Old Lady Lu, accompanied by the head of the Lu clan and a group of elders, came tremblingly. Before entering the courtyard, she heard Lu Yan's words and shouted, "No! No!"
Patriarch Lu leaned on a cane, his legs trembling as he walked. "Divorce is a major matter for both clans. How can you just say you want to divorce me? Where do you want to put my family's reputation?"
Patriarch Lu entered the house, took a breath, and glared at Qin Wan again: "And you! You keep talking about divorce. The Marquis just wants a concubine! You just nodded, and it will save your reputation. Who among us elders would not support you? Why are you so stubborn!"
Qin Wan stood up and helped Patriarch Lu sit down: "Uncle, do you know what a co-wife is?"
Patriarch Lu glared and said, "Shangjia families have concubines. They are naturally higher than concubines and lower than legitimate wives. In the end, they are still concubines."
Qin Wan shook her head. "What Bai said about a co-wife means she's on equal footing with me, the original wife, and her children are also legitimate sons, equal to legitimate sons. This theory is truly shocking and disrupts ethical principles. Not only do I disagree, even the censors won't agree."
Isn’t it because the dog emperor is afraid of being impeached by the censors that he wants to take the blame?
In her previous life, because she agreed to let Bai Wanyi enter the mansion, the censors targeted her grandfather and father to impeach them, the sisters in the family became alienated, her mother was heartbroken, and most of her friends around her also dispersed. Wasn't it because she started this?
Clan leader Lu frowned and thought for a long time before looking at Lu Yan: "You are also being led by the nose by a woman! A concubine is enough. Why do you want a concubine? You are causing unrest in the family!"
Lu Yan didn't dare to lose his temper in front of the Lu clan leader. He said patiently, "Uncle, Wanyi saved my life. We supported each other for eight years at the border. We have been together for life and death. I will never let her be my concubine."
Patriarch Lu was at a loss for a moment, and slammed his cane to emphasize, "No divorce! No divorcing! No disregard for the reputation of our Lu family!"
Although Qin Wan already knew the result, she still felt disappointed when she heard what Patriarch Lu said. For eight years, she had worked hard for the Marquis' Mansion and the Lu family. In their eyes, the reputation of the Lu family was the most important.
Divorce harms the woman's reputation but does not affect the man's reputation, but Chief Lu still stubbornly opposes it.
Lu Yan was also angry, and he divorced his wife! Such a fickle woman, should he keep her to himself and wear the hat firmly?
The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense, and the servant stood at the door, in a dilemma.
Qin Wan saw him and waved: "What's the matter?"
Those two words broke the silence in the room, and everyone looked over.
The servant swallowed his saliva and said, "Someone is coming from the palace."
Upon hearing this, Old Lady Lu was immediately overjoyed, her mouth stretched to her ears. "Has there been an imperial decree? Yes, Yan'er has been back in the capital for quite some time, so it's time for him to receive a reward. Should he also be given an official position? Quickly prepare the incense table!"
The servant quickly said, "It's the Empress's lady-in-waiting who has come."
Qin Wan hurried out to greet her, and Old Lady Lu also hurried to follow, wanting to see what the Queen wanted to see Qin Wan for.
The female official nodded slightly to Qin Wan, "The Empress has ordered that the wife of the Marquis of Pingyang be summoned to the palace for an audience."
Qin Wan tilted her head slightly, and Zhen Zhen immediately handed over a purse and stuffed it into the female official's hand: "I wonder why the Queen has suddenly summoned you?"
The female official took the purse and said, "Madam, you will know when you enter the palace."
It was not surprising that Qin Wan did not get a clear answer. She changed into palace clothes and entered the palace.
Old Lady Lu watched the carriage go away, extremely anxious. She grabbed Lu Yan and warned him, "Hurry up and follow us into the palace. Don't let Wan'er go! How much money does this family earn in a year..."
Lu Yan was tired of listening to her nagging and immediately waved his hand and said, "That woman is playing hard to get! Grandma, don't worry!"
Bai Wanyi's eyes lit up when she heard Lu Yan was going to the palace. The Crown Prince was in the East Palace, right? If she used the firearms recipe as a stepping stone...
Her mind was focused, she pulled Lu Yan's sleeve and said softly, "Brother Yan, let's go to the palace quickly and take a look. The Madam is very straightforward, so don't provoke the emperor's wrath."
"Let's go." Lu Yan reluctantly pulled Bai Wanyi out and boarded the carriage. Bai Wanyi then said, "Let's go back to the villa to get something first."
***
Qin Wan was still wondering why the queen wanted to see her, but when she saw the emperor in the queen's bedroom, everything became clear.
Qin Wan lowered her eyes and stepped forward to pay her respects with great ceremony: "Your Majesty, your Majesty, and the Empress."
Qin Wan was lying on the ground when she vaguely seemed to see a figure swaying behind a screen on one side. Qin Wan did not think much about it. There were many people serving in the palace. It might be a palace maid or the sixth prince born to the queen.
The emperor threw away the chess piece in his hand and looked at Qin Wan with deep eyes: "Do you know why I summoned you to the palace?"
Qin Wan knew what was going on, but she pretended not to know: "Your Highness, I don't know."
The emperor snorted coldly, "Are you truly ignorant or feigning ignorance? General Lu has fought at the border for eight years, risking his life for the Great Zhou Dynasty, and Bai has offered a remedy to help quell the rebellion. Now Bai only asks for the position of co-wife. Why are you refusing?"
The emperor was unwilling to force Qin Wan at this time, but if he didn't ask, he didn't know how long it would take for the military rewards approved by the Ministry of War to be delayed. Unfortunately, the Ministry of War gave a good excuse, saying that the data provided by Lu Yan was indeed inconsistent.
Qin Wan's father works as a deputy minister in the Ministry of War, and is in charge at the moment. Isn't he suppressing the power just to vent Qin Wan's anger?
The emperor was really in a dilemma.
Qin Wan refused to give in to the emperor. She looked up at him and said sincerely, "Your Majesty, I wish to divorce you and return home, all thanks to Miss Bai's contributions. But now it is Marquis Lu who refuses to grant me a divorce. Your Majesty, rest assured, as long as Marquis Lu agrees, I have no objection."
"Your Majesty, don't worry about our Qin family holding a grudge against Lord Lu. Your Majesty should know that our Qin family is a family of unyielding character, and we will never compromise. If you agree to your wife's divorce, my grandfather will surely spread the word and set off firecrackers to celebrate."
The emperor frowned. He refused to agree to the divorce. Besides being afraid of letting down the Qin family, another reason was that the Bai family had a strange origin and had such a powerful weapon in their hands. They also had an open secret. All the generals knew about it and they couldn't shut them up. They could only watch under their noses.
If Bai Shi was the wife of the Marquis, Lu Yan would be unable to suppress her. Qin Wan had the means and courage to suppress Bai Shi.
The emperor's thoughts turned over in his mind for a few times: "Bai has made great contributions. She has used her military merits to exchange for the position of co-wife. I can't refuse."
Ultimately, the dog emperor wants it all.
Qin Wan was secretly complaining and pondering how to respond when the young eunuch came to report:
"Your Majesty, the Marquis of Pingyang and the Bai family request an audience."
The emperor thought the Marquis of Pingyang was coming to demand rewards for the army and did not want to see him: "Just say I'm busy and have no time."
The Queen glanced at Qin Wan, her eyes flickering as she casually glanced across the screen. "Your Majesty, this matter can't be dragged on. How about calling the people in and asking them about it? Whether it's good or bad, there has to be an explanation, right?"
The Queen's words were ambiguous, referring both to the reward for the army and to the concubine's wife.
The emperor thought for a moment and nodded: "Announce."
Lu Yan and Bai Wanyi arrived at the palace a short while later. When he saw Qin Wan, he immediately became furious. He dropped to his knees and shouted, "Your Majesty! I want to divorce you! I want to expose Qin Wan's affair!"
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