kvmb Chapter 476 The Sister-in-Law in Uncle-Sister Literature 20
Chapter 476 The Sister-in-Law in Uncle-Sister Literature 20
Chapter 476 The Sister-in-Law in Uncle-Sister Literature 20
"What did you say?"
Duan Yiyuan's expression instantly turned serious.
"Have you remembered something again?"
"No," Qi Ning denied outright. "I was just making this assumption. After all, I don't remember anything from before, so it's not impossible."
"Really?" Duan Yiyuan asked, still somewhat skeptical.
"Of course it's true, it's just a hypothesis," Qi Ning said without changing his expression.
Despite Qi Ning's words, Duan Yiyuan's expression remained unchanged.
He couldn't help but seriously consider this question.
"What's wrong? Do you regret it and don't want to marry me anymore?" Qi Ning asked, glancing at him.
"Do not."
Duan Yiyuan stared into Qi Ning's eyes, his expression solemn: "I've thought it through. If you've really married someone long ago, it's not a big deal. As long as you still choose me and still want to be with me, I will take you away, and we can go back to Qingzhou."
"If that's really the case, Ning'er, what would you choose?"
He turned the question back on Qi Ning.
Duan Yiyuan's reaction surprised Qi Ning.
"If I had already gotten married, would you still not mind?"
“What do I care about? If that’s the case, I only care that he met you before me, that he has the rightful status of your husband, and that he has the approval of your family. You might also choose to go back to him. I only care about what you think.”
In Duan Yiyuan's view, if Ning'er had really married before losing her memory, he would still fight for her; he couldn't just give her away without doing anything.
It wasn't that he wanted to steal someone else's wife, but that the other person hadn't protected Ning'er well, and he didn't deserve to have his Ning'er.
If that person had protected his wife properly, how would he have had the chance to meet her?
Of course, it all depends on Ning'er's own wishes.
Qi Ning stared blankly at Duan Yiyuan.
Seeing this, Duan Yiyuan thought that Qi Ning was really hesitating.
He added, "Ning'er, think about it carefully. If you are really married, that person is definitely not someone you can entrust your life to. Otherwise, how could he have lost you, how could he have put you in a dangerous situation, and how could he not have come to find you for so long? Is such a person worthy of your trust?"
If she hadn't happened to faint at the entrance of his courtyard, Duan Yiyuan didn't know what would have happened to her now; he didn't even dare to think about it.
Qi Ning suddenly burst out laughing.
"Why are you taking this so seriously? I was just speculating; it's not like such a person actually exists."
"I know it's a hypothesis, but it could also be true."
At this moment, Duan Yiyuan only cared about one question: "If such a person existed, would you choose me?"
Qi Ning nodded: "Of course, of course I will choose you."
A smile finally appeared on Duan Yiyuan's face: "That's good."
Whether the hypothesis was true or false, it made Duan Yiyuan wary.
It seems that after returning to Beijing, he cannot openly and publicly search for her family. He should instead investigate discreetly and first find out about her family situation.
At this moment, he didn't know that he would never need to use this cunning trick of his.
Thinking of this, Duan Yiyuan asked Qi Ning, "Then are you willing to return to the capital?"
"Wherever you go, I'll go."
Upon hearing Qi Ning's answer, Duan Yiyuan's heart stirred. He took Qi Ning's hand, raised it, and kissed the back of her hand.
“Ning’er, now that you’ve agreed to come back to the capital with me, there are some things I need to tell you beforehand.”
Qi Ning roughly guessed what he wanted to say to her, and she cooperatively asked, "What is it?"
"Actually, I want to take you back to the capital not only to help you find your family, but also because I have my own things to take care of."
What he was about to say made Duan Yiyuan a little uneasy, and he spoke with a hint of caution.
"I have a wife in name only in the capital."
"What?!" Qi Ning feigned surprise.
"Ning'er, don't panic, let me explain!"
Duan Yiyuan hugged Qi Ning tightly, afraid that she would get angry, misunderstand him, and then not want to marry him.
"That woman and I have no marital relationship, and she is not even my wife. She is just occupying the title of my wife."
Upon hearing Duan Yiyuan's words, Qi Ning knew that he was aware that Lin Suwan had stayed in the Duan family.
"What do you mean?" Qi Ning asked knowingly.
"Just listen to me and I'll tell you slowly."
Since he was going to be honest, Duan Yiyuan naturally wouldn't hide anything from Qi Ning.
He started by recounting his childhood conflicts with his father, Duan Jingde, and how he became a prince's study companion, passed the imperial examination with top honors, and later had disagreements with his father over political views. He also mentioned how his father secretly arranged his marriage, and how he eventually severed ties with his father and left the capital.
He told everything, without hiding a single detail.
"Even though I didn't personally go through the wedding ceremony with Lin, in the eyes of outsiders, she was still my wife. Therefore, before I left the capital, I had someone send her a divorce agreement."
"It was only much later that I learned that after I left the capital, Lin was still staying in the Duan family under the name of the eldest young mistress of the Duan family."
This matter was mentioned in a letter written by the Prince of Qi to Duan Yiyuan after he ascended the throne, urging him to return to the capital. Otherwise, Duan Yiyuan might not have known about it.
In his letter, the emperor said that it was not easy for Lin Suwan, a woman, to manage the household and also to take care of his half-brother. She had been waiting for him to return.
When Duan Yiyuan learned of this, he did not feel moved or guilty.
First of all, he rejected Lin Suwan from the beginning, but she insisted on marrying him. Later, he wrote a divorce agreement for Lin Suwan, which she left on her own initiative without his consent.
Secondly, Lin Suwan chose to stay in the Duan family instead of returning to her parents' home. Thanks to the emperor's favor towards Duan Yiyuan and the fact that the crime was not committed by a married woman, she escaped a calamity. Otherwise, she would have been executed for treason like the others in the Wu'an Marquis's mansion.
Even if Lin Suwan is quickly married off to another family after returning to the Marquis of Wu'an's mansion, she will probably be disliked by her new in-laws as the daughter of a disgraced official after the Marquis of Wu'an's rebellion fails.
Instead, she stayed in the Duan family. Although it seemed pitiful for a woman to manage the household, she had no husband's family to control her. As the matriarch of the Duan family, how bad could her life be?
It must be said that Lin Suwan is indeed a smart person, and the choice she made was correct and very advantageous to her.
As for the claim that Lin Suwan helped Duan Yiyuan manage his half-brother Duan Yihuai, that's utter nonsense.
If Lin Suwan did not stay in the Duan family after Duan Jingde's death, and Duan Yiyuan did not return, then Duan Yihuai would not be left unattended; the other uncles and elders of the Duan family would naturally take care of him.
Although Duan Jingde passed the imperial examination from an ordinary person, after he became an official in the capital, his relatives came to the capital one after another. They benefited from Duan Jingde's influence and gained property and official positions. It was not a problem for them to manage Duan Yihuai.
Rather than saying that Lin Suwan controlled Duan Yihuai, it would be more accurate to say that Duan Yihuai did not go to his uncles' homes but stayed in the Duan family, thus solidifying Lin Suwan's position as the eldest sister-in-law and the head of the household.
That is why Duan Yiyuan felt no remorse towards Lin Suwan.
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