Chapter 153: Irreversible
In the afternoon, Madam Wei came over to Wen Mingqian’s place with a young maid.
“Mingqian, I’ve come to chat with you. Are you busy?” Madam Wei asked with a smile.
“Not at all, not at all. Sister-in-law, please come in and have a seat,” Wen Mingqian said with a smile, gesturing for her to sit.
“Go out and play with them for a while,” Madam Wei instructed the young maid. “You don’t need to serve by my side.”
Wen Mingqian then asked Sang Er to make tea and bring it over. After Sang Er served the tea, she also went to the outer room, leaving only the two of them.
“I remember you wore a goose-yellow jacket with embroidered water plants the other day. I really liked the pattern and wanted them to make one for me. Do you still have that jacket?”
“Yes, but I don’t wear it often anymore. I’ll have them look through the boxes and find it for you,” Wen Mingqian said. She knew Madam Wei wasn’t here just for the jacket and didn’t want to beat around the bush any longer. “Sister-in-law, is there anything else you’ve come to see me about?”
“You call me sister-in-law, which shows you still consider me family,” Madam Wei said, no longer able to hide it. “I heard you’re divorcing Second Master. Is that true?”
“I’ve already made up my mind,” Wen Mingqian said directly. “Now that Changan has gone to San Jing Academy and has a place to stay, and since she and I no longer have marital affection, it’s better to part ways.”
“Alas, how could this happen?” Madam Wei said with a face full of regret. “I know our Gong Family has wronged you and caused you so much grievance. But we truly can’t bear to see you go…”
“Sister-in-law, ever since I came to this home, you’ve treated me like a younger sister. You’ve always spoken to me with an open heart,” Wen Mingqian was still willing to treat Madam Wei with sincerity. “You and Elder Brother are a perfect match, a heavenly couple envied by all. Unfortunately, I don’t have such good fortune. You’ve seen how Gong Xu treats me. My heart is not made of wood or stone. Even if he wants to make amends, I no longer want it.”
“Yes, he hurt you too deeply. You were originally a person of deep emotions, but he carelessly discarded your sincere heart. Once a person’s heart is wounded, it’s hard to turn back,” Madam Wei sighed deeply. As a woman, she naturally understood how deeply Wen Mingqian had been hurt. “But I still want to persuade you to stay. Although you have two elder brothers in your maternal home, they are far away and cannot take care of you.
Moreover, a married daughter is like spilled water; you wouldn’t be able to find a stable place back at your maternal home. Here, at least you have some support.
And then there’s Changan. With him, you’ll have support for life. At our age, if a husband is compatible, one stays with him; if not, one should rely on their son.
But once you leave this home, you will no longer be a member of the Gong Family, and it will be difficult for Changan to show filial piety to you wholeheartedly.”
If Wen Mingqian left, Gong Xu would surely remarry. Who could guarantee the character of his next wife?
Furthermore, people with selfish motives might not allow him to have too much contact with his biological mother if she became Gong Changan’s stepmother. This was also possible.
“Sister-in-law, I know you are sincerely considering me,” Wen Mingqian said gratefully to Madam Wei. “I haven’t not considered what you’ve said. I’ve even thought about it for a full seven years.
I can only say that everyone has their own aspirations! I prefer to live freely than to live securely.”
“Then where will you go after you leave here?” Madam Wei asked.
“To be honest, I’ll first find a nunnery to stay in, and then make further plans,” Wen Mingqian said.
“Ah?! You… you’re not planning to become a nun, are you?” Madam Wei was greatly shocked.
“No,” Wen Mingqian shook her head. “I’m going there because Buddhist temples are peaceful and can help me avoid a lot of trouble.”
“That’s good then,” Madam Wei breathed a sigh of relief. “After some time, if you meet a suitable person, it would be good to settle down again. You are still young, and in this era, it’s acceptable for men to remarry and women to remarry.”
“Sister-in-law, actually, I can no longer have children,” Wen Mingqian said with a bitter smile. “The year I gave birth to Changan on the road, I was on the brink of death. The person who delivered him told me then that I would never be able to have children again.”
Madam Wei was so shocked by this that she couldn’t speak for a long time, and tears slowly fell after a while.
She took Wen Mingqian’s hand and said, “My heavens! You’ve truly suffered too much!”
“It’s alright, I’ve gotten through it all,” Wen Mingqian said with a faint smile. “Fortunately, I was left with my life, and I have Changan. Heaven hasn’t treated me too harshly.”
In fact, Wen Mingqian’s divorce from Gong Xu, besides wanting to gain freedom, was also her last way of repaying Old Master Gong’s kindness.
Currently, Gong Xu only has two illegitimate sons, and the biological mothers of these two children have very low status.
The second branch of the Gong Family must have a legitimate son. Now that the Gong Family’s reputation is at its peak, it shouldn’t be difficult to find a second wife of good family background and standing.
At that time, this child would also have a maternal family to help them, and the second branch would not be too disadvantaged compared to the main branch.
The reason Old Master Gong insisted on marrying her was simply because his second son was clearly at a disadvantage compared to his eldest son.
The Old Master thought that internal strength was more important than external strength. By marrying him a virtuous wife, he could also raise good descendants.
“Alas, what a pity. Second Brother is not fortunate enough to grow old with you,” Madam Wei said with great regret. “Since your mind is made up, I won’t say any more, lest I trouble you further.
However, since you plan to leave, you should also make plans for your future. If the family is to give you anything, just take it! It’s not easy to live alone.”
“No need, Sister-in-law. I’ve already made it clear, I’ll only take what I brought with me,” Wen Mingqian had already planned everything and wouldn’t change her mind because of a few words of persuasion. “Only then will I have peace of mind.”
“Alas!” Madam Wei felt very uneasy, but she was helpless. “Ultimately, the Gong Family has failed you.”
“Sister-in-law, please don’t say that. This is all fate. I don’t blame anyone, nor do I blame myself,” Wen Mingqian had long since come to terms with it, otherwise she wouldn’t be so calm and at peace. “If we knew what would happen three days from now, we could be rich for a thousand years. None of us can be wise after the event.”
“Then I’ll go back now. I still need to report back to the Old Madam,” Madam Wei slowly stood up. “I had originally thought of having you pick up the bride when Jing’an gets married, but it seems that won’t be possible.”
These words also stirred a pang of sadness in Wen Mingqian’s heart. She took a deep breath and said, “The Old Madam is not feeling well. Sister-in-law, when you speak to her, please be gentle and advise her not to be too sad.”
“I know, don’t worry,” Madam Wei patted Wen Mingqian. “I will do my best to comfort her.”
Madam Wei left and went to Old Madam Gong’s place. The Old Madam saw her and asked, “How is it? Did you persuade her to stay?”
Madam Wei slowly shook her head. “Mingqian’s mind is made up, and persuasion is useless. However, Old Madam doesn’t need to be too sad. Just consider her gone seven years ago. The current outcome is much better than that, isn’t it?”
“But… alas!” Old Madam Gong hesitated to speak.
“Mingqian said she can no longer bear children, and Second Master is in his prime. After she leaves, he can choose another good woman to have descendants for the Gong Family.
A forced melon is not sweet. She has done her best for our Gong Family. Let her go, otherwise, her life with Second Master will also be difficult.”
“Alas, in the end, she has repaid our wrongs with kindness,” Old Madam Gong said helplessly. “Now we have no right to force her to stay. Even for Changan’s sake, we should part on good terms.”
