Chapter 379: Demoting Wife to Concubine
Teahouse in the suburbs of Beijing.
"If you ask me, there are so many dirty things going on in this wealthy family!"
"What do you mean?"
"You don't know, right? I heard that the current eldest lady of the Shangshu Mansion, the one whose title was stripped away, the second aunt of the Duke of Ying's Mansion..."
"Are you talking about... the second daughter of the Lin family who married off in my sister's place and married the eldest son of the Shangshu Mansion, who was supposed to be my brother-in-law, with a grand wedding that lasted ten miles and caused a sensation in the capital?"
"Yes, that's the one! You don't know, do you? She's actually shameless, coveting her brother-in-law, hiring someone to kill her sister..."
"Oh my god! Is this true?!"
"That should be the case. This matter is being spread everywhere now..."
…
A group of people were stopping for a break, drinking tea and sharing gossip.
At a tea table not far away, Lin Wanyu was shaking with anger, her hands tightly gripping the tea bowl.
She never imagined that this matter would become known to everyone.
"Snap!"
Lin Wanyu threw the tea bowl in her hand to the ground.
"How dare you!" Lin Wanyu looked at those people and shouted, "How dare you spread rumors and slander the eldest young lady of the Shangshu Mansion? You are simply courting death!"
"Hey, Madam, who are you?" Someone immediately clarified, "We dare not slander the eldest young lady of the Shangshu Mansion. You can't make random accusations. It's just that everyone is talking about this matter now, and we are just hearsay."
"That's right. If you don't like to hear it, you can just pretend you didn't hear it." Someone else echoed, "Besides, we're not telling you this."
"That's right. You can make us shut up, but can you really stop the others from talking? But seeing how angry you are, I thought you were the eldest young lady."
As soon as this person finished speaking, everyone in the teahouse looked at Lin Wanyu.
The light in his eyes was a little strange.
Lin Wanyu, “…”
His face turned blue and purple.
Originally, the identity of the eldest lady of the Shangshu Mansion was her honor.
But now, she didn't dare to admit it.
At the same time, a sense of panic rose in her heart.
If this matter is being spread among the people, then do the people in the Shangshu Mansion also know about it?
how so?
Who spread this news?
Moreover, it spread so quickly?
Little did they know that at this moment in the Shangshu Mansion, Shangshu Qiu was furious.
There was no way out. He was impeached by the censor at the morning court today.
The reason for the impeachment was that he did not educate his children strictly, his family tradition was not right, and his daughter-in-law, Lin Wanyu, had harmed his cousin...
Minister Qiu was so angry that he almost died.
The sudden decline of his in-laws, the Duke of Ying, made him feel like he had lost an arm.
At the same time, he was also worried about being implicated by the British government.
After all, over the years, the two governments have been closely connected.
"Father, calm down." Qiu Bosong, the eldest son of the Shangshu Mansion, said nonchalantly, "Those censors feel uncomfortable if they don't stir up trouble every few days. These are all groundless stories. They're just talking nonsense."
Minister Qiu glared at his son fiercely and shouted, "Just to satisfy your craving for food? Just because they were to satisfy their craving for food, your father-in-law was stripped of his official title!"
When Qiu Bosong heard his father mention this matter, his face turned unhappy.
After all, the Yue family is also his support.
Now that this support is gone, it has directly affected his future and connections.
"Tell me! Did you know in advance what your wife did?" Minister Qiu asked, "Is that true? Did she really harm my cousin?"
"Dad, how is this possible?!" Qiu Songbai shouted, "That's all fabricated! It's all nonsense from the imperial censors!"
Minister Qiu snorted, looked at his son suspiciously, and said, "It's better to do this. Otherwise, if things get out of hand..."
Minister Qiu didn't say anything else, but his meaning was self-evident.
Then, as if thinking of something, he changed his tone and asked, "You really weren't involved?"
"Dad, I will never do such a thing!" Qiu Bosong quickly swore to the sky.
But under his father's gaze, he felt inexplicably guilty.
Minister Qiu glanced at his son, sighed, and said, "Since this matter has alarmed the Emperor and has become a hot topic among the people, it's clear that someone is deliberately pushing this matter behind the scenes. I'm afraid it won't end easily."
Minister Qiu paused and continued, "The Emperor has long been disgusted with the Lin family. Your wife..."
"Dad, Lin hasn't had any offspring for the Qiu family over the years, and now this has happened. Her reputation is tarnished, and she's no longer fit to be our Qiu family's head wife. We can divorce her for any reason." Qiu Songbai said, "However, to avoid being accused of taking advantage of our misfortune, why not demote her to a concubine and give her a place to settle down? That would be the most benevolent thing we can do for her and the Lin family."
After becoming his concubine, the money in her hands could still be used by him.
This is much more cost-effective than divorcing her directly.
In this way, as the eldest son of the Shangshu Mansion, he can marry the daughter of an official family as his wife and also rely on the power of his wife's family.
**
Lin Wanyu never expected that the first thing she would encounter upon returning to the Shangshu Mansion was to be informed that she would be demoted to a concubine.
"What?!" Lin Wanyu's face was filled with disbelief as she screamed, "Qiu Songbai, say it again!"
A hint of disgust flashed across Qiu Songbai's eyes.
Then, he said, "You heard me right. This is all caused by you. Do you want the entire Shangshu Mansion to suffer the consequences?"
When Qiu Songbai said this, he showed a look of deep sorrow.
He continued, "Do you know that because of you, your father has already been impeached by the censor in the court? Do you want to follow the same fate as your mother's family in the Shangshu Mansion?"
Lin Wanyu, “…”
My heart sank and my vision went dark.
Qiu Songbai stepped forward, grasped Lin Wanyu's hand, and with a deeply affectionate expression, he continued, "Yu'er, if it were according to Father's wishes, I would have simply given you a letter of divorce. It was only after my earnest pleading that Father agreed to grant you the status of a concubine and keep you in the mansion. You should understand my painstaking efforts..."
Lin Wanyu looked at Qiu Songbai and suddenly laughed shrilly, her laughter was sharp and piercing.
"Hahaha...hahaha...so, I was abandoned by the Shangshu Mansion? Just because of something that can't be proven? Just because of a few rumors spread by others?"
When Lin Wanyu said this, she suddenly shook off Qiu Songbai's hand.
The expression on his face turned fierce.
"Qiu Songbai! You're dreaming!" Lin Wanyu snarled. "I know you're just trying to dump me and marry another daughter from a wealthy family because the Duke of Yingguo's mansion is gone. You want to make room for me. Forget it! Even if I become a ghost, I'll drag you down with me to hell!"
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