After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

Divorce?

Xiao Jinghan, who had never entertained such thoughts, thought to himself, "Don't even think about it."

Busy times always seem to fly by.

Soon, the day of Xiao Jingzhuo and Sun Zhiyao's wedding arrived. Liu Yuansheng was busy for seven or eight days, and finally watched Xiao Jingzhuo bring Sun Zhiyao back to the mansion in a lively and peaceful manner.

The family hadn't had a happy occasion in a long time, and the old lady was overjoyed. Even the Zhenguo Duke's family, who usually spent all their time in the military camp, came back to stay for half a month, which showed how much they loved and valued their new daughter-in-law.

Sun Zhiyao was indeed lovable, but whenever Liu Yuansheng saw her, she couldn't help but think of Jiang Zhihuan. Speaking of which, she hadn't been in contact with Jiang Zhihuan for a long time.

Xiao Jinghan has been busy lately and hasn't returned home for two nights in a row. Liu Yuansheng is extremely worried because Xiao Jinghan promised her that he would divorce her after Xiao Jingzhuo's wedding.

She can finally get a divorce.

I can't quite describe the feeling in my heart, but it was definitely a sense of relief, as if a huge stone that had been pressing on my shoulders had finally been lifted off the ground.

She waited and waited, and three more days passed, but instead of receiving news of Xiao Jinghan's return, she received news of Liu Nianxi marrying Wang Hanxuan.

It is said that the Wang family took the initiative to propose marriage to Su Tinglan. Su Tinglan originally refused, but Su Rong was eager to get close to the Wang family and forced Liu Nianxi to marry, even if it was to become Wang Hanxuan's concubine.

Liu Nianxi was unwilling to marry Wang Hanxuan and kept resisting, crying and making a scene. However, marriage is ultimately a matter of parental arrangement and matchmaker's words. After Su Rong agreed to the Wang family's request, she had the foresight to tie Liu Nianxi up and put her directly into the bridal sedan chair when the time came.

After the marriage, Wang Hanxuan would beat and scold Liu Nianxi. Wang Hanxuan's mother was also unkind to Liu Nianxi. Wang Hanxuan's mother was originally a concubine of Lord Wang. Whenever she was mistreated by the first wife, she would take it out on Liu Nianxi. A few days after the marriage, Liu Nianxi threatened to hang herself. She was rescued but locked in the woodshed and beaten day and night until she was subdued and dared not do it again. Only then was she released.

Evil people will be punished by other evil people.

"Miss, Liu Nianxi sent a message through the eldest young master, saying she wants you to put in a good word for her and ask her to divorce Wang Hanxuan."

"She said that as long as Miss agrees to her request, she will leave the capital and never appear in front of Miss again in this lifetime."

Early in the morning, Liu Yuansheng was getting ready when Ying'er, who had somehow gotten hold of all the information, told her everything.

Liu Yuansheng was preoccupied with Xiao Jinghan, or more precisely, with the matter of their divorce. She hadn't slept well for the past few days, and last night was no exception.

Because she hadn't slept well, she was in low spirits and a very bad mood. After hearing Ying'er's words, she said coldly, "Her presence in the capital is no problem for me, so why should I care about her?"

Liu Yuansheng shook her head. "You don't need to tell me anything about the Prime Minister's residence anymore."

"Aren't you going to talk about the young master?" Ying'er asked. "The young master is quite good to the young lady."

"I'll help with my brother's matter if I can," Liu Yuansheng said, pressing Ying'er's hand. "Alright, you're not going out, why are you dressed up so formally?"

"Miss, have you forgotten? You're going to the estate with the eldest young mistress today." Ying'er picked up the horn comb again. "This is the first time Miss is going to the estate with the eldest young mistress, so of course you have to dress up formally so that the eldest young mistress doesn't steal the spotlight."

The limelight?

Liu Yuansheng has never liked to show off, but Xie Qinghe has recently made quite a splash. People outside say that the Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is now united, with Xie Qinghe inside and Xiao Jinghan outside, making it as solid as an iron barrel.

These words were more or less on her face, because she was Xiao Jinghan's wife.

Unfortunately, she is not good at housekeeping at all, nor does she like housekeeping. Moreover, Xiao Jinghan has never asked her to be a housekeeper.

"Keep it simple," Liu Yuansheng asked. "Where is the young master? Hasn't he returned yet?"

"The young master has been very busy lately!" Ying'er said. "Last night, after Sister Xiao fell asleep, the young master returned. After returning, he stood in front of Miss's bed for a while before going back to the east wing to fall asleep."

"The young master returned yesterday?" Liu Yuansheng asked, somewhat surprised.

"You're back. The young master learned that Miss hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, and fearing he might wake her, Miss couldn't sleep, so she went to sleep in the east wing."

"Oh." Liu Yuansheng was slightly disappointed, and in her disappointment, she couldn't help but wonder if Xiao Jinghan had done this on purpose.

Is he avoiding the topic of divorce?

But then I thought about it again. Xiao Jinghan has always been carefree and unrestrained, and he would never waste his energy on such a small matter. He must be busy with court affairs and unable to get away for the time being, which is why he has delayed the divorce.

Never mind, I'll just wait a little longer.

After getting ready, Liu Yuansheng took Ying'er out of the manor and went to the estate with Xie Qinghe.

The village was rather desolate in winter. As soon as Liu Yuansheng arrived, he felt freezing cold and quickly went inside to sit on the kang (a heated brick bed) to rest.

Xie Qinghe took care of everything, so she didn't have to worry about anything. Although she was supposed to be assisting, she actually did less than Ying'er. Looking at Ying'er, who was becoming more and more stable, Liu Yuansheng couldn't help but think that after she left the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she should hand Ying'er over to Xie Qinghe. With Ying'er's intelligence, she would definitely be able to be Xie Qinghe's right-hand woman.

"Alright, the accounts are all sorted out. We were supposed to head back, but it's snowing heavily. For our safety, let's wait a bit."

After the sun set, Xie Qinghe, who had spent most of the day sorting out accounts, ate melon seeds while talking to Liu Yuansheng.

Liu Yuansheng sat cross-legged on the warm kang, feeling comfortable and extremely tired. He agreed to Xie Qinghe's request and fell asleep without realizing it.

When she woke up, the snow had stopped. There was a small stove on the ground with a small pot of bird's nest porridge on it, but Ying'er, who was supposed to be guarding the pot, was nowhere to be found.

Ying'er is very active, and Liu Yuansheng guessed that she must have gone out to make a snowman.

He then put on his cloak and left the house.

Two old plum trees in front of the courtyard were covered with thick snow, and specks of crimson peeked out from among the white snowflakes, sparse and light, and a cool fragrance wafted through the corridor.

Outside the village, the ridges and low fences were all filled with snow. The once scattered vegetable plots and wood stacks were now just round, undulating white marks. A few withered bamboo stalks stood by the pond, with snow falling silently from their tips onto the thin, frozen ice.

The wooden railings of the corridor were covered with a thin layer of snow. Servants swept a narrow path through which footprints of varying depths meandered toward the warm pavilion.

A few gray sparrows landed on the snow-covered wall, shook off the snowflakes, and fluttered their wings into the snow-covered pine forest. The world was so quiet that only the soft rustling of falling snow could be heard.

Such a beautiful sight.

For some reason, standing amidst this silver-clad landscape, Liu Yuansheng thought of Xiao Jinghan rather than Jiang Zhihuan. She vaguely felt that Xiao Jinghan must also love snow and this vast white world.

Just then, Ying'er stumbled over and, upon seeing her, immediately threw herself into her arms, crying, "Miss, Miss, save me!"

Liu Yuansheng looked puzzled. "Ying'er, what's wrong?"

Seeing that Ying'er was covered in snow and looked quite disheveled, she couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you go out to play? How did you get so messy?"

Ying'er gasped for breath, and after catching her breath, she looked behind her. Seeing that no one was chasing after her, she said to Liu Yuansheng, "Miss, let's go back quickly, no, let's get out of here right away!"

"Leave?" Liu Yuansheng looked out of the manor. With such heavy snow, the roads were blocked, and she probably wouldn't be able to go back until tomorrow morning. Besides, she had come with Xie Qinghe with the intention of staying at the manor for one night, so why was she in such a hurry to leave?

"Ying'er, don't panic. Tell me first, what exactly happened?"

Ying'er's face turned pale and then red, clearly frightened. Hearing Liu Yuansheng's question, she said, "Miss, I... I just met the eldest young mistress."

"You met the young mistress?" Liu Yuansheng was increasingly confused. "So what if you met her? Why are you so flustered?"

"Miss, I've seen the eldest young mistress having an affair!" Ying'er exclaimed anxiously. "It's in that warm pavilion over there. I was playing in the snow and wanted to find a place to warm up, so I went to the warm pavilion. But then I heard those sounds, and when I peeked through the window, I saw the eldest young mistress naked with a peasant..."

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng's mind went blank.

She didn't hear a word Ying'er said after that; all she could think about was that the young mistress was having an affair.

In the village, after a heavy snowfall.

Liu Yuansheng couldn't believe what she had heard. She helped Ying'er up and asked, "Did you really see it clearly?"

"I saw it all clearly!" Ying'er said. "There's no time to lose, Miss, let's leave quickly!"

Liu Yuansheng was completely bewildered. She had only wanted to go out for a walk, so how did she end up in this situation?

Also, if what Ruoying'er said is true, then, should we tell the old lady and Xiao Jinghan about this?

She was about to divorce Xiao Jinghan, so she probably felt it was better to avoid trouble. Besides, Xie Qinghe and she seemed to have a good relationship. She hadn't revealed Yuan Shi's pregnancy back then, so why should she talk about Xie Qinghe's situation?

She's already had enough of a hard life.

Although Liu Yuansheng felt immense sympathy for Xie Qinghe's plight, he also understood that it was best to take Ying'er away from here as soon as possible.

Otherwise, who knows what other trouble might arise later?

"Alright, I'll have someone prepare a carriage, let's leave quickly."

"Yes!" Ying'er nodded vigorously, nervously taking Liu Yuansheng's arm. Liu Yuansheng was also a little nervous because of Ying'er's actions. Just as she was about to call for help, a large group of people came in front of her and said, "The eldest young mistress wants Ying'er to go over there and ask the third young mistress to release the person."

Upon hearing this, Ying'er quickly darted behind Liu Yuansheng. "What does the young mistress want me to do?"

"Why did you call Ying'er over there, sister-in-law?" Liu Yuansheng asked. "You must have a reason for bringing people over."

The newcomer was the village's head housekeeper, who was always close to Xie Qinghe and didn't pay much attention to Liu Yuansheng, who wasn't really in charge. "What is it? You'll understand once Ying'er gets there. Come with me!"

The old woman stepped forward to grab him, and even when she bumped into Liu Yuansheng, she didn't back down.

Liu Yuansheng swayed unsteadily, almost falling, and couldn't help but shout, "How dare you!"

The old woman froze, then glared at Ying'er across Liu Yuansheng. "What does the Third Young Mistress mean by this? The Eldest Young Mistress is still waiting in the front hall."

"Then I will take Ying'er to see the eldest young mistress," Liu Yuansheng said coldly. "You must not lay a hand on her again."

Upon hearing this, the old woman dared not make another move. She gestured for Liu Yuansheng to proceed and led him to the front hall.

Xie Qinghe sat in the armchair, seemingly having waited for quite some time.

Seeing Liu Yuansheng and Ying'er arrive together, she paused for a moment before asking, "It's so cold outside, why did you come?"

Liu Yuansheng looked at Xie Qinghe, her feelings indescribably complicated.

Xie Qinghe smiled brightly as usual, showing no sign of panic after being caught in her shameful act. Liu Yuansheng couldn't help but wonder if Ying'er had seen wrong, or if what had just happened was a misunderstanding.

But Xie Qinghe's next words proved that Ying'er was not lying.

"Third sister-in-law, you're not feeling well, you should go back and rest first. I have something to ask Ying'er, and after I'm done, I'll have her go back and take care of you."

Upon hearing this, Ying'er fearfully hid behind Liu Yuansheng.

Liu Yuansheng immediately sensed something was wrong. "Is Sister-in-law going to leave Ying'er behind alone?"

"Yes," Xie Qinghe said. "Don't worry, I'm just asking her some questions, I won't make things difficult for her."

"May I ask what's wrong, sister-in-law?" Liu Yuansheng took Ying'er's hand and pulled her to sit on a round-backed chair beside him. "Although Ying'er is my maid, I've always treated her like a younger sister. I can't ignore her situation."

Upon hearing this, Xie Qinghe's gaze towards the two women, mistress and servant, suddenly turned cold, and the smile on her face vanished.

"Alright, if you insist on staying, I won't try to persuade you anymore," Xie Qinghe said. "I know you love Ying'er, but as masters, we should be fair in our rewards and punishments. Ying'er stole something, and in principle, she should be beaten and kicked out. But for your sake, I can be lenient. I'll buy the beating, hand over the stolen goods, and leave the Duke of Zhuang's mansion on your own."

Upon hearing this, Ying'er trembled uncontrollably. "The young mistress said I stole? When did I steal?"

Ying'er knelt down in front of Liu Yuansheng with a thud. "Miss, I haven't stolen anything, I haven't."

Liu Yuansheng held Ying'er's hand tightly, not believing Xie Qinghe's words at all.

"My sister-in-law said Ying'er stole something, but I wonder what she stole?"

"Gold." Xie Qinghe said, "I just finished tallying up the accounts, and a chest of gold is missing from the treasury. Ying'er stole the gold and hid it in the snow, but the servants on the estate discovered it and caught her red-handed."

"If it weren't for that maid running fast, she would have been arrested long ago and wouldn't have had a chance to complain to you and confuse the public."

"Miss, I didn't! I really didn't!"

Ying'er cried, her face streaked with tears. "I just went to build a snowman, thinking of making a snowball to play with. I didn't hide any gold, much less steal any gold! I didn't!"