“Husband… what are you saying? You want a divorce?”
Wei Chi’s eyes reddened as he stepped forward and hugged Jiang Lanyue. “Lanyue, I’m not really divorcing you. This is just a temporary measure. Just think of it as going to the estate to recuperate for a while. Trust me, I won’t keep you waiting any longer.”
Suddenly hugged, Jiang Lanyue felt nauseous. Taking advantage of her unstable emotions, she forcefully pushed him away and slapped Wei Chi twice with all her might.
“What do you take me for? Are you trying to demote me to a concubine? No, to a mistress!”
Jiang Lanyue weakly leaned against the tea table beside her, avoiding Wei Chi’s touch. Wei Chi’s eyes showed pity.
Perhaps because he had experienced life and death before, facing his youthful white moonlight again, his love was even stronger, and so was his pain. He no longer cared about saving face, kneeling and hugging Jiang Lanyue’s legs in repentance, startling Jiang Lanyue so much that she forgot to maintain her composure.
Was this ungrateful wretch possessed by a ghost?
If it were the innocent Jiang Lanyue of her past life, she might have been moved by his actions, but now Jiang Lanyue’s heart was long dead.
Faced with Wei Chi’s crocodile tears, Jiang Lanyue remained unmoved.
Wei Chi now hated Shen Jiaxue, who had ruined his relationship with Lanyue.
Jiang Lanyue coldly looked at Wei Chi kneeling on the ground and asked coldly, “Do you truly intend to divorce me? Does my husband still remember the promise, ‘My virtuous wife helped me achieve my lofty ambitions, and I will repay her with ten thousand taels of gold’?”
Despite the pain in his heart, for the sake of his future, Wei Chi nodded firmly: “A-Yue, I have wronged you. I am willing to leave with nothing, and the deed to this house will also be left to you.”
This house was originally bought by me!
Jiang Lanyue rolled her eyes inelegantly. Since Wei Chi had taken the initiative to say so, it suited her perfectly, but this was far from enough.
“Alright, I’m willing to grant your wish. However, my husband should know that my dowry has long been used for household expenses. After our divorce, I need money to support myself, and I want all the existing silver in the house.”
Because Wei Chi passed the imperial examination, the household received many valuable gifts. Since she was leaving, she wanted to make up for the dowry that had been wasted over the years.
“Okay! I’ll give it all to you.” Wei Chi felt guilty and agreed without thinking.
“And I will also compensate you for the dowry you’ve already spent.”
Jiang Lanyue’s heart warmed upon hearing this, and she immediately ordered Shanhu to bring paper, ink, and brush.
“It’s getting late. Please have Scholar Wei write the divorce papers and the contract for compensating me for my dowry. I’m in a hurry to pack my bags and leave.”
Wei Chi was stunned, frowning as he looked at his “heartbroken” wife. His doubts immediately disappeared.
He figured Lanyue was still angry. He would coax her later; what husband and wife hold a grudge overnight?
Without hesitation, Wei Chi wrote down the divorce papers and IOU as instructed. Jiang Lanyue signed her name smoothly and effortlessly.
Seeing this, Wei Chi frowned again, feeling uneasy, sensing something amiss with his beloved.
Jiang Lanyue carefully put away the divorce papers. She was now free; Shen Jiaxue could no longer control her.
With the divorce papers in hand, Jiang Lanyue had no desire to remain in the act. She instructed Shanhu, “Go pack our belongings and hire a carriage. We’ll leave before the city gates lock.”
Shanhu, already in tears, stiffened upon hearing this, looking at Jiang Lanyue with hesitation and confusion.
She hadn’t expected the head of the family to divorce his wife.
His wife’s life was so miserable, and the head of the family was heartless. What would become of his wife?
Shanhu packed her belongings with a heavy heart and trepidation. Fortunately, she had listened to his wife’s advice yesterday and prepared her clothes and jewelry in advance; she only needed to pack.
Seeing Wei Chi still standing there in a daze, Jiang Lanyue shooed him away: “Is there anything else, Scholar Wei?”
The phrase “Scholar Wei” was clearly meant to distance Lanyue from him, and Wei Chi’s face turned extremely ugly.
“No need to rush, I’ll see you off again tomorrow…”
“No need!” Jiang Lanyue coldly raised her hand: “Scholar Wei should find a place to stay as soon as possible. I want to rent out this house to cover my living expenses.”
Wei Chi shook his head helplessly. It seemed Lanyue was truly furious. Fine, he’d wait until she calmed down before trying to resolve things.
“Alright, we’ll move out in a couple of days.”
Then, Wei Chi left Xiyue Tower, turning back every three steps.
News of their divorce spread quickly throughout the Wei household, shocking Madam Wei of Ciyuan.
Although she disliked Jiang Lanyue, Jiang Lanyue was known for serving her well. She hoped her son wouldn’t be too close to his wife, but she also didn’t want them to divorce.
“Quickly, go and invite Chi’er over!”
Wei Wan’er rushed over, clinging to her mother, and asked incredulously, “Mother, I heard that my brother and sister-in-law have divorced?”
Would she still have any fresh fruit to eat in the future?
Wei’s mother patted Wei Wan’er’s hand reassuringly; she herself didn’t know the reason.
Wei Chi was in a bad mood. After leaving Xiyue Tower, he went straight to a brothel to drink. When servants came to invite him, he waved them away impatiently.
Amidst the gossip in the mansion, Jiang Lanyue had already boarded the departing carriage.
Inside, Jiang Lanyue carefully counted the silver notes in her hand. Over the years, her dowry had been almost entirely sold off; these silver notes represented all the cash in the Wei family mansion.
Fortunately, she held the keys to the Wei family’s treasury, making it easy to withdraw the silver notes. If Wei’s mother found out, she certainly wouldn’t let her leave.
Coral’s eyes were slightly red, clearly she had been crying for a long time. Now, she looked at Jiang Lanyue, hesitant to speak.
Jiang Lanyue opened her eyes, amused, and said, “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Shanhu, dazzled by her beauty, blushed slightly and softly comforted her, “Although I don’t know why Madam and Scholar Wei suddenly divorced, I will follow Madam wherever she is.”
Hearing this, Jiang Lanyue felt a warmth in her heart. She had taken Shanhu in when Shanhu was seventeen, feeling pity for her being bullied and pitiful, and kept her by her side.
She just hadn’t expected that it would lead to Shanhu being persecuted by Shen Jiaxue.
Now, she was a helpless, divorced woman, while Wei Chi was a promising scholar. Any normal person would choose the latter, yet Shanhu had chosen to leave with her without hesitation.
How could she not be moved?
Jiang Lanyue took Shanhu’s hand and solemnly said, “Shanhu, from now on, we only have each other. You are sincere to me, and I will protect you. Once we are settled, I will definitely find you a good husband.”
Shanhu’s face turned pale instantly, and she shook her head, “Madam, I don’t want to get married. I want to stay by your side forever.”
She truly didn’t want to get married and have children, and she had no expectations for married life. Even a loving couple like Madam and Wei Tanhua divorced. She, a helpless orphan, only wanted to spend the rest of her life with Madam.
Jiang Lanyue smiled gently, knowing that she would respect Shanhu’s choice.
They hurried and arrived at the suburban estate before sunset.
Because of the urgency, Jiang Lanyue hadn’t arranged accommodations yet, so they had to settle here temporarily.
The estate was inhabited by hardworking and honest tenants. The estate keeper was an elderly retired soldier with a leg ailment, whom everyone called Uncle Zhong.
Shanhu stepped forward and knocked on the door. Zhongbo glanced warily at the person outside, but upon seeing Jiang Lanyue, his wariness subsided, and he greeted her respectfully.
“Greetings, Madam.”
Jiang Lanyue helped him up and said kindly, “Uncle Zhong, you have a leg ailment, so please don’t bow anymore. Shanhu and I will be staying at the estate for a while.”
Zhongbo’s face was amiable as he stepped aside.
“Please come in, Madam. I’ll have my old woman tidy up the house for you and Miss Shanhu right away.”