Chapter 133: The Wife Who Requests to Be Divorced
Luo Shi stared incredulously at the man before her.
After so many years of marriage, he had always treated her with respect and care. She never imagined such true colors lay beneath his hypocritical facade.
She forced back the stinging sensation in her eyes and continued, "I've already had someone abort Chu Niang's pregnancy."
One shocking revelation after another finally made Qin Mingheng lose control of his emotions.
He strode forward and, before Luo Shi could react, clamped his hand around her slender throat.
"Mmph—"
Luo Shi felt the five fingers around her neck tighten rapidly. The sensation of suffocation washed over her like a tidal wave, and for the first time, she felt death was so close.
"Mother, let go of my mother!"
The Young Son of Marquis Xuanwu rushed in, kicking and punching Qin Mingheng.
But like a madman, he shoved the Young Son away.
With a thud, the child's head hit the doorframe, unleashing piercing cries.
Only then did Qin Mingheng snap out of it and release Luo Shi.
"Cough, cough, cough!" Luo Shi coughed violently, instinctively pulling her child into her arms. "Mother is here, Mother is fine. Don't be afraid, don't be afraid..."
She quickly had the wet nurse take the child away.
Then she turned to Qin Mingheng: "Husband, I was lying to you just now. I didn't harm the child in Chu Niang's womb..."
She had only been testing this man, wanting to know how important that unborn bastard was in her husband's heart. She had gotten her answer.
Qin Mingheng heaved a deep sigh of relief.
He knelt down and helped Luo Shi up: "I'm sorry, my lady. I was too impulsive just now. Does your neck hurt? Shall I call a physician to examine you?"
Luo Shi bit her lower lip.
He had reverted to the gentle husband he once was.
If not for the lingering pain in her neck, if not for the profound experience of nearly dying, she might have been fooled again.
If this man had even an ounce of affection left for her, if he had shown the slightest concern for their child, she might have hesitated.
But it was unnecessary.
Completely unnecessary.
"Chu Niang and Qiu Wen are at the Luo residence," Luo Shi said, standing straight. "I will go bring them back to the Marquis manor now."
Qin Mingheng pressed his lips together. "You said you told Lady Xie about my mistress. How did she react upon hearing it?"
"Lady Xie said it's perfectly normal for men to have multiple wives and concubines, and she advised me to accept it," Luo Shi lowered her eyelids. "It's getting late. I need to return to my parental home."
She turned and walked out of the room, had the wet nurse carry the child, and left the Marquis Xuanwu residence as quickly as possible.
The next morning, just after the morning greetings had concluded, a young servant from the front courtyard hurried into the side hall.
The servant, named Duo Xi, was about fifteen or sixteen years old and quite clever. Standing below the steps, he reported: "Yesterday evening, the Marquise took the Young Son and returned to the Luo residence. This morning, Lady Luo and Lord Luo personally escorted Marquis Xuanwu's two mistresses to our door. They declared their daughter too jealous to tolerate the mistresses and their children, and requested on their daughter's behalf that she be divorced. They even said they don't want the Young Son's title anymore."
Ting Feng looked astonished: "Why request to be divorced? Why not seek an amicable separation?"
Yun Chu smiled.
Marquis Xuanwu was, after all, a prominent and respectable family. To protect their reputation, the Marquis would never agree to an amicable separation, and who knew how long the entanglement would last.While Lady Luo claimed to be jealous and voluntarily stepped down from her position as the wife of the heir, appearing to be the one at fault and thus preserving the Marquis's household's dignity, in reality, her parents had gone to exert pressure on Marquis Xuanwu, both overtly and covertly, forcing him to agree to divorce her.
The damage to the Luo family's reputation was only temporary. Once Marquis Xuanwu encountered trouble, Lady Luo's voluntary withdrawal would be seen as the wisest move.
Therefore, as long as it was known that Marquis Xuanwu had offended the Yun family, all the elders of the Luo clan would swiftly distance themselves from the Marquis's household.
It must be said that Lady Luo was a clear-headed woman.
Despite suffering such a heavy blow, she still managed to devise the safest path available at the time.
The affair between the Marquis Xuanwu's household and the Luo family stirred up a storm in the capital, quickly overshadowing the news of Old Madam Xie's death.
Yuan Shi breathed a sigh of relief but couldn't help sighing: "The Marquess, upon learning that her husband had an outside woman, left the Marquis's household without hesitation... If Chu had known back then that Concubine He was an outside woman and had even borne three children with Jingyu, she would probably have left our Xie family too... Chu has been deceived for so many years, endured so much grievance, and yet she still wholeheartedly considers our Xie family. She truly is a rare, good child."
Xie Zhongcheng frowned and said, "Where do you think that wretched child is hiding?"
Mentioning Xie Shiwei always pained Yuan Shi's heart. He was only eight years old, hiding alone outside, and she had no idea how much suffering he was enduring.
Not daring to say more, she selected a hairpin from her dressing case, wrapped it up, and went to find Yun Chu: "Chu, your sister is about to get married, but our Xie family is still in mourning, so we won't be attending the wedding banquet at the Yun residence. Please give this hairpin to Ran as a wedding gift from me."
Yun Chu nodded and placed the hairpin in a box.
Yun Ran's wedding with the Dai family was set for autumn, at the end of August. Although autumn had officially begun, the weather remained intensely hot.
The mornings were relatively cool, but once the sun rose, the temperature quickly soared. Sitting in a carriage without an ice basin would leave one drenched in sweat.
Yun Chu returned to the Yun residence to attend the wedding banquet, bringing Xie Ping along with her.
They arrived quite early, and there weren't many guests in the courtyard yet—perhaps because, as the wedding of a concubine-born daughter, the Yun family hadn't invited many people.
Yun Chu went straight to Yun Ran's courtyard, where the female members of the Yun family had gathered. The place was crowded, both inside and outside the room.
The auspicious matron was helping Yun Ran with her makeup. Dressed in red wedding robes and wearing exquisite makeup, she looked radiant and charming.
"Eldest Sister."
Seeing Yun Chu, Yun Ran called out shyly.
Yun Chu took a box from Ting Xue, who was standing behind her, opened it, and placed it in front of Yun Ran: "This is the wedding gift I prepared for you."
Before Yun Ran could respond, a hand reached over—it was Third Aunt of the Yun family, who took the box: "Chu, you're so generous! This set of pure gold jewelry with emeralds must cost at least a thousand taels, right? And that's not all—there's even a box of gold beans... Good heavens, and a stack of silver notes too..."
The women nearby also craned their necks to get a better look.In families of the Yun household's standing, daughters' dowries were never meager. When Yun Chu, the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun family, married, her dowry amounted to a full thirty thousand taels of silver. Among the Yun branch families, the better-off would assemble around ten thousand taels for their daughters, while those less affluent still provided at least five thousand taels... As for Yun Ran, the items prepared by Yun Chu alone were worth five thousand taels. Combined with what her legitimate mother Lin Shi had prepared, the total approached nearly twenty thousand taels. And she was merely a concubine-born daughter, marrying into a family like the Dais—yet she possessed such a substantial dowry.
Many women cast envious glances.
Xie Ping stood at the edge of the crowd, rising on her toes to catch a glimpse. Seeing the red-gold headpiece and the stack of silver notes, she couldn't help but flush with envy.
Her own dowry consisted only of a bridal gown she had embroidered herself and some personal savings—not exceeding one hundred taels of silver...
Yet in her heart, she understood clearly: if her mother did not prepare a dowry for her, there must be a reason. All she needed to do was obey dutifully...
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