Upon learning that Cui Anru had entered the palace, the members of the Xiao Family lost all interest in entertaining their guests.
Lin Zhiyin tactfully suggested returning home.
Xiao Rang personally escorted her out of the mansion, offering words of comfort along the way.
Lin Zhiyin felt triumphant after this successful venture and was in high spirits. Upon reaching the entrance of her own Lin Mansion, she deliberately rewarded the guards with a silver coin.
With this gesture, the servants of the Lin household also realized that this young lady—who had long embarrassed the master and mistress by running away without permission—was about to make a complete comeback.
However, for some reason, a group of people had gathered at the entrance of the Lin Mansion, and they began beating gongs and drums in an orderly and rhythmic manner.
Hearing the commotion, the Lin family members rushed to the gate to see what was happening.
But when they clearly heard the congratulatory verses, their faces turned pale with shock!
"A daughter of the Lin family has come of age, achieving merit in a single day. Yet her parents and brothers gain no glory, for she seeks only to marry another's husband."
Was this a gift? Clearly, it was an attempt to bring misfortune.
Lin Zhiyin, who had been brimming with confidence just moments ago, was now both shocked and furious. How dare these people insult her like this?
"This is the Lin Mansion, not a place for you to run wild!" Madam Wen, heartbroken for her daughter, quickly rebuked them.
Instead of being intimidated, the crowd cheerfully unfurled two banners in front of the gathered commoners.
The large characters on them were particularly eye-catching.
"Congratulations to the Lin family for their glorious reputation, raising such a filial daughter. Military merits are only for stealing another's husband, not for her father's career."
"Thanks to the Lin family's legitimate daughter for frequently attending to Annan Hou in the borderlands and successfully conceiving on her journey back to the capital."
The words on these two banners left everyone even more stunned.
Especially the second one—had this Lin Zhiyin already become pregnant?
After processing this, many felt that both Xiao Rang and Lin Zhiyin were utterly despicable.
With the Duke of Zhenguo and his heir having died in battle, how could they…
"Audacious troublemakers! How dare you spread rumors at the entrance of our Lin Mansion and tarnish my daughter's purity! My daughter returned with military merits, even praised by the Empress herself. How dare you slander her like this? As an official, I will not let you off!"
Lin Zhiyuan, Lin Zhiyin's father, currently held the position of Yuanwailang in the Ministry of Revenue.
His stern rebuke did indeed calm the situation somewhat.
Madam Wen also raised her voice sharply: "Exactly! How dare you, with nothing but empty words, defame someone praised by the Emperor and Empress? The Emperor has already bestowed a marriage. Are your actions meant to mock the Emperor and Empress for their lack of judgment?"
When Lin Zhiyin had entered the mansion earlier, she had been filled with confidence, but now she felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.
It felt as though something had exploded in her mind.
How could this matter have gotten out?
If it were confirmed, her reputation would be ruined!
Summoning her strength, Lin Zhiyin asked with firm conviction, "Who instructed you to do this? I have already told Sister Cui that I would not threaten her position, only seeking a place to settle. Why do you slander me like this? The soldiers I treated at the border could be your family members. What would they think if they knew about this?"
Lin Zhiyin's words caused many to lower their heads, considering that she had indeed contributed at the border.
Some even began to feel that her actions were understandable…
"Speak! Who instructed you to smear a weak woman who disregarded her own reputation to contribute at the border?"
She deliberately steered the blame toward a mastermind behind the scenes, framing it as a setup.
Naturally, some would think of Cui Anru.
As it turned out, the members of the gong and drum team showed no sign of being moved. Their leader spoke lightly, "We were invited by Cui Anru, daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, to come and offer congratulations!"
Lin Zhiyin was about to feel a surge of joy.
But the leader continued, "Miss Cui has made it clear beforehand: the Duke of Zhenguo's household has achieved numerous military merits over the years, never resorting to deceit or oppression. As the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo, she disdains sharing a husband with a woman from the Lin family. She will seek a consensual divorce from Annan Hou, to fulfill the wishes of this pair of lovers who even engaged in illicit relations on the journey back to the capital while escorting the coffins."
"If the Lin family's young lady denies being pregnant, you may summon the imperial physician to examine her. Whether you choose to keep or remove this child, the imperial physician will be able to detect it."
These words struck Lin Zhiyin like a heavy slap across the face.
Her complexion instantly turned deathly pale!
The commoners, looking again at the Lin Zhiyin who had just sworn so confidently, now regarded her with entirely different eyes.
"Shameless…"
"Never have I seen someone so brazen, actually doing such things beside the coffins of the Duke of Zhenguo and the young master… and then, upon returning, bullying the orphaned daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo…"
The murmurs of the crowd made the expressions of everyone in the Lin family particularly grim. Lin Zhiyin wished this were nothing but a nightmare.
Yet the leader did not let the Lin family off so easily, continuing instead, "The Duke's daughter has more to say: Annan Hou rose from a lower rank to a marquis, and the Lin family's young lady has won the favor of the Emperor and Empress. Yet Lin Daren has received no promotion whatsoever—truly a testament to his exemplary parenting, unconcerned with achievements!"
Lin Zhiyuan was inwardly shocked but struggled to maintain composure on the surface.
Even Madam Wen's gaze toward her daughter was now filled with suspicion.
Finally, Lin Zhiyin collapsed. The Lin family members gritted their teeth and busied themselves, dispersing the crowd and shutting the gates tightly.
The palace, Hall of Mental Cultivation.
The room was filled with silence. Cui Anru's request was truly unprecedented.
The Emperor furrowed his brow and asked, "Divorcing your husband, all because of an Equal Wife?"
Cui Anru replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Your Majesty, I have some knowledge of medicine and have already felt the pulse of the Lin family's young lady. She has just become pregnant, one month along."
"If Your Majesty does not believe me, you may send an imperial physician to verify."
Upon hearing this, the chief eunuch standing nearby nearly snapped the horsetail whisk in his hand.
The Emperor's brow furrowed even tighter.
As if adding fuel to the fire, Cui Anru continued, "I deeply understand that Your Majesty's arranged marriage was not intended to humiliate the Duke of Zhenguo's household, nor to suppress me. It is truly Annan Hou who knows no bounds."
"In the two years since I married him, I have failed to correct his arrogance upon gaining success, nor have I changed his petty, profit-driven nature. Compared to the Lin family's young lady, who has achieved merits at the border, I am indeed worthless."
These words were naturally laced with sarcasm.
Cui Anru paused, observing that the Emperor showed no sign of anger, before continuing.
"I dare not demand that Xiao Rang uphold any masculine virtues, but at the very least, he should uphold human decency. Their actions have stripped them of even their humanity. Thus, though I know I am at fault, I would rather die a hundred deaths than change my resolve. I beg Your Majesty to allow me to divorce my husband."
Silence fell. For a long while, no one in the Hall of Mental Cultivation spoke.
Cui Anru knelt quietly there, her head still bowed to the ground, her back radiating stubbornness.
"Enough. Now that Xiao Rang has just been enfeoffed as a marquis and has received my imperial decree of marriage, allowing you to divorce him would inevitably stir much discussion."
"I know you have indeed suffered injustice. I've heard the Xiao Family has been relying on your dowry to make ends meet these past two years. How about this—I grant you a consensual divorce and order the Xiao Family to return all your dowry and belongings. What do you think?"
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Cui Anru knew when to stop pushing her luck.
Leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Cui Anru felt a weight lift from her shoulders.
"Miss, how did it go?" Danqing rushed over anxiously.
"It's settled. Dan Bai and Danxuan should have already packed our things. Once the imperial decree arrives, we'll move out."
Cui Anru's words filled Danqing and Danzhu with excitement.
Then, Danzhu's expression fell.
"Miss, are we returning to Zhenguogong Mansion?"
Danqing also grew conflicted. With the Duke and the heir no longer there, she wasn't sure if it could still be considered Miss's maternal home.
Before they could dwell on it further, the carriage arrived at Annan Hou's residence.
Danzhu immediately spotted two familiar figures surrounded by a crowd at the mansion gate!
"Miss, it's the heir's wife with the young heir! They've come to demand justice for you!"