met free Chapter 316 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law, Sit Down and Talk It Out
Chapter 316 Mother-in-law and Daughter-in-law, Sit Down and Talk It Out
what?
His words stunned everyone present.
Lin Xingliang has always claimed that his wife has gone to a temple for spiritual practice and will not return for many years.
Now that he mentioned wanting to remarry, everyone finally understood that Feng Yuanyuan had already divorced him.
Amidst the gasps of the crowd, Wei Jianning looked at Aunt Feng.
"This matter depends on my mother-in-law's opinion. If she agrees, I am willing to make this happen. If she does not agree, I will take care of her until the end of her life together with the Empress."
Lin Xingliang immediately turned pale with fright, and looked at Aunt Feng with pleading eyes.
“Madam, I was wrong, I really know I was wrong. Please forgive me. I am willing to remarry you and promise I will never make you angry again.”
Lan Zhi held Aunt Feng's hand and they discussed it intimately.
“Mother, I have just acknowledged you and Father. If you two are not together, and Father takes several more concubines in the future, it will be inconvenient for me to visit my parents.”
"She dares to..."
Aunt Feng immediately looked at Lin Xingliang with her eyes wide open.
“If he dares to take a concubine into his mansion, I, Feng Yuanyuan, dare to smash up his censor’s mansion.”
"This……"
Lin Xingliang was speechless for a moment, while Zhu Kui chuckled and said:
"Lord Lin, don't you understand what I mean? The First-Rank Imperial Lady is willing to go back with you."
Lin Xingliang only then realized what was happening and nodded happily.
"Okay, okay, I'll go back and prepare now."
Aunt Feng glared at him, annoyed.
"What are you preparing for? I'm already so old. If I were to remarry, wouldn't I be laughed at? Anyway, not many people in the capital know about this. Just pretend it never happened. I've only been taking care of our daughter's child for five years."
Lan Zhi nodded in agreement.
"Dad, I'll take Mom back home later. I have a family to return to now, and I want to stay there for a few more days so I can be there for you both and show my filial piety."
Hearing her say that, Lin Xingliang's eyes reddened again, and he nodded repeatedly.
"What virtue or ability do I, Lin Xingliang, possess to have such an outstanding daughter as Zhi'er? It is truly a blessing from heaven!"
At this moment, inside the main hall of the Eastern Palace, everyone was secretly envious of Lin Xingliang. The Lin family's status in the Northern Wei Kingdom was now even higher than before.
The next morning, accompanied by Wei Jianning, Lan Zhi, along with Zhuangzhuang and Aunt Feng, returned to her parents' home for a visit. The procession circled the capital three times. From then on, everyone knew that Lan Zhi was not an orphan; her parents were the Lin family, a family with a high status in the Northern Wei Kingdom.
Upon hearing this news, Consort Liang, who lived in the east of the city, turned ashen-faced.
Zhu Kui quickly comforted him:
"This is a good thing, as it will help stabilize the Northern Wei dynasty."
"Hehehe!"
Consort Liang revealed a mocking smile.
"I've fought with her for years, hated her for years, and wanted to get rid of her from Ning'er's side so that Ning'er could have a powerful backer. But I never thought that all my efforts over the years would turn out to be a joke, a huge joke."
Only she herself knows best how she feels at this moment.
There was heartache, helplessness, hatred, and regret.
If she had known this would happen, why would she have gone to all that trouble?
She looked up at Zhu Kui.
"I've made up my mind, I'm leaving here."
Zhu Kui looked at her with some anxiety.
"Where are you going? Are you going back to the palace? What will I do if I want to see you after you go back?"
Consort Liang calmly and composedly shook her head.
"Over the years, I have almost made a grave mistake countless times. How could I possibly have the face to return to the palace? Besides, I have spent half my life in the harem and I am tired of it. I never want to go back. I have already made up my mind these past few days. I am going to find a place to live in seclusion, whether it is a temple or a rural mountain forest, as long as I can find a place where no one recognizes me and live out the rest of my life in peace."
As she spoke, she slowly walked to the window, looked at the willow tree in the yard with its leaves turning yellow, and laughed mockingly.
“I, Liang Ying, have never done a single right thing in my life. In the second half of my life, I can no longer be so self-righteous. It’s time to let them have a few days of peace and quiet.”
Zhu Kui let out a long sigh, hugged her from behind, rested his head on her hair, and murmured:
"What will I do if you leave?"
She didn't move, but tears were already glistening in her eyes.
She admitted that she had no love for the emperor, only the desire to use him, but her feelings for Zhu Kui had changed from using him to liking him.
She fell in love with him, but their identities were something that couldn't be made public. Her desire to leave this time was largely due to him.
Because she knew in her heart that the truth would eventually come out, she didn't want to be exposed one day for her relationship with Zhu Kui, and for people to ridicule the emperor's own mother for disregarding her reputation and having an affair with a court official.
Now that she knows Lan Zhi's true identity, she feels even more strongly that it's time for her to leave.
Zhu Kui sighed softly in her ear and asked:
"Is there anything you haven't wished for while you're in the capital?"
She hesitated for a moment, looked at the willow leaves slowly falling to the ground outside the window, and said softly:
"I want to meet her."
"Who?"
"Lan Zhi, Lin Lan Zhi".
Zhu Kui was taken aback at first, then nodded.
"Okay, I will arrange it."
"Thank you. If I leave, I hope you can forget me, just as... just as if we never met!"
Her tone was filled with reluctance, sadness, and also determination.
She didn't want to leave him. After all, she was middle-aged and this was the first time she had experienced being pampered and loved, and she enjoyed it very much.
But she knew she had to leave; she couldn't let anyone speak ill of Ning'er behind her back.
Zhu Kui went to the Censorate in person to explain his purpose, but he did not mention the news that Consort Liang was preparing to leave the capital, nor did she allow him to mention it to others.
Wei Jianning was afraid that his mother would make things difficult for Lan Zhi, so he wanted to accompany her, but Zhu Kui stopped him.
"Your Majesty, rest assured, Consort Liang knows what is important and will not make things difficult for Her Majesty the Empress."
Wei Jianning hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Then I'll trouble Lord Zhu to accompany me. I'll wait for her here."
Zhu Kui hurriedly clasped his hands in greeting and replied:
"Your Majesty, rest assured, I will certainly escort Her Majesty back safely."
Wei Jianning then looked at Lan Zhi and said with concern:
"Your mother probably knows about your background and wants to apologize to you. She won't make things difficult for you."
Lan Zhi quickly shook her head and smiled.
“I’m not worried that she will make things difficult for me. I also want to have a good talk with her. After all, we are mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. Even if we have had some issues, they should be resolved.”
Her understanding made Wei Jianning feel gratified.
"Go ahead and come back early. We'll have dinner with Lord Yue Zhang tonight."
Lan Zhi gave him a gentle smile and then left with A Qi and Xiang Xiu.
Zhu Kui's carriage was already waiting outside. Seeing her come out, Zhu Kui personally stepped forward to help her lift the curtain.
"Your Majesty, please."
Lan Zhi nodded her thanks to him.
"Thank you for your trouble, Lord Zhu."
With Ah Qi's help, she boarded the carriage. Zhu Kui strode to his horse, mounted it, and headed straight for the east of the city.
Knowing that Lan Zhi was coming, Consort Liang was a little nervous. She kept rubbing her hands and pacing back and forth in the main hall.
"The Queen has arrived."
The voice of a eunuch came from outside. Consort Liang stopped and looked out the door.