HLnovel Chapter 292 The Complex Political Situation (Part 2)
Chapter 292 The Complex Political Situation (Part 2)
She knew about Miss Li's matter, but she didn't know it was related to the Crown Prince's coming-of-age ceremony.
The man drunk in the street was Miss Li's cousin. Afterwards, Miss Ruan was forced to marry him, and the couple lived harmoniously after their marriage. A year later, Miss Ruan gave birth to a son, and the Li family spent all their resources to celebrate the child's birthday. At the full-moon banquet, a man suddenly stood up and claimed that he was the child's biological father.
The man was Miss Ruan's driver, and he accompanied Miss Ruan to the Li family's house.
He said that he and Miss Ruan were in love before she was married. However, due to their different social statuses, they had to keep their feelings hidden. Unexpectedly, Miss Ruan was humiliated in the street and forced to marry into the Li family, while he could only silently protect her as a coachman.
Miss Ruan was unwilling to consummate her marriage with her fiancé, so she asked him to buy a sedative from a pharmacy and conspired with her maid to put it in the girl's drink. On their wedding night, he and Miss Ruan consummated their marriage.
As he spoke, he took out the undergarment that Miss Ruan wore on her wedding night, saying that it was a gift from Miss Ruan on their wedding night.
The son-in-law was busy with official duties, so the young lady would find time to meet with him from time to time. Until the young lady became pregnant, in order to avoid arousing suspicion in the household, he was sent to the country estate. To prove his words, he even snatched the child back.
No blood test is needed to determine kinship; you can tell just by looking at their faces.
Young Master Li has fair skin, single eyelids, a high nose, and thin lips. Miss Ruan also has fair skin, double eyelids, almond-shaped eyes, a high nose, and lips of moderate thickness. This child has dark skin, double eyelids, a flat nose, and thick lips; at first glance, he looks exactly like the coachman.
Miss Ruan was stunned, completely unaware of what had happened. She looked at her husband, who coldly questioned her about what had occurred. She was speechless and had no way to defend herself.
Because of her marital infidelity and having a child with another man, the Li family publicly announced that Miss Ruan was being divorced from the Li family.
The Li family did not report the matter to the authorities, and even pleaded with the guests present not to spread it, to save face for both the Li and Ruan families. The more the Li family tried to maintain appearances, the faster the news spread.
Miss Ruan hanged herself, and her child and coachman disappeared without a trace. The Li family used this incident to suppress the Ruan family with all their might, resulting in the Ruan family's downfall. The conservative faction in the court was also severely weakened as a result.
It's hard to say that the Xie family and the Crown Prince's Palace didn't help behind the scenes in this matter.
“Hearing what you say, Madam, I suddenly feel that Miss Ruan is quite pitiful.” Liu Ying rubbed her arm. “I used to think it was good to be a young lady, with good food and good housing. Now I think it’s good to be a maid. As long as a maid chooses the right master, she doesn’t have to worry so much. Unlike a young lady, she has no say in anything.”
“Take charge of your own life. Even if you can’t decide on big things, you should at least think things through on small things.” Lu Zhiyuan moved further into the bed, gesturing for Liuying to lie down with her. “Take Miss Ruan’s framing of Miss Li, for example. She didn’t have to do it. Even if she did, she shouldn’t have gone to such extremes. It’s normal for noblewomen to want to curry favor with the Crown Prince, and it’s also normal for ordinary women to compare themselves and be jealous of each other. If she wanted to become the Crown Prince’s concubine, she could have used her influence with the Crown Prince, or she could have used some extraordinary methods to block Miss Li’s path to becoming a concubine, such as currying favor with the Empress, spreading rumors, and making the Empress dislike Miss Li.”
"Her Majesty the Empress is not someone who can be easily fooled," Liu Ying said. "I'm afraid the method you suggested won't work."
“It’s just an example, not that I’m actually asking her to go and cause trouble for the Empress Dowager.” Lu Zhiyuan closed her eyes: “In short, ruining someone’s reputation is not included in this category.”
"In the end, a woman's chastity is still more important." Liu Ying sighed. "Why does no one care about a man's chastity? We are all human, yet women are treated unfairly in every way. A woman cannot live without her chastity, but a man is considered philandering and powerful."
"A clean reputation is very important to those who value it, such as Miss Li and her family. Losing one's reputation is tantamount to losing one's way out. Miss Ruan went too far here. If it weren't for Miss Li losing her chance to compete with her for the Crown Prince's concubine, it would have been her life. Her fate with Miss Li was sealed at that moment."
"A clean record is important to those who care about their innocence, but what about those who don't care about their innocence?"
"That's bullshit." Lu Zhiyuan blurted out a vulgarity: "If I were Miss Li, I wouldn't care about those outside opinions at all. It doesn't matter if the Li family doesn't accept me, I can find a place anywhere, even become a nun."
"A nun?" Liu Ying's eyes widened. "Does Madam know what a nun is? She is someone who stays in a temple, keeping company with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp."
“It’s not like she’s going to be a nun for life, spending her days with a solitary lamp and ancient Buddha.” Lu Zhiyuan yawned. “The Li family is just concerned about appearances; it’s not like they don’t love their daughter. Judging from the fact that Miss Li’s cousin is willing to get involved, at least the Li family still cares about Miss Li. In other words, Miss Li still has political significance for the Li family. When things are getting heated, she can go to the temple to avoid trouble for two or three years, and when everyone has forgotten about her, she can return to the Li family under a different identity.”
"Change...change my identity?" Liu Ying sat up. "How do I change my identity? What kind of identity?"
"Changing her name shouldn't be difficult for the Li family, right? We can say that the one at the temple has passed away, and the one returning is a concubine's daughter whom the Li family raised outside, or perhaps the introverted daughter of our second or third uncles who doesn't like to go out. If that doesn't work, we can give her the status of a cousin or a distant cousin. In short, as long as Miss Li wants to come back, and the Li family is willing to let her come back, she can come back. We can arrange a marriage or find a husband for her, it all depends on what the Li family thinks."
"What if, like Miss Ruan, I become an outcast of the Li family?"
“The world is vast, there’s always a place to go.” Lu Zhiyuan pinched her brow. “Which of these young ladies from noble families, those who are promoted to the forefront by their families, are ordinary? At the very least, they are proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, needlework, tea ceremony, and etiquette. With these skills, where can’t they make a living? They can become a teacher in a music shop or an embroiderer in an embroidery workshop, and they can save some money. With money, they can open a shop, and based on my understanding of young ladies and ladies from noble families, I’m not afraid of not doing a good job. With money, they can find a husband they like and live a happy life.”
Liu Ying sincerely said, "Madam is indeed Madam, her ideas are unique. It's a pity that most young ladies from noble families don't think of this."
Lu Zhiyuan retorted, "It's not that they couldn't think of it, but that they hadn't considered it, or that their circumstances hadn't forced them to that point. Everyone has their own value; it's not that they can't see it, but that they're bound by certain things. For example, Miss Ruan and Miss Li were taught from a young age to bring honor and profit to their families. Once they became a stain on their families, they wanted to erase themselves to protect their families. No one told them that they were human beings and that they should live for themselves. Unless their families collapsed first, forcing them to become self-reliant out of necessity."
"How complicated!" Liu Ying shook her head. "Luckily, I'm just a maid. Although I'm not as carefree as the madam, I don't take my chastity so seriously either. At least I won't die because I lose my chastity. At worst, I can just stay with the madam and never get married."