Spring of the Blade - Chapter 97

Chapter 97

Originally, she had believed that the Xie family was always within her control and that her position as the mistress of the house was as stable as Mount Tai. As long as the Xie family cared for their reputation, no one could touch her. It turned out she was wrong.

These twenty-some years had passed like a white horse jumping across a crevice; what had she gained? Her husband’s coldness, her mother-in-law’s disdain, and a life full of grievances. They had agreed long ago that at times like these, mother and son were the closest kin, while she would always be an outsider. When the tide of events demanded it, she, like those concubines, was disposable. Aside from her own children, not a single person would truly feel pity for her.

Qingru was sobbing. The fingermarks from Qinghe’s slap still had not faded on her cheek, making her look like a pitiful child. For her, she, as a mother, felt immense shame. A single moment of poor judgment had ruined her daughter's entire life. A girl who had lost her purity was looked down upon even by her own family; how could she not be panicked? Others mocked her for being willing to become a mistress, but her mother heard only deep bitterness. Once, she had been the most noble legitimate daughter of the Xie family, who should have had a perfect marriage. How could she have fallen to such a state, to be mocked by people who were lower than pigs and dogs?

If she were still in power, she could have protected Qingru, but now the Master wanted to divorce her... He actually wanted to divorce her. She found it inconceivable, almost like child's play. Yet it was real, and it could not be changed. What would become of Qingru in the future?

Her gaze shifted, looking at those gloating faces. The two concubines were one thing, but she had never expected that she would be defeated in the end by two insignificant maids.

Zhengze’s wife only then began to panic. It seemed she was the only one present who did not want this to happen. She had her reasons, and of course, it was not for the sake of her mother-in-law.

She knelt before the Old Madame and the Master, anxiously saying, "Grandmother, Father, this must not happen! If not for the sake of Mother’s many years of hard work, please consider the reputation of us, her children. Which family in Youzhou has a mistress who was divorced? How are we to face others from now on! Especially the Eldest Master; he has only just entered officialdom. If it becomes known that Mother has become like this, how can he maintain his standing in the army? In the future, won't he be met with cold stares and mocked by everyone?"

Thus, the only reason Qiu Shi was worried was her husband’s career. There was not a single person in this entire house who genuinely begged for mercy on her behalf. Thinking about it carefully, it was truly tragic.

However, now that the Eldest Master’s glory was fading, it was a good opportunity for the Second and Third Masters to make a name for themselves. Concubine Mei said lightly, "Eldest Grand-daughter-in-law, do not just think of yourself; think more of the whole family. You read so many books in your maiden home, how is it that you have no sense of the big picture?"

Everyone stood on the sidelines, waiting for the Master to finish writing the divorce letter.

Finally, the Master put down his brush and was about to pass judgment when Zhengze ran in through the door. He had not yet had time to remove his armor. With a pale face, he said, "Father, think twice! Where does the ruin of a family begin? It begins with everyone harboring evil intentions and the family falling apart! Even if Mother is at fault, Father should consider the twenty-some years of marriage between you. How can you talk of divorce so easily? Among families of standing, which one has ever had such an absurd affair?"

Xie Shu was truly enraged at this moment, staring at Zhengze and sneering repeatedly. "Good, very good! Now even you dare to defy me. You really are a good son born of that Hu woman!" The overflowing fury in his chest turned and vented entirely onto Madam Hu. "Look at this! The good son and good daughter you raised—the son is unfilial and disloyal and turns to lecture his father; the daughter is shameless and promiscuous. My entire Xie family has been ruined in your hands!" As he spoke, he violently threw the divorce letter into her face. "Get out! Get out to the Hu family immediately. From this moment on, the Xie family and you have no connection. In consideration of the time you spent with me, you are permitted to take your jewelry and personal belongings, but as for the rest of the Xie family's property—not a brick, not a tile, not a blade of grass—you are not allowed to touch a single thing."

Madam Hu stepped back twice and suddenly realized this scene was familiar. It turned out that when Jin Chunqing was driven out of the mansion, it was the exact same situation.

At this point, one had to lament the cycle of cause and effect. She had never imagined that one day she herself would walk the same path as Jin Chunqing. Qingyuan was someone her mother had sent to take revenge on her. That girl, who had looked so harmless, had finally forced her step by step into this plight, turning her into a stray dog, while that girl’s hands remained perfectly clean.

She had to admit defeat. She had lost to the "discarding the chariot to save the knight" maneuver of the person who shared her pillow. She had obstructed the reconciliation between the Xie family and the Shen family, so of course, she would be disposed of without hesitation. A dream of twenty-some years had come to naught; what had the mistress of the house ended up with? All that scheming and plotting had been for nothing more than acting as an unpaid housekeeper for the Xie family for many years.

Her children no longer dared to beg for mercy for her. She lowered her hands and picked up the divorce letter. She wanted to maintain her dignity, and she wanted to leave with grace, but her raised lips were twitching, and every muscle in her face was trembling... She walked outside the threshold and was completely engulfed by despair. Seeing the thick pillar of the eaves, she slammed her head against it—rather than be divorced, it was better to die.

Seeing her strike the pillar and collapse, everyone was shocked. Qingru and Zhengze rushed over to pick her up, shouting in panic: "Where is the doctor? Call the doctor quickly!"

The person was moved to the corridor, and the doctor arrived, carefully checking her pulse and examining the injury. The Old Madame stood to the side, covering her nose and asking: "How is it?" She couldn't help but think that if she had really died, it would have been clean, and the Xie family would have been spared the shame.

Unfortunately, it was not her time to die; this collision did not take her life. The doctor said tremblingly: "She only suffered a concussion to the brain and lost a little blood. She has fainted temporarily; with two days of peaceful rest, she will be fine."

Xie Shu frowned and turned to instruct the manager: "Go notify the Hu family and have them send a carriage to pick her up."

Naturally, the Hu family would argue extensively with the Xie family later. The sister-in-law had been in the Xie family for a long time, and she had observed the mourning period for the Old Master. This at least fell within the "three reasons not to divorce." Xie Shu saw that his sister-in-law was old and faded, and out of disgust, insisted on the divorce. The Hu family planned to sue to the authorities, determined to charge Xie Shu with the crime of "divorcing without cause."

When Qingyuan heard this, she sat holding her pumpkin-shaped hand warmer and smiled: "If they sue, that is even better! Everything will be exposed in the magistrate’s court without me having to say a word. The Xie family will tell the truth by themselves, and then the grievances of my mother can be washed away."

But Madam Hu was not stupid. Since it had reached the point of mutual destruction, she could not expect the Xie family to show mercy. Divorcing without cause meant one hundred lashes and one and a half years of forced labor. If the Xie family was going to ruin Xie Shu, they would naturally reveal the reason for the divorce to escape punishment. When that time came, as the Old Madame said, the two lives—Concubine Xia and the servant—were on their hands, plus Jin Chunqing, who, even if she hadn't been killed by her own hand, had still died because of her. If these old cases were dug up, not only would she not survive, but she would also implicate her children, leaving them unable to face others.

In the end, the matter of the Xie mistress being divorced made noise for two days, and on the third day, it was like a raindrop falling into a lake; there was no sound left. After Fangchun heard the grievances of those years from Qingyuan, she clenched her fists and rolled up her sleeves: "That’s all they did to her? After our banquet is over, I will go meet her, beat her up, and avenge your mother."

Qingyuan said it was unnecessary. "She has children and her own money, which is better than what my mother had at the time. But she also has brothers and sisters, and four formidable sisters-in-law. Her life in the Hu family will not be easy; we don't need to do anything, there will be others who will deal with her."

In this day and age, women did not easily stand on their own. The Hu family would not be able to lose face, and her old father and mother would certainly keep her confined within the mansion. Since they were all under one roof, there would be many times when friction would occur. For a woman divorced and sent back to her maiden home, relying on her brothers to get by, the grievances involved could be imagined.

Qingyuan felt nothing was lacking now. She was still waiting to see the good show in the Hu family.

On the third day, Qinghe came to visit. This was the first victory in the life of the quiet Eldest Miss. As soon as she saw Qingyuan, her face was radiant, and she grabbed her hands: "Fourth Sister, I have finally managed to squeeze Madam Hu out. This is great; half of your mother’s revenge has been avenged, and my mother will be safe from now on."

Qingyuan nodded: "Sister, you have tested your skills at home; in the future, when you arrive at your husband’s house, you won't be afraid of trouble. How is the mansion now? Is it peaceful?"

Qinghe said: "It is nothing unpeaceful. There were two days of gloom, but it will get better soon. At present, the Old Madame is in charge, and my mother and Concubine Mei are helping to handle things. With the absence of Madam Hu, it is actually more tranquil."

"In the future, the family assets will be handed over to Concubine Lian, so you need not worry anymore," Qingyuan said, holding her big hand warmer. Seeing Qinghe hesitate, she smiled: "Your mother is a noble concubine, and although Concubine Lian has two sons, she started as a maid in the bridal chamber; the Xie family will not let her be the mistress. Moreover, the concubine only has you, so her heart will not be biased, and at this age, the Master will not remarry; he will certainly elevate your mother."

Only then did Qinghe feel relieved and said bashfully: "Actually, I have thought so too, but I was afraid I was just imagining things and would end up disappointed. After hearing what you said, I can finally feel at ease to get married. Every member of the Xie family is not a simple person. My mother has no son, and I was afraid that if she were left alone in the Xie family, she would suffer later."

Having someone to worry about is always a warm thing. Qingyuan squeezed Qinghe’s hand: "Sister, you don't need to worry in the future."

They spoke of Qingru, and Qinghe looked quite disdainful: "Father ordered the gate of the Qilan Pavilion to be sealed, and in the future, regardless of whether it is a large or small occasion, Qingru is forbidden to show her face. Father said he wants to grind down her temper. For a person like her, sending her to a temple without supervision would only make her more lawless."

Qingyuan nodded: "That is true. In case she purposefully embarrasses the Xie family, the whole family won't be able to hold their heads up."

Qinghe looked at her expression: "Then will you return in the future?"

Qingyuan smiled: "Return? Isn't the Grandmother still there? And the Master; everything of yesterday was his fault. Disposing of Madam Hu does not wash away their sins. What would I return for? I am now surnamed Chen, not Xie."

Only now did Qinghe truly discover that this younger sister had a deep heart. Her return was nothing more than giving the Xie family a bit of sugar, letting the Xie family believe that if they satisfied her wishes, they could restore their old friendship, but it was just wishful thinking. Although her goal had been achieved, it did not mean she was willing to acknowledge her ancestors and return to the clan. In any case, she now had a good marriage and the Chen family to turn to; the Xie family meant nothing to her. Why acknowledge them? To add to her troubles?

Well then, she had her considerations; there was no need to force it. Qinghe was still happy; after all, Qingyuan was still close to her, and they sat for a while longer before she returned.

After Qinghe left, Qingyuan moved to the vanity to dress. Shen Run was to return today; estimating the time, he should arrive in the afternoon.

Sure enough, before long, a servant reported from outside the hanging flower gate that the Master had already entered Youzhou. She hurriedly dabbed on some lip rouge and hurriedly asked someone to invite Fangchun. The two sisters-in-law went out to greet him, waiting at the entrance of the alley. It was freezing, and the cold wind was blowing, but she did not feel cold; she was just looking into the distance, eager in her heart.

Fangchun looked at this younger sister-in-law; under the fox fur, a shallow blush appeared, and starlight was hidden in her eyes—that was the warmth of missing her sweetheart. Her happiness was infectious. It seemed she hadn't been that proactive toward Shen Che for a long time, and she couldn't help but start to reflect: had she taken things for granted, forgetting to be grateful, and neglecting her concern for her husband?

They arrived—a grand group of fast horses. The leader was in fine clothes and light fur. When he arrived, he turned and dismounted, heading straight toward them. Qingyuan threw down her hand warmer and ran over. The fire from the warmer fell to the ground, and they embraced in full view of everyone. The Commander had no dignity to speak of at this moment; in any case, he was married, and being intimate with his wife was only natural.

Qingyuan looked up at him: "Are you cold? You traveled so far; you must be frozen, right?" She hurriedly went to find his hands to warm them for him.

When she touched his forearm, Shen Run frowned slightly, but a moment later, he smiled again, saying he was not cold: "You should have just waited at home; why did you run out? Standing in the wind for so long, what if you caught a cold, eh?"

That "eh" of his was particularly lingering. Qingyuan smiled and held his hand, but cautiously, avoiding his arm.

They went home together. Once they entered the bedroom, Qingyuan asked: "What is wrong with your arm? Are you hurt?"

Shen Run was slightly stunned, then teased again: "It’s a pity my wife doesn't work in the criminal investigation office; I disguised it so well, yet I was still discovered by you?"

She remained silent, raised her hand to take off his cloak, and then took off his coat. Seeing thick gauze wrapped under his inner sleeve, with blood soaking through and staining a large area, she could not stop trembling.

Shen Run himself did not feel anything, but she was like facing a formidable enemy; just looking at that serious little face, he couldn't laugh anymore.

She did not speak, turning to signal Hongmian to take the wound medicine and clean cotton cloth. Lowering her head, she loosened the wrapping with gentle movements. Although she had been prepared, when she truly saw the injury beneath, she still turned pale. A three-inch-long wound ran vertically along his forearm; the wound was very deep, skin and flesh were torn, almost deep enough to fit a grain of rice.

She looked up at him in panic, and he pretended to be relaxed to comfort her: "It doesn't matter; while capturing a great bandit, I was inadvertently ambushed."

But she was not easy to fool: "There are so many people on duty in the Imperial Guard; do you need to go catch people yourself? Don't hide it from me; I am going to be angry."

Helpless, he had to confess honestly: "A case I handled before. I didn't expect there would be a fish that slipped through the net. They waited in the snow for several days and nights wanting to kill me, but I cut them down with one stroke."

He said it lightly, just to put her heart at ease. She thought that although this time it was no danger, what about next time? But because of his position, she could not say anything, so she just re-wrapped his bandage, and then went into the inner chamber, sitting there silently and wiping her tears.

Shen Run saw it through the curtain; while laughing at her for being weak, he also sighed that after risking his life for so many years since he was a teenager, he finally had someone who cared about him and felt uneasy about such a small injury.

He walked in, squatted at her feet, and waved his arm for her to see: "It's not a big deal; it will be fine in two days."

With red eyes, she said: "Otherwise, you should submit a petition to resign."

Shen Run laughed: "We who are military generals, who doesn't have a couple of scars on our bodies? If I were to resign because of this, people would laugh."

She puffed up her cheeks, looking quite unhappy. In fact, she also knew that he held a high position and was surrounded by enemies; only by continuing to sit in this position was he the safest. She was just protecting her husband, speaking silly words in the boudoir. If he really went to resign, she would have to advise him to think twice.

She sighed and held his face: "I just regret that your appearance is ruined now; you are no longer valuable."

He was shameless: "Nonsense, this part is ruined but that part is not; if you don't believe me, I will show it to you for verification to see if it is valuable."

Qingyuan blushed and hit him lightly: "You are still making things up at a time like this."

He raised his hand to hug her and smiled lightly: "As long as it's not injured in a place that shouldn't be injured, not a day passes without me thinking of it. Wife, I am injured and need to recuperate well; you have to take care of me, don't let me be lonely, and don't let me get tired."

Qingyuan frowned and scoffed: "You are really... injured like this and still have evil intentions." As she said this, she looked sadly at his arm: "Can this be reported to the Saint? If the remaining evil forces are not eradicated, it is better to continue digging deeper."

He said "un": "I have already ordered people to investigate strictly; following the vine to find the melon, perhaps we can involve something else. I also reported to the Saint; I pretended the injury was more serious and got ten days of leave; after the New Year, I will just accompany you to move.”