Chapter 480 – Underworld Marriage, Widow at the Gates (3)
“Such a good year, but it’s been messed up by people like this. What a buzzkill.”
Lady Die stood up, a hint of displeasure crossing her face.
The Stepmother sipped her tea, her eyes shimmering with a peculiar light as she called for Nong Qin.
“When will you depart?”
Nong Qin bowed her head respectfully and said, “In five days. Once the arrangements for Hejian are settled, we will head to Xiangyang.”
The Stepmother replied, “Take Wan away sooner, delaying too much may stir up unforeseen issues…”
Nong Qin’s expression shifted, hesitating as she said, “But Madam, if that shrew comes knocking again…”
The Stepmother scoffed, “And what of it? If she comes again, just break her legs.”
Although Lady Zhang was here to cause trouble, she was right to do so, as the missing Shangguan Wan was indeed hiding at the Liu Residence.
Shangguan Wan had come to Liu Residence not so much of her own volition leaving a letter as it was the Stepmother’s pity for the girl, suggesting a safe haven for her. Otherwise, she would have been little more than weeds growing high over her grave.
The Stepmother had seen the clever and lively Shangguan Wan and recalled how this girl had always been a pampered noble lady.
However, upon their next meeting, she was shocked to find that once vibrant and beautiful girl reduced to a wretched, lifeless shadow.
This whole matter still goes back to three years ago when Shangguan Wan’s mother passed away due to illness, and her father subsequently remarried.
The new wife was a noble girl from Zhong Zhao, but she wasn’t exactly from a grand household.
Just a nominal wife, so her status didn’t demand much.
The new wife was a concubine, bringing little to the marriage in terms of dowry apart from a few sets of the Four Books for Women.
She claimed to be well-versed in the Four Books and conducted her daily life according to their teachings.
It’s laughable, really; despite her lowly background, she managed to serve the mother-in-law quite comfortably.
The old lady, enjoying her pampering, casually remarked that the Stepmother should properly instruct Shangguan Wan, lest she neglect her.
Thus, the Stepmother saw fit to wield her authority with all the seriousness of a feather duster, using the Four Books to teach Shangguan Wan.
But Shangguan Wan refused to comply!
Her noble upbringing made her scoff at the teachings of the Four Books.
The conflict between the stepmother and daughter was rather unpleasant; initially, the Shangguan family favored Shangguan Wan.
However, as time passed, the new wife became pregnant, causing Shangguan Wan’s advantages to shrink in an instant, and soon the stepmother had the upper hand.
What truly lit the fuse on Shangguan Wan’s tragic fate was her first engagement.
Originally, the suitor had said he would wait until her period of mourning ended, but the stepmother, having caught wind that Shangguan Wan had once fallen into bandit hands, claimed she was tainted and a lost virtue. Of course, this wasn’t spoken aloud, but the rumor definitely spread.
The suitor was quite disturbed at heart, and his mother, which took the Four Books very seriously, was horrified at the thought of marrying someone with such a reputation, leading him to forcefully back out of the engagement.
Due to the label of “tainted woman,” Shangguan Wan became the laughingstock of the entire Hejian, a shame for the Shangguan family.
That new wife, with her “motherly compassion,” volunteered to tutor Shangguan Wan and arranged for another marriage.
The Zhang family’s legitimate heir from Hejian was of a status not quite as good as Shangguan’s but was still acceptable.
However, Shangguan Wan later discovered the malicious intentions behind her stepmother’s actions.
The stepmother was good friends with Lady Zhang Zhao, the very woman who had come to stir up trouble.
That Zhang heir turned out to be a sickly and feeble eunuch, barely hanging on to life, incapable of performing his husbandly duties. The stepmother, cloaked in the guise of concern for Shangguan Wan, thrust her into a pit of fire with this arrangement.
But the story doesn’t end here.
The ailing Zhang heir passed away before the wedding, and the stepmother, under the pretense of “the marriage is set, Wan is now Zhang’s wife, how could she marry someone else?” persuaded Shangguan Wan to marry into that family as a widow at the gates, repeatedly rubbing in the fact that she was a “tainted woman.” The Zhang family insisted that Shangguan Wan had “killed their son” and demanded that she adhere to her duties as a faithful widow.
With no support, Shangguan Wan found her family almost uniformly siding with the stepmother, forcing her to marry into the Zhang family against her will.
With the sickly groom gone, she was left to marry a rooster in a wedding gown, facing mockery from her mother-in-law the very next day.
As the teachings of the Four Books gained popularity in Hejian, Shangguan Wan’s life grew increasingly difficult.
It was not just her; many noble girls previously connected to the bandit incident also faced similar repercussions.
The stepmother was in cahoots with the Zhang family and casually mentioned how women who couldn’t endure loneliness might engage in self-debasement.
This, too, would be a blemish on their honor, a sign of failed fidelity.
In Zhong Zhao, fierce widows would cut off their fingers to demonstrate their commitment to chastity, and the Zhang family worried that Shangguan Wan, being young, could cause trouble by bringing shame upon them. They hoped she would also follow suit, but Shangguan Wan refused to comply!
Yet, in the Zhang residence, she felt utterly alone, and no one in the Shangguan family deemed her innocent.
If she didn’t figure something out soon, she truly wouldn’t survive!
Under relentless pressure from the Zhang family, Shangguan Wan clenched her teeth in defiance but bore an immense burden.
Finally, seizing an opportunity during a pilgrimage to the mountains, she chose to end it all.
Of course, she failed miserably as she was stopped by the Stepmother.
Hearing the story of Shangguan Wan’s plight nudged the Stepmother’s heart; recalling her time of being utterly alone, she reluctantly agreed to rescue her.
A few days later, the Zhang family, having run out of patience, prepared to chop off Shangguan Wan’s fingers. She left a letter of divorce and, with help from Liu Clan’s household, managed to escape Zhang residence, deciding to stay not at Liu Residence but in a military camp to ensure her safety, hiding there for over six months.
Half a month ago, her whereabouts were accidentally leaked, prompting the Zhang family to repeatedly send people to fetch her.
All those sent were dealt with, but eventually, Lady Zhang herself came with hired thugs.
Because of this incident, Nong Qin had no appetite to enjoy the New Year’s feast, her face constantly clouded with gloom.
Shangguan Wan had already changed out of her noble garments into rough, peasant attire, and she had adapted quite well in the camp.
“Nong Qin, has everyone from Liu Residence left?”
A flicker of fear crossed her face, her expression tense and apprehensive, completely devoid of her previous bravery and flair.
“We need to set off for the North early.” Nong Qin said, “Miss Wan, let’s leave together; staying here is only a matter of time before we can’t hide anymore.”
You can avoid the first day, but not the fifteenth.
Shangguan Wan had left a letter of divorce, but the Zhang family had already declared her their ghost regardless of whether she was alive or dead.
Should they catch her and bring her back, she might suffer excruciatingly, with news of her demise spreading in no time.
Nong Qin had saved many desperate women over the past two years, each a victim of the Four Books.
In this harsh world, why heap such cruel shackles on innocent women?
In an era where family ties trump law, a family casting out a “tainted woman” to drown is truly a dead end.
A trace of hesitation flickered across Shangguan Wan’s haggard face before she steeled herself, saying, “Alright, let’s leave this place.”
