Chapter 19 Divorce.

Chapter 19: Divorce.

Zhu Yinluan’s scattered consciousness sharpened in an instant. She even wondered if she had misheard, asking, "What did you say?"

Ming Ya hurriedly repeated, "Someone from the Zhu family has come to request your presence."

It took Zhu Yinluan a while to process—how had things escalated to divorce? No, was it truly a divorce?

The medicine was potent; after taking it, she felt unwell, her limbs somewhat weak.

Zhu Yinluan propped her head with her other hand and asked Ming Ya, "Is it truly a divorce, or just another quarrel?"

If it was merely a dispute, she wished to avoid it.

As the year-end approached, the weather grew colder. Tonight, it looked like rain again, the wind howling fiercely outside.

"I asked," Ming Ya said. "The matron confirmed it’s a real divorce. They’ve called upon the clan elders of both families to witness it."

Zhu Yinluan inquired about the time and glanced at the sky. "So late?"

Ming Ya replied, "The Luo family is already here. This time, I’m afraid…"

"Has my husband returned?" she asked.

"Miss, your complexion seems unwell." As Zhu Yinluan sat up straight, Ming Ya noticed her unnaturally pale face.

"It’s nothing," Zhu Yinluan waved off the concern.

"Has my husband returned?"

"No," Ming Ya informed her, adding that the matron said Wei Ruzuo was already there.

She paused, recalling Wei Ruzuo’s gaze fixed on her elder sister that day, and the hangover remedy she had personally prepared, only for it to be poured away.

"Since my husband is already there…" She knew it was improper, but she felt compelled to act willfully just this once.

"Go and tell them I’m unwell; I may not be able to attend."

Ming Ya nodded, instructing Jiao Hui and the other maids to look after Zhu Yinluan, then asked if she should summon a physician.

Zhu Yinluan shook her head. "No need." Her symptoms were self-induced by the medicine; how could she risk a physician exposing her?

But shortly after Ming Ya left, the matron followed her in.

Disregarding all present or offering any courtesy, the matron seized Zhu Yinluan’s arm and scolded, "Third Young Mistress, with the eldest sister in trouble, how can you, as part of the Zhu family, not go and show your support?"

"I’m unwell," Zhu Yinluan wrenched her arm away.

The matron’s grip was too strong, making her wince in pain.

Ming Ya ordered her to release, but the matron ignored her, pulling Zhu Yinluan toward the exit.

Then Jiao Hui stepped forward—somehow, with a quick motion, she pressed a precise pressure point on the matron.

The matron cried out, clutching her stomach in pain, cursing Jiao Hui as a vile servant, taunting her about the birthmark on her face, calling her ugly, and even making to strike her.

Watching the commotion, Zhu Yinluan pulled Jiao Hui behind her and sighed, interjecting firmly, "Enough."

"My elder sister’s situation takes precedence. Let’s go to her first." She told the matron to lead the way.

The matron muttered complaints for a while longer, shooting venomous looks at Jiao Hui behind Zhu Yinluan.

Fearing the matron would persist and use the Madam's authority to bully others once they reached the Zhu residence, Zhu Yinluan left Jiao Hui behind.

It was already late. Before leaving, she intended to notify Madam Pang, but before she could send anyone, the matron said Madam Pang already knew.

Zhu Yinluan froze momentarily, then couldn’t help but mock herself inwardly—so it was her mother-in-law's orders.

No wonder the matron had been even more bold beyond her station than usual, forcing her way into the inner quarters and dragging her out without hesitation.

She thought to herself, this matron, even at her most insolent, had previously maintained superficial courtesy. Today, she had been completely brazen.

Zhu Yinluan massaged her temples, feeling wretched.

Ming Ya, seeing her pallor, became truly concerned. "Miss, what’s wrong?"

"Should I summon a physician for you?"

"Never mind. My hand just hurts from being squeezed, and I’m a little upset. It’s nothing serious."

With that, Zhu Yinluan closed her eyes to feign sleep. The carriage moved swiftly, and soon they arrived at the Zhu residence.

It had truly escalated to divorce. Many Zhu elders were present, as were members of the Luo family. The two sides sat facing each other, the atmosphere tense and at an impasse.

Despite the crowded room, Zhu Yinluan immediately spotted her lawful husband—her life partner—standing beside her elder sister, his expression full of concern for her, completely unaware that his principal wife had arrived.

Only when someone else pointed it out did Wei Ruzuo glance her way, and even then, it was just a passing look.

A heavy weight lodged in Zhu Yinluan’s chest. She felt miserable—whether from the medicine or not, her nose stung, but she suppressed the emotion.

As expected, her presence here went largely unnoticed.

She was merely a wedded secondary daughter. Even if she carried the prestige of the Wei name, it was only by virtue of her husband’s family.

Since Wei Ruzuo, the head of the Wei family, was already here, her attendance was redundant—just making up numbers.

The Luo family made little effort to hide their scorn when they saw her. The Zhu elders spared her only a glance before looking away.

After paying her respects, Zhu Yinluan stood beside Wei Ruzuo. She called him "husband," but he only acknowledged her with a vague hum, neither looking at her nor noticing her poor condition.

Zhu Yinluan observed Wei Ruzuo’s gaze fixed on her elder sister or locked in a silent battle with Luo Xuan.

He was standing up for her elder sister, his expression uncharacteristically stern and angry.

It had been so long since she’d seen him like this...

No, to be precise, it had been a long, long time since Wei Ruzuo had shown such protective fury for anyone.

Beside Luo Xuan stood that woman, and next to her, the child.

The divorce agreement was already laid out on the table, witnessed by an official friendly with the Zhu family, a bureaucrat from the Ministry of Revenue.

Lord Luo asked, "Is there truly no room for negotiation?"

Zhu Chentan remained silent. It was Mrs. Zhu who spoke in her stead. "Our Zhu family may not be a noble house of the capital, but we have our own principles. How could we allow a courtesan to enter our doors? This matter ends here."

A courtesan? That woman was a courtesan?

Zhu Yinluan looked over.

Luo Xuan spoke up at this moment, "Fenniang is not a courtesan. She merely delivered cosmetics to brothel girls—she isn’t one of them. Everything she did was to support me and our child."

"Which respectable girl would go to a brothel? She may claim innocence, but who knows what really goes on?"

These words didn't just insult Luo Xuan alone—they shamed the entire Luo family.

Both Lord and Mrs. Luo's faces darkened.

Lord Zhu pretended to scold Mrs. Zhu, telling her not to speak carelessly.

Mrs. Zhu then changed her tune, "I only have the reputations of the Zhu and Luo families in mind. Though this child resembles Luo Xuan, who can really say it's his?"

The woman beside Luo Xuan couldn’t help but defend herself. Her voice was soft, gentle, and tearful, "Feng’er is Xuanlang’s child, truly… If putting Feng’er in the family registry would prove my innocence, I’d rather die than cause trouble for both families." As she spoke, she moved to throw herself at the wall.

Luo Xuan swiftly stopped her, holding her close to soothe her.

His care for her was obvious—there was affection between them, and it ran deep.

Zhu Yinluan noticed her elder sister’s fists clenched so tightly her knuckles turned white. If her gaze could manifest into blades, this Fenniang woman would've been shredded to pieces.

Ming Ya, unnoticed by the others, slipped closer and murmured to Zhu Yinluan the news she had gathered earlier.

This Fenniang’s real name was Ying Rufen, a distant cousin of Luo Xuan’s.

The two had known each other long ago—they virtually grew up together.

But later, the Ying family was convicted and exiled, their kin mostly sold into servitude. The women weren’t sent to brothels, but they were reduced to low status, and the two never married.

Yet somehow, they found each other again and even had a child. Now that the child was older and needed schooling, they could no longer hide him—hence the demand to acknowledge his lineage, leading to this confrontation at the Luo residence.

Neither side was willing to yield.

Zhu Yinluan listened silently, her heart churning.

She recalled the past—how her elder sister and Luo Xuan had met on the capital’s main street, where he was smitten at first sight.

The family often said it was her sister’s beauty that left him unable to forget her, and her sister had never stopped gloating about it, claiming she was more beautiful than Zhu Yinluan.

But in truth, what Luo Xuan had been drawn to were those slight resemblances between her sister and Ying Rufen…

"Enough," Lord Luo declared, slapping the table.

Ying Rufen stopped crying, and the room fell silent.

Lord Luo asked Zhu Chentan if there was truly no room for negotiation.

Zhu Chentan responded with diplomatic words, saying she was unfit to remain as the Luo family’s lady and could only "yield my place to a worthier woman."

Yet Zhu Yinluan felt uneasy, though she couldn’t say why.

She didn’t know what she feared.

Her sister had often quarreled with Luo Xuan, weeping endlessly over his drinking, her complaints laced with resentment. But to Zhu Yinluan’s ears, there had still been love in those words. Now, her sister seemed ready to leave without a second thought.

Was it the revulsion of learning of Ying Rufen’s existence that turned her love to ashes? Or… something else?

Zhu Yinluan’s gaze flickered to the teacup Wei Ruzuo took from a maid and set at her sister's elbow.

Her lips parted slightly, then pressed tight again. "..."

"Since that’s the case, let there be a divorce," Lord Luo said. "As the Zhu family wishes, we acknowledge our wrongdoing in this matter and apologize for wronging our daughter-in-law. We’ll return all dowry and make amends with extra lands and manors. Publicly, we’ll declare Luo Xuan at fault to preserve the Zhu family’s dignity… and hope the goodwill between our families does not end here."

But no matter the words, damage was inevitable.

In a divorce, the woman inevitably suffers most.

With the matter settled, the pair signed the separation documents under the witness of both families’ elders.

As the Luo family departed, Zhu Yinluan made to ask Wei Ruzuo if they should leave as well.

But he spoke first, "Why did you come?"

His tone suggested he wished she hadn't come.