Volume One, Chapter 14: Grandmother Hopes You Are Truly Innocent

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“Qingqian! Now that there is both eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, why do you need a day’s time? I am going to divorce you right now!” Qin Lang said as he turned to the three senior Qin family elders.

“Three great-uncles, the matter is already very clear. Please witness this and sign on this divorce document. I will send it to the authorities for review shortly.”

In the Great Xia Kingdom, divorce was strictly regulated. To divorce a wife, she must have committed one of the offenses listed under the “Seven Grounds for Divorce,” meet the “Three No-Exit” criteria, and have the male family elders as witnesses to sign the divorce document before it could be submitted to the authorities for approval.

Only after the authorities verified everything and stamped the document would the divorce be legally valid.

Upon hearing this, the second great-uncle glanced at Qingqian and shook his head helplessly, about to sign.

“Grandmother, for the future of the Qin family, can’t you give me just one day?” Qingqian’s voice was calm, devoid of any panic, as she fixed her gaze on the Qin matriarch.

The Qin matriarch immediately understood the situation. Her eldest legitimate son was a useless man who only cared for pleasure, and her eldest grandson was infatuated with a courtesan—clearly no hope there either.

The future of the Qin family lay only with her dying legitimate second son.

That’s right, Qingqian had said yesterday she could cure Jue’er, and this morning the steward Li had also reported improvements in Jue’er’s condition.

Therefore, she could not let Qingqian leave the Marquis’s residence.

Regardless of whether Qingqian was falsely accused or truly a promiscuous woman, she could not leave the Qin family now!

“Second Brother! Wait!” The Qin matriarch suddenly spoke up, stopping the second great-uncle from signing.

The second great-uncle looked up in confusion, his pen suspended mid-air, uncertain why the matriarch was intervening.

The matriarch cleared her throat and scanned the room, then slowly said, “This divorce should not be decided so hastily. Qingqian is a child I’ve watched grow—I trust her. Since she asks for one day to prove her innocence, then let her have that day.

If she cannot prove it, then it won’t be too late to divorce her.”

The great-uncles exchanged glances, agreeing that the divorce could wait one more day.

The second great-uncle put down his pen and said, “The fourth brother’s wife is reasonable. Let it be as you say—give the Shi family one day to prove her innocence.”

Qin Lang immediately grew anxious and said, “Grandmother, great-uncles, there is eyewitness testimony and physical evidence! Nurse Zhao is Shi’s wet nurse—how could her words be false? Shi has committed such a disgraceful act. If we don’t divorce her quickly, how can the Qin family save face?”

The Qin matriarch gave Qin Lang a meaningful look. “Lang’er, can you not wait just one day? What are you afraid of?”

“Afraid? I haven’t done anything wrong! What would I be afraid of? Fine! Tomorrow is tomorrow!” Qin Lang said, allowing his servant to help him stand. He bowed to the three great-uncles and hobbled away.

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The three great-uncles frowned. This grandnephew had always looked down on them, ordinary people. If not for their respect for the fourth brother, they wouldn’t bother with affairs of the Marquis’s residence.

After bidding farewell to the Qin matriarch, the three great-uncles left.

“All right, Qingqian, you have only one day to prove your innocence. Grandmother hopes you truly are innocent,” the matriarch said with a complex look. Though the evidence was conclusive, she still wished Qingqian was wrongfully accused. After all, Jue’er needed Qingqian, and so did the Marquis’s household.

Qingqian bowed to the matriarch and said, “Grandmother, please rest assured. Qingqian will not disappoint you. I will uncover the truth thoroughly within this day, clear my name, and restore peace to the Qin family.”

“Good! Go now! Take your wet nurse with you. Remember, even if she retracts her statement, no one in the Qin family must believe your innocence!” the matriarch reminded.

“Yes!” Qingqian bowed again and took Hongzhu and Nurse Zhao back to the Qingfeng Pavilion.

...

Back at Qingfeng Pavilion, Qingqian went straight to the main hall and sat down. Nurse Zhao knelt before her with her head lowered.

Neither Qingqian nor Nurse Zhao spoke. The room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop.

The other maids exchanged glances, unsure of what was happening.

Hongzhu, with red eyes, looked at Nurse Zhao, too angry to speak.

After a while, Nurse Zhao could no longer hold back. With a heavy thud, she kowtowed deeply and cried, “Miss, please kill me! I have wronged you!”

“I only ask you one question: did you reveal Li Si’s whereabouts?” Qingqian’s gaze was cold.

Nurse Zhao shook her head, indicating she did not.

Qingqian took a deep breath, her expression softening slightly.

“Speak! What forced you to do this? Was it your family?”

Nurse Zhao did not expose Li Si, which meant she left a way out for herself. Even if she were divorced today, she could use Li Si to clear her name.

If she truly wanted to harm me, she would have revealed Li Si straight away.

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Without Li Si as a trump card, combined with Nurse Zhao and the forged handwriting, I would be utterly defenseless.

Therefore, Qingqian believed Nurse Zhao was coerced into framing her—most likely by Nurse Zhao’s own family.

Sure enough, as soon as Qingqian asked, Nurse Zhao looked up in disbelief, eyes wide with shock, tears streaming down as she choked out,

“Miss, how did you know? I... I have wronged you! But I beg you, please accept the divorce tomorrow! I promise, once you do, I will explain everything to the world!”

“Nurse Zhao, do you really think that after Qin Lang divorces me, your family will be spared? Qin Lang values his reputation and is ruthless. How could he leave anyone who knows the truth alive? That notion is far too naive,” Qingqian said calmly, her eyes sharp with insight.

Upon hearing this, Nurse Zhao stiffened, terror filling her face. She trembled before finally regaining composure and said,

“No! That can’t be! This is such a small matter. The heir promised that if I did as he said, I’d be paid well and could escape with my family!”

“Nurse Zhao, it’s because your family is involved that you lost your composure. I don’t blame you for that. But think carefully—is this really just a small matter?” Qingqian said seriously.

Nurse Zhao’s heart tightened. After a moment of thought, her legs weakened, and she collapsed to the ground.

This was no trivial matter—it could never be.

The heir’s actions now seemed aimed at divorcing me to replace me with a concubine, using Lu Hongzhao’s identity as a stepping stone to rise quickly.

If the scandal of the rightful wife being cuckolded were to spread, it would not only ruin the heir’s reputation but completely destroy his promising future.

And as someone who knew the truth, how could Nurse Zhao survive? She and her family were doomed.

Seeing Nurse Zhao’s reaction, Qingqian knew she had grasped the gravity of the situation and said no more.

Her gaze turned to the maids at the door, who watched Nurse Zhao in fearful silence.

“Zizhu, Lizhu, take Nurse Zhao to the woodshed and keep her under watch!” Qingqian instructed softly.

“Hongzhu, quickly go find Steward Li!”