tallest building

Chapter 157 More Freedom

Playing chess is the best way to kill time, especially since the days are short in winter and dusk comes in the blink of an eye.

Wen Mingqian played three games of chess with the Princess, winning one and losing two.

"You clearly didn't go all out; you were deliberately letting me win." The princess gently pushed the chessboard aside. "Looks like I'll have plenty to amuse myself when you come here again."

"I have racked my brains, and if I play a fourth round, I will not be able to hold on any longer," Wen Mingqian said. "It is getting late, so I will take my leave and head down the mountain. Please take care, Your Highness. If you need anything, please send someone to Wuqiu Nunnery to fetch it from me at any time."

"I'll send two guards to escort you down the mountain into the city," the princess said. "The weather is getting colder, so I'll give you two coats!"

As she spoke, she ordered the older maid, Cui Zhen, to bring over a gray squirrel and a silver fox cloak, both made in the imperial palace, with furs from Liaodong as tribute, covered with Shu brocade, and the collar inlaid with gemstones, making them incredibly luxurious and magnificent.

Wen Mingqian quickly expressed his gratitude.

The eldest princess laughed and said, "This is nothing. Here's another one for your little girl! Don't let this delicate beauty get cold."

Wen Mingqian and Sang Er came down from the mountain and entered the city. The two guards escorted them to the entrance of Wuqiu Nunnery before leaving.

"My goodness, thanks to the clothes bestowed by the Princess, otherwise I would have frozen to death." After entering the nunnery, Sang Er said with a sense of relief, "These imperial items are truly extraordinary."

"We should only wear this dress when we visit the Princess. We should put it away the rest of the time," Wen Mingqian said. "It's too eye-catching. Luckily, it's getting late."

The two went inside as they were talking, and just as they turned on the lights, Huiming arrived.

"I wonder if you two have had dinner yet? There's still some food left for you in the kitchen. Not long after you left today, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Zhou family arrived," Huiming said.

"Cuiyi's here? What a pity, she missed her." Wen Mingqian said, "Did she leave a message?"

“Grandma Zhou said she’ll come again tomorrow. If you’re still busy, please ask someone to pass on a message to her,” Huiming said.

"Okay, I understand. Thank you so much." Wen Mingqian said to the little nun with a smile, "These are snacks that the Princess gave me. Take two pieces. They're all vegetarian, so eat them without worry."

"No, no, how can that be?" Huiming blushed and firmly declined.

"Just take it! It's not like it's gold or silver." Sang Er forcefully stuffed it into her hand. "We've received so much care from you here, what's wrong with having a couple of pastries?"

Huiming then accepted it.

Sang Er went to the back to get dinner. Hui Ming noticed that the charcoal fire in their room had gone out, so she took the initiative to take the charcoal brazier out, emptied the ashes, and rekindled the charcoal before bringing it back in.

Just then, Sang Er returned with dinner. Since it was getting cold, the food, though lukewarm, was still a bit chilly.

He then said, "Thank goodness I bought the iron cover a few days ago; it's a real treasure."

“Yes! Back in the winter in Shuangxi, we couldn’t do without these things, and Zhang Ma’s drying oven was always burning.” Wen Mingqian said, “You are very thoughtful.”

"Why don't you say it's because I'm greedy, Mother?" Sang Er said with a grin. "This thing is great for heating up rice and dishes, and even better for roasting meat and snacks when placed on the charcoal brazier. It tastes especially sweet and delicious."

The two of them sat around the charcoal fire and ate their dinner at a leisurely pace.

The next day, Liu Cuiyi indeed came again. Upon entering Wen Mingqian's room, she said, "Sister, do you know how much the news has spread?"

"What's been spread?" Wen Mingqian asked with a smile as he put down his teacup while drinking tea.

"What else could it be? Of course, it's about your divorce." Liu Cuiyi sat down. "Everyone's saying that the Gong family has been having some kind of trouble lately, with one big thing after another happening."

"No matter how much they talk about it, it's only temporary. Besides, let them talk, I'll live my life." Wen Mingqian genuinely didn't care.

“Actually, I knew that my sister would eventually leave the Gong family, but I didn’t expect it to be so soon. After I heard the news, I immediately asked people to find out where you had gone, and when I found out you were here, I rushed over,” Liu Cuiyi said. “Actually, I should have guessed it sooner.”

"Your energy and blood are definitely more abundant now," Wen Mingqian said with a smile. "You even speak much faster than before."

“Sister, don’t laugh at me,” Liu Cuiyi said. “I’m genuinely happy for you.”

"What? Aren't you worried about me at all?"

“What is there to worry about? You endured seven years of hardship in Shuangxi, so what’s a little more hardship now?” Liu Cuiyi said. “You’ve finally escaped that cage, and you’ll be free from now on. I can’t be more envious of you.”

“That’s what I felt too,” Wen Mingqian said. “When Gong Xu signed the divorce papers, I felt incredibly happy.”

"Let's go, sister, let's go for a drink." Liu Cuiyi said happily, taking Wen Mingqian's hand. "Let's have a good drink today."

“My reputation may not be good as a divorced person. Aren’t you afraid your mother-in-law will make things difficult for you if you hang out with me?” Wen Mingqian asked.

"I'm not afraid at all," Liu Cuiyi sneered. "My previous obedience and virtues didn't bring me any benefit. They never treated me like a human being."
A few days ago, my mother-in-law made it clear that I was going out too often, so she brought her niece over to our house and started causing trouble.

I was so angry that I cursed them out, saying they should stop riding on my neck and that things had really gotten out of hand. I wasn't afraid of losing face.

Let everyone know that the Zhou family is a respectable family, so poor they rely on their daughter-in-law's dowry for support. If they despise me, they should divorce me now. Give them back my dowry, not a penny less!

But they couldn't bear to lose face, nor could they bear to spend the money, so they simply pretended to be deaf and mute.

"You're really something! If you'd shown this bit of fierceness earlier, Zhou Jingsan would have been completely subdued." Wen Mingqian couldn't help but laugh. "How did you suddenly become so clever?"

Liu Cuiyi smiled but did not answer, only saying, "In any case, I must treat you properly today. I have already ordered the food and drinks, let's go out now."

“Sang Er went out to buy something,” Wen Mingqian said. “Let’s wait for her for a bit.”

“Alright,” Liu Cuiyi nodded. “Then let’s continue our conversation. Where did you go yesterday, sister?”

"I went to Yuzhen Temple." Wen Mingqian naturally wouldn't hide it from her. "It was already late when I came back."

“I knew it. You would have been better off without the Gong family, especially now that you have the favor of the Princess.” Liu Cuiyi said, “Unfortunately, I don’t have your abilities.”

"It's not a matter of favoritism or anything like that. It's only because of the Princess's kindness that I had the opportunity to go there," Wen Mingqian said. "By the way, I made some more things for you. You might as well take them with you!"

"I won't refuse if you give it to me, sister. I've been wanting this for ages!" Liu Cuiyi said happily.

Wen Mingqian felt that her personality was even more lively than before she got married, so he didn't know why she had become like this, but he was still happy for her from the bottom of his heart.