Chapter 50 Matriarch, If You Have Dementia, Go Lie Down in Bed

All eyes were instantly fixed upon Xie Ning.

Jia Yibo and his son wore expressions of both anticipation and malicious glee. In their view, the matriarch had already put matters so bluntly that no matter how arrogant Xie Ning might usually be, he would have to think twice now.

After all, since ancient times, filial piety had reigned supreme. If he dared to defy the matriarch in public, the mere spit of public condemnation would be enough to drown him. By then, let alone becoming the imperial son-in-law, he wouldn't even be able to secure a foothold in Jian'an City.

Yet Xie Ning's reaction once again shattered everyone's expectations.

Looking at the matriarch’s stubborn face, far from showing the slightest bit of fear or retreat, he actually smiled. That smile held a hint of amusement and a dash of mockery.

"Grand Matriarch, are you joking with me?" Xie Ning asked lazily.

"Call off the engagement? Do you even know who bestowed this marriage upon me? It was His Majesty! An imperial decree personally issued by the Emperor's own golden lips."

"You want me to go and call off the marriage—aren't you simply asking me to defy an imperial decree? You have stayed in the Buddhist temple for so long, grandmother, that you might have forgotten what crime defying an imperial decree constitutes."

Xie Ning paused. The smile on his face slowly faded, replaced by an ice-cold demeanor that chilled one to the marrow.

"Let me tell you: defying an imperial decree is the crime of treason against the sovereign. According to our Great Qi laws, it is punishable by the execution of all nine familial generations. Do you want me to die alone, or do you want to drag the entire Marquis Dingyuan Estate—yourself included—down to the grave with me as funerary companions?"

"If you've stayed in the Buddhist temple so long that you've gone senile, you should just go back to bed and lie down properly. Leave the affairs of the young out of your muddled interference."

He spoke these words casually, yet every single syllable struck heavily upon the hearts of everyone present.

Execution of nine generations!

These four words pressed down upon them like three towering mountains, making it difficult for anyone to draw a breath.

The smug smile on Jia Yibo's face instantly froze. The family members behind him turned pale with fright, falling into a terrified silence. They had only wanted to watch Xie Ning make a fool of himself, to see him driven into a dead end by the matriarch, completely forgetting that this marriage was tied to the imperial house. Once mishandled, the consequences were far beyond what they could bear.

The matriarch’s complexion turned a mottled shade of blue and white. Clearly, she had never expected Xie Ning to escalate the matter so severely, dragging out the terrifying punishment of executing nine generations. She choked for a moment, but quickly forced her momentum back.

"Don't try to frighten me with such talk," she roared, her voice shrill and lacking true confidence.

"I have lived to such an advanced age, what storms have I not witnessed?"

"Why did His Majesty bestow this marriage upon you? Wasn't it because you used some unspeakable methods to deceive both the Emperor and the Eldest Princess?"

"As long as you are willing to go before His Majesty and state clearly that you are unwilling, I believe His Majesty is an enlightened monarch and the Eldest Princess is a virtuous woman. They certainly will not force someone against their will!"

The matriarch's words were utter sophistry, a case of self-deception. Xie Ning could only feel a dark shadow pass before his eyes; everyone in the Marquis Dingyuan Estate was truly talented, and their remaining fortune was likely exhausted.

The moment the matriarch's voice fell, Jia Yibo immediately chimed in from the side, "Mother is entirely correct. Ning'er, the mistake here is that you didn't consult the family beforehand."

"Besides, you and I both know what that Eldest Princess is like." A trace of worry appeared on Jia Yibo's face.

"Not to mention that she has been sickly since childhood, bedridden for over a dozen years with imperial physicians at their wits' end. To put it bluntly, she is a sickly invalid who might draw her last breath any day now."

"If you marry her, within three to five years you will be a widower. By then, wouldn't our Marquis Dingyuan Estate become the laughingstock of the entire world?"

"The Grand Matriarch is only doing this for your own good, and for the sake of the Marquis Estate's reputation."

Before Jia Yibo's voice even faded, a bone-chilling, piercing murderous intent suddenly enveloped him. Instinctively, he looked up, locking eyes straight with Xie Ning.

What kind of eyes were those?

Profound, icy, and filled with undisguised, sharp killing intent.

Jia Yibo's heart contracted violently. An unprecedented terror surged instantly from the soles of his feet straight to his skull.

"What... did you just say?" Xie Ning's voice was soft, very slow, yet it carried a chill that made one's very soul tremble.

"I didn't hear clearly. Say it again."

"I... I..." Jia Yibo's skin crawled under that gaze, and his tongue began to knot. Instinctively, he took a step back, trying to escape Xie Ning's eyes.

"Heh." Xie Ning suddenly smiled. That smile was cruel and bloodthirsty.

"Good, very good. Jia Yibo, you certainly have a lot of nerve. Just now, the lot of you kept accusing me of showing no respect for elders and knowing nothing of propriety and law. Then I would like to ask you all right now."

His gaze swept slowly across the face of everyone present.

"When the lot of you are behind closed doors, cursing the reigning Eldest Princess so maliciously and slandering the imperial bloodline, where is your propriety and law then?"

"If these words reach the ears of my good brother-in-law, the Emperor, how do you suppose he will react?"

"Will he think you are deeply loyal and sharing the nation's burdens? Or will he think that your Marquis Dingyuan Estate is plotting rebellion?"

Xie Ning's voice suddenly rose sharply.

"When that time comes, forget about executing nine generations! I fear wiping out ten generations of your family won't even be enough to quench his hatred!"

Boom!

Xie Ning's words were like a thunderbolt exploding in the skies above Fusheng Hall. Everyone present felt a buzzing in their heads, leaving a complete blank.

Especially Jia Yibo, whose face instantly drained of all color, turning as white as a corpse. He had only been indulging his tongue to humiliate Xie Ning, completely forgetting that the object of his insult was the reigning Emperor's most beloved sister—the powerful, decisive Eldest Princess Li Qingning!

If these words truly leaked out...

Jia Yibo dared not imagine it. He only felt his legs grow weak, cold sweat pouring over his entire body, and he nearly collapsed to the ground on the spot.

"I... I didn't! I didn't mean it that way!" he cried out in terror, desperately trying to defend himself. "Xie Ning, don't throw false accusations around! I was only... I was only analyzing the pros and cons!"

"Analyzing the pros and cons?" Xie Ning sneered. "I'd say you're digging your own grave!"

Too lazy to waste any more breath on this fool, his gaze landed once more upon the matriarch.

"Do you still insist on me calling off the engagement, Honorable Matriarch?" His voice was as cold as a blade.

"Think carefully before you answer. Every single word you utter today, every decision you make, concerns whether the heads on the necks of everyone in this courtyard remain attached, or are relocated to the vegetable market execution ground."

This was no longer a negotiation.

The matriarch was trembling all over with rage at Xie Ning's words. Pointing a trembling finger at him, her lips quivered, unable to utter a single complete sentence for a long time.

"You... you unfilial wretch! How dare you speak to me like this!"