The Substitute Bride and the Cripple

f I take her to bed, does that mean I can start calling her my daughter-in-law?”

In the blink of an eye, Jiang Shaocheng’s expression darkened, his gentle gaze turning dangerous.
“What did you say, Jiang Ming?”

Uncle Wang had served Jiang Shaocheng for many years, and he knew his master was truly enraged.
He retrieved the knife Tang Qiu had discarded on the chopping board and seized Jiang Ming’s arm.
“You dare to disrespect my young master’s wife?” he growled.
“Are you that eager to lose this arm of yours?”

Jiang Ming glanced at the knife, glinting in the light, and sneered, “I was just joking, brother, don’t take it so seriously.” He pulled himself free of Uncle Wang’s grasp, taking care not to make any sudden movements, mindful of the danger he was in.
“I was merely curious when you had a change of bride,” he continued, as though explaining himself.

At the mention of her being a substitute bride, something flashed in Tang Qiu’s eyes.
Feeling her tense up, Jiang Shaocheng patted her hand reassuringly.
“You and our father were the ones in charge of planning the wedding.
Now that you’re telling me I married a different bride than the one you chose, what do you expect me to say?”

“Well…” Jiang Ming sputtered.
The wedding had been arranged by him, that much was true, but he didn’t know where this new bride had come from! Unless it was the Fengs behind this trickery…

Jiang Shaocheng added, “I married whoever I underwent the marriage rites with, and so Tang Qiu is my wife, and your sister-in-law.”

Tang Qiu looked at him in surprise.
Did this mean he had accepted her?

Jiang Ming was on the verge of exploding in rage.
He had wanted to find an ugly, overweight shrew for Jiang Shaocheng’s wife as an insult to that sickly bastard.
Instead, his elder brother had gained such a beautiful woman out of the bargain!

“In that case, my congratulations, brother,” he gritted out.
“But don’t forget: your wife still needs to return to visit her parents after the wedding.
Since you’re in poor health, making it inconvenient to travel, why don’t I accompany my sister-in-law instead?”

He was going to send this woman back to the Feng family and demand how exactly she had come to replace Feng Lu as a bride!

Uncle Wang could have laughed out loud at Jiang Ming.
How little must he value his life, to infringe on his brother’s authority as a husband like that? He was practically laying his own head on the executioner’s block.

Hearing Jiang Ming’s offer, Tang Qiu objected fiercely, “There’s no need to trouble yourself, Second Young Master.
If it’s inconvenient for Shaocheng to travel, I can go back myself.”

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