Chapter 152: Proposing Divorce
The fresh snow had just cleared, and the world was bright and clear.
Gong Xu was on leave today and listened with great interest as Yun Ying played the pipa.
Liu Er, a maid in Wen Mingqian’s chambers, came to Gong Xu and said, “Master, Madam has something to discuss with you. She asks you to come over.”
Gong Xu was a little surprised to hear this, but he still replied, “Alright, I’ll be right there.”
Yun Ying took his outer coat and draped it over him, gently reminding him, “The roads are slippery outside, Master, please be careful.”
Gong Xu arrived at Wen Mingqian’s chambers and saw her sitting there, with several chests placed beside her.
“What do you need me for?” Gong Xu asked.
“Knowing that Master is on leave today, I wanted to discuss something with you,” Wen Mingqian said, taking out a piece of paper. “This is the divorce agreement I’ve drafted. Please review it and sign it.”
“What did you say?!” Gong Xu, who hadn’t even sat down yet, jumped up in disbelief upon hearing this and looked at Wen Mingqian.
“I want a divorce from you,” Wen Mingqian said, gazing at him calmly, even indifferently.
“You want a divorce from me? You want a divorce from me?” Gong Xu repeated the words as if he were trapped in a nightmare.
Wen Mingqian remained silent, waiting for his emotions to subside.
“Are you joking?” Gong Xu finally sat down again, scrutinizing Wen Mingqian. “Speak, what exactly do you want?”
“I just want a divorce,” Wen Mingqian said, neither rushed nor annoyed. “The household accounts are all clear. I won’t touch any of the family’s wealth; I’ll only take my belongings. From now on, we go our separate ways and will no longer interfere with each other.”
“Heh!” Gong Xu was enraged and ashamed. “Go our separate ways? It seems you never intended to grow old with me from the very beginning.”
“Before leaving the Capital City, I did think of growing old with you, but fate plays tricks. Rather than maintaining this facade of harmony, it’s better to end things cleanly. You are in your prime, and your family background is prominent; you won’t have trouble finding a suitable companion.
As for me, my heart has long been like dead wood. Why force me to stay in the Gong Family? It would benefit no one,” Wen Mingqian sighed.
“You hate me? You want to use this method to get revenge on me?” Gong Xu asked obsessively. “I’ve already apologized to you, and your innocence has been cleared. Chang An is also so promising. Why do you still want to leave?”
“I don’t hate you,” Wen Mingqian looked at Gong Xu. “I’ve simply given up on you long ago. How can a heart that has died be revived? Some things are simply not meant to be forced.”
“Why have we become like this?” Gong Xu’s expression suddenly turned dejected. He didn’t even have the strength to question Wen Mingqian anymore. “Can’t I even make amends with you?”
“There’s no need for amends. I just feel that we’ve settled everything by reaching this point,” Wen Mingqian did not want to speak harshly, not out of fear, but because she felt there was no need for further entanglement. “Your desire to reconcile is merely for the sake of a happy marriage, but even if a broken mirror is mended, the cracks remain. However, as long as you treat your next partner well, you can find fulfillment elsewhere. Why cling to the past and torment each other?”
“Heh heh, torment. So being with me has become a torment for you,” Gong Xu fiercely wiped his face. “Wen Mingqian, you’ve hidden your true feelings very well! But no matter how deeply you hide them, you are still you, stubborn and unwilling to turn back!”
“Yes! Since you know this so well, you should understand that spilled water cannot be gathered again. You are simply unwilling to accept it, but no matter how unwilling you are, it will ultimately be of no use.” Wen Mingqian knew that Gong Xu wasn’t unaware that they could never return to how they were.
He was just unwilling to accept it, unwilling to be the one to propose divorce, unwilling to part ways, and unwilling to have something unsatisfactory happen when things were going so well.
In the end, Gong Xu was too selfish a person.
Seven years ago, she had also felt a deep sense of unwillingness, but seven years of time had taught her that unwillingness only brought her more pain.
Only by letting go and moving forward could she find true liberation.
“Wen Mingqian, why are you so heartless? Is it because you suffered a grievance back then? But I was also kept in the dark!” Gong Xu remained obstinate. “Song Xiulian hurt me the most! She also caused me to become estranged from my wife and not see my own child for seven years!
Do you think I haven’t suffered? If I had known you were wronged back then and still driven you away, and you wanted a divorce now, I wouldn’t have said a word! These past few days, I’ve tried my best to show you goodwill and make amends, but you’ve ignored it all. Don’t you think this is incredibly unfair to me?!” Gong Xu was almost roaring by the end.
“I didn’t want to bring up the past grievances and right and wrong again, but since you’re so insistent, I don’t mind revisiting old matters,” Wen Mingqian saw that he was unwilling to let it go and would only be satisfied if they truly fell out. “You were deceived by Consort Song because you couldn’t discern people. Based solely on her words, you accused me of poisoning your concubine’s son, forbidding me to defend myself or report it to the authorities.
At that time, did you ever consider our marital affection?! You favored your concubine over your wife, disregarded the Old Master’s dying wish, and made us mother and son endure seven years in a place of bitter cold.
You paid no attention to us, treated us like discarded shoes, failed to fulfill your duty as a husband to support me, and failed to fulfill your duty as a father to nurture our child. Did we mother and son ever receive any favor from you?
Furthermore, to trace back to the root, before a legitimate heir was born, you had already engaged in illicit relations with another woman outside and fathered a concubine’s son. You wronged me from that point on, let alone what happened later?!
During the seven years in Shuangxi, I never asked you for anything. Upon returning to the Capital City, I fulfilled my duties and managed the household with all my heart.
Saving you from wrongful imprisonment, removing the corrupt butler and viperous concubine, and arranging a marriage for Jing’an can be considered fulfilling my obligations to the utmost!”
Wen Mingqian’s words left Gong Xu speechless. In truth, he hadn’t been unaware of his own fault before, he was just being stubborn.
“The Sage said, ‘A gentleman does not speak ill when ending a relationship.’ I also hope that even if our affections have ended, we can still leave each other with some dignity.
I can give you three days to consider, but no matter what, I am determined to leave the Gong Family, leave you, and will never look back.”
Gong Xu didn’t know how he walked out of Lingyue Pavilion. He was utterly lost along the way.
His mind was in chaos. One moment he thought of his early days of marriage with Wen Mingqian, and the next he thought of the awkwardness when he brought Consort Song into the household.
One moment he thought of how he forced Wen Mingqian, heavily pregnant, to leave, and the next he thought of seeing her and Gong Changan again under the Wenguan tree.
Wen Mingqian had smiled beautifully under the flowering tree that time, but only now did he realize that at that moment, Wen Mingqian’s gaze towards him was already cold and distant, devoid of any warmth.
At this moment, he felt a pain in his chest so intense he couldn’t breathe, as if seven years ago he had shot a cold arrow at Wen Mingqian, and now that arrow had taken a detour and deeply pierced his own chest.
He walked as if in a daze, and inadvertently tripped, falling with a thud. The pain in his already injured right ankle was sharp and piercing.
But no matter how much it hurt, it couldn’t compare to the heartache.
From childhood to adulthood, he hadn’t truly accomplished anything. It seemed he always tried his best, yet still messed everything up.
