Alas, all this was a pretense, and she couldn't help but admire his acting skills.
Since he had already made his intentions clear, why continue to feign politeness? It only bred resentment.
"Since you've seen what you needed to, Young General, you may leave now."
Feng Jin turned to go, but after only a few steps, her wrist was seized.
"You are my wife. Wouldn't it make us a laughingstock to leave separately?"
With that, Ling Mo Han pulled Feng Jin forward, dragging her along.
He directly pushed her into the carriage.
"Ling Mo Han, this is unlawful restraint of my person! I can report you to the authorities."
"As you wish." Ling Mo Han adopted an indifferent stance.
Last night, he had already ordered that Feng Jin not be allowed to go out alone.
He hadn't expected that the household servants would disregard his command and let Feng Jin leave the manor.
"You..."
Feng Jin pointed at Ling Mo Han, seething with anger. Suppressing her emotions, she said, "How did I not realize you were such a scoundrel before!"
She wished he would remain bedridden for the rest of his life, just to stop him from infuriating her.
Ling Mo Han advanced step by step towards Feng Jin, trapping her within his embrace.
"You... What are you doing? I warn you, we are outside. If you dare to do anything reckless, I will scream loudly. Let's see who will be embarrassed."
This was the public street. She couldn't believe Ling Mo Han would truly disregard his reputation.
"Wife..." Ling Mo Han whispered into Feng Jin's ear, "I have an even more roguish side. Do you want to see it?"
After speaking, he playfully blew a puff of air into Feng Jin's ear.
Feng Jin froze on the spot, a blush creeping up her cheeks. With a sudden surge of strength, she shoved Ling Mo Han away and moved aside, putting distance between them.
"Stay away from me. Don't forget our agreement. Until we divorce, it's best we maintain our distance."
This was a critical juncture. She didn't want to get entangled with Ling Mo Han any further at this point. Otherwise, even with ten mouths, she wouldn't be able to clarify matters.
Ling Mo Han looked at Feng Jin's resolute face, feeling a pang of helplessness. He could only say fiercely, "If you keep mentioning divorce, you'll never be able to divorce me in this lifetime. You know me well enough to know that I can certainly do that."
Feng Jin's eyes widened. She absolutely believed that with Ling Mo Han's capabilities, he could prevent her divorce for the rest of her life.
However, she was not one to be trifled with. She had her own ways to make Ling Mo Han agree to the divorce.
The world was vast, and she hadn't had the chance to see it properly. She didn't want to be confined within four square walls forever, and certainly not to live under the same roof with someone who constantly guarded and suspected her, lest she suffocate to death.
"My mind is made up. Even if you don't agree, I have my ways."
Ling Mo Han turned his head away, no longer looking at Feng Jin, filled with a sense of defeat. It seemed she was determined to divorce him.
If it came to that, he might truly confine Feng Jin.
"Young General, Madam, we have arrived at the Jing Wang Manor," Lu Shi reported from outside the carriage.
Ling Mo Han alighted the carriage first and extended his hand to help Feng Jin down.
After a moment's hesitation, Feng Jin surveyed her surroundings. She finally placed her hand in his, allowing him to help her off the carriage.
Their carriage had taken a shortcut and arrived at the Jing Wang Manor before the bridal sedan chair.
Feng Jin looked around the main hall, but the Jing Wang was nowhere to be seen. Not a single person from the palace was present. Even the Third Prince, who always touted his benevolence, was conspicuously absent.
It was unbelievable that Chu Yan Xi, who relished such opportunities for performance, was not here.
"Where is the Jing Wang? Today is his wedding day. It's understandable that he would have the Fifth Prince officiate the welcoming of the bride due to his leg injury. But if he doesn't show up for the ceremony, does he expect someone else to perform it?"
Feng Jin leaned closer to Ling Mo Han and asked in a low voice, "If he doesn't appear for the ceremony, Lin Yu Wei, a frail woman, will surely be subjected to the gossip and mockery of the guests.
After all, she had personally experienced such a situation before. Thus, she didn't want Lin Yu Wei to endure the same fate.
As a modern person, she didn't care much about such things, but for Lin Yu Wei, it would be a devastating blow.
"Since the Jing Wang injured his leg, he has not seen any outsiders. In such a situation, it is unlikely he will appear."
"If he doesn't appear today, on his wedding day, have you considered how the guests will gossip about Lin Yu Wei?"
Feng Jin felt indignant. In their minds, a woman's reputation was truly worth nothing.
"That's not what I meant." Ling Mo Han suddenly recalled that when Feng Jin married him, it was under the pretense of a political marriage. A solitary bridal sedan chair had carried her into the Ling Manor.
There weren't even any guests, and they hadn't performed the ceremony.
The events of today must have stirred Feng Jin's memories. Ling Mo Han quickly explained, "I only meant that the Jing Wang has a leg injury, and before that..."
"Enough. Stop explaining. No matter how much you say, it's just to mask your inherent contempt for women."
Feng Jin shouted angrily, her pent-up fury about to erupt. She grabbed a maid by the arm and asked sternly, "Where is your Jing Wang?"
Startled by the sudden grab and questioning, the maid replied without thinking, "He is in the Chonghua Courtyard."
Feng Jin released her grip on the maid's collar and headed directly towards the back courtyard.
Ling Mo Han sensed a hint of danger and quickly followed, grabbing Feng Jin's wrist. "What are you doing? We are here to attend the wedding banquet. Don't cause trouble."
"How am I causing trouble? Is it wrong to go and ask the Jing Wang to come out for the ceremony?"
Feng Jin flung Ling Mo Han's hand away, inquired from a servant about the location of Chonghua Courtyard, and began searching from room to room.
"Even if you find the Jing Wang, he won't come out. I know the Jing Wang's temperament too well. He was once so proud, and now he is like a cripple. Naturally, he won't come out to be pointed at."
"If he doesn't come out, will the bride be left to endure the scrutiny and gossip alone? If a man cannot even face such a matter, then he deserves to be crippled."
Feng Jin shouted angrily and kicked open a door. The smell of wine assailed her nostrils. A large red wedding robe lay discarded on the floor. Looking further inside, she saw a man slumped over a table, drowning his sorrows. Despite his dejected appearance, his handsome features remained evident, likely the Jing Wang, Chu Chen Yi.
"Today is your wedding day. Hiding here and drinking, leaving your bride to face the guests alone, is not appropriate."
The drunken man looked up upon hearing the voice and saw a man and a woman standing at the doorway.
Feng Jin's expression turned stern as she approached Chu Chen Yi and commanded in a deep voice, "Get out and perform the ceremony."
"How dare you! I am not someone you can command." Chu Chen Yi was furious. He had not fallen so low as to be bossed around by a woman.