Chapter 122 "Let's get a divorce."
The backyard of the Zhou residence.
The main room, heated by an underfloor heating system, was warm and cozy. The maids and servants, wearing only padded jackets, were sweating profusely, while Lin Qiyu, covered with a fur blanket, still couldn't escape the chill that seemed to seep into her bones.
Since giving birth to her youngest son prematurely last year, even after completing two full postpartum periods, her body has not fully recovered.
It's because I'm getting old, and childbirth has taken a heavy toll on my health.
The thought of Zhou Yanling, who had run away from home more than a year ago and was still missing, made her anger rise even higher.
Not only is his daughter missing, but his son Zhou Wenmo also failed the military examination. Furthermore, Pei Jingyi publicly criticized him at a banquet last year for being fickle and vindictive. As a result, Zhou Chuan's attempt to use his connections to get him into the military camp of his former comrades was repeatedly thwarted and eventually came to nothing.
Seeing that the path of learning martial arts and joining the army was not going to work, and that Zhou Wenmo was not good at studying, what kind of future could he possibly have?
...It's all Zhou Yanyi's fault!
Lin Qiyu cursed inwardly, but outsiders only saw that the Zhou family had been blessed by the heavens, with their daughter marrying into the Marquis's mansion as the wife of the heir. But in the end, did they really benefit?
She completely forgot that when the imperial court thoroughly investigated military officers suspected of treason, Zhou Chuan was also implicated. If Pei Jingyi hadn't spoken up for him and intervened, he might not have been able to keep his fourth-rank general title.
Fuming, Lin Qiyu waited for the maid to carefully bring over the ginseng tea. After taking only one sip, she frowned in displeasure. "It has no ginseng flavor at all. You might as well just give me plain water. Is there no more ginseng from the Northwest in the storeroom?"
"There were some left, but yesterday the master sent someone to collect them, saying he wanted to take them as gifts to his superiors..."
Lin Qiyu's breathing quickened, her chest heaving. She slammed her hand down, knocking over the teacup, and said irritably, "What kind of gift is this? He knows these ginseng roots are for me to nourish my body. Is he trying to make me so angry that I'll have to marry someone else?!"
Since Zhou Chuan's career prospects were dashed, their relationship was no longer what it used to be.
Lin Qiyu complained that he couldn't even choose sides properly, and that he dared to accept favors from anyone. Zhou Chuan, in turn, accused her of mistreating her eldest daughter, saying that if she hadn't been such a failure as a stepmother, Yan Yi wouldn't have become estranged from her family.
They have a small argument every three days and a big argument every five days.
In addition, her youngest son is at a very troublesome age. Although she has a wet nurse to take care of him, Lin Qiyu does not dare to completely let go of him. She is exhausted every day and finds herself increasingly restless.
Hearing the ear-piercing noise from next door, the cacophony of screams and shouts only made Lin Qiyu more agitated. She pulled the blanket over herself and fanned herself a couple of times before asking, "Mother Li has been at the Marquis's residence for a while now, why hasn't she returned yet?"
Last year, the Bai family's New Year's gifts were not delivered to the mansion. At first, she thought they were delayed on the way. When she sent someone out to inquire, she found out that they had directly taken several cartloads of things to the Marquis's mansion.
Lin Qiyu was hoping that Yan Yi would be perceptive enough to send half back as a sign of filial piety, but not only did he not send it back, his interactions with the Zhou family became increasingly distant throughout the year, making it impossible to tell that the two families were related by marriage.
Enraged, she wrote to her family, asking her cousin, who was married to the youngest son of the Northwest Provincial Administration Commissioner, to whisper sweet nothings in his ear and squeeze every last drop of profit from the Bai family's business, forcing them to submit.
Unexpectedly, the Bai family was also stubborn. After all, they were a large family that had been operating in the area for decades and had deep roots. They actually gritted their teeth and persevered.
This year, Lin Qiyu estimated that the date was approaching, so she specially sent people to stake out near the North Gate, determined to intercept the Bai family's New Year's gifts no matter what.
The Bai family was very generous. She kept the best ginseng and deer antler for herself to nourish her body, and she could also sell the rest of the good stuff in the shop to recoup her costs. In short, it was a source of income.
Military families naturally have higher expenses, and neither Zhou Chuan nor Lin Qiyu are wealthy or good at managing their businesses. It is no exaggeration to say that half of the Zhou family's expenses over the years have come from subsidies from the Bai family and the assets she secretly siphoned off from Yan Yi's mother's dowry.
Now that this fat sheep is about to fly away with her eldest daughter who has grown up, how could Lin Qiyu not be anxious?
Just as she was pondering whether to send someone out to look for her, how could this Li Mama possibly get lost after going to the Marquis's residence?
The maid pushed open the curtain, letting in a gust of cold air, and quickly reported, "The eldest young lady and the second young mistress of the Marquis's mansion have arrived with the Bai family's uncle and aunt. And..."
"what else?"
The maid's voice was even lower, "And Mama Li, she was brought back tied up."
Lin Qiyu was both shocked and furious. Li's mother had come to invite people on her behalf. How dare Zhou Yanyi?
Before anyone could react, a petite figure entered the room first, looked around, and smiled mockingly at Lin Qiyu: "The furnishings in this room look so familiar. I thought our Bai family's aunt had come back to life."
Lin Qiyu immediately guessed that the strange woman was Bai Ruixuan's wife and Yan Yi's aunt.
It is said that she also berated the servants sent by the Zhou family to receive the New Year's gifts in the street, showing no regard for the reputation of the General's Mansion.
Lin Qiyu had never looked down on the Bai family, let alone Su Huize, a merchant's wife. Being ridiculed like this, she instantly snapped, "Insolence! Who do you think you are, daring to yell at me like that?"
"If I remember correctly, the Zhou and Bai families are related by marriage, right? People from my mother's family are naturally honored guests in the mansion."
Yan Yi walked in unhurriedly, sat down by herself, and then ordered the maids in Lin Qiyu's room to serve tea and snacks.
His attitude was natural and composed.
Lin Qiyu snorted coldly: "It's different for the young lady now that she's the wife of the heir. Should I, her mother, kneel down and pay my respects to her?"
"Madam, are you trying to set a trap for my sister-in-law again and ruin her reputation?"
Shen Lingyue wasn't just there to watch the drama unfold; she was also going to be Yan Yan's most loyal lackey (just kidding).
Lin Qiyu was speechless and turned pale. She clenched her fists and held back, then turned her attention to Bai Ruixuan and his wife, saying sarcastically, "So Uncle knows that our two families are related by marriage? I thought that the Bai family had climbed up the high branch of the Marquis's mansion and looked down on my General."
"Pah, you surnamed Lin, how dare you, a stepmother, act so high and mighty in front of us?"
Su Hui had long been fed up. In previous years, Bai Ruixuan would be given the cold shoulder by the Zhou family when he came to deliver New Year's gifts. Even the gatekeeper dared to give him a hard time. She remembered every single one of them.
She pointed to several items in Lin Qiyu's room and counted them one by one, "These are all part of our eldest aunt's dowry. They are clearly written on the dowry list. Logically, they should have been sent to the Marquis's mansion along with Yan Yi long ago. How come they are placed in your room so openly? You shameless thief!"
Lin Qiyu looked slightly awkward for a moment, but then forced a defense: "What dowry list? I don't know anything about it. When Yan Yi got married last year, I returned all of Madam Bai's things to her long ago. Don't make false accusations."
Yan Yi said calmly, "That's because the dowry list that Madam gave me last year was forged later. You relied on your more than ten years of managing the household to quietly turn my mother's dowry into the Zhou family's property. But a fake is a fake. Madam, don't you know whose property those shops in the south of the city and that paddy field in the suburbs really belong to?"
"So, the young master's wife is here to bring up old grievances?" Lin Qiyu gritted her teeth. "Yes, your mother's dowry was very generous, but in the years she was still alive, she had to take care of you and supplement the household expenses, so it was almost all spent. On what grounds do you accuse me of tampering with it?"
"Then let's report it to the authorities."
Yan Yi, too lazy to argue with her, calmly said, "My mother was married off from the Northwest. The Bai family and the local government have copies of her dowry list. Please, Madam, bring out the Zhou family's expense ledgers for the past twenty years. The Bai family and the Marquis's mansion have no shortage of capable accountants. Let's check them one by one to see exactly where my mother's dowry went."
Shen Lingyue chimed in from the side, "Tsk, the second wife mistreats the first wife's daughter and embezzles the first wife's dowry. I think Shuntian Prefecture would be very happy to join in this fun, wouldn't you say?"
"Are you crazy?" Lin Qiyu's eyes widened, exasperated. "For such a trivial matter, you're going to take your own family to court? Aren't you ashamed?!"
"Thieves and robbers don't feel ashamed, so what do I, as the victim, have to be afraid of?"
Yan Yi's gaze remained fixed on her, refusing to back down even a step. "Anyway, I don't care. It's up to you and General Zhou to decide."
Last year, before she got married, she had no one she could rely on and no family to help her. Even though she knew that Lin Qiyu had tampered with her birth mother's dowry, she was powerless to do anything about it and could only endure it for the time being and try to escape the quagmire of the Zhou family as soon as possible.
Now she has established herself firmly in the Marquis's mansion, her family affairs are going smoothly and harmoniously, and she has even successfully resumed ties with the Bai family.
If Lin Qiyu hadn't been so greedy, repeatedly using the Bai family's money bag as her own, Yan Yi would have long forgotten to settle these accounts with her.
Su Hui then magically produced a miniature abacus from her sleeve and began to calculate rapidly.
"The dividends the Zhou family takes from the Bai family's business every year... the silk shop and pawnshop that my eldest aunt brought as part of her dowry... the profits from the eight hundred acres of paddy fields outside the city..."
Finally, a number was announced that made Lin Qiyu's vision go black.
Su Hui raised her head, a half-smile on her face: "So, after all this time, your Zhou family is entirely dependent on us? Madam Lin, it's one thing if you don't treat our Yan Yi like a god of wealth, but I heard that she used to be starving and freezing at home, and you would often send her to the estate to reflect on her mistakes..."
Her eyes darted around, and she stepped forward to snatch the wolf-skin blanket that Lin Qiyu was draped over herself, saying sternly, "This is obviously made of wolf skin from the Northwest desert. It was specially sent by our family to Yan Yi to keep warm, but it ended up on you!"
A chill swept over her instantly, and Lin Qiyu shivered, feeling a sense of shame as if her face had been ripped off. Disregarding her dignity, she roared at Yan Yi, "Don't think you're so great just because you have the Bai family backing you up! Go ahead and report me to the authorities! Let's see if the Zhou family is the one who loses face, or you, the wife of the heir!"
It's a fight to the death; nobody's going to get away with it!
Lin Qiyu had figured it out, so she let Yan Yi make a scene. If things got out of hand, it would be a disgrace for her as the wife of the heir apparent. Then she could see how the other noble families would laugh at her!
"Who said Yan Yi only has the Bai family backing her up?"
The curtain shook violently twice, and before the maids in the courtyard could announce it, Meng Wanyin and Pei Yuzhen helped the Grand Madam in, one on each side.
Yan Yi's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she quickly stood up to greet them, "Grandmother, Mother, Aunt, what's wrong...?"
Meng Wanyin explained, "I heard that Uncle Bai came to visit today, and I was even waiting to invite them to have dinner at the mansion. But when I inquired, I found out that you had returned to the Zhou family."
When Lin Qiyu sent her stewardess to cause trouble, Si Xiang overheard the whole thing and immediately told Meng Wanyin everything when asked.
Just then, Pei Yuzhen came to Meng Wanyin to get something. Upon hearing this, she was alarmed and immediately asked the Grand Madam for help. The three of them rushed over as fast as they could.
Pei Yuzhen first rolled her eyes at Lin Qiyu, then loudly berated Yan Yi: "You are now the wife of the heir of our Marquis's mansion, how dare you let just any Tom, Dick, or Harry come and yell at us? Do you really think our Pei family is easy to bully?"
Yan Yi pursed her lips and lowered her head, her attitude gentle: "Auntie is right to reprimand me."
...It has to be said that Pei Yuzhen's attitude of looking down on everyone and treating everyone equally is absolutely deadly when dealing with outsiders.
Pei Yuzhen was smug, with an air of "I'm here to argue today."
As for the Dowager Madam, needless to say, her personal visit to the Zhou family already represented the Marquis's attitude.
This is the granddaughter-in-law who recreated her wedding anniversary painting with the old Marquis and worked together to bring down her mortal enemy. How could she let a stepmother bully her?
The Pei family women arrived in a large and imposing manner. Despite the fact that this was the Zhou family's residence, Lin Qiyu's room, they squeezed her so much that she had nowhere to stand, as if she were an outsider.
Lin Qiyu was so angry that her face twitched and she couldn't say a word.
How could this be? Does the Pei family value her that much?
Su Hui hadn't expected that their trip to the Zhou family to settle scores would alarm several elders of the Marquis's mansion. She quickly pulled Bai Ruixuan forward to greet them one by one, her attitude extremely respectful.
Lin Qiyu was even more surprised to see that the Dowager Lady of the Marquis's Mansion not only did not look down on the Bai couple, but even held Su Huize's hand and spoke to her in a friendly manner, inviting the couple to stay in the guest courtyard of the Marquis's Mansion.
Pei Yuzhen quickly learned the whole story from Su Huize, slammed the abacus on the table, and said to Lin Qiyu, "Now that the accounts are settled, quickly return all of our mother-in-law's dowry!"
That's a huge sum of money! She felt sorry for Yan Yi and insisted on getting every last penny back!
While Lin Qiyu was still in a daze, Pei Yuzhen had already started to get to work, rolling up her sleeves and asking Su Huize, "What in this room belongs to Madam Bai?"
Judging by their posture, the two of them could empty the house before she even nodded.
Lin Qiyu frantically winked at her trusted maid: Hurry up and go to the front yard to find Zhou Chuan!
"A nine-ounce, nine-layered filigree phoenix crown, a pair of Khotan jade bracelets, a Persian cat's-eye necklace, and this Hetian jade pillow, a cloisonné mirror with lotus scrolls..."
Pei Yuzhen ransacked Lin Qiyu's dressing case as if she were ransacking it, then held up a cat's-eye necklace and waved it at Yan Yi: "Niece-in-law, can I borrow this for a couple of days?"
Yan Yi: ...Suddenly I realized that my aunt has quite a talent for raiding homes?
Just as the house was ransacked and in complete disarray, Zhou Chuan finally arrived, sweating profusely. He greeted the Grand Madam as soon as he entered, then turned and glared at Yan Yi: "What are you doing now, child? We're all family, why do you have to be so calculating and petty?"
"Since Mrs. Lin entered the family, have you ever treated me as one of your own?"
Yan Yi looked at him calmly, "Back then, you coveted my mother's beauty and the Bai family's wealth, forcing my maternal grandfather to marry off his daughter. But after my mother actually married into the family, you got tired of her within a few years and felt that the Bai family was just a merchant family and could not help you in your career."
"My mother married far away to the capital, but you treated her coldly and neglected her, not even coming home for months at a time. She was so worried that she died young. But what about you? You couldn't wait to marry your colleague's sister. You're so loving and affectionate that anyone who didn't know better would think that my mother forced you to marry her."
Yan Yi's voice wasn't loud, but every word pierced Zhou Chuan's heart, forcing him to awkwardly look away and not dare to meet his daughter's gaze.
"Do you think that the reason I and the Zhou family have ended up like this is entirely because of my stepmother's years of mistreatment?"
Yan Yi changed the subject, glanced at Lin Qiyu, and curled her lips in a mocking smile, "But if it weren't for your neglect and indulgence, would she dare to treat me like this? As the head of the family, as the 'father,' you are the source of all this."
Although Bai Shi has passed away, as long as Zhou Yanyi is alive, she is clear evidence that it was Zhou Chuan who was greedy and lustful, a stain on his reputation.
Zhou Chuan finally lost his temper and, disregarding the presence of the Dowager Madam, he hissed at Yan Yi: "Unfilial daughter! You really are just like your mother, stubborn as a bone! I am your own father, how dare you criticize me like this?"
He was well aware that Bai Shi had been forced into marriage by him, but he was young and impetuous at the time and wanted to live a good life with her, but Bai Shi refused.
Like Yan Yi, she appeared gentle but was actually very opinionated and strong-willed. Even though she was respectful to him on the surface and treated him as her husband, Zhou Chuan could always sense that she looked down on him and even despised him deep down.
He deliberately suppressed and neglected her, wanting her to accept her fate and to obediently become his wife.
But Bai would rather outlive him than yield to him.
Later, Zhou Chuan met Lin Qiyu. It was her enthusiasm and initiative that helped him regain his dignity as a man. They couldn't wait to get married and acted very loving and sweet in front of others, as if this would make him forget his previous failed marriage.
He didn't want to see Yan Yi again, didn't want her to constantly remind him that he was a bastard who took advantage of others, and even wished she would disappear. Therefore, even though he knew that Lin Qiyu was deliberately making things difficult for his stepdaughter, he only gave her a few words of reprimand and never took any real action or made any compensation.
Now that Yan Yi has revealed these hidden thoughts to everyone, Zhou Chuan, like Lin Qiyu, has completely broken down.
"You unfilial child!" Zhou Chuan roared, his face flushed with rage, pointing at Yan Yi. "Don't forget your mother's memorial tablet is still in the Zhou family ancestral hall. You've been my daughter all your life! How dare you disobey your parents..."
"Since you, Father-in-law, dislike your mother-in-law and wife so much, why don't you get a divorce?"
The curtain moved again, and Pei Jingyi strode in, covered in snow and wind, his brows and eyes frosty. He forcefully shielded Yan Yi behind him and repeated himself.
"Please have my father-in-law write a divorce agreement, which my wife will sign and affix her seal on his behalf. From now on, my mother-in-law will have no further connection with the Zhou family."
Zhou Chuan's pupils constricted, and he blurted out, "The person has been dead for so many years, how can we get a divorce?"
Pei Jingyi glanced at Lin Qiyu indifferently, just in time to catch the fleeting smugness on her face. A slight smile played on his lips: "Anyway, Father-in-law and Madam Lin are deeply in love; they'll probably share the same bed after death. This will make room for you two."
Zhou Chuan clenched his fist, then looked past Pei Jingyi to find Yan Yi's gaze, his voice trembling slightly: "Is that what you think too? Let me remind you, you are now a member of the Pei family. Do you intend to take your mother's memorial tablet to the Marquis's ancestral hall? There is no such rule in this world!"
Su Hui tugged at Bai Ruixuan's sleeve, and her uncle, whose mind had suddenly been sharpened, immediately shouted, "I can send my eldest sister back to the Northwest and bury her in the Bai family ancestral graveyard!"
Over the years, Old Master Bai has been regretting that he shouldn't have sacrificed his eldest daughter's happiness for the so-called official-business alliance, causing her to die young.
If we could send my eldest sister's remains back to the Northwest for burial, the old man would probably be even happier.
Pei Jingyi's eyes softened, and he nodded gently to Bai Ruixuan: "Thank you, Uncle. However, the Northwest is thousands of miles away from the capital, and it would be inappropriate to disturb my mother-in-law's spirit. Besides, I think my mother-in-law would not want to be too far away from her daughter."
He looked down at Yan Yi and suggested, "Why don't we move my mother-in-law's spirit tablet to Shangqing Temple and have it enshrined with my mother at the Sea Lantern for Rebirth? Maybe the two of them can keep each other company and talk to each other."
With his wide sleeves concealing his movements, he gently took Yan Yi's hand and held it in his palm.
Yan Yi gazed into his focused eyes, which were filled with her image.
She nodded, "Okay, I'll do whatever you say."
If Madam Bai were truly alive, she would surely be willing to completely sever ties with Zhou Chuan.
With her and Pei Jingyi, and their children, her lineage will not be broken, and she will not be forgotten.
...
Zhou Chuan didn't understand how things had developed to this point.
Yan Yi would rather give up the property that Lin Qiyu had embezzled over the years than let him divorce Bai Shi.
"Either we go to court and our father-daughter relationship is severed, or I take my mother away. You choose one."
Zhou Chuan had no choice but to sign and affix his seal to the divorce agreement written by Pei Jingyi himself.
Pei Jingyi accompanied Yan Yi to the ancestral hall, where he personally took out Bai's memorial tablet and carefully wrapped it in cloth.
While they were waiting to come out, Shen Lingyue took Meng Wanyin's arm and whispered, "Was it you who sent someone to inform my elder brother?"
Meng Wanyin nodded shyly: "I was just thinking it better to be prepared..."
"Mother is wise!" Shen Lingyue gave her a thumbs up.
With Pei Jingyi's arrival, it seemed like their whole family had someone to back them up.
Only Pei Yuzhen, clutching a bundle of jewelry and artifacts she had looted from Lin Qiyu's room, was still somewhat unwilling, saying, "So much silver, are you just going to throw it away like that?"
Su Hui coughed lightly, suppressing a laugh as she explained, "That's the total revenue from the past ten years or so. The Zhou family simply can't come up with that. They might even end up fighting to the death. It's better to take this opportunity to cut ties cleanly."
To be honest, the Bai family didn't really care about this money; all they wanted was to get rid of the Zhou family, this bloodsucker.
Bai Ruixuan, however, couldn't help but glance at Pei Yuzhen several times.
Why does this in-law's aunt look so short of money? What happened to the noble lady from the Marquis's family?
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Author's Note: One update tonight. Also, I checked the giveaway rules. Although the draw is tomorrow, the subscription statistics seem to end at midnight tonight. Good luck everyone! [rose emoji]
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