Chapter 130 A clean break, each finding their own happiness
The Great Yan Dynasty did not have the concept of "separation," so the more modern term "divorce" would be even less likely to appear there.
But the word "divorce" itself carries a deeper meaning. In this context, anyone who can read will understand its implications.
离 (lí) means to leave or depart.
Marriage.
Therefore, Qin Shaozong couldn't bear to look at it after only glancing at the most central title.
He felt a surge of anger rise from the bottom of his heart, spreading to his limbs and bones with the force of a thousand armies, and rushing straight to the top of his head, making the veins in his neck tremble and his vision go black.
The Qin family was a prestigious clan. Although he was not the eldest son, he was still considered the legitimate heir. From childhood, apart from his elders and his brothers, everyone treated him with utmost respect and humility.
When he came of age and took over the heavy responsibility of the family, and later received an imperial decree, the Qin family directly regarded him as the clan leader and followed his lead.
Later, he continued his campaigns in the south and north, bringing together the two prefectures of Ji and Bing, and firmly grasping the entire northern region in his hands. It can be said that the entire northern region was at his fingertips.
His elders have passed away, and the Han emperor is far away in Chang'an. There is no one in the north who can make him bow his head, nor does anyone dare to treat him with the slightest disrespect.
He longed to marry her, but before they were even married, she handed him some kind of "divorce agreement."
He had never been insulted like this before.
"Absurd!" He slammed his hand on the table and stood up.
Everything on the table jumped, including the private seal that Qin Shaozong had taken out and the inkstone resting on the inkstone stand. The latter was so shaken that it slid down the edge. The wet inkstone slammed onto the table with a "thud," leaving an ink stain.
Not content with slamming his hand on the table, he crumpled the divorce agreement into a ball and tossed it out the door with a "whoosh."
Dai Li: "..."
Anyone else would be terrified and trembling in the face of Qin Shaozong's furious rage, but this was not the first time Dai Li had angered him, and she had a premonition of it before.
"Not absurd."
Dai Li didn't rush to pick up the agreement. Instead, she walked around the long table and sat down next to Qin Shaozong. She took his rough hand and tried to pull him back to sit down.
She couldn't move him on her first try.
The man stood motionless like a pillar anchoring the sea, his gaze fixed straight ahead, not even turning his head. Were it not for the violent heaving of his chest and the rapid breathing, Qin Shaozong would have resembled a majestic and cold stone sculpture.
"My lord, please don't be angry. There's a reason for this. Let me explain slowly." Dai Li raised her hand and patted his chest.
Her voice was a gentle, soothing voice, like flowing spring water or a gentle, nourishing spring rain.
Qin Shaozong glanced at her sideways without saying a word, but that deep look clearly said: He didn't want to hear it.
Seeing that he at least responded, Dai Li took his hand a second time, trying to get him to sit back down.
This time, she still didn't pull it.
Dai Li said softly, "There is no such thing as a 'marriage agreement' in Peach Blossom Spring. However, since the lord wished for one, I will grant your wish and learn to write one, even though I have never written such a letter to any man before."
Qin Shaozong's expression was still grim, but the terrifying atmosphere around him dissipated somewhat.
Dai Li began to lie to him, "It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you, it's just that in my country, all couples who are about to get married have to sign a 'Divorce Agreement.' The purpose is so that if they grow to hate each other and can't live together anymore, they can quickly separate."
After saying "absurd," he finally uttered a second sentence:
"Impossible." The voice was icy cold.
Dai Li knew that he wasn't exposing her lie, but simply refuting the phrase "break up".
She continued, "These prenuptial agreements are actually not very useful to many people. Many loving couples keep them buried at the bottom of a box for their entire lives, letting them rot away or be eaten away by insects, never letting them see the light of day again. After all, the conditions in the agreement are not easily met, or rather, even if they were, such couples are basically estranged and have no reason to stay together..."
She paused, a hint of melancholy in her voice, "I am willing to follow the local customs for you, my lord, and write a marriage agreement that I have never written before. Is my lord not willing to change anything for me? Even if this agreement is taken to court, according to the laws of the Great Yan, it may not be recognized."
Qin Shaozong's expression softened slightly upon hearing the last sentence.
At this moment, Dai Li reached out to pull him for the third time, and he finally moved, sitting down again with her help.
Only then did Dai Li pick up the crumpled paper.
The mulberry paper, crumpled into a ball, was quite heavy, and in his anger, the man threw it so hard it not only flew out of the room but almost into the courtyard.
When Dai Li returned, she saw Qin Shaozong looking at the "Letter of Reply to Marriage," and his complexion was better than before she left.
Dai Li secretly curled the corners of her lips, then composed herself before he looked up. But she soon noticed that the private seal that had been placed on the table was gone.
Dai Li: "..."
She went around to the back of the desk and sat down next to Qin Shaozong, unfolding the crumpled "Divorce Agreement".
The unexpected headline caught his eye, and Qin Shaozong's forehead vein throbbed again, but this time he didn't immediately look away.
Be patient and keep reading.
The introduction was brief and didn't go into too much detail. It simply stated that a couple could separate if they met any of the following conditions.
Qin Shaozong took a deep breath, subtly shifted his gaze to the side, and then continued watching.
She didn't have many conditions; she only listed three scenarios.
1. If either spouse has a new love interest, the marriage is considered to have broken down.
2. If the two parties have differing views, including but not limited to views on childbearing, and are unable to reach a consensus, it shall be deemed a breakdown of the marriage.
3. If a conflict arises involving either party's children and the conflict is irreconcilable, it shall be deemed a breakdown of the marriage.
Qin Shaozong finished reading the first article and skipped it.
Does she have a new love interest?
If it really exists, he can make his so-called new lover reincarnate immediately, turning something that existed into something that didn't.
He paused briefly when he read the second item, then skipped over it; but when he saw the third item, his gaze froze.
The man tapped his fingers quickly on his thigh. "Madam, what exactly does the 'contradiction' in this third point refer to?"
“It’s not specific; it’s a general term.” Seeing him frown, Dai Li said gently, “Although it’s a general term, I don’t think you and I are the kind of people who are all talk and no action but can’t communicate.”
Dai Li's tone remained gentle, but there was a hint of probing in her words: "Does Your Majesty believe that there is an irreconcilable conflict between us regarding raising children?"
Qin Shaozong remained silent, ignoring Dai Li's words, and continued reading.
[After a marriage breaks down, both parties should take their respective children and live separately, never to interfere in each other's futures.]
Every word in this passage seemed to grow legs, running rampant in Qin Shaozong's minefield, causing the anger he had barely managed to suppress to surge again.
Dai Li knew what he was unhappy about; it was nothing more than his objection to the last line, "judgment."
But this line must not be compromised.
The laws of this era are very flexible. The idea that "princes are subject to the same laws as commoners" is often just empty talk.
People like Qin Shaozong, who are proud but also quite self-disciplined in some ways, tend to take promises very seriously, and will still abide by them even if they are not explicitly stipulated in the law.
Once Qin Changgeng signs and puts his fingerprint on it, the matter will be nine-tenths settled.
So Dai Li pretended not to notice his displeasure, took the clay seal box, and thoughtfully unscrewed it, placing it in front of him. Without asking him what was wrong, she said directly, "My lord, please."
Qin Shaozong did not move.
"My Lord?" Dai Li called out.
Qin Shaozong did not respond.
Dai Li's lips twitched.
Fine, I won't say anything then.
It was no use for him to hide the seal; she found it again herself.
The two were already sitting next to each other, so it was easy for Dai Li to find something; she could simply reach into his sleeve pocket.
Qin Shaozong noticed her movements. He didn't move his hands or feet, but lowered his eyes and watched her rummage through her pockets.
The clothing of high-ranking officials and nobles in this era featured wide sleeves and pockets designed to face upwards at an angle, preventing small items from falling out. Some of the wider sleeves could even reach half a meter in length.
Dai Li reached inside, leaning closer to Qin Shaozong. There was nothing in his sleeve, and she quickly found his private parts.
Qin Shaozong's private seal is particularly strange, or rather, calling it a private seal isn't quite accurate.
This man held many official positions, and thus had many corresponding seals. Finding them cumbersome and inconvenient, he specially took another piece of jade and carved a multifaceted seal.
Each side has a seal, and the side has another seal, with several seals in total, all contained within a single piece of jade.
Dai Li placed the seal beside him, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."
As the sunlight dimmed, the man's light brown eyes resembled those of a tiger lurking in the forest, eyeing its prey with a fierce glint in them.
Dai Li could tell at a glance that he was unhappy, but she didn't say anything more. She simply took the unfolded "Letter of Acceptance of Marriage," folded it, and then went to get the envelope.
He looked like he was about to put the "Letter of Acceptance of Marriage" away.
Qin Shaozong finally made a move. He first took the wolf-hair brush, casually dipped it in ink, and then signed his name on the paper. The signature was much more sloppy than usual; someone with poor eyesight might not even be able to make out the name.
After signing his name, it took him quite a while to take the seal, slowly dip it in red clay, and then "slap" it onto the specially marked seal area below.
Dai Li tried to push her luck: "There are other aspects as well."
Qin Shaozong threw the jade piece aside, his face darkening as he shook his head and refused to continue.
He won't do it, but Dai Li will.
She immediately took his private seal, dipped it in ink, and slapped it on each of the remaining sides several times.
After it was sealed, Dai Li also signed her name.
And so, the task is complete.
After the agreement had dried and been folded, Dai Li belatedly realized that the "Letter of Reply to Marriage" had ended up in his hands again.
The goal has been achieved; nothing else matters.
Dai Li put the letter into her sleeve pocket and got up to go outside.
"Where is Madam going?" the man who had been so taciturn just moments before asked.
Dai Li said, "I was worried about the journey and didn't dare to eat much before, but now I'm a little hungry. I'll go and have someone cook me a bowl of noodle soup."
Qin Shaozong: "It's a small matter; the maid can handle it."
Dai Li argued logically: "After sitting in the car for so long, my bones feel like they're about to fall apart. I still need to go out for a walk."
In reality, after leaving the main courtyard, Dai Li did not go to the kitchen herself, but casually handed the task over to a servant she happened to meet, while she went to Qin Yanzhou's courtyard.
In winter, darkness falls quickly. By the time Dai Li arrived at her son's courtyard, only a faint light remained on the sky.
"Mom?" Qin Yanzhou was surprised that she came at this time.
Without further ado, Dai Li took out the agreement from her sleeve: "Zhouzhou, please keep something for me. Qin Changgeng and I just signed a 'Divorce Agreement' for our marriage next year. Although the government in this era does not recognize divorces initiated by women, Qin Changgeng has basically kept his word, and it has many official seals on it. I think it should be able to fool others."
Qin Yanzhou looked down at the letter in his hand, his face shrouded in the dim light, making it impossible to discern his emotions. "Mother, do you... not want to marry Marquis Wu'an at all?"
Dai Li lowered her eyes. "Of course not. I wrote this agreement purely out of precaution. After all, the civil affairs bureau in this era does not handle divorces, so I have to prepare a way out for myself."
Qin Yanzhou raised his head, his eyes deep and unfathomable as the gradually brightening moonlight. "Mom, may I take a look at this agreement?"
Dai Li was taken aback for a moment, "Oh? Okay, you can go ahead and see."
The letter wasn't sealed yet, so it could be taken out directly. As soon as the mulberry paper inside was taken out, Qin Yanzhou immediately noticed that it was badly wrinkled, as if someone had crumpled it into a ball and thrown it away.
The young man unfolded the letter and read it carefully, word by word. It wasn't a long letter, but Qin Yanzhou read it for a very long time.
Author's Note: I'm here! Feeling a bit better today, should be able to update again tomorrow [droopy-eared bunny head]
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