Chapter 196

Chapter 196: I Divorced Him

The young woman in black learned that her invention was being used, and she was very happy; she did not mind that her husband claimed the credit, because in her view they were one family, and praise given to her or to him was the same. She also disliked socializing, so letting her husband take the credit and handle everything that came after the invention suited her just fine.

Her inventions and her sharp ideas helped the merchant’s son rise step by step; within a few years he became a fifth-rank official. Meanwhile, her half sister-the girl in the pink dress-was not doing well. Before she could enter the commandery governor’s manor, the commandery governor was removed from office for corruption. The girl in pink had no choice but to marry into a family weaker than her own. Within two years, her husband, drained by drinking and womanizing, fell ill and died. She could not bear her in-laws’ torment and went back to her parents’ home in anger.

When she learned that her legitimate older sister had become an official’s wife and that her brother-in-law kept getting promoted, she felt unbalanced and jealous, and in the end she grew bold with spite and decided to seduce her brother-in-law. The merchant’s son did not refuse.

After the woman in the black dress caught them in the act, she was so furious she wanted to kill the cheating pair, but they turned the tables and killed her. She died filled with deep resentment and became a vengeful ghost, then killed the two of them. But because her resentment and sins were heavy, she was trapped in the house and could not reincarnate.

After skimming through the black-skirted woman’s life, Red Luan cursed in anger: “Those two died far too comfortably; a jerk and a shameless woman should lose everything first and only then die miserably, so it feels like justice.”

The female ghost’s anger paused as she asked in surprise: “You do not blame me for killing people?”

Red Luan looked puzzled and said: “Why would I blame you for killing them? Those two deserved to die.” Then she shook her head and added: “But you should not have dragged others down with them. Debts have owners. Even if you had kept those two souls to torment them, that would have been better than venting your anger on innocent people.”

The ghost fell silent.

Yu Zhi Yi did not object to Red Luan’s words. Although she was a professional exorcist, she was not an old fossil. To tell someone who had been murdered to be generous would be asking for lightning to strike you. The only reason to stop a case like this was to keep the already-tragic victim from falling into hell because of scum.

The ghost let out a soft sigh and said: “You two are not like anyone else I have met. If only I had met you earlier.” In life or in death, she had never met a woman who made her look twice. Those so-called noble ladies, whether well read or empty inside, were all just uninteresting shells. What they learned about poetry and romance was only a tool to please men and hold on to status. Only these two girls made her feel a rare kinship. It was a pity they had met too late. If she had been born ten years later, or if they had been born ten years earlier, perhaps they could have been friends.

Yu Zhi Yi lifted a finger and said: “Go where you should go.” A door as dark as a black hole appeared at once. The night was already cold, but now it turned bone-chilling. The young lord and the others hugged their arms and shrank like quails, unable to speak. Fear still poured from their eyes as they stared. That pitch-black door, what was it? Could it be what they thought?

The girl in black suddenly changed form. She was still dressed in black, but the cut of the dress turned simple and finely tailored. She pinned her hair in a neat bun. With a pretty face and a calm, scholarly air, she curved her lips in a faint smile, confident and composed. She looked deeply at Yu Zhi Yi and Red Luan and said: “Thank you for letting me know that women like me are not all doomed to fall as I did. I hope your road stays smooth, and that you are safe and joyful.”

After the ghost walked through, the dark door vanished. They found themselves back in the woods, and a patch of light appeared in the distance where a moment ago the trees had seemed endless. The young lord and the others moved toward the light and soon walked out of the forest.

Outside, Duke Ping Nan was pacing anxiously. Hearing the rustle, he turned and called: “An Er!” The families of the other young masters and young misses were also waiting. Seeing their children, they came forward too-some worried, some scolding them for taking risks.

Ignoring the many moods outside, Red Luan asked, a little uneasy: “Will that lady ghost be sent to the Eighteen Levels of Hell to suffer?”

Yu Zhi Yi said calmly: “No.”

Red Luan blinked in surprise and asked: “Really?” It was not that she distrusted her dear sister, only that what Yu Zhi Yi said was different from what she had always heard.

Yu Zhi Yi reminded her: “Do you remember reading in the story that she created a lot of inventions?”

Red Luan nodded.

Yu Zhi Yi explained: “Her new farm tools greatly improved the speed of planting and harvesting for farmers. The repeating crossbow that put the jerk in front of the Ministry of Works reduced casualties among the soldiers of the Great Sheng Empire and raised their chances of winning battles. And some inventions that looked minor at the time quietly benefited many people. These brought her a great deal of merit. She did kill with her own hands, which is a serious sin, but it is understandable. Together with the merit she earned, it is enough to offset her guilt.”

Red Luan let out a long breath and said: “Now I finally feel better.” If such a smart and deep young lady had really been thrown into the Eighteen Levels of Hell because of two awful people, she would have been furious.

Watching Red Luan’s fierce love of justice, Yu Zhi Yi smiled: “Heaven is fair. It will not treat you differently just because you are a man or a woman.”

Red Luan curled her lip and said: “If Heaven is that fair, how did it create a world like this Edinburgh?”

Yu Zhi Yi froze and asked: “Huh? What do you mean by Edinburgh?”

Red Luan rubbed her nose and said: “Nothing, I was just talking nonsense.”

Their voices were neither loud nor soft, and the people outside, who had been fussing over their sons and daughters, slowly quieted. Hearing Yu Zhi Yi’s sentence about Heaven being fair to men and women, everyone had different thoughts. Seeing that Yu Zhi Yi was about to leave, the young lord suddenly called out: “Young Madam Du!”

Yu Zhi Yi turned and said evenly: “I am no longer Young Madam Du. From now on, please call me Official Yu.” Divorce was not something she needed to hide, and it would become public sooner or later. Rather than let others use it to attack her, she chose to say it herself.

Everyone was stunned.

Miss Su said in surprise: “You were divorced?”

Yu Zhi Yi corrected her: “No. I divorced him.”

Miss Su went speechless, then gave a cold little laugh and said with disdain: “Young Master Du is such a good person, and his father is the chancellor. How could you bear to divorce him?”

Yu Zhi Yi fell silent.