Chapter Twenty: Disgusting!

What do you think of me?
Six large characters struck Zhang Man squarely in the face.
Qin Mu’s presence was like a towering mountain, bearing down on Zhang Man until she could barely breathe, and the countless military honors he wore forced her to lower her head, unable to meet his gaze.
She staggered back several steps, pressing herself against the wall, only then managing to catch her breath.
“You—you’re bullying the weak with your strength, what kind of ability is that?” Zhang Man stammered.
“Bullying the weak?” Qin Mu arched an eyebrow, then burst into laughter, his gaze sweeping across the Zhao family.
“When your Zhao family took Miss Jiang to choose wedding rings, do you remember how you insulted her dignity?”
“In the end, you forced her to wear only a cheap ring to the wedding!”
“All just to make your young master shine even brighter!”
As Qin Mu spoke, the hall erupted in murmurs.
The so-called rising Zhao family, oppressing their soon-to-be daughter-in-law so brazenly?
Such conduct made several prominent merchants, who had considered partnerships with the Zhaos, reconsider their intentions.
“Zhao Hongsheng, I must have misjudged you. I never imagined your family could be so petty. The Tang family has no wish to cooperate with you; any contracts we planned to sign are hereby void.”
An upright elder stood up, speaking out for Jiang Zheng.
Zhao Hongsheng, Zhao Cheng’s father, felt his heart shatter at the words.
This deal alone would cost the Zhao family millions in earnings!
“That’s right, Zhao Guoli, all your previous evaluation results are nullified; you are suspended pending investigation.” A senior official from Zhao Guoli’s department also stood up.
“Zhao Chunsheng, I’ll have your shop re-assessed to see if it meets the standards…”
In an instant, the Zhao family became the target of universal scorn, like rats in the street.
Just a few words from Qin Mu nearly brought the entire Zhao clan to the brink of collapse!
Such is the terror of a general’s authority!
“Today’s theme is, after all, the wedding of the two newlyweds, isn’t it? It’s now the auspicious hour; whatever grievances remain, let’s discuss them in private. Let the couple come up and share the nuptial cup.”
Finally, it was Zhao Cheng’s mother, Zhang Qiong, who stepped forward to steady the situation.
She appeared composed, but today she was draped in pearls and gemstones, extravagantly dressed, with an air of decadent luxury that was hard to conceal.
Ironically, this soon-to-be mother-in-law was dressed more lavishly than the bride herself; any piece of jewelry she wore was worth far more than the silver ring in Jiang Zheng’s hand.
It was as if the true centerpiece of this wedding banquet was not Jiang Zheng, but Zhang Qiong herself.
Qin Mu had no intention of interfering, but his keen intuition caught something instantly. His eyes fell upon Zhang Qiong, growing more amused by the second.

Zhang Qiong, under his scrutiny, did not shy away; in fact, she seemed to relish it, believing Qin Mu was coveting the charm she still possessed, his heart full of greedy desire.
But on second thought, Zhang Qiong suddenly remembered something and quickly covered her hands, tucking them into her sleeves, afraid Qin Mu might see something.
Qin Mu observed her and sneered coldly.
The Zhao family, for all its outward splendor, was rife with petty tricks.
Now, their greed had reached even the Jiang family?
Truly, their wickedness knew no bounds.
At that moment, Zhao Cheng hurried over.
“The auspicious hour is slipping away. Zheng, please persuade your brother. The wedding must take precedence right now!”
“Yes, yes, we mustn’t let a bad reputation spread. If word gets out that a wedding couldn’t be completed, imagine how it would sound.”
“That’s right, your disruption is shaming your Jiang family, making your sister Jiang Zheng lose face for life!” the relatives all chimed in.
“Don’t you think, as a general, my sister marrying into the Zhao family is a disgrace in itself?” Qin Mu replied coldly.
“This…”
They hadn’t expected Qin Mu’s stance to be so resolute; it seemed he would not rest until he turned their world upside down.
“You’re being unreasonable.”
A cultured teacher named Zhao Zhuo stood up.
“Jiang Zheng and Cheng are mutually devoted, a match made in heaven. Now, as they are about to enter the sanctity of marriage, you, the elder brother, refuse to give your blessing and instead cause trouble—doesn’t that reveal malicious intent?”
Zhao Zhuo, a moral man who had long taught and nurtured others, managed to stand firm before Qin Mu, but even he found it hard to meet Qin Mu’s gaze directly.
“Besides, our words may have been a bit harsh before, but it was all for Jiang Zheng’s own good, teaching her some lessons about life.”
“For Jiang Zheng’s own good?”
Qin Mu gave a cold laugh and beckoned Jiang Zheng over.
She tiptoed quickly to his side.
“Come here, girl. Tell me, who else bullied you? I’ll settle the score one by one!”
He had barely finished speaking when Zhao Cheng’s aunt hurried forward, ignoring her pain, and forcibly removed a pair of pure silver earrings from her ears.
“My goodness, how stingy you are, big brother. Here, take these earrings back—I won’t wear them.”
“Zheng, this necklace—I only borrowed it to try on. Now’s the perfect time to return it.”
And then, third aunt, second aunt, cousins, and brothers all came forth, each producing items borrowed from Jiang Zheng.

Gradually, a small mound of objects piled up on the table.
Jiang Zheng looked at them, feeling a long-suppressed bitterness rise in her heart.
Most of these pieces were jewelry she had accumulated over the years and brought to the Zhao family.
As soon as she took them out, her relatives borrowed them all, each with the same excuse—admiring their beauty, wanting to show them off.
Yet once borrowed, not a single item was ever returned.
On the eve of the wedding, Jiang Zheng had tried to ask her aunt for the silver earrings back to adorn herself, only to be scolded.
“You silly girl, why do you keep wearing these things? You haven’t even married yet and you’re already chasing after gold and silver. Who knows what you’ll turn into!”
Now, all of them returned the items obediently.
“The Zhao family’s conduct truly amazes me!”
“Well, it just shows how much we all like Zheng, doesn’t it…” Zhao Zhuo wiped cold sweat from his brow, realizing he could not keep up the charade.
“So you’re saying, borrowing from my sister is something she should be grateful for?” Qin Mu raised an eyebrow.
“No need for that… Let Jiang Zheng and Cheng marry well, and she’ll have a proper name, won’t she?”
As long as they could marry Jiang Zheng into the family, the current humiliations would mean nothing!
Zhao Zhuo grinned, but then a metallic scraping sound echoed in his ear.
Swish!
Qin Mu drew his sword and slashed horizontally at the wooden table beside him!
The sight startled everyone; they retreated, not daring even to breathe deeply.
The table split in two with a crack!
The sword’s tip then pointed straight at Zhang Qiong, Zhao Cheng’s mother!
“You—you’re going too far!” Zhao Zhuo gritted his teeth.
“Too far?”
Qin Mu’s expression was indifferent, his eyes swirling with deadly intent.
“Show your hands!”
At his command, all eyes in the hall turned toward Zhang Qiong, awaiting her response.