Chapter 3
By the time I cheerfully led my people out with my dowry in tow,
Qi Sanyuan was too furious to speak.
Tch! What a lightweight!
And “Sanyuan”—three coins? I wouldn’t pay even two for you!
Xiaomei looked at me anxiously.
“My lady… what are we going to do now?”
I placed both hands on her shoulders.
“Is your mistress rich?”
“Yes… very rich, in fact.”
“Is your mistress beautiful?”
“Yes… you’re one of the foremost beauties in the capital.”
“Does your mistress have powerful backing?”
“Yes… the master now holds an official post of the second rank.”
I spread my hands.
“Then what are you worried about?
“Come on. Your mistress is taking you to live the good life!”
I had worked every day of the year in my last life. In this one, I was going to lie flat and do absolutely nothing!
Delightful!
The faint sound of Qi Sanyuan and Lan’er arguing drifted from inside the Qi residence.
Apparently, Lan’er wanted to become his lawful wife. Qi Sanyuan refused and made her a high-ranking concubine instead.
Tsk! Fighting already?
But then again…
What the hell did it have to do with me?
Xiaomei and I strolled through the streets while I advertised the news of my divorce as we went.
Within an hour, the entire capital knew.
I had always been cautious. What if people did not know we had divorced and I got implicated when the Qi estate was confiscated?
Xiaomei offered an earnest suggestion.
“My lady, shouldn’t we return to the minister’s residence first?
“Who wanders the streets with an entire dowry?”
I did not answer, because I had spotted my destination.
“Xiaomei, that house should be part of my dowry, shouldn’t it?
“Find the key.”
Xiaomei stared at me, dumbfounded.
“You intend to live outside the family home?”
I raised an eyebrow.
In ancient times, divorce was hardly respectable.
My elder brother was already married and had a son and two daughters.
Even if no one in the family objected to my return, outsiders would mock us.
It would do the girls of the Hua family no good either.
Besides…
How could living with a crowd compare to the bliss of living alone?
Only after settling my dowry into the house did I take Xiaomei back to the minister’s residence.
My parents struggled to hold back tears when they saw me.
“All that matters is that you’re home… You are a daughter of the Hua family. At worst, we will support you for the rest of your life!”
My nose stung, and I answered in a muffled voice,
“Father, Mother, don’t cry. A divorce may not be a bad thing.”
My brother and sister-in-law asked with concern,
“I’ll have your room prepared. Come home and stay tonight.”
I smiled.
“There is a house among my dowry properties that I like very much.
“Father, Mother, please allow your daughter to live there.”
My parents paused, then understood my reasons.
My sister-in-law looked at me with gratitude.
My brother instinctively tried to refuse, but I stopped him.
“I know Father, Mother, Brother, and Sister-in-law all truly want what is best for me. That is precisely why I should do this.”