Five Years After My Death, the Mad Emperor Still Summons My Spirit

This turn of events was completely unexpected.

Ming Lingyi hadn’t expected it to come to this, either.

Yao Niang’s resolve made the surrounding Patrol officers hesitate.

What could a few low-ranking Patrol officers possibly do to influence a situation like this?

Mutual divorce required all sorts of documents and procedures, making it much more complicated than a man divorcing his wife, which only required him to write a letter of repudiation.

Even if their direct superior, the Lord Governor of Jingzhao Mansion, were here right now, he absolutely couldn’t agree to it so casually.

"Mrs. Gu, please, calm down." An older-looking man among the Patrol, who seemed to be their leader, spoke up. "This is a serious matter; we can’t make a decision lightly. If there’s more to this than meets the eye, or if you have a grievance, come with us to the government office first."

Yao Niang’s maiden name was Gu. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

His words failed to make Yao Niang reconsider in the slightest. Instead, she pressed the cleaver in her hand a fraction deeper against her neck.

In that instant, the sharp cleaver broke the skin on her neck, and blood began to trickle out.

"Oh dear, what are we going to do?" Mrs. Wei fretted from the side, frowning. She hadn’t expected to witness such a scene when she came over to watch the commotion. She was so nervous she’d crumpled the fabric of Ming Lingyi’s sleeve in her grip.

The scene was on the verge of chaos. Everyone present could see that Yao Niang had little will to live. She had likely acted today with the intent of taking someone down with her.

"Miss, it’s not worth sacrificing yourself for a worthless man," Ming Lingyi suddenly stepped forward and spoke. "There is a law in Dayan that might just help you get a divorce."

Ming Lingyi had only just recalled this extremely obscure and little-known law. Whether Yao Niang was willing to try it or not, she felt it was worth mentioning if it could save a life.

Sure enough, as soon as Ming Lingyi spoke, Yao Niang, who had been resolved to die, lifted her head and looked in her direction.

Yao Niang: "...Is... is that true? What is it?"

"Don’t you even think about a divorce!" Hearing this, Granny Qiu flew into a thunderous rage. If the Patrol officers weren’t restraining her, she would have been jabbing a finger in Yao Niang’s face. "Even if you’re getting kicked out of the Chai family, it’ll be my son divorcing you! You jinx, you wretched woman! Daring to think about a mutual divorce? Dream on!"

It wasn’t enough for her to curse Yao Niang; she turned her head, preparing to curse Ming Lingyi for meddling.

However, Granny Qiu had just spat out a single word, "You—" when a stone suddenly flew from out of nowhere and shot straight into her mouth.

"AGGHH—" Granny Qiu clutched her throat, unable to utter a single word for a long moment, her expression one of extreme pain.

Ming Lingyi looked at Xiao Chun. "What happened?"

Xiao Chun shook her head. She hadn’t gotten a clear look either. "It looked like something flew into Granny Qiu’s mouth."

"The old hag has probably done so much evil that even the heavens can’t bear to watch anymore," Mrs. Wei said from the side. She genuinely believed this was divine retribution.

Quite a few people in the crowd shared Mrs. Wei’s opinion, believing that Granny Qiu’s sudden inability to speak was a case of karmic retribution.

Ming Lingyi, however, felt a strange inkling. But before she could grasp the thought, the peculiar feeling slipped away.

"The Dayan Dynasty has a law," Ming Lingyi said. "If a woman renounces worldly life to become a nun, the government can also grant a divorce without requiring a divorce letter from the husband’s family."

After she said this, she heard many people in the crowd whispering.

"Is that really true?"

"I’ve never heard of that. I don’t know."

"Getting a divorce just by becoming a nun? That’s unheard of."

Most people were not well-versed in Dayan Law. Upon suddenly hearing Ming Lingyi’s claim, many were skeptical.

"What this young lady says is true."

Just as opinions were divided and the crowd couldn’t tell fact from fiction, an elderly man in official robes arrived, escorted by a group of Patrol officers.

Many people in the crowd had already recognized the elderly man and knelt one after another. "This commoner greets you, my lord."

Mrs. Wei pulled on Ming Lingyi, signaling for her to kneel as well, and whispered in her ear, "That’s Lord Gongsun of Jingzhao Mansion. He’s our Lord Governor."

Ming Lingyi thought the Lord Governor looked familiar, too. Then Xiao Chun, beside her, let out a soft gasp. "Isn’t that the old gentleman who came to eat on our first day of business?"

Then Ming Lingyi remembered.

The Lord Governor had indeed appeared at her eatery several times. While not as frequent a customer as Mr. Du from across the street, he still came to dine every few days.

He was a regular, in other words.

Gongsun Liangce had received a report from the Patrol squad and rushed over directly from the government office.

With the Lord Governor’s sudden appearance, the onlookers who had been skeptical of Ming Lingyi’s words were now utterly astonished.

So, it was actually true.

Even Yao Niang seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Yao Niang’s greatest wish right now wasn’t to live, but to shed the title of "Chai Family’s wife" she had borne for so many years. She would rather leave this world with her name cleared than continue to eke out a miserable existence as a wife of the Chai family.

Gongsun Liangce looked at Yao Niang, who was still holding the cleaver, and said with conviction, "Young lady, it seems you have suffered a great deal of injustice. Why not put down the weapon and tell me all about it? There’s no need to go back to the government office today; we can settle this right here. Besides myself, the people present can also bear witness for you."

Ming Lingyi was secretly surprised when she heard Gongsun Liangce’s words.

’This Lord Gongsun must have been appointed Prefect of Jingzhao Mansion within the last five years,’ she thought. ’I never heard of anyone by that name back then. If he had been an official in the capital, I should have known of him.’

The cleaver fell from Yao Niang’s hand. She knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Gongsun Liangce. "My Lord, if you can grant me a divorce, I will be eternally grateful. I married into the Chai family nine years ago. For all these nine years, I have worked at the noodle shop by day to support the family, and returned at night to serve my husband and his parents. That man, Chai Yuanqian, may look dashing and refined, but he’s nothing but a useless fool. He uses studying for the imperial examinations as an excuse to stay home, but in all these years, he hasn’t even managed to become a Scholar. He has a... a hidden affliction, but he refuses to seek treatment. He even threatened me not to breathe a word of it to anyone..."

At this, the crowd immediately erupted in discussion.

"I knew it! Eldest Chai always looked like some pretty boy with no substance. Turns out he really can’t perform, hahaha! And to think Granny Qiu used to call poor Yao Niang a barren hen. Who knew the problem was with her own son all along!"

"Such a pity for Miss Yao, to have met a man like that."

"If Eldest Chai can’t get it up, I wonder if his younger brother can’t either? Then those kids of his... could they be... hahaha."

There was never a shortage of wild speculation in the marketplace. In just a short while, the crowd’s discussion had already moved on to the Chai family’s second son.

Granny Qiu’s face flushed with rage. She wanted to open her mouth and curse them, but the stone that had been shot into her mouth earlier had hit with such force that it had made her throat bleed. She couldn’t utter a single word now. All she could do was gesticulate wildly in her fury, looking as if she wanted to rip the mouths off the gossiping onlookers. But in the end, with her arms pinned by the Patrol, she couldn’t move an inch.

As for the second son of the Chai family, Chai Yuanhao, who was now caught in the "crossfire," he was so furious he nearly coughed up blood.

’His older brother was impotent! What in the hell did that have to do with him!’