Chapter 1370 – The Ladies’ Tea Party (Part Thirteen)
It had only been a year, yet each lady appeared as if they had transformed, their faces adorned with smiles brighter than spring flowers.
What once filled the tea party with the complaints of wronged wives was now swept away, no trace of gloom remaining, as the women looked more delicate than the flowers themselves.
As the hostess and wife of Han Yu, Qiqi was showered with flattery from numerous guests. Each lady spoke with a hint of gratitude, unable to express their thanks to Jiang Pengji or Han Yu directly, so they showered Qiqi with praise instead.
Little did they know, the seemingly harmonious couple, Han Yu and Qiqi, had already started living in separate rooms.
Hearing the compliments, Qiqi’s smile began to wane slightly.
As the other ladies arrived one after another, the tea party grew livelier, everyone enjoying their tea and admiring the flowers in delightful spirits.
“Why haven’t Lady Zhang and Lady Ning shown up today?”
One lady took her seat and scanned the room, noticing several familiar faces were absent.
“Lady Dou has been ill for a stretch before the New Year; she probably doesn’t know what’s been happening this month,” another lady chuckled, “As for Lady Zhang and Lady Ning, their families faced some troubles, and they’re likely busy dealing with that. Who would have time for a tea party in such circumstances?”
Lady Dou, overhearing this, widened her eyes in surprise.
She had been intermittently sick for nearly two months and had been preoccupied with family New Year affairs, so she hadn’t kept up with the news outside.
“What happened? Why are they being sent back to their hometowns?”
Having been away from the social scene for less than two months, Lady Dou felt a gap forming between her and the others.
Seeing her genuine confusion, the ladies kindly filled her in on the latest gossip.
Ah, the juicy scandal from last year’s end—the audience was just dying to dig in.
“Lady Dou, have you heard that Lady Zhang and Lady Ning’s husbands took six or seven concubines each?”
“Of course, I’ve heard.”
Having once shared handkerchiefs with them, she knew well how much both were hurt by their philandering husbands. She had listened to their complaints countless times.
Lady Dou felt their plight was unjust, but with her own troubles, she had no choice but to focus on her affairs.
“This all started before the New Year—at that previous tea party, the renowned soldier’s wife, Lu Xiniang, also attended. Apparently, something she heard there led her to say something to her husband, and shortly after, Lan Ting erupted in fury. On the first day of the New Year, he sent messengers to condemn all the men who overstepped by taking concubines and neglecting their wives. Those scoundrels, worried about their futures, even dared to lie, claiming their mistresses weren’t actual concubines while secretly forcing their legitimate concubines into the status of commoners… Hmph, how could their foolish tricks fool the keen eyes of Lan Ting?”
As the ladies recounted this, they felt a surge of satisfaction.
Though their husbands hadn’t taken concubines, most had one or two mistresses or “foster daughters” on the side.
These women enjoyed the privileges of concubines without the title—utterly disgusting!
After this scandal broke, each man hurried to clean up their backyards, not daring to leave a trace behind.
In recent days, they had been particularly docile, abstaining from seeking out those vixens, even cutting back on socializing.
In response, Lady Dou couldn’t help but cover her mouth with her napkin, releasing a short gasp.
Seeing her reaction, several ladies laughed.
“Self-awareness is key! One can’t take concubines if their status isn’t up to par; it’s right there in the ancestral rules!” One lady gleefully remarked, “In the past, no one bothered, but now that Lan Ting wants to reinforce these rules, what if these men get caught like criminals, punished under the scrutiny? Taking concubines, neglecting wives, and forcing good women into shame—those are three grave offenses that even iron men would feel the burn! Right now, only the ban on three generations serving in official posts while sending the entire family back to their hometowns remains. Lan Ting’s being merciful by not taking harsher measures.”
“Lan Ting is still a woman; she could afford to be a little softer…” another lady rolled her eyes, muttering discontent, “I think all those troublesome vixens should be sold off, that would solve everything! They deserved that fate, and Lan Ting even offered them a parting gift of silver to leave free… Hum, they seem to have it easy!”
Nearby ladies heard this and instinctively moved away.
This tea party was a public setting, and her clear disdain for Jiang Pengji made one wonder if she was secretly wishing for her husband to meet a similar fate!
Lady Dou struggled to piece together the past events, feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
She had been puzzled recently about why her husband, who hadn’t stepped foot in her room in years, had been frequently resting there, fussing over her three times a day and playing the perfect husband. Just the other morning, he even claimed he wanted to draw her eyebrows… She nearly felt sick from it all.
Ah, so it was indeed this scandal that caused her husband to suddenly show an interest in her, this plain-faced woman?
A flicker of distaste passed through Lady Dou’s mind; she nearly spat it out.
Maintaining her composure, she replied, “I see, so I guess I shouldn’t disturb those two ladies for a while—”
If their family was being sent back to their hometown, it was likely she wouldn’t see them for the rest of her life.
“Maybe not; things might improve in a few days.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Lady Dou looked bewildered.
“Well, Lady Zhang and Lady Ning are busy separating from their husbands or declaring absolution,” a lady dropped this bombshell, leaving Lady Dou in disbelief.
Was this the meaning of “couples in the same forest, flying solo when trouble strikes”?
Seeing Lady Dou’s distressed expression, the others knew she was misunderstanding, and they explained, “They’re doing this with their children’s future in mind.”
Lady Dou asked, “What does that mean?”
Kicking their husbands to the curb for the sake of the children?
This strange logic left Lady Dou utterly confused.
“Looks like Lady Dou really has been oblivious to everything going on outside lately,” a younger lady chuckled, “Not long ago, Lan Ting ordered a revision of the marriage laws. Because of their children’s futures, Lady Zhang and Lady Ning had to choose to cut ties and become independent. Otherwise, their children would suffer due to their fathers and miss out on a future in service, leaving them and their descendants as commoners!”
Lady Dou replied, “Is that really possible? If Lan Ting punishes three generations, she wouldn’t let them slip through a loophole like that.”
One lady hesitantly said, “Maybe it is, since the lady from Chang’an Alley managed it.”
That lady was quite the notorious character in the circle.
Of course, her reputation wasn’t a good one.
She really could be considered the most useless of the useless—anyone who saw her would seethe at her lack of ambition.
