Volume One, Chapter 8: He Still Has Fang Qianxue in His Heart

"I think he has completely lost his mind!" Yan Fenghua, who had initially intended to storm into Lu Changqing’s study to give him a beating, managed to restrain himself after a moment’s thought. He turned to Fang Qianxue and asked, "What do you intend to do?"

After all, this was a matter between husband and wife, and he found it difficult to intervene.

Fang Qianxue tapped the lid of her teacup twice, then calmly uttered one sentence: "I will divorce him."

"What did you say?" Yan Fenghua thought he had misheard.

Although the Great Yong Dynasty had laws allowing a wife to initiate a divorce, the conditions were extremely harsh. Even for a princess or a noblewoman, such a move required the husband to have committed a truly monstrous crime. Lu Changqing’s desire to take another woman simply did not reach that threshold.

"Why, do you disagree?" Fang Qianxue looked up at him.

"How could I disagree? But..." Yan Fenghua looked into Fang Qianxue’s eyes, his face flushing slightly. "Qianxue, perhaps I should go speak to Changqing. I could suggest he take that woman as a concubine and drop the idea of the dual-lineage succession."

He had remained unmarried all these years, partly because of his busy official duties, but also because there was still a place for Fang Qianxue in his heart. Learning that the bond between her and Lu Changqing had fractured, he hated himself for the flicker of excitement he felt, yet as his friend's wife, the situation left him deeply conflicted.

"Master Yan, you don't know—that second master is as stubborn as a mule!" Cuishuang interjected, desperate to vent her grievances. "He claims that enchantress is a pure and holy maiden and insists on marrying her as his legitimate wife; he refuses to let her suffer the status of a concubine! My mistress has already said everything that needs to be said, but he simply won't listen!"

"Let us not speak of this anymore," Fang Qianxue said, turning back to Yan Fenghua. "Did my second brother send any word for me?"

"It is here. Fang Jue and the others have already arrived in Luzhou, so you may rest easy." Yan Fenghua pulled a letter from his sleeve and handed it to her with a soft sigh. "Qianxue, if you wish to separate and remarry, I will certainly help you, but a formal divorce initiated by the wife is unlikely to succeed."

The laws of the Great Yong were, after all, built on the inferiority of women to men; they were lenient toward men but far less so toward women.

"Thank you for troubling yourself with the affairs of the Fang family, Master Yan." Fang Qianxue took the letter and gave him a faint smile. "As for my situation with Lu Changqing, there will always be a way when the time comes. You need not worry."

"My teacher is gone; if I do not stand up for you, who will? If Lu Changqing dares to bring that woman through the door, I will see to it that he can no longer survive in the official circles of Shangjing!" Yan Fenghua flicked his sleeves and rose, storming out of the flower hall like a gust of wind.

Cuishuang was overjoyed. She tugged at Fang Qianxue’s sleeve and said, "Mistress, this is wonderful! Master Yan is going to stand up for you. Hmph, that Xu Miaoyan had better be ready to pack her things and leave!"

Master Yan was a fourth-rank Vice Minister of Justice, while Lu Changqing was merely a sixth-rank compiler in the Hanlin Academy. Cuishuang felt that Lu Changqing would have to listen to Master Yan to some extent.

Fang Qianxue, however, frowned, gently stroking the letter in her hand. "Lu Changqing is the type who responds to softness rather than force, and he has always harbored jealousy toward Yan Fenghua. I fear this will only be counterproductive."

As the two emerged from the flower hall and walked along the corridor, they spotted a matron leading several tailors and seamstresses from the Jinxiu Embroidery House. Leading them was Mother Zhao, who served the Old Madam, Chen.

Jinxiu was the finest garment shop in Shangjing, usually serving the royal family and high-ranking officials. The Lu family was far from that level; even during holidays, they had never invited tailors from Jinxiu to the house.

"Mother Zhao!" Cuishuang called out, curious. "Where are you all headed?"

"Second Mistress," Mother Zhao said, offering a stiff bow to Fang Qianxue. "The Old Madam has instructed us to bring the tailors from Jinxiu to provide Miss Xu with some new clothes."

"My master has only just left; are these bright colors not a bit inappropriate?" Fang Qianxue glanced at one of the trays, seeing fine silks in vibrant yellow and deep red.

"The Old Madam says Miss Xu is to enter the palace to see the Empress Dowager shortly, so she cannot dress too plainly," Mother Zhao replied.

"Oh?"

"You may not know, Second Mistress, but word came from the palace yesterday that the Qilin beast has stopped eating and may not last much longer. As the Empress Dowager’s birthday is approaching, they have requested Miss Xu to enter the palace as soon as possible," Mother Zhao explained.

Last year, the Prince of Beining had conquered the Xiyu state of Guilu and, to celebrate the Empress Dowager’s birthday, had presented a Xiyu Qilin beast. However, the creature had been in Shangjing for half a month and had eaten very little. As it grew weaker by the day, the Empress Dowager had grown anxious and fallen ill herself.

"I see."

"The Old Madam also said that since Miss Xu will be entering the family next month, these colors will be perfectly suitable for a new bride," Mother Zhao added with an awkward smile.

"Next month..." Fang Qianxue narrowed her eyes slightly and waved her hand. "You may go."

"Bah! What a wretched woman! Buying her clothes from Jinxiu—does she even deserve it?" Cuishuang watched their retreating figures, pulling at Fang Qianxue in indignation. "And three sets at once! Mistress, you only get one new garment a year..."