Chapter 18 This person is hiding too well.
When the master and servant arrived at Lu Yifang's courtyard, they saw Jiang Chengye angrily walking out from inside. Jiang Yu bowed to him and said, "Father."
Jiang Chengye stopped and looked at Jiang Yu with an unfriendly expression. After a while, he said, "You should try to persuade your mother. Your divorce and return home is not a very honorable thing. She should be trying to keep it a secret."
She's insisting that your maternal grandparents' family should stand up for you—isn't that absurd? If people find out, where will I put my face? Does the Duke of Chu's mansion even care about its reputation?
After he finished speaking, he looked at Jiang Yu, waiting for her answer, but Jiang Yu remained silent, just looking at him quietly, which made him feel pressured.
He coughed and said, "I...I didn't look down on you, I just..."
“Father,” Jiang Yu interrupted him, “my parents paid for Qi Yuanhong’s studies and the imperial examinations. His father wanted to see him get married before he died, so I married him and then observed three years of mourning for his father.”
I have been married to him for three years and have done nothing wrong. Yet Qi Yuanhong has climbed up to the Qingshan Marquis's family and wants a divorce. Isn't he ungrateful and faithless?
"Yes, but..."
"The Marquis of Qingshan's family knows that Qi Yuanhong is already married, yet they still want to marry their daughter to him," Jiang Yu said, her gaze both firm and sharp as she looked at Jiang Chengye.
"Su Yuezhen, the fourth young lady of the Qingshan Marquis's Mansion, even stood in front of me and clamored for Qi Yuanhong to write me a letter of divorce. Later, she even wanted to burn me to death."
“Father,” Jiang Yu looked into Jiang Chengye’s eyes and asked, “Isn’t this the Qingshan Marquis’s Mansion using its power to oppress people and disregard human life?”
"Yes...but..."
“There are no buts,” Jiang Yu said. “It is Qi Yuanhong who is ungrateful and faithless. It is the Qingshan Marquis’s family who abused their power and disregarded human life. It is their fault, not mine. How can I be shameful? Shouldn’t they be the ones who should be shameful, condemned, and despised?”
"You...you...that's not how things are supposed to be." Jiang Chengye was speechless after being questioned by Jiang Yu, but he still forced himself to find a reason.
"Then how should we discuss this?" Lu Yifang strode out of the house, her eyes red and swollen, clearly having cried.
“Zhu’er is right, it’s their fault, they are the ones who should be condemned and despised.” She looked at Jiang Chengye and said:
"They even want to burn my Pearl alive! This is outrageous! This matter absolutely cannot be left like this. If necessary, we'll let the Emperor and the Empress Dowager judge it. Don't say that Pearl's divorce is shameful to you; you've already lost all face yourself."
Jiang Chengye felt extremely embarrassed that his wife had said such things to him in front of their child. He gritted his teeth and said, "Where did you learn to be such a shrew?"
Lu Yifang snorted, "Am I wrong? You're in your forties, and you're not doing anything productive. All you do all day is patronize actresses and gossip. Aren't you ashamed? At your age, you've accomplished nothing. Aren't you ashamed?"
"you....."
Lu Yifang had never spoken to him like that before. When Jiang Chengye heard these words, his face turned red with anger, and he raised his hand to slap Lu Yifang.
Jiang Yu immediately stepped in front of Lu Yifang, looking at Jiang Chengye with a cold gaze and said, "Father, you're a bully at home, and you only know how to vent your anger on your wife and daughters. Aren't you ashamed?"
“You…you guys…” Jiang Chengye pointed at Jiang Yu and Lu Yifang, gritting his teeth as he said, “Fine, fine, I’m not going to get involved in this anymore.”
Lu Yifang snorted coldly, "I never expected you to interfere in the first place."
Jiang Chengye gritted his teeth, pointed at the two of them, and then strode away. After he disappeared, Lu Yifang collapsed into Jiang Yu's arms.
She was raised with the traditional virtues of obedience to father, husband, and son, and has been married to Jiang Chengye for over twenty years. She has never scolded him like she did just now, nor has she ever said anything harsh to him.
Jiang Yu gently patted her back to calm her down for a while, then helped her into the house. The two sat on the brocade couch, and Lu Yifang wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, saying, "My daughter and I are both unfortunate, having met the wrong people."
Jiang Yu poured her a glass of water and listened as she continued, "Back then, I was bewitched by his face and insisted on marrying him. As a result, I hardly had a single good day after we got married."
Six months after their marriage, he started bringing concubines home one after another. Your grandfather recommended him for an official position, but after a year, he was framed, and the Duke's mansion almost collapsed as a result. Later, the Duke ordered him to resign and return home, but he became even more unrestrained, bringing all sorts of women, good and bad, into his bed.
I've endured it all these years, and the kids are all grown up now, so I just pretended he didn't exist. But I never expected that after being missing for so many years, you'd run into something like this again, and instead of standing up for you, he, as your own father, tells you to endure it, and keeps saying that you're shameful to get a divorce. I think he's the one who's shameful.
Thinking of the pent-up frustrations she had felt over the years, Lu Yifang couldn't stop the tears from flowing.
Jiang Yu handed the teacup to Lu Yifang and said, "Mother, just like you said, just pretend he doesn't exist. It's not worth getting angry over someone who doesn't exist."
Lu Yifang took a sip of tea, and the anger in her heart lessened considerably. She said, "I kept thinking about what you told me last night, and I still think you're right. If we're not afraid of what others say about us, they'll gradually stop. The more afraid we are of what they say, the more they'll feel they can use that to attack us. At this point, it's all about who has the thickest skin and who can take things easy."
Jiang Yu smiled, "Mother is right."
Lu Yifang sighed, "I've lived for so many years, and I'm not as open-minded or insightful as you."
“Mother,” Jiang Yu looked at Lu Yifang very seriously and said, “Didn’t I tell you that I’ve already discussed the divorce with Grandfather? Don’t you trust Grandfather as much as I do?”
“Of course I trust the Duke, and I trust you too,” Lu Yifang said, holding her hand. “But as your mother, I should do something for you. I’m just a housewife with no skills, so I can only think of asking your maternal grandfather and uncle to help you.”
When she said this, her eyes and tone were incredibly sincere, which moved Jiang Yu. She patted Lu Yifang's hand and said, "Mother, I can feel your love for me. I know you want to be good to me."
Lu Yifang nodded heavily, and Jiang Yu added, "However, you should leave this matter to me. I will get my revenge for the injustice I suffered. I will definitely tell you when I need your help, my grandfather's help, or my uncle's help."
Looking at her determined gaze, Lu Yifang could only sigh and say, "Alright, but I don't want to hide your situation from your maternal grandparents. They need to know so they can be informed and help you in the future."
Jiang Yu nodded, "I'll talk to them myself."
Seeing how strong she was, Lu Yifang felt a pang of heartache. She reached out and hugged her, tears streaming down her face, and said, "My Zhu'er is so good. If I find out who plotted to kidnap you back then, I will make sure they die."
Jiang Yu leaned against her chest, her eyes flashing slightly. Sure enough, her abduction back then wasn't simple. But this person's methods were exceptionally sophisticated; even a child with the soul of an adult had been abducted.
Furthermore, given the combined strength of the Duke of Chu's mansion and the Marquis of Ningyuan's mansion, the fact that they haven't been able to find out who that person is demonstrates just how well they've hidden themselves.
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