Chapter 44: Marry Another Man

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations

In the afternoon, after the banquet, Qiao Jinniang went to the Duchess.

The Duchess entertained guests for a day and was about to take a break in the afternoon. When she heard Qiao Jinniang come over, however, her sleepiness was immediately gone.

Qiao Jinniang saluted and said, “Mother, I’ve thought it over, and I don’t think I should marry Cousin.”

The Duchess immediately asked, “Jinniang, did the Li Family say something to you?”

Qiao Jinniang shook her head and said, “No, they’re very good people. If I’ve never been married, I will definitely think Cousin is a good choice for me, but I had once been married, so I am afraid that marrying me may ruin his bright future.”

The Duchess was surprised. “Why do you think so? They still need your father to help Li Yun in his career.”

“Jinniang, His Royal Highness will choose his wife and concubines this June 28th. If nothing else happens, Ruoyi will probably marry into the East Palace.

“In such a short period of time, it’s not easy to find a man with a good personality and a good family background. If you feel guilty for Li Yun, you can be engaged to him first and then cancel the marriage contract…”

Qiao Jinniang thought about it carefully. Yes, she could cancel the marriage contract.

Li Yun was innocent. As long as the marriage contract was canceled, that jerk would probably not take revenge on him.

And His Majesty cherished talents, so he probably wouldn’t allow the Crown Prince to pick on Li Yun…

Thinking about it, Qiao Jinniang went back to her Jin Garden.

After Hongling and the other maids left, Nuomi whispered in Qiao Jinniang’s ear, “Miss, there is a message from the Duke Rong Mansion, asking you to go to Duke Rong Mansion in the afternoon in the name of thanking Princess Fu’an for her reward.”

Qiao Jinniang thought that she hadn’t seen Tuan’er for several days, so she groomed herself a bit and went to the Duke Rong Mansion.

However, in the Kirin Garden of the Duke Rong Mansion, Qiao Jinniang didn’t see Tuan’er.

The one she saw was Lu Chen who was wearing a black robe embroidered with a golden python.

Qiao Jinniang asked Lu Chen, “Where is Tuan’er?”

Lu Chen said, “Tuan’er is taking a nap after lunch.”

Qiao Jinniang said coldly, “Then why did you ask me to come over?”

Lu Chen walked up to Qiao Jinniang and asked, “Where is my coming-of-age gift for you?”

Qiao Jinniang said, “I lost it.”

Lu Chen frowned. “How could you lose it?”

Qiao Jinniang said impatiently, “I couldn’t find it, okay? It’s just a shabby silver hairpin!”

Qiao Jinniang didn’t want to talk to Lu Chen any longer.

Since Tuan’er was not here, she should leave.

Not wanting to spend any time with Lu Chen, she turned around, intending to leave.

However, Lu Chen held Qiao Jinniang’s hand and asked, “Without Tuan’er, you don’t even want to talk to me?”

Qiao Jinniang looked at Lu Chen unyieldingly. “I am a human. Why should I bother talking to a dog?”

Lu Chen frowned and clasped Qiao Jinniang’s hand, his eyes full of anger. “What have I done to you?! Why do you keep insulting me?”

“Hmph, you gave me a divorce letter, demoted me from your wife to your concubine, and made Tuan’er a son of a concubine. You ingrate! And you’re asking me what you have done to me?!”

Qiao Jinniang sneered.

Lu Chen said, “I told you the concubines in the royal family are not like those ordinary concubines!”

Qiao Jinniang tried to break free from Lu Chen’s hands. What is this jerk holding her wrist so tightly?

“Lu Chen, think about it, if you are not the Crown Prince and I am a princess, after I return to Chang’an, I demote you from my husband to one of my gigolos, what will you think? And what will you think if I make Tuan’er the son of a gigolo?”

Lu Chen said, “That’s different.”

Qiao Jinniang pried Lu Chen’s fingers from her hands one by one. “What’s the difference?”

“If you still have any conscience left in you, just let me go for the sake of my life-saving grace for you.”

Seeing that Qiao Jinniang’s wrist had turned red, he let go.

Qiao Jinniang turned around and left without any hesitation…

Seeing that Qiao Jinniang left, Junior Duke Rong walked to Lu Chen and said, “Seventh Brother, didn’t you give Qiao Jinniang a divorce letter? She is going to be married to another man. Don’t tell me that you regret it now.”

“Be married to another man?” Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. “A divorce letter?”

Junior Duke Rong said, “Didn’t you give her that? A few days ago, I saw her going on a blind date with Li Yun in the Tasty Pavilion. They may even be engaged in the next few days.”

Lu Chen’s face turned dark. “Blind date? Engaged?”

Junior Duke Rong touched his own head. “Seventh Brother, since you’ve given her a divorce letter, why don’t you just let her go?”

“Shut the f*ck up!”

Lu Chen, who had always been elegant, said foul words for the first time.

Lu Chen strode to catch up with Qiao Jinniang.

At the gate of the Duke Rong Mansion, Jinniang was about to go into the sedan chair when Lu Chen dragged her into his carriage.

His action was so quick that no one had the time to respond.

Qiao Jinniang got into the carriage, only to see Lu Chen’s dark face. She asked, “Are you out of your mind?”

“Qiao Jinniang, do you think I’m dead? How dare you go on a blind date with another man? No wonder you called him ‘Cousin’ so sweetly. What kind of cousin would give his cousin sister a gold hairpin?!”

Lu Chen lowered his voice and snapped. She broke his bottom line over and over again!

Qiao Jinniang glared at Lu Chen unyieldingly. “You want to make me your concubine! So why can’t I marry someone else? You’ve already given me a divorce letter. Even if you don’t admit that the divorce letter was written by you, I have registered it with the government!”

Lu Chen almost suffocated when he heard that she was going to marry someone else. “Are you really going to marry someone else?”

Qiao Jinniang raised her head and said, “Perhaps in the eyes of you nobles, it is a joke for a man to have only one woman for his entire life, but in Lin’an, this is very common.

“Although my foster parents were very kind to me and I’d never lived in poverty, after you left, the clansmen of my father tried to force me to marry the son of the prefecture governor as a concubine. If the people from the Duke Mansion came a step later, I would have burned myself with Myriad Taste…

“I was separated from my biological parents for eighteen years because Duke Anyuan indulged his concubine!

“In this life, I would rather live a poverty-stricken life with my husband who loves and respects me than fight with many other women for my husband’s favor every day. That kind of life will even ruin my children!”

Lu Chen gritted his teeth and said, “Are you sure Li Yun won’t take any concubines? He is going to be an official. How is it possible for him to have no concubines in the future?”

“The Li Family has a tradition that no man in their family shall take a concubine unless his wife doesn’t have a son at forty,” Qiao Jinniang said.

Lu Chen sneered. “Then how can you be sure that he won’t have any concubine maids or mistresses?”

Qiao Jinniang looked at Lu Chen. “Don’t guess the heart of a gentleman with your own mean thoughts!”

Lu Chen let go of her. “Okay, let’s wait and see if you can find a man in Chang’an who will only have one woman in his life!”

Qiao Jinniang’s eyes lit up. Is this jerk finally agreeing to let her go?

She smiled and said, “Then please remember, Your Royal Highness, we will be strangers from here on out. Except for Tuan’er, we have nothing to do with each other.”

With that, Qiao Jinniang saluted and got out of the carriage.

In the carriage, Lu Chen clenched the teacup in his hand, which soon turned into powder!

The fragment of the cup cut into Lu Chen’s hand, causing his hand to drip with blood. Although his hand was injured, he somehow felt his heart was aching too…

She had no affection for him now!

She was so happy to be allowed to marry another man!

But how could she still smile so seductively at him?!