Chapter 1: Divorce
In the early winter of the 21st year of the Qinglong reign, it snowed in the capital for seven consecutive days.
The cold wind penetrated into the body through the gaps in the clothes, making the bones shiver.
On the day of the divorce, the sun rarely came out in the capital.
The hem of Su Tan's skirt was soaked with snow water. She walked out of the general's mansion alone, holding an umbrella.
Her wrist was gripped by a big hand, causing waves of pain in the wound. The bandaged wound began to bleed again, soaking the cloth, but the man holding her wrist was completely unaware.
Song Tingchen's eyes were cold, his jawline was tightly stretched, and his black robe looked even more cold against the snow.
"Su Tan, are you really going to be unreasonable and abandon your husband and children?"
Su Tan looked at him steadily, with a sour taste of rust in his throat.
Did she abandon her husband and children?
It was obvious that he and his son chose Liu Qingyin between her and Liu Qingyin.
"Tan'er, stop messing around. Where are you going in this freezing cold weather? Even if you're unhappy with Achen marrying a concubine, don't be so hard on yourself!"
Song's mother chased out with Song Xiao, the son Su Tan gave birth to after ten months of pregnancy.
She pushed Song Xiao forward and said, "Tan'er, Xiaoxiao is only four years old. Can you bear to see him without a mother?"
"But marrying a second wife is a day we women will all face. Anyway, that Qingyin girl can't surpass you, so why bother with this!"
"Su Tan, please don't make things difficult for me."
Song Tingchen frowned tightly. In his memory, Su Tan was not an unreasonable woman. She asked him not to take a concubine for the rest of his life, and he did it. So far, she was the only one in the backyard.
So many people wanted to force women on him, but he refused them all.
Now he just wants to give Qingyin a chance to live, why is she unwilling to agree to even that?
"Aqing's father died saving me. It is my responsibility to take care of Aqing, both emotionally and logically."
"Mother, please don't be angry with Father anymore. Aunt Qing is a very nice person. She buys me candy and makes shoes for Father. Please don't reject her. She will treat you well in the future."
Four-year-old Song Xiao stood in the snow, still wearing the clothes that Su Tan had made for him stitch by stitch.
The embroidery on the cloak is exquisite and lifelike. At the beginning, Su Tan's hands were good at calculating and drawing talismans, but she knew nothing about embroidery or needlework.
The delicate little girl wrinkled her nose and looked at her mother unhappily, "Mother, I want Aunt Qing to be my second mother anyway."
"If you don't like Aunt Qing, then I don't like you either!"
The four-year-old kid is fearless. No matter what he wants, his mother will agree to it. At worst, he will cry, make a fuss, or even threaten to commit suicide, and his mother will always compromise.
He didn't know what his father's taking a concubine meant to his mother.
He only knew that Aunt Qing was a very good person. She was kind to his father, to him, and to his grandparents.
Su Tan closed his eyes, his heart felt like it was being burned by fire, causing a dull pain.
She looked at her son absentmindedly, with a last bit of hope still hidden in her eyes.
"Xiaoxiao, a person cannot have two mothers. You can only have one mother."
Song Xiao snorted loudly and pushed Su Tan away. "You just can't stand seeing people being nice to me! Ever since grandpa and grandma passed away, you've changed. You've become a bad woman!"
"You bully Dad and Aunt Qing, you don't let Aunt Qing treat me well, you are a bad woman, I don't want you! I want Aunt Qing!"
Su Tan stumbled back a few steps and almost fell in the snow.
Song Tingchen frowned, "Xiaoxiao, you can't bump into people like that. Apologize to your mother."
Song Xiao turned his head away stubbornly, "I won't! She's not my mother! She's a bad woman! I want Aunt Qing to be my mother!"
"Tan'er, Achen is still protecting you. How long are you going to keep throwing a tantrum? Do you really want to kill Qingyin? What are you thinking?"
Mother Song's eyes were filled with condemnation. She had lost her patience. "A woman should always put her husband first. Besides, your family is all dead, and your dowry is all gone. If you throw a tantrum and run away from home, where can you go?"
"Take my advice. Don't make things too ugly. If you can't handle it, you'll be the one who gets embarrassed in the end!"
Su Tan lowered his eyes and met Mother Song's cloudy gaze. "You finally spoke your mind?"
Song Xiao has been in poor health since birth.
Even with her golden light and virtue protecting her body, she still needs to be nurtured with a large amount of precious medicinal herbs.
"Over the years, most of the gold and silver my family gave me, apart from the necessary favors to maintain Song Tingchen's official career, was used to buy medicine for my parents and Xiaoxiao."
Now, Song Xiao's health is finally similar to that of an ordinary child.
Old Madam Song's health gradually improved.
Although Mr. Song is still mentally retarded, he can eat and sleep normally. As long as he is not allowed to go out, he can do everything in the mansion without anyone worrying about him.
Everything is moving in the right direction.
Su Tan thought that things would get better between her and Song Tingchen.
Unfortunately, the Song family doesn’t think so.
Su Tan spoke calmly, having now seen through the Song family's coldness.
"You saw that I had lost my protection and my money, and Liu Qingyin happened to be willing to marry me with a huge sum of money, so you wanted to kick me out."
"Isn't my divorce what you wish?"
"Or is it that divorce from the General's Mansion would be dishonorable, and you would rather I die quietly from illness?"
Su Tan's tone was clearly not aggressive, but Song's mother felt so choked up that she couldn't speak.
Song Tingchen's patience was almost exhausted, "Su Tan!"
"Could you please stop speculating about others with such malicious thoughts!"
Ever since the entire Su family died on the battlefield, her temper has become extremely extreme.
He has been patiently comforting her, hoping to help her get out of this shadow.
Who knew she was so hopeless.
Song Tingchen felt a chill run down his spine as he looked at her in confusion. "You know best that once a woman loses her parents, she has no one to rely on. She can only rely on her husband. Why aren't you willing to give Ah Qing a chance to live?"
"Or do you want to watch all the women in the world who are in the same situation as you being trampled and humiliated until nothing remains? Only then will you be happy and feel that you are not the most pitiful person in the world?"
"Song Tingchen!"
Su Tan's eyes were red and his whole body was shaking with anger.
After five years of marriage, he actually looked at her like this!
If she still had hope before, at this moment, her heart was completely dead.
Su Tan had bled three days ago and the weather was cold, so he was exhausted both physically and mentally. Now he didn't even have the strength to raise his hand to hit him.
She met Song Tingchen's gaze with a clear look, "I'm telling you, I have to divorce you because you broke your promise to me and my parents. I have no objection to you wanting to take care of Liu Qingyin, but you can't marry her and have my son call her Second Mother!"
Song Tingchen didn't get angry but laughed instead, not bothering to pay attention to her extremism.
She reached out and pulled off the amulet she had drawn with her own blood.
"Okay, since you're leaving, take this thing with you. I'm afraid it'll scare A-Qing if it's stained with your blood."
Song Xiao followed suit, pulled off the amulet from around his neck, and stomped into the mud.
He glared at Su Tan, "I don't want your things. The broken talisman you drew with your blood stinks. I don't like it at all!"
"I love the sachets Aunt Qing made for me!"
Su Tan looked at the father and son intently.
Ever since the entire Su family died on the battlefield, she has had nightmares every night, fearing that something might happen to Song Tingchen and Song Xiao as well.
So every month I would draw blood to draw amulets for them.
This amulet can ward off evil spirits and even save your life when necessary.
Now it was treated like garbage and trampled into the snow.
The dried blood was melted by the ice and snow, dyeing the snow red, and was soon covered by new white snow. Only the black rope left on it proved its existence.
Su Tan dug his fingers deep into his palms to suppress the sadness and disappointment in his heart. He turned around without any reluctance and left the general's mansion.
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