boyutpedia Chapter 175 Consort Chen Asks for Leave
Chapter 175 Consort Chen Asks for Leave
Upon hearing this, Shen Shixi couldn't contain her anger any longer.
He asked, "Did you drink the contraceptive soup?"
Du Hanyun couldn't bear to think about what happened that day either. Tears streamed down her face as she nodded, "I drank it, I drank it afterwards!"
Shen Shixi was furious and cursed, "You damned idiot, you bastard! I said since we were husband and wife, we should part amicably, and I'd just let you divorce that scoundrel. But since you're determined to die, let's see if I can make him suffer!"
Du Hanyun rushed over, hugged her cousin, and started crying.
Her family did not support her at all in this matter, and her sister-in-law even jumped up to oppose it and blamed her mother. She did not want to cause chaos in her family because of herself, but how could she stand in the He family?
She could get along well with the concubines, but she simply couldn't bear to share a husband with her widowed sister-in-law.
That's disgusting.
Shen Shixi was stunned by her crying. Xiangyuan said, "Your Majesty, the First Madam of the family does not agree to the young lady's divorce. She said it would ruin the reputation of the Du family and make it difficult for the young lady and her generation to find husbands in the future."
"What is she anyway? If her older cousin beats and scolds her every day and cheats on her with other women, can she just put up with it? Ignore her. If you want a divorce, I'll help you. I'll get someone to register you as a female household."
Du Hanyun nodded; she didn't want to spend another day in the He family's house.
He Wensi forced himself on her because he was instigated by his widowed sister-in-law and mother. They said they were afraid that the Imperial Concubine Chen in the palace would have a problem with him, and if she got pregnant, they would see how she could cause trouble.
After this incident, she felt nothing but hatred for He Wensi and moved out that very day to live in her dowry house in the capital.
However, her dowry is still with the He family.
Shen Shixi asked Chaoyu to leave the palace. "Go find my third brother and ask him for a few people to help my cousin get her dowry back. The He family should make up for every tael of silver that is missing. Also, ask the Shuntian Prefecture to handle the matter of divorcing her husband and establishing a new household for her."
"By the way, send someone to He Wensi's hometown to see if we can dig up anything from his brother's death, or if we can use it."
The act of using force would be shameful even if it were exposed in later generations, let alone now.
There wasn't much room for exploitation in He Wensi's affair with his widowed sister-in-law, because with He Wensi's mother's endorsement, the fact that he could inherit both branches of the family was already a very powerful reason.
In this era, of the three unfilial acts, the greatest is having no offspring.
Citron reminded her, "Your Highness, the house where the He family lives now is also part of our young lady's dowry."
Shen Shixi said to Chao Yu, "Did you hear that?"
Chao Yu hurriedly replied, "Don't worry, Miss, I will handle this matter perfectly for you!"
Shen Shixi also comforted her, "Three-legged toads are hard to find, but two-legged men are everywhere. Don't worry, after a while, we'll find a good one, the kind with the surname He. There are plenty of people who can outshine him."
Knowing that her cousin was capable of saying anything, Du Hanyun didn't even bother to feel shy anymore. She didn't dwell on it and left the palace.
She took back her dowry that very day, but in the end, she didn't divorce her husband; she only got a divorce.
They should at least leave a way out for the Du family's daughters. Going too far might hinder their future marriage prospects.
Under Chao Yu's manipulation, the affair between He Wensi and his widowed sister-in-law, who first seduced each other and then took over two branches of the family, was made public. In order to drive the He family out, they called on the neighbors and the village head to judge the matter.
The story of a widowed sister-in-law who, shortly after her husband's death, became involved with her brother-in-law and became pregnant, driving away his legal wife, is truly shocking.
He Wensi's reputation is ruined, and it will soon reach the imperial court; it's only a matter of time.
After the house was taken back, the He family realized that this matter had become a big deal.
But Chao En is a person from the palace, how could the He family dare to offend him?
They wanted to salvage the relationship, but Du Hanyun refused to show up. Instead, she forced He Wensi to sign the divorce papers, locked the door, and left.
The next day, the imperial seal was opened, and Chao Yu went to the Jingzhao Yin Prefecture to establish a female household for Du Hanyun.
Naturally, this event caused quite a stir.
Du's eldest sister-in-law told everyone she met that she had severed ties with this aunt and that from now on, she could forget about ever stepping into the Du family's door again.
At the same time, Chao Yu also greeted Han Xiao, the Left Guard of the Southern Gate Imperial Guard who was in charge of patrolling this area, saying that she was Consort Chen's cousin and had established a female household here after her divorce, asking him to take good care of her.
Han Xiao was introduced to the emperor by Shen Shixi, so their relationship was quite close. If you didn't know, you could just ignore it, but now that you do, you naturally have to protect him properly.
The men below knew what was important, and it wasn't a problem for them to patrol the Du residence a few extra times during their regular patrols.
Du Hanyun lived a secluded life, enjoying herself immensely.
It's not easy for a woman to establish herself in a household, and she's always worried about being bullied if she doesn't have anyone to rely on. With Shen Shixi, she doesn't have that worry at all. This single life is truly wonderful for anyone who wants to live it.
Du Hanyun regrets getting married in the first place.
That's the end of the matter for now. The search for He Wensi's deceased brother has also begun. The journey is long, and it will take some time to get results.
Yun Yue didn't bring many people; he only took about two hundred crossbowmen and set off for Zhangzhou.
He also possesses a secret edict from the emperor, which allows him to mobilize the troops of Jiangnan East Circuit at crucial moments.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty, the emperor's private army consisted of the Northern Imperial Guards, the Southern Imperial Guards guarded the capital, the local forces were the General Commanders' Offices, and the border defense forces were a separate system, such as the Protectorates.
This matter did not alarm the imperial court. Prime Minister Pei intended to use this to challenge the emperor, and the emperor leisurely played along.
On the first day of the second month, the Empress resumed the morning greetings.
The end of the month is the day Shen Shixi will be honored. Before the New Year, Li Yuanke took this opportunity to review his troops and counted the few people in his harem that he could count on one hand. There were many things to do in the first month of the lunar year, so Shen Shixi was the only one who would serve him in bed.
The two of them also managed to sneak out a few hookups during their busy schedules.
The emperor had even less time to summon his concubines, and mainly, he was in no mood for it.
More than a month later, we held our morning meeting again, and everything had changed.
Shen Shixi didn't come. Bai Ping called her early in the morning, but she was too lazy to move. "I'm not going. I'm going to ask for leave. Remember to arrange for someone to ask for leave every day from now on."
That means she will no longer attend the morning greetings to the Empress.
Li Yuanke heard it too, but said nothing. He just pulled her closer to his arms. It was a day of rest in the court, so he was able to sleep in. Shen Shixi wanted to get up, which made it difficult for him to have any peace.
The Empress's residence is quite well-attended today.
Consort Shen won't be coming. Her due date is in half a month, and if she accidentally goes into premature labor, she could give birth at any time.
Consort Li arrived. Her son had been brought to the Empress's palace to be raised. Even if her confinement period hadn't ended, she would have come. She had thought she would meet Consort Chen, but Consort Chen didn't come; she had asked for leave.
Consort Xue was confined to her quarters and couldn't come, but Consort Qiong arrived. The concubines below first bowed to her, and then the Empress arrived.
The Empress looked unwell; even thick makeup couldn't hide her sallow complexion and haggard appearance. There were thick cushions behind her, but her lower back was still very uncomfortable.
This time, she really suffered a great loss to her health.
"Isn't Consort Chen here?" the Empress asked.
The palace servant below replied, "Your Majesty, Consort Chen has requested leave today."
"Did they say what it was about? Is she unwell or something?" the Empress asked with grace and magnanimity.
"Consort Chen attended to the Emperor last night, but couldn't get up this morning."
These words were so shocking that the concubines turned pale with anger.