Chapter 335

Chapter 335: Divorce Song Shulan had just reached the front courtyard when Zhao Susu chased after him from behind, tugging at him to stop him from going inside. The more she did this, the more Song Shulan felt something was wrong—otherwise, why not just let him go in and see for himself? Unfortunately, Song Shulan was still ill and couldn't break free from Zhao Susu's grip. Just then, Old Madame Song arrived, having been summoned by Song Yu. "All this noise and commotion—what is the meaning of this? What are you two doing?" Old Madame Song entered with a stern face. Madam Qian spoke first. "Old Madame, you've come just in time. Marquis Song claims my Susu is hiding a man in her chambers. What nonsense is this? How could a woman raised with the honor and dignity of the Rong Prince Mansion ever do such a thing?" She added with a cold laugh, "Marquis Song must have taken some kind of love potion—he refuses to believe Susu and insists on searching her rooms." Old Madame Song's brows twitched in irritation. The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion had already seen enough trouble lately—now this? "Shulan, what exactly is going on?" Old Madame Song trusted no one but her own son. Song Shulan found it hard to speak of it, but he had no choice but to tell the truth. "In the back courtyard, I caught Du Cheng without his shoes." "Du Cheng? How could he be in the marquis mansion?" Old Madame Song immediately turned to look at Zhao Susu. "Zhao, when the Du family sent people the other day, didn't you say Du Cheng wasn't at our residence?" Zhao Susu said, "It has nothing to do with this daughter-in-law. It was all Wang Hechun's Wife acting on her own that created this misunderstanding." "Ha! Wang Hechun's Wife is nothing but a servant—why would she hide Du Cheng? Don't tell me they're having an affair?" Old Madame Song had lived ten or twenty years longer than these people, and she had long sensed something off about Zhao. "Since you claim to be innocent, what harm is there in us going in to take a look?" The more someone blocks the way, the more suspicious it is. Old Madame Song stepped toward the room. Zhao Susu hurriedly signaled her two sisters-in-law with her eyes. Madam Qian, however, said, "What are you afraid of? Even if it wasn't you who hid him—and even if it truly was—you wouldn't be foolish enough to hide a man in your own room. Today, the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion owes you and the Rong Prince Mansion an explanation!" "No, I..." Zhao Susu saw that Old Madame had already crossed the threshold, and servants from Shouan Tang were not far away. She wanted to tell the truth but couldn't bring herself to say it. Lady Wu saw Zhao Susu's expression and froze. "You don't mean to say you actually..." Madam Qian also realized what was happening. "Susu, you've lost your mind!" Realizing that Old Madame Song would discover the secret the moment she entered the room, Madam Qian hurried after her. "Old Madame, please listen to me!" But by then, Old Madame Song had already entered the inner chamber. Before Old Madame Song could order a search, Song Yu had already opened the wardrobe first and pulled out several items of men's clothing. "Grandmother, Father—look!" The clothes were thrown to the floor. Song Yu pointed at them. "You've all seen it—I took these out of the wardrobe. Father, are these your clothes?" Of course they weren't. How old was Song Shulan? He no longer wore such youthful colors. At that moment, Qiutang also pulled out several pairs of men's shoes from under the bed. "Miss, Old Madame—come look!" Old Madame Song's face had turned pale, and she could barely breathe. Song Shulan's face was livid. Anger was no longer enough to describe what he felt. "Zhao Susu!" When Madam Qian and the others entered the room and saw the men's clothing on the floor, no further explanation was needed. "No, Master Song, please listen to me—ah—" Before Zhao Susu could finish, Song Shulan seized her by the throat. "Don't!" Old Madame Song cried out in alarm. But Song Shulan had no intention of killing her—he merely tore open the collar of Zhao Susu's dress. Love bites, large and small. On her chest. And on her shoulders. Song Yu was young and still innocent of such matters, so she immediately turned her head away. As for Old Madame Song and the others, they all understood what it meant. What more did Song Shulan need to understand? "Fine. Just fine. Not only do you take a lover, but you keep him in your own chambers. What do you take me for, Song Shulan?" He grabbed Zhao Susu by the collar and turned to Madam Qian. "This is what you called a noble daughter of the prince's mansion, someone who would never betray her husband? Ha!" Madam Qian was stunned speechless. How was she supposed to know that Zhao Susu would be so brazen as to keep a man in her own courtyard? Given the sheer amount of men's clothing in the room, this had clearly been going on for quite some time. Only Lady Wu remained calm. "Marquis Song, release Susu first. Let's discuss this properly." "What more is there to discuss?" Song Shulan declared he would divorce her. "After something like this, you don't expect the Rong Prince Mansion to just brush it aside, do you?" In the past, Song Shulan might have been more cautious. But now Zhao Susu had lost her title of County Mistress. Prince Rong was out of favor with the Emperor. What was there to fear? He could never have dreamed that his own wife would secretly keep a man in their home. "Divorce?" Lady Wu frowned deeply. She had already sent someone to summon her father. She and Zhao Susu had never gotten along, and she did want to see Song Shulan cast Zhao Susu aside. "Marquis Song, think carefully. If you divorce her, you will offend the entire Rong Prince Mansion." "At a time like this, you still dare to threaten me?" Song Shulan's anger flared even hotter. "Zhao Susu has made a cuckold of me—do you expect me to keep supporting her?" "That's not what I meant. I'm just asking you to calm down. What's done is done—the Rong Prince Mansion certainly won't expect you to treat Zhao Susu the same as before. But if this turns into a public scandal, none of us will have any face left. Better we sit down and discuss this properly." Lady Wu assumed the bearing of the Hereditary Princess. Song Yu retorted, "What's there to discuss? A shameless woman like her—shouldn't she just be divorced and thrown out?" "Yu-jie, have you considered how much trouble the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion is already facing?" Lady Wu remained composed. "I know you despise Zhao Susu, but things aren't simply black and white. If your father divorces Zhao Susu today, this matter will implicate many people. Even you will be affected to some degree. I know you'll say you've already left the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion with your mother, but the fact that you're here today means you understand you can never completely sever ties with it." That was indeed true. Lady Wu continued, "When you marry, even if your in-laws don't mind at first, what about others as time goes on? As long as you live within Bianjing's borders, appearances matter. I'm not trying to protect Zhao Susu—she's done this and must be punished. But as for how to handle it, let's calm down and work out a solution that minimizes harm to both families." Having managed a household for so many years, Lady Wu had the decisiveness required. After addressing Song Yu, Lady Wu turned to Song Shulan. "Marquis Song has had difficulties with official duties lately, and so has our Rong Prince Mansion. Do you really want to add more trouble for yourself?" Song Shulan looked at Lady Wu steadily. "Then what do you suggest?" "In my view, we should quietly send Zhao Susu to Jing'an Hall—that's where women who violate virtue are disciplined. We'll tell the outside world she's unwell and has been sent to a country estate to recuperate. The Rong Prince Mansion will cover the offerings to Jing'an Hall." No sooner had Lady Wu finished speaking than Zhao Susu's face changed completely. Being sent to Jing'an Hall meant a living death. It had long been said that to manage those women, Jing'an Hall only served meat once every five days, and they had to work and chant scriptures daily—it was no life for a human being. And once you went in, there was no coming out. The place was full of women, and reportedly some truly twisted individuals as well. "No! I won't go to Jing'an Hall!" Zhao Susu shouted. "Lady Wu, I see you're just looking for revenge!" Compared to Jing'an Hall, Zhao Susu would rather be divorced by Song Shulan. Even with a divorce certificate, with her father around, she wouldn't be reduced to a hard life. Perhaps she could even be together with Du Cheng. "Zhao Susu, what would I be taking revenge for?" Lady Wu laughed. "You did this yourself. Did I encourage you? Or force you?" Just looking at Zhao Susu another moment made Lady Wu feel sick. Madam Qian no longer dared to speak—Zhao Susu had done something so disgraceful, and she'd earlier vouched for her so confidently. "Sending me to Jing'an Hall—what a brilliant idea you've come up with!" Zhao Susu pointed at Lady Wu. "Do you really think I don't know what kind of place that is?" "Zhao Susu, where is your shame? You're still not afraid even now?" Lady Wu was at a loss, inwardly blaming Prince Rong and his wife—if not for their indulgence, Zhao Susu wouldn't have grown so brazen. Lady Wu decided Zhao Susu's opinion no longer mattered and turned instead to ask Song Shulan and his mother. For Song Shulan, being cuckolded was an utterly humiliating affair. He would certainly prefer to divorce his wife. But Lady Wu had a point—the Rong Prince Mansion had lost its influence, yet a starved camel is still bigger than a horse. The Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion's situation wasn't good either. If word got out that Zhao Susu had cuckolded him, who knew what people outside would say about him. While Song Shulan sat in silent contemplation, Old Madame Song spoke up. "I think what the Hereditary Princess said makes some sense." A wicked woman like Zhao Susu certainly couldn't stay in the Jiangyuan Marquis Mansion. Keeping a secret lover, and with her own stepson no less—it was simply too disgraceful to hear. Old Madame Song was a woman who cared greatly about face. "The people in the courtyard today—we can all deal with them. If we send Madam Zhao to Jing'an Hall, no one will ever know. Our marquisate's reputation matters greatly; we can't let the mansion be thrust into the spotlight again, can we?" That place, Jing'an Hall—if one were truly sent there, it would be a fate worse than death. Younger people might not have heard much about it, but Old Madame Song had—within a few years, one would either die or go mad. "Mother, you—" "No! I won't go to Jing'an Hall!" Zhao Susu shrieked like a madwoman. "You have no right to decide where I go. I want a mutual divorce!" "Mutual divorce?" Lady Wu sneered. "Don't tell me you've forgotten—you were wed by imperial decree. It's not so easy to get a mutual divorce. Do you have the nerve to explain to the Emperor why you want one?" That was right—Song Shulan had forgotten that point. If he wanted to divorce his wife, he'd have to petition the Emperor and wait for his approval. Wouldn't that mean telling the Emperor personally that Zhao Susu had taken a lover? If it came to that, knowing Zhao Susu's temperament, she would surely spread word everywhere that he was impotent. Song Shulan could not afford such humiliation, which only solidified his resolve to send Zhao Susu to Jing'an Hall. "Zhao Susu, at this point, you have no right to speak!" "No right? Hah!" Zhao Susu stared at Song Shulan with a crazed look. "If it weren't for you being such a useless waste, unable to even be a proper man, would I have had to take a lover?" At these words, Lady Wu and Madam Qian were greatly shocked. Song Yu didn't understand at first, but once it sank in, her face flushed bright red. How could she bring up something like that?