"So what are your plans?"
Gu Yaoniang asked with concern.
Before Xie Danqiu could speak, Princess Ruining stood up angrily: "I think the Qin family is truly audacious, and you are far too easy to bully. Even if you yourself are unwilling to compete with her, if you had just said a word to Uncle Xie, wouldn't he have stood up for you?"
"I don't want to bring these terrible things home... My parents would be heartbroken if they knew I was like this."
Before Xie Danqiu could finish speaking, Princess Ruining pointed a finger at her forehead: "Don't they feel sorry for you now? Even if you don't say anything, can't they tell?"
As she spoke, she suddenly raised her voice, which inexplicably became sharp: "You idiot! You haven't been hiding this from your parents all this time, have you?"
Princess Ruining felt both heartache and deep anger at her daughter's lack of ambition.
“The old woman was good at putting on an act. Whenever someone from the Xie family came to the Qin family, she would fuss over me and show great concern. When people in the family said I had lost weight, she would say she felt sorry for me and that I was thin because I was tired from giving birth.”
Xie Danqiu was also very troubled.
She used to be pampered at home, and the Xie family was strict in managing their household. She had never encountered such a two-faced person in her family.
When she goes out to make friends and encounters such people, she feels that if she doesn't get along with them, she won't associate with them and will not have any further contact with them.
In the elite circles of the capital, even those who plotted against others maintained their dignity and wouldn't openly humiliate others. Xie Danqiu, suddenly encountering someone like Aunt Qin, and being too proud to use any means to deal with her, naturally found her life difficult.
Princess Ruining slammed her hand on the table: "At worst, we'll just skip it!"
Xie Danqiu's eyes lit up. Gu Yaoniang and Princess Ruining exchanged a glance, knowing that Xie Danqiu must have also considered this possibility.
Sure enough, Xie Danqiu became radiant when this was mentioned: "Of course I don't want to suffer this kind of humiliation in the Qin family! I've thought about it, and I want to divorce with Xuan'er and establish a new female household, where I will be the master of the house."
If I pass the imperial examination, I will be with Yao Yao. I will become a high-ranking official and speak out for the people; if I fail, then I will be with you.
Xie Danqiu looked at Gu Yaoniang: "I want to earn lots and lots of money. Having money is good. But..."
She changed the subject, then hesitated, "I just don't want my parents to know I'm not doing well. If I really take Xuan'er with me and get a divorce, they'll definitely find out. I'm so old now, it would be unfilial of me to still make them worry about me."
Besides, given my father's temperament, he might even have a problem with...
Xie Danqiu glanced cautiously at Princess Ruining. Although she didn't say it explicitly, Gu Yaoniang and Princess Ruining both understood that she was afraid that Marquis Xie might have a problem with the Emperor.
Gu Yaoniang thought for a moment and said sincerely to Xie Danqiu, "Aqiu, you're wrong to think like that. Our parents worry about us so that we can have a good life. If they knew that you were compromising and wasting your youth in the Qin family because you didn't want them to worry, wouldn't Uncle and Aunt Xie be even more heartbroken?"
Princess Ruining nodded vigorously: "Yes! Yaoniang is right!"
But he was somewhat annoyed: "It's also my fault! I couldn't persuade my father back then!"
Xie Danqiu smiled: "His Majesty is also thinking of the bigger picture. If the decree of marriage were to be withdrawn so easily, wouldn't it damage the dignity of the Emperor?"
Princess Ruining was furious again: "You and your father are the same! You always talk about the big picture and the majesty of the emperor. But why must the majesty of the emperor ruin your future! The old man is really something, he didn't even ask any questions before issuing the decree to arrange the marriage. He's really getting old! He just likes to close his eyes and play matchmaker!"
Xie Danqiu gently shook her head at her, then smiled at Yao Niang and said, "You see, I'm usually the willful one, while she's the one who follows the rules and knows what's important. Now I have to persuade her."
"How can that be the same! If it were someone I didn't know, I could naturally be considerate and prioritize the bigger picture, but this person is you! You've been my best friend since childhood, yet I can't protect you..."
Princess Ruining appeared very frustrated.
Ultimately, Xie Danqiu's marriage was nothing more than a favor bestowed by her father upon Qin Yuxiu, the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examination. The life of Xie Danqiu, a member of the Xie family, was presented by the royal family as a congratulatory gift to Qin Yuxiu for achieving the highest rank in the imperial examination.
What outsiders saw was the royal family's courteous treatment of a newly rich man from a humble background, and the destined marriage between a poor scholar who had achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations and a wealthy young lady.
Even because Qin Yuxiu was the top scholar in the imperial examination, people only looked at their academic achievements and considered their marriage to be a perfect match of talent and beauty.
Whether Xie Danqiu herself is happy or not is of no concern to anyone. Everyone probably assumes she married well, and no one thinks Xie Danqiu is unhappy.
Ultimately, it was the royal family that wronged Xie Danqiu.
Seeing Princess Ruining's dejected expression, Xie Danqiu squeezed her hand and said, "Yaoyao, you have never wronged me."
She then took Gu Yaoniang's hand, clasped the three hands together, and said to Gu Yaoniang, "Yaoniang, don't overthink it. I couldn't understand it at first, but you've never wronged me. Neither of us has done anything wrong."
Her voice was soft: "Yaoyao, I'm unhappy now, and only now do I realize how difficult it is to be a woman. Before, I was loved and pampered at home, everything went smoothly, and I had no worries every day. I never felt that I was any different from my brothers. My mother even favored me a little more."
But now it seems that no matter how noble the birth of a noblewoman, it is ultimately nothing more than a reflection in the water or a flower in a mirror; everything is given to her by others. In the end, she is not free.
When I was being mistreated at the Qin family's house, I thought to myself, if I were my elder brother and that old woman were my mother-in-law, would she dare to treat me like this? She must be afraid that if I offended her, I would neglect her daughter, so she tried her best to please me.
If I were my elder brother, my parents probably wouldn't worry about our marital discord every day. Because they know that in marriage, the man is never at a disadvantage.
Ultimately, it's just that men earn respect outside the home, and their superiors are there. Women manage the household, and their superiors are their husbands. For thousands of years, everyone has felt that men are the pillars of the family, thus making them superior, while women have relied on their husbands for survival.
Therefore, the sage's new policies are truly excellent, truly excellent. Women are able to establish their own households and stand on their own two feet, no longer needing to always depend on others and be subservient to them.
It's really good.
Xie Danqiu said "It's really good" three times in a row. The three people in the private room were all women, so they naturally felt the same way.
Princess Ruining tightened her grip, revealing her most sincere smile of the day, and called out, "A-Qiu."
Gu Yaoniang had thought the same thing, and now she was doing the same thing, so she held their hands tightly.
Xie Danqiu hadn't finished speaking yet: "But I can't help but think that even though we come from a family with such a background and are well loved at home, we still have to be mindful of our husbands' moods after we get married."
Wouldn't those of humble origins, those less fortunate than us, be even more vulnerable to being manipulated?
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