Real Empress from a noble family

At the time, a couple had two ways to get a divorce. One was a peaceful divorce; the other was not an amicable divorce. Literally, if couples got a divorce peacefully, they might still be friends in the future. The husband might write some blessings on the divorce letter. But if a couple got a divorce by the latter one, they probably would want to kill each other if they met again.

So, for a couple, to get a divorce through the second way was not easy. The officials might not approve the couple to get a divorce in this way if they could not provide sufficient evidence or they insisted on this way regardless of public opinion.

This was Ruan Qingyan's ultimate aim. Actually, he did not trust the Fang Family. Through Fang Zijun's manner, we could say that he was not just a naughty and canny boy but a man. The Fang Family must not be a good one. Or how could a couple teach their child to behave like Fang Zijun?

If let Ruan Ciyi and Fang Nongyan adopt a peaceful divorce, the two Families would still have a connection. Nobody could ensure that the Fang Family would not use tricks to make trouble for the Ruan Family.

There was an example just a few days ago. Ruan Qingyan spent a significant sum of money to help Fang Nongyan and his wife to transfer to the capital. And the head of the Astronomy and Calendar Bureau sent a man to inform Fang Nongyan of his job transfer. He told the man all, including Ruan Qingyan paid a lot of money for the job transfer.

Ruan Qingyan certainly would not give this man any chance to be promoted through sacrificing the Ruan Family's interests.

The parties involved agreed on the unpeaceful divorce between Fang Nongyan and Ruan Ciyi without heated discussion. Partly because ladies were shocked by the scars and bruises on Ruan Ciyi's body. The news was spread from one to ten to a hundred quickly. In the end, the rumor had become that Fang Nongyan wanted to kill his wife Ruan Ciyi for his one favorite concubine and tortured Ruan Ciyi to be a human-pig (A form of severe torture in ancient China).

This heartless and vicious husband, even the Empress Dowager's followers would not forgave him.

After all, everyone might have daughters, right? Even if someone did not have daughters, they must have nieces or granddaughters!

Now many people were involved in partisan battles. In the event of losing in a partisan battle, future generations would be punished too. And by law, a woman who married would not be affected by her family's failure. But if one met an ungrateful and ruthless man just like Fang Nongyan, he would be mad at him.

Therefore, about the divorce of Ruan Ciyi and Fang Nongyan, Ruan Qingyan did not need to submit his report. Xue Chang's proposal had written clearly that Fang Nongyan was a ruthless, unrighteous and shameless person. Only his death would appease public outrage. His proposal would be approved by the majority anyway.

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This matter was disposed so quickly. It fully showed that once Xue Chang got serious, his efficiency was really high. Fang Nongyan was sentenced to be executed after the autumn, and the Fang family was confiscated… It all happened within seven days during the Ruan Family's funeral ceremony!

"Looks like it's impossible to get all of Ciyi's dowry back." The law of divorce currently was humane. It stipulated that the dowry must be returned to the woman, regardless of the way of a divorce. The husband had to pay for three more years' worth of costs to the woman, but the dowry of Ruan Ciyi was sold off in the early years for the family's expenses when the couple was demoted. Moreover, Fang Nongyan came from a peasant family. He was not as much as Ruan Ciyi in terms of wealth and savings.

Now, even if the entire property of the Fang Family were sold and returned to Ruan Ciyi, it would still be insufficient.

But neither Ruan Qingyan nor Qiu Yelan cared much about it. "Fortunately, Ciyi is free, I can spare my property for her later. And, we also can help her marry a good man later after her mourning period is over."

Qiu Yelan, sitting on the drum stool, put down the sheet in her hand and wobbled her feet as he spoke to Ruan Qingyan. After Qiu Mengmin took the Prince's Mansion estate to offset the dowry of Old Princess Lian and Princess Ruan, she also became one of the rich.

"Don't shake your leg!" Ruan Qingyan reprimanded her, "You're a lady. Behave yourself!"

After Qiu Yelan sat back down aggrievedly, he continued, "Don't worry about this. The stuff belonging to you are for your use. About Ciyi, I'll make up to her."

"How much do you have, anyway?" It's been a long time since Qiu Yelan began to wonder about it. Why did he always act like "A problem that can be solved by money is not a problem at all". How much did his adoptive father really have?

Ruan Qingyan sighed for a moment and said, "You don't have to worry about this. I'll make you all happy anyway!"

Qiu Yelan sighed, "You just don't want to tell me!"

"I'm leaving tomorrow, I will take Ciyi to Laizhou. About you…" Before Ruan Qingyan could finish his words, he saw Qiu Yelan cover her ears with her hands and shout in pain, "I beg you! Will you stop telling me to take care of myself? I really, really know!!!"

Ruan Qingyan glared at her, "Then I'll say the last two warnings: take care of yourself! Don't meet Jiang Yashuang!"

The next day, she waved her hand while she tears. Her behavior demonstrated what she was thinking now: "I really, really don't want to be separated from you."

But as soon as the team was out of sight, she was immediately refreshed, stroked her chest. She sighed and said, "Finally, you are gone!"

Yesterday he said, "Say the last two warnings." But just a moment ago, Ruan Qingyan had at least admonished her countless times! What kind of person would behave like him?

"You want young master to leave so badly. If let him know about it later, he would definitely not spare you!" Su He pursed, "Plus, after young master left, you will be alone here. You will have nobody to talk with when you are in trouble."

"Who told you that?" Qiu Yelan disagreed. "You are the persons I will talk with!"

Su He said, "We are your maids, anyway. And, young master's insight is way beyond ours."

"He's gone anyway! I can be free for two or three years!" Qiu Yelan ignored the maid's objections. She excitedly envisioned a better life with money and no one to supervise her. But God did not want her to be free like a bird. Just two days after Ruan's departure, a message startled Qiu Yelan, who was sitting cross-legged on a stool eating a pear. She almost swallowed the kernel, "The emperor posthumously named Grandfather ' A Warrior'? And allowed him to be buried in the tomb of the former emperor? How is that possible?"

"Your Grace, it's not right to say that?" Mrs. Zhou, Su He and the others stopped her at the same time, "This is a happy ending! How can you say that?"

Mother Zhou, who had always been good-tempered and humble, couldn't help saying, "Although he is your grandfather, you should be proud of him enjoying this glory! It's also your pride."

Qiu Yelan threw the rest of the pear aside, saying impatiently, "I don't mean that, but, you all know what Grandpa's family has been like all these years. I remember that the title 'Warrior' is not the highest rank among the military generals, but it's not low, either. Okay, put it aside, we all know it is an unusual grace to be buried with the former emperor. Why could my grandpa have it?"

For the past two years, General Ruan had been reduced to selling his daughter's dowry for living. Even so, the emperor and his old friends did not do a favor. Now that he's dead. He got a title and could be buried with the former emperor… Even if the dead was the most important at a time, it was over-important, right?

"Previously, didn't Miss Liusun of the Xue Family say that Prime Minister Xue would help General Ruan get a title or something?" Su He reminded.

Qiu Yelan frowned, "Even if 'A Warrior' was Prime Minister Xue's help, what about the grace? Grandfather was defeated in the battles. These were his stains in his life. Even now he was gone, I don't think that the officials would be sympathetic to him so much, right?"

Neither could she understand, nor Ruan Qingyan. He was also stunned when he was caught up with by the commissioner declaring Empress Dowager's order. Fortunately, he had some clues, "Back then, Empress Dowager Gu supported Kuang Shihan to take away the Western Army from his grandfather, fearing grandfather's prestige in the army was over him. Over the years, Empress Dowager Gu didn't give grandfather any chance to rise, and even his old friends were suppressed because of him… Could it be possible that my grandfather was dead and at the same time, I have been a civil official? As a result, the Ruan family could no longer affect Kuang Shihan's position in the army. So, Empress Dowager Gu turned to be kind and generous overnight?"

"But this proposal was put forward by Xue Xiang, not Kuang Shihan. It might make sense as well. According to the schedule, if the news spread fast enough, Kuang Shihan might just learned of grandfather's death at this time. Surely, he wouldn't have time to apply."

An outsider would certainly not know what Empress Jiang had said to her nephew alone in the Beijue Hall. Therefore, many people think that the aim Xue Chang did his best to seek a title for General Ruan was to compensate Ruan Qingyan, who was previously humiliated by Xue Fangmi. The humiliation, on the contrary, helped the Xue Family to save their reputation in the end.

"But how did the burying thing come?" Everyone knew that the emperor's name was not Xue. And it was not easy to apply for someone to be buried with the former emperor even if it was the Empress Dowager or the Empress. The former emperor had been dead for over thirty years. He was buried near the imperial tomb, it would have been thought to disturb the long sleep of the former emperor if to bury a man near him later. Thus, to get the grace was much harder than getting a title!

With such doubts, Ruan Qingyan met the commissioner from the Rites Ministry, who was responsible for guiding him to the place where he could bury General Ruan. The official, whose name was Li Qianzhi, explained to him. He finally understood how this "bury with the former emperor" thing came: "The former emperor had promised grandfather."

"That was almost forty years ago," Li Qianzhi nodded and lamented. "It was Prime Minister Xue who remembered the promise and showed the records of the emperor's daily activities to prove…" He did not finish his words, but the words proved themselves.

It dawned on Ruan Qingyan. Knowing it was Xue Chang's credit, he respected him more than ever. "It is my mentor Xue Chang who helped us for this glory. I am so lucky to be his student and I sincerely thank him for what he did!"

Forty years ago, Xue Chang may not yet be thirty years old. Just like Ruan Qingyan, this famous minister who had served two emperors gained Jinshi at a young age. He was known and appreciated by the former emperor at the time of the palace exam, and he had been promoted very quickly since then. For this reason, he might be able to easily develop a character of complacency and look down on his colleagues like most did. But he did not. A former emperor's promise, even nobody in the Ruan Family remembered, but he did and showed the evidence. With his memory and caring heart, it was no accident that this man became an important person!

If it weren't for his memory, no one today would be able to get General Ruan to be buried in the former emperor's tomb!

It could tell that Li Qianzhi was very envious of Ruan Qingyan, "Qingyan, you're lucky to have such a mentor!"

The words proved clearly that Xue Chang's approach this time had caused his mentor's fame to grow quite a bit. Of course, an uninformed outsider, who might not know Xue Chang's true intention, which was to use General Ruan's funeral to divert the focus of the battle in the court, would think that Xue Chang had done his best for his student!

Anyway, Ruan Qingyan felt that it did not matter. After all, General Ruan got a title and was allowed to be buried in the former emperor's tomb. On the other hand, it was a glory for Ruan Qingyan himself as well.

The most important part was that: he could stay in the capital instead of Laizhou.

As we knew, bodyguards were guarding the emperor's tombs and no one could be there without permission. For this reason, Ruan Qingyan wouldn't be allowed to stay there and mourn for his grandpa for three years.

As a result, his three-year-mourning period meant to stay in the capital and mourn in the General's Mansion….

Well. This was why Qiu Yelan almost swallowed the pear kernel….