Did she hear that correctly?
How could they ask an unmarried girl about this kind of matter?
Wait, come to think of it, she still hadn’t seen her sister-in-law Madam Wang!
Normally, when something like this happened, shouldn’t they have called her sister-in-law over to find a solution and offer some comfort?
What on earth had happened in this family?
The dog that Old Madam Qi raised circled around Qi Yuan’s feet. Qi Yuan simply picked it up and stroked it. Hearing Old Madam Qi’s question, she looked toward Qi Fangyun and asked seriously, “That depends on what Auntie wants to do.”
——
Qi Fangyun was full of grievances. “What can I do? Their family is clearly doing this on purpose, thinking that since my child is already grown and about to get married, this is the worst possible time for me to make a scene!”
Old Madam Qi was equally furious. “The idea of a wife of equal status is complete nonsense! What wife of equal status? No respectable family has ever accepted this. Only those lower-class merchants mess around with things like that. They talk about having two equals, but in reality, it’s just a chaotic mess!”
When it came to inheritance or family lineage, things would never be clear.
In noble families, this was absolutely unacceptable.
What the Zhou family was doing was clearly a deliberate insult.
Qi Yuan suddenly asked, “Did the Zhou family always treat Auntie so disrespectfully?”
Everyone’s expressions shifted.
Old Marquis Qi answered truthfully, “No, they were always quite courteous before.”
The Zhou family didn’t hold any noble titles. Marrying a daughter of the Marquis’ household was actually a step up for them, so Zhou Ping had always been respectful and polite to Qi Fangyun over the years.
Qi Yuan raised an eyebrow and looked at Qi Fangyun. “It seems Auntie is being dragged down because of me.”
——
Qi Fangyun felt increasingly out of place in this home. What did this have to do with Qi Yuan? How did it get dragged into involving this young girl?
But strangely enough, the Old Marquis, Qi Zhen, and Old Madam all silently accepted this explanation.
Clearly, they all knew something.
Qi Fangyun couldn’t help but wipe her tears and ask, “What does this mean?”
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “It doesn’t mean much. I just want to ask Auntie: do you want to just let this go and continue your marriage, or do you want a divorce?”
Qi Fangyun could no longer hold back. She looked at her mother with disbelief. “Mother?”
Why was Qi Yuan talking about this as if it were such a simple and light matter?
Old Madam Qi patted Qi Fangyun’s hand and said thoughtfully, “Don’t be afraid. That petty man Zhou Ping is only doing this to humiliate you and make our Marquis household suffer. Besides, that mistress of his—he clearly didn’t just pick her up yesterday.”
Otherwise, where would that grown son have come from?
They had hidden it well. If it weren’t for the Qi family’s conflict with Qi Wang, Zhou Ping probably would have kept the mistress a secret for the rest of his life.
Speaking of the mistress, Qi Fangyun broke down in tears again. “Exactly! After all these years of marriage, he hid this from me so thoroughly! That mistress’s son is about the same age as Kun’er. Today when I refused to let him make her a ‘wife of equal status,’ my mother-in-law actually hit me! I’m already this old and I still have to suffer a beating from my mother-in-law…”
Everyone in the Marquis household was furious.
That Zhou family matriarch was truly nothing but trouble.
As they were discussing this, Liuzhong rushed in. “Old Marquis, Old Madam, Marquis, Eldest Lady—people from the Zhou family are here. They said… they said the Maternal Cousin Miss is ill and they want Eldest Lady to return home.”
Qi Fangyun immediately panicked and stood up. “No, I have to go back! Ruyi has always been frail. If I’m not there, who knows how my mother-in-law will treat her!”
Old Madam Qi was so angry her hands were trembling.
She had only just returned to her parents’ home, and now the child was suddenly ill? What a coincidence?
Obviously, the Zhou family was using the child to threaten Qi Fangyun, relying on the fact that they knew she couldn’t bear to abandon the child.
Old Madam Qi took a deep breath and looked at Qi Yuan. “Ah Yuan, do you have any ideas?”
“There are plenty of ways.” Qi Yuan smiled lightly. “It just depends on whether Auntie is willing.”
Old Madam Qi immediately made the decision for her daughter. “She’s willing! If they can strike first, we can strike back harder! Just go ahead and do whatever you need to!”
Seeing Qi Yuan leave, Qi Fangyun couldn’t hold back and turned to the three people in the room. “Father, Mother, Brother—what exactly is going on? Why are you letting Ah Yuan handle something like this?”
Qi Zhen looked a little embarrassed.
But Old Madam Qi smiled calmly. “Because truly, there’s no one better than her to help you vent your anger.”
Baizhi hurried along behind Qi Yuan. “Miss, how are you going to handle this?”
After all, this was someone else’s family affair, and Qi Yuan was a junior. No matter how she got involved, she wouldn’t have much of a foothold.
Actually, this whole matter really shouldn’t have fallen to their young lady in the first place.
Qi Yuan smiled faintly. “Honestly, I quite enjoy handling this sort of thing.”
——
The Zhou family, meanwhile, was calm and unhurried.
Zhou Ping knelt in front of Old Madam Zhou, anxiously asking, “Mother, why did you lose your temper like that? We shouldn’t push things too far…”
Old Madam Zhou’s eyes bulged. “I’ve had enough of swallowing my anger all these years! That woman has never acted like a proper wife! Back in my day, someone like her would’ve been divorced and kicked back to her family long ago!”
The Zhou family’s mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had always been at odds.
After all, the Zhou family married above their station, while Qi Fangyun had married beneath hers. Old Madam Zhou always felt like she was the one who had been wronged.
Zhou Ping sighed. “But she is from a powerful noble family…”
The mother and son were still quietly talking when the stewardess suddenly burst in, scrambling on all fours. “Old Madam! Master! Something terrible has happened!”
Old Madam Zhou immediately grabbed a pillow and hurled it at her. “Slap your mouth! You can’t say a single auspicious thing, can you?! What terrible thing could have possibly happened now?”
She was finally in control! She was feeling great!
The stewardess cried out miserably, “Old Madam, really, it’s terrible! Our family’s memorial archway—it’s been smashed! It’s collapsed! The whole clan is there now!”
Old Madam Zhou shot to her feet, her heart practically stopping. “What did you say?! What’s been smashed?!”
That memorial archway was the Zhou family’s honor, something her daughter had exchanged her life for!
How could it just be gone now?
The stewardess wailed, “The memorial archway was smashed! It’s completely collapsed! The whole clan has gone to see it now!”
Old Madam Zhou’s eyes rolled back, nearly fainting. “This is outrageous! Absolutely outrageous! Zhou Ping, go find out who dared to do this! Whoever it is—kill them, kill them!”
Zhou Ping’s face turned purple as he rose to his feet.
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