Climbing on the Sparrow Branch – CH 505

Chapter 505: In The End

Pei Lan and Yuan Jingsheng, though newlyweds, weren’t exactly deeply in love, but they were still quite affectionate.

Pei Lan was thinking that once she gave birth to her eldest son and secured her position as the principal wife, she would consider taking a concubine. After all, taking a concubine and having a maidservant are not the same thing. If she were to give Yuan Jingsheng another woman before her position was secure, her life would be much more difficult. This was the way of being a wife that Madam Xu had taught Pei Lan before her marriage.

But before the marriage, no one knew that the refined and polite Yuan Jingsheng would frequent brothels.

When Madam Xu arranged her daughter’s engagement to Yuan Jingsheng, she was so happy that she held a banquet. Who could have imagined that Pei Lan would suffer such a fate today?

An Zhi was the matriarch of the Pei family. Today, this matter with Pei Lan required not only the second branch of the family to intervene but also the fourth branch to support her. No matter how many times she had argued with Madam Xu, the aristocratic families had to unite against a commoner.

Looking at Pei Lan’s injured face, An Zhi couldn’t help but think of her past life. A man hitting a woman, especially a pregnant wife—no matter the reason, that Yuan Jingsheng was no good.

An Zhi, tired of Madam Xu’s rambling, walked to the bedside and looked at Pei Lan, asking, “Yuan Jingsheng was wrong in this matter. Our family must demand an explanation from the Yuan family. But how we do it depends on your attitude.”

Pei Lan’s eyes were bloodshot, and her face was as pale as paper. An Zhi didn’t dare speak loudly, afraid that even a breath would knock her over.

“Me?” Pei Lan looked at An Zhi in confusion, her eyes darting around for a moment before she understood what An Zhi meant. She said weakly, “Fourth Aunt, I…I want a divorce.”

“A divorce?” Madam Xu exclaimed upon hearing the word, then quickly covered her mouth, frowning. “How could you think like that? If you divorce now, people will say the Yuan family is unethical, and Yuan Jingsheng will be tarnished. But think about it, what about yourself after dragging Yuan Jingsheng down with you? What will you do then?”

The second branch of the Pei family was born of a concubine, their social standing neither high nor low. Coupled with Pei Lan’s father’s setbacks in his official career, if Pei Lan divorced, she would only be able to marry into a lower-class family. But that meant marrying into an ordinary family, a family Madam Xu wouldn’t consider. Even Pei Lan herself might not be suitable.

Pei Lan was bewildered by her mother’s question. “If we don’t divorce, what else can we do? He’s already like that; if I continue living with him, how can I expect a good life?”

Madam Xu was stumped by her daughter’s question. Indeed, her daughter and Yuan Jingsheng’s relationship was so ugly that even if they were put in the same bed, they’d probably be back to back. What hope could they possibly have?

If this were An Zhi’s situation, she would definitely want a divorce, but she would also want to understand the reasons behind it.

“Lan’er, I just heard your mother say that Yuan Jingsheng came home drunk last night and started the fight. Do you know who he was drinking with?” An Zhi asked.

Pei Lan lowered her head and thought for a moment, then shook her head blankly. “He…didn’t say.”

“Second Sister-in-law, why don’t you send someone to investigate?” An Zhi suggested. “Yuan Jingsheng is hateful, but the people who instigated him are even more hateful. Even if we’re going to divorce, we need to drag everyone involved out.”

Madam Xu’s eyes widened. “Divorce? We can’t divorce!” In a panic, Madam Xu first ordered someone to find out who drank with Yuan Jingsheng, then pulled An Zhi outside and said, “Sister-in-law, not everyone can be like you, remarrying after being jilted. How can you support her getting a divorce? If she divorces, she’ll either be a stepmother for the rest of her life or suffer in a nunnery.”

Binglu, standing nearby, winked at An Zhi, reminding her young madam not to get too involved in the second branch of the family’s affairs.

An Zhi knew she shouldn’t interfere too much; otherwise, she’d be blamed for everything, but she felt compelled to speak up. “Second Sister-in-law, if you don’t divorce and stay in the Yuan family, won’t the couple harbor resentment? I feel that staying in the Yuan family isn’t necessarily better than becoming a nun. However, this is your family’s matter; you and Lan’er should discuss the specifics. I won’t go in; just let me know what you’ve decided.”

An Zhi and Madam Xu never got along. Having said what she needed to say, she sat in the main hall waiting for news.

Not long after Madam Xu went into the inner room, the eldest and third families’ wives arrived.

Madam Li and Madam Meng weren’t the heads of the household; their visits were mostly just formalities, as they didn’t like the Second House’s family either.

After looking around the inner room for a while, Madam Meng came out and sat down on the chair next to An Zhi. She picked up a cup of tea and said, “Second Sister-in-law said she wants Yuan Jingsheng to apologize and admit his mistake and to promise that he will never take a concubine within ten years.” As she said this, Madam Meng had a smile on her lips, as if she were watching a show, or perhaps she was sighing.

“They don’t openly take concubines, but who can control what they do behind the scenes?” An Zhi sighed. “Once a man’s heart is lost, how can you hold him back by not taking concubines? And Pei Lan, has she agreed?”

Meng Shi nodded in agreement. “Second Sister-in-law talked a lot about remarrying down after the divorce, and Pei Lan softened.”

The Yuan family was a prominent family in the capital, and their lives weren’t much worse than the Pei family’s. Pei Lan had been sent to a post outside the capital with her father and knew what kind of life ordinary officials without connections lived; she was probably afraid of suffering.

“Well, they’ve all agreed, so we have nothing more to say.” An Zhi heard footsteps coming from the inner room and knew someone was about to come out, so she stopped talking in time.

In the end, An Zhi accompanied the Second House and her husband to meet with the Yuan family. The Yuan family agreed to Madam Xu’s conditions and sold the prostitute who had instigated Yuan Jingsheng far away, thus settling the matter.

On the way back from the Second House’s house, An Zhi felt a tightness in her chest, a kind of inexplicable discomfort.

“Madam, do you feel it’s unfair to Young Madam Pei Lan?” Binglu asked, seeing her young madam remain silent.

An Zhi shook her head, saying no, “Although my second sister-in-law was a bit forceful, she didn’t force Pei Lan to make a decision. In the end, Pei Lan herself wanted to return to the Yuan family. Since it was her own choice, there’s no question of whether it’s worth it or not. What I’m thinking is, why do women have to remarry down after a divorce, while men can act as if nothing happened? This world is so unfair.”

Binglu didn’t understand her young madam’s meaning, “Hasn’t it always been like this?”

“Yes, it’s always been like this,” An Zhi murmured, closing her eyes to rest.

When she returned to the Pei Mansion, she saw Pei Que coming out. She exclaimed in surprise, “Is something urgent again?”

“Ah? No, nothing.” Pei Que stepped over the threshold to An Zhi’s side and gently took her arm. “I just heard from the people in the courtyard that you went to the second branch of the family quite a while ago. I wanted to go and pick you up, but I was a little late; you were already at the gate.”