Female Consort Chapter 67: Divorce

"What did you say?!"

Li Qingwu's hand trembled, the bow in her grip shaking slightly.

The arrow flew through the air with a sharp whistle, blending with the incredulous sound of her voice.

Fu Ling’s face turned pale as she stammered, "Your Highness... Your Highness, in front of all the ministers, the prince... the prince... said that he is... a woman."

Her voice was thick with an unspeakable sorrow as she pulled out a tightly wrapped small piece of oiled paper, along with an unopened letter.

"I couldn't find out what exactly happened, but I heard the ministers were still holding a court trial in the palace. So, I hurried back with these items."

Her hands shook, and her expression seemed to be caught in a daze. "This was given to me by Lord Liu. He said it was from the prince consort, and I must deliver it to you personally."

Li Qingwu’s face cycled through confusion, shock, doubt, and worry before finally snapping into realization.

Even in her current state, she remembered to gently place her bow and arrow on the stone table next to her before swiftly grabbing the two items from Fu Ling’s hands.

"Did he say anything else?"

"He did," Fu Ling paused, struggling to speak. "The prince consort... told you to... leave quickly."

Li Qingwu’s chest heaved for a moment, her eyes closing as she tried to steady her breathing. She then tore open the letter with lightning speed.

The letter was obviously freshly written, the ink still barely dry, but it had clearly been prepared in advance.

The first four words made her freeze in shock.

Because Qiu Che wrote: My wife, Qingwu.

My wife, Qingwu, if you are reading this letter, I should have already met with an accident.

The Qiu family’s fate is sealed. To protect myself, my identity has been exposed and it is unavoidable; I cannot escape this calamity, and perhaps we shall never meet again in this life. Thus, I write this letter.

As we had previously discussed, I was supposed to have the thirteen concubines testify, to prevent the old man, Qiu Chudong, from being prepared.

But now, I have changed my mind.

They are all unfortunate souls. For them to testify would only make their lives unbearable in the future.

This is not out of virtuousness, but simply putting myself in their shoes.

I apologize for making you try to persuade them in vain.

As for my mother, I have made arrangements. The two Su sisters also have their own paths to follow. I do not need to worry about anyone else... After much thought, I realized that the one I worry about most, the one I can’t let go of, is you.

I wonder now, perhaps I should never have asked His Majesty to grant us marriage in the first place?

But truly, I have no regrets.

Qingwu, my wife.

I owe you much, and when I think of this moment, I am left with no words to express myself. After much contemplation, all I can say is: I am sorry.

Do you believe in fate?

I once did not, but did you know? Our reunion was also a gift from the heavens.

Perhaps you recall something… from our past lives.

You can consider it a mere dream, I remember you had that same dream too.

But that must have been an unpleasant dream, one that kept you lost in illusion and unwilling to wake.

I too, in the Southern Yi, had a dream, and saw the past of your countless sufferings.

I know you’ve always had doubts about me, about whether I truly pity you, love you.

You’ve always been so accommodating to me, almost as if afraid to upset me, 

Perhaps you didn’t even realize this, but I saw it.

Many times I wanted to explain, but I too had the same fears, fearing that you were only temporarily moved, that you were only caught in a fleeting passion, that your heart was so deep I couldn’t even deceive you...

You once said, a gentleman judges actions, not hearts, You said I was a gentleman.

I’ve disappointed you. In truth, I am narrow-minded and selfish.

I sought after this rare warmth, and so I spoke many times, only to fall silent again.

But now, I have no more concerns.

Do you remember? I once told you not to forget your name.

I don’t know how important I am to you, but if I am truly important, that would be wonderful.

But I hope that before anything else, you remember that you are first and foremost yourself, Li Qingwu.

No matter who you are, whether lively, gentle, beautiful, or ugly...

Because it’s you, I accept it all.

I do not love the lively you for being lively.

I love you, and because I love you, I love the lively you.

You once asked me if you could not help me, would I send you away.

I didn’t answer you then, but the truth is, the answer has never changed: I would never.

I would never send you away because you cannot help me.

But I would send you away if I had brought you into danger.

Having said all this, you must be anxious now, wondering how I’ve arranged for your future, right?

There is a hidden compartment at the bottom of the study, and inside it, you will find another letter. You will know as soon as you look.

There are a thousand worries in my heart, but my paper and pen are limited, so I cannot explain everything.

If we meet again, then we shall talk then.

In ancient times, there was the Spring Feast, and I offered three vows.

Now, I ask for three things: I do not ask for a thousand years of life, nor do I ask for eternal health, nor do I wish for us to meet each year like the swallows on the beams.

I only wish for my wife Qingwu to be safe, joyful, and free.

Your Aning.

She had prepared for this.

Li Qingwu stared blankly at the letter, her mind empty except for one thought.

Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly around the letter, and she suddenly caught sight of something on the back of the paper.

Turning it over, she saw two lines of writing, fresh but already almost dry.

The candy person originally wanted to give it to you personally, but it seems fate has denied us.

I owe you two... But since you love candy, I’ll give you all three, including mine.

At the end, there was a hastily drawn smiley face.

Li Qingwu's chest rose and fell as she tried to steady her breathing. For a moment, she could hardly catch her breath.

Her worst fear had come true.

She had never expected that Qiu Che would expose her identity to bring down the Qiu family.

She didn’t even need to undress and prove herself, because no one would dare joke about treason.

Although this was indeed the best proof that Qiu Che had not defiled the so-called pure woman, it was also a method that harmed both the enemy and herself.

No one had expected him to go this far.

Of course, things were better this way. If the Qiu family had no way out and chose to reveal Qiu Che's identity, things could have been much worse.

Li Qingwu took a deep breath, trying to calm herself as she thought of a way to ensure Qiu Che’s safety. She quickly grabbed her bow and arrow and headed toward the study.

Even now, she found the strength to unwrap the oiled paper with the three candy people inside.

The moment her gaze fell on the sugar figurine, her eyes moistened again.

The sugar figurine was neither too big nor too small. After so much time had passed, it had nearly stuck together.

Li Qingwu didn’t say a word. She fiddled with it for a long while before finally breaking off a piece.

She then placed the sugar figurine shaped like a jade rabbit into her mouth and took a bite.

She remembered that dream, what Qiu Che had spoken of as her past life. When Qiu Che had died, she had secretly gone to the kitchen to look for the body and had seen many sugar figurines piled up in a corner.

At the time, she had only thought they were treats given to the young masters and young ladies at the Xiang family’s banquet. She never once thought they were meant for her.

She had only glanced at them before leaving with Qiu Che’s cold corpse.

But now, with a sudden flash of insight, she hesitated and thought, perhaps, just perhaps, those were the sugar figurines Qiu Che had left for her.

…Or maybe it wasn’t an illusion.

Li Qingwu pulled out the letter from the hidden compartment. After reading for only a moment, her face changed completely.

It was a divorce letter.

A divorce letter from her and Qiu Che.

Li Qingwu could hardly breathe.

She half-leaned against the wall, tilting her head slightly, trying not to let the tears in her eyes fall.

So this was the path Qiu Che had arranged for her?

Was this… Qiu Che’s arrangement?

A divorce letter, and from now on, all the mistakes Qiu Che had made would have nothing to do with Li Qingwu.

Had she been prepared for this day all along?

She had thought of everyone’s escape route, but never her own.

Li Qingwu numbly chewed on the piece of candy still in her mouth, wondering.

The sugar figurines she had missed in her past life, the ones she had never tasted as she grew up, turns out, now that she was eating them, they tasted sour.

With a hint of sweetness amidst the sourness.

But after chewing for a while, she suddenly clasped her mouth and staggered aside, beginning to retch and cough violently.

She coughed as though her whole body might tear apart. Only when she heard Fu Ling’s anxious voice and felt the dizziness in her head did she glance at the oily paper in her hand, which bore the words “Specialty from the East Street Pastry Shop in the Capital.”

Tears still rolled down in large, silent drops with her labored breaths.

She had said she loved candy, especially the sugar figurines from the East Street Pastry Shop in the Capital.

Qiu Che had really remembered that offhand remark, and had remembered it all this time. As soon as he had time, he went to buy those sugar figurines.

But what Qiu Che didn’t know was that she hadn’t eaten candy in a very long time.

The piece of candy that the palace maid had given her had helped her struggle through many long years, walking until now, becoming this indifferent, emotionless person.

She was no longer a five-year-old child.

She didn’t like candy anymore.

Saying that she wanted Qiu Che to make it up to her with a sugar figurine had only been a passing remark, an idle comment.

She had thought she was unloved, so she told Qiu Che that her family had been a deep abyss for her, and that she had no escape.

But later, she thought that with Qiu Che, she had gained a new family member.

Qiu Che could be her escape.

She could be fearless, unrestrained, because the spark of freedom would burn away all her past, burn away all her suffering, and bring her a new ending through their mournful cries.

But it turned out that Qiu Che had long planted the seed of this outcome.

She had then personally pushed Li Qingwu away, choosing to face the consequences alone.

Was this…

Their ending?

Two lifetimes entangled, torn apart with a single slap?

But how could this ending ever be enough to match the suffering they each endured before meeting?

How could she accept it?

"The imperial decree has arrived!"

A thunderclap split the air.

...If nothing else, this was undoubtedly a decree for punishment.

In the chaos outside the courtyard, Fu Ling urged, "Your Highness, Your Highness, quickly get up, take the divorce letter to the Linglong Pavilion. If the Emperor asks, just say you know nothing about the prince consort…"

No.

No.

Li Qingwu finally snapped back to her senses amidst the loud ringing in her ears. Stumbling to her feet, her face pale, she looked up, her expression even colder and more indifferent than usual.

She parted her lips and, in the face of Fu Ling’s incessant chatter, simply said, "No."

She raised her hand, tearing the divorce letter apart, piece by piece.

When the paper no longer showed any trace of what it had once written, she finally stopped, tossing the torn bits aside.

The scraps fluttered through the air.

Amid the shocked gazes of everyone, she lightly lifted her skirts, walking out with the same dignified grace and elegance as always.

"Follow me to receive the decree."

Yu Ming stopped her, hesitating. "Your Highness, my lord… the young miss told us to protect you. In this situation, you’re tearing up the divorce letter and going to receive the decree…"

The Emperor might very well punish her along with her crimes.

Li Qingwu gently brushed off her hand, speaking softly, "Before it’s the end of the road, there’s still hope."

"I am the eldest princess. Father won’t harm me. Don’t worry. You should leave with Mother first."

Yu Ming hesitated. "…Really?"

Li Qingwu nodded. "Naturally. If I don’t receive the decree, I’ll still be punished. This decree must be received."

"Your Highness!" Just as Yu Yan and Yu Ming were still hesitating, Fu Ling, with a hint of frustration, shouted out.

"Others may not understand your situation, but I do! If you go, you’ll never escape again!"

With a tone full of helplessness, she added, "The prince consort even said you should leave! Not to mention, the prince consort… she’s a woman! You’re the eldest princess! Now that things have come to this, if you continue to be entangled with her, won’t the world laugh at you?"

"This palace and she are one body," Li Qingwu softly turned her head, a few strands of hair falling at her ear. Her side profile was gentle, her tone firm. "If I do not divorce her, she will live as mine and die as mine."

"Fu Ling," Li Qingwu said, "This has nothing to do with gender."

But she had already done too many things in her life that went against her heart.

"Only this time, I will not go against it."