sbdcsierra Chapter 1216 I beg Your Majesty for help with my divorce
Chapter 1216 I beg Your Majesty for help with my divorce
On the other side, at the Xie family home, Xiang Huayue met her old friend. The two were the same age and had met in the capital.
They hit it off immediately and quickly became close friends.
But now, seeing her old friend again, with his full head of white hair, Xiang Huayue was filled with countless emotions.
Madam Xie bowed tremblingly to the Empress Dowager, but was pulled up by Aunt Chun Chan, who had been by Xiang Huayue's side for many years.
“Furong, we haven’t seen each other for many years. Come and have a heart-to-heart talk with me.”
Xiang Huayue waved to Madam Xie, who was being helped by her grandchildren to sit down beside her.
"It's been many years since we last met. Your Majesty the Empress Dowager still looks radiant, while I have aged considerably over the years. I hope Your Majesty will forgive my appearance."
Xiang Huayue held Old Madam Xie's hand, tears welling up before she could speak.
Upon seeing this, Aunt Chun Chan immediately handed over the handkerchief.
"How have you been all these years?" Xiang Huayue wiped away her tears and couldn't help but ask.
Thinking back on her years living in the Xie family, Old Mrs. Xie addressed the group of grandchildren following behind her:
"You may all leave now; you don't need to serve us here."
Xiang Huayue looked up at the children who were reluctant to leave, and noticed that the clothes her old friend was wearing were a bit outdated.
She must have had a difficult time in the Xie family all these years.
"Grandma, is there anything you'd like to eat? Your granddaughter will cook it for you herself."
Madam Xie waved her hand, a relieved smile appearing on her face, but Xiang Huayue, sitting right next to her, couldn't sense any genuine emotion in that smile.
Old Madam Xie, holding the child who had spoken, introduced him to Xiang Huayue:
"This is my little granddaughter. She is a thoughtful and sensible girl. She has never seen anything like this before. Come and greet the Empress Dowager."
The child whose hand was being held by Madam Xie bowed to Xiang Huayue. His manners were passable, but they would be considered rather inadequate in Jincheng.
"You're a thoughtful and sensible person, so let me try your cooking. Make some of your grandmother's favorite dishes, and let me see if her tastes have changed."
The child withdrew in response, and Chunxiang led all the servants in the room away as well.
Only Chun Chan was left to watch over things.
In order to avoid any inconvenience, she could protect the Empress Dowager at the first opportunity.
Before Xiang Huayue could even speak, two lines of tears streamed down Old Madam Xie's face as soon as she turned her head.
"What's wrong? Tell me properly, and if you have any grievances, just thank the Xie family."
Madam Xie's tears flowed more and more fiercely. At first, Xiang Huayue tried to comfort her, but she couldn't stop crying, so she just let her cry.
Finally, after she calmed down, he asked, "If there's anything that's bothering you, tell me today, and I'll stand up for you."
Old Madam Xie, having just finished crying, looked at Xiang Huayue with hopeful eyes.
"My lady, I..."
Old Madam Xie covered her mouth with her sleeve, and after a long pause, she said:
"Your Majesty, I don't want to live with his family anymore. I want a divorce and to live my own life."
Madam Xie, whose original surname was Li and given name was Furong, was once a rare beauty in the capital, but now she has been worn down to this state.
Standing next to Xiang Huayue, he didn't look like she was the same age. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse and filled with grievance, making him look more than ten years older than Xiang Huayue.
“I know it’s a pipe dream for me to get a divorce at my age, but that Xie guy is no human being at all. I’ve been trapped in this house for half my life. I’m not afraid to tell you, but after we got married, I have to ask him before I can even go out.”
Even after so much time has passed, Xiang Huayue still remembers that when Madam Xie was young and beautiful, she was the most lively among them, and would often come to ask her to go out and play together.
Xiang Huayue came from a military family, and her father, brothers, and elders felt at ease letting her go out and play when they saw that it was her.
The most unconventional person in the world today is now trapped in the inner quarters for half her life after marriage, something Xiang Huayue could never have imagined.
“You should write to your colleague and tell him what you’re doing; you shouldn’t be putting yourself through this.”
Madam Xie shook her head weakly: "With the political upheaval in the court and the change of imperial power, the Li family has been relying on the Xie family all these years. I cannot destroy the family's century-old foundation for my own selfish desires."
Madam Xie's tears kept flowing, and she had to pause after saying just a few words.
"Fortunately, nowadays, my Li family has produced several children who can study, and we no longer rely on the Xie family for everything. I mentioned it to him once, and then I could no longer leave the house."
Xiang Huayue frowned upon hearing this. No wonder she had only received one reply out of ten letters she had sent to Qiyang over the years.
The letters sent back to the capital were so unfamiliar that she doubted whether the person she was writing to was still Li Furong.
"His Majesty has long promulgated the law that women are free to marry. Even if they want to divorce after marriage, as long as it is in accordance with the law, they do not need the Xie family's consent. How dare he imprison you at home? Does he think the laws of the Great Hall are just a piece of waste paper?"
Xiang Huayue slammed her hand on the table. She had been away from the capital for more than half a year, and she lived a happy and carefree life, rarely showing any sternness anymore.
But now she's really angry. Before she left Beijing, they had agreed that she would find a chance to come back and see her again after the wedding.
But her closest friends seemed to disappear after leaving the capital.
When we met again, there was no trace of her former bright and flamboyant self.
When they met today, Xiang Huayue almost didn't recognize her.
She said that Xie Jia was outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant, and she would have believed it if her friend had been in his shoes.
“Xie Hong is not human. He doted on his wife and neglected his concubines, causing the death of my child. Now, there are dozens of descendants of the Xie family, none of whom have my bloodline. Even if I am sick, no one will call a doctor for me.”
Li Furong cried her heart out, soaking her handkerchief.
“Everyone around me is gone. If it weren’t for Xie Hong learning that His Majesty had taken the Empress Dowager on a trip away from the capital and thinking that you would remember our past friendship and come to see me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t be sitting here alive.”
Li Furong cried her heart out, her fingers trembling with hatred.
"My father fell seriously ill two years ago. The Li family sent me more than a dozen letters, asking me to go back and see my father. Xie Hong hid the letters and I didn't find out until a year after my father passed away."
Xiang Huayue felt a chill run down her spine as she listened, and couldn't help but think back to the past. If His Majesty hadn't successfully seized power, she wouldn't have the good life she has now.
The Xiang family might be long gone.
With trembling hands, Li Furong grasped Xiang Huayue's hand: "My relationship with Your Highness has been shallow over the years, and I shouldn't have made such a request. But now that Your Highness has come to see me, I know that Your Highness still cares about me. Please help me this time."
Li Furong wept, not daring to look at the Empress Dowager's expression, fearing rejection and displeasing her, which would also implicate the Li family's children who had entered officialdom.