She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 113 Shen Qingtan's Sadness

After Shen Qingtan left with the letter, the First Madam frowned and scolded, "Why are you meddling in the letter that Yi'er wrote to Tan'er? If anyone should give it, it should be Yi'er herself."

The master chuckled and said, “Madam, based on my understanding of Yi’er, he is a reserved person. If the letter he wrote wasn’t sent out immediately, he definitely wouldn’t send it out again once it was found.”

The First Madam said unhappily, "What if things go wrong?"

The old man's heart skipped a beat, but after thinking about it again, he felt it was impossible: "Their relationship is very good. Yi'er always calls her 'my wife,' and it was written specifically for her daughter-in-law. It shouldn't cause any trouble."

The First Madam glared at him: "Nothing you do is ever reliable."

The old man touched his nose somewhat guiltily, his heart pounding with anxiety.

"Also, I'm giving you money for socializing with your colleagues and friends, not for you to recklessly buy medicines to boost your health and hasten your death." The First Madam was glad she discovered it in time. To prevent him from being incited to buy medicines again, she directly deducted his allowance: "From now on, when you go out to socialize with your colleagues, just put it on my account."

The master was dumbfounded. Did he not have any private savings at all?

Before he could think of a way to get some pocket money, Guan Mama's voice came from outside: "Second Master, you've arrived."

The old man's eyes showed disdain; he hadn't arrived in time at all.

The next moment, Zhao Yi pushed open the door and entered. After greeting his parents, he asked, "Father, did you take a copy of the family precepts from Grandfather's study today?"

The magistrate replied, "Take it."

Zhao Yi noticed the family precepts on the kang table and asked, "Did you see the letter in the book?"

When the master learned that Zhao Yi had come for the letter, a sense of foreboding suddenly welled up in his heart.

He asked cautiously, "Yi'er, that letter... if it falls into your wife's hands, will it cause any problems?"

Zhao Yi vaguely realized something and her expression changed slightly: "You gave the letter to Tan'er?"

The master observed Zhao Yi's expression and finally realized that he might have really messed things up.

He was about to say something when Zhao Yi, unable to stay any longer, left.

He, who was always a gentleman and observed proper etiquette, actually forgot to say goodbye to his elders and left in a hurry.

--

Shen Qingtan brought Tingxue back to Lanxue Garden and saw that Liuyue had already returned.

She asked, "Liuyue, is Second Master in his study?"

Liu Yue replied, "Second Master and the Duke went to the study in the front courtyard and sent me back to the courtyard first."

While serving Shen Qingtan to wash her hands, she mentioned the news she had heard: "I heard that the Second Master has loved reading since he was a child and cherishes books very much. He would take the books out to air them twice a year. When I heard this, I didn't think it was anything special. After all, ordinary families air their books at least once a year. Who knew that when the Duke aired the books, the Second Master would personally help turn them over and wouldn't allow the servants to help."

Shen Qingtan disagreed, noting that the previous dynasty even had a day for airing books, and held a "Book Exposure Gathering" event for this purpose.

"Second Master doesn't sweat easily. He does everything himself, probably because he's afraid that the servants' sweaty hands will get on the books in the heat." Shen Qingtan had heard that the Duke's mansion had tens of thousands of books, and that the Duke of Zhao's private study must have at least several hundred.

She could hardly imagine the image of Zhao Yi, so refined and elegant, like a gentle breeze and a clear moon, rolling up his sleeves and flipping through a book in the courtyard.

Shen Qingtan wanted to "take a look," but thinking of the letter in her sleeve, she temporarily suppressed her impulse to go to the study in the front yard and deliberately sat on the short couch in the inner room to take out the letter and open it.

The last letter Zhao Yi sent her contained case files.

This must be a handwritten letter, right?

Shen Qingtan didn't know what Zhao Yi had written, but a sense of anticipation welled up inside her.

She pulled out what was in the envelope: a folded piece of plain paper and a thin letter.

Shen Qingtan was slightly surprised to see that there was another letter inside the first one, and she couldn't quite figure out Zhao Yi's thoughts.

When she picked up the blank paper and saw the words "letter of divorce" on the letter, her fingers suddenly tightened, as if she had been hit on the chest with a club, and her thoughts completely collapsed.

She felt a pang of sadness, a bitter taste in her mouth, and even a touch of sorrow.

Even when Zhao Jue betrayed her, she didn't have these emotions; all she felt was hatred.

Perhaps it was because Zhao Yi was so considerate and took such good care of her, and because of his promises, that she thought the two of them could grow old together.

So when she saw the letter of divorce, it was so sudden that she couldn't believe it for a moment and didn't even know how to react.

Even now, she firmly believes that Zhao Yi is not a person like Zhao Jue.

Shen Qingtan took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, and tried her best to remain calm as she opened the plain paper in her hand.

She was stunned after reading just the first sentence, realizing that the situation was different from what she had imagined.

This is Zhao Yi's last letter, which must have been handed to her after his death.

She couldn't help but recall their wedding night when Zhao Yi asked her what her plans were, promising to make arrangements for her.

At that time, she chose to stay by his side, and he accepted her in return.

In fact, he had already made up his mind.

After he passes away, she will be free to live as a widow, and can find someone else to live with.

Therefore, he fulfilled his duties as a husband to her, even exceeding them, yet he always remained self-disciplined and never made any intimate gestures towards her.

But did he ever consider that she might be tempted by his kindness and gentleness?

If that day ever comes, even if she gains her freedom, how could she let him go? And how could she possibly go looking for another man?

Shen Qingtan couldn't describe the feeling in her heart; it was as if a heavy stone was pressing down on her, making her feel suffocated and extremely uncomfortable.

"Second Madam." Liu Yue came in carrying the scented clothes and noticed that Shen Qingtan's eyes were red and her face was pale. She asked with concern, "What's wrong with you?"

She glanced at the letters scattered on the small table and asked, "Has something happened?"

Shen Qingtan shook her head slightly: "It's nothing."

Liu Yue knew that her mistress was strong-willed; even if the sky were to fall, she would grit her teeth and persevere, never revealing her vulnerable side.

"I just saw the letter and it reminded me of some sad things," Shen Qingtan explained, then folded the plain paper and stuffed it, along with the letter of divorce, into the envelope.

Before Liu Yue could say anything, she heard Zhao Yi's voice coming from outside the door.

"Has your second grandmother returned?"

"I'm back, in the house."

Shen Qingtan also heard the conversation outside the door. She subconsciously cupped her face and got up, intending to wash her face. After taking a few steps, she saw her reflection in the bronze mirror, paused, and immediately changed her mind.

She sat back down, beckoned to Liuyue, and whispered a few words in her ear.

Liu Yue opened her eyes wide and couldn't help but look at Shen Qingtan several times. When she was sure that Shen Qingtan was serious, she gritted her teeth and nodded.

Liu Yue put down her clothes and walked towards the door.

With a creak, the door was pushed open from the outside.

Liu Yue saw the person at the door with a sour face, and without calling out to the Second Master, she walked past him and left.

Upon seeing this, Zhao Yi's heart sank.