Chapter 117: The Seventeen-Year-Old Woman At Duke Anyuan’s Side
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In Duke Anyuan Mansion.
Duke Anyuan was off today. Working in the study, he felt very upset.
Hearing the reply from the spy he put at Zheng Xiao’s side, he realized that they were happily holding a housewarming banquet.
Hearing the Imperial Grandson, Princess Shou’an, and others had all attended the banquet, Duke Anyuan was very depressed.
However, a man of no sense appeared.
“Your Excellency, my daughter is seventeen this year. Since she was a child, she has been proficient in zither, calligraphy, chess, and painting. She is also good at needlework. More importantly, she is very beautiful. Would you…”
Before he could finish speaking, Duke Anyuan frowned and said, “We’re talking about official affairs. Why do you mention your daughter?”
The subordinate said, “Your Excellency, such a large Duke mansion needs a mistress!”
Duke Anyuan frowned. “I can even manage the Ministry of Defence. Can’t I even manage a Duke Mansion? Besides, the Duke Mansion still has other women!”
What made him angry was that Qiao Ruoyi and Qiao Jinniang left with Zheng Xiao, as well as many maids and mammies.
As for those who did not follow Zheng Xiao away, they all followed Old Madam Qiao to the temple, so there were almost no women in the Duke Mansion now.
The subordinate continued. “But Your Excellency, you’re still young. You need a wife…”
“If you don’t talk about the official affairs, leave!”
However, Duke Anyuan seemed to think of something and said, “Wait…”
1
At the housewarming banquet, Qiao Ruoyun didn’t know Fulu had come over and brought Qin Miaomiao with her.
Whenever Fulu and Qin Miaomiao were together, they would quarrel, but with Prince Consort Qin here today, they both restrained their temper a lot.
Qin Miaomiao seemed to become more restrained.
Fulu said to Qin Miaomiao, “You never surrendered to me before, but why are you so quiet today?”
Qin Miaomiao said, “I’m going to get married after the spring. Who would quarrel with you, a child? I will marry ahead of you anyway.”
Fulu snorted. “What’s so good about marrying a man, especially marrying a man who has someone else in his heart.
“The Duchess is a living example!”
Qin Miaomiao said proudly, “What matters between husband and wife is to respect each other. It doesn’t matter if he loves me or not. I just need my husband to respect me.”
Hearing Qin Miaomiao’s words, Zheng Xiao recalled the past.
‘When she had just turned fifteen, her grandmother said that the Qiao family had come to propose marriage to her.
The young Zheng Xiao met the Junior Duke of the Qiao family.
He held the military power at a young age, but everyone said that His Majesty was going to get rid of the Qiao family to take back military power
And that the Qiao family might decline soon.
But it was that year that the Junior Duke defeated the barbarians in the Northwest and uplifted the national prestige of the Datang Dynasty.
Everyone said that the Junior Duke would be able to restore the glory of his ancestors.
At that time, the sixteen-year-old Junior Duke desperately needed a wife who could support the Qiao family.
After careful selection, Old Madam Qiao thought that Prime Minister Zheng’s granddaughter was the most suitable.
Firstly, Prime Minister Zheng was a man of moral integrity and wouldn’t look down on their Qiao family’s orphans and widowed mother. Secondly, Zheng Xiao was very pretty. Although she was a bit soft-tempered, she was brought up by Prime Minister Zheng’s wife.
On the day of the engagement, Zheng Xiao, as a young girl, also yearned for her future husband.
But that night, he rudely broke into her boudoir and told her that he didn’t like her as his wife and that he wanted to marry his cousin.
Zheng Xiao told what he said to her grandmother the next day, but her grandmother said the same as Qin Miaomiao said today,
“Xiao’er, what matters most between husband and wife is to respect each other. It’ll be enough if he respects you.
“Even if aman and a woman who love each other get married, the marriage may not last long.
“Your mother-in-law is a good person, and the Junior Duke’s cousin is only fourteen years old. After you marry him, his cousin can only be a concubine.”
At that time, Zheng Xiao obeyed her grandmother and married the Duke. Later, the Duke made one outstanding achievement after another, and gradually became the youngest Minister of Defense.
‘When he was only twenty-seven years old, the Duke became a marshal, and she became a marshal’s wife respected by everyone.
Although she suffered in the fight for favor with Qian Shi, she felt that her grandmother was right.
But when she found out that one of her daughters had been separated from her for 18 years and her other daughter had been dead, she knew that her grandmother was wrong.
Looking back on her memory, Zheng Xiao sighed and said, “Miaomiao, I’m afraid you will regret it in the future.”
Qin Miaomiao said, “Madam, unlike you, I have no choice. I don’t want a mediocre man to be my husband.
“No man in the world will be loyal to only one woman, so I might as well find a man who can win me a nobility title.”
Fulu taunted, “Oh, you are really sober.”
‘When Qiao Jinniang heard this, she thought what Qin Miaomian said somewhat made sense, but it was just her personal choice, and she wouldn’t say anything about it.
A mammy hurried in and said, “Madam, the Duke has brought a girl here. He said that since you are hosting a housewarming banquet, he has to come to give gifts. The girl looks about seventeen years ol
Zheng Xiao said to the mammy, “Tell him I already have nothing to do with him and I don’t want him to appear in front of my eyes. If he wants to show off that he has got a young beauty to accompany him the very day after our divorce, he doesn’t have to come.”
As soon as she said so, Duke Anyuan had come over with that young girl. He saluted Princess Shou’an and her husband first. “Your Highness.”
The Princess glanced at the woman beside Duke Anyuan and said, “Your Excellency, if I were you, I wouldn’t have brought such a lousy woman with me and made a fool of myself.”
Duke Anyuan just wanted to show off his attractiveness. Implying that without the Duchess, there were still tons of women throwing themselves on him.
However, quality was more important than quantity. Although the Duchess was already thirty-five years old, she was still beautiful and graceful. Although this girl was young, her appearance was not comparable to the Duchess at all.
Duke Anyuan was a little embarrassed. He just wanted to see Zheng Xiao’s reaction, but Zheng Xiao didn’t even blink an eye, without the slightest bit of anger.
This made Duke Anyuan extremely annoyed.
Qiao Jinniang watched from the side and couldn’t help sighing. It was obvious that Duke Anyuan had her mother in his heart, but why did he treat her mother like that?
1
At this time, he didn’t kneel down and beg for her mother’s forgiveness, instead he went to find another woman to provoke her mother?
Qiao Jinniang really wanted to see how much water was in Duke Anyuan’s head. He didn’t even know that her mother had long since fallen out of love with him, so she wouldn’t care if he had another woman or not!
Zheng Xiao said to Duke Anyuan, “Your Excellency, we are already divorced, and I hope you won’t come to me and disturb my peace.”
“Treally don’t care how many women you have. I didn’t even care about Qian Shi. I fought with her just to defend my position as the Duchess.”
Duke Anyuan took a deep breath. “Very good, I’ll wait to see how you’ll look when you regret it!”
Everyone: “…”
Lu Chen, who had just come in, heard what Duke Anyuan said and mourned for his father-in-law in his heart. He couldn’t help but doubt if such a Minister of Defense could really defend against foreign enemies for Datang?1
Seeing Lu Chen arrive, everyone stood up and saluted.
Lu Chen said, “It’s just a family banquet. Don’t bother.”
Saying that, Lu Chen walked up to Qiao Jinniang and had a maid put a chair beside Qiao Jinniang for him. “Mother-in-law, this is a gift for you.”
Zheng Xiao was a bit surprised to hear the Crown Prince calling her Mother-in-law, but when she saw Qiao Jinniang not take it seriously, she just treated him the same as Qin Shu.
Watching this scene of harmony and happiness on the side, Duke Anyuan felt like a joke..