Chapter 244 If the Duke of Chu were to encounter such a situation, what would she do?

Lu Yifang watched the ladies leave in their carriages. She looked back at the tranquil courtyard, the rockery and pavilions, the plum blossoms in full bloom—the scenery was truly beautiful. It was just that the people living there were spoiling this wonderful view.

She walked to the carriage, took Granny Feng's hand, and sat down, letting out a long sigh. It was at this moment that some of the pent-up frustration in her heart dissipated. Now, she could particularly understand Jiang Yu's feelings as he went to the Marquis of Qingshan's residence with his sword.

She had been married into the Duke of Chu's household for over twenty years. During those twenty years, although Jiang Chengye was a scoundrel, both the old Duke and Duchess of Chu had treated her like their own daughter. How could she not hate him for his passing?

"Let's go." Her voice rang out, and the coachman cracked his whip, the carriage rumbling away.

Meanwhile, inside the room, Su Yuezhen and the other two were arguing loudly. Cao Xin looked at Jiang Lihui with resentment and said, "I told you it wasn't a good day to come. With such a big incident yesterday, there might be people watching this place. But you insisted on dragging me here. Now look what happened, the whole capital knows."

"Did I kidnap you?" Jiang Lihui was naturally furious. He said, "I came here to comfort Yuezhen, but you were in heat. Otherwise... how could you have made such a disgraceful scene?"

"Did I strip you of your clothes and drag you to bed?" Cao Xin retorted.

"If you hadn't suggested it first, I would..."

"Alright," Su Yuezhen shouted, looking at the two of them while still dressed, "It's already like this, none of us three should shirk responsibility. If anything happens in the future, we should look out for each other."

Hearing her words, Jiang Lihui and Cao Xin exchanged a glance, then hurriedly dressed and left. Su Yuezhen watched their figures disappear quickly, let out a scream, and angrily pushed everything on the table to the floor. After a loud crash, the room fell silent again. Su Yuezhen collapsed onto the bed and burst into tears. She couldn't understand how she, a noblewoman from a wealthy and prestigious earl's family, had ended up in such a state.

Jiang Yu quickly learned what had happened. When she heard that Su Yuezhen, Jiang Lihui, and Cao Xin were traveling together, she was stunned, then felt a wave of nausea. It's said that people in ancient times were conservative, but now it seems that some ancient people, when they got really crazy, couldn't even compare to modern people.

Just then, another person came to offer condolences. Jiang Yu got up to greet them, and after the person finished offering their condolences, they walked up to Jiang Yu and said, "Duke of Chu, please accept my condolences."

"Thank you, Lord Lian." Jiang Yu bowed to him.

Lian Xiuheng sighed and said, "This time, Uncle Qingshan's actions were far too insidious."

Jiang Yu's face was filled with resentment. "Lord Lian, we should keep in touch from now on."

Upon hearing this, Lian Xiuheng's lips almost curled into a smile, but remembering that they were in the mourning hall of the old Duke of Chu, he suppressed the smile and nodded, saying, "It's only right."

The two chatted casually for a few more minutes before Lian Xiuheng left. Jiang Yu glanced at his retreating figure and sat down by the mourning hall.

Lian Xiuheng, the Third Prince's maternal uncle, should naturally be contacted when the opportunity arises. Otherwise, it would be a great pity if the Eighth Prince, this target, were set up but no arrows were shot at him.

Moreover, today, not only the maternal relatives of the Third Prince, but also the maternal relatives of the Fourth Prince, Fifth Prince, and Seventh Prince have all sent him messages of wanting to unite.

A united front is impossible, but she would definitely add fuel to the fire when the opportunity arises.

........

The news of Su Yuezhen, Jiang Lihui, and Cao Xin's affair spread within an hour. Cao Xin's mother-in-law even witnessed it, and now the Cao and Ji families are arguing fiercely.

But in this era, arguing about such things won't lead to anything. At most, Cao Xin will make a promise, and the Cao family will give Cao Xin's wife, Ji, some benefits.

Having obtained what they could, Madam Ji and Madam Ji spoke privately in the room. Madam Ji looked at Madam Ji, who was constantly shedding tears, and said, "It's all our fault for not finding out what kind of person he was back then. Otherwise, I would never have agreed to marry you into his family."

Madam Ji remained silent, her head bowed and tears streaming down her face. Madam Ji felt as if her heart was being torn apart by a knife. She continued, "He has learned his lesson this time and should not do such a wicked thing again. You must pull yourself together and take this opportunity to deal with the people in the house properly. Those who are disobedient and always cause trouble should be sold off."

Madam Ji remained silent, but her tears had stopped. Madam Ji took her hand and said, "Come home with your mother for a while..."

"If the Duke of Chu were in such a situation, what would she do?"

Madam Ji was taken aback by Ji's sudden question and remained stunned for a while before reacting. She looked at Ji cautiously and asked, "What do you want to do?"

Lady Ji wiped away her tears with a handkerchief. "I have never envied the Duke of Chu. Although she inherited the title, entered the court as an official, and was in charge of the household, just thinking about it makes me realize how tiring it must have been for her. So I don't envy her."

But now I'm thinking, if the Duke of Chu were in such a situation, wouldn't he have allowed himself to suffer any injustice? Yes, she certainly wouldn't have allowed herself to suffer any injustice. When her previous husband wanted to marry Su Yuezhen, she decisively divorced him.

"This...this..." Madam Ji was at a loss for words. After thinking for a moment, she said, "How many women can match the Duke of Chu's abilities?"

“But I have no intention of becoming an official in the court, nor do I want to do anything spectacular,” Madam Ji said, looking at Madam Ji. “Mother, I just don’t want to make myself feel wronged. Just thinking about that person makes me feel disgusted. How am I supposed to live my life like this from now on? Am I supposed to spend the rest of my life feeling so stifled?”

"This..." Madam Ji felt sorry for her daughter, but she couldn't accept the thought of her daughter wanting a divorce.

"If you get divorced, what will happen to your two children? If you leave, will Cao Xin take good care of them?" Madam Ji said earnestly, "He's a man, and he has the backing of the Cao family. Even if his reputation is ruined, he can still remarry. Then, the two children will have to live under a stepmother's thumb!"

Don't even think about taking them away. First, the Cao family won't agree. Second, even if you bring them to our Ji family, your father, brother, and I won't mistreat them, but can they handle all the gossip and rumors from outside?"

Lady Ji lowered her head, tears welling up again. Yes, she could divorce gracefully, but what about her two children?

“Actually, the Duke of Chu’s mansion went a bit too far in this matter,” said Madam Ji. “They have a grudge against the Earl of Qingshan’s mansion, so why did they have to get involved? Why did they have to go so far? If Lu Yifang hadn’t led people there, no one would have known.”

“It’s going to be known sooner or later,” Ji said. “Besides, wouldn’t it be better if we knew sooner?”

Madam Ji opened her mouth, but ultimately said nothing more. In the end, she hadn't investigated carefully enough and hadn't known that Cao Xin was such a despicable person.