Qi Yue blinked her eyes.
That’s right, though it was in traditional characters, she was certain she hadn’t seen it wrong.
A divorce decree—a divorce decree bearing the seal of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion, with the general meaning being failure to follow wifely duties and such, among the seven grounds for divorce.
Nanny Su watched as the woman’s expression turned shocked, preparing to wait for the next act of crying or fainting, but the woman only seriously looked at that divorce decree and then composed herself.
“I understand. I’ll go see the Marquis,” she said.
“No need. What the Young Madam wants to say, the Marquis already knows,” Nanny Su said with a smile.
In Rong’an Courtyard, Marquis Dingxi was pacing back and forth anxiously in the room.
“I’ve said everything I needed to say. This woman has caused big trouble this time. Marquis, what do you say we should do?” Madam Xie said in a deep voice.
Marquis Dingxi’s expression showed slight panic.
“What else can we do?” He looked at Madam Xie. “Isn’t divorcing her enough?”
Madam Xie put down the tea in her hand.
“Marquis, sit down first,” she said. “Don’t be anxious, or you’ll get a headache.”
Marquis Dingxi sat down irritably.
“There have been continuous incidents at home recently. Marquis, you must think positively and not harm your health,” Madam Xie said, taking out a pill from the small azure porcelain covered jar on the side table and handing it over.
Marquis Dingxi took it and put it in his mouth, immediately feeling the cool refreshment spread in his mouth, and his muddled mind cleared for a moment. He exhaled.
“You’re the one who truly cares for me,” he said, patting Madam Xie’s hand.
Madam Xie smiled and withdrew her hand.
“I’m not good with words and can’t win the Marquis’s favor. I just want the Marquis to know that I can only rely on you. For the Marquis to be well is the best thing for me,” she said, sitting beside him.
These words made Marquis Dingxi feel extremely comfortable in his heart.
“You’re just too reserved in nature and have a bad temper. But we’re husband and wife, after all, we’re one body,” he said, looking at Madam Xie. “I know your heart.”
Madam Xie smiled without saying anything.
“This Qi Yueniang!” After a moment of peace, Marquis Dingxi thought of the current troubles again and couldn’t help but press his forehead with his hand. “She’s going to ruin our family…”
That kneeling—didn’t she know that with her kneeling, it was actually the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion that was kneeling?
Under the public eye, before hundreds and thousands of people…
Marquis Dingxi covered his eyes with his hand; he couldn’t bear to think about it.
“Even if I kneel to death before our ancestors, it wouldn’t be enough to atone for this sin, and I’d have no face to see people…” he murmured. “This lowly servant, this lowly servant—has she gone mad?”
“I told you long ago that you shouldn’t spoil her, and now you know? This lowly servant can do anything. Now it’s good—everyone in Yongqing Prefecture knows, and before long, I’m afraid everyone in the capital will know too…” Madam Xie said.
The court would have new gossip material…
And this time it would be about the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion…
Speaking of which, the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion had almost disappeared from the court since the old Marquis died. If it weren’t for the annual court stipends, the Emperor might have forgotten there was still a Marquis Dingxi like him. Fortunately, Chang Yuncheng later distinguished himself and reappeared in the court’s eyes. But now, good—soon the daughter-in-law would also appear in the court’s eyes…
Marquis Dingxi pressed heavily on his eyes again.
He would rather the court people completely forget about him…
He could even imagine that soon some noble families would specially come over under the pretext of visiting, then pat his shoulder and ask about the romantic details of that kneeling…
“Quickly throw all her things out!” Marquis Dingxi shouted loudly. “Drive her out, don’t let her step into Yongqing Prefecture again!”
“This still isn’t enough,” Madam Xie said.
Marquis Dingxi looked at her.
“Divorcing her isn’t enough,” Madam Xie said, her eyes gleaming. “Marquis, you must announce to everyone and make clear how this lowly servant originally deceived and tricked the old lady. In short, you must let the world know that our Marquis Dingxi’s mansion was deceived when we took her as daughter-in-law…”
Marquis Dingxi hesitated.
“Actually, divorcing her is already enough. She’s just a weak woman after all, with no parents or brothers…” he said.
For such a woman, divorcing her was already equivalent to cutting off her way of living…
For such a beauty to wither away like this…
“Marquis, she clearly knew that this time she couldn’t cure this patient well, yet she still insisted on stepping forward. Wasn’t she using our reputation? Didn’t she know the consequences of doing this? She did it deliberately, just to push our Marquis Dingxi’s mansion into the fire pit. Such a person, Marquis, even if she’s a beauty, has a heart like a venomous scorpion. She clearly knew how much you valued and protected her, yet she still did such a thing. Marquis, my heart is cold,” Madam Xie said indifferently.
“But what if she really can cure…” the Marquis hesitated.
Madam Xie looked at him.
“Marquis, even if she can cure this time, what about next time? There are countless illnesses in this world—can she cure them all? Marquis, this isn’t a question of whether she can cure or not, but whether she should. She shouldn’t have forgotten her identity and acted recklessly. Marquis, you protecting her once is nothing, but our Marquis Dingxi’s mansion can’t withstand these repeated shocks,” she said indifferently.
Marquis Dingxi fell silent.
“Marquis, she is first and foremost the Young Madam of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion. What she should do is stay peacefully in the inner chambers, assist her husband and educate children, not show her face in public, wandering the streets and alleys, joking and laughing among those coarse men, and even touching and feeling those men of mixed status… When it was Ziqiao before, firstly his status was there, and secondly he was still young, so it was fine if people saw. But what about others? Just speaking of this injured hunter, your daughter-in-law, the Young Madam of the Marquis Dingxi’s mansion, just like that…” Madam Xie became more and more agitated as she spoke, and couldn’t continue at this point.
Marquis Dingxi also couldn’t bear to listen anymore. The divine physician he had imagined, what he had imagined Qi Yueniang would bring, was the medical treatment and healing of those wealthy noble families—that kind of treatment that was glamorous and elegant… A group of lowly hunters and commoners… dirty bodies…
He couldn’t help but show disgust.
“Pack up that woman’s things and throw them all out for me,” he said.