Chapter 7 Doing the opposite
In the Great Qi State, if a woman took the initiative to ask for a divorce, it was tantamount to self-destruction. Once her reputation was damaged, she would be like a bird with a broken wing.
Why is she so determined and urgent?
"Why are you suddenly giving me a divorce letter?"
Zheng Chengyan's smile froze on his face as his brows were furrowed, and his originally gentle face was distorted into a slightly hideous look.
Su Wanyu was unmoved. She sat upright at the table, picked up the pen and dipped it in ink, her movements calm and unhurried.
"Zheng Chengyan, you have always had no self in your heart. Rather than being together in appearance but not in spirit, it is better to end it now. It will be a relief for both of us. Is it the girl from the Jiang family or the girl from the Wang family that you are thinking of? After the divorce, you can pursue her at will and no one can interfere."
Zheng Chengyan's eyes were fixed on her calm and indifferent face, and he felt indescribably irritated.
There was only one thought left in his mind.
Never let her go easily.
He slowly held the divorce letter in his hand, tore it inch by inch, and scattered the pieces into the air.
His tone became cold and firm: "Su Wanyu, you have never made any mistakes since you married into the Zheng family. Why should I divorce you?"
The fragments fell to the ground, and a hint of sarcasm appeared on Su Wanyu's lips.
She understood it too well. It was like a replay of her previous life. Even if he was full of disgust towards her, he would never allow her to leave.
Because in their eyes, her dowry nourished the luxury and vanity of the Changping Marquis's Mansion.
However, the world is like a chess game, each game is new, and this time, their wishful thinking is doomed to fail.
She would no longer contribute a single cent of her wealth to their greed.
Zheng Chengyan approached step by step, and his low voice echoed between the two of them, "In the Zheng family, there is no such thing as divorcing a wife, let alone dreaming of divorce! If you want to leave, you must be dead and no longer have any breath!"
Su Wanyu leaned over to pick up the scraps of paper on the ground, her movements neither hurried nor slow. "Although the divorce agreement is in pieces, my feelings are hard to change. Zheng Chengyan, I am always here to discuss the divorce with you."
"That day will never come!" Zheng Chengyan's words were loud and clear, and then he turned around and left angrily.
Su Wanyu knew very well that the divorce would not be successful today. Just as she expected, when Zheng Chengyan faced the divorce agreement, he did not dwell on the difficulties she had caused to Jiang Yingying that day.
The so-called favor, on the scale of interests, ultimately seems so pale and powerless.
With the protection of the eldest princess, he dared not let things get out of control.
She looked at Zheng Chengyan's back, and a cold light flashed in her clear eyes.
Neither divorce nor reconciliation?
Then, Su Wanyu could only do the opposite and become the first woman in the Great Qi State to divorce her husband.
She was determined to challenge the taboos that had existed for hundreds of years, just to break free and seek justice for herself.
She will repay Zheng Chengyan for the suffering he brought her, and make him experience the feeling of having his family torn apart, becoming infamous, and crawling at her feet begging for mercy.
The planning of all this had already begun quietly before he took in a concubine.
She went to the old lady specifically and proposed to promote the maids Tao Xing and Liu'er to good concubines, and Xiang'er was even promoted to noble concubine.
Tao Xing is quite similar to Jiang Yingying, wearing plain clothes. Although she is not stunningly beautiful, she is gentle and considerate. However, it is heartbreaking that she secretly colludes with Guo behind the scenes.
Liu'er, though only fifteen years old, was already mentally mature, with a pair of clever and cunning eyes. Her methods were comparable to those of the girls in brothels, and she often filled Zheng Chengyan's nights with laughter.
As for Xiang'er, her fate seemed to be an accident.
She is beautiful and pure, with innocence in her eyes, but her experience of being forced to become a maid in the emperor's bedchamber makes people feel sorry for her.
In her previous life, she was murdered by Jiang and had a miserable fate. Now, Su Wanyu decided to change her fate.
Before everything started, she found Xiang'er privately, took out one hundred taels of silver and a contract to sell her body, and let her run away and find a new life.
However, Xiang'er refused the money and only accepted the freedom of the indenture contract. She bowed deeply to her and made an unexpected choice.
She petitioned Old Lady Zheng to be promoted to a noble concubine, and conveyed her feelings through Yunyi, vowing to repay the Second Young Lady's kindness and determined to stay in the mansion to compete with Jiang.
In the end, when Su Wanyu found out about all this, Xiang'er had already moved to Jiang's courtyard.
Xiang'er's decision made her feel sad and helpless, so she quietly prepared a small courtyard for Xiang'er, hoping that she could find a moment of peace in this place.
To the west of the courtyard, surrounded by green bamboo, the three bedrooms are quiet and cozy;
Jiang Yingying's residence is located on the north side. Although the space is more spacious, she has to share Yaxuan Courtyard with Taoxing and Liuer.
As the night deepened, Jiang Yingying realized that her residence would no longer be hers alone. She felt resentful and ordered her personal maid to pass a message to Zheng Chengyan, asking him to come and visit her on the pretext of being sick, in an attempt to gain a little attention from him on her wedding night.
However, Zheng Chengyan never showed up.
Deep down, Jiang Yingying longed to pour out all her grievances and pain to the man who once promised to give her a warm embrace.
"Yes, Miss." Following the maid's gentle response, she lightly left the room.
Time seemed to stand still, and every second of waiting seemed unusually long.
Finally, the maid returned with the news.
"Miss, the second young master said he is very busy and can only come to visit you tomorrow morning."
As soon as these words were spoken, Jiang Yingying's face became paler and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.
Soon, a faint calling voice came from the other end of the yard. It was Liu'er's voice, which contained both painful struggle and a hint of imperceptible joy.
Zheng Chengyan's behavior tonight was completely different from usual. Perhaps because he was frustrated by Su Wanyu and was upset, he chose to avoid Jiang Yingying and turned to Liu'er as an outlet for his emotions.
Jiang Yingying's ears trembled slightly, catching those vague sounds: "Where does this noise come from?"
"Miss..." The maid was too shy to speak.
Jiang Yingying tried hard to support her weak body and put her ear close to the cold window frame.
At this time, on the other side of the wall, Liu'er's voice was delicate, gently calling "Second Master".
The maid pursed her lips and whispered, "Miss, it is Miss Liu'er who is accompanying the Second Young Master. From the looks of it, the Second Young Master should be staying at her residence tonight."
"Didn't he say he had some official business to attend to? How come he suddenly appeared in Miss Liu'er's room?" There was a bone-chilling chill in Jiang Yingying's voice.
The maid knelt on the ground, her head lowered even lower: "Miss, I did hear from the servant that it was because of the busy official duties. I guess the Second Young Master said this on purpose to perfunctorily deal with you."
Jiang Yingying's thin body trembled slightly under her white clothes, and the maid's explanation cut into her fragile heart.
Her eyes were bloodshot. Just a few days ago, the man who promised to marry her in a formal ceremony not only failed to protect her from harm, but also had a secret meeting with someone else on the wedding night, completely betraying his oath.
As the daughter of an official, she entered this family with her not-yet-revealed body. Not only did she have to endure the humiliation of being treated the same as a concubine of lowly status, but she also had to endure the pain silently every night amid their sounds of pleasure.