The Rebirth of a Farm Girl from a Military Family and a Cannon Fodder Princess

Chapter 158 Division of Property and Separation

The Marquis of Zhongxin's Residence.

Upon hearing of Fang Heng's outstanding political achievements, Lady Li was filled with jealousy and resentment. She also learned that Lady Ying was living a carefree and leisurely life in Zhangshu County, which made her very uneasy. She then urged Marquis Zhongxin, "My lord, my sister has been in the countryside for so long; shouldn't we bring her back?"

Marquis Zhongxin glared at her: "What's wrong with you? Wouldn't it be better if she didn't come back? If she doesn't come back, you'll be the mistress of this manor. Isn't that better?"

Madam Li: "What's so good about this? Look around, which head of the household is a concubine? And not even a noble concubine!"

Marquis Zhongxin: "Oh, I see. You want me to raise your rank? Fine, that's possible. However, it depends on Ying's consent. If she doesn't agree, there's nothing I can do!"

Li said, "I heard that my sister offended Princess Yulin. Otherwise, the young master could have married Princess Yulin!"

Marquis Zhongxin's eyes widened: "How did you know about these things?"

Li: "I heard it from my sister's maid."

Marquis Zhongxin: "Oh, you bribed her men?"

Madam Li did not hide anything: "Yes, Your Excellency!"

Marquis Zhongxin was not angry: "Call her back, and use the excuse that she ruined Heng'er's marriage?"

Lady Li: "Yes, Lord Marquis! She's a fool. Keeping her by the young master's side will only ruin his future!"

She knew perfectly well that Fang Heng, as a third-ranked scholar, had a bright future ahead of him. She couldn't possibly stop him; she was just a concubine. All she wanted in this life was for Ying Shi to be unhappy, for the Marquis to dote on her, and for him to give her plenty of money for protection!

Therefore, she wanted to drag Ying Shi home and make her unhappy, unable to live a comfortable life! She was destined never to become the principal wife, so she wanted to have her fill of misery. As long as Ying Shi was unhappy and resentful, she would be happy, extremely happy!

Besides, the Marquis now dotes excessively on his sixth concubine and doesn't love her as much as before. Bringing Ying back and having her confront the sixth concubine would distract the Marquis and help him win back some of the affection she's lost.

Marquis Zhongxin: "Hmm, you're right. Then let her come back! Heng'er finally achieved the rank of Tan Hua Lang (third-place scholar) in the imperial examination. We can't let her ruin Heng'er's future!"

Alas, Princess Yulin is such a wonderful person. Her father is not only a Protector-General but also the Minister of War. If Heng'er could marry her, it would be a great benefit to the entire Marquis of Zhongxin's household! But that clueless Ying has completely ruined everything!

That's true. Even though Ying Shi went to Zhangshu County, hundreds of miles away, Li Shi was still able to bribe her maids. This Ying Shi is really terrible; she has no airs of a mistress of the house whatsoever, not even as good as Li Shi. If it weren't for the fact that she gave birth to Heng'er, he would have really wanted to divorce her.

She was dull and rigid in bed, and her handling of household affairs was always hesitant and restrained. She had no talent or flair in interacting with outsiders. He must have been blind to have chosen such a useless woman. Before taking a concubine, he hadn't found her particularly uninteresting, but after acquiring five concubines with different charms, he realized that his past ten years of marriage had been a complete waste!

Even after taking a concubine, he still went to her room, partly to give her the dignity of a legal wife and to ensure she bore him a child. Later, she proved to be fertile and became pregnant, giving birth to Fang Heng. After she became pregnant again, he never went to her room again.

He had given her a son and a daughter; in this life, he could say he had done right by his first wife. A little over a year ago, he took a fancy to a girl and wanted to take her as his sixth concubine, but the family rules were strict. Just then, Heng'er wanted to take her to his post, so he seized the opportunity to propose an exchange, and only then was he able to marry his sixth concubine.

However, to everyone's surprise, this fool actually ruined Heng'er's important plans! This won't do, this absolutely won't do. Heng'er is his only legitimate son and the successor of the Marquis of Zhongxin's family. He absolutely cannot let her ruin him! Since Princess Yulin is destined to be with Heng'er, he must give Heng'er a push and lend him a helping hand.

Ying, that troublemaker, must be dragged back to the Marquis's mansion! With her by Heng'er's side, he can't rest easy. Heng'er will probably miss many opportunities to meet Princess Yulin because of her.

Besides, he also missed his two lively and adorable grandchildren. Yun Duo and Ru Feng were both sensible and lovely children. He hadn't seen them for a very long time, and he still missed them a little!

On this day, the weather was fine and sunny, and the birds were singing and the flowers were blooming.

Madam Ying was having tea and chatting with her daughter in the main room when a maid suddenly came to report: "Reporting to Madam, the Marquis has arrived!"

"What? You mean, Marquis Zhongxin has arrived?" Madam Ying was taken aback, hardly believing her ears.

Having lived in Zhangshu County with her son for so long, her husband hadn't visited her even once. Even during the Lunar New Year, when she, her son, daughter, and grandchildren didn't go back home, her husband didn't say a word. So what was he doing here today?

Ying keenly sensed that the visitors were up to no good and that nothing good was coming from them!

Sure enough, as soon as Marquis Zhongxin entered, he said to Ying Shi, "Hurry up and pack your things, and come back to the Marquis's residence with me! This is not a place for you to stay for long!"

Ying: "Why? You didn't even ask us to go back for the New Year. I'm living here just fine, I don't want to go back with you! That Marquis's mansion is dangerous and oppressive, there's nothing about it that I'd want to stay!"

Marquis Zhongxin: "That's not up to you. Whether you want to go back or not, you have to come back with me! Otherwise, don't blame me for being impolite!"

Madam Ying suddenly stood up, glaring at her husband: "How will you be impolite? Tell me, I'm all ears!"

Marquis Zhongxin: "Oh dear, you've gone too far! I've let you live outside the Marquis's residence for almost a year, and now you've grown bold enough to talk to me like that! Let me tell you, if you don't come back with me, believe me, I'll divorce you!"

Madam Ying was startled, but pretended to be nonchalant: "Oh, you want to divorce me? Go ahead, divorce me, write me a letter of divorce now!"

Having grown accustomed to a peaceful and joyful life, the thought of returning to the Marquis's mansion and enduring those miserable days sent a shiver down her spine. Moreover, during her time in Zhangshu County, before her falling out with Zisu, she had interacted with Zisu several times. From Zisu, she learned self-reliance and experienced the joy of self-improvement, as well as the joy of labor!

Now, she no longer sees herself as the wife of a marquis, but as the mother of an ordinary county magistrate. She learned from her neighbors and cultivated a small vegetable garden in the backyard. With her maids, servants, and daughter Fang Qiong, she planted the seeds and watched as the greens, radishes, garlic, and scallions she grew sprouted and grew little by little.

This kind of joy is completely incomparable to the scheming and intrigue with concubines in the noble mansion. After all the scheming and intrigue with concubines, all that's left is endless fear and worry. But growing vegetables and scallions brings nothing but joy and fulfillment.

Indeed, she had an incredibly happy and fulfilling time in Zhangshu County. The only thing she regretted and felt ashamed of was falling out with Zisu!

Because of her falling out with Zisu, a major rift appeared in her relationship with her son. Her son, who had always been happy and energetic, suddenly became very lost, sad, and lost his usual vitality.

It was all her fault. At this critical juncture, she absolutely could not leave Zhangshu County. Firstly, she didn't want to be trapped in the Marquis's mansion any longer, like a caged bird; secondly, she couldn't bear to leave her son. Moreover, her son had neither a wife nor a concubine, and if she stayed in Zhangshu County, she could still interact with other ladies and young women, which would be of some help to her son.

If her husband insisted she return, she'd rather be divorced! Of course, a peaceful divorce would be best, minimizing the harm to her children. With a divorce, she could still live with her children and enjoy family life. However, she bet Marquis Zhongxin wouldn't divorce her, because he wouldn't dare!

Fang Heng is the heir apparent of the Marquis of Zhongxin and the pillar of the Fang family. He is her biological son, and for that reason alone, the Marquis of Zhongxin wouldn't dare to truly divorce her! Otherwise, Fang Heng would definitely turn the Marquis's mansion upside down, and the Marquis's sixth concubine might even be driven out!

So, is Marquis Zhongxin really willing to give it up? Ying was certain that he absolutely could not!

Marquis Zhongxin was dumbfounded. He never expected that Lady Ying would not be afraid of him divorcing her. Not only was she not afraid, but she seemed to be quite happy for him to do so.

For a moment, he remained silent, unsure of what to say.

Seeing that he was feeling guilty, Madam Ying became even more aggressive: "You don't dare to write a letter of divorce, do you? Are you afraid that Heng'er will cause a scene with you? Then let's get a divorce. I'd be more willing to get a divorce, and it would be better for the children!"

Marquis Zhongxin was stunned: "You, you crazy woman, what exactly do you want? Do you think I wouldn't dare to divorce you?"

Ying snorted coldly: "What does it matter if you believe me or not? Think about it carefully. How old is Qiong'er? She's almost twelve. I've been living a widow's life since she was in my belly. I've had enough of this kind of life, and I don't want to suffer anymore! If you want to divorce me, then divorce me, hurry up and do it! We've been husband and wife for a time. For the sake of our two children, if you agree to a divorce, I will forget all the past grievances and thank you!"

She spoke these words with genuine feeling and without the slightest affectation.

Marquis Zhongxin was dumbfounded again: sweat dripped down his face. She really didn't want the status and position of Marquis Zhongxin's wife. She really didn't want to live with him anymore!

She's serious!

What to do? Divorce or a peaceful separation is not an option, absolutely not!

Ying snorted coldly: "How about we divide the property and live separately? That way, it won't have too much of an impact on the two children's marriages. We can get a divorce after the children are married!"

Marquis Zhongxin roared, "Divide the property and live separately? Don't even think about it! In this life, you are a member of the Fang family, and you will die a member of the Fang family! I'll take you back right now, and you'll never step out of the Marquis's mansion again! You'll stay here obediently and die here, and don't you dare come out and embarrass yourself again! How can my woman show her face in public and ruin my son's future!"

Ying shouted sharply, "Twelve years ago, when I was pregnant with Qiong'er, you stopped caring about me and spent all your time in your concubine's arms. For the past twelve years, you have never stepped into my room. I have been suffering, living a life of widowhood. Our marriage has long been a sham. If you want me to die and become a ghost of the Fang family, please forgive me, I cannot do it!"

Marquis Zhongxin: "I am your husband, I am the Marquis. I can only let you live if I want you to. If I want to lock you up in the Marquis's mansion, I can lock you up in the Marquis's mansion! If you resist, I will submit a memorial to His Majesty and give the position of heir apparent to Li's son!"

Madam Ying: "You scoundrel! Heng'er is your son too! How could you treat him like this?!"

Marquis Zhongxin: "That's right, Heng'er is my son, but he's also your son! If you insist on going against me, then I don't want this son anymore. Anyway, Lady Li has another son who is only five years old. I can still raise him well! In this life, I don't only have Heng'er as a promising son. I can still raise my younger son well!"

Unfortunately, Li's two eldest sons were both spoiled brats, utterly useless. Otherwise, he wouldn't have had to rely solely on Fang Heng!