Chapter 17, Divorce Agreement
Yu An's expression was not very pleasant as she was preoccupied with what Xu's mother had said. Ji Jinghe was right beside her, but her thoughts were wandering far away.
From the time I got married until now, these two short months have been incredibly agonizing every day.
If we said we couldn't go on, now is the time when we can't go on.
Ji Jinghe called her twice, but seeing that she was still absent-minded, he heard her ask after a long while, "When did you and Miss Xu meet?"
It was already dusk, time to prepare dinner. The two chatted as they walked toward the half-acre courtyard.
Ji Jinghe paused for a moment, then said, "About seven or eight years."
At this point, Ji Jinghe roughly understood her dejected appearance, so he explained, "We met because of our teacher, nothing else. She's not much older than me. When we were studying under our teacher, she was with us all the time, and we got to know each other over time. She's just a scholar with a strong sense of pride, so please don't take her words to heart or misunderstand them..."
"Okay, I understand." Yu'an didn't know what he was trying to say, but he kept praising her, making it hard for her to listen to another word.
She's human too. How would he feel if she praised another man in front of him?
Of course, he didn't care about her, so he had no feelings about her.
"Let's hurry up and eat first."
Yu An felt that her emotions were showing, and her abrupt addition made people think that she was trying to hide something.
She landed halfway down, and Ji Jinghe couldn't turn his head to look at her, so he could only pretend not to know and quickly walk a few steps into the door.
The servants filed in and placed the food on the table. Ji Jinghe scrutinized the expression on Yu An's face.
Although she wasn't crying, her eyes were brimming with a faint glimmer of tears, as if they would fall at the slightest breeze. The corners of her mouth were also tugged down, giving her a look of utter despair.
Now that his misunderstanding with Chu Xingjian had been cleared up, he regarded her as a proper wife of the Ji family and naturally did not want to see her angry over such a trivial matter. Taking advantage of the break, he added, "Aside from my teacher's kindness, I have no other connection with the Xu family, and I have no relation to Xu Jingshu either. From now on, you will be the mistress of the family and cannot waste your time on trivial matters..."
Ji Jinghe talked on and on, always in that old-fashioned tone, which made Yu An feel increasingly frustrated and sad. After the two intertwined, all that was left was a sore nose.
She gripped her chopsticks tightly, took a bite of fresh chili pepper, perhaps absentmindedly, or perhaps out of pity for her discomfort, which caused her to choke and shed tears.
This time, Yu An coughed so badly that she covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief and ran away. After a while, she turned back inside and blocked Ji Jinghe's way before he could even ask her a question.
"Grandpa, please eat quickly."
The meal was even more somber than usual. It was as if she was deliberately avoiding him. After finishing her meal, she called for water and went to the washroom to wash up, and didn't come out for a full hour.
Ji Jinghe was sitting at his desk handling official business when dusk was falling when Qingque hurriedly knocked on the door and came in.
He glanced at it and asked in a deep voice, "Was the stuff sent to Jiuwan Mountain?"
Qingque: "I have sent them all to Miss Xu. Magistrate Cui has not said anything."
Ji Jinghe sighed, his heart sinking. Ultimately, it was their business, and he had no right to interfere.
Qingque approached and lowered her voice, saying again, "A major incident has occurred in the court. Lord Zhang urgently needs you and requests that you come to the palace immediately..."
Ji Jinghe's hand, which was holding a pen, suddenly stopped, and the nonchalant look in his eyes when he was listening to the news vanished instantly.
He looked up at Qingque, his eyebrows slightly raised, his previously relaxed jawline tightening, leaving only the corners of his mouth pressed into a straight line...
When Yu An came out, her eyes were steamed into peach shapes. Fortunately, Ji Jinghe had already left, so she was left alone in the room.
As Baozhu was sorting out the summer clothes from the storeroom, she saw Yu'an sitting at her desk writing something. She thought the young lady had come to her senses and said with a smile, "Since you got married, you've rarely touched a pen and ink. Today is the first time. But it's late, so be careful with your eyes."
She stepped forward with the candlestick, adjusted the wick, and glanced unintentionally at the things in Yu An's hands, only then did she see the words "Divorce Agreement".
"Girl! What's wrong with you...?"
Yu An remained silent, quietly writing the last few words, then signing his name and pressing his fingerprint.
A written agreement in black and white, a fingerprint as proof, cannot be faked.
Once the ink had dried, Yu'an folded the divorce papers and placed them under the paperweight. Her heart returned to its original place, as if she had never seen Ji Jinghe.
Baozhu asked anxiously, "Miss, are you really sure?"
Yu An sighed deeply, "It's all torture in the end, so it's better to end it sooner and leave this place. I'll have my own future to look forward to."
Things that cannot be forced should be let go of.
"I'll explain things to him when he comes back tomorrow. Once Dad returns in a while, the matter will be resolved."
Yu'an instructed, "Since you have nothing to do these days, pack your things carefully. Leave the house the way you came in, and don't take a single thing more than you need."
It's easier said than done.
It was ultimately a matter between two families. To divorce less than three months after getting married would be quite unsightly. Baozhu expressed her concerns, but Yu'an was already prepared.
If she just asks, Ji Jinghe will definitely agree. At most, he will worry about the Ji family's reputation and postpone the divorce for a few months. Given enough time, they will definitely be able to get a clean break.
As for Shen Qiulan, she will only listen to Ji Jinghe.
Just as Xu's mother said, in this vast Ji family mansion, no one could bear to part with her, and no one cared about her at all.
Despite all their careful planning, they overlooked Ji Jinghe's actions. Since that night, Ji Jinghe has never returned home.
Two days had passed, and Yu An had just returned from visiting Chu Zhuo An when news of the devastation arrived.
The message was delivered by the steward who always served Chu Xingjian, who had almost died trying to get it.
"Miss, something has happened. While the master was inspecting Xuanfu, he was ordered by the Emperor to be arrested and brought to the capital. He has now been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison."
Yu An's heart skipped a beat. "Why? Did Father do something wrong...?"
The steward shook his head, panting heavily, and said, "I don't know. The Imperial Guard who handled the matter wouldn't reveal anything, only showing me the travel permit approved by the Directorate of Ceremonial. I had to run all night and wear out two horses to get back. The young master is young and inexperienced, so the master is counting on you, young lady."
Did my father give me any instructions before he passed away?
The only thing Yu'an could think of was the old story related to Xu Yun. This must not have suddenly happened today. Chu Xingjian was always thoughtful. If Yu'an had any directions Chu Xingjian pointed out, she could help him.
The steward said, "Time is of the essence, and the master has no time to say anything. Now we'll see if the young lady can ask the young master for help; it will surely make things much easier."
Ji Jinghe...
Her father was the prime suspect in the murder of his teacher; he hated him so much he wouldn't help her—it was a pipe dream…
Yu'an: "If I ask my father's uncles and aunts who are on good terms with him, would they be able to help?"
The steward knelt down and bowed his head. “Miss, such a commotion is no small matter. I’m slow and it took me two days to report to you. But not everyone in the capital is like me. I’m afraid the news had already spread yesterday. People are always looking out for themselves. If you really had connections, how could you only find out from me now?”
That won't work.
Yu'an asked Baozhu to help the steward up, and tried her best to calm herself down and carefully consider all the rumors she had heard in the past month.
Ji Jinghe, being in the imperial court, couldn't possibly be unaware of this, yet he never mentioned it to her. One could say he was afraid of alerting the enemy. But what about her father? Was he underestimating the enemy? Chu Xingjian, always cautious, wouldn't be so indifferent.
Now that the truth has come out, it can only be said that someone has obtained solid evidence, causing the Emperor to become thoroughly suspicious.
Living a secluded life, she had little say in matters of the court. Regardless of the distance between her and Ji Jinghe, she had to give it her all.
Yu An arranged for the steward to return to his residence, then changed into her outer robes and went to Wanfang Courtyard. Ji Jinghe had left suddenly that day without leaving a single word, so for the past two days, she had no idea where Ji Jinghe had gone, and could only inquire with Shen Qiulan.
Baozhu: "Madam has always looked down on us. Will she speak to us about this when you go, young lady?"
The sun was blazing outside, and Yu'an walked very fast. By the time she arrived at Wanfang Courtyard, her forehead was already covered in sweat: "My mother-in-law has to consider the Chu family's reputation, so I have to help her out."
Perhaps because it was noon, there were no servants in the courtyard. In addition, Yu'an and her servant walked lightly, so no one inside heard any noise. Just like many days ago, when Yu'an was about to knock on the door, she heard Shen Qiulan's voice inside discussing something.
"...Is the news reliable? Is the Chu family really finished?" Shen Qiulan asked.
The old nanny standing nearby said, "The news is accurate. Grand Secretary Chu has been imprisoned in the Imperial Prison. I heard that His Majesty is seriously ill and handed the case over to Prince Qi early on. Just now, I sent a servant from the manor to inquire. The Embroidered Uniform Guard found two boxes of gold in the Chu family's kitchen and sent them to the palace."
Two boxes of gold, just now... What will Zhuo'er do at home? Yu'an suppressed the turmoil in her heart and continued to listen.
Shen Qiulan was startled, "So fast?"
"In my opinion, the Chu family has brought this upon themselves and has been targeted. They will likely never recover, while the Xu family's bright days are just around the corner."
After a moment of silence, Shen Qiulan's voice rang out again: "Fortunately, I had the foresight to test the waters when the Xu family came two days ago. They were interested in marrying Xu Jingshu to Jinghe. I think it would be better to take this opportunity to divorce Chu Shi. We can bear the infamy, but if Chu Xingjian really gets accused of framing Xu Yun, how will Jinghe face the world? Can he say that he married the daughter of his teacher's murderer?"
"I wonder if the young master is willing... After all, divorcing one's wife less than three months after marriage would really damage the young master's reputation if word got out."
Shen Qiulan disagreed, "What's there to fear? Just pick one of the seven grounds for divorce and it'll be resolved. The important thing is whether we can find Jinghe a wife he'll be satisfied with. As for the Chu family, they shouldn't blame us for being heartless. Who told her to have such a troublesome father? How could such a thing happen to the Prime Minister..."
“Jinghe will definitely listen to me this time. How could I not know what my son is thinking? He has feelings for the Xu family's daughter, but he's been held back by someone…”
“If he truly cared about that Chu family, he would have told her about Chu Xingjian two days ago. Why is he out all day and hasn’t come home? The people at Banmu Courtyard probably don’t even know the news yet.” Shen Qiulan sighed. “In my opinion, he should just give Ji Jinghe a letter of divorce and marry someone else…”
A note from the author:
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My darlings, get ready! After this week's update, I'll probably be on hiatus for a week. I need to build up my collection for the Star Show event. Once that's done, I should be back to daily updates and going VIP status. Thank you all so much for your support!
Don't worry, even when I'm not updating, I'll still have drafts saved up to live up to everyone's support. [heart][heart][heart]
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