Chapter 149: The Four Great Heiresses in Business, Part 3

Without a moment’s hesitation, Li Lingjing said, “Having a son is the way to carry on the family line.”

“To carry on the family line is for your husband’s family, not for you,” Shi Xianyu replied calmly. “Besides, I heard your husband already has a son; he doesn’t lack heirs.”

Li Lingjing was taken aback. “...But if I can’t bear a son, I have no standing in the Xie family and won’t earn my husband’s respect.”

“Is it really because you can’t bear a son that you have no standing in the Xie family?” Shi Xianyu asked. “You moved into the temple less than two years after marriage, so you’ve only lived with the Xie family for about a year and a half at most. You’ve barely spent a year together as husband and wife. Moreover, since you are young, it’s normal that you haven’t conceived yet. Why should that mean you have no standing in the Xie family?”

Li Lingjing was somewhat confused by the question.

Lowering her gaze, Shi Xianyu reminded her, “If he truly respected you, he wouldn’t have allowed another woman to carry his child before you even conceived.”

Li Lingjing looked dazed, speechless.

Shi Xianyu helped her to sit down, then glanced at Zhi’er beside them. “Bring a cup of tea for your lady.”

Zhi’er nodded quickly and left.

After Zhi’er had gone, Shi Xianyu said to Li Lingjing, “I can help you restore your health, then you can return to the Xie family, soften your stance, and apologize. If your husband is willing to give you a chance and share a few loving nights with you, you should be able to conceive. But whether that will secure your standing in the Xie family, I cannot guarantee. Nor can I guarantee that your child will be favored more than others there. Think carefully about what result you truly want. Once you’ve made up your mind, I can help you.”

Li Lingjing opened her mouth but was at a loss for words.

Zhi’er returned with the hot tea. After a sip, Li Lingjing gradually regained her composure.

“Daoist, I understand your meaning…” she began slowly. “Xie Lu is cruel and heartless. Less than half a year after marriage, he took a liking to my dowry maid and got her pregnant. I was clearly innocent, yet he accused me of being unable to bear a son. He spread slander that the women of my Li family have no fortune for offspring, claiming my mother never bore a son and that my sister suffered a miscarriage. They were so innocent, yet now they suffer disgrace because of me. If I cannot bear a son to show the world, I cannot swallow this bitter grievance.”

Shi Xianyu felt a slight relief—her obsession was strong, but at least her mind was clear.

“Getting the maid pregnant less than half a year after marriage would damage his reputation if exposed, but if you have some ailment, then his taking the maid to his household is justified,” Shi Xianyu said slowly. “He tarnished your and your family’s name to protect his own reputation. That shows he is selfish and cold-hearted.”

Li Lingjing smiled bitterly. “What you say is true. When he was with the maid, he even humbled himself before me, promising it wouldn’t happen again. He said he wouldn’t touch any other woman until I bore the firstborn son. But after passing the imperial examination and entering the Hanlin Academy, he became arrogant—not only making that maid a concubine but also fathering a child with her, showing no regard for our marital bond.”

Shi Xianyu thought silently: this is a classic case of how wealth and power corrupt.

Li Lingjing continued indignantly, “Our families were originally well-matched, betrothed since childhood. Now that he is an official in the capital, he looks down on me as the merchant’s daughter. Heartless and unkind, he favors his concubine and despises his wife, even planning to elevate the maid to equal status and legitimize his illegitimate son! How could I agree? I slapped him once, and he expelled me from the Xie household, calling me a shrew and ordered me to reflect in seclusion! Reflect on what? What fault of mine?”

Shi Xianyu listened, astonished. Even in modern times, not every woman would dare slap her husband’s face. She was unexpectedly bold.

Li Lingjing said, “Daoist, your words have awakened me from a dream. If Xie Lu treats me like this, why should I bear him a son? Such a favor must not be granted to him. I should divorce him and marry another, bear children for someone else! Bearing him ten or eight sons would ease my great resentment!”

Shi Xianyu: “…………”

Zhi’er whispered beside her, “Young mistress, the matriarch and master won’t agree…”

Li Lingjing furrowed her brows angrily. “Must I just let Xie Lu and that wretched woman humiliate and degrade me?”

Zhi’er lowered her head and dared not speak further.

Shi Xianyu pondered, then said to Li Lingjing, “Your body is just right now. Go rest in your room and think carefully about what will truly satisfy you. Is bearing ten or eight sons really the only way to hold your head high before Xie Lu? Think it through well. When you are certain, come find me.”

Li Lingjing was deeply grateful and rose to kneel again, but Shi Xianyu stopped her.

Looking into her eyes, Shi Xianyu said seriously, “I will help you, but only with one thing. So you must be absolutely clear about what you want to live for in this world.”

Li Lingjing was stunned for a moment, then nodded earnestly. “...Today, I am deeply grateful for your guidance, Daoist. May I ask your honorable name? If I achieve my wish, I will surely commission a golden statue and offer a perpetual lamp in your honor.”

Shi Xianyu paused a moment before answering, “Linshi Palace... Xianyu, Yuan Jun.”

Li Lingjing bowed deeply. “Lingjing will remember.”

...

After Li Lingjing left, Shi Xianyu sat alone in the room, lost in thought.

Clearly, given the current situation of the supplicant, bearing a son would change nothing. But she couldn’t say this outright, much less instruct her on what to do.

First, because they inhabit different worlds, she cannot impose her will upon another’s.

Second, if she told Li Lingjing exactly what to do, then the wish formed wouldn’t be Li Lingjing’s—it would be Shi Xianyu’s.

Now, all that remained was to wait.

Wait for Li Lingjing to change her mind, to clarify what she truly desired, and then find a way to help her fulfill that wish. Only then could this mission be considered complete.

Shi Xianyu’s thoughts drifted gently elsewhere...

In every world, she was never alone. She had once met Lin Yuan, met Lin Yuan, met some unknown dark shadow. Would she meet him again in this world?

What would he be like this time? There were no monsters, no warriors, no ghosts here; only a temple. Could it be that he... had become a monk?

Shi Xianyu: “…………”

Her mood suddenly turned complicated.

A monk... she wasn’t sure she could accept that. She preferred someone with a bit more hair.

—Bang, bang, bang!

Suddenly, there was a loud knocking at the door outside.

Startled, she rose and went to the window, peering through the lattice to see Zhi’er opening the door.

The courtyard gate opened, and a middle-aged man dressed as a steward stood outside. He handed something to Zhi’er and said coldly, “Give this to the young mistress. As the saying goes, things don’t happen more than three times. Since marrying into the Xie family, she has beaten and scolded the third master several times but refuses to repent. This time, she even injured the third master’s head. Such a woman cannot be tolerated in the Xie household. Let her take care of herself from now on.”