Chapter 50 Divorce Letter
"My third brother made a mistake at Longhua Temple. Grandfather issued a family order, ordering him to reflect on his mistakes at home." Zhao Yi replied to Emperor Jing'an, then turned his head to look at Shen Qingtan and said comfortingly, "My health is normal, not as serious as the emperor said. If I only had six months to live, I would not be able to leave my bed by now."
Shen Qingtan was stunned. Was Zhao Yi protecting her?
Zhao Yi's eyes were gentle as he said, "You copied the scriptures for me and enshrined them in Longhua Temple. You also lit lotus lanterns and prayed for me. The Buddha will protect me."
Shen Qingtan knew very well that Zhao Yi did not believe in gods or Buddhas.
She deliberately brought up this matter just to tell Emperor Jing'an what she had done for him.
She soon thought that Emperor Jing'an mentioned Zhao Jue not to interrogate her or to make a decision for Zhao Jue, but to test her attitude towards Zhao Jue from the side.
Sure enough, when Emperor Jing'an heard what Shen Qingtan had done for Zhao Yi, his expression became even more amiable and he asked a few more questions.
All Shen Qingtan could answer was her answer.
If the answer was not careful and could easily cause misunderstanding, it would be Zhao Yi who answered first.
Seeing how Zhao Yi was defending Shen Qingtan, Emperor Jing'an was too lazy to ask any more questions. It was enough for him to know that Shen Qingtan intended to live with Zhao Yi and had no other thoughts about Zhao Jue.
He specially kept the couple to have lunch together before letting them leave the palace.
The emperor ordered the builder to look for Zhao Yi for something, so Zhao Yi asked Shen Qingtan to go back home first.
Seeing that Zhao Yi wouldn't take long, Shen Qingtan waited for him in the carriage at the palace gate.
Liu Yue and Ting Xue did not enter the Taiji Hall, but waited outside the hall, not knowing what was going on.
Now, as soon as he got on the carriage, he couldn't help but ask, "Second Madam, how does the Emperor treat you?"
"That's good." Shen Qingtan sighed in his heart. If Zhao Yi was in good health, with Emperor Jing'an's preference for him, he could really choose any famous lady in the capital.
Liu Yue and Ting Xuesong breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, Tingxue curled her lips and said, "Some people in the palace are hoping that you will displease the emperor. If they knew that the emperor loved you, I guess they wouldn't be able to eat tonight."
The second wife had hit a snag with the old lady and it was said that she had not slept well all night. She hoped that Shen Qingtan would anger the emperor by not knowing the rules and that Zhao Yi would also be disliked by the emperor.
Tingxue told Shen Qingtan this as a joke: "Second Madam, you don't know that the Second Madam smashed a vase after returning to her room last night."
Shen Qingtan asked: "How did you find out?"
Tingxue lowered her voice and said, "Qiu Chan said so."
Shen Qingtan raised her eyebrows. Was Qiu Chan trying to show goodwill to her and seek her protection?
She reminded the two of them, "Not all people in the Duke's Mansion are brainless. If it's not necessary, it's best not to associate with Qiu Chan."
Tingxue and Liuyue were shocked and responded in unison.
After waiting for half an hour, Zhao Yi finally came back.
Liu Yue and Ting Xue got off the carriage.
Only the couple were left in the carriage. Shen Qingtan smelled the fresh scent on him and couldn't help but think of the intimate contact between the two of them in the sedan in the morning. The discomfort surged to her heart again, and she subconsciously moved to the window seat.
Zhao Yi watched her little movements calmly and slowly lowered his eyes.
He had been tormented by illness since childhood, living day by day. When his illness was serious, he didn't even know if he would be able to open his eyes the next day after closing them today.
Nowadays, every day you live is a day earned.
Therefore, he was unwilling to get married, for fear of ruining a woman's life.
It was not until his grandfather persuaded him to marry Shen Mingzhu, and said that the Marquis's Mansion was forcing him with favors and insisted on marrying him the second daughter who had just been recognized.
Shen Mingzhu had been wandering in the countryside for more than ten years. Now that she had returned to her roots, Marquis Cheng'en turned around and married his lost daughter to a man who was about to die. It was obvious that he did not care about his daughter in his heart.
Grandfather added, "Yier, since ancient times, it's difficult to repay a favor. The Marquis of Cheng'en simply wants to marry their daughter to you. If they can't fulfill their wish, and they propose something that harms the interests of the Duke's Mansion, it will be a hidden danger."
Zhao Yi knew that Marquis Cheng'en was a greedy man, so for the sake of the overall situation, he agreed to the marriage and put forward a condition to Duke Zhao.
After he passed away, Shen Mingzhu would be free and would not have to stay in the Duke's Mansion to be a widow.
If she has a good character, the Duke's Mansion can be her backer in the future.
But he didn't expect that the Cheng'en Marquis's family insisted on marrying their daughter to him in order to plot against Shen Qingtan.
For Zhao Yi, it didn't matter who he married. Even after his wife became Shen Qingtan, his thoughts did not change. He was prepared to be a superficial couple from the beginning.
Before he got married, he had already written a letter of divorce and left it with his grandfather.
Zhao Yi's gaze fell on the distance between the two people, and he slowly closed his eyes and dozed off.
The carriage suddenly stopped, and a force pushed the two people forward.
Zhao Yi subconsciously reached out to support Shen Qingtan, but as soon as he moved, he saw the people beside him rushing towards him quickly, pressing their hands on his shoulders, and holding him firmly in place.
After Shen Qingtan protected the person, he carefully observed Zhao Yi's expression. Seeing that he looked normal, he knew that he was not hurt.
"Luckily you didn't fall." Shen Qingtan breathed a sigh of relief and asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
He is very sick and I am afraid he might get hurt if he falls.
Zhao Yi leaned her back against the car wall, staring at Shen Qingtan. There was undisguised worry in her eyes, and she seemed to be nervously checking whether he was injured.
His eyelashes trembled slightly and his gaze moved downwards. Her hands were still on his shoulders, and one leg was kneeling beside him, close to his leg, and half of her body was almost pressing on him.
This was the first time the two of them had been so close since they got married, so close that he could smell her delicate fragrance.
His Adam's apple rolled and he whispered, "I'm fine."
Shen Qingtan heard that his voice seemed a little hoarse, and realized belatedly that the posture of the two of them was too intimate and ambiguous.
She quickly withdrew her hand and sat aside. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Zhao Yi slowly sit up straight, tidying his clothes calmly.
She pursed her lips and prepared to say something.
The driver's voice came from outside: "Second Master, it's the girl from Nanshui Street."
Zhao Yi frowned slightly, then said to Shen Qingtan, "I'll go down and take care of it."
Shen Qingtan nodded: "You go."
Zhao Yi lifted the curtain, got out of the carriage, and saw the woman standing in front of the carriage.
"Second Master..." Zhu Yu looked at Zhao Yi with tears in her eyes and said pitifully, "My father went gambling again and owed a gambling debt. He wanted to use me to pay it off. But I... I have been bought by you and I am yours."
When she first saw Zhao Yi, she was stunned by his beauty, especially when he rescued her from the villain.
But a man like him was not someone she could marry. Especially since he was unmarried, and with the status of the Duke's Mansion, they would never allow a concubine to enter the house first.
She originally wanted to wait until Zhao Yi's wife became pregnant before coming to him to give her a legitimate status.
A few days ago, someone suddenly came to her and told her that Zhao Yi did not love his wife, and that his wife had another man in her heart, and the two had not yet consummated their marriage.
She felt unfair for Zhao Yi, thinking that kind of woman was not worthy of him, so she immediately came to find Zhao Yi.
"Miss Zhu, I didn't buy you. The money was borrowed by your brother, and he left a promissory note." Zhao Yi stretched out his hand to Jiang Mu who was standing beside him.
Jiang Mu quickly took out the IOU and gave it to Zhao Yi.
"If you want to repay your debt, there should be a first come first served principle." Zhao Yi's dark eyes were cold and expressionless as he said, "Since you have come to me today, you should repay me first."
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