My Alleged Husband

Chapter 244: Chapter 224: Turn Yourself In_1

Zhang Zhentian didn’t want his beloved wife to spend the rest of her life in prison. He knew how severe the crime of intentional assault was—it might not mean life imprisonment, but she could still end up spending several years there. He didn’t want his wife’s record to be tarnished with this stain. He wanted his wife to live an upright and honorable life, so he continued pleading with his father.

”Dad,” he begged, ”didn’t Ran Zhihan already say? As a victim, she stated she won’t hold Xia Jing responsible, so why must you insist on her turning herself in? Do you realize this could ruin her life and leave her unable to hold her head high for the rest of her days? How can you do this? After all, she’s your daughter-in-law!”

Old Master Zhang found his son’s words laughable. Daughter-in-law? Had she ever shown filial piety by his side over the years? Had she taken good care of his grandson? Had she fulfilled the responsibilities expected of a daughter-in-law?

”Are you mistaken? Is she my son’s wife? Over the years, has she kept me company or shown me filial respect, not even for a day? Has she taken care of your son? Has she fulfilled the responsibilities as a daughter-in-law, or as a mother? Never. Since that’s the case, why should she have the right to be called my daughter-in-law or to have her name added to the Zhang family genealogy? And that name would be of a murderer. Do you think this would bring glory to the Zhang family? If so, would I be able to face the ancestors after a hundred years?”

”So, in your eyes, the purity of a family’s reputation is truly that important? Do you actually believe the happiness of your own son is less significant than the family’s genealogy?”

Hearing what Zhang Zhentian said, Elder Zhang felt that since his son already perceived him in such a way, why shouldn’t he become the very person his son accused him of being? He told Zhang Zhentian, ”Correct, you are quite right. In my eyes, your lifelong happiness as my son does not outweigh the purity of my family’s genealogy. Don’t you think? The Zhang family has always been honorable, but you had to marry a mercenary into our family, which has already marred our genealogy. Now she has committed assault; what reason do I have to let her name continue in the Zhang genealogy? Not only would I betray the ancestors, but I would also be failing your grandfather. Do you have any idea what your grandfather did back then and why? It was to ensure you could marry a good wife, and I failed to fulfill your grandfather’s wish by letting you marry Xia Jing. It’s because of this that I constantly question if I was wrong, what the consequences of my decisions are. But what about you? You lived carefree abroad for over a decade, and all of a sudden you return, only to let your son suffer such great harm. Why should I forgive you? What right do you have to ask for my forgiveness?”

”What do you mean by ’someone like Xia Jing’? Is it her fault for being a mercenary? She was born into poverty, but has she ever robbed or harmed others? Why do you view a mercenary with such disdain? Mercenaries are human too. She has parents who gave birth to her and raised her. It’s just because she was orphaned at a young age that she ended up becoming a mercenary. If she hadn’t become the leader of the mercenaries, how could she have survived until today, and how could you possibly have a grandson like Zhang Yichen? Dad, we should be grateful, not always thinking of what we can take, because it’s not right...”

”There’s no need for you to argue with me about this. If she turns herself in on her own volition, I might still let you stay here. But if you help her continue doing wrong, then I’m sorry, I respect your son’s opinion, and I’ll ask that you immediately pack your things and get out of the Zhang family. I, Zhang Mo, will no longer have you as a son from this day on. Don’t claim to be my son to outsiders because having you as a son is a humiliation, an innermost shame, because you married a mercenary as your wife. I agreed and tolerated the gossip, but a year after your marriage, you two abandoned your son, and I forgave you. All these years you were not by my side, I forgave you both. But have you truly been grateful? Aren’t you just taking, believing you’re entitled to everything while others aren’t? Isn’t that a bit too selfish of you?”

Old Master Zhang finished speaking and immediately turned and left. Zhang Zhentian stood alone outside the hospital ward corridor. He felt perhaps his father had done the right thing. He should urge Xia Jing to turn herself in; he shouldn’t allow a stain to blemish the clear lineage of his Zhang family. Even if he died a century later, he wouldn’t be able to face his ancestors down in the netherworld. He too was a Zhang; could he really be cast out of the Zhang family for life because of one woman? That wasn’t the outcome he wanted. What he wished for was simply to stay by his father’s side and watch his own son live a healthy life. That would have been enough for him, but now, all of this had been shattered by his own selfishness!

After some thought, he felt it was time to make a decision. He sought out Xia Jing, urging her to confess to the police by her own will. But what Xia Jing said in response left him even colder—she absolutely refused to turn herself in, as doing so would mean admitting her wrongdoing. She wouldn’t admit her mistakes just like that.

”Wife, just go to the police station and confess. It doesn’t make sense to keep hiding like this. Although Ran Zhihan said she would no longer pursue the matter, we still have to take responsibility for our own mistakes. Escaping isn’t the way to solve problems; it will only make things worse. Over the years, we’ve faced many difficulties together and weathered numerous storms. I believe we can get through this as well. If you don’t want to go alone, I’ll go with you since I was involved too. I will also turn myself in. I want to be with you in prison, facing the punishment together.”

”I don’t want to go to prison; it’s the most terrifying place. If you love me that much, then can you just take the blame for this yourself and say it has nothing to do with me? Is that possible?”

Zhang Zhentian hadn’t expected his beloved wife to say such a thing to him. He so wished she hadn’t uttered those words. He would rather believe it was a stranger who said it than accept it came from his wife. Why say something so hurtful? Did she see him merely as a scapegoat? The mistake wasn’t his, and he had already agreed to face punishment together in prison. Why did she insist on having him shoulder the entire incident? Doing so would not leave Xia Jing’s stain on the Zhang family’s genealogy, but his, Zhang Zhentian’s own stain. How could he possibly allow such a thing to happen?

”To think you would say such a thing, you’ve really chilled my heart...”

Zhang Zhentian left Xia Jing and walked away!