Chapter 23 He Li was stumped by a name.

"What did you say?"

Jiang Keyu thought she had heard wrongly. Divorce?

How ridiculous.

His brows were slightly furrowed and his tone was stiff. Song Baoyuan suddenly understood why Chengcheng was always afraid of his father.

Once the person in front of you becomes serious, a cold and stern aura will come over you, making you panic and think that you have done something wrong.

The courage Song Baoyuan had finally mustered collapsed in an instant when he asked the question aloud for the second time.

But did she really do something wrong?

Perhaps, but that mistake was made many years ago, not now.

"I, I said...we..."

"I know you're worried about Chengcheng." Jiang Keyu helplessly crumpled the paper in her hand, only three words visible. "But he's not a child anymore. If you don't discipline him and just keep spoiling him, what kind of lawless person will he become in the future?"

Song Baoyuan took a half step back and defended herself, "It's not because of Chengcheng!"

Jiang Keyu paused, "Why is that?"

"because……"

Song Baoyuan suddenly fell silent, and suddenly understood what it meant to "tears flow before words are spoken."

She turned away in a hurry.

What should she say? Should she express her grievances as a wife, or accuse him of his dereliction of duty as a husband?

Isn't this the result of her own efforts?

What else is there to say?

Don’t you even care about your dignity?

"I..." She swallowed the trembling syllables and said with what she thought was firmness, "I just want a divorce."

Jiang Keyu had calmed down, but still felt it was unreal. "Are you serious?"

"yes."

"reason."

His momentary anger made him accustomed to using the tone of interrogation he used in the Dali Temple. Jiang Keyu realized it later.

He cleared his throat and walked around to her. "I mean, this is no small matter. You have to tell me the reason."

Song Baoyuan turned her face away, avoiding his gaze, and spoke incoherently, "We, we were not, back then, our marriage was muddled and wrong..."

Wrong?

Jiang Keyu froze for a moment. Was she saying that marrying him was a mistake?

He clenched the paper ball in his hand, expressionless, "Wrong?"

"Yes." Song Baoyuan's mind was in a mess. Her panic made her lose the ability to think. She could only continue speaking along with the thread of conversation. "If you are wrong, shouldn't you correct it?"

"You think..."

Jiang Keyu, who had never said anything harsh to her before, swallowed the words "playing house" that were about to come out of her mouth.

After six years, and even having two blood-related children, you just brush it off with a single word: "I was wrong"?

It was childish and ridiculous. Jiang Keyu felt unfamiliar with the person in front of him. Wasn't his wife always obedient and sensible? How could he say such a ridiculous thing?

He couldn't help but think of the day at Qushui Villa. That was the first time he felt that something was wrong with his wife. So, which weird man did she meet that day?

He suppressed his dissatisfaction and asked, "When did you write the divorce letter?"

"Just now."

In Song Baoyuan's peripheral vision, the divorce letter she had written was already in his hand, crushed into a mess.

Jiang Keyu also turned his back and sighed silently, "It's already late, you should go back and rest first, and think it over carefully."

"I, I've thought it through clearly." Song Baoyuan's confidence was fluctuating. She couldn't be sure that she wouldn't waver tomorrow. "I just want a divorce!"

Jiang Keyu never expected that one day he would witness his wife's stubbornness in this matter.

He tried to reason with her, remaining as calm as possible. "Night isn't a good time to make any major decisions. Go back first. If it's tomorrow morning..."

His heart was choked with anxiety. "If you still think so tomorrow morning, I will, I will, do as you wish."

Song Baoyuan could hear some gnashing of teeth in his words, but he didn't say a word to try to keep her.

So it must be that little bit of unwillingness on her part that caused her to have hallucinations.

She turned and ran.

When Jiang Keyu turned around, he only had time to catch a glimpse of her green skirt fluttering behind him at the corner.

She walked so fast, with almost no hesitation. He wondered if she was afraid that he would change his mind.

He closed the door, turned around and threw the divorce papers, which had become a crumpled piece of paper, to the ground.

A small piece of paper didn't make much noise when it hit the ground.

Song Baoyuan jogged back to the bedroom, panting when she came back.

"What's wrong, ma'am?"

Seeing that she seemed to be running away, Qiao Yin, who had been waiting for a long time, hurried forward to support her.

When it came to the light, Song Baoyuan's red eyes were clearly visible.

She waved her hand and walked into the house. She didn't have the energy to explain and just said, "I'm tired. I'm going to sleep first. We can talk about it tomorrow."

This was destined to be a sleepless night. She lay in bed for a full half a quarter of an hour, her heart still beating fast and her thoughts in a mess.

*

Early the next morning, Song Baoyuan learned that there was an urgent matter in the Dali Temple and her husband had left home before dawn.

Seeing her sitting on the bed in a daze with swollen eyes, Qiao Yin, who came to bring her water, asked cautiously, "Madam, what's wrong with you?"

Song Baoyuan raised her hand and rubbed her eyebrows, and did not speak for a long time.

He actually went out, which was fine, he would come back eventually. Before that, she should make some preparations for the future.

"Later, take some more people back to the old house and clean up a few rooms."

The old house was once the Song residence, where Song Baoyuan grew up.

Because she became pregnant with Jiang Chengyou in the first year after her marriage, Jiang Keyu moved her family to a place closer to the Dali Temple, which is now the Jiang Mansion, in order to be able to take care of the family while handling official duties.

The old house gradually became deserted.

Qiao Yin was puzzled, "Why are you suddenly cleaning up the old house?"

"Of course I have to live here."

"Who lives here?"

"I."

Qiao Yin was stunned, and it took her a while to wrap her mind around it. "If Madam were to move back to the old house, wouldn't that make her even further away from her husband?"

Song Baoyuan stared at the ground with her eyes downcast, without any of the nervousness she had felt when facing that man the previous day. She said calmly, "Last night, I asked for a divorce from my husband."

A single stone caused a thousand ripples. Qiao Yue and Aunt Yao, who were doing nothing outside, rushed in at once, their eyes full of disbelief.

"What did the young lady just say?" asked Madam Yao in surprise.

"I said, I asked for a divorce from my husband last night."

"Why did you make such a hasty decision, young lady?"

Madam Yao walked quickly to the bedside, her eyes filled with worry. "I said so much that day, young lady, didn't you listen to a single word? If you're so willful and want to divorce your husband, what will happen to the young master and young lady?"

Song Baoyuan's eyes filled with tears again because of these words, "Mammy, you feel sorry for the child, but you don't feel sorry for me? I am the child you watched grow up!"

These words cut into Madam Yao's heart like a blunt knife, making her feel the sharp pain. "How could this old servant not feel sorry for the young lady? It's just, it's just..."

"It's come to this." Song Baoyuan bent her index finger and wiped the corner of her eyes. "There's no need to say anything more, Madam."

Qiao Yin bravely pulled Aunt Yao aside and asked, "Then does Madam intend to take the young master and young lady away?"

Song Baoyuan had not thought so much before, but the answer to this question obviously did not require consideration.

She didn't want her daughter to be ridiculed by everyone in the future as a merchant girl trying to climb up the social ladder.

"Of course, the two of them must stay at home, but don't tell them the truth for now."

Qiao Yin scratched her head. "But if Madam is always away, they will definitely notice even though they are young."

Song Baoyuan said without hesitation: "Just like their father was busy and disappeared for many days, tell them that their mother is the same."

"Then if they ask, Madam, what are you busy with?"

Song Baoyuan was silent for a moment, as if thinking.

Suddenly he looked up and asked, "Which shop is our worst?"

*

In the inner hall of the Dali Temple, Jiang Keyu sat on a grand chair, twirling a pen in his hand. He had a pile of files in front of him, but his gaze didn't linger on them, instead he looked out the window.

The whole person seemed to be doing nothing.

Chang Yunbai, the head of the Ministry of Justice, appeared at the door again. Although it was unreasonable, it was not surprising at all.

"Why are you here again?"

Chang Yunbai got straight to the point, "Let's go have a drink together tonight?"

Jiang Keyu rolled her eyes at him.

"I won't hide it from you this time, and I'm the only one going." Chang Yunbai moved a chair and sat down. "Besides, I had my reasons last time. Xiao Si came to beg me, how could I refuse? You have to understand me."

Jiang Keyu looked him up and down, and seeing that he was far less cheerful than usual, she looked suspicious, "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing, are you going?"

"Forget about drinking." Jiang Keyu showed little interest. "I can do something else to pass the time."

He waved towards the door and said, "Liu'an, go back and tell my wife that I have important business at the Dali Temple and will be busy until late. She doesn't have to wait for me for dinner."

"yes."

Chang Yunbai narrowed his eyes, clenched his fist and hit Jiang Keyu's shoulder, "Well, you're really crazy. You're actually looking for an excuse not to go home?"

"Isn't this for you?" Jiang Keyu casually changed the subject. "You're the one going too far. You've been fooling around outside for several days. Doesn't your sister-in-law want to make trouble for you?"

When mentioning his wife at home, Chang Yunbai's face immediately changed. He looked like he had a headache and spread his hands without saying anything.

Jiang Keyu understood, "Did they have a fight?"

Chang Yunbai lay on his back, staring at the beams. "Mrs. Zhou passed away due to illness, did you know?"

Jiang Keyu raised her eyebrows, expressionless.

If he guessed correctly, this Madam Zhou should be the cook who cooked delicious food in the academy back then.

"After Madam Zhou left, He Yue was forced by her brother and sister-in-law to marry an old man who had tortured his three wives to death. She didn't want to, and tried every possible way to escape, but she had no one to rely on and nowhere to go, so she came to me."

Jiang Keyu rested her elbows on the chair handles while listening to him, her face supported by her palms, looking thoughtful.

He Yue is Madam Zhou's daughter. She also helps in the kitchen of the academy. She is pretty and was admired by many people in the academy back then.

"So what?" Jiang Keyu asked the follow-up as if she was listening to a story.

Back then, he always felt that although the pastries sent by the kitchen to be distributed to students were the same, Chang Yunbai's were tastier than his.

It was not until he accidentally saw the two people having a tryst in the rockery that he learned the truth.

Chang Yunbai snorted lightly, "Which son of a respectable family doesn't have three or four concubines, and five or six maids? I'm not that greedy. I only took Heyue as my concubine, and I also promised that apart from the two of them, I would never take other women from now on. But Lu Shuran refused. What else did he say? I can take concubines, but not Heyue!"

He said angrily, kicking the table leg, "What do you think she thinks?"

"How would I know?" Jiang Keyu squinted at him. "Then what are you going to do?"

"I won't give in. Whether Lu Shuran goes to look for my mother, her parents' home, or even to the palace to look for my aunt, I won't give in."

Jiang Keyu sneered, "Are you crazy? Are you happy just because your good family is broken up?"

Chang Yunbai, however, was uncharacteristically serious. "Back then, my parents' orders weighed heavily on my head, so I compromised. Now that she's desperate, how could I betray her again? It's okay if you think I'm confused, but emotions are inherently irrational."

Jiang Keyu was stunned.

Looking like this, could it be that Madam also...

"Bang!"

He threw the pen in his hand hard into the pen holder. Although it hit the target, the force was too great and it bounced back and hit the ground.

Chang Yunbai was startled by his sudden action, "What are you doing?"

"You are sick!"

Chang Yunbai: “?”

*

On Dongqiao Street, the Jiang Mansion’s carriage was moving forward at a steady speed, but suddenly stopped.

Song Baoyuan, who was leaving with her two children, lifted the car curtain and asked, "Are we there yet?"

"Not yet, ma'am," Qiao Yue, who was sitting outside, replied, "someone is blocking the way."

Song Baoyuan looked toward the carriage. A ragged figure, his steps unsteady, was walking. His head was wrapped in a dirty rag, and his gender was unclear. He was hunched over, leaning on a crutch, and holding a broken bowl in his other hand. He was most likely an old beggar.

Jiang Chengyou and Jiang Suisui poked their little heads out from their mother's left and right sides.

Song Baoyuan asked casually: "Chengcheng knows what we should do when encountering such a thing?"

Jiang Chengyou nodded, then jumped off the carriage, ran towards the old man, went forward to support him, and said considerately: "Grandpa, go slowly."

The old man said nothing and walked tremblingly.

Seeing her brother's performance, Jiang Suisui was unwilling to be outdone. She pestered her mother to carry her down from the carriage, then took out the candies on her body and put half of them into the old man's broken bowl.

"Grandpa, please have some candy! After eating the candy, you will have the strength to walk faster!"

Song Baoyuan touched her daughter's face and praised her generously, "Sui Sui is really great."

Qiao Yue came over and pointed ahead and said, "Madam, that's our teahouse."

The worst shop in Song Baoyuan's dowry was the teahouse on Dongqiao Street.

"It's only a short distance away, let's just walk over there."

Song Baoyuan walked forward holding her daughter, and Qiao Yue followed with Jiang Chengyou who had helped the old man.

"Chengcheng, Suisui, look! This is the shop that I'll be spending my time running in the future. So I might not have as much time to spend with you guys anymore."

After they walked away, the old man who had already walked to the corner suddenly straightened up and stared at the backs of the mother and her two children.

Those were a pair of young eyes, beautiful even, but filled with a chill.

Hidden in his sleeve was a sharp dagger.

*

In the middle of the night, Jiang Keyu finally arrived home and the door of the Jiang Mansion was completely closed.

He glanced around the silent courtyard and asked, "Are the Madam and the others asleep?"

The gatekeeper had no idea, so he just guessed and said, "He should be asleep."

Jiang Keyu nodded and went straight to the study.

He was too lazy to even turn on the light, and moved as quietly as a thief.

“Bang, bang.”

Jiang Keyu had just taken off his coat when there was a knock on the door without warning, which made his heart tremble.

"who?"

"It's me."

Almost the same conversation as last night.

Jiang Keyu frowned unconsciously and had to turn around and open the door.

Song Baoyuan stood at the door holding a lamp, looking well-behaved and harmless.

They knew each other's intentions very well, and they stood facing each other across the threshold for a long time, as if waiting for the other to speak first.

The evening wind is always chilly. Song Baoyuan came in a hurry without wearing an outer coat, and her shoulders were shaking as if she felt the cold.

Jiang Keyu saw it and had to let her in, "Why haven't you rested yet so late?"

"I can't sleep." Song Baoyuan said truthfully.

Jiang Keyu walked over to the desk and perfunctorily searched around. "I had something urgent to do today, so it's okay to be delayed, but there are so many things that it makes things more chaotic. I don't even know where that thing from last night went."

"It's okay." Song Baoyuan said softly, "The divorce letter yesterday was indeed written in a sloppy manner because of my impulsiveness."

Jiang Keyu raised her eyes and stopped what she was doing.

Have you thought it through and changed your mind?

“So I wrote a new one today.”

Jiang Keyu: "..."

Song Baoyuan took out the scroll from her sleeve and spread it out on the table.

The paper, handwriting, content, etc. of this divorce letter are obviously more formal and serious than the wrinkled paper from yesterday.

Jiang Keyu was speechless for a moment.

The whole house was silent for a while.

Unable to hide, Jiang Keyu felt an indescribable emotion surging in her heart.

"Have you really thought it through?"

Song Baoyuan lowered her head, looking obedient as usual.

"Um."

"No regrets?"

"Um."

Seeing her like this, Jiang Keyu also felt angry and picked up the pen.

"You really don't regret it?"

"Um."

"This is not a joke."

Song Baoyuan put her hands behind her back, pinching her knuckles, pretending to be calm on her face, and said calmly, "I know."

"Heh." Jiang Keyu raised a mocking arc on his lips, "Okay."

He nodded and wrote his name at the end of the divorce agreement.

In an instant, it seemed as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders. Song Baoyuan's eyes were sore, but her shoulders felt light.

Under Jiang Keyu's gaze, she picked up the scroll, rolled it up, put it into her sleeve, turned around and left.

Realizing that she left so abruptly, Jiang Keyu suddenly became panic-stricken and subconsciously wanted to call her, but when she opened her mouth, she was stumped by the name.

Just now, this is no longer his wife, what should he call her?

Go back to six years ago and call her - Sister Baoyuan?

It's impossible, time cannot be reversed.