The trivialities of life can easily break you down. Even though the Qi family has many illegitimate children, there are open and covert struggles in the inner quarters.
She complained to Qi Jingxuan several times, but he always thought that Ruan Yumu came from a humble family and didn't have the demeanor of a matriarch. Gradually, she learned to shut up and act like a proper young lady, but she never imagined that her mother had always looked down on her background and made things difficult for her in every way.
Even if I keep giving in, she still has two faces waiting for me.
Now that the general has returned victorious, he has brought her a letter of divorce. All those lingering feelings will simply disappear from this world along with her.
"Someone has fallen into the water! Help!"
"Someone come here!" Just then, Ruan Yu Mu was spotted by a maid who was passing by and preparing for the banquet.
"It's Madam! Quickly, save Madam!" Upon seeing this, Zi Ling quickly jumped down and, together with several servants, helped Madam up.
"Take him back quickly and ask the military doctor in the manor to take a look."
The Qi family was thrown into chaos.
Upon seeing this situation, Jiang Meng felt that it was inappropriate for her to remain there any longer.
"Madam, I must take my leave now. I will visit you again another day."
"Princess, please wait a moment while I see you off."
"Madam, Jingxuan is the priority. Please go back and take care of him. The guests have already left. As an unmarried woman waiting to be married, I should not linger here. I hope you will stay."
"Long live the Princess!" A group of maids knelt down to see Jiang Mengyi off as she left the mansion. Jiang Mengyi left behind the gifts that had come to offer her congratulations and hurried back to the Duke of Jing's mansion.
The old lady stood by Qi Jingxuan's bedside, holding Buddhist prayer beads and silently chanting sutras.
"I pray to God to protect my Xuan'er. He's the only son in the Qi family. I hope nothing bad will happen to him."
“Madam, aren’t we still here?” Qi Jingxuan’s uncle, Qi Shuwen, said.
Qi Shuwen was the illegitimate son of Old Master Qi. There was also a Qi Shuwu who was born to the same concubine as Qi Shuwen. Neither of them had amounted to much. Qi Shuwen's son, Qi Jingming, took the imperial examination for 10 years but failed to even become a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the lowest level of the imperial examinations). Qi Shuwu's sons, Qi Jinghong and Qi Jingchun, were even more incompetent.
"How can a son born out of wedlock be compared to our legitimate sons? My Xuan'er will be fine, don't talk nonsense. Army doctor, how is Xuan'er?"
As the old lady spoke, she picked up her cane and slammed it hard on the ground, the imposing manner of which instantly intimidated the two of them.
"Madam, Madam has fallen into the water!" Zi Ling rushed over to inform the old lady, hoping that she could send a military doctor to rescue her.
"What are you yelling about? That bitch's life or death is not important. My Xuan'er is the most important now. If anything happens to Xuan'er, that bitch should be buried with him."
With a wink from the old lady, Granny Yun quickly chimed in, "The manor is in complete chaos right now. Miss, you may leave. Someone will be sent to check on things shortly."
"Yes, this servant knows that I should not have disturbed you. Please forgive me, Madam. This servant will take my leave."
Zi Ling believed Yun Mama's two perfunctory words and immediately went back to take care of her mistress.
"Reporting to the old lady, the general is fine and will wake up soon. He is just tired from traveling all day and needs rest. In addition, the horse was frightened and fell to the ground. I will go down and prescribe a nourishing medicine for him to take."
"Thank you for your trouble." The old lady was overjoyed to hear that Qi Jingxuan was about to wake up and was alright.
"Cough cough cough, Zijun, get me some water. The horse was too wild just now, and I couldn't keep it steady."
"Madam, you're awake? Madam, what nonsense are you spouting? Madam? Zijun is the general's attendant. What horse? Madam only rushed to see the general after hearing he had fallen off his horse, which is why you fell into the water!"
Zi Ling waited for a long time but no army doctor came to see her, so she had to quickly change the wet clothes off her wife. Fortunately, her wife was lucky and woke up in time.
"Madam? Ziling? What are you doing here? This is Madam's room. Who helped me here? I need to go back to my study. We are already divorced."
"Madam, don't frighten your servant! What's wrong? What's frightening you? Lie here and don't move. I'll go to the front yard to find a military doctor for you."
As Qi Jingxuan hurriedly got out of bed to put on his shoes, he saw a pair of women's feet. He didn't even bother to put on his shoes and ran straight to the bronze mirror.
"It's Ruan Yumu! What kind of sorcery did this vile woman use to avoid divorcing me? How could my Qi family have such a bewitching woman?" With that, Qi Jingxuan, wearing only his undergarments, wanted to go to the front yard to argue.
“Madam, your clothes are terrible. If you go out like this, the old lady will punish you again. Be careful what you say and do. Have you forgotten how you were punished by having to copy the ‘Precepts for Women’ ten times for wearing a hairpin that was outside your proper place?”
"What hairpin? Is it the top-grade tribute from the Western Regions that I gave to Ruan Yumu before?"
Qi Jingxuan had just stepped out of the room when he retreated again, as his current appearance was indeed quite unseemly.
"You two, come and help me change my clothes."
"Madam, don't you have hands? Can't you dress yourself? You expect us to serve you?"
“How dare you, a mere servant girl, speak such arrogant words! If I were to tell the old lady, you would all be in trouble.”
"Madam, did you fall into the water and become stupid? You call yourself the old lady? Go ahead and do it. Let's see if the old lady will stand up for you."
"You little green spirit." Green Spirit was usually the general's most beloved concubine, gentle and shy in front of him. He never expected her to be so aggressive.
Qi Jingxuan returned to the room and looked around. The wardrobe was full of coarse cloth clothes, which was not what a lady should look like.
He randomly picked out something that was passable, put it on, and prepared to go to the front yard to argue.
"Xuan'er, you're awake."
Looking at her kind and gentle mother, Ruan Yumu wondered what she was up to and subconsciously pulled her hand away from his.
But then I saw a different hand. The hands, with their distinct knuckles and calluses, clearly belonged to someone who spent all day wielding knives and spears.
Ruan Yumu lifted the blanket and looked at her legs again, pinching them up and down a few times.
"Xuan'er, it's nothing. There's just a small scratch on your hand, everything else is fine. No need to check."
Bronze mirror
"Quickly, quickly, bring the bronze mirror to the young master."
Ruan Yumu looked at herself in the bronze mirror and confirmed that it was indeed Qi Jingming. What was going on? This was clearly her own thought, so how could it be his body?
"Imperial edict has arrived!"
"Madam, General, hurry to the main hall to receive the imperial edict. Eunuch Li has been waiting for a long time," Granny Yun quickly came in to remind them.
"Help Xuan'er change his clothes. Granny Yun, prepare one ingot of gold. No! Two ingots of gold." The old lady, supporting Bai Ling's hand, straightened her back and walked towards the hall.
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