Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 40 Divorce Wife
Mrs. Fu didn't come back until after nightfall.

Her face was pale, her eyes were red and swollen, and the pearls and fine clothes she wore could not conceal her fatigue and uneasiness.

Taoist Lingxu's lies were exposed, and the vicious curse of "Seven Evil Stars" on Xue Liu was all reflected back to her. Everyone in Xue's house avoided her eyes and felt uneasy when they saw her.

There are always dirty things in the backyard of every wealthy family, but it is rare to see someone like Fu who racked his brains to harm a concubine's daughter and flatter himself...

In private, even the most cunning maids and old women said that the eldest lady was vicious.

When Qian got the news, she ran to Fu without removing the white gauze wrapped around her head, and insulted her with a sarcastic tone.

"Hey, sister-in-law is back? Did Master Lingxu summon you back through magic?"

"The mother of the Eight Fortunes has returned home. Is this a sign of good fortune from heaven?"

Fu glared at her with heavy eyes.

A merchant girl dared to speak to her like this, it was really against the will of Heaven.

She didn't say anything back, but walked away coldly, pretending she didn't see it.

Qian sneered behind her back, "You're just pretending. What do you mean by a legitimate daughter of a noble family? You're pure and innocent? You're no different from that vicious whore in that family..."

Fu's back felt stiff and she wished she could turn around and tear Qian's mouth apart.

But she couldn't do that.

The truth was revealed, she was in the wrong, and had to keep her tail between her legs...
-
Xue Qingzhi was in the old lady's room in Shou'anyuan.

I lit the glass lamp and was talking to my old mother and having a midnight snack.

When Mrs. Fu led the maids and servants in, the originally warm atmosphere became cold.

"Why did you come back?" Mrs. Cui was determined not to give her face. She was too lazy to save face. She put down the teacup in her hand heavily and said unhappily:
"If I were you, I would just stay at my parents' house and not have the nerve to go back to my husband's house."

Fu looked at Xue Qingzhi and said, "Master, what mother-in-law said is your opinion?"

After being married for more than 20 years, she understands Xue Qingzhi's character.

He cares a lot about his reputation, and is even more concerned about the reputation of the Xue family.

Not to mention that she and Liu Shijuan didn't have an affair, even if they did, Xue Qingzhi wouldn't bring it up openly. Just for the Yongding Marquis's Mansion and Princess Duan, her position as the first lady could still be secure.

After all, she is the biological daughter of Marquis Yongding and the biological mother of Princess Duan.

Xue Qingzhi did not respond.

When Mrs. Cui saw this, her expression became even uglier.

"Fu, you have been dominating the mansion, making up stories, and mistreating concubines for these years. I have turned a blind eye to everything and given you, as a daughter-in-law, face. But this time you have touched the third brother, and I will not let you off..."

The eldest lady's lips curled slightly, with a look of desperateness, her smile was full of self-mockery, and she showed no fear at all.

"What the old lady said is true. But who made my daughter-in-law the wife of the Shangshu? No matter how wrong I am, if others see it, they will only say that the Xue family has a bad family tradition and has lost its moral code! Otherwise, as a woman, how could I stir up any storm with my great ability? I am vicious, but it is my fault that I live in this vicious nest and have been forced to be like this! The upper beam is crooked, and the lower beam is crooked!"

The old lady was choked by her breath, her chest felt stuffy, she pressed her chest, and the finger that was pointing at Fu was trembling slightly.

"Da Lang, I want you to divorce your wife! Divorce her immediately! I, an old woman, can no longer count on this noble daughter-in-law! It's a misfortune for our family! Such a troublemaker has appeared! The reputation of our Xue family for several lifetimes has been ruined by her alone!"

Xue Qingzhi hurried forward to support the old lady and looked at Fu with a stern look.

"Hurry up and kneel down! Apologize to your mother!"

Mrs. Fu was silent for a moment, then slowly knelt in front of Old Lady Cui.

"Mother, it's my daughter-in-law who is ignorant and speaks without thinking."

Xue Qingzhi's face looked better now, and he consoled her softly, "Mother, please don't bother with her."

Old Mrs. Cui was so angry that her breathing became rapid.

"This evil woman harmed my Sanlang and even had an affair with that fake Taoist priest. You can tolerate it, but I, as a mother, cannot. If you don't divorce her today, I will treat you as if I don't have a son!"

"Mother..." Xue Qingzhi frowned and stopped her from speaking.

"There is no evidence yet, so please do not jump to conclusions."

Finding Fu's robe on Taoist Lingxu certainly doesn't mean Fu had an affair with the Taoist. At least, Xue Qingzhi doesn't think that's the truth.

It doesn't matter what kind of relationship he has with Mrs. Fu.

But Fu's face is also his face.

"The most important thing right now is to protect the Xue family."

Xue Qingzhi stroked the old lady's back, waited for her to calm down, and advised: "Don't let outsiders see your joke. Fu was wrong, but she is the biological mother of the eldest sister, and Lan Ge'er... Mother should think about their future even if she doesn't think about others."

Old Mrs. Cui also cares about the future of her grandchildren.

Seeing that Fu looked like a dead pig that was not afraid of boiling water, she sighed.

"I'm old, and I can't control your room anymore, but I have something to say. If you dare to reach out to the third room again, don't blame me for being rude. The palms and backs of your hands are all flesh, and the third child is young. If you, as the eldest brother, don't take care of him, I, as a mother, have to support him!"

Xue Qingzhi glanced at Fu.

Fu slowly straightened her neck and looked at him.

"There are some conflicts between my daughter-in-law and my third brother's wife. But my daughter-in-law doesn't acknowledge my third brother's affairs."

Old Mrs. Cui was too lazy to listen to her quibbling, and didn't even want to look at her any more, so she waved her hand.

"I'm tired. You guys can leave." Xue Qingzhi comforted the old lady a few more words, stood up, said goodbye, and walked out of Shou'an Courtyard with Fu.

Fu straightened her back, her eyes still proud, "Master, Liu Shijuan and I have no feelings for each other, I..."

"No need to explain." Xue Qingzhi interrupted her.

He didn't ask, nor did he listen, and he had no interest in her affairs with Liu Shijuan.

"I am not divorcing my wife today for my elder sister and brother Lan, and also to give some face to the Yongding Marquis. But you have to understand that our marriage has come to an end."

Fu's heart felt cold.

Big drops of tears rolled down like that.

She choked silently, thinking back to when she was a girl, she would shyly kneel before the Buddha, put her hands together, and beg the Bodhisattva to bless her and her beloved husband to live in harmony and grow old together.

She married him as she wished and bore him children.

Having come this far in this life, each other has changed.

Fu wiped her tears with a handkerchief and smiled coldly, "Master, there is no need to act like this. I don't owe you anything. Today, my father and brother have gone to You Taichang's residence and Jingzhao Yin to make a truthful statement. My father and brother will run around for me for the things I have done!"

After that, she straightened her back.

"I also want to tell the master that I am the spoiled daughter of the Yongding Marquisate, not a vassal of your Xue family."

Xue Qingzhi was silent for a moment.

After a while, he nodded imperceptibly.

"That's great, we don't owe each other anything."

After saying that, he turned around and went to Aunt Zhao's yard.

Fu looked at his back and sneered.

This is a couple who have been together for more than 20 years.

He didn't care about Liu Shijuan, not because he trusted her, but because he didn't care.

There are plenty of women to warm his tent and provide him with beautiful women, so why should he put on a forced smile in front of her?

Now that he has an excuse not to come to Qinglanyuan, he might be happy...

Fu returned to Qinglan Courtyard with her eyes red from tears, and asked Cui Xi, the maid in the room.

"What did the eldest girl say when she came back?"

Cui Xi was a little afraid of her, and she hesitated for a long time without being able to explain clearly.

"The princess said that the mansion had treated the Sixth Miss badly, and asked the First Madam to prepare a good dowry for the Sixth Miss. She also said, and also said..."

Fu felt a chill in her heart and her teeth were almost broken.

"What else did she say? Tell the truth. Don't make a single mistake."

Cui Xi lowered her head and said, "The princess said that the eldest lady has been biased in recent years. Don't let your selfishness affect the reputation and future of the entire Xue Mansion..."

Fu's hand dropped and the handkerchief fell to the ground.

The evil fire that was running rampant in the chest and abdomen actually dissipated.

Instead, there is a desolate and stuffy feeling.

After all the hard work, in the end, even her own daughter came to blame her...
-
The eldest lady is ill.

Bowl after bowl of medicine was sent in, but there was no improvement. There was no sound in Qinglan Courtyard, and the entire Xue Mansion was silent.

Over in Jingzhao Prefecture, I don't know how Xue Qingzhi explained it. Lord Yin didn't cause trouble for her, and You Taichang was also appeased by Marquis Dingyuan. However, many rumors arose in the market.

The eldest lady of the Xue family used a not-so-clever trick to let her own daughter marry into a wealthy family. She then turned around and trampled her concubine's daughter to pieces, making her infamous. She was abandoned at a young age, and this incident became the talk of the town in teahouses.

I don't know how, but as the conversation went on, the rumor took a different form.

Gradually, she became the abandoned concubine's daughter, who was destined to be the "Eight-luck Lucky Star". After the eldest lady knew about this, she asked a Taoist priest to perform a ritual to rob the concubine's daughter of her luck and promote her own daughter...

But lucky star is lucky star, and fate cannot be changed. Ten years later, it returns, and the cycle of cause and effect begins.

The Xue family’s backbones are about to be broken.

In the Misty Rain Tower, Yaoguang looked at Xue Sui's face and couldn't help laughing.

"What are you going to do next? Will you still get married?"

Xue Sui glanced at the amber wine with the aroma of green plums on the table. He placed one hand on the table by the window and picked up a piece of honey meat from Yanyu Tower with the other hand. He ate it slowly before uttering two words.

"Married."

If you don't enter the tiger's lair, you won the tiger.

The closer you get to the palace, the more corpses and blood you see.

But from the moment she took that step, there was no turning back.

Yaoguang was curious: "But Prince Duan rejected you? How can you marry him?"

Xue Sui smiled and said, "Be patient and wait a few days."

(End of this chapter)