"Uncle Zhong, what brings you here?"
Wang Gang rose to welcome him inside.
The visitor was Wang Zhong, an old retainer of the Wang family. He had first served as Wang Gang's father's page, then as his personal attendant. After Wang Gang's father died, he had become the steward and looked after Wang Gang.
Wang Zhong said cheerfully, "Today was your wedding day. I was afraid of hampering your performance, so I sent all the servants away. Who knew that would end up letting you suffer instead?"
Wang Gang scratched his head and said bashfully, "I never got to perform!"
"Never mind. You'll have plenty of chances to show off your strengths!"
"Of course. A very long strength!"
"I watched you grow up with your bottom bare. You think I don't know your length?"
Wang Zhong curled his lip. "All right, I only came to check on you. You seem fine. I'm off!"
With that, Wang Zhong headed outside. At the doorway, he suddenly stopped, turned, and said:
"Two men wanted a boat earlier. I saw that one of them was injured, so I arranged for someone to take him to Divine Physician Hu for treatment. And your wife was persuaded to go to the Waterside Lodge."
"Always playing the good man!" Wang Gang muttered. Then something struck him as odd, and he asked curiously, "Since when did our estate have a divine physician?"
"What divine physician would our estate have? Old Xu can only treat colds and fevers. I meant Divine Physician Hu outside Gusu!"
"Outside Gusu?" Wang Gang repeated the words a few times. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. "You even arranged a boat for him?"
"That's right." Wang Zhong nodded cheerfully.
"Once the boat reaches the middle of the lake, a few servants draw their long sabers and ask him: would you like a slicing..."
"Nonsense!" Wang Zhong sternly reprimanded him. "Our Wang family has farmed and studied for generations. How could we engage in the business of murderous scoundrels?"
"You're that kindhearted?" Suspicion covered Wang Gang's face.
"Repay resentment with virtue!" Wang Zhong adopted an air of magnanimity and candor.
Looking thoroughly unconvinced, Wang Gang circled him once, then asked in puzzlement, "But where did a divine physician outside Gusu come from?"
"Divine Physician Hu, Hu Santie! The one who claims three medicinal plasters will cure any disease!"
"Isn't he a vet?"
"He treats people occasionally!"
"Oh... just what I'd expect of you! I like you!"
"You'll have to get in line. All the girls at the Spring Breeze House say they like me!"
"I'm telling Auntie!"
"Whelp, you're not fit to plot with!"
After they had joked around for a while, Wang Zhong asked, "Now, to business. What are you planning to do about your wife?"
Wang Gang fell silent. This was rather troublesome! If he followed his own wishes, he wanted to kill that bitch to avenge his death!
In practice, however, that would be difficult. Once he bore the name of a wife-killer, even without evidence, his life would be ruined!
Besides, the people behind Li Qingluo would be difficult to deal with.
Her birth father, Wuyazi, was crippled and could be disregarded, but Ding Chunqiu had raised her as his own daughter. That old venomous fiend was cruel and bloodthirsty. He certainly would not let the matter rest!
Of course, Wang Gang could ask Murong Bo for help, but Murong Bo could not guard him all day long.
Even taking a step back, supposing Murong Bo could eliminate Ding Chunqiu, there was still Li Qiushui!
That empress dowager of Western Xia would not even need to act personally. She only had to promise to lend him three thousand troops in the future, and Murong Bo would probably switch sides!
That scoundrel was forever breaking faith and betraying others!
More importantly, how could simply killing her dispel the resentment in his heart?
Wang Gang knew that, ultimately, he was still far too weak. He sighed. "Uncle Zhong, what do you think I should do?"
Wang Zhong considered briefly, then said, "Since you can't live together, discuss it with her and settle things with an amicable divorce. That will spare you the mutual loathing of a bitter couple!"
Wang Gang said nothing, clearly dissatisfied with this suggestion.
Wang Zhong's smile faded. "Young master, you're going to become an official, perhaps even a chief minister. How do the scholars put it? Set your household in order, govern the state, and bring peace to all under heaven!
"If your household is in disarray and word gets out, people won't just laugh at you. It will affect your official career! How could His Majesty and all those eminent gentlemen at court trust you to govern the state and bring peace to all under heaven?"
Wang Gang remained silent.
Wang Zhong hesitated, then tried again. "Then just treat her as a little sparrow you're keeping, a pet bird. Play with her when you're happy, and ignore her when you're not! I'm only afraid you'd be making yourself suffer!"
When Wang Gang still offered no opinion, Wang Zhong grew anxious and said urgently:
"The master once said that the strong uphold the constant rules, while the weak resort to expedients! Young master, you must never imitate those murderous scoundrels and stake your life on an expedient! It isn't worth it!"
The so-called constant rules were the warp threads in a piece of cloth, representing rules, while resorting to expedients meant using power to break those rules. Of course, this was not the exclusive privilege of the meat-eaters in high office. Ordinary people had that power too: when a common man flew into a rage, blood could spatter five paces.
Uncle Zhong was right. Just as he had wanted to kill Duan Zhengchun today, it was entirely because he could not stand against him that he had thought of killing him to eliminate future trouble!
But if he were truly powerful, if he possessed Murong Bo's martial arts, would he still care about a mere Duan Zhengchun? There would be plenty of ways to toy with him to death!
And now he had the panel. Becoming stronger was only a matter of time. Kill Duan Zhengchun?
Hah, how could that relieve the hatred in his heart?
Without the Dali Duan Clan's martial arts and wealth, what would Duan Zhengchun amount to?
Evil had to be rooted out completely!
Wang Gang drew a long breath, calming himself.
"Uncle Zhong, I won't do anything so foolish!" Seeing his worried face, Wang Gang said, "Killing them would let them off far too easily. As the saying goes, forcing someone to live is worse than death..."
"Hey!" Wang Zhong waved a hand to interrupt him, his face solemn. "Young master, you're an orthodox heir to Confucianism. How can you utter such words of Yang Zhu's, which acknowledge no sovereign!"
Wang Gang was also someone who welcomed correction, so he immediately changed his wording. "Then let me put it another way. Back in Emperor Renzong's reign, Chief Minister Chen Zhizhong lost his good name in his later years because he beat a maid to death! If I killed my wife, wouldn't my reputation be even more infamous? A mere Li Qingluo isn't worth sacrificing all that!"
"It's good that you've thought it through! Ruining your own future over someone else is the least worthwhile thing of all!" Wang Zhong breathed a sigh of relief. After a few more words of reassurance, he smiled. "Since you've worked it out, young master, get some rest!"
After seeing Wang Zhong off, Wang Gang lay on the bed and considered the future. The fundamental conflict between him and Li Qingluo was not that her heart was not with him.
He could accept someone he liked not liking him, but he could not accept someone married to him still thinking of another man!
Meanwhile, in the Waterside Lodge, Li Qingluo was grieving despondently, her graceful, slender body stretched across an embroidered couch as she recalled her tender romance with Duan Zhengchun beneath the flowers and moon.
She had never expected so much filth to lurk amid such beauty. Never mind not being his only woman-she did not even rank third or fourth. Grief welled up in her heart, and tears streamed down her face.
Attending her nearby, Ping'er blushed, wanting to speak but holding back. She wanted to tell her mistress that the master had taken liberties with her, but seeing her like this, she could not get the words out.
Suddenly, she felt pain in her foot. She looked down but could not see her toes.
"What's wrong with you?" She raised her head blankly and heard Rui'er speaking quietly to her.
"Nothing." Ping'er answered softly, but her face grew even redder.
Suspicious, Rui'er pulled her into a corner and threatened, "Tell the truth, or I'll pinch you and make these even more swollen!"
Ping'er shrank back, shielding her chest with both arms, and timidly recounted what had happened when she delivered tea that day.
Rubbing her chin, Rui'er asked thoughtfully, "You're saying the young master touched your face and even told you to call him husband?"
"Mm." Ping'er vaguely sensed something was wrong, but could find no problem when she thought it over, so she assented.
"I know!" Rui'er reached a decisive conclusion. "The young master's taken a fancy to you! He wants to take you into his chamber!"
"Ah! Don't talk nonsense! How could I be worthy of him?" Ping'er cried softly, her face as red as a boiled shrimp.
"Exactly, I can't understand it either! You're so stupid, and so big too. Who would like you? Even if you became someone's wet nurse, they'd worry you'd nurse the child stupid!"
Ping'er lowered her head in shame.
"There, there, let's just say our young master's blind!"
Rui'er dipped into a curtsey. "Rui'er pays her respects to Lady Ping! Please look after me in the future, my lady."
"Ah! How can you spout such nonsense!"
Ping'er reached out to cover Rui'er's mouth. Unable to reach her face, Rui'er could only grab at the two bulges on her chest, setting off a stream of squeals.
"What are you doing!"
A soft, slightly hoarse reprimand came, and the two hurriedly stood at attention.
"Fetch paper and brush. I want to write to Father!"
Silent as cicadas in winter, the two went to fetch the writing supplies with light, careful steps. They had both met their mistress's father. He was terrifying-smiling cheerfully one moment and killing someone the next.
Li Qingluo picked up the brush and began writing. Recalling tonight's events, she felt more wronged and angrier the more she thought. He shouted at me, cursed me, and even told me to kill myself!
Soon, tears mingled with ink across the paper. She wrote down her thousand sorrows and ten thousand grievances, filling more than a dozen sheets in a great outpouring until the envelope bulged.
"Arrange for someone to send this first thing tomorrow morning!"
"Yes!" Rui'er answered and took the letter.
Lying on the bed, Li Qingluo thought, If he gives me a divorce letter tomorrow, I'll beat him up. I'll drag things out until Father comes, and then someone will stand up for me!
Thinking of her father's martial arts put her at ease. She had exhausted herself mentally today, and before long, she fell into a deep sleep.