Chapter 30: Love Between Husband and Wife Ends
In the past two years, Xue Qingzhi favored Concubine Zhao the most, rarely visiting Madam Fu’s courtyard. He would visit twice a month for a symbolic meal, inquire about the children’s studies, and then leave at night.
As the saying goes, they had long grown tired of each other.
Madam Fu’s expression was extremely grim. No matter what Xue Yueying said, she stared unblinkingly at her husband, a faint sneer on her lips.
“Master, the esteemed Minister of Justice, is eavesdropping?”
“Madam Fu,” Xue Qingzhi’s tone was cold, his gaze so sharp it seemed he could devour her, each word more vicious than the last, “Twenty-six years of marriage, and I never knew you were such a viperous, wicked woman!”
“Wicked woman?” Madam Fu knew he had heard everything she had just said.
She also knew that Xue Qingzhi would not expose these scandals to the Jingzhao Prefecture.
His entire life, he lived for his reputation.
A couple who had torn each other apart were still a couple.
Even if their faces were torn, she was still the woman Xue Qingzhi had married with a proper ceremony, brought home in a grand sedan chair, not like those lowly, seductive vixen.
Madam Fu sneered, completely ignoring Xue Qingzhi’s expression. She brushed off her sleeves and sat back in her chair, her posture even more upright than before.
“May I ask, Master, who is not wicked? Is it Madam Liu, who came to your mansion without status, or the Hu Ji you brought back from the pleasure house? Or perhaps Miss Lin, who loved someone else and refused to marry you, yet you forced her to become your concubine—her own mother?”
“You are bold!” Xue Qingzhi said sternly.
Madam Fu smiled, glancing at Xue Yueying, who was silently weeping.
“I kindly raised your beloved daughter, doting on her like a precious gem, only to be stabbed in the back by her. She took my coin purse and framed me. Instead of holding her accountable for killing your third brother, you question the crime of a falsely accused mistress? Is this how the Minister of Justice conducts himself?”
Xue Qingzhi was stunned for a moment, his anger flaring.
“Madam Fu, as the Mistress of the Xue Mansion, you must watch your words.”
“Since Master has already judged me a wicked woman, why should I watch my words?”
With that, Madam Fu rose and slowly walked in front of Xue Qingzhi. She looked up at his enraged face and smiled faintly.
“I have been married to you for twenty-six years, Master. To maintain the dignity of the Xue Mansion, for your official reputation, and for the worthless title of First Madam, I have endured hardship and humiliation, living a life of cautious compromise for twenty-six years.”
A cold smile touched Madam Fu’s lips.
“Master, do you still remember what you said to my parents when you married me? You said you were fortunate to marry into the Marquis’s Mansion and would treat me well, never letting me suffer any grievance. Yet, over the years, you have brought one person after another into the inner chambers. Are you worthy of me, worthy of your glib vows?”
The words hung in the air, and the room fell silent.
This included Xue Sui and Xue Yueying, who was wiping her tears.
Madam Fu had always presented herself as a dignified daughter of a prominent family and the mistress of a noble house. When had she ever dared to contradict her husband so disrespectfully?
It seemed she had truly decided to go all out.
Xue Qingzhi stared at her with a cold expression, saying nothing.
Slowly, his anger subsided.
“Guards! Take Fourth Miss back to Liuli Pavilion. She is not to leave without my permission.”
Xue Yueying collapsed onto the bluestone ground, tears streaming down her face.
“I miss my mother… Father, I miss my mother…”
Whenever her birth mother was mentioned, Xue Qingzhi would soften.
But this time, Xue Qingzhi did not turn back. He let Xue Yueying desperately pull at his robe corner to plead, remaining motionless, his eyes fixed coldly on Madam Fu.
“And you, you wicked woman…”
He paused, deliberating for a long time, before coldly closing his eyes.
“I will not divorce you. From this day forward, I will never set foot in Qing Lan Courtyard again. Our marriage ends here.”
With that, Xue Qingzhi flicked his sleeve and left.
Xue Yueying cried like a pear blossom in the rain, supported by two maids as she sobbed her way out.
Xue Sui glanced at her aggrieved and resentful appearance, smiled faintly, and slowly bowed to the cold Madam Fu.
“First Madam, the night is deep and the dew is heavy. Please rest early. Farewell!”
“Xue Liu,” Madam Fu looked at the slender woman before her, “I underestimated you.”
Xue Sui smiled and walked to the door, then beckoned Xiao Zhao to bring over the soup bowl in her hand.
“First Madam misunderstands.”
She handed the soup bowl to Madam Fu, her eyes dark, but her smile sincere.
“Grandmother said that First Madam has been working hard all night and has been wronged. She asked me to bring a bowl of soup to calm First Madam’s nerves. I didn’t expect to hear all this?”
Madam Fu was enraged: “Do you think I would believe your nonsense?”
Xue Sui smiled and placed the soup bowl down. “It’s stewed in Grandmother’s small kitchen. It’s not poisoned, drink it with peace of mind.”
Her voice was soft, betraying no malice. She looked like a delicate seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl; how much scheming could she possess?
However, Madam Fu, having suffered such a great loss, would no longer be naive.
“If I had known this would happen, I shouldn’t have been soft-hearted back then and spared your life.”
Xue Sui stopped in her tracks.
After a long pause, she slowly turned her head to look.
Her eyes were dark, the candlelight unable to penetrate them, as deep as an abyss.
“Why is First Madam in such a hurry?” Her lips slowly curved upwards, her fine eyelashes fluttering once. Her words were light but incredibly sharp, “Aren’t I back to show my filial piety? You must take good care of yourself.”
Her eyes curved slightly as she bowed and left directly.
Madam Fu took a long time to react, staring at the straight back, and cursed under her breath.
“You ill-fated star, why didn’t you die out there… Why don’t you just die!”
She regretted it, regretting obeying her daughter’s words and bringing this troublemaker back from the Old Mausoleum Swamp.
Without her, none of these messy affairs would have happened.
Madam Fu was filled with regret.
She sobbed uncontrollably.
–
That night, Jinshu came to Li Xiang Courtyard to deliver a message from Tianshu to Xue Sui.
“Miss, Eldest Young Master has handled everything.”
Xue Sui’s heart, which had been heavy with worry, felt much lighter.
Third Uncle seemed unreliable on the surface, but when it came to doing something serious, he was surprisingly adept.
She smiled and beckoned Ling Yu, sending a letter to Li Zhao.
“The bandit leader of Lao Jun Mountain has been eliminated. Consider this my repayment for your assistance.”
The last time Li Zhao captured You Zhimu, the aftermath did not trouble Xue Sui. He had disposed of the body cleanly himself, so much so that Li Huan had scoured the Jingzhao Prefecture without finding any trace of him.
As for the bandits of Lao Jun Mountain, they had repeatedly provoked Li Zhao. She had taken this opportunity to eliminate them, keeping the Crown Prince’s hands clean and removing future troubles for him…
All the wicked ones were dead, and there were no longer any witnesses.
Jinshu watched her release Ling Yu and said calmly, “First Madam and Fourth Miss have truly fallen into a trap this time. Without you having to exert much effort, they exposed themselves and revealed their true colors before Master…”
Xue Sui glanced at her, “People’s hearts are like scales, with kinship as the weight. Those who favor will always favor.”
Jinshu sighed wordlessly.
Fourth Miss committed such a grave offense, yet she was only confined.
“Isn’t First Master’s heart biased? If he had shown you a little more affection, would it have come to this?”
“No need,” Xue Sui narrowed her eyes slightly, her tone chillingly cool, “Rather than affection, I prefer them to grovel at my feet and beg me.”
Jinshu smiled and did not pursue the topic further. Instead, she said, “Eldest Young Master said that it is inconvenient at the moment, so he will not be seeing you.”
The smile on Xue Sui’s face finally faded.
Was Senior Disciple Brother still angry with her for abandoning the Imperial Envoy and returning to the capital for revenge?
After Jinshu left, a light rain began to fall from the sky.
Xue Sui pushed open the window to look at the misty sky, then instructed Ru Yi and Xiao Zhao to help her wash up.
She had just lain down in bed for a moment when she heard the cooing of a pigeon outside the window.
Xue Sui put on her clothes and went to retrieve Ling Yu, petting it affectionately before taking the letter tube it had brought.
“Your moves are ruthless. Will your ambition slowly grow until it is uncontrollable?”
Xue Sui’s heart jolted.
The letter she sent to Li Zhao that day was to inform him in advance that she was about to make her move.
After all, it was only a matter of time before the Eastern Palace investigated the Hongfu Gambling House and Prince Duan discovered it.
She needed Li Zhao to mediate and confuse Prince Duan’s perception, allowing her to fish in troubled waters.
If she became too entangled with the Eastern Palace, Li Zhao would not be able to hide what she was doing.
However, it was clear that Li Zhao knew far more than just Xue Qingxiu’s matter.
He knew much more. He had even become suspicious of her, believing she had ulterior motives…
Such suspicion was not a good thing.
Li Zhao’s personality was erratic and unpredictable. His years as Crown Prince had also made him extremely vigilant. Once he sensed a crisis, he would retaliate against her!
That night, Xue Sui had nightmares all night.
Her dreams were filled with Li Zhao’s bloody dagger, glinting coldly before her, as if about to slit her throat.
She sat up in bed at dawn, covered in a cold sweat.
She frowned, pondered for a moment, then ground ink and dipped her brush, writing a letter to give to Ling Yu.
“Only your grace accompanies me, my heart devoted for eternity.”
Ling Yu returned after lunch. It had been gone for a long time, and the letter tube was empty.
Li Zhao: Am I making my appearance like this, or am I still behind the scenes?
Eunuch Lai: Replying to Your Highness, this is like a pipa half-hidden behind a veil…
