Translator – Xiao He Lian
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Chapter 112.1
In the evening, Li Di had just returned home from work when his personal maid told him about today’s events.
Li Di held his forehead and said, “I’ll go see my mother.”
Li Di entered Madam Wen’s courtyard. Madam Wen asked with a guilty conscience, “What’s with that expression on your face? Are you here to question me?”
“Mother.” Li Di sighed, “Why do you have to be so hard on Shen Shu? I’ve already told you that my father-in-law is out of prison, and this is my most difficult time. Why can’t you understand and be considerate of me, mother?”
Madam Wen tilted her head and sighed, “I just don’t like her arrogant attitude. When the Shen family was in trouble, who protected her from being bullied by outsiders? I tell you, Li Di, our Li family doesn’t owe her anything!”
Speaking of this, Madam Wen sniffled, “On the contrary, it’s Ru’er, because she saved me from being crippled, and became a concubine because of your prospects, it’s not easy for her to conceive a child, and because of these filthy things in the courtyard …… have you ever thought about her!”
Li Di had no way to tell to Mdam Wen about what he had done, but could only half threaten, “Do you know what kind of life your son is currently living? Today, this son wants to tell you from the bottom of his heart that if there are any more incidents in this mansion, our whole family may have to leave Chang’an”
Upon hearing these words, Madam Wen immediately raised her eyes and asked, “What are you talking about? What does it mean to leave Chang’an? Could it be that your father-in-law is making things difficult for you?”
Li Di said, “The imperial investigation officials have to review our performance evaluations every year, and this matter of the inner house is also one of them. I won’t go into detail with you about it. My son only requests one thing from you.”
Madam Wen sneered and said, “Speak first.”
Li Di said, “In the future, you must never talk to her again about her being the misfortune of our family and whatnot.”
Madam Wen’s face reddened, but her mouth was still unforgiving : “I knew someone was whispering to you, but it doesn’t matter if you know it. Do I, as her mother-in-law, have to serve her? How noble is she that I can’t even say a word?”
Li Di patted his face and said, “Yes, why not? It’s just that I have to use this face to bring her back!”
Upon hearing this, Madam Wen was even more unhappy, “She wants you to pick her up in person? She’s so overbearing!”
Li Di let out a long sigh and slapped his palm on the table, “As you wish.”
Seeing him get angry, Madam Wen’s arrogance instantly weakened by half, and she murmured in a low voice: “Why are you so angry…”
Shen Shu was not around, so Li Di went to He Wanru’s place at night. He lay naked on the bed and rubbed her shoulders. “I have wronged you, in your heart, do you blame me?”
He Wanru said: “I regard my husband as my heaven, I do not feel wronged.”
“Go to sleep.” Li Di chuckled lightly, taking his arm away from her.
The next morning, when Li Di was about to go to the Shen family to pick Shen Shu up, a servant ran in breathlessly, “My Lord, this is terrible!”
Li Di frowned and asked, “What happened?”
“Madam, Madam, she has accused you of marriage fraud and has sent the petition to the Ministry of Justice!”
“What did you say?!” Li Di said.
“My Lord, the officers from the Ministry of Justice are waiting for you outside!”
At this moment, her soft voice suddenly appeared in Li Di’s mind – “I’m afraid it won’t work today. I’m on my period.”
“Four more days.”
Li Di’s eyes flashed, and then he realized something was wrong. The servant said, “My Lord, what should we do now?”
Li Di pondered for a long time and whispered, “Go to the Ministry of Justice.”
Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the Criminal Department. Li Di helped Madam Wen get off the horse and turned to He Wanru and said, “Have you remembered everything I taught you just now?”
He Wanru said, “Don’t worry, husband.”
Li Di said: “Okay, you wait in the carriage for a while.”
Li Di was led into the hall, and as soon as he entered, he saw the Shen family, his father-in-law, Shen Shu, and Shen Zhen were all there.
Yao Bin, the Minister of Justice, sat on the high platform and said word by word: “Since everyone is here, let’s start the case.”
Li Di stepped forward and took Shen Shu’s arm, smiling ingratiatingly, “Shu Shu, what mother said yesterday were just angry words, calm down first and we can talk about it when we get home.”
Shen Shu shook off his arm and said, “Lord Li, if you have anything to say, just say it here.”
Seeing this scene, Madam Wen couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. If Li Di hadn’t repeatedly warned her not to quarrel with Shen Shu in the hall, she would have wanted to accuse Shen Shu of disrespecting her mother-in-law.
Yao Bin held the petition in his hand and said to the two people in the middle of the hall, “Lady Shen, is everything written in this petition true?”
Shen Shu said: “It is absolutely true.”
Li Di looked at the complaint in Yao Bin’s hand, turned sideways, and said to Shen Shu in an almost inaudible voice: “How long have you been planning this? Shen Shu, are you going to divorce with me?”
Shen Shu suppressed her pounding heart and whispered, “I have already submitted the complaint. What does Lord Li think?”
Suddenly, Li Di raised his voice and said softly, “Shu Shu, if you don’t like that concubine, I will send her away. You and I have been married for many years, there is nothing we can’t talk about openly, why is it necessary to do this?”
Madam Wen took advantage of the opportunity to say, “Shen shi[mfn](a way of addressing ladies with their surname)[/mfn], my son is a fourth-rank official, and according to the law, he can take three concubines. This… is it still not good for you?”
If a woman is jealous, it is also considered a crime.
Shen Shu raised the corner of her lips. She had been with Madam Wen day and night for four years, so she naturally knew that she could not say such words. Obviously, Li Di had already thought of a countermeasure on the way here.
Shen Shu ignored the mother and son who were putting on an act and bowed to Yao Bin and said, “Your Excellency, when I married him, I didn’t know he already had a wife. According to the laws of our dynasty, if a married man marries another wife, she is not considered a wife. Shen Shu came here today to request a divorce.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the people around him gasped.
