Chapter 44: Some Perverted Fetishes
Zhao Xian was unaware that Jiang Liangxu also knew the whole story and was still coaxing Li Lianniang.
After much hesitation, Li Lianniang hesitated and dared not look at Zhao Xian, but she still mustered her courage and said, "If, if Mother has no other choice, then let my husband divorce Lianniang. We cannot let the reputation of the entire Jiang family be ruined because of Lianniang alone."
The Crown Prince of Yu was the emperor's nephew and the empress dowager's grandson.
Last time, the brother and sister framed their brother-in-law. When the person behind it was exposed, they were only confined to their quarters because the other party was a princess. They did not receive any punishment.
She was worried that this time would be similar.
Even if the Crown Prince of Yu receives only a few mild reprimands from those above, her reputation is already ruined, which will only embarrass the Jiang family as well.
"What nonsense are you talking about? Bullying you is bullying the Jiang family. If we really divorced you because we're afraid of damaging our reputation, then the Jiang family would truly be despicable."
Zhao Xian suddenly thought of the Qian family, Jiang Liangxu's maternal grandfather's group. More than ten years ago, they tried to divorce the original owner of the body under the guise of family. When their first plan failed, they resorted to underhanded tactics.
Thinking of this, Zhao Xian felt a surge of anger welling up in her chest for no apparent reason, but she spoke to Li Lianniang in a gentle yet firm tone:
“We are family, we shouldn’t say such discouraging things. Don’t worry, Mom will handle this.”
These past few days, Li Lianniang had imagined the worst possible outcome. Although her mother-in-law had been extremely kind to her for the past six months, she was still afraid. After all, she had been embraced by another man, and someone had seen it. She didn't know if her mother-in-law would believe her.
Having received a firm answer, the anxiety that had been weighing on her for days finally subsided.
"Go to sleep, don't think too much. Your father-in-law and I are back, we'll handle these things."
Seeing that Li Lianniang had fallen asleep, Zhao Xian was worried that she wasn't sleeping well, so she asked her maid to fetch some calming incense to burn.
After waiting for a long time, until Li Lianniang's breathing became steady and she tucked the blanket around her, Zhao Xian got up and left.
Unexpectedly, when they came out of the house, they saw Jiang Shuxiu being held by her wet nurse.
The moment Jiang Shuxiu saw Zhao Xian, just like her mother, tears instantly streamed down her face. As if she knew her mother was asleep, she cried silently.
Zhao Xian naturally reached out to hug the child, "Don't cry, Grandma will hold you."
Xiujie was born at the end of January, so she's already eight months old. She's quite a heavy baby now.
This body had been pampered and spoiled, and Zhao Xian almost couldn't hold it. She lifted it up by its bottom and carried it to the wing room behind Yunzhu Garden.
Once they were a distance from the main courtyard, they asked the wet nurse, "Why are you carrying Xiu'er out so late?"
The wet nurse hurriedly explained, "When Xiu'er heard the noise, she insisted on coming out to see what was going on. After seeing the madam's sedan chair, she refused to go back."
Peony frowned slightly and scolded, "Nonsense! Xiu'er is so young, she can't even speak properly, how could she order you around? If you're going to lie, at least make it believable. You're clearly just making excuses."
The wet nurse knelt down in fright, "This servant is really not lying. Miss Peony can ask others if it is true."
The maidservant beside her also knelt down, nodding her head like a chick pecking at rice upon hearing this.
Zhao Xian gently stroked Xiu'er's back. After the older one cried, the younger one cried too. Both mother and daughter were made of water. "How did she instruct you? Get up and answer."
After the wet nurse got up, she glanced at Jiang Shuxiu, raised her hand like a child, and pointed as she said, "Sister Xiu is very smart. She knows how to point to the door and recognizes the way. If I don't carry her out, she will get angry or shout loudly, and if she gets angry, she won't let me carry her."
Zhao Xian looked at Jiang Shuxiu, who was crying with her head buried in her shoulder. She was eight months old and could be held upright. She also had a lot more strength.
She seemed to stop crying as the wet nurse recounted the story, but only for a moment.
"Little rascal."
When they arrived at Jiang Shuxiu's room, she was still young and slept with her wet nurse.
Zhao Xian tried to put her down, but the little hand gripped her clothes tightly and refused to let go.
Jiang Shuxiu's little face was covered with tears, "Zhu, um, Zhu, um."
Her pronunciation was unclear, and it was impossible to understand what she was saying.
Jiang Shuxiu was extremely anxious. She tried her best to speak, but her pronunciation was not standard and she couldn't utter many words.
Her mother had a very hard life, and her grandmother must believe that her mother was innocent.
“Xiu’er can talk now, that’s amazing.” Peony bent down to look at the child and listened carefully for a while. “Madam, Xiu’er’s voice sounds like she’s calling her grandmother.”
The wet nurse looked on in astonishment: "This is the first time Xiu'er has spoken. I have always taught her to call her father and mother."
"Zhu... um, Ju..." Jiang Shuxiu clutched Zhao Xian's clothes tightly with her small hands, her tearful eyes looking pitifully at Zhao Xian, 'Grandmother, save Mother!'
Although Jiang Shuxiu's speech is still unclear, she is only eight months old. Who would be willing to be harsh on a child who is not even a year old?
Before this, Zhao Xian had observed and discovered that Jiang Shuxiu was very likely reborn, which could be seen from her attitude towards her parents.
The thought that Jiang Shuxiu died at the age of fourteen in the book, and even if she were reborn, she would still be a child, an ungrown child, is unbearable.
“My dear child, Grandma knows your mother has been wronged. Grandma is back. Grandma will beat the bad guys.”
With tears still on her face, Jiang Shuxiu leaned her head on Zhao Xian's shoulder, expressing her feelings through her actions.
"Grow up well." Zhao Xian said these four words very softly.
This awful, abusive novel tortures both the female lead and the children.
The baby was easier to soothe. Although she fussed and wanted her wet nurse to carry her to find Zhao Xian, she was still so small that she fell asleep in no time.
After handing the child to the wet nurse, Zhao Xian returned to Haitang Residence.
Exhausted, her steps were heavy when she entered the house.
Tomorrow we'll have to hear how far the rumors have progressed.
Sitting in front of her dressing table, Zhao Xian was too lazy to do anything, and her maidservants took off her hair ornaments and earrings for her.
The room was carpeted, and the sound of the wheelchair rolling on it was not loud, but it was still hard to ignore. Zhao Xian turned around and saw that Jiang Liangxu had changed his clothes and had already washed up. Knowing the answer, she asked, "Haven't you rested yet?"
"Waiting for Madam."
Zhao Xian squinted at Jiang Liangxu, who looked completely at ease.
Removing her headdress and ornaments, Zhao Xian rose to change her clothes behind the screen. As she passed Jiang Liangxu, she waved to him, silently saying, "Go back to your study. I don't want you waiting."
Jiang Liangxu pretended not to see her movements and lip movements, and said casually, "As for that Prince Yu, I know some things about him."
Zhao Xian paused in her waving motion, "Tell me more."
"Madam, please go change your clothes and wash up first." Seeing that her clothes were soaked, and knowing that it wasn't the height of summer, she should be careful not to catch a cold.
Zhao Xian also felt a chill in her chest.
She was so tired that she almost fell asleep while washing up.
Having managed to get out, Zhao Xian waved for the maids to leave.
She grabbed a cushion from the soft couch and leaned back against it. She was exhausted and yawned lazily, saying, "Tell me about the heir of the Yu King."
Jiang Liangxu placed the book on his lap, looked up at her, and said, "She has changed out of her cumbersome dress and is only wearing her undergarments. She is curled up on the soft couch like a cat, showing off her exquisite figure. In the words of the lady, the Crown Prince of Yu has some perverted fetishes. He likes women who have already married other men, and he especially likes to seduce virtuous women into depravity."
Hearing this, Zhao Xian was no longer so sleepy. "And then he forced her to divorce?"
"No, the woman divorced him, and he lost interest, which led to several deaths."
Zhao Xian sat up. "...This is a bit abnormal. Such a serious matter as a death has occurred, and no one is involved? Even the Emperor doesn't care?"
"King Yu's fief was in Chu Huai City. These things were not spread outside, and not many people knew about them."
Zhao Xian's drowsiness vanished instantly as she suddenly remembered something: in the books where the female protagonist was abusive, after her divorce, the villains would disappear without bothering her, offering no help, or taking her away.
The second male lead, on the other hand, was very dedicated and responsible.
Later, the male and female leads reconciled, and the villain reappeared. In the end, the male lead tricked him into being killed off.
Turns out he's a complete pervert; he only likes married women.
Zhao Xian pursed her lips. She had previously thought that since Li Lianniang hadn't dropped her veil and hadn't been seen by anyone, there were plenty of ways to make a fuss about it, and it wouldn't be difficult to clarify the matter.
But now she doesn't plan to do that anymore.
To suppress one scandal, you usually cover it up with another.
However, some deliberately amplify scandals, and in the end, the truth is muddied and there are so many fish that it doesn't matter who is telling the truth and who is lying. What matters is that the muddy water is dirty and can never be cleaned up.
After discussing the topic of the Crown Prince of Yu, Zhao Xian looked at Jiang Liangxu, who seemed to have no intention of leaving, and asked, "It's getting so late, husband, won't you go back to your study to rest?"
"Going to the study so late will probably lead people to suspect that we are having marital problems. The young lady promised me that even if she got the divorce papers, she would continue to play the role of Mrs. Jiang. Could it be that she is going to abandon me after using me?"
Zhao Xian stood up, bent down slightly to look closer at Jiang Liangxu sitting in the wheelchair, "Lord Jiang, haven't you had enough sleep sleeping on the floor all this way? I'm doing this for your own good."
Jiang Liangxu looked up and met Zhao Xian's gaze. His eyes were soft and pitiful: "But the comfy couch in the study isn't much softer than the floor."
Zhao Xian's expression stiffened slightly. "Then... how about you sleep in the bed tonight?"
"How can I let the young lady suffer from the cold? I'll make do on the floor for the night, or if that's not possible, I can make do on the soft couch."
Zhao Xian narrowed her eyes. Although she felt sorry for him, something seemed off. "Lord Jiang was so busy before that I didn't see him for days and nights. How did you get used to sleeping on the soft couch in the study?"
"There's no other way," Jiang Liangxu said, glancing at his leg. "Once my leg is healed, I'll be very busy after I return to my post, so I won't bother you then. But please don't send me away while I'm recuperating at home, so as not to give people any reason to speculate."
The more Zhao Xian talked, the more guilty she felt. "Your leg injury makes it difficult for you to sleep in the bed. This soft couch isn't even as long as you, it might make things worse."
As for sleeping on the floor, that's unlikely. The marble floors in the mansion are much colder than the wooden floors in the post station. Even if there were carpets, it would be easy to catch a cold when the weather turns cool.
"Thank you for your understanding, Madam."
Zhao Xian wasn't the type to compromise herself. The soft couch, despite its name, wasn't actually that soft; sleeping on it for a night would probably leave her with a sore back.
She climbed into bed first, and the two lay there clearly separated.
Zhao Xian had regained her senses upon hearing about the Crown Prince of Yu, but perhaps due to the fatigue of the journey, her breathing soon returned to normal.
Jiang Liangxu turned to his side, propped his head up with his hand, and looked at the sleeping Zhao Xian. A look of struggle appeared in his eyes.
She has been enthusiastic since childhood, and she was the same when she got married. She was happy about everything and willing to help others.
When did she stop caring about worldly affairs and stop showing kindness?
He thought it was because there were few people in the mansion.
Seeing her rush to care for her eldest daughter-in-law, I realized that she had always been this kind of person.
If you're unhappy, just forget about it; that's fine.
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Author's Note: I was still stuck on the outline even after making it, ughhhh!
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