Chapter 49: Becoming a Concubine

"Be a concubine for him? That is out of the question in this lifetime. In this life, we belong solely to our husband."

"Indeed, we will never remarry. If any misfortune befalls our husband, we will follow him to the grave."

The two sisters spoke with unwavering determination.

Hearing this, Su Yi and Wang Wei wore dark expressions. They had never expected that their traditionally obedient and sensible daughters would dare to show such defiance. They blamed this sudden change in their daughters entirely on Chen Fan.

"Whether you agree to this or not today, you will obey. After all, you are daughters of the Su family."

"Once Chen Fan is executed, you will marry Young Master Zhao."

"Someone come, escort the young mistresses back to their rooms and do not allow them to step outside their doors for even half a step," Su Yi commanded coldly.

The sisters stared at Su Yi in disbelief. Were they truly going to be placed under house arrest?

Several servants and maids immediately stepped forward, forcibly taking Yingchun and Yingxia away.

"Even if we die, we will never marry him!" The sisters declared firmly as they were dragged away.

Watching the stubborn sisters from the side, knowing they would rather die for Chen Fan than become his concubines, jealousy flared fiercely within Zhao Hongwei's heart.

"After Chen Fan dies, let's see how I torment the both of you," Zhao Hongwei thought coldly to himself.

Su Yi and Wang Wei then turned to Zhao Hongwei with ingratiating smiles.

"Young Master Zhao, ever since these two silly girls married that penniless wretch Chen Fan, they've grown increasingly unruly. Please do not take offense."

"Rest assured, Young Master Zhao, over the next few days we will do our best to persuade them and ensure they willingly marry into the Zhao family to serve you," Su Yi and Wang Wei said one after the other.

Hearing this, a smile finally touched the corners of Zhao Hongwei's mouth.

"Then I must trouble you both, Uncle and Aunt."

"My father still has some connections in the Ministry of Punishments; he will certainly ensure that penniless wretch Chen Fan does not drag the Su family down with him," Zhao Hongwei said.

Only upon hearing this did Su Yi and Wang Wei finally let out breaths of relief.

After seeing Zhao Hongwei off, Su Yi and Wang Wei went to the sisters' room. However, the sisters immediately turned their backs to them, refusing to even look their way.

"We are only doing this for your own good. If you refuse to marry Young Master Zhao..."

"Chen Fan's affair will inevitably implicate you both, and when that happens, you will be thrown into a prison cell."

"Both of you have been pampered since childhood; how could you possibly endure such a vile place?" Su Yi said, feigning deep concern for their welfare.

"You are simply terrified that we will implicate the Su family."

"Father, to protect the Su family, you are actually willing to sacrifice your daughters' happiness," the sisters said, their voices trembling with suppressed tears.

These words left Su Yi somewhat embarrassed, yet he refused to back down.

"You are members of the Su family, so naturally you must consider the family's interests."

"If the Su family were to be ruined because of an outsider, then your father and I would have no face left to meet our ancestors in the afterlife," Su Yi retorted, dropping any further pretense.

"Chen Fan is our husband and your son-in-law; he is not an outsider!"

"Father, have you truly never regarded Chen Fan as part of our family?"

"Have you forgotten that when our Su family was in crisis, Chen Fan did not abandon us, and even helped us resolve the trouble with the Fan family?"

"If not for Chen Fan, the Su family would likely have ceased to exist by now. Have you forgotten all of this?" The sisters spoke up indignantly on Chen Fan's behalf.

A trace of guilt finally flickered across Su Yi's face.

"Do not forget that you are children of the Su family, and you ought to put the family first."

"Besides, Chen Fan brought this upon himself; the Su family has done him no wrong," Wang Wei said coldly from the side.

Hearing these heartless words, Yingchun and Yingxia shed tears of sorrow.

"You will stay here for the next few days and go nowhere. Prepare yourselves properly, and once Chen Fan is executed, you will be married off to the Zhao family."

With that, Su Yi and Wang Wei turned and left.

"Guard the doors well. Do not let the young mistresses step outside, or I will not spare you," Su Yi and Wang Wei instructed the servants outside before departing.

Hearing the warning, the servants could only nod repeatedly.

"Elder sister, what should we do?" Yingxia asked, looking at Yingchun in the room with a sense of helplessness.

Yingchun wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes, her expression turning resolute.

"Our bodies belong solely to our husband. If he is executed, I will follow him."

Yingchun spoke with absolute conviction. Hearing her elder sister's words, Yingxia also dried her tears.

"Elder sister is right. Our bodies belong only to our husband, and no one else shall ever taint us."

"If our husband is executed, we will immediately follow him."

Yingxia nodded, her tone resolute.

Meanwhile, Chen Fan, currently in his prison cell, remained completely unaware of the sisters' plight.

Yan Bei had cleared out one of the guards' rooms to accommodate Chen Fan and Guo Hua, so they were not kept in the regular cells and instead enjoyed a private room.

At that moment, Chen Fan let out a burp, crossed his legs, and relaxed comfortably on the bed.

"Master Fan, rest assured, the moment I get out of here, I will surely handle this matter properly for you," Guo Hua said excitedly.

Imagining that he would soon be freed, Guo Hua's face was wreathed in smiles.

Just then, Yan Bei hurried into the room. Seeing him enter, Guo Hua immediately rushed forward with eager anticipation. He knew his release was at hand.

"Officer Yan, I—"

Before Guo Hua could finish, Yan Bei brushed him aside and walked straight up to Chen Fan.

"Mr. Chen, something has happened to your wives," Yan Bei said to Chen Fan.

Hearing this, Chen Fan instantly sat up from the bed on reflex, looking anxiously at Yan Bei.

"What happened to my wives? What trouble are they in?" Chen Fan demanded anxiously.

In the Great Xia Dynasty, Yingchun and Yingxia were the people Chen Fan cared about most. His decision to willingly surrender himself to prison this time was entirely for the sake of the two sisters.

"They..."

Yan Bei then recounted what he had discovered.

As it turned out, following Chen Fan's instructions earlier, Yan Bei had intended to go to Yingchun and Yingxia to ask for the money needed to bail Guo Hua out. However, upon arriving at Chen Fan's home, he found it completely deserted. Assuming the sisters might have returned to their maternal home, Yan Bei headed straight to the Su residence. Just as he reached the gates, he overheard the Su family servants gossiping about the situation. Realizing the gravity of the matter, he rushed back to report it to Chen Fan.

Hearing the whole story, Chen Fan let out a slight breath of relief, but a sudden surge of fiery anger instantly rose within him.

This anger was directed not only at Zhao Hongwei, but even more so at Yingchun and Yingxia's parents.

He was not yet dead, yet they were already in such frantic haste to marry their daughters off as concubines to another man!

"Oh no, if we can't get the money, does that mean I won't be able to leave?"

"Officer Yan, I actually have a bit of money of my own," Guo Hua said with a heartbroken expression.

However, Yan Bei completely ignored him.

"Officer Yan, I have a somewhat presumptuous request," Chen Fan said, clasping his hands in a salute toward Yan Bei.