“You!” Regardless of anything else, the fact that she lost her virginity before marrying Shen Si was undeniable and couldn't withstand scrutiny. Facing Qiao Ci’s words, Lou Qing still felt a pang of guilt.
Qiao Ci had said all she wanted to say and done all she wanted to do. She turned to the village chief and the villagers who had spoken well of her and said, “Thank you for your help all this time. Shen Si and I are no longer related, and it’s time for me to leave. Take care!”
“Oh, Qiao Ci, we all know you are a good girl. Go back to your maiden home first, and if we find any suitable and reliable young men, we’ll introduce them to you.”
“That’s right, everyone knows you’ve had a hard time, and our village still welcomes you.”
“Thank you.” Qiao Ci smiled.
Shen Si was completely stunned by Qiao Ci’s series of actions.
In his perception, Qiao Ci had always been obedient and gentle towards him. This was the first time he had ever seen her so aggressive.
He had planned to abandon Qiao Ci and be with Lou Qing, but he didn't want to be abandoned by her, especially under such condemnation from everyone!
“I disagree!” Shen Si said with a gloomy expression, “If it’s a divorce, then it’s a divorce, but I will never admit to being divorced!”
“What? Do you want Lou Qing to be a concubine?” Qiao Ci glanced at him indifferently, “Besides, do you think your agreement matters?”
Hearing the mention of concubine, Lou Qing felt insulted: “Qiao Ci, who are you insulting with the word ‘concubine’?”
“Engaged as a wife, pursued as a concubine. You willingly debase yourself and offer yourself up, not even as good as a concubine.” Qiao Ci didn’t want to argue with them anymore and turned to leave.
“Today, I will clean up my own house!” Shen Si drew a treasured sword from the side of his wheelchair. The sword light reflected on his face, making him appear cold and sinister.
Lou Qing had no intention of stopping him. In ancient times, lives were as cheap as grass, let alone a shrew who spouted wild words.
She deserved to die!
The cold sword struck—
Qiao Ci tilted her body slightly, dodging the attack in what appeared to be a narrow escape.
With a thud, her little face darkened. She turned and stepped forward, yanking Shen Si off his wheelchair and punching him square in his defiant face!
A series of unmethodical blows left Shen Si utterly unable to retaliate!
“You think you’re so great?”
“If anyone is cleaning house, it’s me cleaning *you*, alright?”
“You married someone else but don’t cherish her, and you still have the audacity to covet what’s in others’ bowls while eating from your own.”
“You’re such a good-for-nothing, yet you dare to speak so boastfully!”
Seeing Qiao Ci’s ferocity and brutality, Lou Qing hesitated and did not dare to step forward.
Only when she saw the blood on Shen Si’s legs did she hurriedly step forward to stop her. Fearing she couldn’t stop her, she glared at the surrounding villagers: “What are you all staring at? Are you just going to let Qiao Ci beat Shen Si to death?”
As Lou Qing approached, Qiao Ci kicked her down. Before the villagers could intervene, she stopped.
Her eyes were clear as she looked at Shen Si, who was beaten to the point of questioning his own existence: “Are you sure you won’t admit that I divorced you?”
“Get out!!!” Shen Si had never felt so humiliated. Qiao Ci seemed to have taken a magical elixir; he could only endure the beating!
The six children were even more terrified. They never expected their stepmother to be so fearsome when she got serious. They huddled together for comfort, looking at Qiao Ci in fear.
“Haven’t had enough?” Qiao Ci raised an eyebrow as he continued to speak disrespectfully.
“Enough! Shen Si is a war god who protects the country. You insult him while he is injured; are you even human?” Lou Qing stepped forward righteously and looked at Qiao Ci, “I am Princess Qingluan of the current dynasty! If you continue like this, I will not be polite!”
She had originally intended to hide her identity and not pressure him, but it seemed there was no longer any need. This village shrew was getting out of hand!
“Are you?” Qiao Ci asked with a half-smile.
“What do you mean?” Lou Qing looked at Qiao Ci with suspicion in her eyes.
She felt that Qiao Ci was truly different from before, a fundamental change. Could it be that she had also been possessed?
“What I mean is, if you are Princess Qingluan, then acting so shamelessly with a married man is truly damaging to the national image.” After saying this, Qiao Ci left without looking back.
Lou Qing’s eyes flickered, eventually turning into hypocrisy.
Seeing that the bad stepmother had finally left, the six siblings dared to run to the bruised and swollen Shen Si, chattering:
“That’s great, Father. That eyesore of a stepmother is finally gone, and you can be happy with Aunt Qing from now on!”
“Yes!! Aunt Qing is beautiful and generous, gentle and caring towards us. I like Aunt Qing.”
“Don’t worry, Father. When I grow up, I will avenge you and beat that wicked stepmother down and kick her around.”
“Hehe, we finally managed to anger her away. Did you think being nice to us would work? We will never like her! We like Aunt Qing!”
Shen Si: …
Please, stop talking!
Lou Qing: …
Are you not embarrassed enough yet?
Feeling the curious glances of the surrounding villagers, both of them felt their faces flush!
The village chief looked at the family with disappointment, contemplating the truth of Lou Qing’s identity and considering whether to drive them out of the village.
Perhaps such a man who tormented his wife and a group of ungrateful children would surely tarnish their village’s reputation.
After the villagers left, Shen Si asked Shen Yi to get two planks to repair the damaged courtyard gate and then close it tightly.
Lou Qing briefly treated his wounds. When she saw that the leg wound, fresh from surgery, showed signs of inflammation, she frowned: “Qiao Ci really did hit hard.”
A violent glint flashed in Shen Si’s eyes. He bitterly regretted resigning from his general position. Otherwise, Qiao Ci would not have had the chance to approach him, let alone make him suffer such humiliation!
“But why has she changed so much?”
Both of them had this question at this moment.
Shen Si called the six siblings over. With a bruised face, he looked at them sternly and said, “I haven’t been here for a few days. What happened at home? Your stepmother… why did she become so possessed and crazy?”
Shen Yi stepped forward hesitantly and said, “The morning after you and Aunt Qing left, she didn’t make breakfast for us. We pushed open her door and poured water onto her bed. When we poured the second basin, she woke up, and after waking up, she acted like she was crazy…”
At this point, Shen Er continued, “Yes, we just played a little joke on her, and she slapped our faces and made us kneel until dark. She’s just a bad stepmother!”
Shen Wu, thinking of the hardships of the past few days, said tearfully, “Father, please don’t let her come back again, okay? Wuwuwu, she didn’t make food for us and made us do it ourselves. My hands were scalded by hot water, it hurts so much…”
Shen Lu, the youngest, also spoke up, “Father, she also let my brother eat egg pancakes, and we put senna seeds in them. Brother ate them, and he had diarrhea all day~”
Shen Sisi remained silent, covering her face and pursing her lips, looking at Shen Si with resentment in her eyes.
Shen Si and Lou Qing exchanged glances, unsure of what to say.
Even a cornered rabbit would bite. It was likely that Qiao Ci’s madness was a result of being severely bullied.