☆、152, everyone hates him! (Monthly votes)
"Where is she...where is she? Come out quickly! Open the door for me!" Ning Shi was shocked when she saw this and hurriedly reached out to pound on the door. "Open the door! Open the door! I am Madam! Open the door now!" Ning Shi kept shouting angrily. At this moment, she was still wearing her disheveled clothes that she hadn't had time to change out of, and there were even scratch marks on her face left by He Shi earlier. Now, she was shouting and pounding on the door, which immediately attracted many people to stop and watch.
"Hey, who is this? She looks like a crazy woman."
"Look at your disheveled appearance, you look like a beggar..."
"From what she said, she's the general's wife."
"Ah, I remember now. Didn't General Ning's wife get into a fight with Madam He from the Huang family in the street? I heard it; the insults they were saying were incredibly awful. How dare she come back like that..."
"That's right, she's a complete shrew. I've met this general's wife before, and she was so arrogant. Now it seems she's nothing special."
The people behind her were whispering amongst themselves. Ning Shi suddenly turned her head, her face dark and gloomy. Coupled with the bloodstains on her face, she looked ferocious, which made the people tremble with fear. Ning Shi roared, "Shut up! How dare you criticize me? Get out! Get out of here!"
Ning was both shocked and frightened. She had been knocking on the door for so long and no one had come out. Was her husband really going to divorce her? And these people, these lowly commoners, dared to criticize her. What right did they have? She was a noblewoman, the wife of a general! No, she had to see her husband. As long as she saw him, there was still room for negotiation. She had to see him.
"Master, open the door! It's me, Caiyue! Open the door quickly! I have something to say! Open the door quickly!"
"Creak!" The door suddenly opened, and Ning Shi's face lit up with joy. Without even looking to see who it was, she pushed the person aside and rushed inside.
"Ah, the door is open. The general's wife has gone back. Let's go, there's nothing more to see."
"What's the rush? Who knows what's going on here? We knocked for ages and no one answered. I think the general might not even want to let her in. He might just kick her out in a minute."
"Yes, if I were Ning's man, I wouldn't want her either. She's utterly shameful."
"Haha, let's watch a little longer."
The crowd gathered in front of the general's mansion, whispering and discussing amongst themselves.
As soon as Ning rushed into the general's mansion, she grabbed someone and asked, "Where is the master? Where did the master go?"
"Ah, a ghost!" One of the servants, who had been caught, screamed in fright upon seeing Ning's disheveled appearance.
"Smack!"
"What are you yelling about? I am the madam. Do you want to die? Where is the master?" Madam Ning said angrily.
The man was stunned by the blow. Looking at Madam Ning like this, he was extremely surprised. The former Madam Ning was a high and mighty person. When had he ever seen her so disheveled? How was she any different from a beggar who had been beaten up by a crowd? But Madam Ning's lingering power was still there, and the servant dared not speak out. He could only say, "Master... is in the Old Madam's Anhe Hall..." As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Ning had already disappeared.
The servant couldn't help but snort, "What's wrong with this lady? Why is she in such a sorry state?"
"You don't know yet, do you? Madam got into a fight with someone in the street earlier. I heard that Master was furious and had the steward give Madam a letter of divorce." said the servant who had been hiding far away earlier.
"What! Well, she's not even the General's wife anymore, yet she's still yelling at me. In the end, she's just a discarded woman. I'm so angry. Master was right to divorce her. Why didn't you divorce her sooner? Looking at how arrogant she was just now, what does she think she is?"
"That is to say, Madam always likes to put on airs and appear magnanimous and peaceful, but she is actually quite ruthless. Most of the servants in the other courtyards have been punished by her. She is really no good person."
"She deserved to be divorced; she only deserved to be a discarded woman!"
Ning rushed towards Anhe Hall in a gust of wind, and the servants didn't stop her along the way. When Ning rushed into the hall, she saw that Old Madam Ning and Ouyang Shengzhide were sitting calmly. When they saw her rushing in like this, they were both stunned. Old Madam Ning's face then darkened. She was clearly aware of the previous news. Seeing Ning like this, they couldn't pretend they didn't know. Old Madam Ning had originally cared about the Ning family for a bit regarding Ouyang Shengzhide's decision to divorce his wife, but now it seemed that she had no intention of interfering anymore.
"Master, what did you mean by sending a letter of divorce to the Ning residence?" Ning asked Ouyang Zhide in a shrill voice.
Ouyang Zhide looked coldly at Ning Shi: "What do you mean? It means I want to divorce you." Ouyang Zhide had really lost patience with Ning Shi. He didn't like her much or have much affection for her when he married her. He had only turned a blind eye to her before because of his birth mother's reputation. But Ning Shi was becoming more and more unrestrained. This marriage to Ouyang Yue was truly unbearable for Ouyang Zhide.
Looking back on everything that had happened, Old Madam Ning and Ouyang Zhide could now imagine that it was probably all a deliberate scheme by the Princess's residence. They were intentionally using this incident to put Ning in a difficult position, and perhaps even had other motives. However, Ning's actions were indeed unethical; anyone with common sense could see that she had ulterior motives. But who was she targeting? Ouyang Zhide's beloved daughter. Even if she wasn't his biological daughter, what difference did it make to Ouyang Zhide? And Ouyang Yue was now Princess Mingyue, someone Ning could never compare to.
Even if Ning Shi didn't know before, and what she did might have truly been for Ouyang Yue, now that Ouyang Yue is Princess Mingyue Xuanyuan Yue, her marriage is no longer something Ning Shi can influence. A normal person in this situation would probably try every means to make the Huang family quietly annul the engagement. But what did Ning Shi do? Perhaps she did nothing, or perhaps she did, but the result was too bad. She even got the princess's mansion to use a scheme to punish her severely. Moreover, she showed no self-respect and got into a fight with He Shi in the street, hurling vicious insults. Even Old Ning Shi couldn't tolerate her anymore.
"Divorce me? Why? I've devoted myself to this household for so many years. I may not have made any great contributions to the General's Mansion, but I've certainly worked hard. My lord, how can you just divorce me so easily? Don't you care about our years of marriage?" Ning's eyes reddened, and she burst into tears. In her youth, she had fallen for Ouyang Zhide at first sight. Although young, Ouyang Zhide was handsome and dashing, captivating her young heart. She had gone to great lengths to persuade her mother, Huang, to agree to the marriage, and had even pressured Ning to marry into the General's Mansion. Those were the most beautiful times of her life.
Unfortunately, not long after she married into the family, Old Madam Ning, in an effort to counterbalance her, brought in Concubine Ming and Concubine Hong, among others. She, a woman of great pride and arrogance, endured it all for fear of Ouyang Zhide's displeasure and jealousy. Although she had constantly fought with these concubines in the household over the years, she had always been devoted to Ouyang Zhide. But these past twenty-odd years—the best years of her life—had been given to him, and now he was so easily divorcing her. Why? How could she accept this?
"Hmph, you know best what you've done. From the very beginning, you concealed the fact that you couldn't have children, lying to Mother to agree to your marriage into the General's Mansion. You never bore me a single child, committing the first of the seven grounds for divorce. Leaving that aside for now, you constantly stirred up trouble in the mansion, clashing with the concubines and secretly plotting against me—I tolerated all of that. I entrusted Yue'er to your care because you couldn't have children; that was already a lenient act. Yet you repeatedly used poisonous schemes to harm Yue'er, even trying to ruin her life by marrying her off to a shameless scoundrel like Huang Yu. If Huang Yu hadn't revealed it himself..." "Are you planning to wait until their wedding to tell me? You, the mistress of the General's Mansion, are unfertile, unvirtuous, and disrespectful. I have every reason to divorce you for any of these reasons." Ouyang Zhide's eyes were devoid of emotion, his gaze towards Ning Shi chilling. "Moreover, as the wife of the General's Mansion, you acted like a shrew, publicly arguing and fighting with He Shi. You've utterly disgraced the General's Mansion. If you truly cared about me, my mother, and the General's Mansion, this would never have happened. Are you really going to tell me all the good deeds you've done over the years?"
Ning's face turned deathly pale. Ouyang Zhi continued coldly, "The reason I let you into the General's Mansion today is to make it clear to you that from now on, you are my abandoned wife, Ouyang Zhide's wife. We will have no further contact, and you will never be allowed to set foot in the General's Mansion again. I've said all I have to say, now you can leave."
Ning's body trembled, and she suddenly lunged forward. Ouyang Zhide was startled and immediately shouted angrily, "What do you want to do? Stop it!"
Ning grabbed Old Ning's leg and cried, "Mother, please talk to my husband! Caiyue knows she was wrong. Caiyue was blinded by greed. Caiyue was just confused for a moment. Mother, please persuade my husband. Caiyue won't do it again. Caiyue will never do it again. Mother, please don't let my husband divorce me!" Ning grabbed Old Ning's leg and kept crying and begging. If before she had held onto the idea that she was just being stubborn and that Ouyang Zhide was only angry for a moment and that she could be coaxed into a break, she no longer dared to have that thought.
Ouyang Zhide was serious; she really was going to be divorced. She, the legitimate daughter of the Ning family, the former wife of a general, was now having all her glory stripped away, becoming a ridiculed abandoned woman in the entire capital. How could she accept this? She couldn't bear this transformation from heaven to hell. If she were divorced like this, she could only return to the Ning family, but was the Ning family so easy to stay in? A married daughter, like water spilled from a cup, abandoned and sent home—a large family like the Ning family valued its reputation above all else; how could they tolerate her? Her elder brother and sister-in-law already had grievances against her. Even if she went back to her mother, her mother might have felt sorry for her and let her stay, but how could someone as proud as her endure the Ning family's disdain?
So she can't go back, she can't just go back like this, she absolutely can't be divorced!
Old Madam Ning's eyes showed a hint of reluctance. Although her relationship with the Ning family was severed, she was still a member of the Ning family, born of the same lineage. The old Madam Ning might not have acted this way in the past, but now she was old and had even faced death, so she was more compassionate. She couldn't help but glance at Ouyang Zhide, who simply said coldly, "No matter what anyone says, I'm divorcing you today. Guards, escort Madam Ning out. She will never be allowed to set foot in the General's Mansion again."
Ning screamed, "No, you can't divorce me! If you divorce me, the Ning family will never let you go! Ouyang Zhide, you completely disregard our marital bond! You're so cold-blooded! You ungrateful wretch! All these years your official career has been so smooth, hasn't it been thanks to the Ning family's help? You've crossed the river and burned the bridge! Ouyang Zhide, you dare to divorce me! You'll die a horrible death!" Ning was dragged away, her voice growing increasingly shrill. Seeing that Ouyang Zhide showed no sign of remorse, she continued to beg for mercy, "Husband, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please don't divorce me! I'll do anything you ask! Husband... I beg you... please don't divorce me! Don't divorce me! Husband!" Ning's shrill voice faded into the distance, drawing the attention of everyone in the General's Mansion.
However, many servants in the General's Mansion who had previously fawned over Ning Shi now merely watched coldly, some even showing gloating expressions, adding fuel to the fire by saying she deserved it and cursing Ning Shi for being too immoral, calling it retribution.
"Bang!"
Ning was thrown out of the General's Mansion. The gate was tightly closed. Ning rolled on the ground, then collapsed and cried out in anguish. The sound was so tragic that it made one's heart tremble.
"Haha, he really did get out, he got divorced."
"Of course she should be divorced. This hypocritical and pretentious woman deserves to be divorced. She acts like a noblewoman on the surface, but she's a stupid woman in private. Anyone would divorce her. Besides, what kind of place is this General's Mansion? Why keep her around?"
"That's right. What's the point of keeping a hen that can't lay eggs? Just kill it and eat it. This kind of person should be divorced. Letting her occupy the position of general's wife for so many years is ridiculous. General Guide is a famous military general in our Great Zhou Dynasty. So many families want to marry him. Why worry about not having anyone to marry into the family? If she were divorced sooner, General Ouyang might have two children by now."
"Hahaha!"
"Wow!"
The onlookers, who had just been scolded by Ning, were now maliciously mocking her. Because Ning had stormed into the general's mansion and caused such a scene, news of her being divorced had spread. Now, their words were stabbing Ning in the heart. Not only that, but they were also rubbing salt into her wounds. Ning opened her mouth to curse, but in the end, she could only burst into tears.
"That bitch Ning Caiyue!" A scream suddenly came from inside the Huang residence.
Huang Qi stood in the hall, his face grim. He Shi was also in a disheveled state, constantly cursing. The veins on Huang Qi's forehead bulged. This He Shi was utterly vulgar and incredibly jealous. If it weren't for her past kindness, Huang Qi would have divorced her long ago. But this woman showed no restraint, and now she had made such a scene. He Shi was no longer the unruly village woman she once was; she was now openly arguing and fighting with someone in the street. Huang Qi could imagine the scorn and ridicule he would receive from his colleagues at court tomorrow. The thought made him so angry he wanted to beat He Shi to death.
"How dare you say that? Look at yourself! You've completely disgraced me. How am I supposed to face anyone now?"
He Shi cried out, "What can I do? Ning Shi did such a despicable thing, and then she turned her back on me afterwards! What am I supposed to do? Besides, she framed Yu'er and got arrested! What can I do? Ning Shi did such a vicious thing and then denies it. I only said a few words to her and she started hitting me. Am I supposed to just stand there and let her beat and scold me? Would you have any face then?" He Shi's ability to argue and make a scene was not something an ordinary person could match.
Huang Qihei, his face dark, wanted to curse He Shi again, but he gritted his teeth and said, "Yu'er has been arrested by the Prefect of Jingzhao. What exactly happened? Explain yourself first. I need to find a way to rescue Yu'er."
“That bitch Ning Caiyue, she actually did this just to curry favor with the Princess’s Mansion…” Madam He then embellished the story. A sinister glint flashed in Huang Qi’s eyes. Madam Ning was so vicious. But Huang Yu had indeed offended the royal family’s dignity, so the Princess’s Mansion had a reason to arrest him. Huang Qi was furious but couldn’t think of a better solution.
"My lord, we can't let Ning Caiyue get away with this. Since she dared to do this, she must have a way to rescue Yu'er. She has harmed us so much, we must get justice for her!" Madam He said anxiously. She didn't know how her son was doing, how could she not be worried?
Huang Qi, having served as an official in the court for many years, gradually calmed down from his initial anxiety and suddenly said, "You said that Ning Shi deliberately used this method to harm Yu'er in order to avoid being punished by the Princess's Mansion? Hmph, she thinks she can get away with harming us and remain unscathed? That's impossible."
He Shi was taken aback: "Master, you have a solution."
"Go and find out where Ning is now." Huang Qi waved his hand and immediately sent a servant to do the task. The servant returned not long after. After all, Ning's matter had caused such a big commotion, and many people in the capital were talking about it. "Master, Ning was divorced by General Ouyang. She cried in front of the General's mansion for a long time before finally returning to Ning's residence."
Huang Qi sneered: "Very well, gather the servants in the mansion and come with me to the Ning mansion to demand the person."
Madam He was stunned: "Master, who are you asking for? What reason do we have?"
"Don't say anything more, just come with me."
He Shi quickly tidied herself up and washed her face, no longer looking as disheveled as before. She then followed Huang Qi and a group of servants from the Huang family to the gate of the Ning Mansion in a menacing manner. The fact that the Huang family brought so many people naturally attracted the attention of the people.
"What kind of day is this? It's never going to end. This show is just one after another."
"Isn't it a comedy?"
"Haha, let's hurry up and follow them to see what's going on."
The people thronged and followed the Huang family to the Ning family residence.
The servant of the Ning family was somewhat frightened by the scene. Huang Qi said, "I want to see Ning Caiyue, the eldest daughter of the Ning family." The servant did not dare to delay and ran in to announce the arrival. After a short while, he said, "Please come in, but these servants are not allowed to enter."
Huang Qi snorted: "You all stay here and wait for my orders."
Then Huang Qi, along with He Shi and several other servants from the Huang family who had benefited from the situation, arrived at the main hall of the Ning family mansion. The Ning family mansion had been in complete chaos that day because of Ning Shi's actions. First, Ning Shi and He Shi had a fight, then Ning Shi was divorced, and now she had returned to the mansion in disgrace. The entire mansion was in a state of turmoil, but then the Huang family came to their door.
The old lady Huang, the two branches of the Ning family, and Ning Caiyue were all present, but their faces were all grim. Upon seeing them, Ning immediately roared, "What are you doing here? You've already caused me enough trouble, and now you dare to come here? You're courting death!" If it weren't for that stupid woman He Shi refusing to listen to her explanation and hitting her, would she have finally lost her temper and fought back? If she hadn't fought back, would Ouyang Zhide have taken the opportunity to abandon her and divorce her? In the end, it was all Ouyang Yue and He Shi's fault. Now, seeing He Shi, she wished she could just take a knife and slice her to death.
"Why wouldn't I dare to come? You viperous woman, haven't you caused enough harm to our Huang family? How dare you be so arrogant? I'm truly terrified of you!" Madam He shouted back.
"Alright!" Huang Qi glanced at He Shi and calmed down, but Huang Qi said, "Madam Ning, we've come today to ask you for people."
"Hmph, want someone? What do you want? You're still daydreaming about marrying Ouyang Yue. Are you out of your minds?" The grievances Ning Shi suffered made her like a cannonball, ready to explode at anyone she saw.
Huang Qi wasn't annoyed, but coldly said, "No, I'm asking you for the bride. This marriage certificate clearly states the marriage between Ouyang Yue and my son, and you were a witness at the time. Now that you can't hand her over, how can you not give an explanation? You must hand over Ouyang Yue. If that's not possible, there are other ways. Madam Ning comes from the Ning family, a famous family in the capital. The young ladies in the family are all beautiful and precious. If you settle for marrying Miss Ning Xihe from the Ning family, the Huang family will not pursue this matter."
"What? You have quite the appetite! Xihe is one of the three beauties of the capital, and she's even among the top seven in the beauty pageant. She can marry into the royal family if she wants. Your son has neither official rank nor talent, yet he dares to covet my daughter? It's utterly delusional and laughable!" Ding, the second wife, immediately rebuked. Ding's background wasn't as good as Shang's, and her husband had always been overshadowed by Ning Baichuan, making her life somewhat frustrating. However, Ding had one advantage over Shang: she had given birth to a wonderful daughter, who was both beautiful and talented. Although Ouyang Yue, the first-place winner, stole the spotlight this time, being among the top ten in Langya Continent was already an achievement. Ning Xihe was only among the top seven, so her future was limitless.
Now, the Huang family dares to demand that her precious daughter marry Huang Yu, a man who has nothing. Wouldn't that be pushing Ning Xihe into a fire pit? How could Madam Ding agree? Ning Xihe wants to marry someone better; she will rely on this daughter for the future.
Huang Shi, Ning Baichuan, and the others all changed their expressions. Originally, this matter was between Ning Shi and the Huang family, and they did not want to get involved. However, they did not expect the Huang family to make such an excessive request. Although Huang Shi preferred her eldest daughter-in-law, Xihe was the one she liked the most among the younger generation. She also planned to marry Ning Xihe into an extremely wealthy family. How could Huang Yu possibly be worthy of her? The people in the Huang family were simply absurd.
Huang Qi sneered, "Although Madam Ning was just divorced by General Ouyang and is the newly abandoned wife of the capital, she is still the legitimate daughter of the Ning family. This identity cannot be severed. Madam Ning signed the marriage contract back then. If she doesn't hand over a bride now, it's a marriage fraud. If she can't hand over someone, don't blame me for being impolite. Hmph, the Ning family is a powerful and wealthy family that my Huang family can't afford to offend. If this matter blows up, I'm afraid the Ning family's reputation will only be further damaged. At that time, not only will my Huang family not give us face, but if we don't marry, the daughters of this family will be unable to get married. It's a mutually beneficial situation."
“Impossible! My daughter will never marry into that family!” Ding immediately exclaimed in a shrill voice.
Ning Baichuan also spoke with a stern face: "Lord Huang, do you think it's appropriate to say something like this, like a joke? Do you think this marriage is even possible?"
Huang Qi replied, "I may not know that Madam Ning owes my Huang family a bride. The Ning family has many children; surely they can provide one daughter?"
This generation of the Ning family really has very few children. Both the eldest and second branches have few members. And even if they weren't, no one would be happy to be forced to hand over their daughter like this.
“That can’t be our Xihe either. Our Xihe is beautiful and talented, and she just made it into the top seven in the beauty pageant. Mother, you know who she will marry into. She absolutely cannot marry into that family. Isn’t the eldest branch of the family always the closest to the younger sister? The trouble caused by the younger sister should naturally be dealt with by the eldest branch. Xihe is even younger than Xishan. If anyone is to marry, it should be the older sister first.” Ding’s eyes lit up as she immediately suggested.
Shang Shi, who had been acting as if nothing was wrong, jumped up in fright upon hearing this: "How could Shan'er possibly marry into that family? I've already arranged a marriage for her, it can't possibly be the Huang family."
"Oh, so the Ning family doesn't want to admit it anymore? Do they think it's okay for us to take Madam Ning to the authorities on charges of marriage fraud? That's fine. Just take her away directly. If anyone asks on the way, just say that the Ning family's daughter is ruthless and ungrateful, and that every daughter in the Ning family is a snob who only marries into the royal family. I want to see what the people of the capital have to say." Huang Qi made a move to get up and walk out.
"Wait a minute!" Ning Baichuan's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. While they cared about what Huang Qi had said earlier, it wasn't too bad. However, the last point—marrying into the royal family—had far-reaching implications. If word got out, it would be said that the Ning family was intentionally interfering in the princes' struggle. If the Emperor became angry, the entire Ning family would be doomed. "Lord Huang, please wait. Let's talk things out. Is this the purpose of your visit today?"
Huang Qi turned around and sneered: "Previously, Madam Ning caused my son to be arrested by the Prefect of Jingzhao. I think it would be easy for a large family like the Ning family to rescue my son."
Everyone in the hall was shocked. If this person had been sent by someone else, the Ning family might have been able to smooth things over. However, this person was sent by the Princess's residence, which meant that Princess Shuangxia had instructed them to do so. If they were to smooth things over, would the Prefect of the Capital dare to release the person? Wouldn't that be asking the impossible?
Seeing Ning Baichuan hesitate, Huang Qi turned and walked out again: "Since Lord Ning can't make the decision, then I'll take my leave. Let's go back and figure it out ourselves. Let's go!"
Seeing this, Ning Baichuan could only frown and say, "Lord Huang, please don't be anxious. I will find a way to handle this matter. I guarantee that I will definitely rescue Young Master Huang. Please be patient."
Huang Qi raised his eyebrows and said, "Then let's hear Lord Ning's good news. If this matter can be resolved, I will not make things difficult for you. I will simply hand over the marriage certificate and then I will not cause any more trouble."
"Very well, I will certainly find a way." Huang Qi, having received the assurance, turned and left with He Shi. In fact, Huang Qi had not come today for Ning Xihe and the eldest daughter of the Ning family, because he knew that it would be difficult for a large family like the Ning family to marry their daughters to them. However, he deliberately used Ning Xihe as bait to make the Ning family wary. Now that Huang Yu had been captured, Huang Qi could take a gamble, but a large family like the Ning family would not. They would definitely agree to his demands. Just because they could not rescue Huang Yu did not mean that the Ning family could not.
The Ning family dared to frame them like that back then, so now they're retaliating in kind. Moreover, they've forced their way into the Ning residence today, and it was all caused by the Ning family. He doesn't believe that anyone in this residence has no grievances against the Ning family.
"Hmph, what a jinx! She's brought so much trouble to the household as soon as she got home, and she still has the nerve to sit here pretending nothing's wrong." As soon as Huang Qihe left, Ding couldn't help but say sarcastically. Everyone could tell that her words were clearly directed at Ning.
Ning lowered her head. Now that she had returned to the Ning residence and caused such a big trouble for it, even if she wanted to lash out, she couldn't. She could only grit her teeth and endure it.
Upon hearing this, Madam Huang frowned and said, "Second daughter-in-law is better now, so don't be so unforgiving."
Ding Shi disagreed, saying, "Mother, I know you love your sister-in-law, but there has to be a limit to love. She almost caused my Xihe to marry into a lowly family like the Huang family. She almost ruined my Xihe's life. What did I Xihe do to deserve this? I almost suffered an undeserved disaster. Mother, I'm just venting my frustrations. Besides, am I wrong to say this?"