After only one year, all the madams seemed to have changed into different people. Their faces were filled with smiles that were brighter than spring flowers.
The original tea party was full of resentment, but now it had been swept away. There was not a trace of melancholy between their eyebrows, and they were more beautiful than flowers.
As the host of the tea party and Han Yu's wife, there were many people who flattered Madam Han. The madams spoke more or less with gratitude. They could not express their gratitude in front of Jiang Pengji or Han Yu, so they could only thank Madam Han in a roundabout way.
Little did they know that Han Yu and his wife, who were in love with each other in the eyes of outsiders, had been living in separate rooms.
Madam Han's smile was slightly stiff when she heard the flattery from the madams.
As the madams arrived one after another, the tea party gradually became more lively. Everyone enjoyed the tea and enjoyed the flowers.
"Why didn't Madam Zhang and Madam Ning come today?"
A madam sat down at her seat. She glanced around and found that several madams whom she could get along with were not there.
"Madam Dou was sick for a while before the New Year. I'm afraid we don't know what happened this month." A madam said with a smile, "Something happened to Madam Zhang and Madam Ning's husband. Their whole family was sent back to their hometown. They are worried about it. How could they be in the mood to come to the tea party?"
Madam Dou couldn't help but widen her eyes. A trace of astonishment flashed through her eyes.
She had been sick on and off for almost two months. During that period, she had been busy with her family's affairs. Indeed, she did not pay much attention to the outside world.
"What happened? Why were they sent back to their hometown? "
Madam Dou had left the circle of madams for less than two months. Why did she feel that there was a generation gap between her and them?
Seeing that she really didn't know, everyone kindly informed her about the big news that had happened recently.
There was a lot of information about last year's New Year's Eve. The audience was very satisfied.
"Madam Dou, do you know that Madam Zhang and Madam Ning's husband had six or seven beautiful concubines?"
"Of course I do."
After all, they were considered close friends. She also knew that the two of them had been hurt by their fickle husbands. She had heard them complain a lot.
Madam Dou felt that it was not worth it for them, but she also had her own mess to deal with.
"It all started before the New Year. At the tea party before the New Year, the wife of the commandant, Lv Xi 'niang, came as well. No one knew what the lady heard and what she said when she went back, but the Duke of Lanting flew into a rage. On the first day of the new year, he sent messengers to the Duke's residence to reprimand those who overstepped their boundaries and took concubines. Those men are also cruel and heartless. In order to protect their futures, they lied and said that the concubines in their mansions were not concubines, and secretly forced the good concubines to become lowly … Humph, how could their stupid tricks escape the eyes of the Duke of Lanting? "
When the madams talked about this matter, they immediately felt a sense of elation.
Although their husbands didn't take any concubines, they secretly kept one or two mistresses or "adopted daughters".
Those women didn't have the status of concubines, but they were treated like concubines. It was disgusting.
After this incident, her men hurriedly cleaned up the backyard, not daring to leave any traces behind.
These days, she was even more well-behaved. Not to mention looking for those vixens, she didn't even go out to socialize.
Madam Dou could not help but cover her mouth with her handkerchief and let out a short gasp.
Seeing Madam Dou's reaction, the other madams laughed.
"It's important to know one's place! If one's status isn't high enough, he can't take concubines. It's clearly written in the ancestral etiquette. " One of them gloated. "In the past, no one pursued this matter. Any man with some money in his pocket would want to have a large number of wives and concubines. Now that the Duke of Lanting wants to restore the etiquette, can't they be caught and killed for the monkeys to see? Spoiling concubines and killing their wives, overstepping their boundaries, and forcing good women to become prostitutes — these three crimes are punishable together. Even an iron man would have to peel off a layer of skin! Now, the Duke of Lanting is only banning the three generations of his family from becoming officials and sending the whole family back to their original homes. This is already an act of mercy by the Duke of Lanting. "
"The Duke of Lanting is a woman after all. He's too softhearted …" Another madam rolled her eyes in dissatisfaction and said in a treacherous voice, "In my opinion, those annoying vixens should be sold off and put an end to their troubles. Anyway, they've already become lowly citizens. That's what they deserve. Yet the Duke of Lanting wants them to return to their original homes … They're obviously vixens! It's fine if they aren't punished, but they're allowed to leave with the Baiquan silver and regain their freedom … Hmph, these vixens have a good life! "
The madams nearby could not help but move further away when they heard this.
The tea party was a public event. She had blatantly expressed her dissatisfaction with Jiang Pengji. Did she despise her husband for living too long?
Madam Dou reluctantly sorted out the cause and effect. She was secretly speechless.
She had been wondering why her husband, who hadn't come to her room for years, was resting in her room every day. Not only did he show concern for her three times a day, but he also played the role of a good husband in front of others. He even said he wanted to draw her eyebrows in the morning … It almost disgusted her.
It turned out that her husband was so concerned about her, an old woman, because of this?
A trace of disgust flashed through Madam Dou's heart. She almost vomited on the spot.
She said calmly, "I see. It looks like I won't be able to visit them in the near future."
If her husband's family was sent back to where they came from, she would probably not be able to see them for the rest of her life.
"That's not necessarily true. Maybe it'll be better in a few days."
"Eh? What do you mean? "Madam Dou was confused.
"Madam Zhang and Madam Ning are busy divorcing or severing ties with their husbands."
Madam Dou was dumbfounded by this bombshell.
Was this "husband and wife are birds of the same forest, but they fly separately in times of crisis"?
Seeing Madam Dou's unhappy expression, everyone knew that she had misunderstood. They explained, "They're doing this for the sake of their children."
Madam Dou asked, "What do you mean?"
Abandoning one's husband for the sake of their children?
Madam Dou could not understand this strange logic.
"It looks like Madam Dou really doesn't care about what's going on outside these days." A young madam smiled and said, "A while ago, Duke Lanting ordered people to revise the new marriage laws. For the sake of their children's futures, Madam Zhang and Madam Ning can only choose to be independent after severing ties. Otherwise, their children will be implicated by their father. They won't be able to have an official career when they grow up and will be commoners for three generations! "
Madam Dou said, "Will this work? If Duke Lanting orders to punish the third generation, he definitely won't allow them to take advantage of this loophole. "
One of the madams said uncertainly, "Perhaps it's possible. After all, the madam at Chang 'an Alley succeeded."
The madam at Chang 'an Alley was a famous figure in the circle of madams.
Of course, it wasn't a good reputation.
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