Chapter 138 I have to get a divorce, I can't let him divorce me. My third brother is truly in my arms...
After returning from next door, Wang Xifeng didn't rest much. She only drank a couple of sips of water before going to Madam Wang's room. After Madam Wang dismissed everyone else, Wang Xifeng immediately knelt down at her feet.
"Aunt, Second Master Lian wants to divorce me! Aunt, you have to save me!"
"What!" Madam Wang was so shocked that she half-stood up, but immediately realized what she meant and hesitated, "No way?"
"Why not?" Wang Xifeng had been holding back her tears all the way, and now she finally burst into tears. As soon as the tears fell, thinking about the grievances she had suffered in the Jia family for the past ten years, the dowry she had given away year after year, the child she had lost, and the illness she had suffered in recent years, she lay on Madam Wang's lap, her tears almost soaking through her skirt.
“Ever since Sister You, he’s wanted to divorce me,” Wang Xifeng cried. “He said that once I die, he would make Sister You his legal wife. Everyone knows that.”
Back then, Qiu Tong had repeatedly put You Erjie in a difficult position, saying similar things more than once or twice. It was all foreshadowed, so Madam Wang didn't find it strange. She quickly comforted her, saying, "You two are a young couple with so many years of affection. How could an outsider like you possibly sow discord with just a few words? Don't worry, with me here and the old lady here, Lian Er Nai Nai will always be you."
"The Jia family has no conscience." This was what Wang Xifeng really wanted to say, so that the Jia family would continue to be plagued by unrest after she left.
"When the officials came to our door, if I hadn't forced Sister You to say that the child was Zhang Hua's, how could he have escaped? He lost his official position and his right to inherit the title due to his bad conduct, and now he blames it all on me. And that child, who knows whose it is? He just insists on being a cuckold, saying that I can't bear a son and that I'm even trying to harm his son! I was clearly doing this for him, and not only is he ungrateful, he even wants to divorce me!"
Wang Xifeng cried as she spoke. Jia Lian was originally indiscriminate in his sexual desires, and had a reputation for wanting both the most beautiful and the most ugly women. The eldest son's wife was a thorn in Wang Furen's side. Moreover, You Erjie was the sister-in-law of Jia Zhen next door. Jia Zhen was the kind of person who didn't even spare his own daughter-in-law.
Madam Wang accepted everything Wang Xifeng said without question.
While Wang Xifeng was crying, she didn't forget to observe Madam Wang's expression. She then said, "I heard from the servants that he and Sister You were discussing having the old lady petition the court to let their son inherit the title after he was born. Aunt, instead of doing that, why not let Baoyu inherit the title?"
"Ah!" Madam Wang exclaimed in surprise, paused for a moment, and then stood up in astonishment.
Wang Xifeng understood. This reaction meant that her good aunt had considered letting Baoyu inherit the title, but just hadn't had the chance to bring it up. Now things were much easier.
“We’re all family. If we let Lian Er Ye’s son inherit the title, the rank would have to be lowered by two grades. If we let Bao Yu inherit the title, it would only be lowered by one grade. Bao Yu has first-class looks and first-class character. Even Prince Bei Jing praised him. How can he not inherit the title?”
"This..." Compared to before, Madam Wang could say that she was willing in her heart, but she still had to say that she was declining.
Wang Xifeng pretended not to see anything, and her words were all about the Jia family or her own revenge. She even changed the subject of asking Baoyu to inherit the title: "Please help me, Aunt. How can we let the Jia family bully the Wang family like this? If we don't beat them down this time, won't they ride on our heads in the future?"
“Baoyu… Baoyu doesn’t actually like studying. This year, his master forced him to study, and he’s lost a lot of weight. If he can inherit the title… he’s a filial son, so he won’t cause any major trouble.”
“Exactly,” Wang Xifeng agreed. “In ancient times, there was the saying of recommending filial and incorrupt officials. Hundreds of years ago, Baoyu would have been an official long ago. Who wouldn’t like such a filial child? Perhaps His Majesty will be pleased to see our filial piety. His Majesty governs the country based on filial piety.”
Madam Wang restrained herself, determined not to show any joy.
Wang Xifeng added, "Also, Aunt, Lian Er Ye's children should naturally have the blood of my Wang family. When Bao Yu gets married, I want to adopt one of his sons."
Madam Wang was truly astonished: "You're really going to such lengths?"
Wang Xifeng sneered, "Otherwise what? If he won't let me have a good time, I'll make sure he has no good time either!"
Even Lady Wang couldn't maintain her calm and serene expression. She mumbled a few words of comfort, such as "Go back early so you don't catch a cold," "Drink some hot soup tonight," and "Remember to soak your feet before bed," before seeing Wang Xifeng off.
After everyone left, Madam Wang sat alone in the inner room and laughed. If this matter succeeded, the first and second branches of the family would belong to her.
When Wang Xifeng returned to the room, her face immediately fell.
Even though she's feeling much better these days, she's still a bit tired after traveling to two different places and having to concentrate fully on acting.
Wang Xifeng leaned against the bed, and Ping'er came over to take off her shoes and socks, saying worriedly, "Grandma, your legs are swollen."
"Just rub it a little, I'll—you be gentle!"
"How can something be good if it's too light?"
After a moment of silence, Wang Xifeng suddenly sighed, "How can I ask him to divorce me? It has to be a divorce at least. If he divorces me, I won't be able to take Qiao'er with me, and I won't even be able to take you with me."
Ping'er looked up at her, her hands moving with varying pressure, causing Wang Xifeng to frown.
“I know you used to be close to that Second Sister You, but if it weren’t for me, you would just be a maid. Second Master would mistreat you, Second Sister You would mistreat you even more, and the new mistress wouldn’t tolerate you either.”
"Second Master..." Ping'er originally wanted to say that Jia Lian wouldn't dare, but she changed her words instead, "Why is Grandma saying these things for no reason? If I don't follow Grandma, who will I follow?"
Wang Xifeng lay down: "You know that's good. Look at her now that she's back, does she even acknowledge you? Humph, you're just a fool."
She closed her eyes, and Ping'er's grip became much gentler.
Now that both sides have laid the groundwork, it's hard to predict how things will turn out. After all, the Jia family used to be wealthy, and everyone was concerned about their reputation. Now, they're all desperate and eager to fight to the death.
Besides, she had a dowry of nearly 200,000 taels of silver when she married into the Jia family, which the Jia family couldn't afford at all.
This was her capital to take Qiao Jie'er and Ping'er away.
The matter must be settled before my aunt leaves Beijing, so she can go back with her.
Her father still managed everything in their old home in Jinling, so she was much better off back there than in the Jia family mansion.
"Come take a look and see if you like this!"
That afternoon, Lin Daiyu was sitting there checking the gift list when Mu Chuan returned.
With the Lunar New Year approaching, it's also the peak season for gift-giving in the capital. Half of it is for family exchanges, and the other half is for those waiting to be selected as officials next spring.
Since it was peak season for gift-giving, the pawned items were also at their peak for sale. Lin Daiyu was picking out things she didn't like and planned to send them to her family's pawnshop to sell them off and save herself the trouble of dealing with them.
Upon hearing Mu Chuan's voice, Lin Daiyu stood up to greet him: "Why are you back so early?"
Mu Chuan shook a small wooden box in his hand a couple of times and said, "After a whole year of hard work, shouldn't you let people rest?"
Lin Daiyu asked in surprise, "What is this?"
"When your husband comes back, you don't even offer him a robe or help him with his belt?" Mu Chuan asked incredulously.
Lin Daiyu chuckled, "We haven't eaten yet. You can change your clothes after dinner."
Her third brother would send her things every few days, sometimes valuable gold and silver jewelry, sometimes trinkets he bought from the street, and she liked them all.
She has such a big house, such a big yard, such a big mansion, she can hold so many memories.
"These are the letter boxes I prepared for you." Mu Chuan sighed as he pushed open the wooden box, and a faint fragrance wafted out with the heat of the room.
Lin Daiyu gently took out the letter by pressing the edge with her fingernail; she couldn't possibly leave her fingerprint on it.
“We used to use stationery from the palace, and later we switched to stationery made by the Imperial Household Department. But with so many letters coming and going during holidays, it’s better to make some ourselves. Take a look at the style and specifications. If you like it, this will be our Marquis Zhongyong’s stationery from now on.”
The letter paper is different from the usual letter paper. It has a better texture and is thicker, with special decorations. The one that Mu Chuan brought back has a slightly yellow background and the seal of the Marquis of Zhongyong in the lower right corner.
Lin Daiyu gently scratched it with her fingernail: "Is this a plum blossom? How was it pressed in?"
"I don't know either, I just give the orders," Mu Chuan said matter-of-factly. "If you're interested, let's go to the workshop and take a look."
The letter's decorations didn't stop there. Lin Daiyu held the letter to the window and waved it, noticing tiny specks of light on it: "They even pressed gold leaf in there?"
Mu Chuan nodded: "I also added plum blossom essential oil, making the writing feel more like it's written on sized Xuan paper."
Indeed, a faint fragrance could be smelled. Lin Daiyu took the letter back and wrote the words "Loyal and Brave Marquis's Residence" on it.
Mu Chuan leaned closer and said with a smile, "Write 'My husband Mu Chuan' as well."
Lin Daiyu rolled her eyes at him and took a new piece of stationery to write.
Mu Chuan smiled and took the letter away, saying with a satisfied look, "I'm going to keep this."
Lin Daiyu grabbed the man, refusing to let him leave: "You must also write 'My wife Daiyu'."
"Is my wife Lin Daiyu good?" Mu Chuan pondered. "We should at least include her surname."
"Don't interrupt." Lin Daiyu stood beside him, watching him write the words "My wife Lin Daiyu" in large characters. She was satisfied and put the paper away. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and she said with a touch of pride, "You have to write this every year from now on. I have to see if your handwriting has improved."
"What if I don't improve?" Mu Chuan asked.
"It must be because you didn't study properly. I'll make you pay," Lin Daiyu said fiercely.
"What if I make progress?"
"It must be because I taught you well, you should thank me."
The unreasonable lady was picked up by Mu Chuan.
Lin Daiyu exclaimed, "Oh dear!" and then said, "What are you doing? I haven't even chosen the letter paper yet. I also want one with chrysanthemums and bamboo leaves. The red leaf one is too big. I'll wait until spring—oh dear!"
Mu Chuan had already carried her downstairs. Even though Mu Chuan was very steady, the ups and downs made Lin Daiyu's voice tremble: "Are you trying to sell me?"
Mu Chuan laughed and said, "They're going to test their new fireworks and firecrackers over at the clock tower today. Let's go join in the fun and see if we like any of them."
Lin Daiyu immediately recalled that last year during the New Year, she had originally planned to set off fireworks, but Jia Baoyu interrupted her with "Don't be friends with the Marquis of Zhongyong." As a result, she only set off a few fireworks and had the maids set them off instead.
Looking back now, it feels like a lifetime ago, and even a little funny. Jia Baoyu's face was not only awkward but also pretentious, and his tone of voice was more like that of a twelve or thirteen-year-old child.
"Put me down." Lin Daiyu patted his back, laughing as she said, "I didn't say I wasn't going. I should at least go back and put on a cloak."
“There’s a crane cloak in the carriage,” Mu Chuan said. “I just made it for you. Long fox fur, red outer skin.”
Lin Daiyu immediately understood what he wanted to do.
Third brother always says that his mother-in-law likes to show off, but isn't his third brother the same?
Try out the newly made fireworks and firecrackers... and see if there are any you like.
There were definitely more than just one or two families present; they were there to select fireworks for high-ranking officials and dignitaries.
But going together is just another way of showing off her title as the Marquis of Zhongyong, the wife of the Marquis of Zhongyong.
Lin Daiyu said, "I want to wear your crane cloak. It's loose and big, and it can cover a person completely. It's also warmer."
Sure enough, Mu Chuan grinned, revealing a set of bright white teeth, looking exceptionally honest: "Wear them, you can wear them all."
Once on the carriage, Lin Daiyu saw the crane cloak described by Mu Chuan as having "long fox fur and a red outer skin," and immediately felt that her third brother had done it on purpose.
To be able to describe a finely crafted and exquisitely embroidered fur coat as so ordinary is truly a gift.
Lin Daiyu threw down the hand warmer, reached into his arms, and said matter-of-factly, "I'm cold."
Mu Chuan stretched out his arm and wrapped the crane cloak around her, then pulled her and the cloak into his arms.
How wonderful! No matter how windy and snowy it is outside, my third brother's arms are not only warm, but also a little hot.
"Cold, so cold." On a December night, Jia Baoyu shivered and sighed. Without Xiren, without Sheyue, and with no maidservant daring to warm his bed, the biting wind howled, making him shiver.
"Mingyan, Mingyan, add some more charcoal."
Mingyan ran in from the outer room and said, "Didn't Second Master just complain that the smoke was too strong and made him smell bad, so he didn't want so much charcoal burned?"
Jia Baoyu frowned: "I told you to burn it, so burn it! Are you trying to fool me again? I often hear them say that servants take bribes from their masters. Two taels of money for cosmetics can buy more than five qian of things. Are you trying to steal the money for the charcoal in my room?"
Mingyan chuckled twice and said irritably, "Now that Madam is in charge of Second Master's room, who dares to interfere? Second Master, don't complain about the smoky charcoal. The Old Madam and Madam burn this in their rooms too. Our room is even worse. It makes my throat hurt. Now we even have to be careful with the loquat drinks."
“Why go to such lengths!” Jia Baoyu said, “Such a large Rongguo Mansion, how could it be without you?”
"Second Master, don't disbelieve me." Mingyan brought in some charcoal from outside, added some to Jia Baoyu's food, and then went to close the window to prevent the wind from blowing it shut. "I'll also bring you a quilt, Second Master."
"Put a cloth on the quilt," Jia Baoyu instructed. "You just took the charcoal; don't get the quilt dirty."
After all this fuss, mainly because of the quilt, Jia Baoyu felt less cold. Mingyan wanted to wait until the charcoal was lit before going out, so she added, "Half of the Rongguo Mansion has been divided up, who knows how long this signboard can stay up?"
"Stop talking such discouraging things!" Jia Baoyu scolded, displeased with the sound. "You're always gossiping. If Master hears you, he won't let you off the hook. Besides, there's Grandmother and Madam here too."
The old lady, the old man, and the old woman were nothing in Beijing!
Young master is young master, so Mingyan didn't dare to openly sneer. She just pretended to be sleepy, yawned twice, and after the charcoal was lit, she stirred it a couple of times before going out.
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