Chapter 7

Chapter 7

I didn’t say goodbye to the prince or the Princess Consort. I simply called for my maids and went home.

No-back to the Qi Family.

The moment I stepped through the gate, my mother-in-law hurried out to greet me, not daring to so much as blink. I acted as if I hadn’t seen her and went straight back to my own room.

No interrogation. No scene.

Was I being magnanimous?

Not in the slightest.

I was no good person. I may have given up on my vicious plan, but I couldn’t get past the knot in my heart. I couldn’t do anything to the true culprit-but did that mean I had to swallow my anger with the Qi Family too?

The Qi Family originally had only one main room and two side rooms. Before Qi Wei married, that was enough. But after our wedding, the old women and maids I brought with me could only squeeze into a single room. That tiny courtyard held nearly ten people. It wasn’t until last year, when I bought the place next door and opened up the wall between them, that we finally had some space.

And the moment there was space, he wanted to take a concubine.

Why should he?

How dare they?

Tears nearly surged up, but I forced them back in time.

We were all clear-eyed people. What was there not to understand?

They simply hadn’t taken me seriously.

I couldn’t be bothered to dig for the truth or listen to their excuses. The Princess Consort had moved swiftly, accurately, and ruthlessly. If there had been nothing to it at all, why would she have pushed the woman out into the open? It must have been a done deal already, which was why she tore through the paper window and waited to laugh at me.

I rubbed the corners of my eyes, refusing to shed useless tears. In my heart, I even thought I ought to thank her. Otherwise, if this had dragged on another eight or ten years, who knew what would have become of me?

On the surface, my dowry consisted of only two shops. Counting my belongings, jewelry, and ready silver together, it only came to a few hundred taels-not even as much as one of Siyuan’s full headpiece sets. But I had still been very satisfied. Prince Hongyang had felt guilty and secretly stuffed a stack of banknotes into my hands, worth several thousand taels. I had kept them at the bottom of my trunk and never dared spend much, but I had contributed money toward buying the house and the family’s daily expenses.

Now, that was just perfect. I spent my money, and they still looked down on me. Fortunately, it hadn’t been long. The residence could still be resold, so I wouldn’t lose too much.

Once I had composed myself, I ordered the servants to send all of Qi Wei’s clothes to the old house on the east side. Then I had my maids shut the gate between the two courtyards. No matter who it was, no one was allowed in.

The next day, Qi Wei had business and returned to the military camp. Before leaving, he sent word that he wanted to talk to me. I ignored him.

Over the next few days, the Qi Family tried all manner of gestures to make peace, and no one mentioned taking a concubine, as if I were the only one throwing a tantrum.

I knew they had backed down. I also asked myself whether I should take a step back too.

Looking at the fabrics and clothes I had previously prepared for my mother-in-law, Tao Mei’er, and Guo Mei’er, I thought it over again and again. In the end, I still decided I could not get past this.

It wasn’t about whether or not he took a concubine. It was that this matter had made me realize all over again that no one could be relied upon.

I didn’t want to sink into a beautiful dream again, only to be woken by someone dumping a basin of cold water over my head.

Then I might as well cut it off cleanly.

Alone, with no ties and no attachments. From now on, no one would be able to control my emotions. How wonderful would that be?

This setback made me resistant to the Qi Family, to the princely manor, and to the capital itself. At this moment, I very much wanted to shout, “I’m done playing along,” then run back to Jiangcheng in style. So when Qi Wei returned, I brought up divorce.

Of course, I started politely. I first asked what the situation with Qiushui was. A grown man like him hemmed and hawed for a while, but the moment he opened his mouth, I stopped him.

I said I was willing to help true lovers be together and step aside for someone more worthy.

Qi Wei refused. He went from soft to hard, telling me how difficult things had been for him, even scolding me for making a scene and not understanding his struggles.

My expression did not change. I only held up the divorce agreement and waited for him to sign it. But he turned and left, then spent the next several days disappearing on me.

It didn’t matter. He couldn’t hide forever. I had already listed the house for sale, and transferring it would take time anyway. I wasn’t in a hurry. The rest of the Qi Family would be more than happy to hide from me, so they weren’t in a hurry either.

But someone else was.