Divorce Letter (Revised)
After the grand wedding ceremony, Shi Yanqing was supported by the matchmaker and her personal maid, Tan Ye, and entered the bridal chamber.
Zhou Hanzhang did not follow along. He was outside entertaining the guests who came to watch the ceremony. Today, apart from the relatives of the Zhou and Shi families, the rest of the guests were minor officials with little power.
None of the high-ranking officials with whom the Zhou family had a good relationship came.
The Zhou family knows the fickleness of human nature.
After the door was closed, Shi Yanqing put down the wedding fan she had been holding. She rubbed her wrist, stood up and walked around the room, observing the details of the ornaments.
There were many paintings by masters of previous dynasties hanging on the walls, mostly landscapes, and occasionally flowers, birds and animals. The styles were mostly unrestrained and free, which was different from the feeling Zhou Hanzhang gave her.
At this moment, the voice of her personal maid, Tan Ye, came from outside the door: "Miss, the kitchen has prepared a bowl of plain noodles. Would you like some?"
Shi Yanqing remembered that he had only eaten two snacks after getting up, and now his stomach was empty. If he continued to be hungry, it would be harmful to his health, so he immediately said, "Send it in."
After the door was opened, Dan Ye put the case on the table, brought out the Yangchun noodles and placed them in front of Shi Yanqing.
Shi Yanqing didn't like chopped green onions. She picked out the green onions from the noodles one by one and put them in the soup spoon. As she did so, she asked, "How is the situation at home?"
Tan Ye replied, "I was not stopped when I moved around the mansion. After checking around, I found that many of the servants had been dismissed. There are less than ten people left now."
"Have you found anything or anyone that's wrong?" Shi Yanqing asked again.
Dan Ye lowered his head in thought and shook his head, saying, "I didn't find any suspicious people or things. Miss, do you feel that something is wrong?"
"No, I just think it's better to be cautious on the wedding day." After saying that, she didn't continue asking questions, but started eating noodles.
This bowl of noodles tasted very chewy, unlike the ready-made ones bought outside. It must have been made by the cook in the mansion. The cook even fried an egg for her, which was very thoughtful.
Shi Yanqing felt very satisfied and finished the bowl of noodles in a short while.
She asked Dan Ye to clear the dishes away, and she sat in front of the bronze mirror to apply some lip balm, then sat at the head of the bed, leaned her back against the square pillow, closed her eyes and rested.
She hadn't rested for more than five hours since she got up in the morning. Now that she was full and satisfied, she felt sleepy.
But she still remembered that this was the bridal chamber, and woke up after sleeping for half an hour.
At this time, red candles were lit in the house, and the twilight sky could be seen through the half-open windows.
Shi Yanqing raised her hand and wanted to get up, but found a thin quilt covering her body. She was startled and raised her hand to lift the quilt and sat up. She looked to the left and saw Zhou Hanzhang half lying on the couch with his eyes closed to rest.
Without the fan blocking her view, she could clearly see the man's handsome face, with eyebrows and eyes like jade. He was indeed a gentleman.
Seeing that he was resting, Shi Yanqing did not make any noise, but sat on the bed thinking about what to do next.
Tomorrow she will go with Zhou Hanzhang to the place where he was exiled. The exact location is not clear yet, but it must be a poor and miserable place.
I don’t know if the medicinal herbs prepared these days are enough. I will ask Dan Ye to go out and buy some more common medicinal herbs, and prepare a few medical books for those who are interested to copy.
Shi Yanqing thought about this for an unknown amount of time before his thoughts gradually came back to him.
She wanted to see if Zhou Hanzhang had woken up, so she looked towards him, only to meet his starry eyes.
They were both stunned at the same time and looked away.
Shi Yanqing lowered his eyes to calm himself down, wondering in his heart when this person woke up and why he didn't say a word.
On the soft couch, Zhou Hanzhang sat up straight, raised his hand to straighten his slightly messy clothes, and his eyes involuntarily fell on Shi Yanqing.
Although the woman in front of him was not stunningly beautiful, she had pretty eyes and eyebrows, and her every frown and smile gave people a gentle and friendly feeling.
Zhou Hanzhang had just woken up and saw her with her eyes lowered in thought, sometimes showing a happy smile, sometimes frowning in thought, and sometimes with a firm expression.
I was so engrossed in it that I forgot to speak out loud.
But... Zhou Hanzhang suppressed the emotions spreading in his heart, and he got up from the couch.
When Shi Yanqing heard the noise, he looked up and watched him walk towards the desk. He took out a piece of ink-stained paper from a book and walked towards him.
Although she was confused, she stood up and walked towards him.
"Is this a divorce agreement?" After seeing the contents on the paper clearly, Shi Yanqing looked at Zhou Hanzhang in surprise. He felt a little annoyed for a moment, but he suppressed his emotions and slowed down his speech.
"If you didn't want to marry me, you could have refused from the beginning. Now that we're married, you gave me a divorce letter on our wedding night. If others knew about it, they would think I..."
"No," Zhou Hanzhang interrupted Shi Yanqing, looking at her with a sincere gaze and a sincere tone, "After you leave the capital with me, you don't have to go south with me. Find a wealthy county town to live in for a month or so, and then return to the capital to get it."
"This way, even if we get divorced, others won't say anything. That's what you meant." After hearing the explanation, Shi Yanqing quickly understood what Zhou Hanzhang meant. Her anger dissipated and she couldn't help but find it a little funny.
So he reached out and took the divorce letter, tore it open, and then tore it into pieces: "You are a true gentleman. But if we really want to divorce, it should be me who writes it to you."
Seeing Zhou Hanzhang staring at him blankly, Shi Yanqing's tone softened. "It's getting late. You probably didn't eat much at the banquet outside. I'll have someone prepare some food. Think about it carefully."
After saying that, she asked Dan Ye, who was guarding the door, to go outside to buy medicinal herbs and medical books.
There was a servant guarding the door, who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen years old. He smiled at everyone he saw and was very lively.
Shi Yanqing asked him to go to the kitchen to see if there was any boiling water so that he could wash up, and asked him to get some light dishes for Zhou Hanzhang.
After she had arranged everything, she heard Zhou Hanzhang's dull apology from behind her.
"Sorry, I thought it was too simple."
…
The next morning, when Shi Yanqing woke up, Zhou Hanzhang, who was sleeping next to him, was no longer in the room.
She opened her eyes, looked at the unfamiliar bed curtains above the bed, and sighed silently.
Sleeping with a strange man for a night is really a torture!
She covered her eyes with her hands, and the warmth of her palms soothed the tiredness of her eyes.
By the time I got up and washed up, it was already the beginning of the morning.
Shi Yanqing had a quick breakfast and then boarded the carriage with Zhou Hanzhang, heading out of the city. She lifted the curtains and peered out, watching the street vendors recede behind her. She felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of melancholy.
The carriage was traveling on the official road, and the shoulders of the two people bumped into each other from time to time due to the bumpy road. Shi Yanqing didn't think it was a big deal at first, but later it hurt, so he simply leaned his body against the corner and padded his back with thick clothes.
Perhaps her behavior was too direct, Zhou Hanzhang looked apologetic and apologized very sincerely.
"When the carriage reaches the next county, I'll have someone make a pillow. I'll also reinforce the anti-vibration wheels so the carriage won't be too bumpy."
Shi Yanqing smiled and said it was okay. After a while, he asked again, "I got up late this morning and didn't go to offer tea and greet my father and mother. Do you want to make up for it when you rest later?"
I was just following etiquette when I asked, but I saw Zhou Hanzhang looked apologetic again, with a look of regret.
"I'm sorry. I forgot to tell you that your father was exiled to Tianhe County, while I'm in Yunshui County, Nanhai County. As for the other uncles, they were all separated and in different places."
Shi Yanqing only then realized that since Zhou Hanzhang was a third place winner in the imperial examination, he must have become an official in the Hanlin Academy.
She didn't ask for details, but changed the subject.
"I heard from Tan Ye that my younger brother has been studying abroad and just returned to the capital a few days ago. So, is he going to Tianhe County with his father, or is he going to continue studying abroad?"
Zhou Hanzhang's expression softened as he spoke of his younger brother. "Han Gui is accompanying me to Nanhai County. He said there's a great scholar living in seclusion there. If I could become his disciple, my understanding of the scriptures would be greatly enhanced."
"It seems that I have high demands on myself. I am different from my elder brother." Shi Yanqing took over the conversation with a smile.
"Although I've been in Qingshan for years, I've heard of Big Brother's deeds. He was a martial arts champion who won three first prizes in a row. Han Gui certainly can't compare to him."
"Alright, alright, let's stop with the compliments. I'll tell you about the Shi family so that when you see my sisters next time, the gifts they give you will be heartfelt."
Shi Yanqing smiled slightly and recounted the stories of his sisters in his memory one by one.
On the way, the two chatted casually.
They all know each other a little bit.
The scenery outside the capital was vast, full of freedom and wind. As the carriage continued to head south, Shi Yanqing saw more green mountains and clear waters, and a bright future after a dark period.
That day, the carriage passed through a county town. As it was still early and not yet noon, Zhou Hanzhang decided to continue on his journey and find a village to rest before dark.
However, before they left the county town, a servant's cry of surprise was heard outside the carriage.
"Young Master? Young Master! Oh no, the young master has fainted!"
Shi Yanqing, who was reading in the carriage, put down the book the moment he heard the shouting, raised his hand to lift the curtain and jumped down.
Behind her, Zhou Hanzhang jumped off the carriage, and the two of them ran towards the carriage where Zhou Hangui was.
By then, the servant who made the sound looked panic-stricken. He opened the curtain of the carriage and could directly see Zhou Hangui who had fainted inside.
Shi Yanqing had seen him at lunch that morning. Back then, he was full of energy and spirit. But now, his face was pale, his lips were bloodless, and he was leaning against the carriage, breathing weakly, his eyes closed and unconscious.
What kind of disease would occur so quickly? Shi Yanqing secretly matched Zhou Hangui's symptoms with his memory one by one, but found that he had never seen it before.
Zhou Hanzhang was tall and slender. He walked directly into the carriage without stepping on a small stool, sat next to Zhou Hangui, and called his name softly.
The unconscious person still did not respond at all.
After seeing this, Shi Yanqing suddenly asked, "Han Zhang, has this happened to me before?"
"No," Zhou Hanzhang immediately shook his head. He held Zhou Hangui in one hand and tightly grasped the handle of the fan in the other hand. His fingertips were white, which showed how much force he was using.
"Han Gui has practiced martial arts since he was young, and he's always been in good health. He rarely gets sick. This is the first time I've seen him so...weak."
Seeing that he could not get any information, Shi Yanqing stepped on the small stool brought by Dan Ye and got into the carriage.
She placed the tips of three fingers of her right hand lightly on Zhou Hangui's wrist, calmed her mind, and carefully felt the pulse beating like a flood on her fingertips.
She frowned and used the other hand that Zhou Hanzhang had just released to take the patient's pulse. Her fingertips felt weak when she raised them and empty when she pressed them.
"Why is it so strange?" Shi Yanqing murmured. The attack was rapid, the symptoms were strange, and the pulse was strange. She had no treatment at all for the time being. If her master was here, perhaps it could provide some relief.
But the master has passed away...
Shi Yanqing withdrew his hand and looked up to meet Zhou Hanzhang's worried eyes.
She sorted out the tangled thoughts in her mind and spoke in a soothing tone, as gentle as when she treated a patient.
"Han Zhang, my brother's pulse is complicated. I can't figure out the cause of the illness at the moment. Why don't we find an inn for him to lie down and rest."
Zhou Hanzhang knew that Shi Yanqing was a disciple of a medical immortal and her medical skills were among the best in the world. If even she couldn't diagnose his brother's illness, it meant that his brother's condition was extremely critical.
His eyes dimmed and he felt sad for a moment.
"Don't worry, I will cure Hangui."
When Shi Yanqing saw Zhou Hanzhang's grief-stricken eyes, he didn't care about the distance they usually kept, and reached out to hold his hand with some strength.
"Trust me, I will cure Hangui."
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