Spring Message in the Snow – CH 096

Chapter 96

Everyone looked at Qingrou. Everything that needed to be said had been said; now it was up to her to make a decision.

In truth, in this situation, most girls would find it difficult to choose. After all, very few people could truly be ruthless and resolutely divorce. Usually, after making concessions at their in-laws’ house and the prodigal son showing remorse and repentance, they would choose to back down and observe the consequences. However, such extreme measures of suicide did not always work. If she were to hang herself again, her loved ones would not be as indignant as they were this time. Therefore, whether to use this opportunity wisely or stop while she was ahead required careful consideration from Qingrou.

Madam Li stepped forward to mediate, saying, “Good child, husband and wife should not hold grudges overnight. If you resolve this today, you can live well together in the future. You are a girl; your reputation is paramount. You cannot act on impulse; you must consider your future path. Although Second Young Master has neglected you, he has not been indulging in debauchery. There are things you can forgive him for. Besides, the imperial examination is approaching. If rumors spread now, it will ruin his years of hard work. Can you bear that?”

At this moment, the eldest daughter-in-law of the Li family, still deliberately adding fuel to the fire, chimed in, “Listen to advice, eat your fill. Look at how your mother treats you; even if you harbor resentment, your anger should have subsided. Married life is full of challenges. Take your sister, for example. The Marquis’s son was dissolute before, and now he’s bedridden. She’s endured all that. Second Brother is far superior to the Marquis Chen’s son; he’s certainly better than some, but not as bad as others. Do you not think?”

These words offended the Zhang family members present, and even the Li family members were somewhat alarmed.

The Zhang family, concerned with appearances, would not argue with her. It was Nanny Hua who spoke up, her voice shrill, “Young Madam, please do not say that! Our eldest mistress married into the Earl’s household and gave birth to the Earl’s eldest grandson. There’s no one else in the family to inherit the property; the entire household will be under her name in the future. Our eldest mistress is living a very comfortable life. If you compare the Li family to the Earl’s household, let alone whether it’s even worthy of comparison, just look at the population—clearly, there are several more people. Are you cursing yourself or the eldest son?” These words left the woman speechless.

Finally, Qingrou stood up. Ignoring Li Shu’an, she walked straight to her elder sister-in-law and slapped her across the face. The resounding “smack” echoed throughout the room, and a hoarse voice uttered, “How dare you mention my elder sister!”

The one who was slapped naturally jumped up, causing a commotion in the room. Madam Li quickly pulled her away with her attendants. At this point, they had no choice but to back down; it was her own fault for not speaking up, and the slap was pointless.

Qingrou did not hesitate. She turned and knelt before the Grand Madam, looking up and crying as she grabbed the Grand Madam’s sleeve. Her lips moved, and it took her a great deal of effort to cobble together her words. “Grandmother, I want a divorce. I want to go home.”

The Grand Madam, seeing her pitiful state, also shed tears. She repeatedly said, “Fine, Grandmother will take you home. My granddaughter married into the Li family with a clean conscience, and now she will return with me with a clean conscience. That’s good!”

She gestured to the maidservant beside her to help her up, then turned to the stunned Li family members and said, “Second Young Master Li, Qingrou has already made herself clear, and you’ve heard it all. If you have any conscience, quickly write a letter of divorce. From now on, we will have no further dealings with each other, and you will not ruin my granddaughter’s future.”

Madam Li, upon seeing this, nearly fainted from anxiety, pounding her chest and stamping her feet, saying, “Grand Madam, absolutely not! The head of the family is in Liangzhou; he does not know about this yet. If Second Young Master divorces, how am I supposed to explain it to him!”

Lady Ling did not care about her explanation, scoffing, “It’s your son who’s getting a divorce, not you. There’s no need to wait for Vice Magistrate Li to return. If your son is not well-behaved, it’s your fault. Your sins have ruined my daughter. We’ve already been lenient by not taking you to court. If you think you have not humiliated us enough, feel free to make a scene; we will gladly oblige. Is this divorce not exactly what your second son wants? He can remarry and marry the memorial tablet of Fourth Young Lady Yu. We will see if the Yu family agrees to this humiliation.”

These words struck a nerve with Li Shu’an. He had tolerated the Zhang family’s insults for half a day, but the humiliation of Fourth Young Lady Yu was intolerable. He said, “Mother-in-law, please have some decency in your words. The young lady is gone. You will be punished for insulting her like this.”

Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Zhi kicked him to the ground, pointing his finger at him and cursing, “You beast, you have no respect for your elders! Your parents did not come to teach you a lesson, but today I will!”

Zhang Zhi was a military officer, and a military officer’s strength was far beyond that of a scholar and a woman from the inner quarters. Those who tried to stop him were easily overpowered. Li Shu’an was quickly beaten black and blue. If Helian Song had not slowly intervened, someone might have been killed.

Madam Li, who had initially tried to appease him, now saw her son beaten like this and forgot all about such things. Stomping her feet, she said, “Report to the authorities! Report to the authorities! They’ve really come to bully us! Your own daughter cannot even fight against a dead woman; what’s the use of her being alive! If I were you, I’d be ashamed enough, yet such a large group of people has come to our door shouting. Do they really think the Li family is pushovers!”

The crowd was in an uproar, and the Li family members were naturally eager to cause trouble. Those who had received the message from outside also arrived, creating a chaotic scene with everyone offering their own version of events.

In truth, the Zhang family was hoping for a commotion; only through such publicity could Qingrou’s grievances be known throughout the capital.

After hearing the whole story, the Li family patriarch wanted to smooth things over and assign blame to both sides, but Helian Song raised his voice. “I think we should have someone invite Magistrate Qu to judge, lest people say we are abusing our power. However, I advise you all, after this commotion, Second Young Master Li’s career is practically ruined. Tomorrow, an official will petition to have him removed from the list of candidates for the imperial examination.”

He then smiled and bowed to the Li family patriarch. “Since my wife’s sister’s suicide in your residence is a family matter, then may I ask, patriarch, is a father-in-law disciplining his son-in-law not also a family matter?”

The white-haired and white-bearded Li family patriarch was speechless, but he still understood the gravity of the situation and said to Helian Song, “We are relatives after all; why tear things apart like this and make a fool of ourselves in front of outsiders?”

Helian Song shrugged. “Who’s going to come and see a joke? Whose joke are they laughing at this time? My wife’s younger sister was tricked into marriage by the Li family. She’s the victim. Even if outsiders want to laugh, they will laugh at Second Young Master Li’s lack of morals, neglecting his perfectly good wife and going to another woman’s grave in the middle of the night to light lanterns.”

Seeing that things were getting out of hand, the Li family patriarch had no choice but to discuss with Madam Li, “Enough, enough. Quickly write a divorce decree and get a divorce. If this continues, not only will Second Young Master be ruined, but Eldest Young Master will also be implicated. How will we live in the future?”

Meanwhile, the Grand Madam was unwilling to stay any longer and instructed Zhang Zhi and his wife, “This matter is yours to handle. I will take the child back first. After all this turmoil today, I am afraid her health will not be able to withstand it.”

Zhang Zhi and Lady Ling agreed, leaving Helian Song to accompany them, and Surou also returned to the Zhang family.

Emerging from inside the gate, they saw a large crowd gathered outside the Li family’s gate, all shaking their heads. “That Second Young Master Li is indeed devoted, but if he’s so devoted, he should not have arranged the marriage. He’s just ruining someone else’s daughter…”

The Zhang family remained silent. A servant helped them into the carriage. Only then did Qingrou tightly grasp Surou’s hand, her voice hoarse, “Second Sister, I did it.”

Surou’s nose stung with tears. She nodded. “Well done. I was worried you’d be swayed by them and agree to give Second Young Master Li another chance. Luckily, you saw things clearly and did not let them succeed. Look at the Li family’s behavior; they will appease you today, but tomorrow, you will still have to live that kind of life; Li Shu’an will not change.”

The Grand Madam also comforted her, saying gently, “This marriage has always worried me. It’s a pity I could not stop it before the wedding, causing you all this suffering. Now it’s all right; you are finally out of this mess, and everything can start anew. If a good match comes along, find a suitable husband; if not, stay home for the rest of your life. None of your brothers will mistreat you; you can rest assured.”

Qingrou nodded, crying as she threw herself into her grandmother’s arms, realizing that the elder she usually dared not approach had always loved her dearly.

The carriage slowly made its way through Imperial Street, finally returning to the Zhang Mansion. The old woman waiting at the gate welcomed her in and then summoned a physician to examine Qingrou. After a careful examination, the physician found nothing serious, prescribed medicine to reduce swelling and soothe her throat, and instructed her to drink plenty of water and rest before taking his leave.

Tonight was destined to be turbulent. Everyone waited in the main room for a full two hours before Zhang Zhi and the others returned, bringing with them a letter of divorce and three years’ worth of clothing and provisions. The marriage was over just like that. Although the Zhang family had the upper hand, there were no real winners in the end. Li Shu’an’s future was ruined; he could only hope to find a minor official position in a low-ranking government office. As for Qingrou, a perfectly good girl, even if she found a good match again, it would still be a second marriage, ultimately less desirable than her first.

When Surou and Helian Song left Suihua Garden, it was already past midnight. Because he had to attend court the next day, they could not stay overnight at the Zhang Mansion and had to hurry back to the Prince’s Mansion.

After a long and exhausting day, Surou leaned on his shoulder, her eyes closed, and said, “The matter is finally resolved, but thinking about it carefully, there’s no joy in it at all; in fact, it’s quite frustrating.”

Helian Song embraced her. “It’s better to be upset for a while now than to be upset for a lifetime. Just wait, in a few days, I will act as a matchmaker for Third Sister-in-law. Li Shu’an may disdain being related to me, but others will be vying to be related to me. Then Third Sister-in-law can find a good marriage and make him furious!”

Surou chuckled. “Is Your Highness also planning to act as a matchmaker?”

He said, “Are they not family? We cannot let Third Sister-in-law suffer forever. As long as Third Sister-in-law is willing, let alone a high-ranking official for a second marriage, even becoming someone’s principal wife is not difficult.”

Surou perked up. “Are there suitable candidates in the Four Elite Armies?”

Helian Song replied with certainty, “The entire army is made up of men. Some come from military families, while others have climbed their way up step by step, achieving remarkable military exploits.”

Surou hesitated. “Those who have climbed to high positions must be quite old!”

“Two of the commanders-in-chief are only in their early twenties.” He smiled as he spoke. “Do not worry, I will go to the army in a few days to inquire. Perhaps there are even better ones.”

Surou agreed.

The next day, after seeing Helian Song off at dawn, she returned to the Zhang family to visit Qingrou. Qingrou, having suffered a blow, was visibly distressed. Her sisters all came to comfort her, and even Mianmian rushed back, exclaiming, “The news is flying everywhere! Nanny Jiang came in this morning to report, and I did not believe it, but it’s true!”

She exclaimed with delight, “I’ve disliked that Li Shu’an for a long time. He puts on a sanctimonious act, but he has no integrity whatsoever. Third Sister, why wait? Let me tell you, the most dangerous people are those who are single-minded. Today, he’s devoted to Fourth Young Lady Yu to the death, but in a couple of days, if he finds someone who looks like her, he might just pour all his affection into that other person. You are fighting the dead and then the living; it’s never-ending!”

While her words made sense, there was no need to dwell on such a painful memory. Everyone told Qingrou to rest, and the group moved to the outer pavilion to talk.

Surou asked Mianmian how things were at home. Mianmian said proudly, “Yesterday I distributed the silver to them, and they were all overjoyed. They kept asking if I could add more principal. I naturally said yes; the more they add, the more interest they would get. But my mother-in-law is a real character. She said to me, ‘Good daughter-in-law, the 50,000 taels you were going to give me, just put it in for me.’ She almost made me furious.”

Everyone clicked their tongues in disapproval; encountering such a mother-in-law was truly exasperating. Zhirou asked, “What did Cousin say?”

“I told her I did not have any extra money, but then my mother-in-law said, ‘Then transfer 50,000 taels of your invested share to me.’ How could there be such a shameless elder in the world, wanting to make money without contributing a single penny? She’s treating me like a fool!” Mianmian said angrily, crossing her arms. “Luckily, I did not fall for it. Before she could finish, I made an excuse and left. I am telling you, if it were not for Young Master Song being a good person, I would have wanted to divorce like Third Sister and have the Song family return all my money.”

But divorce was not something that could be easily arranged. Surou said, “When Grandmother gave you your marriage compatibility chart, she said that although there are some minor setbacks, there is still affection between you as husband and wife. It’s not good that your marriage has become estranged because of his family’s unsavory affairs.” She paused and then asked, “Does Young Master Song know that his mother keeps asking you for money?”

Mianmian said he did. “He did not say anything about the first 200,000 taels, but then she asked for another 50,000. Even he could not stand it, so he went to his mother and said he wanted to buy an official position, demanding 80,000 taels from her.”

Everyone laughed. Thankfully, he knew to side with his own family, which meant this young man could still be reformed. However, he had tricked the Song family into investing heavily; there would be a day when the truth would come out. When the Song family’s mother-in-law and sisters-in-law made a big scene, Mianmian might not be able to maintain her position in the Song family.

Mianmian waved her hand dismissively, “I’ve long since stopped wanting to live in that house. I’ve already had people secretly looking for a place outside. If they make a scene, I will just separate and move out. Before, I dreamed of marrying into a high-ranking family to join the ranks of the noble ladies of the capital, but now it seems I’ve married an empty shell. I’d be better off marrying a local official. Relying on my mother-in-law to introduce me to this circle is hopeless. Even if she goes to the Golden Duck Banquet, I doubt anyone will give her face. She’s always thinking about borrowing money from her daughter-in-law—what else is she but a bankrupt household? Anyway, I’ve figured it out. The private alum trade is strictly prohibited by the court. If they end up with a deficit, they will have to suffer in silence. Besides, I do not covet their money; I just want them to return what they took from me. What’s there to be afraid of them making a scene?”

Mianmian was bold. Even alone in the Song family compound, she was not afraid of what they might do to her. “It’s good that she’s like this; she does not have to worry about the consequences; she just wants to be happy.” However, compared to ordinary families, the Earl’s Mansion had a more complex web of relationships. Surou said, “You think you can keep this money for yourself? I am afraid you will not. The women of the Earl’s Mansion are not so easily fooled.”

“Then what should I do?” Mianmian asked blankly. Sometimes, she just wanted to prove herself, even if it meant sacrificing everything. Finally, she gritted her teeth. “Even if I have to throw all the money into the Bian River, I will not let the Song family take advantage of me.”

Of course, throwing all the money into the Bian River would be too wasteful. After much deliberation, she sent all 120,000 taels she had raised from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to the orphanage in the south of the city.

The so-called orphanage was an institution specially established by the imperial court to provide relief to orphans. Normally, noblewomen from the capital would donate money, rice, silk, and other items to support abandoned infants or to help the orphans of soldiers whose fathers had died in battle and whose mothers were unable to raise them.

That day, Mianmian asked Surou to accompany her. She had heard that officials in charge of supervision often embezzled funds, and if she came alone, perhaps 110,000 taels out of the 120,000 taels would fall into the hands of the censors. Now that both sisters were present, the officials, fearing the Heir Apparent’s wife, would record the amount truthfully.

Surou and Mianmian watched as the clerk recorded the names and amounts. After confirming the information was correct, Surou asked the clerk, “Will the amount of donation from Young Madam Song be reported to the court?”

The clerk replied, “Of course. Young Madam’s 120,000 taels is the largest single donation our orphanage has ever received since its opening. Even the Princess Consort of Yong, who has donated regularly for many years, has not donated as much in the past five or six years combined. Do not worry, Young Madam; this act of kindness will soon be reported to the court, and the court will certainly reward you accordingly… “

“Ah, you two have truly solved the orphanage’s urgent problem. The Princess Consort’s 30,000 taels at the end of the year was just enough to buy charcoal, cotton clothes, and bedding—enough to get through last winter. But since the beginning of winter last year, the capital’s number of abandoned children had surged, and the bureau did not have enough wet nurses. They had to hire some from the private sector, which was a huge expense. We did not know how long it would take for approval from above, and those hungry children were crying incessantly, causing us officials a great deal of worry. But now, with this money, what could not be accomplished…”

“Quickly, the Third Young Madam of the Duke of Dengfeng’s family has donated 120,000 taels of silver to the bureau. Report this immediately. Also, please ask the Xuanhui Academy to instruct whether a portion can be allocated to hire wet nurses to ensure the children’s basic needs are met.”

Since the money had been reported to the Xuanhui Academy, everything was on track. Surou and Mianmian left. After leaving, Mianmian said to Surou on the way back, “Actually, I still felt uneasy about lying to my mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to get money. I felt like I had cheated them out of their money and done something wrong. Now that the money has been donated to the orphanage, I feel much more at ease. The remaining 80,000 taels are a bargain for my mother-in-law, and sending the 120,000 taels to orphans gives me a reputation for doing good deeds, so it’s not a loss.”

Surou nodded. “However, nothing stays hidden forever. The orphanage will definitely publicize the matter of the 120,000 taels, which will likely cause a huge uproar in the Earl’s Mansion.”

This prediction soon came true. In just six or seven days, the eldest son’s wife, Lady Xiang, and… Lady Liu, the second wife, cornered Mianmian in the garden. Not wanting to confront her directly, she forced a smile and inquired, “You’ve been investing for several days now. How’s the profit?”

Mianmian, impatient with their questions, replied evasively, “We settle accounts every twenty days. Since you two sisters-in-law are asking me today, I cannot answer.”

As she tried to leave, Lady Xiang blocked her way. Lady Xiang said, “This time the investment is quite large. We are all a little uneasy and wanted to ask you, sister-in-law, if it’s going well?”

Mianmian rolled her eyes at her. “In these kinds of speculative ventures, profits and losses are common. I already told my elder sister-in-law that I will not keep a single penny of the profits; they will all go to you. What’s the rush, Elder Sister-in-law?”

Lady Xiang spoke with a somewhat youthful air, and Lady Liu beside her, anxious, glared and asked, “We heard that my sister-in-law donated 120,000 taels of silver to the orphanage. Is that true? Did she not always say she did not have any cash on hand? How could she suddenly take out so much to fill that insignificant hole?”

Mianmian nodded. “I borrowed that money from my second sister. Last year, my mother made a vow before Buddha, saying that if I married into a high-ranking family, she would do more good deeds. Now that I’ve married into the Earl’s Mansion, she cannot come to the capital for a while, so she asked me to borrow money from the Prince’s residence first, using this to repay her vow… You two sisters-in-law are really well-informed; even this has come to your attention.”

But Lady Xiang and Lady Liu would not listen to her, saying bluntly, “We are short of money right now. We cannot wait twenty days. Sister-in-law, please think of a way to get our money back.”