After being forced to leave the marriage, I became the wife of a top scholar.

Chapter 2 Stumbling Block

Bao Si was Meng Zhan's pageboy, bought from a slave trader by Bai Wanqing shortly after she entered the household to take care of Meng Zhan's daily life. He usually accompanied Meng Zhan in and out of the house, and was an honest and reliable person. If he discovered anything, he would definitely tell her everything.

"Miss, the four men are not here." Ruixin rushed back shortly after.

"Not here?" Bai Wanqing found it strange. Meng Zhan was staying at the Meng residence, but Bao Si was not by his side. "Have you found out where he is?"

Ruixin shook her head. "I just asked a few servants who are usually on good terms with Bao Si, and they said that they didn't see Bao Si when the master came back this time."

"Now that you mention it, I vaguely remember. Last time my husband returned from Huaizhou, Bao Si didn't come back. It seems he stayed in Huaizhou." Bai Wanqing wondered.

Huaizhou? Could something have happened to them in Huaizhou? Otherwise, why would Meng Zhan leave his personal page there?
"Ruixin, send someone to Huaizhou to find out exactly where Bao Si is!"

"Yes!" Ruixin went out and handed over the instructions.

Just as Bai Wanqing was still clueless, Ruixin came with Zhumei, the old lady's maid, to deliver a message: "Madam, the old lady wants you to come over."

Ruixin asked with some concern, "Miss, has the old lady been persuaded by the young master?"

Bai Wanqing's eyes gleamed with sharpness. "Let's go, we'll find out if we go and see for ourselves."

The sky was as black as ink, and the cold wind was biting.

Bai Wanqing brought Ruixin to the Fude Garden where the old lady Fang lived. It was a garden that she had painstakingly built.

At that time, she had just married into the Meng family. The Meng family only had two small brick houses. It was fine when only she and her son lived there, but after they got married, there were two more people, her and Ruixin. The already cramped house became even more crowded. So, in order to improve the family's life, she used her dowry to build the current courtyard.

When building Fude Garden, she felt sorry for her mother-in-law's hardships in supporting Mengzhan's education. In order to make her mother-in-law comfortable, she used the best materials and personally designed and arranged the garden.

Such a Fude Garden can be considered one of the best residences on the entire Changsheng Street.

In contrast, her Green Bamboo Pavilion was decorated with only a few bamboo trees, and the furniture inside was a defective product from a carpenter's shop.

Everyone who has visited the Meng residence praises her filial piety and virtue, but Bai Wanqing feels a deep sadness at this moment. Now that her mother-in-law is so eager to see her, she probably wants to persuade her to leave.

"Is that Wanqing? Meizhu, quickly let her in." Fang Shi saw Bai Wanqing's figure in the courtyard and instructed Meizhu to invite her in.

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Wanqing led Ruixin into the house and, as in the past, greeted Madam Fang, saying, "Mother."

"Come, come, sit here!" Madam Fang made her sit down beside her, took her hand affectionately, and looked at Bai Wanqing with loving eyes, saying, "Wanqing, you have worked so hard these past six months. If it weren't for you, Meng Zhan would never be where he is today. He has now obtained the official position of Assistant Prefect of Huaizhou Prefecture, and will be in charge of Huai'an County from now on. No matter what happens to us, he will definitely take care of your Bai family."

Bai Wanqing understood. Fang Shi had indeed been persuaded by Meng Zhan. Her words were a warning to her, reminding her that Meng Zhan's status was no longer that of a poor scholar, but an official who could govern Huai'an County. Fang Shi was using the Bai family to threaten her.

Meng Zhan was right. She, as a mother-in-law, always followed her son's lead. How could she turn against her precious son because of her daughter-in-law? She had been taking a chance.

Bai Wanqing withdrew her hand and asked calmly, "So Mother has agreed to Meng Zhan divorcing his wife?"

Fang's expression changed slightly. She hadn't expected Bai Wanqing to ask so directly, so she simply stopped hiding it. "Yes, I agree! Your Bai family is nothing but lowly commoners. Now that my Zhan'er has passed the imperial examination and become the Assistant Prefect of Huaizhou, how could a family like yours possibly be worthy of him?" "If you ask me, you'd better stop holding Zhan'er back. Be sensible and leave the Meng family obediently. Don't become a stumbling block for Zhan'er. When Zhan'er becomes a higher official in the future, your Bai family will also benefit from it. It will also be a way to fulfill the bond between you two as husband and wife."

Bai Wanqing sneered inwardly. They had already given her a letter of divorce, so why talk about marital affection? However, Fang Shi kept saying that she was hindering Meng Zhan's career, which she could not agree with.

“Mother, you’re saying that my family, the Bai family, and I dragged Meng Zhan down? That’s not true. You know, in order to get my husband a good job, I used my dowry to help him get his current position.”

"Now that her husband has just secured his official position, she wants to divorce her. Isn't she afraid of damaging his reputation? Isn't she afraid that he will lose this job he just got?"

Bai Wanqing tentatively put pressure on her mother-in-law. She always felt that there was something strange about Meng Zhan's sudden divorce. Her mother-in-law was a country girl, and even though she had lived in the county town for most of her life, she still couldn't understand the intricacies of a large mansion. She might say something.

Seeing Bai Wanqing's calm demeanor and seemingly reckless attitude, Fang was enraged. She switched to her usual tantrum, pointing her finger at Bai Wanqing's nose, her previous kind demeanor completely gone. Her eyes were filled with malice as she glared at Bai Wanqing, "You seem so docile all the time, I never imagined you were such a vicious woman. Are you planning to cause a scene outside and ruin my Zhan'er?"

Bai Wanqing chuckled, "Mother, it was my husband who wanted to divorce me. Mother should know that women who are divorced have little chance of survival in this world. Since I have no way to survive, why should I care about Meng Zhan's future?"

Fang was speechless, and her whole body slumped down, but then she remembered something and straightened her back. "Hmph, what do you think you are? Even if your Bai family makes a fuss, you can't touch my son. You can't threaten us."

"Oh?" Bai Wanqing pretended not to believe it and looked at Fang Shi with sarcasm.

Enraged, Madam Fang blurted out, "You don't believe me? If you don't believe me, you can go and ask the prefect of Huaizhou. My son and the prefect's daughter have already..."

"Mother!" Before Fang could finish speaking, Meng Zhan, who had rushed over, interrupted her.

As soon as Meng Zhan entered the room, he glared angrily at Fang Shi, who shrank back in fear and dared not utter another word. Meng Zhan then turned his gaze to Bai Wanqing, as if his greatest secret had been discovered, his eyes now filled with a bloodthirsty glint.

Bai Wanqing already understood why Meng Zhan was so eager to divorce his wife; it turned out he had gotten involved with the daughter of the prefect of Huaizhou. Judging from Fang's expression just now, the two of them were probably already having an affair. Otherwise, given Prefect Liu's arrogant nature, he would never have taken a liking to Meng Zhan's family background, even though he was considered a promising young man.

If that's the case, the prefect's daughter certainly wouldn't come to the Meng family as a concubine, so only by divorcing Bai Wanqing can he marry the prefect's daughter.

Meng Zhan had already calculated that marrying the daughter of the prefect would require a considerable dowry. With the limited resources his Meng family originally possessed, he couldn't afford to marry even an ordinary family's daughter, let alone the prefect's daughter. That's why he came to Xiao to try and keep her dowry and gave her a letter of divorce.

Bai Wanqing suddenly felt her hair stand on end. She couldn't help but marvel at Meng Zhan's clever plan. If Fang Shi hadn't let it slip today, she probably wouldn't have been able to figure it out even if she racked her brains.

Bai Wanqing sighed. Originally, she had wanted to make a monetary deal with Meng Zhan to allow her to stay in the Meng family, even if they didn't consummate their marriage. She didn't care. But now, given the current situation, she probably couldn't stay in the Meng family any longer.

Since that's the case, it's better to leave the Meng family and this place of trouble as soon as possible. Otherwise, if Meng Zhan really gets desperate, it might affect the Bai family as well.

Bai Wanqing's unpredictable expression made Meng Zhan completely lose his composure. He couldn't blame Fang Shi, so he could only yell at Bai Wanqing, "Don't make wild guesses. No one will believe what an old woman says."

Bai Wanqing smiled disdainfully. If what she had just guessed was merely speculation, Meng Zhan's current behavior made her realize that her guesses were probably true.

"Meng Zhan, didn't you want me to leave the Meng family? Why don't we get a divorce?" Bai Wanqing calmly raised her eyes, meeting Meng Zhan's panicked gaze. She wanted to save face for herself.

(End of this chapter)