WBSGVS Chapter 25 V2

Zheng Yihan’s expression stiffened, but in the next moment, he casually said, “How about we go to a teahouse for a drink instead?”

“We’re already divorced!” Qingli frowned. “Do I need to show you the divorce papers?”

Zheng Yihan’s smile faltered, and a hint of bitterness crept into his voice. “A’Li, do we have to be like this?”

Qingli gave him a knowing look, then turned and started walking in a different direction.

Unwilling to give up, Zheng Yihan chased after her. If he couldn’t reconcile with A’Li, the Third Prince might resort to other means for the sake of the Ji family.

Qingli’s expression grew even sterner. Suddenly, she stopped and turned to look at the man, narrowing her eyes. “You’re not an official anymore, right?”

“Huh?” Zheng Yihan was taken aback by the question, awkwardly avoiding the answer.

Qingli smiled. “Good. Beating up a court official would cause trouble, but hitting you is no problem.”

Zheng Yihan: “???”

Before he could process what she meant, a fist came flying at him. Though her fist looked small and delicate, the pain that followed made him cry out as he stumbled backward, nearly landing in the middle of the street.

Qingli shook out her fist, which stung a little, but seeing Zheng Yihan clutching his face in pain made her laugh. She raised an eyebrow and said with a fierce undertone, “Listen up. If you dare follow me again, I’ll hit you every time I see you!”

The surrounding onlookers shook their heads, murmuring to each other, “That girl sure is fierce!”

“Young scholar, you’d better not marry such a tough girl, or you’ll never be able to go anywhere.”

Zheng Yihan rubbed the spot where he’d been hit, staring at the bold girl who had just threatened him so openly. His expression became dazed. Despite the bystanders’ words, he shook his head instinctively. “No, she wouldn’t.”

A’Li was fierce, yes, but in the past, when street thugs had bullied people, she had fought them off. But her fierceness had never been directed at him.

His A’Li would never hit him!

Though his body ached from the punch, what hurt more was the emptiness inside. His throat tightened, and he fought back tears.

He deserved all of this.

Qingli, after landing her blow, turned to leave. Zheng Yihan hurried after her again, but this time he barely took two steps before someone placed a hand on his shoulder.

Frowning, he turned to see a refined, scholarly man shaking his head at him. “Sir, harassing a woman in public is against the laws of the Jiang Kingdom.”

Zheng Yihan’s face turned pale with indignation as he retorted, “She’s my wife!”

The man smiled faintly. “Sir, the young lady is wearing a maiden’s hairstyle, not that of a married woman. By claiming otherwise, you are disrespecting her, which is an even graver offense.”

“…” Zheng Yihan had never been accused so directly before and was at a loss for words. He instinctively asked, “Who are you?”

The man courteously clasped his hands. “I am Wei Pingyuan, Chief Judge of the Dali Temple.”

Zheng Yihan’s face twitched. He pressed his lips together, saying nothing more.

A Chief Judge from the Dali Temple, with a rank of sixth grade. With his father demoted and himself stripped of any position, he wasn’t in a place to offend such a person.

But Wei Pingyuan wasn’t finished. “Sir, I’ve taken note of your appearance and will inform the local magistrate. If any complaints are filed, your actions will be fully investigated. Please conduct yourself with care.”

Zheng Yihan: “…”

What kind of grudge does this guy have against me?

Furious, Zheng Yihan glared at Wei Pingyuan, but the man met his gaze calmly, his expression gentle yet concealing sharpness.

After a long moment, Zheng Yihan finally bit his tongue. If he were officially charged, his hopes of returning to court would be ruined. Clenching his teeth, he muttered, “Understood.”

He turned and walked away in the opposite direction.

Only then did Wei Pingyuan nod in satisfaction and hurry after Qingli. His steps quickened as if trying to catch up with someone, but when he scanned the crowd, he couldn’t find her. Disappointed, he realized she must have left while he was dealing with Zheng Yihan.

Suddenly, a light laugh came from behind him. “Is Lord Wei looking for me?”

In that instant, it felt as though fireworks exploded in Wei Pingyuan’s heart. He quickly turned around to see Qingli standing there, his joy indescribable. But, ever the proper scholar, he maintained his composure and smiled faintly. “I was indeed looking for Miss Ji.”

Qingli had only taken a few steps before noticing Zheng Yihan wasn’t following her. When she glanced back, she spotted a familiar figure and, out of curiosity, hid among the crowd to observe him.

As someone with sharp instincts, she had easily concealed herself. When Wei Pingyuan failed to find her and stood there looking dejected, she decided to speak up.

Blinking with amusement, Qingli asked, “Why are you looking for me?”

For a moment, Wei Pingyuan’s mind went blank. Why had he been looking for her? He didn’t know either; he’d just seen her and wanted… Suddenly, a thought struck him. “I wanted to thank Miss Ji for her help. Thanks to you, I’ve been reassigned as the Chief Judge of Dali Temple. I came to express my gratitude!”

Qingli nodded graciously. “Alright, how do you plan to thank me?”

Wei Pingyuan blushed. He had only followed her by chance, offering help without any preparation. Now, he was embarrassed, sweating under the spring sun. Stammering, he said, “I… I don’t have much to offer, and my rank isn’t high. Miss Ji, could you… give me a suggestion?”

The moment he finished speaking, he realized how foolish it sounded to ask the person he wanted to thank for guidance. He opened his mouth to explain but noticed the smile on Qingli’s face growing. Embarrassed, he lowered his head, unsure of what to do.

Qingli wasn’t mocking him but found his awkwardness amusing. She’d met many people and could easily tell who was sincere or not. Thinking for a moment, she said, “I’m heading to a teahouse for tea and craving some pastries from Wangyue Tower. How about you buy them for me?”

Wei Pingyuan’s eyes lit up. “Of course! I’ll escort Miss Ji to the teahouse first.”

Qingli nodded and, with her hands clasped behind her, began walking. Wei Pingyuan followed her closely, step by step.

Zheng Yihan took a couple of steps before suddenly realizing he was headed in the wrong direction, even if he wanted to go back. He turned around and saw a familiar yet strange young man walking beside Ji Qingli.

It was the Chief Judge of the Dali Temple who had just stopped him!

But now, the man wore a courteous smile, clearly trying hard to win the favor of the young woman. The way they chatted indicated they were not strangers.

So… A’Li already had someone else in her life?

Zheng Yihan stood there, staring blankly as the two entered a teahouse. A sense of desolation washed over him.

It seemed that once something was missed, it was truly gone!

Unwilling to believe it, he hurriedly turned away, opting to take a longer route just to avoid the teahouse, fearing he might see something even more painful.

When he returned home to the Zheng residence, he was met by Zhang Shi’s expectant gaze. “How did it go? Has the Ji family softened?”

This wasn’t his first visit to Qingli. Zhang Shi, concerned about everything regarding him, knew that after meeting Jiang Tingxue, she had become more favorable toward Ji Qingli. Especially considering her son’s current situation, she understood that finding someone better than Qingli would be impossible.

Thus, she wholeheartedly supported her son’s desire to remarry Ji Qingli, even if it meant relaxing her standards in the future.

As for grandchildren…

For the sake of her son’s future, she was willing to make sacrifices. If she could convince the Ji family to accept a concubine, that would be great. If not, she would have to prioritize her son’s prospects.

After all, there were many men fathering children at ages forty or fifty.

But faced with her expectations, Zheng Yihan could only weakly shake his head, not wanting to say anything as he headed straight into the courtyard.

Behind him, Zhang Shi continued to complain, “Is that Ji family trying to play hard to get?! What does my son lack? Does she think she can do better than him after divorce? How could she refuse? What a used shoe…”

“Mother!” Zheng Yihan couldn’t hold back and shouted over his shoulder.

Zhang Shi flinched, defending herself, “I’m doing this for your good!”

Zheng Yihan, exhausted, spoke with annoyance. “If you truly cared for me, you wouldn’t act like this! If it weren’t for you, would A’Li have no feelings for me at all? If you hadn’t stirred up trouble, would I be stuck here without an official position?! If you truly wanted what’s best for me, why push her to accept a concubine? How could Father have fallen so low, merely biding his time at the Ministry of Rites, getting bullied by newcomers?!”

His words left Zhang Shi stunned. She looked at her son, but he had already turned away. She stood there for a long while, tears streaming down her face as she turned to Old Cui beside her. “I… I’m just trying to help him!”

She bitterly remarked, “If he hadn’t insisted on marrying into the Ji family back then, I wouldn’t have to deal with all this. I just want her to agree to let my son take a concubine!”

But now her son was blaming her!

Feeling wronged, Zhang Shi felt as if her heart was steeped in bitterness, shaking with frustration.

Old Cui had no words, only supporting Zhang Shi.

Zhang Shi wiped her tears, her eyes red and swollen, tears flowing endlessly as if she could never stop.

After venting his pent-up grievances, Zheng Yihan didn’t dare look back at Zhang Shi’s reaction. He left quickly, guilt rising within him.

But that guilt faded as he entered the empty courtyard, where only the maidservants moved about. The mistress was gone, Jiang Tingxue had left, and Ji Qingli was unwilling to return.

At sixteen, he had been a celebrated scholar, riding through the streets in style, with countless unmarried women throwing purses at him. A’Li had watched him from the window of a teahouse, her gaze so gentle.

Now, at twenty-one, five years had passed. He had no official position, the Zheng family had fallen, and his wife was gone!

A sudden breeze blew by, and Zheng Yihan felt a chill on his face. He reached up to wipe it away, only to find his hands wet with tears.

Oh, he was crying.

But A’Li wouldn’t feel sorry for him anymore.

Wiping his face carelessly, he was too rough, causing his cheek to throb with pain, but he ignored it and headed to his study. He took out paper and a brush, writing line after line of poetry.

He didn’t want to give up just like that; he wanted to make one last attempt!

At the Ji residence, Wan Yue was smiling as she carefully styled Qingli’s hair and was about to place a jade hairpin in her hair.

Qingli stopped her and pulled out a simple silver hairpin from a new small box. The pin was understated with just a few floral patterns at the top, quite unremarkable. She looked in the mirror as she inserted it into her hair.

Wan Yue paused, recognizing it as the box that Miss had brought back last time. A few days ago, Miss had gone out alone without taking them along, so she didn’t know what the pin was about. It struck her as strange that Miss would buy something so simple.

Once the styling was complete, Wan Yue beamed, saying, “It’s all done! Miss, you’re getting more and more beautiful!”

The other maidservants nodded in agreement. “Yes, you look stunning!”

She looked much better than when she was at the Zheng residence.

Qingli felt no shyness; she confidently admired her reflection in the mirror. Why wouldn’t she look good? Her cheeks were fuller, her complexion radiant, and every moment she appeared vibrant. Her skin was fair and delicate, the fine lines at the corners of her eyes had vanished, her lips were naturally rosy, and her neck was long and elegant, resembling a girl of sixteen or seventeen.

These results were all thanks to the meticulous care she had taken since coming here.

With various supplements and plenty of exercise, her hard work had paid off. Just look at how good she looked!

Qingli smiled, pulling out several pairs of earrings from the jewelry box. “You all are so sweet; these are for you.”

“Thank you, Miss!” Wan Yue and the others exclaimed in surprise. They quickly removed their original earrings and eagerly put on the ones Qingli had given them, admiring each other in delight.

Qingli then changed into her outdoor shoes and said, “Alright, let’s go out.”

Wan Yue snapped back to reality, quickly moving to assist her, curious about Miss going out again. This was quite unexpected.

When they reached the door, before they could board the carriage, a child ran over, tossing a piece of paper into the carriage and saying, “Miss Ji, this is a letter someone asked me to give you.”

“You little rascal!” Wan Yue exclaimed, startled, and rushed to pick up the letter, inspecting it closely.