Chapter 175
**Chapter 175: A Clean Break**
Shen Wei was taken aback.
Sun Qingmei had already left Yanjing?
Zhaoyang recounted the events leading up to this moment. Three days ago, Sun Qingmei had taken the imperial edict and divorced Shangguan Xuan. She had stayed in the princess's residence for two days, during which she calmly calculated her dowry and accounted for the ten thousand taels of silver the Hou residence owed her.
Sun Qingmei had asked Princess Zhaoyang for help in urging the Hou residence to repay the money owed to her. With a small amount of silver in hand, she had set off that morning on horseback with her maid, racing towards Liangzhou City.
In Liangzhou, there were old subordinates of her father. Perhaps she could find some support there.
In any case, the seemingly delicate Sun Qingmei had left decisively, without a trace of hesitation.
Princess Zhaoyang looked at her with admiration. “Madam Sun said it best: ‘Speed is of the essence in warfare.’ Rather than getting entangled with those people in the Hou residence, it’s better to cut ties cleanly and be done with it.”
Shen Wei felt a deep sense of respect.
Sun Qingmei was far stronger and more resolute than Shen Wei had imagined. In just three days, she had completely let go of the past, severing ties without a hint of regret.
Zhaoyang smiled again, “The Hou residence owes Madam Sun her dowry, and I’ll personally see to it that they repay her! If they refuse to give me face, I’ll go to Father and Mother and complain. It’s disgusting how the Hou residence treats a woman’s dowry.”
After a pause, Zhaoyang lowered her voice and told Shen Wei, “Father agreed to Madam Sun’s divorce from Shangguan Xuan so quickly not only because the Sun family has done him a favor, but also to suppress the Hou residence of Zhen Nan.”
The ancestors of the Shangguan family had defeated the bandits of the Southern Chu Kingdom and were granted the title of “Zhen Nan Hou.”
When the current emperor was still in the palace, the Zhen Nan Hou residence had supported another prince. After the emperor ascended the throne, the Hou residence was suppressed and fell into decline.
Shangguan Xuan had recently achieved great military merit, and the once-fading Zhen Nan Hou residence showed signs of revival. Now, with the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Heng vying for power, the emperor feared that the Zhen Nan Hou residence would get involved in the struggle among the princes. Thus, he allowed Sun Qingmei to divorce, tarnishing the Hou residence’s reputation.
As for the princess of Pingyang, with her talent for weapon-making, the emperor would never let her leave Yanjing; she had to be kept under close watch.
Zhaoyang clicked her tongue in disdain, “This time, the credit for defeating the bandits of Yue Kingdom goes to General Shen, not Shangguan Xuan. General Shen didn’t even ask for any rewards, yet Shangguan Xuan had the audacity to pressure the emperor into agreeing to demote his wife to a concubine based on his military achievements. What gall!”
Shen Wei thought about it carefully and realized it was true.
Shangguan Xuan had returned to the capital with a sense of entitlement. The more arrogant a person is, the easier it is for them to fall from grace.
“Did General Shen really not ask for any rewards?” Shen Wei was quite interested in this General Shen.
Zhaoyang nodded, “I’ve heard Father say that General Shen Mieyue of Liangzhou is a natural talent for warfare, a master strategist. When the emperor wanted to grant him a noble title for his achievements, he outright refused, instead writing to the emperor to request that more cotton clothing, food, and medicine be sent to the soldiers at the border. The emperor truly appreciates him for that—”
Just then, Zhaoyang’s personal maid, Yun’er, entered the warm pavilion. She quietly informed Zhaoyang, “Princess, the Zhen Nan Hou and the princess of Pingyang request an audience.”
Zhaoyang raised an eyebrow and said bluntly, “If he’s here to discuss the dowry money owed to Madam Sun, I’ll see him. If he’s here to cause trouble, throw him out.”
Yun’er readily accepted the order.
After a moment, Yun’er returned to report, “Princess, the Zhen Nan Hou says he has an important letter. If you don’t wish to see him, he’ll just throw it away.”
Zhaoyang’s interest was piqued.
What kind of letter could be so important? Since she had nothing better to do, Zhaoyang instructed Yun’er, “Let them in.”
Moments later, Shangguan Xuan and Zhao Qing entered the warm pavilion together. There was a screen of translucent white jade separating them, allowing only vague silhouettes to be seen through it.
Shangguan Xuan cupped his hands in greeting to Zhaoyang and, looking up, saw a woman’s figure beside her through the hazy screen.
He instinctively thought it was Sun Qingmei.
Without hesitation, Shangguan Xuan got straight to the point, “Your Highness, I have two matters to discuss today. One is to ask Madam to return to the Hou residence; the other is to deliver an important letter to you.”
The Hou residence had been in chaos these past few days, a complete mess, with troubles piling up one after another.
Shangguan Xuan hadn’t expected that Sun Qingmei would have gone to the palace overnight to obtain a divorce decree. He was surprised, but more so, he was furious.
How could Sun Qingmei disregard his face and make such a trivial matter known throughout the city?
He had intended to find Sun Qingmei and sit down to discuss things calmly. But to his surprise, she had refused to talk to him, abandoning all the household matters of the Hou residence and moving directly into the princess’s residence!
With Sun Qingmei gone, there was no one to manage the Hou residence, and the old lady’s sixtieth birthday celebration turned into a joke. The old lady fell ill with anger, and the storeroom filled with precious medicinal herbs had all disappeared; it turned out those valuable herbs were part of Sun Qingmei’s dowry, and the princess had sent people to take them all away.
With no one capable of managing affairs, the second and third branches of the family merely watched from the sidelines. It was only then that the old lady remembered how good Sun Qingmei had been, but no one could bring themselves to go to the princess’s residence to ask her to return.
In the end, the old lady called Shangguan Xuan and said, “Women are soft-hearted. You brought Zhao Qing back this time, and Sun Qingmei is angry. You should admit your mistake and coax her back first. Once the Hou residence is stable, we can think of a way to divorce her later.”
With a heavy heart, Shangguan Xuan came to the princess’s residence.
Zhaoyang took a sip of warm wine. “Madam Sun has already left Yanjing and is no longer in the princess’s residence. The Hou residence must repay her dowry within this month; I will personally collect the debt.”
Shangguan Xuan frowned. “Your Highness, isn’t the woman beside you my wife?”
Shen Wei coughed lightly at the right moment.
Zhaoyang scoffed, “The woman beside me is the side consort of the Prince of Yan. Zhen Nan Hou, your eyesight is truly poor; you can’t even recognize your own wife.”
Shangguan Xuan stood frozen in place.
Sun Qingmei had left the princess’s residence?
That was impossible; she was a weak woman with no family or connections. How could she bear to leave the wealthy Hou residence and venture out into the world alone?
“Come with me to the study and write an IOU for the dowry repayment,” Zhaoyang said slowly, rising. “Bring the letter you have with you. I want to see what kind of letter is so important.”
Shangguan Xuan had no choice but to comply.
Before following Zhaoyang out, he couldn’t help but sneak a glance behind the screen. Behind it stood the beautiful Shen Wei, not Sun Qingmei.
For some reason, Shangguan Xuan felt a twinge of disappointment in his heart. He had always thought of Sun Qingmei as a standard gentlewoman, weak and patient. But her bold act of knocking on the door of Kun Ning Palace had revealed a fearless courage within her.
It was rare; few women dared to risk their lives.
Even Zhao Qing didn’t possess such courage...
“Ah Qing, wait for me here; I’ll be back shortly,” Shangguan Xuan said softly to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing nodded obediently.
As Shangguan Xuan and Princess Zhaoyang left, the warm pavilion was left with only Shen Wei and Zhao Qing. The maid moved the tall white jade screen aside, revealing Shen Wei’s radiant face to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing felt a pang of inferiority.
The side consort of the Prince of Yan was like a peony in full bloom, captivating and impossible to look away from.
Zhao Qing couldn’t help but start to fantasize about what it would be like if she were to become the mistress of the Hou residence in the future. Dressed in gold and silver finery, she would surely look as beautiful as the enchanting Shen Wei before her.
“County Princess, have a drink to warm yourself,” Shen Wei said with a light smile, as the maid brought a cup of warm wine from the princess’s residence to Zhao Qing.
Zhao Qing held the exquisite wine cup, secretly astonished. The princess’s residence was indeed lavish; even the wine cups were made of fine white jade.
The warmed wine had a fragrant taste, with hints of fruit.
Just as Zhao Qing was about to take a sip, she suddenly heard Shen Wei say, “This is the palace’s Yu Ye wine.”
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