Insincere divorce
When Su Qingli married Fu Xuechen, she was the daughter of a noble marquis.
Fu Xuechen was just a poor scholar who lived in a dilapidated temple and made a living by copying books.
At the palace banquet that year, she fell into unconsciousness after drinking the glass of wine. When she woke up, she and Fu Xuechen were lying on a couch in a side hall in disheveled clothes. Half of the dignitaries in the capital witnessed it.
To save face, Su's father could only announce in public with a sullen face: "Since this is the case, let this poor scholar marry into our Su family, so that outsiders won't say that my daughter has no sense of shame."
After marrying into the Su family for two years, Fu Xuechen got up at 3:00 am every day to make medicine for his mother-in-law and put on boots for his father-in-law. Even the lowest servant in the family dared to order him around.
Unexpectedly, on the day the new emperor ascended the throne, Fu Xuechen's name appeared among the regent ministers, and he suddenly became the prime minister with great power in the court.
However, the once high-ranking marquisate, the Su family, was raided on charges of "treason".
Fu Xuechen, who was once wantonly bullied by the Su family, now sits upright on a red lacquered gold couch, wearing a golden Qilin robe and a jade belt around his waist, his smile as cold as a blade: "Why are you shaking? Can the pride of the Su family also become cold?"
Su Qingli's fingertips trembled slightly, remembering that Fu Xuechen in the Marquis' Mansion was only worthy of wearing the coarsest linen clothes.
Now, dressed in a brocade robe, he looked like a banished immortal, so noble and imposing that when his eyes swept over her, she couldn't help but hold her breath.
Su Qingli originally thought that she would always hate Fu Xuechen. If it weren't for his plan, General Xie, her childhood sweetheart, would not have been so disheartened and resolutely left Beijing to guard the border and has not returned yet.
But when her eyes fell on the divorce certificate with the cinnabar still wet on the table, her heart ached beyond words.
It turned out that the slightly furrowed brows when he was reviewing official documents and his figure when he covered her with a quilt in the middle of the night had unknowingly turned that hatred into deep love.
Unfortunately, the imperial edict of confiscation of property and the vermilion seal were like a bloodstain, forever sealing her unspoken love and true feelings.
"I heard that Miss Liu will be arriving in the Imperial City soon?" Su Qingli stared at the divorce agreement and suddenly chuckled, "Master Fu is so anxious to distance himself from this matter. Is he so anxious to make room for his childhood sweetheart?"
Fu Xuechen's voice was colder than the melting ice under the eaves: "Miss Su, are you... regretting this?"
Every breath she took was accompanied by a sharp sting of pain, yet Su Qingli still maintained a proper smile, forcing herself to uphold the dignity of a former noble lady in the imperial city. “Never.”
She picked up the brush, and the pain of her nails digging into her palm made her hold the brush very steady.
Seeing her pen drawing sharp arcs on the divorce letter, Fu Xuechen's hand hidden in his wide sleeves trembled almost imperceptibly, and he rubbed the knuckles of the jade ring with such force that it almost crushed it.
After a while, Fu Xuechen slowly folded the divorce letter into his sleeve and said, "Send Miss Su a carriage..."
He paused, a cold smile appeared on the corner of his lips: "It's parked at the side door."
"No need to trouble you, Master Fu." Su Qingli straightened his thin back. "I know the roads of this imperial city better than anyone else."
Fu Xuechen's eyelashes drooped slightly, just enough to cover up the sudden storm in his eyes. When he raised his eyes again, his eyes were calm and peaceful.
"I am indeed being nosy. After all, every brick and stone of this imperial city bears witness to Miss Su's glory days. Please do as you please, Miss Su."
When Fu Xuechen turned around, he brought with him a scent of pine ink. Su Qingli opened her mouth, and the words that had rolled over in her heart thousands of times finally turned into a trace of blood in her throat.
She looked longingly at the mansion where she had lived since childhood. The mansion, which had been confiscated, was given to Fu Xuechen, who did not have a mansion yet. The ink on the seal of the vermilion gate had not yet dried, but the plaque "The Residence of the Prime Minister Built by Imperial Order" bestowed by the new emperor was already hanging high above the door lintel.
But she did not blame Fu Xuechen.
Fu Xuechen had endured countless cold stares and sarcasm here before. Now that he held the power of life and death, he did not take the opportunity to retaliate against their family, which was already considered merciful.
"The divorce agreement has been signed as you requested. Lord Fu is now the Prime Minister. I, the daughter of a guilty minister, will not hinder your bright future. I hope we will not interfere with each other from now on!"
Su Qingli tried her best to keep her tone calm so as not to let Fu Xuechen notice her defeat.
After saying this, she turned and walked out of the magnificent Prime Minister's Mansion, step by step away from the inner city where the powerful and wealthy gathered.
She walked for a long time, until the bluestone road turned into a muddy dirt path.
It was not until dusk that they stopped under a low eaves. The dim light in the house revealed the tired but warm figures of a family.
Although the environment was too simple, it was the best place their family could find.
As soon as she stepped into the house, fatigue came over her like a tide, and Su Qingli fell directly onto the hard bed.
Every word he said in front of Fu Xuechen was a lie.
But if she didn't say that, how could she let herself give up, and how could she leave him with dignity?
At this moment, she didn't want to think about anything anymore. She just wanted to escape reality for a short time in this small place.
Just as I closed my eyes, there was a loud "bang" outside the cabin.
The shabby wooden door was violently kicked open, and several burly men rushed in, all with fierce looks on their faces.
"Where are the people from the Su family? Get out here!"
Su Qingli suddenly sat up in bed with a start. Following the sound, she went outside and saw her father guarding her mother and brother Su Zhaoming behind him. "Hey gentlemen, what brings you here so late at night?"
"Su Huaihai, stop pretending!" The scarred man in the lead spat and pulled out a promissory note from his pocket, shaking it open. "It's written clearly in black and white: three thousand taels, including principal and interest. Either pay it back today, or I'll use your daughter to pay it off!"
After saying that, the scarred man cast a cold gaze on Su Qingli behind him.
Father Su rubbed his hands and said with a smile: "My dear, calm down. When the transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel comes down, not to mention three thousand taels, even five thousand taels will be enough!"
"Su Huaihai, when you borrowed money from me, you promised me good news within three days. Now, you haven't even seen a single word!" The scarred man kicked over a stool beside him.
Su Qingli slowly realized that something was amiss: "Father, what's the transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel?"
"Well, it was Shopkeeper Wang from South Street who said he has connections at the imperial court and can find me a position. Once the transfer order from the Ministry of Personnel comes through, our family will be able to turn things around."
Su Qingli was so shocked by this absurd talk that her vision went dark. "Isn't Shopkeeper Wang from South Street a notorious profiteer who rips people off? And buying and selling official positions is a capital offense! Father, you're a former marquis, how could you believe in such a thing?"
The scarred man's pupils suddenly shrank, and the flesh on his face trembled. "Su Huaihai, I thought you wanted to be reinstated before I lent you the money. I didn't expect you were blinded by greed. Even a rough man like me knows that buying and selling official positions is punishable by death. No wonder the new emperor picked you like a rotten orange."
Su Huaihai groaned: "No... Impossible, how dare he lie to me?"
This scam is so obvious...
Su Qingli closed her eyes, her throat tightening. "Father, tell me honestly, how much silver did you borrow?"
The scarred man spoke first: "Two thousand taels! Including interest, the total is three thousand taels!"
"What?"
"Three thousand taels?"
Not only Su Qingli, but also Mrs. Su and Su Zhaoming were stunned. Where could they raise so much money?
The scarred man also noticed something was going on, and he looked at Su Qingli with a lewd look: "Since we can't pay the money, we have no choice but to take Miss Su away. It just so happens that Mrs. Zhang from Zuixianlou asked me to find a good seedling. With Miss Su's beauty, she can pay off the debt with just two or three customers!"
Someone, take her away! "
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