chill creeping into her voice. “I’ve made it perfectly clear before—this family will never stoop to pawning off its women like the He family. The Hua family does not trade dignity for status.”

“The Fourth Branch didn’t approve, of course,” Wu Shi explained. “Even if Feng Changyu lacks a legitimate wife, the Hua family has no interest in such an arrangement. But the Feng family has already spread rumors, implying the two were engaged in some clandestine affair. It’s becoming harder to contain.”

Hua Zhi’s lips curled into a cold smile, her tone dripping with disdain. “If this scandal can’t be contained, then so be it. If she’s so determined to disgrace herself for a man who treats her like a side dish, let her rot in her choices. We’ve no use for a girl who soils the family name over a fleeting infatuation.”

“Hua Zhi,” Wu Shi said cautiously, “while we may not care about Hua Yan’s folly, this could tarnish the reputations of all Hua family girls. The consequences could be far-reaching.”

Hua Zhi crossed her arms, her expression dark. She already envisioned the whispers, the sly remarks, and the venomous judgment that would undoubtedly follow. And yet, there was no denying the truth: Hua Yan had chosen this disgrace of her own accord.

But the Feng family...

She vividly recalled her grandfather’s stern warning, a relic of wisdom passed down like a family curse: steer clear of the Wei and Feng clans. Oh, she had done her homework, tracing the tangled webs of the capital’s elites, and it hadn’t taken much to connect Feng Changyu to the infamous Feng family. His name stuck in her memory, not because it shone with brilliance, but because it reeked of scandal—a reputation that preceded him and lingered like a stubborn stench.