Chapter 61 Divorce

Everyone saw that this beautiful lady suddenly burst into laughter, her golden and jade hairpins swaying wildly, and she bent over as if to lean on the table, her shoulders trembling slightly.

The ladies present were all puzzled and looked over. They saw that her eyes were red at the corners, as if she had heard something very interesting and was laughing uncontrollably.

With great difficulty, Ji Shu turned to look at Jiang Shi, her voice gentle and melodious: "Sister Jiang, I suddenly remembered a story I heard when I was in Chongzhou. Would you like to hear it?"

Jiang Nianrou's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Ji Shu and saw the undisguised concern in her eyes. Suddenly, her eyes reddened, and she put down her wine glass and said "okay."

Before anyone else could react, she had already begun to speak:

"This story was told to me by my grandmother. It was said that in Chongzhou, there was a scholar who came from a poor family but longed to be a superior person. Once, while offering incense, he met a wealthy young lady. The woman was impressed by the scholar's refined speech and insightful thoughts, and she took a liking to him..."

Ji Shu paused, glancing at Jiang Shi beside her. Yao Shi, sitting at the lower end, twitched her eyelids slightly, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

Qin, who loved hearing new stories, couldn't help but ask, "And then, Madam Shu, did that scholar win the heart of his beauty?"

Ji Shu nodded: "Later, the man naturally wanted to go to the lady's house to ask for her hand in marriage, but unfortunately his family was too low-class. The lady's father kicked him out and said that he should take the imperial examination first."

"The scholar, harboring resentment because of the humiliation inflicted by the lady's father, later took the opportunity to invite Lady Qiu out for a night of passion and forcibly took her virginity. After that, he could no longer have her, and the lady was forced to marry him."

"ah!"

"Oh, what a tragedy."

The ladies sighed inwardly. They too had once been young and beautiful. Although they were already married, and many of them were wives and mothers, they still couldn't help but feel saddened when they heard such stories.

Jiang pressed further, "So what was the final outcome?"

Ji Shu smiled faintly: "In the end, the scholar will inevitably pass the imperial examination and become the Grand Secretary, while Lady Qiu will be abandoned and divorced. In the end, the scholar will marry the princess, which will become a beautiful story."

"Pah! What kind of beautiful story is this!"

"He is clearly a heartless man. Without his wife's family's money, how could he have the money to bribe his superiors and subordinates, and how could he have passed the imperial examination? What's sad is that after passing the examination, he divorced his wife and remarried."

Looking at the silent Madam Yao below, Ji Shu suddenly asked, "Madam Yao, what do you think of this story?"

The people in the hall were whispering and expressing their indignation on behalf of Lady Qiu in the story, but unexpectedly, Madam Shu directly pointed to Madam Yao.

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

We looked at each other, exchanging glances.

They all guessed that she was standing up for Jiang Nianrou. The ladies of Kangzhou knew very well how Song Zhaonian rose to power and how he caught the eye of Empress Dowager Song.

The Song family had deep roots in the court and many descendants, so why was he chosen by Empress Dowager Song? This was undoubtedly due to the strong support of Jiang's father.

Jiang Nianrou's father, Jiang Pingsheng, held the official position of Minister and was a veteran who served two dynasties.

He only had this one daughter, whom he cherished and protected like a precious treasure since she was little.

This is precisely why Song Zhaonian, an originally unremarkable member of the imperial clan, was able to climb the social ladder and reach his current status.

Madam Yao picked up a round fan, pretended to fan herself, and chuckled softly, "Madam Shu's story is truly wonderful, but it's such a pity about that Lady Qiu... she doesn't understand men at all."

"All the ladies here understand that no man in this world is immune to infidelity. Rather than letting him do it in secret, it's better to expose it openly."

"Just like Marquis Yan, I believe that after Lady Shu returns to Yanzhou, there will be no shortage of intrigues and scheming in the inner quarters of the mansion, right? We married women are bound to our husbands after marriage, and naturally we should regard our husbands as our heavens. Whatever he says is what we believe."

After saying that, she glanced at Jiang Shi beside her and said sarcastically, "Unlike some people, who, because of their arrogance, have been rejected by their husbands and are now trapped in this small plot of land, barely making ends meet."

Ji Shu's eyes darkened, and anger rose in her heart. Hearing her veiled accusations, she only smiled faintly.

She said, word by word, "Being a woman is not easy. If one could live a peaceful life, who would want to easily disrupt the peace? It must be because the bottom line has been crossed and one can no longer tolerate it that one has no choice but to do so."

"I think some people should go back and take good care of their husbands instead of making sarcastic remarks here—know that retribution may be delayed, it's just a matter of time."

Her tone was resolute, which made Yao's face turn pale and her eyes darken.

Suppressing her anger, Madam Yao stood up, looked at the sky, and forced a smile, saying, "It looks like it's going to rain. My carriage can't withstand a heavy rain, so I'll take my leave now."

Seeing this, the others also rose to take their leave. Madam Jiang simply waved her hand, and only after everyone had dispersed did she order her maid to serve a hangover remedy.

Jiang Nianrou took a few sips, and her complexion improved slightly.

She leaned back in her chair, gazing at Ji Shuyu's fair profile, and asked softly, "Madam Shu, why are you helping me?"

Ji Shu looked up and saw that only the two of them remained in the once lively courtyard. She couldn't help but smile faintly: "Seeing Sister Jiang, I don't know why, but it reminded me of myself. If we had a choice, who would want to live such a life?"

Jiang Nianrou straightened up and asked in confusion, "Although I haven't seen it with my own eyes, everyone outside says that Marquis Yan treats you very well... However, rumors should not be taken at face value."

Ji Shu shook her head and looked at the still relatively clear sky, which showed no signs of rain.

He asked in a low voice, "Sister Jiang, why don't you divorce Song Zhaonian after Yao has humiliated you like this today?"

She was truly baffled. Since they were already living separately, why not simply get a divorce?

Given Jiang Nianrou's background, if she insists on doing so, her father, knowing the hardships she has endured over the years, would probably not stop her.

Jiang Nianrou's eyes darkened, and her lips flattened slightly: "Song Zhaonian still needs to rely on my family's influence, how could he let me go easily? He said that even if he dies, he will drag me down with him."

Seeing her like this now, Ji Shu felt a pang of resentment. Why should men have multiple wives and concubines, while women have to endure loneliness for them?

"Sister Jiang, what if I said... I could help you?"

Jiang Nianrou suddenly looked up, the light that had just appeared in her eyes instantly extinguished. "In this world, how easy is it for a woman to get a divorce? Even if I get a divorce, I can't go back to Hanzhong, otherwise my parents will be talked about behind their backs for the rest of their lives, and they will never be able to hold their heads high in the court again."

Before she could finish speaking, her voice choked with sobs. Ji Shu reached out and embraced her.

Looking at the magnificent and prosperous city of Connecticut, a thought gradually emerged in my mind.

"Sister Jiang, I have a plan. Listen to it and see if it's feasible." She whispered a few words in Jiang Nianrou's ear.

After saying something, the light in Jiang Nianrou's eyes grew brighter and brighter. Finally, she nodded and said softly, "Okay."

Back in the carriage, Ji Shu reflected on everything that had just happened and couldn't help but feel grateful that Jiang Nianrou had met her. At least Jiang Nianrou still had her parents to rely on, but what about herself?