Chapter 53, Pingfu is the Prince of Zhenbei
"Your Majesty, I'm used to it. It doesn't hurt. Every time I get beaten, they're afraid I'll really die, so they'll give me medicine and a meat bun. My mother says that as long as I eat well, everything will be fine and I won't die."
Jiang Ruanruan's words brought tears to Prime Minister Xia's eyes.
"Look at you, girl, your child is just as strong-willed. What does it mean to say 'as long as you can eat, you won't die'? Look at you, how many injuries you've suffered these past few years. And what will happen to your child if he really loses his mother!"
Prime Minister Xia was scolding his daughter.
In reality, isn't this also talking about the emperor? My daughter helped you conquer the country, but what did she get in return? A so-called general's position. What good is that? When the emperor dies, the child is ruined beyond recognition.
"Lord Jiang, you truly deserve to die! How could you lay a hand on such a young child!" The emperor grabbed a teacup and smashed it over Lord Jiang's head.
Lord Jiang dared not dodge and was hit squarely on the head. His head was spinning, and he didn't know if it was the tea or something else.
"Grandpa Emperor, please don't be angry, it's all Ruan Ruan's fault!"
"How could this be Ruan Ruan's fault? Ruan Ruan, be good. Taking the blame for everything will only hurt you!"
The emperor sighed. This child had been raised to be too timid and weak; he had clearly been bullied too much at home.
"It's because Ruan Ruan is unfilial. Father said he wanted Mother's dowry, but Ruan Ruan refused to give it, so Father beats me every day and doesn't give me food!"
"Because Mother said this is a little secret only for me, and that Ruanruan must keep it and not tell anyone."
"I'm sorry, Father, but I really can't say it. If I do, Mother will be angry, and then she won't want Ruan Ruan anymore..."
Prince Ning cried, "This child is so pitiful. She's afraid her father will say she's unfilial and hate her, and she's also afraid her mother will find out she leaked the secret and get angry and abandon her. General Xia, you've been away for too long. The child really wants you to come home. You must spend more time with her in the future!"
"Is that the point? Why are you crying, Your Majesty? The one who should be crying is Marquis Jiang. He's so poor he can't even afford to raise his child. He has to save money on several meals for the child. He used General Xia's pension to get married, but he doesn't have money to raise the child. He even wants to take away General Xia's dowry."
“Yu Rou, tell me, rounding this up, Zhang Shi was married with your money. So, does this wife belong to you or Marquis Jiang? Marquis Jiang, I see your legs aren't very good, just look and that's enough. You want to marry several like other people? Can you handle it? If Yu Rou weren't always in the army and busy not being able to come home, what woman could tolerate someone like you!”
The Prince of Zhenbei spared no effort in eliminating dissidents, and at this crucial moment, he was bound to badmouth Yu Rou.
She needs to know just how useless this man is.
Lord Jiang...
His face grew increasingly pale, eventually turning bright red, but he could only stare intently at the Prince of Zhenbei.
"Ahem, Fourth Prince, please say less. Now I know what happened. Yu Rou, now that you're back, tell me how you plan to handle this matter. You've made a great contribution this time. As long as your request isn't excessive, I'll listen to you!"
The emperor blinked, sending a coded signal to Xia Yurou.
He quickly made his demands, settled the matter, and then went to sleep.
"Lord Jiang, since you consider me dead and you already have a wife, our marriage is now a thing of the past. Your Majesty, I have fought for the country for many years, but I never expected my home to be stolen. Since it has come to this, I do not wish to pursue who is right and who is wrong. My marital bond with Jiang Yuanzheng is over. I hereby request Your Majesty to issue an edict allowing me to divorce him."
Before this, Xia Yurou thought that she had lost her memory, and perhaps she still had some feelings for this husband before she lost her memory. It would be wrong to abandon him rashly.
Now... this kind of dregs, if we don't discard it sooner, are we going to keep it for the New Year?
"Xia Yurou, you actually want a divorce? I don't want that! Since you're alive, you're my wife!" Lord Jiang almost roared.
"For so many years, you haven't taken care of anything at home, and now that you're back, you actually want a divorce...you..."
"If you won't divorce me, do you expect my daughter to be your concubine? My daughter is a dignified first-rank general. Wouldn't she be laughed at for being someone's concubine?" Prime Minister Xia sneered.
“Then I’ll make her my equal wife!” Jiang Hou blurted out.
The two women looked at Lord Jiang with strange expressions; neither of them wanted to be his concubine.
"I can't be a secondary wife!" Xia Yurou said coldly. What kind of pipe dream is this dead man having? A secondary wife?
"Sister, can't you bear to see me like this? Do you really want to separate me from the Marquis? If that's the case, I'm willing to leave... Waaah!" Zhang Shi started to cry.
"No, you can't leave..." Lord Jiang was still hoping that Lu Zirou could bring him back the precious medicine.
"Then I'll leave..." Xia Yurou glanced at Zhang Shi impatiently.
If they were to actually appear together, she would have to watch this person act every few days, and she was most annoyed by those women who cried and whimpered every day.
“You can’t leave either, Yu Rou. I thought you were different from other women. You weren’t jealous. Besides, Zhang Shi is your sister. She’s already been a widow once. If she leaves me, what will become of her and her orphan mother in the future!”
Lord Jiang didn't want to give up on either side.
"Shameless! Father, don't you dare follow his example. If my mother finds out, she'll break your legs!" Prince Ning's heir, Li Yong'an, looked at Marquis Jiang with disdain.
“My son is right, this man is truly shameless, wanting both ways!” Prince Ning said sarcastically. Who is Xia Yurou to tolerate such behavior?
"The Three Obediences and Four Virtues are a woman's duty. So what if you are a general, Xia Yurou? You are just jealous. You should regard your husband as your heaven!" After being scolded, Lord Jiang finally stopped talking about these empty words and started to morally blackmail her.
"General Xia should set an example for the world. Just because you've become a general, does that mean you can use your power to coerce me into a divorce? If so, you will be despised by the world!" Lord Jiang looked coldly at Xia Yurou.
Divorce him? No way. He's too proud to lose face.
“What kind of role model am I? I’m a general now. If I have to swallow my pride, what’s the point of being a general? So what if you’re jealous? If you’re so capable, then divorce me.”
"Your Majesty, we are all generals. Do you think that just because I am a woman, I will be treated differently from men?"
Xia Yurou knelt on one knee and clasped her hands in a fist salute.
"Of course not. You are my Grand General, of unparalleled honor. You enjoy the same treatment as other first-rank officials!" The emperor solemnly assured him, but his eyes gleamed with gossip.
The real show is about to begin.
“In our dynasty, a first-rank official can take four concubines, while Lord Jiang keeps saying he wants a second wife. As a first-rank general, I wonder if I can take a second husband?” Xia Yurou said calmly.
What he said shocked everyone present.
Jiang Ruanruan's eyes widened, filled with admiration. Could it be that she called him "Second Father" yesterday, and he really became "Second Father" today?
"I have already promised you... Of course, it is possible, but I wonder, General Xia, which one has taken a fancy to?"
The emperor feigned surprise and distress, yet he couldn't take back his word.
After all, Lord Jiang had only married a concubine, yet General Xia wanted a divorce. The marriage was originally arranged by the Emperor, and the Emperor's authority made it difficult to force Lord Jiang to divorce.
After all, the Jiang family's contributions were no less than General Xia's.
"Xia Yurou... what did you say? You want to marry Pingfu? This is utterly ridiculous! You are a woman, this is unchastity! Have you no shame?" Lord Jiang cursed.
Zhang was shocked. She had never seen anything like it. She had been smug about taking away Lord Jiang, thinking that even if Xia Yurou became a general, she would still be tormented by her in the future.
As it turned out, she actually wanted to start a different career path, and she actually wanted to marry a commoner.
What an outrageous statement!
Everyone stared at Xia Yurou in shock.
“I am a great general, living in the military camp every day, living with men. What do I need chastity for? What do I need face for? Do you think I can help the emperor fight battles if I have face? Don’t think I don’t know what people outside are saying about me.”
"If I get even a little closer to that general, people will gossip. It would be better to find a regular partner so that the generals' wives can relax. It would be a great thing for both of us."
Xia Yurou remained calm; her skin was equally impervious to criticism.
"No, I absolutely will not allow it..." Lord Jiang's face was extremely ugly.
"Then why don't you want a divorce? You want both, have you no shame!" Xia Yurou said coldly.
"So, my sister has found someone she loves. Husband, if that's the case, why don't you agree to a divorce and let them be together?"
Zhang was eager for Xia Yurou to leave as soon as possible, otherwise even if she was a secondary wife, it would only sound nice; in reality, she was still a concubine.
Moreover, given Xia Yurou's temper, she wouldn't dare to openly confront her unless she secretly made some small moves. That would make things difficult for her.
"What sweetheart? Knowing you have a husband, what are he up to? Break up with him immediately! Why should you divorce me? Why drag me into your affairs!" Lord Jiang glared at Madam Zhang.
He felt that this was a terrible teammate. Without Xia Yurou, how would he support Lu Zirou with his meager wealth? He knew that cultivation required a lot of money.
"You're unwilling to sever ties cleanly, yet you expect me to do the same? You're dreaming! Our marital bond is broken. Since you're unwilling to divorce, I'll just be your widow. Fine, I'll let you have the title, consider it a bargain. As for this second husband, I have other plans for him!"
Xia Yurou snorted coldly. What a scheme! He's allowed to set fires, but she's not allowed to use electric lights?
On what grounds?
Lord Jiang... something's not right. She has other plans. Since ancient times, the husband has always been the head of the household, but it seems he's being trampled on.
But he was frustrated and didn't know what to say, since he didn't dare to openly oppose the emperor.
[Ding dong, congratulations host for obtaining 1000 points for Lord Jiang's extremely frustrating debt collection, balance 18000]
"Your Majesty, what do you think of my suggestion?" Xia Yurou ignored the man and instead spoke with a sincere expression.
"So the person you've taken a fancy to is from the military camp. Then you can speak freely, and I will grant you a marriage!" the emperor coaxed patiently.
"This humble general favors the Prince of Zhenbei, and humbly requests Your Majesty's permission!" Xia Yurou's face showed a rare hint of unease, and her ears turned red.
Prime Minister Xia kept his eyes down, pretending not to hear anything. He kept thinking about whether he should take leave from time to time these days, because the memorials of impeachment from the Censorate would definitely pile up high tomorrow.
A woman who marries two husbands will inevitably be the subject of gossip.
"When...when did this happen?!" The Emperor exclaimed in disbelief.
"As Your Majesty says, this time I was ambushed and seriously injured. It was the Prince of Zhenbei who risked his own life to save me. I have already had intimate relations with him, and I must take responsibility for him, otherwise the Prince of Zhenbei's reputation will surely be damaged!"
Upon hearing Xia Yurou's words, Lord Jiang's face darkened; it turned out that he had already been cuckolded.
"Please grant my request, Father!" The Prince of Zhenbei also knelt down.
"You, a dignified Prince of Zhenbei, are practically being made a concubine. How could the Emperor possibly agree to that?" Marquis Jiang retorted sarcastically.
He simply couldn't believe that the emperor would disregard the dignity of the royal family.
"Since you two are in love and have been saved by him, I cannot allow General Xia to become an unfaithful and disloyal person. However, I have one request: the wedding must be grand. My son has never even had a concubine and is chaste. General Xia should cherish this opportunity!"
"Eunuch Fu, draft the decree that the 26th of this month is an auspicious day for weddings. Instruct the Ministry of Rites to tidy up the Prince Zhenbei's residence properly, and you will live there."
The emperor quickly began writing the imperial edict, his eagerness leaving everyone momentarily bewildered.
It seems, as if, that they are afraid the Prince of Zhenbei will not be able to get married.
Pshaw, that adjective is actually quite apt.
"Thank you for your great favor, Your Majesty!" The two knelt and bowed.
They even held hands happily.
"Your Majesty, I object..."
"Oh, Lord Jiang, what grievance do you have against me? Do you intend to defy the imperial decree? One cannot have both. You do not want a divorce, nor do you want to hurt your newlywed wife, yet you also want General Xia to suffer for you. If you are still not satisfied, then I will issue the decree for your divorce first!"
The emperor looked at the man coldly.
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