Chapter 29 Her kindness to him, yet he now treats her like a servant.
The man held her hand tightly, and the moment their eyes met, his eyes suddenly trembled slightly.
Her eyes...
But he didn't think about it carefully, firmly believing that she hadn't thrown enough of a tantrum.
He confined her to her quarters, and she defied him, determined to make a scene until he finally gave in.
Even Rong Mama said that she had reservations.
Her outburst shows no trace of feminine gentleness; she's no longer the kind and gentle Yao Qingling she once was.
Jealousy changed her completely.
Zhan Xingzhuo suddenly felt bored and put aside Rong Mama's words of advice.
How can a wife like that make him like her, respect her, or entrust his home to her?
He needs to leave her alone for a while, let her realize that she has lost him, and then ask her to change her mind and become a true virtuous wife according to his requirements.
Zhan Xingzhuo released his grip, his face dark and unpleasant. He walked to the clothes rack, took off his outer garment, and draped it over the rack. Then he went to the bed and looked at Qingling: "Go prepare some water for washing your feet. Don't you even know how to wash your feet?"
Qingling sat on the small kang bed by the window, rubbing her wrist, which he had pinched so hard.
His fingerprints were clearly visible there, and his hand bones ached faintly.
Upon hearing this, she looked up, staring at him in disbelief.
Washing feet?
The man braced himself against the edge of the bed, his dark eyes fixed on her, and said coldly, "To tell you the truth, I've already had dinner at Zhi Ning's. The dishes she made today were specially learned for my birthday."
"And you? You keep calling yourself the young mistress, but what about you does resemble one? Anyone who didn't know better would think you'd become the Empress Dowager, and everyone would have to do whatever you want!"
He used harsh words to give her a chance to soften her stance and submit to him.
Yao Qingling stared silently at the pair of black boots on his feet, feeling as if her heart had been slammed to the ground and stomped on repeatedly.
I thought I was numb to it all, but why does it hurt again now?
How can people be so forgetful?
In the past three years, she hasn't cooked for him at all.
Whether it was his birthday or a bowl of sweet soup she brought him when he was busy with official business late at night.
It was him who didn't want it anymore. Since preparing it was useless, why should she bother?
She had been so good to him, yet now he treated her like a servant.
"...I told you to stay home and reflect on your actions, and what did you reflect on?!"
The man's cold, hard voice rang out, snapping Qing Ling back to her senses. She looked up blankly, staring at him in disbelief, her mind racing with questions: Who is this person? Why does he seem so unfamiliar?
"Yao Qingling... Yao Qingling, I'm talking to you, stop pretending to be deaf!" Zhan Xingzhuo said impatiently, and was about to get up to grab her.
Qingling looked at the man who walked up to her. His enlarged body was extremely intimidating, and this time Qingling dodged his hand.
Zhan Xingzhuo glanced at his empty hand, frowned at her, and felt that the woman in front of him was becoming more and more stubborn.
It twisted so hard it seemed out of control.
The man's patience ran out, but he didn't realize that a trace of fear had crossed his mind.
He was only angry at her stubbornness, and when his temper flared up, he shouted, "Yao Qingling, I am your husband, come here right now!"
Looking at the unfamiliar face before her, Qingling clenched her fists tightly and said in what she thought was a calm tone, "My lord, Granny Rong is in the manor. Do you want her to see us arguing and then go back to tell the Grand Princess?"
When the voice came out, she realized that it was trembling.
It was her overwhelming sense of injustice, and the feeling that the past three years had been so worthless.
She no longer even reminded him of how she had done things in the past.
She no longer evoked memories of the past in him.
Because from then on, nothing remained of her memories.
Zhan Xingzhuo looked at her reddened eyes and felt a strange unease in his heart, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
He thought that she probably still cared about him, after all, she was just being difficult with Zhou Zhi because she loved him too much.
The man's tense expression relaxed slightly.
Never mind, today is his birthday, why spoil my mood?
The man grabbed his coat from the hanger, threw it on haphazardly, and stormed off to his study.
Qingling's body was like a bowstring stretched to its limit. Seeing him leave, her body went limp, and she sat down, holding onto the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
Tao Ye watched Zhan Xingzhuo go into the inner bedroom and waited anxiously in the courtyard.
She forgot it was her son-in-law's birthday and didn't remind the young lady.
Even if you're going to get a divorce, you should at least try to smooth things over first.
Miss is going to suffer another loss.
She's still pregnant, if—
Then she saw Zhan Xingzhuo come out disheveled. Tao Ye was so frightened that her eyes widened and her heart pounded as she rushed into the inner bedroom: "Miss!"
She immediately spotted Qingling sitting on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), clutching her chest as if she couldn't breathe.
"Miss, how are you?" Tao Ye quickly checked her over; her clothes weren't torn, so nothing must have happened.
Yao Qingling let out a deep breath, recovered, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "I'm fine."
With red eyes, Tao Ye blamed herself: "Today is the son-in-law's birthday, and I forgot. I should have prepared something..."
Qingling shook her head: "I remember."
Tao Ye stared at her, her eyes wide. "You remember? Then... why didn't you...?"
Qingling said, "It's because I didn't want to prepare it for him. He doesn't care at all."
If all he wants is the feeling of being fawned over and handed something to him, which he disdains, then she has indeed misjudged the situation.
To maintain peace before the divorce, she should do something to appease everyone.
But she realized that he hadn't cared at first; it was someone who had done something to remind him and implied that he should make comparisons, which is why he came to make things difficult for her and pick on her.
Yao Qingling sneered.
She didn't understand why Zhou Zhining was doing so much when she already had Zhan Xingzhuo, who was devoted to her.
Is it to get revenge on her and make sure she never has a good life?
Tao Ye said angrily, "Miss, when can we—"
Caught a glimpse of someone entering the courtyard out of the corner of her eye, she swallowed the word "leave" back. The moment she saw Granny Rong enter, she immediately put on a smile and bowed to her: "Granny Rong, it's so late, why are you coming over?"
With a serious expression, Granny Rong stepped into the room, her sharp eyes sweeping across the room before finally settling on Qing Ling.
Rong Mama represented the Grand Princess of Deyang. Qingling showed her the respect due to a superior, and stood up to greet her: "Mama."
Granny Rong stood in front of the bed, turned to look at Qingling: "I just saw the second young master go to the outer study."
Qingling pursed her lips, her eyes slightly lowered, seemingly gentle, but stubborn at heart.
Granny Rong stared at her, her voice slow and deliberate: "The Grand Princess has sent someone to deliver a longevity bun; please take it to her."
Yao Qingling looked at the old woman, her mind racing as she tried to figure out what to do.
She understood that Granny Rong was giving her a way out.
However, what she wanted was not reconciliation, but divorce.
She doesn't need a way out.
If her indifference makes Zhan Xingzhu feel no feelings for her whatsoever, that would be fine too.
Qingling only thought for a short while before making a decision.
She asked, "Granny, have Xingxiang and the heir of the Marquis of Xincheng's birth dates been matched?"
Granny Rong frowned: "The young mistress's heart should be with the second young master. As for Miss Xingxiang's matter, the Grand Princess will take care of it."
“Young Madam, you shouldn’t avoid your conflict with the Second Young Master. Zhou Zhining is just an outsider. Getting angry with her will only damage your own status.”
Yao Qingling squeezed her slightly sweaty fingers.
Having served Princess Deyang closely, Rong Mama had seen it all. Their eyes were like they'd been tempered in boiling oil; they could always sense what was going on in someone's mind.
Granny Rong had seen the manor's account books and storerooms; it was impossible that she hadn't noticed.
There are some things she just doesn't say out loud.
She was just hinting at it with her words.
Yao Qingling's anxiety at this moment was not that Rong Mama had discovered her intention to leave, but rather whether she should bring it up directly.
“Granny…” Qingling called out to her, but Granny Rong interrupted her, saying in a deep voice, “The status of the young mistress of the Duke’s mansion is something many people would kill for. If you feel wronged and want to make a scene, then the Grand Princess has truly misjudged you!”
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