Sitting at the top of the table was Dingyang Earl Wan Chengji, Wan Xueying's biological father, who angrily slammed the table when he heard her say that she had divorced Shen Yu in the street.
"You bastard! Do you think a divorce isn't shameful? Get down on your knees right now! You've brought disgrace upon the entire Bo family! If I had known this would happen, I would have found you a random marriage and sent you far away!"
A man can bend and stretch, let alone a woman like her? Wan Xueying did not confront Wan Chengji. She slowly walked to the center and knelt down, showing no dissatisfaction.
This was the method she had developed early on to treat the two elders in her family. There was no other way. Filial piety was paramount in this world. She could argue with her brothers, but she couldn't upset the elders. As for explaining? That would only be most effective after the other party's anger subsided.
When Shen Yu was ushered into the main hall, he saw Wan Xueying kneeling pitifully in the center, reprimanded by the Earl of Dingyang to the point where she dared not even raise her head. It was a stark contrast to the way she had bargained with him just now, even openly flaunting her scheming. It made him feel a sense of pity for no reason.
The Earl of Dingyang was also a stark contrast to his impression of a soft-spoken, unassuming elder. He'd been utterly disregarding all the years of instruction from the Earl's House, yet he was still so stubborn he couldn't even get married! He'd been utterly disorganized, like Wan Xueying was a piece of mud, impossible to prop up! And he'd been asking how your sister could hold her head up high in the future with a divorced sister? How could she maintain her position as Crown Princess? From beginning to end, he'd never asked why, nor had he shown any concern for Wan Xueying.
"Uncle!" Shen Yu interrupted Wan Chengji's scolding of Wan Xueying with displeasure.
"Uh... Second Young Master Shen, why are you here?" Wan Chengji assumed Wan Xueying must have irritated Shen Yu, and the Duke of Pingguo Mansion, and would return home alone and in disgrace. He never expected Shen Yu to be with her. He wondered how much of his scolding Wan Xueying had heard. But it wasn't a cause for concern. After all, he was scolding his own daughter, and he was also venting his anger on behalf of Shen Yu and the Duke of Pingguo Mansion.
"Junior greets Uncle! Greetings to Madam Uncle!" Although he was angry, Shen Yu did not forget the proper etiquette.
"Mr. Shen, you're too polite!" With this outsider around, Wan Chengji regained his composure.
"I came here with Miss Wan Er this time to apologize to you all. It was all because of my lack of consideration that I almost harmed Miss Wan Er and the Dingyang Marquis' Mansion!" Shen Yu was still a manly man and took the blame on himself right from the start.
"Why is this happening?" Wan Chengji was a little confused, and everyone in Dingyang Marquis' Mansion was even more confused.
Shen Yu then told everyone what had just happened and continued, "I never expected Princess Mingxia to be so devoted to me. You all know that she is the Emperor and Empress's favorite princess, and the Crown Prince is raised under the Empress's name. If you offend Princess Mingxia, it would be no less than offending the Empress, the Crown Prince, and even the Emperor.
If I insist on marrying Miss Wan Er, it will sooner or later cost her her life, and perhaps even harm the Duke of Pingguo and the Earl of Dingyang. I discussed this with Miss Wan Er in the street, actually calling off the engagement in front of Princess Mingxia. However, because I had already completed the three letters and six ceremonials with Miss Wan Er, the only option was a divorce.
"So that's how it is!" Not only the Dingyang Marquis's household, but everyone in the capital knew Princess Mingxia was in love with Shen Yu. But, as Shen Yu had said, they had never imagined Princess Mingxia would be so persistent and ruthless. Even after the Emperor had clearly stated his intention to find her a good consort, and she had agreed, she still dared to lead the Dark Forest Guards to assassinate Wan Xueying in the street. This was sheer arrogance!
However, it also made everyone in Dingyang Marquis's Mansion realize one thing: if you can't afford to offend, you have to hide, and it's best to stay away from it.
So when Wan Xueying said that she wanted to sever ties with the Dingyang Marquis's family and become a daughter of the An family, that is, return to her adoptive parents, everyone in the Marquis's family chose to remain silent.
Seeing that no one immediately tried to persuade Wan Xueying to stay, Shen Yu felt sorry for her. He hadn't expected her to live like this in Dingyang Marquis's mansion. No wonder she was so straightforward in saying she wanted to leave the capital and return to her adoptive parents.
Perhaps, he glanced at Wan Xueying, who was still kneeling in the middle of the hall with her back straight, and thought, perhaps in her heart, she always regarded her adoptive parents as her relatives?
In reality, Wan Xueying wasn't as calm as Shen Yu appeared. She just kept telling herself, it doesn't matter. If you don't expect anything, there won't be any hurt. Wasn't that the outcome she knew all along? In just a moment, she forced back the tears that were about to well up by lowering her head.
The matter here was over, but there were more important matters waiting for him to deal with at the Duke of Ping's mansion. So Shen Yu said goodbye to Wan Chengji and his wife, and took another deep look at Wan Xueying, who was not destined to be with him. Then he turned around and left, accompanied by Wan Xueying's second brother Wan Hesu.
"Do you really want to break off the relationship with the Bo family?" Wan Chengji no longer cared about the outsiders and his voice became cold again.
"Yes!" Wan Xueying nodded.
"No regrets?"
Wan Xueying raised her head with a determined look and said, "I will never regret it!" with a resolute attitude.
"Well!" Wan Chengji sighed heavily, "Perhaps all this happened because you and the Bo family have a weak connection. Since you want to break up, then break up!"
Although she was prepared, Wan Xueying still felt a piercing pain when Wan Chengji, her biological father, said such words. This time, although she bit her lip and tried to restrain herself, when she lowered her head, a tear fell on the blue brick floor with a "click".
Haha, what was she still hoping for? Why did they seek her out in the first place? Wouldn't it be better to let her stay in the countryside of Northern Xinjiang and live the life of an ordinary citizen?
"In order not to implicate the Bo's family, I ask my father to expel my daughter from the clan as soon as possible. Just announce to the outside world that it was just a misunderstanding and that my daughter is not the real daughter of the Bo's family. I am unfilial and I bid farewell to you two elders!" With the help of kowtowing, Wan Xueying gently wiped away the tears in her eyes and carefully found an excuse for the Bo's family to the outside world.
"I'm sorry for putting you through this!" Only then did Wan Chengji's tense face show some movement. "I'll ask your mother to give you two hundred taels of silver as travel expenses later. You can tell your mother who you want to take with you. After you pack your bags, I'll send guards to escort you back to Northern Xinjiang." If it weren't for the fact that it was already late and the city gates were locked, he would have wanted to send her away right away for fear of the long night and more trouble.
Haha, she was sent away with just two hundred taels of silver. Shouldn’t she be grateful?
Don't be angry, don't be angry. Although two hundred taels of silver is nothing to the Bo family, it is probably a lifetime of savings for an ordinary country family. Her adoptive parents need money for many things, and she doesn't have much money on hand, so it's not worth it to get angry about the silver.
Besides, even the smallest louse is still flesh. She didn't need to spend money to end the relationship. Perhaps she could use the two hundred taels as start-up capital to earn more. Moreover, if she didn't want it now, it would only make things worse. She could just endure the frustration for a while, but she hoped they would use more silver to humiliate her.
"Those betrothal gifts..."
She wanted to tell everyone that Shen Yu wanted to convert the betrothal gifts into silver for her, but Wan Chengji rudely interrupted her, "What are you thinking? You and Second Young Master Shen have already divorced, so the betrothal gifts must be returned in full! Besides," he paused, "you won't be able to use the dowry after you return to Northern Frontier, so why not give it to your sister? She must have suffered some injustice in your case, so consider this as compensation."
Wan Qingling was wronged and yet she was compensated. Wasn't she the one who suffered the most? Wan Chengji's words left Wan Xueying speechless, and she didn't tell anyone about the betrothal gift. She really didn't want to see the embarrassed faces of everyone in the Bo Mansion after the comparison.
She said she wanted to go back to the yard early to pack up her things. This suggestion was exactly what Wan Chengji wanted. Not only did he not stop her, he also said that he would ask her mother to come over to help later.
Before leaving the main hall, Wan Xueying kept her head down, not looking at these blood-related yet indifferent faces. If possible, she wanted to completely forget these people and this unpleasant experience.
It was not until she returned to the courtyard where she lived that she felt much better. The two maids and a nanny who came with her as a dowry also rushed back.
Although none of the three servants who had been with her the longest stepped forward to protect her when she was assassinated because they were afraid, and no one stepped forward to show concern afterwards, she was too lazy to punish these people before leaving, which was considered a fulfillment of the relationship between master and servant, and a good parting.
When her mother, Xu, arrived and expressed her reluctance to let them go, and asked if she should take all three of them with her, Wan Xueying shook her head in amusement at their evasive looks. "If they can't be loyal and protect their master, what's the point of taking them away?"
Just when the three of them thought they were relieved that they didn't have to accompany her to the Northern Frontier to suffer, they heard Xu say coldly: "Since they are useless, then sell them all!"
"It's all up to mother!" Wan Xueying actually wanted to call Xu "Mrs. Bo," but she wouldn't mind a day or two to avoid embarrassing both parties. Since these people wanted to stay, they had to bear the consequences, so she didn't say anything to stop them.
"Madam, please don't sell me. I'm willing to accompany the Second Young Lady to the Northern Frontier." Only then did Wan Xueying's personal maid, Chunmei, agree to go with her, knowing the consequences of selling her would be even worse. The other two also expressed their determination to follow her.
"Look..." Xu originally wanted to use both kindness and force to get Wan Xueying to take these three people with her. After all, it would be easier for Wan Xueying to use them.
But she said, "Mother, please sell them off." She didn't want to be a good person, so as not to worry about it later. Then, without even looking at the three people with ashen faces, she tentatively asked Xu, "Mother really wants to give them to someone, can you give Concubine Chen to me?"
"Mrs. Chen?" Mrs. Xu thought she had misheard. "What can you do with her?"
A trace of warmth rose on Wan Xueying's face. "It's not for anything else, it's just because Aunt Chen has taught her a lot over the years."
This is another joke. Back then, the Bo family hired renowned teachers for Wan Qingling in the arts of music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, but those teachers wouldn't even bother to offer her any guidance. So, Xu decided to make the best use of her resources and hire Concubine Chen, a former famous prostitute who had been redeemed and given to Wan Chengji, to teach her. This way, she could save on tuition fees.
It was this old, fading, and childless Concubine Chen who taught her everything she knew, which made Wan Xueying no less capable than anyone else. Concubine Chen was also one of the few people in the mansion who made Wan Xueying feel warm.
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