Chapter 1317: The Turtle Like a Wishing Well (Part 1) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
People can actually laugh when they're extremely speechless.
"What did you just say Choi Ji-sun was doing right now?"
Inside the capital of Qi Kingdom, in the hall of a high-ranking official's residence.
If any former officials of the Qi State were present, they would recognize that everyone there was a former colleague. Although their official positions were not necessarily high, they all had one thing in common—they all came from prominent families and had a good personal relationship with Cui Zhi, advancing and retreating together.
They all regarded Cui Zhi as the leader of the aristocratic families, but they never expected that the leader would play tricks on everyone at the crucial moment!
This story begins two hours ago.
The capital city surrendered, and Shen Tang took over the royal court.
They were so hospitable that they gave them a big gift as soon as they arrived.
Upon opening the gift, I was instantly terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.
He had no idea how such a deadly item had fallen into Chen Tang's hands, and that she would present it to him as a "gift" to intimidate him. Interrogation and screening failed to uncover the traitor, so he reluctantly decided to consult with Cui Zhi to see what their next move would be.
They have no choice but to be anxious.
Before it even got dark, all eight gates of the capital were locked.
Don't ask, the only answer is that the curfew in the Kang Kingdom is at this time! However, discerning people feel that this is a prelude to trap and kill them! Who to kill? Those with guilty consciences dare not think about this question, for fear that the butcher's knife will fall on their own heads.
Everyone had gathered here, except for Cui Zhi.
They waited and waited, but Cui Zhi didn't show up. Instead, they received a retainer who had been sent to invite him. At this point, none of them thought Cui Zhi was deliberately not coming, since they were all in the same boat. But the retainer said that Cui Zhi simply refused to come.
Their house is in complete chaos right now.
The gatekeeper of Cui Zhi's residence apologized profusely to his guests, saying that his master had important business to attend to and was unable to leave for the time being.
The retainer was terrified upon hearing this, his mind nearly going blank, fearing that Kangguo would use the Cui family as a scapegoat: "Please go in and inform them that my master's family is facing a life-or-death matter and needs the Cui family head's help in making a decision."
The gatekeeper lowered his voice and said helplessly, "I dare not go in either. If I see something I shouldn't, I'm afraid my life will be in danger."
The color drained from the guest's face.
Before leaving, he slipped some money to the gatekeeper, using the money to pry open his mouth. The gatekeeper, cornered by the persistent entreaties, finally revealed what was happening at the manor—the eldest daughter-in-law had brought several disreputable male lovers back to meet the parents, wanting a divorce from Madam Yuan. The parents were so enraged that they flew into a rage, arguing with their daughter in public, their tempers escalating to the point where they threatened to whip the male lovers…
The old lady would definitely not agree.
The father and daughter started arguing.
You say one thing, I say another.
The story begins with the divorce of the matriarch and her husband, which left the eldest daughter-in-law and her two siblings without their mother's protection from a young age, and subjected them to open and covert bullying and ostracism within the clan. The eldest daughter-in-law recounts how she compromised, how cautious she was, how she forced herself to be understanding of her father, and how she endured her longing for her mother. She lacked so much love, so why would she have a problem finding several male lovers who loved her?
Faced with her daughter's accusations, Cui Zhi felt even more aggrieved.
He was both father and mother to his children, serving as the head of the Cui family by day and dealing with three children by night, meticulously planning for their lives and studies. Now, he had to face such a heart-wrenching question from his daughter? Had he not given her enough love? It was one thing for his daughter to keep male lovers, but bringing them to a family banquet was unacceptable! He, a man with a proper education, could not accept such unofficial and unrecognized individuals appearing in such a formal setting! These male lovers were all sent by him; these traitors had actually deceived their superiors!
The eldest and second sons, who were trying to break up the fight, were also drawn into the controversy.
The only one in the family who wasn't affected was the matriarch.
The retainers were dumbfounded.
For a moment, it was unclear whether it was shocking that such private information would be so easily revealed by the gatekeeper, or that it was shocking that Cui Zhi would waste his energy on something like this at such a critical juncture as the upheaval in the aristocratic families. Gatekeeper: […And that's not all, the eldest mistress wants a divorce.]
Retainer: [Divorce?]
The gatekeeper said: [The parents disagree.]
To be precise, the divorce was agreed upon, but the daughter disagreed because she wanted to give her male lovers a title! Not the title of concubine, but to elevate one of them to the status of wife. This caused a huge uproar. The parents were vehemently opposed. They demanded either the status quo be maintained, or that the parents find a suitable man from a prominent family to be the wife. In short, they would not allow her to make a concubine her husband, and absolutely would not allow her to elevate a concubine to the status of wife!
The Cui family does not have this tradition!
The father and daughter are arguing fiercely.
Therefore, Cui Zhi simply didn't have time to come out and keep the appointment.
"That fickle bastard Cui Zhishan!" No one could have imagined such an absurd reason. Was he trying to fool them? Was the continuation of the family more important, or was the people in his daughter's room more important? Perhaps Cui Zhishan was using this as an excuse to deliberately avoid coming!
You guessed right, but there was no reward.
"But...but what good does he get out of doing this? He's betraying us at a crucial moment; isn't he afraid of retaliation later?"
Backstabbing them only hurts personal feelings.
But betraying the powerful Shijia Group, was he out of his mind?
Someone, panting heavily, gritted their teeth: "What do you mean by fearing future retaliation? The Cui family has probably already sided with the Shen family behind our backs, and might even be using us as a pledge of loyalty, sacrificing us to secure their own foundation! They've been fearless all along!"
Otherwise, it would be difficult to explain Cui Zhi's behavior.
Everyone's faces darkened as they thought of the incriminating evidence that Shen Tang had given them.
Could these incriminating facts have been provided by the Cui family?
No, that's unlikely; the Cui family doesn't have that ability either.
Regardless of whether this matter was related to the Cui family or not, they had essentially severed ties with them. While they were furious at being betrayed, they were helpless; even uniting to eliminate the Cui family now would be difficult. The Cui family had found Shen Tang as their backer, so they couldn't touch him for the time being.
Being unable to move for a while doesn't mean you can't move in the future.
Cui Shi, Cui Zhishan, let's have a long future ahead of us!
This matter did not cause any public uproar. The families who received Shen Tang's gifts dared not complain, nor did they engage in any underhanded actions, for fear of giving Shen Tang a handle to use against them. They lived in fear for several days.
The culprit behind all this, finally having a rare free day, disguised herself as a fish and prepared to stroll out of the city. She had been too busy entering the city to properly observe the outside world. She leisurely rode her motorcycle to the city gate, only to find it blocked.
Shen Tang could only jump off the mule and wait for the procession to move forward.
She popped a piece of candy into her mouth, then stuffed some into the motorcycle's mouthpiece, looking curiously at the convoy: "Which family is this?"
With her exceptional hearing, she could hear sobbing sounds coming from within the ranks.
The plaintive and lingering melody seemed to convey endless grievances.
If it weren't for the exquisite decorations of the carriage, Shen Tang would have suspected they were abducting innocent women. Gossip and watching the excitement are innate; commoners may have no interest in national affairs, but when it comes to private gossip and matters of the heart, even their dull eyes will light up.
"I heard it was Cui, a woman who had been divorced and sent back to her parents' home."
Shen Tang subconsciously thought of the Cui family behind Cui Zhi.
Upon further inquiry, it turned out to be the same Cui.
"What happened that led to this breakdown?"
Seeing that she was an unfamiliar face and spoke with a foreign accent, a busybody said, "You don't know this? In the past few days, there have been enough Cui women who have been divorced to fill a slap in the face. One of them, who had been married for more than ten years and had given birth to seven children, was also divorced."
Shen Tang paused in her chewing of the maltose.
He asked, "Shouldn't there be a reason for divorcing a wife?"
A busybody remarked, "These higher-ups don't need a reason to do things. Cui has also broken off several engagements lately."
While the Cui family only broke off the engagement, the other family directly divorced their wife.
No one knows what happened to these families; they broke off relations without warning and adopted a stance of never speaking to each other again. A woman surnamed Cui, unable to bear the unwarranted humiliation, hanged herself at her husband's house that very day.
At this point, those who like to stir up trouble couldn't help but sigh.
However, it's still possible to guess.
A poorly dressed old scholar in the crowd whispered, "There's nothing new under the sun. Back then, the Prince Consort of the Cui family had to divorce the princess because of the conflict between the royal court and the Cui family. I reckon it will be the same this time."
It's not that the two families' children marrying each other that makes their relationship good; rather, it's that a good relationship between the two families leads to marriage between their younger generations. Now that the relationship between the two families has deteriorated, women who marry into the other family will not only be divorced, but they will also have a difficult time living in an environment full of malice.
"If I don't leave, I might die of illness someday."
Everyone who heard this gasped in shock.
"...That's too cruel. They had given birth to our children, and you just killed them like that. Don't their children hate you?"
Ordinary families simply cannot imagine such an extreme situation.
"What's there to hate? Don't you even know what your children's surnames are?"
"Oh, how pitiful! A distant relative of theirs works at this household. I heard that the woman had just given birth when they took the baby away and kicked her out. Her pitiful pleas for mercy were truly chilling to hear. Aren't they afraid of retribution?"
They drove the woman, who had just given birth, out of the mansion, throwing away all her dowry and belongings, leaving her no way to survive. If someone hadn't been quick enough to stop them, that woman would have smashed her head against a doorpost to her death.
Everyone was even more curious about what the conflict was.
Why go to such lengths to kill?
While ordinary people might not know, Shen Tang was fully aware of the situation, and she even bore half the responsibility. Identity verification required everyone to disembark for inspection, and Shen Tang also saw the person making the sobbing. Looking to be only in his early twenties, he was haggard, his hair unkempt, and he seemed utterly dejected. Unable to bear the subtle stares from those around him, he covered his face with a handkerchief, filled with shame and indignation.
Shen Tang suddenly lost all interest in wearing the white dragon fish costume.
Even if the motorcycle nudged her with its head, it wouldn't work.
Ji Moqiu said, "This is not Your Highness's fault."
“I didn’t kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me. Their fate was also indirectly influenced by me… The reason for divorcing the Cui family women was not because they were incompetent, but because they were surnamed Cui, and because it was to slap Cui Zhi… How could Cui Zhi accept such humiliation?”
Simply canceling the engagement is not enough to retaliate.
The simplest way is to treat them the same way they treat you.
Come on, let's hurt each other.
Shen Tang naturally could not stand idly by and watch this situation unfold.
This can be considered as her making amends in some way.
Cui Zhi did not expect Shen Tang to get involved in this matter.
He wondered what her purpose was.
Shen Tang wanted to ask Cui Zhi how he planned to deal with the situation. Was he going to remarry them as quickly as possible, or would he also have the men in his clan divorce the daughters of their rivals? Cui Zhi had considered both options, but had dismissed them due to various concerns. It wasn't that he was soft-hearted, but rather that he couldn't find a better or more suitable family than their ex-husband's in the short term. Wouldn't they be ridiculed for decades if they married down?
Forcing male members to divorce is also unrealistic.
Cui had few concubines, and even if she did, it was only one or two. The more time a couple spends together, the deeper their bond becomes, making them less likely to separate. Following the principle of "Do not do to others what you would not have them do to you," Cui Zhi naturally couldn't bear to do such a thing.
Shen Tang explained his purpose: "If they are willing to remarry, I can grant them a marriage; if they are unwilling, we can arrange other arrangements."
"Does Shen Jun wish to bestow a marriage upon him?"
"There are plenty of eligible single men in Kangguo."
Cui Zhi was silent for a moment.
Marriage is based on the principle of matching social status, and Cui Zhi naturally wanted to expand his selection to the Kang Kingdom circle, but this was not something he could easily bring up.
It can easily give others ammunition for malicious purposes.
The situation is completely different when Shen Tang brings it up herself.
There were no further obstacles for the Cui family to integrate into Kangguo.
"However, it must be voluntary; being forced to do it won't do." Not everyone has a rebellious streak, able to be divorced by their in-laws one day and then happily remarry the next. Shen Tang actually preferred to hold a banquet with a matchmaking aspect, ideally where both parties were interested, to avoid an arranged marriage. However, others saw her good intentions as unnecessary, considering the arranged marriage already a great honor.
Cui Zhi agreed, "Of course."
The younger women refused to remarry, unable to process their emotions.
There was one man in his early thirties who was interested.
Shen Tang glanced at the man's relationship with Cui Zhi and said, "An old fox is an old fox. He really knows how to keep the good stuff in the family."
In terms of relationship, this woman is Cui Zhi's cousin.
Cui Zhi must have put in a lot of effort to persuade her, right?
Cui Xiaodao: "That's really not the case."
Such was the family tradition within the Cui clan.
Or rather, this is the prevailing attitude within aristocratic families.
Their years of marital affection were genuine, but so were the calculations of self-interest. Her in-laws had been heartless first; she had already lost her family, her dignity, and her self-respect, and she couldn't afford to lose her future as well. Shen Tang had personally agreed to the arranged marriage, and even for her own sake, she couldn't simply accept it casually. Even if their marital relationship soured after marriage, Shen Tang would force the man to treat her well.
Shen Tang: "..."
Why does this scene seem so familiar to her?
The court officials of Kangguo still held Shen Tang in high regard, and would occasionally send him portraits of promising young talents. Their backgrounds might not be particularly privileged, but their physical appearance, character, and talent were certainly remarkable.
Shen Tang sent a bunch of gifts to Cui Zhi.
They were piled up high, forming a small mountain that almost touched the roof beams.
"Let your sister see them, one by one."
For the first time in his life, Cui Zhiping was somewhat at a loss.
"Any one you like is fine?"
Shen Tang said irritably, "I know you have plenty of strength and methods, but forced relationships don't work. Mutual affection is essential between a man and a woman. Cast a wide net, and you're bound to find someone you're happy with..."
The exhaustive search method is applicable at any time.
Unsurprisingly, the news was leaked.
Everyone heard about this, and their expressions were quite interesting.
It looked like he had been slapped several times.
Of course, even more dramatic was the sight of people losing their heads. Just as they had divorced Cui's daughter without warning, Shen Tang's troops had also raided her home without warning. The charge, however, wasn't the previous incriminating evidence against her, but rather that they had been lending money at exorbitant interest rates.
“Illegally minted coins, let’s make a trip.”
"Innocence, I am innocent, I am wronged—"
The people being dragged away cried out that they were innocent.
It was indeed a miscarriage of justice. Compared to the previous incriminating charges, lending money at exorbitant interest rates was a very minor offense, especially since it happened before the Kang Kingdom invaded. After breaking with the Cui family, they had cleaned up all the mess they could; how could there be any new cases of lending money at exorbitant interest rates?
|ω`)
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