Chapter 68 Divorce
Qingling continued, "All I know is that when I tried to retrieve these boxes today, I was stopped outside. The butler told me personally that he had received your orders to have people guard this place, and that even if I came to retrieve them in person, I was not allowed to take out a single piece of paper."
Her gaze was sharper, piercing straight to the soul.
Zhan Xingzhuo was shocked. He hated Yao Qingling for being so vicious. He had been so unguarded with her and had underestimated her.
He randomly checked several of the boxes that had already been put into storage, and they were indeed full of silver notes; some were simply piles of pure silver, so shiny they were dazzling to the eye.
However, faced with Yao Qingling's righteous and aggressive words, he found it difficult to resist, and his eyes even began to dart away.
Yao Qingling chuckled and continued, "Could it be that Doctor Zhan thinks the box is full of gold and silver treasures, and is trying to prevent me from stealing it?"
"You opened all the boxes to look inside? But these are all other people's things, just temporarily stored at the new residence!"
Upon hearing her words, the official's wife whispered among herself, casting disdainful and contemptuous glances at her.
"This...I..." Zhan Xingzhu was speechless, somewhat flustered.
No matter how fast he thought, it couldn't outmaneuver the trap Yao Qingling had set for him beforehand, leaving him speechless.
She set a trap perfectly!
Zhou Zhining had already tidied her clothes and hair. She walked over and looked at Qingling earnestly.
She said, "Qingling, Brother Xingzhu heard that you accepted things from others, so he opened and looked at a few boxes to make sure that there was nothing he shouldn't have accepted. There was indeed silver inside."
"Furthermore, he heard that you gave someone a return gift, which was also a box. This raises suspicions of accepting a gift privately."
"He won't let you into the storeroom because he doesn't allow you to use the money others gave you, or to make a mistake."
"He needs to be especially careful while serving in the government. As his wife, you should be even more considerate of him and communicate with him to clarify things, instead of causing such a serious misunderstanding and creating such a mess!"
What a huge hat!
Does this mean she's been labeled an ignorant woman or child?
Or is it implying that she framed him?
However, she was indeed "setting a trap," but if they hadn't been greedy, they wouldn't have fallen into it.
Yao Qingling smiled calmly, her cold gaze sweeping over the two of them, her eyes showing no emotion as she looked at Zhan Xingzhuo.
There was no affection or marital bond between them.
But she also learned to disguise herself.
Actually, there's no need to pretend. Just think about the forbearance and grievances she's endured over the past two years; just think about how Zhan Xingzhuo has constantly bullied her, and tears will fall as soon as she wants.
Yao Qingling's eyes reddened, and her voice choked with emotion: "Those boxes contain vegetarian food and snacks. Yongning Temple has many believers, and many of them wanted to express their gratitude when they heard that a ceremony was to be held. I didn't have time to make arrangements, so I asked you ladies to help me. The vegetarian food and snacks are a way of returning the favor to them."
"Dr. Zhan, when you checked the boxes in the storeroom, why didn't you check those return gifts?"
She looked at Zhan Xingzhuo.
The man's face darkened: "Whatever you say goes. Who knows what's going on once it's been given away!"
He suddenly realized that Yao Qingling had used those boxes of silver to lure him into her trap.
She delivered boxes to the storeroom every day, appearing very busy as she went in and out; as the date of the religious ceremony approached, she stopped going, leading him to believe that no more silver would be deposited into the storeroom. He then arranged for the storeroom to be locked, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.
But in fact, on the last day before the vault was locked, she no longer sent the boxes that the ladies had given her; she exchanged all the silver for cash!
The man's chest heaved violently, his bloodshot eyes filled with a hatred that seemed to want to tear Yao Qingling apart.
Yao Qingling sniffed, asked Taoye to bring the pastry shop's purchase order, and said, "Qilinzhai's vegetarian pastries are exceptional; I ordered them from here. If you don't believe me, you can send someone to the shop to ask."
The Censor's wife then said coldly, "I can testify that what the young mistress gave us were vegetarian cakes. I ate some with soy milk this morning, and my husband, Old Cao, ate some too. My house is right next door. Would you like me to bring the whole box over so you can see it?"
“I can vouch for it; it’s a vegetarian cake, without any filling. But we’ve been eating vegetarian food for the past few days for the religious ceremony, and the cakes taste pretty good.”
Several ladies stepped forward to testify, and then Lady Tongzheng spoke up again: "Even if Physician Zhan is the second son of the Grand Princess Deyang, he cannot slander us like this, can he?"
"We almost got bypassed by Dr. Zhan."
"Doctor Zhan hasn't explained yet. These boxes are all outside because Miss Wu said she wanted to use our 'incense money' to pay the workers and merchants?"
Zhan Xingzhuo's Adam's apple bobbed. His mind raced, and after calming down, he said, "That's not true. How could I possibly use everyone's donation money to pay other people's money? It's just that things have been chaotic in the manor these days, and Yao Qingling is not good at managing the household, so she messed up the storeroom, which caused the misunderstanding."
"Now that we've laid it all out, then—"
An official's wife had somehow walked up to the pile of messy boxes. She squatted down and put the scattered scriptures back into the boxes.
While tidying up, she examined the markings on the boxes and said calmly, "Is that so? But if it's just that a few boxes are in disarray, that's understandable. These boxes are all engraved with our family's marks. The young mistress said at the time that since there were too many donors, they must all have their marks so that they can be easily identified when needed."
The lady pointed to a box engraved with an ancient Yan emblem, "This is from my family," and then said, "Doctor Zhan, your household items also have clan emblems, right? How come there isn't a single box from your Duke's mansion among all these boxes?"
Even Zhan Xingzhuo, usually so eloquent, was speechless at this moment. He looked at Yao Qingling and said gruffly, "Yao Qingling, you've made a mess of the warehouse, causing misunderstandings. Can you bear the responsibility for this?"
Anyway, even though it wasn't her fault, she still has to bear the blame!
It was she who started this whole thing.
He is the head of the family; whatever he says must be done!
"If you don't clean up this mess, you shouldn't be the mistress of the household!"
The families of all the officials saw this clearly, and coupled with the rumors circulating outside, they all understood the situation perfectly.
But this is someone else's family matter.
The wives and daughters of officials learn how to conduct themselves and handle affairs from a young age; they do not get involved in things that are not their concern.
Yao Qingling wouldn't kneel down and beg everyone to stand up for her at this time, forcing Zhan Xingzhuo to agree to a divorce.
She simply lowered her eyes and calmly said, "Ladies and misses, once these boxes are sorted out, I will send someone to deliver them up the mountain. The religious ceremony cannot be delayed, so thank you all for your trouble."
The officials' families nodded, exchanged a few more polite words, and then left.
Things seemed to start off lively and end quietly.
On the day of the ritual, the weather was gloomy, as if heaven and the people were sharing in the sorrow.
From the foot of the mountain to the mountain gate, every two steps there are believers holding a butter lamp or a bowl of water, winding their way up, with no end in sight.
Even after being cleaned up, Yongning Temple remains a ruin, with blackened walls everywhere; dried bloodstains still remain on the gilded Buddha statues.
The prayer flag, torn in half, floated in the air, looking like a ghostly spirit when the wind blew.
Yao Qingling invited Master Huiming to preside over the ceremony; the Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices provided guidance.
When the Empress Dowager heard about this ritual, she specially sent her personal maid to come and take a look.
Everyone kept their eyes closed, not daring to look around, and clasped their hands together in front of their chests, occasionally kowtowing and bowing in response to the sound of the bell.
Even now, the sound of blades slicing through flesh that night still echoes in their minds, along with the sharp, chaotic cries and pleas for help…
Their bodies trembled slightly, and they closed their eyes tightly; but then calmed down as they murmured the chanting.
They knelt here in sincere worship, to pay tribute to the deceased and to repent for their mistakes.
Their faces showed a peaceful expression.
The ritual continued until the early hours of the next day.
It rained again in the middle of the night, a light drizzle, as if washing away all the filth in the world.
As Shen Su chanted sutras, the dark clouds in the sky dispersed, and a ray of sunlight broke through the clouds and fell straight to the ground.
"The sun is out!"
Someone exclaimed in surprise.
Everyone turned to look, and it seemed as if they saw the spirits of the dead ascending to the sky with that beam of light.
“…That is the light of guidance,” someone murmured.
The people, who were originally exhausted, saw the sunlight, and it seemed as if light entered their hearts as well.
They no longer have to suffer from fear.
Afterwards, scriptures, paper money, old clothes, and other items were burned; the ritual ended with the release of the golden roc kite commissioned by the fifth young lady of the Guangling Earl's Mansion.
As everyone prepared to leave, Yao Qingling, holding the divorce papers, suddenly knelt before the palace matron: "Please, matron, pass this on to the Empress Dowager and make the decision for me. I wish to divorce Zhan Xingzhuo!"
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