Chapter 45 Chapter 45 "Your Majesty, please make the decision and sentence me and...
Li Che twisted and struggled hard, wanting to rush forward and fight, but Chu Yuanhe could no longer bear it and kicked him in the knee.
"When you and Zhao Manyi were having an affair in the teahouse, I was right next door. I heard you confess with my own ears how you had colluded with the Luo family, secretly poisoned the Chenhua County Lady, and planned to seize her dowry after her death..."
"I, the prince, took the County Lady's pride into consideration and did not expose you. Now you have the nerve to bite back and accuse others of being cruel?"
Li Che was kicked by him and fell to the ground like a stray dog, looking extremely embarrassed.
The Prince of Pingxi had come forward to testify, and Li Che had no room for argument or maneuver.
Zhao Qingyi turned her head away and no longer looked at the man who made her feel disgusted. She bowed solemnly to the adults in the hall, then faced the pearl curtain and looked at the young emperor inside from afar.
From beginning to end, the other party did not express his opinion, making it impossible to figure out the emperor's intentions.
But Zhao Qingyi had to fight for herself. She lifted her skirt and knelt solemnly, "Your Majesty, Li Che deceived me into marriage for money and attempted to kill me. This is unkind and unjust. His mother, Luo, lent money and accepted bribes, committing heinous crimes. Li Che, as an official appointed by the court, not only did not dissuade me, but instead used his power to shield his mother's crimes. This is disloyalty and unfilial. I disdain to associate with such a man of flawed morals!"
She raised her head, her gaze as firm as a rock, her voice sonorous and resolute, "I implore Your Majesty to punish Luo and Li Che according to the law, and I also ask Your Majesty to sentence me and Li Che to divorce, so that we can go our separate ways."
"We are completely done with each other and will never have any further contact!"
The word "divorce" hit Li Che's heart, which was on the verge of breaking. He finally realized the seriousness of the situation and hurriedly tried to get up from the ground.
He can’t divorce, he can’t divorce!
Once the divorce is over, without Zhao Qingyi and the Zhao family, what will he have left?
Wouldn't that be announcing to the world that everything today was his fault? What future career would he have?
"No, I don't agree!"
Chu Yuanhe glanced at the fake emperor behind his eye curtains, walked over and whispered a few words in his ear, then heard the emperor cough lightly and said, "My dear, according to the law, deal with the other two first."
The Dali Temple official understood and slammed the gavel down. "The Luo siblings are guilty of violating the law and forcing someone to death. The evidence is irrefutable. They will be immediately imprisoned and punished with ninety strokes of the cane!"
As for Li Che, Your Majesty has other intentions.
The two brothers behind the beaded curtain whispered for a while before Chu Yuanhe reappeared in front of the crowd. "Li Che, the guilty minister, has shielded his mother's crimes, deceived the court, and engaged in immoral marriage. He shall be immediately dismissed from office, demoted to a commoner, and sentenced to... death by hanging."
"As for the county lady's request for a divorce, His Majesty has granted it. From this day forward, you two are no longer connected and have nothing to do with each other!"
"No--"
Li Che wailed miserably. He would never divorce Zhao Qingyi after all. He would not let this vicious woman get what she wanted!
He's going to die anyway, so what is he afraid of?
"Even if His Majesty decrees a divorce, I will never agree! Zhao Qingyi, if you want to leave me, you will only get a letter of divorce! I am the one who divorced you! Hahahaha..."
Before Li Che finished laughing, he was kicked from behind and fell to the ground instantly. Chu Yuanhe grabbed the back of his neck, lifted his head, and threw it back to the ground.
Li Che's laughter stopped abruptly, and his head hit the ground with a creepy sound.
Chu Yuanhe stood up and stepped hard on the man's face. "Who the hell are you? Divorcing my wife? You don't deserve it!"
Li Che groaned indistinctly under his feet, grabbing Chu Yuanhe's ankles with both hands, but unable to move him at all. Blood oozed from his nostrils and mouth, and his pale face was twisted in pain, which frightened everyone present.
The three adults in the hall stood up and tried to stop him, but the "Your Majesty" behind the pearl curtain coughed lightly again.
The three of them sat back down tactfully, "..."
Chu Yuanhe sneered, "Leaving you a divorce letter today will allow you to die more peacefully."
Although Li Che came from a humble family, he had never suffered such a profound humiliation since he entered the civil service through the imperial examination. Being threatened while being stepped on in the face, he sneered, his teeth stained with blood, "I can only write... Shu!"
Zhao Qingyi has hurt him so much, how could he let her go free?
Only a letter of divorce would trap her in this marriage forever. Even if she left him, she would be an abandoned woman who would not be accepted by the world!
Thinking of this, Li Che seemed to have found a glimmer of pleasure in the pain. Even with his face stepped on the ground, he still looked at Zhao Qingyi and laughed, "As long as I don't write... the divorce agreement... you will... always be my wife of the Li family... Hahaha..."
Zhao Qingyi suppressed her anger, and her bare hands in her sleeves trembled with anger.
Some onlookers could not stand it and accused Li Che of being a despicable villain. After all, Zhao Qingyi had done many good things for the people and refugees before, and her righteous deeds were obvious to all. Naturally, the people sympathized with Zhao Qingyi more.
Chu Yuanhe's forehead veins bulged, and he drew his imperial guard's sword and was about to strike, but Zhao Qingyi stopped him, "Prince, this matter has nothing to do with you, why dirty your hands?"
Chu Yuanhe came back to his senses, and his forbearing gaze fell on Zhao Qingyi's face. Faced with the other's concerned eyes, he finally put down his sword and kicked Li Che away.
"If you are still stubborn, then throw you into the imperial prison and let the Imperial Guards take good care of you!" He couldn't pretend any longer and gave the Imperial Guards an order directly over the "Your Majesty" behind the pearl curtain.
The adults in the hall were stunned again, and the "Your Majesty" who was watching the show realized it later and quickly agreed, "Yes, throw him into the imperial prison first!"
After Li Che and his family were dragged away by the yamen runners, Zhao Qingyi bowed deeply before the pearl curtain and said, "Your Majesty, I thank you for upholding justice."
"The county lady has been wronged."
Seeing Chu Yuanhe stand up for Zhao Qingyi, the fake emperor Chu Tianba was completely confused. He immediately put on airs and said, "Don't worry, County Lady. Your Majesty... I will take care of this matter for you. You are now a free person and have no connection with the Li family anymore."
At this point, it doesn't matter whether it's a divorce letter or a divorce letter. What matters is that she has received the emperor's official approval for the divorce in front of all the people in the world.
Zhao Qingyi thanked him, slowly stood up, with his back straight, and respectfully saw the emperor off with the others. Chu Yuanhe didn't want to stay any longer, so he gave Zhao Qingyi a comforting look and turned back to the palace.
The spectacular farce came to an end. Zhao Qingyi slowly walked out of the Dali Temple courtroom and stood under the bright sunlight. His eyes swept across the slender branches on the wall. The tender yellow forsythia flowers were quietly blooming, full of vitality.
Zhao Qingyi took a deep breath, and the air seemed to become fresh at this moment, rushing into her chest. She felt unprecedented relief. The turbid air that had been accumulated in her heart for two lifetimes finally dissipated during the spring equinox of this year.
Tan Yue Qiao Yue and the housekeeper surrounded her, all very happy for her.
The victim Huaisheng and his wife were also comforted by the court. After thanking Zhao Qingyi, they returned to their hometown with generous compensation to bury their deceased father.
For a time, the Li family's case spread all over the capital, and the divorce of Princess Chenhua was also widely reported. Most people sided with Zhao Qingyi and felt sorry for her, but only the aristocratic families sneered at it.
Zhao Huaiyi and Meng, as Zhao Qingyi's parents, were the last to get the news. When they rushed to the Dali Temple, the case had already been settled.
They had not been informed of anything beforehand and had no idea that their daughter was quietly doing something so big that even the emperor was alarmed. Fortunately, Zhao Qingyi herself escaped unscathed and the whole family surrounded her and asked about her well-being.
My younger brother, Zhao Lanyan, rushed over from the training ground and said excitedly, "From now on, my sister can return to the Zhao family and continue to live with us."
Zhao Huaiyi wanted to say something to his daughter, but seeing her haggard face, he couldn't bear to criticize her. "Your brother is right. Banban, just go home with your father. At worst, your father will support you for the rest of your life."
"Yes, this marriage has really wronged you." Meng was so distressed that she burst into tears and touched her daughter's face. "We won't get married in the future, okay."
Zhao Qingyi cried with joy and hugged her father and mother.
It’s really nice to live a new life.
"My daughter knows how to act in a measured way. I can't go back with you right away." Zhao Qingyi held the family's hands together and told them that she had to go back to the house to take care of the remaining trivial matters.
Finally, Zhao Huaiyi agreed on a date with his daughter and then went to pick her up home in person.
"Mother, mother..." Jun Ge'er's timid voice came, and he twisted his fingers nervously, "I..."
He wanted to ask how his stepmother planned to deal with him.
Zhao Qingyi put away her smile and looked at him for a long moment. "This time, you haven't committed any heinous crime. I won't bother with you. You don't have to call me mother anymore. I have nothing to do with the Li family anymore."
Li Che, Zhao Manyi, and Luo Shi already owed her too much, so she was merciless in her punishment. As for Jun Ge'er, he hadn't grown up yet in this life, and had been used by her almost to death, so she let him go for the time being.
"I will do what I promised you, to provide you with food and clothing, but I cannot give you wealth and glory." As long as the other party behaves well, is an ordinary person, and survives on his own, she will not kill him.
This was the result of her soft-heartedness. Otherwise, according to her original idea, she would have raised Jun Ge'er to be a spoiled and extravagant waste. Now, considering that he pointed out Li Che in court, she gave him a chance to live a mediocre life.
As long as Junger was sensible, he still had a chance to live an ordinary life. However, being raised on the farm, without her painstaking education, without the best teacher to guide him, and without the support of the Zhao family, Junger would never be able to pass the imperial examination and become an official as he did in his previous life, and he was destined to live a life of hardship and poverty.
This answer was exactly what he expected.
Jun Ge'er lowered his eyes in disappointment, "...I understand."
He was the product of the affair between Li Che and Zhao Manyi, and was not meant to be seen in public. It was a blessing for him not to be implicated to death by his parents.
Jun Ge'er got on the carriage back to the farm and was quiet all the way without crying or making any noise.
When Zhao Qingyi returned home, the first thing she did was to have the plaque hanging on the gate replaced. This house was originally bought by Meng before she got married, and she put the words "Li's House" on it to save Li Che's face. Now that the house has returned to its original owner, it should be called Zhao's House.
Yuxiu heard the noise and came out with her big belly. She saw the servants busy at work, changing the plaque and moving things. All the personal belongings of Luo Shi and Li Che were cleared out by the servants. In addition, all the maids who used to serve them mother and son were sent away and sold.
Yuxiu was worried. She had been staying in the hospital to take care of her pregnancy when she learned about the Li family's bankruptcy.
"Grandma..." Just as the words came out, Yuxiu changed the address, "County Lady, this is no longer the Li residence, then I..."
She is Li Che's concubine. Will she be driven away too?
Zhao Qingyi took out a stack of banknotes and the deed to a shop. "I did have selfish motives when I brought you back. Now that my goal has been achieved, consider these my compensation to you and the child in your womb."
Yuxiu was flattered and quickly declined, "No, the county lady saved me and my son from danger that day, gave Jiao'er a legitimate identity, and found him a good teacher... I can't repay these kindnesses, so how can I accept money from the county lady again?"
"Let's put it this way." Zhao Qingyi knew very well that she did all that for herself. "I wronged you to stay with that man for the past six months. If it weren't for me, maybe you would still be free."
"Which woman in this world is truly free?" Yuxiu had long since accepted her fate. Her life now was a thousand times better than before, and she was content. "If the county lady doesn't abandon me, I will let this concubine be your slave and servant and stay here to serve you."
Zhao Qingyi was both amused and annoyed. "Okay, don't refuse. You also said that life is not easy for women in this world. You lost your husband and have a child, so your life is even harder. With this little banknote, you can settle down."
Having said that, Yuxiu no longer refused, "I will write a letter to Jiao'er later. Such a big thing happened at home, he should be informed."
While the two were talking, Li Heng came out with a bag on his back. Since that incident, his uncle and sister-in-law finally met each other. He was very ashamed, "County Lady." Now he could no longer call her sister-in-law.
Yuxiu glanced at his bag and said, "You are..."
"The house originally belonged to the county lord. Now that the county lord and my eldest brother have divorced, the two families are no longer related, so it's time for me to leave." Li Heng still had self-knowledge.
Zhao Qingyi hummed, "Is there a place to stay?"
Li Heng blushed and lowered his head. He planned to stay temporarily at a classmate's house, and then move to the official residence after he passed the palace examination and got a job.
Zhao Qingyi guessed it, "You should go back to the old house."
She gave him the key to the old house and said, "When the imperial court takes in refugees, the old house will naturally become vacant. Once it's tidied up, it can be habitable."
Li Che had borrowed money from Zhao Qingyi to mortgage the old house. Li Heng knew about this and immediately refused, "No need. The old house also belongs to the county lady now. I..."
Zhao Qingyi told him to stop talking nonsense. She had transferred the old house to Jiao'er, and it was reasonable for them to live together as uncle and nephew. "I only have one request: take good care of Jiao'er's biological mother. Now, she is your sister-in-law."
Yuxiu couldn't live with her forever. She would have to move out sooner or later after giving birth to the child. Considering that Yuxiu would have to raise a child in the future, Jiao'er was young and without a pillar of support in the family, he would be easily bullied.
Li Heng is just the right person. He is Jiao'er's uncle and is about to enter the officialdom. With him taking care of the family affairs, Zhao Qingyi can feel more at ease.
She was so thoughtful that Li Heng had no choice but to agree and promised that he would leave after Jiao'er grew up. By then, he would have become an official and would have his own mansion.
Not long after, Jiao'er received the letter and rushed home overnight. With his eyes swollen from crying, he asked, "Mother, do you not want Jiao'er anymore?"
This mother-son relationship began with exploitation, but Li Jiao actually benefited from it and received the care of Zhao Qingyi's family. From the day Zhao Qingyi stood up for him in the clan school, she had been his mother.
In Li Jiao's heart, his stepmother is as important as his biological mother.
Zhao Qingyi comforted him, "Silly Jiao'er, you are still under your mother's name. Whether the Li family exists or not, you are your mother's son. But from now on, you have to grow up quickly, be a man, and take good care of your pregnant mother and your unborn brothers and sisters."
Li Jiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded with tears in his eyes.
Zhao Qingyi handed him the title deed of the old house and told him not to care about other people's opinions in the future. No matter what his biological father had done, it had nothing to do with him. He just needed to study hard. If he had any difficulties that he couldn't solve, he should go to the Zhao family to find her, his biological mother.
Mr. Kong on the side sighed. In the blink of an eye, the Li family was turned upside down. Fortunately, Li Jiao grew up in poverty and was able to bear it well.
After everyone left, the Zhao residence was completely empty, with only Zhao Qingyi and a few servants.
Qiao Yue was puzzled, "County Lady, why don't you let Aunt Yuxiu and the others continue to live in the mansion?" The house was empty anyway.
Zhao Qingyi shook her head. "Too much is as bad as too little. When being nice to someone, just stop when you're not too good."
Giving too much can easily make people greedy and take it for granted, just like Jun Ge'er in the previous life.
What's more, she cannot deprive others of the opportunity to grow and hone themselves. She will no longer take care of everything and pave the way for others' lives as she did before. Yuxiu's future life depends on herself, and how high Li Jiao can reach depends entirely on his ability.
Yuxiu and her group moved to the old house and found that the shabby little house had been quietly renovated at some point. The doors, windows, tables, chairs, and even the furnishings in the house were all replaced with new ones. Although the items were not particularly expensive, they really surprised them.
Yuxiu was the first to shed tears. How could she be so worthy to meet such a good mistress?
In contrast, Li Susu, who was married, fell into real dire straits.
On the day of the wedding, the Duke of Zhongyong's Mansion did not open the boxes and count Li Susu's dowry for the sake of face. But on the second day after the wedding, Mrs. Wang went to the warehouse to count it herself and realized that she had been cheated.
The dowry boxes were filled with worthless quilts and pillows, box after box, but there was less than half a box of actual gold and silver.
Mrs. Wang was so angry that she rushed into the bridal chamber and grabbed Li Susu, who was cowering in the corner of the bed, and questioned her.
Marrying a cripple for the sake of her brother's career and the glory of the Li family had already made Li Susu collapse the whole night. When Mrs. Wang pulled her hair, Li Susu screamed and cried, shaking her head and saying that she knew nothing.
"A great shame and humiliation!"
Mrs. Wang had been shrewd and calculating all her life, but she had never expected that a vulgar village woman like Luo would be so bold as to deceive her. "If your mother can't come up with these thirty thousand taels... no, forty thousand taels, you will be divorced and kicked out of the house!"
Mrs. Wang also counted the ten thousand taels donated for disaster relief on Li Susu's head.
Li Susu cried and said she had no money, and was locked up in the woodshed by Mrs. Wang. Her husband, Wang Shisanlang, watched the scene with a gloomy face and did not stop it.
Last night's wedding consummation was not very pleasant. One of them was forced to marry, and the other was forced to marry. They were put together and were destined to be a couple of enemies.
On the day of her return, Mrs. Wang released Li Susu, had her dress up, and was about to go to the Li family to ask Luo for an explanation, only to hear that their family had been brought to court.
Upon hearing this, Li Susu, who was half dead, wanted to go back to her parents' home immediately. However, Madam Wang slapped her awake, "You idiot! Your mother and brother have committed a serious crime, and you dare to get close to them? Do you want to destroy our uncle's family as well?"
The matter has even been brought to the imperial court and someone has reported it to the emperor. How can it be a small matter?
It might be a crime that confiscates property and executes nine generations of the family. If their uncle's family marries Li Susu, they will be implicated.
Unlucky thing!
Mrs. Wang was very angry and sent people to the Dali Temple to inquire about the news. If it was really an unforgivable crime, Li Susu must be divorced immediately.
When the news finally came back, Li Susu fainted on the spot when she heard that her mother had been sentenced to 90 strokes of the cane and her brother had been arrested and imprisoned, tortured and then hanged.
But what made Mrs. Wang most distressed was that the county lady Zhao Qingyi actually proposed divorce in front of the emperor, and His Majesty agreed!
From then on, Zhao Qingyi had no connection with the Li family anymore. Li Susu had no friendship with her and was completely abandoned. The Bo family was in chaos all day long...
—
The Empress Dowager was quite dissatisfied and believed that the emperor should not interfere in the family affairs of his subjects.
"Princess Chenhua is really calculating. First, she donated money to disaster relief to earn a good reputation for herself. Then, she exposed her husband's family in front of the emperor, putting justice above her own family. If the emperor sides with the Li family, he will definitely lose the support of the people because of this woman. But if he agrees to a divorce with this woman, he will invisibly offend the Qingliu family."
Li Che was born in a poor family, but he had entered the court as an official, and he was a man. Since ancient times, only men could divorce women, and it was rare for women to initiate divorce, such a ridiculous thing.
If Zhao Qingyi sets this precedent, then countless women will follow suit in the future. Wouldn't all the wealthy families and important officials in the court be in turmoil at home, with their wives threatening to divorce them every other day?
If they refuted in return, the ladies would bring up the emperor, saying, "Look, Your Majesty has already allowed the Zhao girl to divorce, so why wouldn't you agree to my divorce?"
Every time they make trouble, they will hate Zhao Qingyi and the emperor.
"Princess Chenhua does not follow the rules and does not obey her husband's authority. She is really unworthy of a woman!" The Empress Dowager felt that she had to teach Zhao Qingyi a lesson to show the royal family's attitude towards this matter.
The eldest princess praised Zhao Qingyi's courage, "Grandmother, you are not part of this situation. You don't know how the county lady is suffering in the Li family. Put yourself in her shoes. If I were trapped in the Li family, would you abandon your granddaughter for the sake of so-called moral principles?"
"How can that be the same?" the Grand Empress Dowager sneered. "You are the most noble princess of the royal family. How could I allow you to marry into a poor family and suffer such torture?"
"According to what the Empress Dowager said, the Prince Consort's background is even worse than that unfaithful Li Che," the Princess joked. "The Prince Consort is just a man of the underworld. If we really judge everything by status, he's not even worthy of carrying my shoes."
In fact, the Empress Dowager also thought so at the beginning, but she could not resist the eldest princess's love for him. In the years after marriage, the prince consort treated the eldest princess with great love, and she gradually reduced her prejudice.
So, it's still different.
The eldest princess smiled, "Actually, the situation is no different. If I weren't a princess, but just the daughter of a minister like the county lord, or even just an ordinary citizen, the difficulties I encountered would be even worse. Because I have no one to support me, I would be bullied, humiliated, and trampled upon..."
"I've been wronged, so naturally I want to resist. But after I resist, I still have to endure the pointing and criticizing of the aristocratic families and men. Because of what they call women's virtues, am I going to die?"
The Empress Dowager thought about what she said and shuddered.
"Grandmother, it's not easy for women to survive. You and I were just born into a good family and are blessed by others. But despite this, you and I still have countless shackles on us. And who imposed these shackles on us?"
The Grand Empress Dowager understood what she meant and sighed, "But since ancient times, this has been the case for both men and women. Women are born to abide by the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, the Three Bonds and Five Constant Virtues, and cannot make any mistakes."
"Are these principles necessarily correct?" the eldest princess asked.
Seeing that the Grand Empress Dowager did not answer, she continued, "Grandmother Huang has no answer, which shows that in your heart, you are also dissatisfied. This makes Princess Chenhua even more precious, doesn't it? She has done things that many of us dare not think about or dare to do."
The eldest princess held the Grand Empress Dowager's hand and said, "In my opinion, she is very brave and it has not been easy for her. Grandmother should not punish her, but reward her."
The Empress Dowager was somewhat moved, and said angrily, "That's not the reason why she seduced the Emperor..."
The eldest princess' smile froze. Could it be that the Empress Dowager had guessed what the Emperor was thinking?
He quickly tried to make amends for his brother, "Grandmother Royal is worrying too much. My brother admires her courage. Moreover, the county lady is a woman who has helped the court with its worries. That's why my brother has some impression of her."
"Forget it, forget it. You brothers and sisters are all more opinionated than each other." The Empress Dowager knew that she could not win the argument with the eldest princess. If she was an honest person, she would not have run away with her husband, a swordsman from the martial arts world, and she would have run away for many years, neither serving the emperor nor the subject.
It can be seen that this brother and sister have long been like-minded with Zhao Qingyi, and are equally bold and self-centered.
Thinking of the Emperor, the Grand Empress Dowager softened her attitude. "Your Royal Brother has been busy with state affairs lately, and I haven't seen him for quite some time. Let's go to the Purple Palace to see your Royal Brother, and by the way, fulfill your wish and ask for a reward for the Princess of Chenhua County."
As for what reward to ask for...
The Empress Dowager had a flash of inspiration. Since Zhao Qingyi was divorced and had the status of a county lady, it should not be difficult for her to remarry.
Otherwise, she would find a new husband for Zhao Qingyi?
Well, that’s a good idea. It also shows the great grace of the royal family.
The grandfather and grandson prepared a bowl of ginseng soup and went to the Purple Palace, but were stopped by the eunuch Fugui, "Grand Empress Dowager, Princess, His Majesty... He has gone to bed."
There were clearly candlelights in the hall, but the Empress Dowager didn't believe it. "I've come here in person, and you still dare to stop me?" She walked around Fugui and was about to go in.
Fugui was so scared that he broke out in a cold sweat. It was all over. His Majesty had gone to look for the county lady again, and she wasn't in the palace at all!
Chu Tianba in the hall was almost scared to death. How long would he continue to play the emperor with his head on the line?
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