Chapter 6: The Fate of a Cast-Off Wife
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Shen Mengqing explained, “My mother-in-law says my husband still has to pursue an official career and must not become lost in lust. We cannot consummate our marriage until he passes the metropolitan examination and becomes a Presented Scholar. Consummating the marriage beforehand would ruin his fortune.”
“Don’t listen to her nonsense!” Madam Liu shouted. “That old hag simply cannot stand to see the two of you happy. I have lived this long and never once heard of such a thing.”
Shen Mengqing curled her lip. “Mother, I also think she’s talking nonsense. My husband is blessed with immense fortune. He is destined to rise above all others in the future. How could something as ordinary as consummating our marriage ruin his luck? But my husband has always been filial and never dares defy his mother, so we have been sleeping in separate rooms these past few days.”
“I’m furious! That old hag actually dares treat you this way. She clearly doesn’t take our Shen family seriously at all. No, I must go there and teach that woman a lesson. You have your maternal family to support you, too.”
Shen Mengqing shook her head. “Mother, there’s no need. Although life is a little difficult for me now, my blessings lie ahead. Everything will get better in time.”
“You call this a little difficult? This is hardship beyond measure! I advised you from the beginning not to marry him and to find yourself the son of a respectable official family of equal standing, but you refused to listen.”
“You don’t understand. Zhuo Hua is the finest husband one could find in a thousand. One day, everyone will envy me.”
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“You’re completely bewitched.” Madam Liu tapped Shen Mengqing on the head with her finger.
“Mother, stop talking about this. Do you have anything to eat? I’ve been starving for three days. I’m practically dying of hunger. Hurry and have someone bring me something.”
Madam Liu was shocked and immediately ordered some food to be brought up.
“How have you gone hungry for three days? Is the Zhuo family refusing to feed you and treating you harshly? I gave you a generous dowry. Couldn’t you have used some money to have someone secretly buy food?”
“I did, but my mother-in-law took it all away. She and my sister-in-law ate it themselves and didn’t give me a single bite.”
“What’s even more infuriating is that the ruby jewelry set you gave me as part of my dowry was stolen by them, too.” Shen Mengqing burst into tears.
“They actually dared to steal your things?” Madam Liu looked utterly incredulous.
“Yes. Even after I caught them, they stubbornly refused to admit it. Last night, I argued with them, and the whole scene became terribly ugly.”
“Did you report it to the authorities? Let the government handle it directly. Surely you wouldn’t have to worry about getting your things back then.”
Shen Mengqing’s face filled with indignation. “I can’t report it. That would damage my husband’s reputation, and he still has to sit the civil service examinations. It could affect his official career in the future.
“Besides, I’m counting on Zhuo Hua to give me a good life. I can’t completely fall out with his family. If our relationship becomes strained, he’ll blame me as well. Today, he was still angry with me, saying I shouldn’t have lost my temper with his family.”
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“They stole your things, and he still has the nerve to be angry with you?”
“Zhuo Hua says his mother and sister aren’t that kind of people. He insists I must have put the things somewhere else, or that one of my maids had sticky fingers and stole them.”
After hearing this, Madam Liu burst into tears. “My poor daughter! How can your life be so hard?”
Shen Mengqing comforted her, “I’m not suffering. One day, I’ll become a First-Rank Imperial Mandate Lady. A little hardship is nothing. Everything I endure now will bring great rewards in the future.
“Shen Mengli is the one whose life is truly miserable. She married a man who dotes on his concubine and neglects his wife. She is destined to become a discarded woman. Just wait—there will come a day when she has plenty to cry about.”
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