Chapter 42 Jiang Liangxu: Agreeing and Letting Go, But...
Caught red-handed lying, Zhao Xian panicked for a moment.
Then I felt really awkward. Wasn't it said that I didn't know when my memory would be restored? How come it's suddenly fine?
Faced with Jiang Liangxu's questioning, Zhao Xian felt deeply guilty and anxious, which turned into anger.
She glanced at the divorce papers that had been placed back on the table, but she didn't have the hands to pick them up. She looked at Jiang Liangxu and said, "In that case, let's sign them."
Jiang Liangxu was genuinely amused and exasperated this time. "You signed it without losing your memory?"
After a brief moment of panic, Zhao Xian came to her senses and said confidently, "Then why did you lie to me? You've regained your memories, yet you still won't tell me. There's no trust between us at all. We might as well get a divorce."
This is turning the tables.
Jiang Liangxu suppressed his anger and asked in as gentle a tone as possible, "Why does Madam insist on divorcing me? Have I done something that disgusts Madam? Please enlighten me."
"Let go of me first." Zhao Xian's hands were clasped together, but her wrists were being held tightly by his one hand, which made her very uncomfortable.
Jiang Liangxu did not let go of her and said again, "Madam has not yet told me what wrong I have done to anger you and make you want a divorce."
Zhao Xian sensed a dangerous glint in his eyes. Although he was smiling, it inexplicably made her feel uneasy: "Let go of me first, my hand hurts."
"No, Madam will bully a cripple like me."
"Nonsense, who's bullying whom here?" No matter how much she struggled, her wrist was gripped tightly, and the friction on her wrist was very painful.
The two were deadlocked for a time.
Even though Zhao Xian was pressed into his arms, she wasn't as tall as him. She glanced at his smiling lips unintentionally, then suddenly tilted her head back and kissed him.
Soft lips pressed against his face like clouds. The sudden intimacy startled Jiang Liangxu for a moment, then his tightly pursed lips relaxed, and he returned the kiss.
Zhao Xian deliberately stepped back a little, but he pushed her back by holding her back with his hand.
She had taken the initiative, but he took the initiative, delving deeper into a passionate embrace, their lips and teeth touching, their disordered breaths mingling together.
He slowly released his grip on her wrist and placed his hand on her face.
Zhao Xian's eyelashes trembled slightly, and she forcefully pushed Jiang Liangxu away with both hands, getting up and breaking free.
Rubbing her sore wrist, she glared at him, "You want to know why? Fine, I'll tell you. I'm not your wife. Ever heard of being resurrected?"
As she spoke, she paced back and forth in the room. She wanted to reach for the book that contained her biography, but something felt off.
She hesitated, and she was afraid.
Looking at Zhao Xian's smeared lips, Jiang Liangxu ran his thumb across the corner of her lips, leaving a lipstick mark on his finger. He gently rubbed the mark with his finger. "What do you mean by that, Madam?"
Zhao Xian walked to the table and looked at Jiang Liangxu across the table. She pointed to the teapot on the table: "Your wife, no, this body is like this teapot. There was water inside, and then..."
As she spoke, Zhao Xian tossed a teacup inside and put the lid on: "The teapot is still a teapot, but there's something extra inside. Can you tell from the outside?"
“I’m like that cup, inexplicably entering the teapot, but I’m not the teapot.” Zhao Xian took the cup out: “Even without this teapot, I am still a cup, independent and complete. Do you… understand?”
As Zhao Xian spoke, her expression became confused. The logic was correct, but what about that book?
She didn't even dare to take it out.
Slumped back onto the stool, Zhao Xian looked from the cup to the teapot, then to Jiang Liangxu across from her. "That birth chart book... how did it come about?"
"Jiang Liangxu, are you also dressed up? What's your modern name?"
As she spoke, her tone was filled with anticipation.
“I’m not.” Jiang Liangxu shook his head. “Is it possible that, Madam, you are not a reincarnation, but rather…”
"Impossible, I didn't even know I transmigrated into a book." Zhao Xian's voice was a little loud, trying to cover something up with her loud voice.
“But those were all things my wife told me. She told me to remind you if you forgot them, saying they were your most important memories.”
He originally planned to take it slow, but Zhao Xian's dream disrupted his plans.
"Impossible, I never said that."
Zhao Xian's face turned pale instantly. She had actually considered that the person who told Jiang Liangxu these things was very likely the original owner of this body.
But she has been rejecting this option.
"I'm really not your wife, I really am not." As Zhao Xian spoke, tears welled up in her eyes, burning her with pain.
“Madam is indeed Madam, but Madam is mistaken. You haven’t forgotten these things, but Madam has forgotten me.”
No wonder she looked at him with such unfamiliarity when he returned home.
Jiang Liangxu reached out to push the wheelchair, but Zhao Xian got up and avoided him.
One of them was standing, and the other was sitting.
Zhao Xian stared at Jiang Liangxu for a long time, "Did you guys deliberately plot against me?"
But that doesn't make sense.
But she couldn't accept the fact that she was the original owner of the body, even though she could clearly sense the original owner's emotions.
Zhao Xian turned around, went straight to the locked wooden box, and took out the books inside.
The sound of wheels grinding on the floor was particularly deep and resonant in the quiet night, and Jiang Liangxu followed.
Zhao Xian turned her head and met Jiang Liangxu's eyes. "Do you know why I insist on divorcing you?"
"Please enlighten me, Madam." He also wanted to know, since she had revealed those secrets when they first met. At that time, she never resisted; on the contrary, she found everything so novel and interesting and was happy to show them off to him.
Logically, if she forgot him and everything from the past, she could start over, which would be a novel experience. But that wasn't the case.
"Because I am not a person of this era, I want to go home. Only by getting a divorce can I go to Master Huineng without any restrictions and seek a way to go home."
"Now tell me, the 'she' I fear is actually myself. I'm only twenty-four years old, and suddenly I've transmigrated into this world, ten years older, with children and a husband. If this happened to you, could you accept it?"
When she first transmigrated, she actually enjoyed it quite a bit. After all, she had transmigrated into a book, so she had a god's-eye view, which was like having a cheat code.
But what happened later made her start to feel fear.
Zhao Xian grabbed at the book haphazardly, tore it to shreds, and threw it away. It must be fake, all of it is fake.
Curled up in bed, Zhao Xian's mind was in a mess, but she wasn't too opposed to the result. Perhaps she had been aware of this all along, but she just refused to believe it and kept making excuses.
She shouldn't be the original body. She shouldn't be herself. She's a transmigrator, how could she be the original body?
The sense of rejection and disgust reached its peak at this moment, to the point that one even wished to kill the nagging emotions.
Jiang Liangxu bent down and picked up the scattered papers on the ground.
An hour, then two hours later, her breathing became steady before she took the papers and left.
Zhao Xian didn't sleep well all night. She had fragmented dreams while half asleep and half awake, and when she woke up, she couldn't remember what she had dreamed about.
Peony, accompanied by her maid, helped her wash up and get dressed. After that, she told Jiang Liangxu that he needed to see her and asked her to go to the study.
Pushing open the study door, Zhao Xian smelled the scent of burning paper. "Husband... what does Your Excellency want with me?"
Upon hearing this, Jiang Liangxu raised his head from behind the desk. "Madam, there's no need to be in such a hurry to distance yourself from me."
"Now that we've laid it all out in the open, before I had any memories of this era, you were indeed a stranger." She had been trying to maintain her persona before, but now that it was all exposed, she didn't want to continue acting.
"Has the lady ever considered trying to regain those memories?"
Zhao Xian's lips twitched slightly, but she didn't utter a single word in response.
To be honest, Zhao Xian didn't know that she had no feelings for these people.
At first, it was because she discovered that she had transmigrated into a book. Everyone has a dream of being a hero, and out of sympathy for the tragic female protagonist in the book, she forcibly intervened. It was like playing a real game. She would feel smug because of the changes in the characters and think that she was amazing.
But when she discovered that she could be influenced by the original owner's emotions and made such a promise, she began to feel fear.
She didn't believe in gods or Buddhas, but the strange fact that she had traveled through time made her dare not be disrespectful.
The more I thought about it, the more problems I discovered.
Strangely, this time the original owner's emotions did not affect her.
Jiang Liangxu had already seen through her thoughts and changed the subject: "The divorce agreement was written incorrectly, and I have rewritten it."
"Re-written?" Zhao Xian walked a few steps to the desk, just as Jiang Liangxu handed her the divorce papers he had written.
Upon taking a look, it was indeed a divorce agreement, and it was certainly better than what she had written. Hers was written entirely according to the format of a resignation letter. Compared to her own cobbled-together reasons, Jiang Liangxu's meticulous wording was much more appropriate.
"We're getting a divorce?" His weary face couldn't hide the surprise in his eyes.
Is it really that simple? I wish she had confessed sooner.
"Not yet. It doesn't count until it's been signed, sealed, or filed with the government."
The smile on Zhao Xian's face vanished instantly. Was he just teasing her?
The divorce papers were suddenly snatched from his hand, and Jiang Liangxu said again, "If you agree to one thing for me, I will sign these divorce papers."
"What's up?"
“I want my wife to promise me that even if she takes this divorce agreement, she won’t rush to report it to the authorities. She will still be my wife. Just as you said, you are merely occupying my wife’s body. Since you have already used it, please continue, at least don’t divorce her now. Heng’er is not yet married, and Tingyue was adopted as a goddaughter by you. If you leave, who will take care of them? You know I am very busy and do not have time to deal with these matters.”
"Furthermore, if news of their divorce gets out, it will affect their marriage and also damage the reputation of the Jiang family."
Jiang Liangxu continued, “Master Huineng’s whereabouts are always unpredictable when he travels, so searching blindly is useless. It’s also dangerous for you to go out alone. I’m worried about you, so I will send someone to look for him. In the meantime, you will still be Mrs. Jiang. If the master really has a way to send you back, we will take the divorce papers to the government office to report it. That’s feasible.”
That was very comprehensive, Zhao Xian couldn't refute it, and opened her mouth: "You're so calm."
For some reason, she felt a little sad. Shaking off the displeasure, Zhao Xian stared at the divorce papers. "If I agree to your terms, but you just go through the motions and don't seriously look for someone, then I'll have to be Mrs. Jiang indefinitely."
Jiang Liangxu tapped his fingers on the table: "How about a five-year period? Master Huineng travels around and returns about every five or six years."
Zhao Xian shook her head: "Five years is too long, one year is enough."
"Too short. Besides Jin, there are several other countries around us. A year is not enough."
"Those two years?"
"At least three years."
Zhao Xian looked at his outstretched finger, thought for a moment, and said, "Fine, three years it is. If I still can't find him in three years, I'll leave and find him myself. Don't try to stop me then."
Jiang Liangxu was right about one thing: Cui Tingyue's storyline was changed by her, so she has to take responsibility. Three years should be enough time.
Jiang Liangxu laid the divorce papers flat and wrote his name on them.
Zhao Xian looked at the divorce papers over and over again, extremely satisfied, and walked away with exceptionally light steps.
Jiang Liangxu's pupils turned slightly red as his gaze fell on the ashes in the copper basin in the corner.
Were the words you hesitated to say back then the very words you never uttered that were the divorce papers?
But why?
--
When Marquis Shaoyao saw Zhao Xian come out from outside the study, she was clearly different, so he smiled and said, "What happy event has happened to you, Madam, that makes you so happy?"
Since the master's disappearance, the madam has rarely smiled, and even the servants who serve her have become extremely cautious.
Zhao Xian held the folded divorce papers in her hands. "Shaoyao, go and find some oiled paper."
Peony thought she wanted to wrap something, so she found quite a few things.
Zhao Xian cut a small piece of oil paper, wrapped the folded booklet in it, and put it in her purse. But she was still worried. What if she lost the purse?
Her gaze fell on the bracelet on her wrist, and she remembered that Jiang Liangxu had shown her that it could be used to hide things.
A thin divorce agreement, folded up and tucked inside, fits perfectly.
After talking it out, Zhao Xian felt a sense of relief, and the pent-up frustration in her chest no longer bothered her.
However, having agreed to continue playing the role of Madam Jiang for Jiang Liangxu, Zhao Xian could no longer go looking for people on her own, which made her somewhat bored.
He was so busy that he was rarely seen, while Zhao Xian could only stay in the backyard.
That night, Zhao Xian seemed to hear a sound, like a woman's shout.
Zhao Xian took the cloak, opened the door, and went out.
Upon exiting, they saw Qin Da covering the mouth of a young woman and dragging her away.
When the woman saw Zhao Xian, she stared wide-eyed as if pleading for help, but was immediately dragged out of the courtyard.
The sound of a wheelchair being driven across the ground could be heard.
As the weather gradually turned cooler in September, Zhao Xian pulled her cloak tighter around herself and looked at Jiang Liangxu: "What happened?"
"A rat has gotten into the yard." Under the dim lantern light, Jiang Liangxu's expression was unreadable. "The study is probably not clean. I'm having someone check it. I'll probably have to spend the night in Madam's room tonight."
Zhao Xian vaguely understood what was going on. "That was indeed a very large beautiful rat."
Since the conversation started, Jiang Liangxu has been staying in the study, and apart from dinner time when a table is set up, no one is seen at other times.
Zhao Xian went over and nudged him, whispering, "Just for one night."
Under the cover of night, Jiang Liangxu's face was hidden in the shadows, his expression unreadable, and he only gave a soft "hmm".
Once inside, the two tacitly agreed to sleep on a bed while the other slept on a couch.
The familiarity of the past turned into an unspeakable awkwardness at this moment.
"Jiang Liangxu, may I call you that?"
"The lady has already called."
"You... never mind, go to sleep." I originally wanted to talk about the first time she had the idea of divorce, when she was dealing with Zhou Shi at the Jiang family, and the cause was also related to his extramarital affairs.
But considering they've already divorced, it seems pointless now.
The next day, when Zhao Xian woke up, Jiang Liangxu was nowhere to be seen.
After having breakfast, she strolled around the courtyard, thinking about discussing with Jiang Liangxu that evening whether she should return to Jin'an.
Otherwise, it would be really awkward for the two of them to be together like this.
"Madam Jiang, please save this young lady."
Suddenly, a person darted out from in front, making a move to pounce on Zhao Xian.
The guards immediately rushed forward to stop the woman, and she fell to the ground during the struggle.
Upon seeing the other person's appearance, Zhao Xian felt that he looked familiar, as if she had seen him somewhere before.
"Madam Jiang, please save me, I beg you to save me, I will do anything for you."
Zhao Xian remembered who she was. She was the granddaughter of the prefect's wife, but she couldn't remember her name. There were many beauties at the time, and the three unmarried girls all lowered their eyes and didn't look at her carefully.
"What are you doing here..."
"The person is here, arrest him."
Before Zhao Xian could finish speaking, a familiar male voice rang out, and then people dressed in soldiers' uniforms rushed up.
The girl was thin and was dragged away by the soldiers by her arms.
"Madam Jiang, please save me, Madam Jiang—"
Zhao Xian pursed her lips and looked at Jiang Wei who was walking over. "What's going on?"
Wasn't Jiang Wei from the Dali Temple? How could he order around government troops?
Jiang Wei stood upright and bowed to Zhao Xian, saying, "Your son greets his mother."
"Tell me what happened."
Jiang Wei's face remained expressionless, and he did not deliberately hide anything from her. He said, "The Liu family was raided last night. That girl and her sister were not at the Liu family's house last night. Qin Da said they might be hiding in the government office."
Zhao Xian thought of the woman who had been gagged and dragged out by Qin Da last night.
"Confiscated property? What crime did the Liu family commit?"
"Embezzlement, bribery, forming cliques, forgery, seizing land... there are quite a few crimes, enough to warrant beheading."
Zhao Xian recalled the prefect's wife she had met before, as well as the women in the inner quarters of the Liu family—a very large clan.
"Mother, I have other things to attend to. I'll tell you the details when I get home."
Zhao Xian nodded: "Go ahead."
Watching Jiang Wei walk away, I wondered, "Was the house raided last night? There wasn't a sound at all."
No wonder she was strolling outside the courtyard, and Butler Jiang even had guards follow her.
When Jiang Liangxu returned that day, he was relieved to find her unharmed.
He said, "The Empress Dowager's birthday has been set. We will set off for Jin'an in three days."
"Is the matter in Changzhou settled?"
In the afternoon, Zhao Xian sent people out to inquire. It turned out that not only the Liu family had their property confiscated, but many officials in Changzhou had also had their homes confiscated and were arrested.
Furthermore, the people who went to arrest the man were not yamen runners from the government office, but soldiers transferred from elsewhere.
No prior information was given, and they were all arrested overnight.
He left after such a big incident?
Jiang Liangxu remained calm and said seriously, "His Majesty has already sent his colleagues from the court to take over, and the rest is no longer my responsibility."
"What about your two sons? Are they coming back with us?"
She only met Jiang Wei once today, and she was very busy, exchanging only a few words before rushing off.
Jiang Heng only saw him on the first day, and then disappeared from sight.
"Not for now, they'll be later."
Zhao Xian nodded. She couldn't get involved in these matters, so she instructed the servants to start packing their luggage.
On the day they were to set off back to Jin'an, Shaoyao whispered, "Madam, I heard that the officials who were arrested were beheaded today, and many people went to watch the spectacle."
"So fast?" Zhao Xian looked at herself in the bronze mirror and frowned slightly. The person in the mirror also frowned.
From the time he was arrested to the time he was exiled, only a few days passed.
Are they not reviewed at all?
The sound of a wheelchair was heard, and Zhao Xian knew it was Jiang Liangxu without even turning around. She waved for the maids to leave and asked, "Those who were arrested, will they be beheaded without interrogation?"
Jiang Liangxu pushed the wheelchair forward, his gaze falling on the lip rouge. "These matters are not my responsibility, but they were all arrested only after the facts were verified."
"Cut them all down? Aren't there any innocent victims?"
This is how wrongful convictions and miscarriages of justice occur.
“No innocent person has ever been found out and arrested among the officials involved.” Although he was not in charge of these matters, he knew that the Emperor had arranged for an investigation long ago.
"What about their families?" Zhao Xian thought of the girl who had asked for help that day; she looked only fifteen or sixteen years old.
Although Jiang Liangxu was not involved in the investigation, he was an official in the court and knew the general situation based on the charges. He said, "Some will be sent to the Jiaofangsi, and most will be exiled. However, it should be delayed until after the Empress Dowager's birthday."
Zhao Xian knew that punishments were severe in ancient times, but when she actually encountered one, the feeling was completely different.
"Are you all ready? It's about time to set off."
"Let's go."
When the carriage left the streets, the area was very empty; it was said that everyone had gone to watch the corrupt official being beheaded.
Even from several streets away, Zhao Xian could hear shouts of "Long live the Emperor!", "Good riddance to the corrupt official!", and "Heaven has eyes!"
She was not involved in the investigation, she was unaware of the truth, and therefore declined to comment.
Zhao Xian thought of a possibility and asked Jiang Liangxu beside her, "Speaking of which, if officials who have committed minor offenses divorce or remarry their wives, will those wives still be punished as well?"
In ancient times, women were confined to the inner quarters of their homes, devoted to their husbands and raising their children. They were often unaware of what was happening in front of them when they were arrested and even exiled as a result.
"It depends on the severity of the matter. If it doesn't involve the Yue family, divorce or separation can avoid punishment."
"So... has anyone actually done that?"
Jiang Liangxu met her eyes and saw a complex mix of emotions within them, yet he couldn't deceive her: "Young Master."
"Don't worry, Ah Xian, I won't let you and the children get into danger because of me."
Zhao Xian touched the bracelet on her wrist, pursed her lips, and remained silent.
On the way back, the two shared a carriage. Zhao Xian looked at Jiang Liangxu's legs several times and asked, "Did the imperial physician say when he will be able to stand up?"
She's been in a wheelchair ever since she met him; it looks very serious.
After they talked it out, he was busy during the day and rarely slept in the same room at night, so Zhao Xian had never seen how serious his injury really was.
Jiang Liangxu glanced at his leg and shook his head: "No, I just said I'd take care of it."
"So you're not crippled, are you?"
Jiang Liangxu was burning incense when he heard this and laughed, "Afraid I'll become your crony?"
Zhao Xian rolled her eyes at him; to be honest, she suddenly couldn't understand Jiang Liangxu anymore.
However, she felt more at ease with him; there were no intimate gestures, and she didn't have to worry too much.
The incense in the burner emitted wisps of smoke, and the carriage swayed and rocked as she began to feel sleepy.
Jiang Liangxu reached out and supported her slumped head, then pulled her onto his lap.
He gently brushed his fingers against her lips, which were painted with lipstick. "Ah Xian, if you can't remember, then don't think about it. I like you like this."
Even if she had grievances, there wasn't much lamentation in her eyes.
Just like when they first met, she was carefree and happy.
Zhao Xian felt an itch on her neck. She dreamed that her cat was rubbing against her and biting her ear.
--
Because she had to rush back to attend the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, Zhao Xian felt that the return journey was faster than the way there, perhaps because she had been catching up on sleep most of the time.
I took a nap and walked a long way, and I didn't feel tired at all.
Three days before they arrived in Jin'an, they unexpectedly encountered servants from the Jiang family on the road.
The man knelt down with a thud and pulled a letter from his person. “Madam, something has happened at home. The young lady instructed me to deliver this letter to you.”
Qin Da took the letter and handed it over.
Peony hurriedly stepped forward, reached out and took it, then handed it to Zhao Xian.
The letter was written by Cui Tingyue, and it only contained a few short sentences.
"Mother, my sister-in-law has been framed and her reputation is ruined. Please return immediately upon receiving this letter to save her."
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