Chapter 116 - : The Duchess and the Duke Divorced
Chapter 116: The Duchess and the Duke Divorced
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Duke Anyuan was annoyed. “Xiao’er, why do you have to rake up grievances that are more than ten years old? And you, Ruoyi, do you hate your mother? Why are you trying to persuade her to divorce?
“If she divorces, she’ll lose her nobility title and be no longer the mistress of a duke mansion.
“Moreover, the Zheng family is gone, and if she divorces, she will fall into dust from a noble lady respected by everyone in Chang’an, and everyone will be able to bully her.”
Zheng Xiao said, “The old grievances still exist, so why can’t I rake them up? I had thought that at least my children were living a happy life, but it tus out that my little daughter had died! Old Madam Zheng is at fault, but what about you? You’re the one who caused all this!”
“Jin’er has been separated from me for 18 years, and that’s your fault too!
“If I don’t divorce you, I will be buried in your Qiao family’s graveyard after I die. Then how can I face my poor daughter in the underworld?”
“If you’re willing to divorce, that’ll be great, but if you aren’t, I won’t stay in the Qiao family anyway!”
‘The Duke was angry. “Okay, let’s divorce! I can marry whoever I want after divorcing you, but you will only become an abandoned woman who everyone can bully!
“Lbet you will regret divorcing me!”
“Okay, let’s go to handle the procedures now,” Zheng Xiao said.
Old Madam Qiao was helped over by the maids. She glared at Qiao Jinniang and Qiao Ruoyi before saying to the Duke and the Duchess,
“Come on, neither of you are young, and your grandchildren are almost grown up. Why are you still fooling around?
“Xiao’er, for the sake of me, a dying old woman, stay in the Qiao family.
“Ah Li is only six years old, not to mention your unborn child. It is not easy to give birth at your age. You’d better stay at the Duke Mansion so that there will be more people to take care of you!”
Zheng Xiao said, “Mother, I will remember your kindness to me, but I really can’t stay in the Duke Mansion anymore. Staying here will only make me feel I am a joke.
“L know that Lu’er is about to get married and I can enjoy my retirement, but I really don’t want to be the Duchess anymore.
“Lendured for most of my life for the position of the Duchess, but in the end, even my daughter is gone. What’s the point?”
Duke Anyuan said to Old Madam Qiao, “Mother, don’t try to persuade her. Since she wants to divorce me, I’ll just let her. One day, she will come back on her knees and beg me to take her back.”
Qiao Jinniang sneered and said, “Mom, let’s go. My house has been tidied up.”
Zheng Xiao said, “I can’t live in your house. There is a house in my dowry. I’ll live there. Let’s go.”
Qiao Ruoyi held Zheng Xiao’s sleeve and said, “Mother, can you take me away with you?”
Zheng Xiao nodded. “Go and pack your things. Duke, let’s go to the government.”
Zheng Xiao and Duke Anyuan went to the government to sign the divorce letter, which made Madam Qiao so angry that she simply took Ah Li to the temple again.
Old Madam Qiao couldn’t control the grown-ups in the Qiao family, but at least she could keep her little grandson by her side.
Her son was really annoying. She just hoped that her son wouldn’t lose all his children.
After Qiao Lu returned to Chang’an, he went directly to school, so he didn’t know what happened at home for the time being.
Qiao Lu didn’t know it, but as soon as the Duke and Zheng Xiao walked out of the government, the news had spread all over Chang’an.
Duke Anyuan was a marshal, the highest-ranking military attaché in the country, and the Minister of Defense. He was His Majesty’s most trusted minister although he was only 36.
Although he was not young, he was in his prime. Many women envied the Duchess who was respected by the Duke, and among her children, only Qiao Ruoyi was not born by her and she still respected her very much.
Although it was said that the Duke once had a very favored concubine, a concubine was a concubine after all.
But now the Duke and the Duchess were divorced?!
No one believed that Zheng Xiao was willing to divorce the Duke.
Ina teahouse, people were gossiping. “Did you mishear it? Duchess Anyuan divorced Duke Anyuan? Her natal family is gone. Where can she go after the divorce?”
“I think it’s the Duke who wants to divorce the Duchess. After all, the Zheng family has done a lot of evil. Perhaps the Duchess had known that her youngest daughter was swapped in the first place!”
“The Duke and the Duchess were originally at odds with each other. The Duchess must have been abandoned by the Duke!”
“But I heard that it was the Duchess who wanted to divorce, and a servant of the Duke Mansion said that the Duchess is pregnant! Even if the Duke wants to dump the Duchess, he shouldn’t have done it at this time. Besides, there is Qiao Jinniang!”
“Yes, after the divorce, Qiao Jinniang must stay at the Duke Mansion. After all, if she wants to marry into the East Palace, she has to be the daughter of Duke Anyuan.”
“The news I heard is that Qiao Jinniang left the Duke Mansion with her mother. By the way, the Duke’s other daughter who is famous for literary talent also left with the Duchess too.”
“Are they stupid?”
‘When Zheng Xiao got married, the Zheng family was still rich.
Although she gave a small half of her dowry to Qiao Ruoyun when she married, she was still rich.
Zheng Xiao’s mansion was located in the south of Chang’an, which was full of officials and rich people. Although it was not like the area where the Duke Mansion was located, which was full of nobles, it was also a very good place.
Mammy An quickly renovated the house and arranged the maids and mammies.
Qiao Jinniang was making children’s clothes with her mother. “Mother, there will inevitably be some gossip mongers outside. Don’t tolerate them.”
Duke Anyuan said something right. Now her mother was not the Duchess, there might be some snobbish people who would come to bully her.
Zheng Xiao said, “I know.”
Qiao Jinniang and Qiao Ruoyi’s courtyards were on opposite sides. She returned to her new courtyard, which was much smaller than the Jin Garden, but it was well furnished and decorated.
Qiao Ruoyi came over and said, “Second Sister, will you blame me for encouraging Mother to leave?”
“Of course not.” Qiao Jinniang said, “Duke Anyuan is really irritating. He even said that Mother is an abandoned woman and he is waiting for Mother to beg him on her knees. Humph, in his dreams!”
Qiao Ruoyi chuckled. “Second Sister, you’re right, but I’m afraid the Duke Mansion won’t help you to enter the East Palace now.”
Qiao Jinniang said, “If I have to enter the East Palace at the expense of my mother, I would rather not enter it.”
The next day, Qiao Jinniang held a housewarming banquet and invited Ruoyun and his husband, as well as Fulu and others.
Qiao Jinniang had heard the rumors from the maids, and she didn’t want anyone to pity her mother, so she decided to hold a good housewarming banquet for her mother.
Fulu even brought her father and mother.
Princess Shou’an had already known Zheng Xiao, and she walked up to Zheng Xiao and said, “I rarely admire your courage. I’m glad the Zheng family still has someone who resembles the late Prime Minister Zheng.”
“Princess, I’m flattered. I’m just too disappointed with my ex-husband.” Zheng Xiao smiled. “However, let bygones be bygones, and I’ll live my life from now on.”
Princess Shou’an said, “Yes, I wish you a bright future. After you give birth to this child, you can find a gigolo. They might even be more handsome than the Duke.”
Prince Consort Qin angrily glanced at Fulu. What did this dam girl teach her mother?
Zheng Xiao smiled. “Okay.”
“Grandma!” A cute little boy trotted over.
‘There was a eunuch behind him, sweating profusely. “Little Ancestor, run slowly. Don’t fall.”
Qiao Jinniang hadn’t seen Tuan’er for a long time. She picked up Tuan’er and said, “Why are you here?”
Tuan’er touched his head and said, “Dad said that grandmother has a housewarming dinner, but he can’t come, so he allowed me to come..”