Qiu Sanniang’s unusual character was destined to make her attitude toward marriage equally unusual. As Mo Zi followed Xiao Yi, galloping at full speed, she thought about this along the way.
They had been married for over three months, yet this couple still hadn’t consummated their marriage. Qiu Sanniang didn’t bring it up, Xiao Sanlang didn’t press, and the two were very much in agreement, only discussing romance. Actually, regarding Xiao Sanlang’s side, Mo Zi didn’t know whether to call him a true gentleman or a false one. Not only had he not distanced himself due to Qiu Sanniang’s willfulness, but he seemed quite content to stick around.
As soon as she dismounted, Bai He rushed over. Rarely had she seen such genuinely anxious expression—her pink face flushed red with urgency, both hands clutching her skirt tightly, as if the skirt might trip her and make her unsteady.
“Mo Zi, Xiao Yi told you, right? Miss has made up her mind, and no matter how I try to persuade her, she won’t listen. Right now, I have Hong Mei blocking her. After thinking it over, only your words can reach Miss’s ears. Yesterday the young master returned to the mansion and just sent someone saying he’s already on his way here. You must persuade Miss—she absolutely cannot act impulsively, or it will ruin her entire life.” Bai He grabbed Mo Zi and started walking.
“What plan could ruin Madam’s entire life?” Noticing that Bai He was calling Qiu Sanniang “Miss,” Mo Zi smiled. “You keep calling her Miss—aren’t you afraid the young master will hear and be displeased?”
Bai He walked swiftly. “How can I worry about such things? Didn’t Xiao Yi tell you?”
By this time, Xiao Yi had already disappeared, perhaps crouching in some tree.
“She doesn’t like to talk. She only said you were looking for me urgently and pulled me onto the horse.” However, Mo Zi guessed it had something to do with Qiu Sanniang. After all, except for her, the other maids were very loyal and wouldn’t urgently seek her out over their own matters.
“Just last night, Madam was bored, so she had us accompany her to Wangqiu Pavilion. Everything was fine during dinner. She told Manager Qin that Chen Niang was a treasure, praised Cen Er for managing well, and praised you too. Said without you, Wangqiu Pavilion wouldn’t have become so successful.” Bai He said.
Hearing this, Mo Zi said, “Madam drank wine, didn’t she?” Qiu Sanniang’s alcohol tolerance was better than hers, but when she drank too much, she became talkative and quite sappy.
“She did drink. Just a few jugs of Persian grape wine—that stuff is sweet and doesn’t have much kick.” Bai He was a perfect senior maid who never neglected her duties when accompanying her mistress out to play. “Besides, although Madam loves to talk when she drinks, she never remembers afterward. But this morning when she woke up, she remembered clearly all the joking words from last night.”
“What exactly did she say? Don’t tell me she wants to ask Xiao Sanlang for a divorce letter?” Mo Zi said casually.
Bai He’s eyes widened. “How did you know?”
Really? Mo Zi’s eyes also widened as she honestly answered, “I was just saying it casually, not seriously.”
Even with her good temper, Bai He couldn’t help rolling her eyes at her. “When did you become such a jinx?”
“A few days ago when I was recovering from my injury, weren’t things quite good?”
Xiao San had invited several close friends over, and Qiu Sanniang had appeared as hostess to entertain them. Together they had earned praise as a talented and beautiful couple. As Mo Zi saw it, Xiao San himself was unconventional, and his good friends each had their own characteristics. Unlike those Confucian moralists of the time who read sage books yet looked down on women, they gave high praise to Qiu Sanniang’s many talents and skills.
She had thought Xiao San should have gained points in Qiu Sanniang’s heart. How was it that after going out for three days, not only had he failed to advance, but things had deteriorated to the serious point of wanting a divorce letter?
Entering Qiu Sanniang’s room, she heard Hong Mei earnestly trying to persuade her, saying that making such a scene wouldn’t get her the divorce letter, but would instead cause her to lose favor before the elders. She absolutely mustn’t act impulsively—everything should be thoroughly considered first.
Not hearing Qiu Sanniang speak, Mo Zi went in and saw this young mistress was writing furiously at the table. Lu Ju on the side was grinding ink somewhat tremblingly.
“Is Madam preparing to write a divorce letter to the young master herself if she can’t get one from him?” Facing the helpless sisters, only she could still make jokes.
Qiu Sanniang looked up, smiling radiantly at her, her eyes circling among the three senior maids. “So they actually called you back. Good—help me check the wording to make sure it’s not disrespectful to anyone.”
Hong Mei slapped her forehead. “My good Madam, the divorce letter itself is disrespectful to people. Even putting pen to paper to write it is wrong, wrong, wrong.”
This person was so much more lively than before. Mo Zi secretly smiled to herself.
“He Xiao San can write one, but I Qiu San cannot? We women are just born with the fate of waiting for divorce letters?” Qiu Sanniang set down her brush and began blowing the ink dry.
“Empress Wu Zetian once allowed Princess Taiping to divorce her prince consort, and there are also mutual separations among common folk.” Mo Zi stepped forward to actually look at what Qiu Sanniang had written. Although the words “divorce letter” weren’t written, the content was pretty much on point. However, while men’s divorce letters had seven grounds to rely on, the key to Qiu Sanniang’s letter lay in eight characters—appearances together but spirits apart, sharing a bed but different dreams.
“Madam, these four characters about ‘sharing a bed but different dreams’ aren’t appropriate. You and the young master haven’t shared a bed, have you? In my opinion, it would be better to say ‘appearances together but spirits apart, feelings light as water’—that’s more fitting.” She not only actually looked but also actually picked faults.
Bai He wailed, calling out “Miss” and “Mo Zi.”
Lu Ju’s face flushed crimson as she pointed at Mo Zi, unable to speak.
Hong Mei, being the eager-to-learn type, thought carefully and once again admired Mo Zi’s cleverness.
“That’s good.” Qiu Sanniang casually crumpled the paper into a ball, threw it under the table, and called Lu Ju to grind more ink.
“Madam, before writing again, tell us why you suddenly want to divorce the young master?” Mo Zi was going with the flow. “Although I knew this would definitely happen, isn’t it happening too quickly? You’ve only been married three months.”
Bai He breathed a sigh of relief—Mo Zi was finally getting serious.
“Only three months? I thought it had been three years.” Qiu Sanniang pushed away the paper and brush. “Mo Zi, I thought you understood.”
Huh? Why the sudden “you who understand me” attitude? Mo Zi smiled. “Is Madam saying the days feel like years?”
“Not quite that miserable, but living in Yonggu Study is unpleasant—more unpleasant than having to watch Madam Zhang’s expressions at home. At Qiu Mansion, who would dare stop me if I wanted to go out? Once I entered Prince Jing’s mansion, even though I’m not competing for my own husband, I still face jealousy and schemes. Finally got out, but Xiao San insists on sticking around, making the elders call for doctors every few days. Whether I live or die doesn’t matter, but they can’t let me drag down their precious one. But what annoys me most isn’t these things—” Qiu Sanniang sighed.
Mo Zi rarely saw her helpless. “Madam wants to continue moving freely in the marketplace, but can’t take a single step.”
“Mo Zi, you can climb ladders, but I can’t even do that.” Ultimately, the life of a young wife didn’t suit her very well. She could endure it for a while, but not for a lifetime.
“Perhaps when I initially advised Madam to marry, I was still rash.” Mo Zi wasn’t afraid to admit her mistakes.
Qiu Sanniang’s eyes were bright. “If I hadn’t married Xiao San, there would definitely have been a Zhang San or Li San. Better to fall into my own hands than Madam Zhang’s hands.”
“Does Madam know that back then we thought of everything, yet overlooked one thing.” Mo Zi also sighed. “We thought we’d be cast into the cold palace by the young master, with no one bothering us and leisurely days ahead, but unexpectedly—” Xiao San was neither cold nor pedantic, and seemed to have developed genuine feelings for Qiu Sanniang.
“Like a big blowfly that you can’t drive away no matter how you try?” Qiu Sanniang smiled sweetly.
“Madam, the young master is worried about you!” Bai He didn’t understand why such a good thing as a husband revolving around his wife would make Miss so averse to it.
“Madam, forgive my boldness.” Hong Mei interjected. “Bai He says the third young master worries about Madam, but I think the third young master has fallen for Madam. If Madam seizes this opportunity to win over the third young master, it might not be a bad thing.”
“But then—what about Jin Si and her two children?” Mo Zi herself couldn’t accept polygamy.
“Hong Mei, you’ve been with me for a short time, so you probably don’t understand me. If I truly like something, I’ll be determined to possess it. Choosing this marriage, to be honest, it was for nothing else but because Xiao San had divorced two wives and favored his concubine—I wanted to use this to do what I wanted to do. Without feelings, I don’t care that he has a concubine and children. But if I developed feelings for him, with my personality I wouldn’t tolerate Jin Si, nor could I treat Jin Si’s children as my own. Then it would become a complete mess, I’d become a wicked woman in everyone’s eyes, and Jin Si would be the pitiful concubine oppressed by the legitimate wife. Why—go to that extent? Knowing that continuing would inevitably lead to conflict, if I let go here, we’ll both have peace.” These words from Qiu Sanniang actually came from deep contemplation.
Mo Zi’s eyes narrowed slightly—Qiu Sanniang was a bit strange.
Qiu Sanniang continued, “Bai He, Lu Ju, don’t forget that it was agreed from the start—after marrying, showing our faces publicly in business would have fewer concerns. Taking the divorce letter, the few of us will depend on each other, with no natal family and no in-laws, living freely and easily. Now I’m ready to live independently, and you just need to follow me.”
Finished speaking, she had the three others leave, keeping only Mo Zi behind.
“Qiu Shuiyun.” Since becoming a maid, Mo Zi was calling her by full name for the first time.
Qiu Sanniang narrowed her eyes with a crooked, mockingly angry smile. “Your wings have spread.”
“Standing as woman to woman, I just want to ask you something.” Mo Zi’s gaze was like water. “Have you… fallen for him?”
“Mo Zi, don’t force me to be cruel. Although I’ve been very bad to you. But what can I do? I don’t want to be bad to some people—like Bai He and Lu Ju, like…” A trace of darkness passed through Qiu Sanniang’s eyes.
“Like Xiao Sanlang.” Mo Zi said calmly. “You’ve developed feelings, but not deep feelings yet, so you want to pull away.”
“You who understand me, Mo Zi. Although I don’t want to admit you’re right.” Xiao San had quite a few flaws typical of aristocratic sons, the biggest being his favoritism toward concubines. But he also had many merits—he didn’t judge people by their origins but by their talents, didn’t mind that she was a merchant’s daughter, and could discuss the world with her freely. He didn’t blindly worship high office and wealth, and his pursuit of learning was very pure. Though he seemed unrestrained, his heart was actually quite delicate. It could be said that the more she understood this person, the more attractive qualities she discovered.
“I’m afraid.” Qiu Sanniang added, “Last night at Wangqiu Pavilion, when I saw the beautiful Ge Qiu sitting beside Xiao Yong, I discovered I was actually angry rather than happy about earning money—that’s when I became terrified.”
“Mo Zi, I don’t know what else I can do besides him divorcing me or me divorcing him.” Tonight, at this moment, Qiu Sanniang’s heart was in complete turmoil.
Mo Zi gazed at the woman whose face was like peach blossoms, and for a moment felt somewhat lost.
So it turns out, all women in the world are the same. No matter how strong or independent, no matter how clever or capable, once they plant emotional roots for someone, they all become foolish, infatuated, and dazed.