Chapter 227: Chapter 100: Presenting a Silk Banner_3
The young man, Shao Lang, had a cold and defiant expression that could not be concealed in his eyes.
Mu Sheng felt panic in his heart, but he was fearless.
Pei Yunmeng withdrew his hand, carefully placed the silver knife back into its sheath, and looked at him with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Choose one, the divorce paper or the denouncement," he said to the commandery prince.
...
The news of Princess Wenjun’s divorce from Prince Wen took everyone by surprise, yet it seemed reasonable.
After all, it would be difficult for any normal person to live with a husband who shielded a murderer who had killed his wife and exterminated his heirs. However, in the noble families of Shengjing, few went through divorces. The reason wasn’t anything else but mostly that the husbands didn’t want to be the laughing stock, letting outsiders think they couldn’t even manage their own household. Therefore, most estranged couples, regardless of whether they could get along, were forced to whittle away their lives in a withered marriage.
But Princess Wenjun, Pei Yunshu, had successfully divorced Prince Wen. Not only was she divorced, but she also took the newborn young miss with her, fearing that the child might be harmed again if she stayed in the prince’s mansion.
In the Liang Dynasty, the marital laws stipulated that if a husband intended to harm his wife, it was a violation of ethical norms and "righteous severance" should ensue. Even if one party disagreed, as long as the other party filed a complaint, the divorce was obligatory.
In the Liang Dynasty, it was rare for a woman to divorce her husband, especially within the households of high-ranking families. However, in the case of Prince Wen’s Mansion, though it appeared to be a divorce, anyone with clear eyes could see that it was no different from a wife leaving her husband. Immediately, voices ridiculing Prince Wen were incessant, while those who spoke of Princess Wenjun and her daughter’s departure showed much more sighs and sympathy.
Who would want to marry such a beast devoid of humanity?
The day after Princess Wenjun moved out of Prince Wen’s Mansion, early in the morning, the entrance of Renxin Medical Hall was met with a group of people beating drums and gongs.
A line of burly men dressed in blue, carrying a piece of colorful brocade, came to West Street to the beat of drums and gongs. The street vendors of West Street had never seen such a spectacle and followed the procession curiously to the entrance of Renxin Medical Hall.
Du Changqing was sweeping the floor with Ah Cheng when, unexpectedly, a dense crowd appeared at the door, startling them. He exclaimed, "What’s this? What’s the commotion about?"
Lu Tong, carrying a basket of sun-drying herbs, came out from the inner room, and Yin Zheng walked to the doorway, smiling at the crowd outside, "What’s happened? Why is everyone gathered in front of the medical hall?"
The leading robust man turned and took the colorful brocade from behind him, handed it to Yin Zheng, and said loudly, "Doctor Lu of Renxin Medical Hall is merciful and skilled and saved our young miss and her mother. Our clan is grateful for Doctor Lu’s great kindness and has specially asked us to deliver this gift of thanks!" Then he gestured to the people behind him, and the burly men rolled up their sleeves and kowtowed resoundingly to Lu Tong, shouting in unison, "Trustworthy medical skills, respectable medical ethics! Offering hope to the world, hands of miraculous art!"
The sound was thunderous, the momentum awe-inspiring.
Lu Tong: "..."
She rarely reacted to external matters, but at this moment, faced with the crowd gathered at the entrance of the medical hall on West Street, Lu Tong felt an unusual sense of... embarrassment.
Perhaps there was also a touch of shame.
The robust man leading the group, none the wiser, earnestly looked at the brocade in Yin Zheng’s hand, "Please look, Doctor Lu!"
Lu Tong looked.
The piece of colorful brocade was about the height of a person, intricately woven, resembling a thick blanket with tinkling bells at the bottom and auspicious patterns on ribbons on both sides. In the middle, two lines of golden characters were embroidered flamboyantly with golden thread.
"Benevolence cures the sick, miraculous art removes the illness—"
At that moment, even someone as ostentatious as Du Changqing couldn’t help but choke up.
There was silence all around.
Only the little helper, Ah Cheng, joyfully took the woven blanket from Yin Zheng’s hands, marveled at the golden characters, and happily asked, "Is this for Doctor Lu? Can we hang it on the main door wall of the medical hall?"
"Of course," the robust man replied earnestly, "Doctor Lu deserves praise for his miraculous hands and merciful heart."
Du Changqing couldn’t help but cover his face with his hand, "This is too embarrassing..."
Widow Sun, who was watching the excitement at the door, poked the sturdy arm of the man and asked curiously, "Young man, who is your young miss?" She glanced at the group at the door; their mighty posture didn’t seem like that of an average family’s.
The man in blue clasped his fists and said, "Our family head is the eldest daughter of Zhao Ning Manor," he paused, then added, "the former Princess Wenjun."
Upon hearing about the eldest daughter of Zhao Ning Manor, the onlookers were initially baffled, but when the former Princess Wenjun was mentioned, they suddenly realized.
Oh, so it was the unfortunate Princess Consort from a few days ago!