Chapter 55 The Ultimate Irony of Contrast
Zhan Xingzhuo was stunned.
Before he could react, the servant bowed and turned to leave.
A servant walked out with an arrogant gait, just as unruly as his master, Wang Xuan!
Zhan Xingzhuo watched his retreating figure, the veins on his forehead throbbing, and the veins on the back of his clenched fists tensing.
How dare they treat Zhou Zhining like this? They didn't even say hello before giving her a letter of divorce, completely disregarding her!
The sudden change caught everyone off guard.
Only Granny Rong and Imperial Censor Cao seemed to understand something, but neither of them made a statement.
Everyone silently watched as Zhou Zhining and her son sat on the ground, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
She held her crying son, seemingly stunned.
Zhou Zhining had long known that Wang Xuan didn't want her anymore, otherwise he wouldn't have wanted to take a concubine. However, she had a child from the Wang family and Zhan Xingzhuo backing her up, so Wang Xuan couldn't possibly divorce her.
This is Wang Xuan's eldest son, how could he not even want his child?
Why doesn't the Wang family want her child? This is a member of the Wang family bloodline, registered in the Wang family genealogy!
The phrase "remnants of the crime" flashed through her mind, filling Zhou Zhining with suspicion and confusion.
In her panic, she felt a cold, indifferent gaze fixed on her.
She looked up, her tear-blurred eyes meeting Yao Qingling's.
Both are separations—
Yao Qingling stood there dignified and neat, without any sign of dishevelment. Everyone wanted her to stay and begged her to stay; while Zhou Zhining was a real stray dog, surrounded by people watching and laughing at her.
Wang Xuan wanted to divorce her without even saying goodbye. He just sent a servant with a letter of divorce and didn't even want the son she had given him!
Now, Yao Qingling has not divorced her; but she has become a truly despised divorced woman!
This extremely ironic contrast almost drove Zhou Zhining crazy.
She held the child, her fingers digging into the child's clothes, leaving deep indentations.
The child cried his heart out, but she paid no attention. She just stared at Yao Qingling with red eyes, as if possessed.
Yao Qingling met Zhou Zhining's hateful gaze calmly, neither dodging nor flinching.
I don't know where this hatred for her comes from. What does it have to do with her that Wang Xuan wants to divorce her?
But since she hates, she has no need to be afraid or hide.
When Zhan Xingzhuo saw the child crying loudly, Zhou Zhining ignored him, assuming that he was too traumatized to take care of the child.
He held Xiao'er in his arms, and Zhou Zhining trembled, instinctively trying to snatch the child back. But when she saw the man in front of her clearly, she whimpered and then burst into tears.
“Brother Xingzhuo—” She buried her head in the man’s shoulder and cried her heart out; but no one except Zhan Xingzhuo was moved.
At this moment, Yao Qingling, who was in charge of the household affairs, should put aside his personal grudges and first have someone send Zhou Zhining and the child to a guest room to comfort them.
But she did nothing, watching indifferently like a stranger.
Granny Rong glanced at her and sighed inwardly; this child's attitude was resolute...
She had been in charge of the general affairs for a few days, and she couldn't let outsiders keep watching Zhou Zhining cry like this.
She summoned the servants to settle Zhou Zhining in, then turned to Yao Qingling and said, "Do you really not want to be in charge of this household anymore?"
Yao Qingling pursed her lips. Madam Ma, seeing this, was anxious and stepped forward to block Qingling. She smiled ingratiatingly at Granny Rong and said, "Qingling is frightened. She saw the consequences of being divorced and doesn't dare to..."
“Granny Rong,” Qingling spoke, her voice steady and firm, “Please speak to the Grand Princess. As you have seen, it is not that I have wronged the Duke’s Mansion, but that the Duke’s Mansion has let me down.”
She stared straight at Granny Rong, her clear and unwavering gaze unyielding.
Her eyes were too clear, like a mirror, reflecting the scheming in these people's hearts.
Granny Rong frowned, understanding dawned on her, and nodded, "Alright." After a pause, she added, "I hope you won't regret it."
Ms. Ma didn't understand the exchange between them. What apology? They were all family, who owed whom an apology?
She was so worried about the Marquis's family that she wanted to slap her thigh.
If Yao Qingling really gets a divorce, what will happen to the Marquis's mansion? What will happen to her son's future?
Seeing that Granny Rong was about to leave, Madam Ma chased after her, grabbing her sleeve: "Granny Rong... Granny, please don't go. Qingling was just saying that in anger, she doesn't want a divorce, that's not it..."
Rong Mama looked down at Madam Ma's hand, who was still unaware of her embarrassing behavior and hurriedly tried to stop her, "Rong Mama, Qingling is young and impetuous. The Grand Princess dotes on her so much, how could she bear to..."
Yao Qingling looked at Madam Ma and closed her eyes in distress.
Madam Ma was, after all, the wife of a marquis—a glory her father had earned with his life, yet she was being treated so humiliatingly.
"Aunt."
"Ah, ah?" Madam Ma was still clutching Rong Mama's sleeve, turning back to look at her; Rong Mama glanced at Qingling, pulled Madam Mama's hand away, and left.
When Madam Ma's hands were empty, she turned around and looked at Rong Mama, who had already reached the entrance of the flower hall.
"Hey—" Madam Ma opened her mouth to call out to Rong Mama, but found her very busy. She scolded Qingling for being so insensible, not seeing that she was busy wiping her bottom.
“Aunt, it’s very late. I’ll have someone take you back to the Marquis’s residence,” Yao Qingling said calmly.
Once Rong Mama was out of sight, Madam Ma turned back to Qingling with a reproachful look: "Divorce? Don't you know your place? You dare mention divorce in the Duke's mansion?"
"You're not getting any sleep tonight! Have someone prepare a carriage. We're going to the Duke's mansion right now to cry!" Madam Ma then adopted the airs of a Marquis's wife and began to scold Qingling in front of outsiders.
“If Zhou Zhining cries, you should cry too, and let the Grand Princess stand up for you. You're in the right now, so the Grand Princess will definitely protect you.”
She tugged at Qingling, saying, "I'll go to the Duke's mansion with you, and cry with you!"
Yao Qingling stood still.
She knew she had little family ties, but at this moment, her aunt was still only thinking about her own interests, and she still felt so sad that her eyes welled up with tears.
She stubbornly shook off Ma's hand.
Mrs. Ma glared at her, almost poking her on the forehead with her finger. She snapped, "You stubborn mule, are you a mule?"
"You've offended the Grand Princess, do you expect our Marquis's mansion to suffer the consequences with you?!"
Yao Qingling wiped her eyes hard, swallowed the sob in her throat, and tried her best to keep her voice calm as she instructed Taoye, "Send the Lady of the Marquis back to her residence."
Tao Ye said "Yes," and without waiting for Madam Ma's consent, she grabbed her arm and forcibly pulled her towards the door, repeating, "Madam, you are tired, I will take you back."
"No, don't pull me. Who said I'm tired?"
"Madam, you're really tired. Look at your face, it's as white as a sheet..."
The sound disappeared into the corridor, and finally it was quiet.
Yao Qingling turned to look at the wife of Imperial Censor Cao and bowed to them: "Gentlemen, I'm sorry you had to see this... I must thank the Imperial Censor and his wife tonight. I will definitely express my sincere gratitude another day when I have time."
Her eyes were still red, and she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall, maintaining her final dignity.
The censor's wife looked at him with heartache.
Her husband's family was of noble birth; her own family was like that...
Yao Qingling bravely speaks out for General Lin during his trial in the bustling city; she is fearless and resourceful when facing bloodthirsty bandits; yet she feels a deep sense of helplessness when facing her family.
The censor's wife's eyes were slightly red. She held her hand and pressed it down, saying, "Young mistress, there's no need for thanks. You saved me at Yongning Temple, and now I'm just repaying your kindness."
"If anything happens in the future, just come to me... Take a good rest, you have a long road ahead of you."
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