Union

Chapter 183 The incident happened
The following day, another major scandal broke in Beijing.

Both of these major scandals are undoubtedly related to the Chang'an Marquis's residence.

One of them was the divorce of the heir apparent and his wife. The heir apparent's wife got up early in the morning and left the Chang'an Marquis's mansion with her son and daughter, as well as a lot of dowry.

The Xia Dynasty was relatively open-minded, and divorce among women was not a big deal. However, even in such an open-minded society, it was rare for women to take their children with them after a divorce.

It's not that I don't want to, it's that the clan's power is now so strong that they simply won't allow you to take away the child who has the male's bloodline.

If this is the case for ordinary people, it is even more true for noble families who value bloodlines and traditions.

Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the people of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion probably also felt that this was a difficult hurdle to overcome, and that's why they came up with this method to protect their own offspring.

The method was undoubtedly good, and indeed decisive and resolute. But on the other hand, didn't it also reveal that even the heir to the Marquis's mansion believed that the mansion was doomed?

The message this reveals is huge.

The Duke of Xuan's mansion hasn't even entered the fray yet, and you're already lying here waiting to be slaughtered. The fish on the chopping board is about to jump up and bounce a few times, so at least do something!

Another piece of gossip, also related to the Marquis of Chang'an's residence, is that the second master of the Marquis's second branch, who verbally distanced himself from the Marquis's residence yesterday, has been arrested.

Not only the second master, but also many other members of the Chang'an Marquis's family, whether male or female, were taken to the yamen.

The streets were filled with wailing and crying, and onlookers pointed and whispered among themselves.

"This is probably something that the Marquis of Chang'an confessed in prison."

"It's also possible that the Duke of Xuan's mansion pulled some strings. Now that their precious young lady has been recognized, they have to stand up for her."

"Let alone the Duke's mansion, even in our ordinary families, if a child is bullied, the adults will still have to come knocking on the door."

"I'm just afraid of implicating innocent people."

"What's there to be afraid of? There are high-ranking officials in the government. They are ordered to handle cases, and they will never wrong an innocent person."

Ordinary people watch the everyday squabbles of families, while those in the elite circles, through this case, see the intricate connections between various households.

Of course, there were also some sentimental people who couldn't help but say a few words of truth when they saw this situation: "It's a pity about the Lady of Chang'an."

"He's a capable man, but he failed to discipline his daughter, which has dragged down the whole family."

"He was too spoiled and deserved this calamity."

This sigh, however, alerted many noble ladies.

The current predicament of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion is entirely due to Lin Shuqing's mistreatment of a young maid.

Is this kind of thing only happening in the Chang'an Marquis's residence? Doesn't it happen in their own household?
The only difference was that the Chang'an Marquis's family had extremely bad luck. Yun Ying not only had Chen Yanzhou protecting her, but she also rose to become a person of high status.

If the Marquis of Chang'an is unlucky, will their luck continue to be good?

Now they sit on the fishing platform, watching the Chang'an Marquis's mansion make a fool of itself, naturally feeling incredibly content. Who knows, however, that one day they might become the laughingstock of others?
To prevent their long-standing legacy from being squandered by unworthy descendants, they must make a concerted effort to educate their children on morality.

The young ladies and gentlemen of each household were thus forced to start classes again with governesses and tutors, though they were extremely unwilling to do so.

But you can't fight city hall, so you can only endure the hardship while diligently teaching the class.

In their hearts, however, they couldn't help but curse Lin Shuqing mercilessly: she was truly a rotten apple spoiling the whole barrel.

Because of her, all the young ladies in the capital have been portrayed as arrogant, brainless, and jealous. Don't you think they are wronged?

The young men and women had nowhere to voice their grievances, but they soon found a way to vent their anger.

—Lin Shuqing was having an affair and was three months pregnant.

How was this matter discovered?

It turned out that the sons of powerful and wealthy families were going horseback hunting in the suburbs when they encountered an ordinary carriage.

That's not important, and the sons of the powerful and wealthy didn't care either.

However, the sons of the powerful and wealthy were waiting for someone, so they traveled slowly, and the ordinary blue-curtained carriage was also moving very slowly.

Not only that, but they also deliberately followed right behind him.

It should be noted that the hunting grounds on the outskirts of the city were reserved for the use of the powerful and wealthy. Moreover, that area was mostly comprised of the villas and estates of powerful and noble families.

What is the subconscious?

In other words, if you're riding in a blue-curtained carriage but heading to the villa of a powerful and wealthy person, you're probably up to something sneaky.

Driven by curiosity, the man stopped walking, pretending to rest, but secretly followed the blue-curtained carriage to see what was going on.

Then he recognized the person who got off the carriage as Lin Shuqing, the third daughter of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion—Lin Shuqing, whose belly was slightly showing.

Startled, the man and his companion sneaked into the villa.

Then they met the Second Prince, who was holding Lin Shuqing and affectionately touching her belly...

Overwhelmed with shock, the two revealed their presence and were chased by someone wielding a knife.

With lives at stake, the two ran faster and faster. Being from wealthy and powerful families, they were always accompanied and protected by servants when they went out, and they managed to escape successfully.

The suburban villas are less popular in winter, but they are not entirely deserted.

There used to be two hot springs here, but after changing hands several times, they now belong to the Grand Princess. The Grand Princess loves lively gatherings and often invites older ladies to watch operas and young men and women to meet and date.

Of course, it is still the New Year holiday, and the Grand Princess is still staying at her residence in the capital. Naturally, she has not invited any guests to come here to soak in the hot springs or admire the plum blossoms.

Even so, quite a few people were left to guard this place.

Under the watchful eyes of the public, some things spread quickly, one person telling two, two telling three.

So, in just one morning, everyone in the capital knew: Lin Shuqing was pregnant! More than three months pregnant, and her pregnancy was already showing!
But she was frightened during her private meeting with the second prince and suffered a miscarriage!
When the message spread, people didn't believe it at first, but then they thought that Lin Shuqing was three months pregnant, and at that time Chen Yanzhou was still working diligently as the county magistrate of Lingnan Prefecture.

Lin Shuqing must have been having an affair, and that person was none other than the current Second Prince!

Only this reason can explain why the Rongguo Duke's Mansion would allow Chen Yanzhou and Lin Shuqing to divorce on the first day of the Lunar New Year! It can also explain why, after the divorce, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion has not said a single bad word about Lin Shuqing outside.

That must be because the Second Prince was involved, and they had to save face for His Majesty. So even though they were being cuckolded, the Rongguo Duke's Mansion had to grit their teeth and swallow it.

"That's really terrible."

"I used to think Chen Yanzhou was heartless, that he wanted to make Yunying his official wife, which is why he divorced Lin Shuqing. I even said that this child was fine before, but he couldn't resist the temptation of women, and that he probably wouldn't amount to much. But it turns out..."

"It turns out that Chen Yanzhou is the most pitiful one. Lin Shuqing has even ruined the child. It's fortunate that it was discovered. If it hadn't been discovered, wouldn't the child have been born and mixed up the bloodline of the Duke's mansion?"

"What nonsense about being a sinful child? You mustn't let these words get out."

"Yes, be careful what you say. But young Chen Yanzhou doesn't understand these things, and Madam Feng isn't easy to fool. It's probably impossible for Lin Shuqing to keep the birth of her child a secret from everyone." Opinions were divided, and the capital city became lively again.

Unlike before, when some women mentioned Chen Yanzhou, they would say that he was probably infatuated with women, and they would feel sorry for Lin Shuqing, who was a divorced wife.

At this moment, their attitude changed abruptly when the two were mentioned. They thought Chen Yanzhou was truly well-mannered. If they had such a woman in their own family, and she was even considering divorce, bah! They would have her killed on the spot.

He added, "It's better to divorce. How could I have the chance to marry Yunying if we didn't divorce?"
This is the daughter of the Duke of Xuanguo's family. Now she is a match for Chen Yanzhou in status. Both of them are still single. If they are not locked in, why would they give others hope?

Ordinary people treat these matters as mere gossip, enjoying the lively discussions but ultimately just for amusement. Conversely, those who truly care about this are the quiet, powerful elites of Beijing.

No one bothered to pry into what the wives of those powerful families and the officials in the bureaucracy were saying behind their backs.

But when Liu Ying'an found out, she couldn't help but feel sorry for his brother.

Liu Ying'an is a chatterbox and a know-it-all.

With nothing to do, he spends every day on the front lines of gossip.

Given his close relationship with Chen Yanzhou, he should have visited Chen Yanzhou on the very day of their divorce.

But who isn't busy as a dog on the first day of the Lunar New Year?
Not only on the first day of the Lunar New Year, but all the way up to the seventh day, he was extremely busy.

He was either being urged by his elder brothers to visit their elders, or entertaining his subordinates and relatives who came to visit his father at home.

In between, his family subtly arranged a blind date for him.

It's true, he's been so busy these past two days that he's lost several pounds. Coupled with excessive drinking and severe lack of rest, he looks quite haggard, and people even wonder if he's just recovered from a serious illness.

Even though she was in poor condition and extremely busy, Liu Ying'an still went to the Rongguo Duke's Mansion on the first night of the Lunar New Year to see Chen Yanzhou and inquire about the divorce.

He entered the gate smoothly, but after only seeing the heir of the Duke of Rongguo, he was turned away.

He didn't even see Chen Yanzhou!
It is said that this fellow is unwell and is not seeing anyone.

What physical discomfort? Are you kidding me?

Based on his limited understanding of the Rongguo Duke's Mansion, Chen Yanzhou was probably punished by his father by being forced to kneel in the ancestral hall. He might even have been subjected to family discipline and was now lying sickly in bed, unable to move.

That's terrible, my friend is really in a bad situation.

Liu Ying'an felt sorry for his good friend, but the Rongguo Duke's mansion was not a place he could act recklessly. After being kicked out, he could only slink back home, not even daring to sneak over the wall to find Chen Yanzhou.

Now that she knew her friend was recovering from his injuries, Liu Ying'an wasn't in a hurry to see him.

Ultimately, it's because he's too busy.

He accomplished nothing, spending his time at home entertaining his parents. During holidays and festivals, he would inevitably be scolded by his father and brothers, so he naturally had to behave respectfully and obediently, as well as he could be.

Going out again? Meeting friends? At a time like this, running off to play is just asking for a beating from his father and brothers, isn't it?
Therefore, Liu Ying'an behaved himself well for several days. On the evening of the fifth day, he heard that Yan Zhou was traveling with a beautiful woman... Oh, he really wanted to go find Yan Zhou.

But it was too late.

The next day, he finally had some free time, but his grandmother and mother secretly arranged a match for him.

The girl was a relative; her family background wasn't as prestigious as his, but their ancestors had once been honored. In addition, the girl herself was outstanding, so her grandmother and mother were very supportive of the marriage.

He was forced into this situation. Even though he had no intention of getting married and had no interest in the girl, he still had to follow all the proper etiquette and customs, which wasted another day.

After that, Yunying got injured, and her brother turned to the dark side, pulling off a big move and going against the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion.

It was only at this time that Liu Ying'an realized that his aloof and indifferent good brother was actually a romantic.

At this moment, he rushed out to look for Chen Yanzhou, but unfortunately Chen Yanzhou was not at the Rongguo Duke's Mansion; he had gone to some "Yun Mansion".

It's inconvenient for Liu Ying'an to go.

Even if he went there, his good brother probably wouldn't have time to entertain him.

Liu Ying'an had no one to share her thoughts with, and she didn't want to bother Chen Yanzhou, so she turned to a few other friends.

Then, just as they were waiting for Chen Yanzhou to remember them and come to hang out with them, one shocking thing after another happened.

This time, Liu Ying'an is not going to wait no matter what.

The key thing was that he received a letter and learned that Chen Yanzhou had returned home in the past few days.

That's true. Yunying has already returned to the Duke of Xuan's mansion, so he can't just follow her around like a tagalong.

Liu Ying'an packed up and prepared to go find Chen Yanzhou. He also invited a few other friends to have drinks at Yanzhou's place that evening.

Before he even reached the gate, a servant came running over in a panic.

The two bumped into each other, and the servants hurriedly helped him up, "Oh my Fifth Young Master, what are you doing? Fifth Young Master, something terrible has happened outside."

Although Liu Ying'an was the second son of the Marquis of Wu'an, the Marquis's family had not yet divided their households while the old lady of the Marquis's mansion was still alive. Liu Ying'an was the fifth among his cousins, and the servants usually called him the Fifth Young Master.

Upon hearing the servant's words, Liu Ying'an's radar immediately lit up. His intuition told him that this matter was either related to Yun Ying or to the Chang'an Marquis's residence.

Liu Ying'an urged, "What is it? Tell me quickly."

"Young Master, the Ministry of Justice has entered the Marquis of Chang'an's residence and found evidence of the late Marquis of Chang'an's collusion with the rebel king in his study!"

Liu Ying'an: "..."

Liu Ying'an felt as if she had been struck by lightning.

"Did the former Marquis of Chang'an collude with the rebel king?"

How could such a big thing have been kept secret until now?
Why keep such important evidence? Why not burn it?

Are all the people in the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion idiots?!

"Young Master, are you still going out?"

"Why go out? I'm not going anywhere today. I'm going to be a dutiful son to my father."

After the rebellion of the king came to light, everyone in the capital had to keep a low profile.

This is a dark chapter in history.

They seized the capital and were caught completely off guard. If it weren't for some loyal followers, it's hard to say who would be on the throne now.

With such a major event occurring, there would certainly be discussions and responses within each household. Even if he went to the Rongguo Duke's residence at this time, Chen Yanzhou wouldn't have time to see him.

Besides, these are turbulent times, so it's best to stay put.

(End of this chapter)