"I promise this will be the last time. If there's a next time, I won't bother you again..."
Lin Yuwei's lips curved into a faint smile, a hint of appeasement in her tone. She truly had no other choice, which was why she'd shamelessly sought out Feng Jin.
"Sigh..." Feng Jin let out a helpless sigh, her gaze falling on Lin Yuwei. She cleared her throat and continued, "Tell me, what exactly caused this uproar, and why the dramatic exit?"
With these two bickering incessantly, who knew what they had fought about this time? Their constant restlessness only seemed to drag others into their turmoil.
"It's all... it's all because he went to the pleasure house..."
Lin Yuwei grumbled indignantly, recounting the entire story to Feng Jin. As her emotions surged, she didn't forget to slam the table forcefully.
"I knew it! Him running around all day never leads to anything good. In the blink of an eye, he's off to a pleasure house!"
The mention of the pleasure house reignited the anger that had just begun to subside in Feng Jin.
"Sister Feng Jin, isn't it infuriating? One after another, they all sneak off to pleasure houses. If you didn't know better, you'd think there were several lovers waiting for them in there..."
"Alright, stop your nagging. My temper had just calmed down a bit, and you're about to set it all ablaze again."
Feng Jin quickly stopped Lin Yuwei. If she continued, her temper would truly be uncontrollable.
"But speaking of which, Sister Feng Jin, you are truly amazing. Your deed of catching your husband red-handed at the pleasure house has spread throughout the entire capital. It was absolutely spectacular..."
Lin Yuwei's words made Feng Jin freeze. Her gaze shifted to Lin Yuwei, "You mean... the whole capital knows?"
She had never imagined it would spread so quickly. Gossip, rumors... she had no idea how much it would be distorted now. Her hard-earned good reputation would be ruined again.
This was truly a disaster. If she had known, she wouldn't have acted so impulsively. One wrong step, and indeed, every step thereafter would be wrong.
"Yes... Sister Feng Jin, you have no idea. You are now a role model for the women in this capital. You're the first person who dared to go to a pleasure house and drag your husband back. So many people secretly admire you."
"Admire... there are probably still many people behind my back calling me unvirtuous, jealous... that I've committed one of the seven grounds for divorce, right? Women like that should be divorced immediately. An unvirtuous woman can even bring disaster to her descendants."
Lin Yuwei's face was filled with surprise as she looked at Feng Jin. "How did you know these things?"
She almost suspected that Sister Feng Jin, who rarely left the house, knew all these matters. It was truly unexpected, almost too uncanny.
"I can guess. These self-important scholars, they just love to use the words of the sages to criticize others and then laud their own greatness. It's truly pathetic and laughable."
"But those dissenting voices are a minority. Most of us admire and respect you. I keep thinking, if only I were as brave as you, I wouldn't be bullied by that scoundrel Chu Chenyi. It's just that he's a prince, and I'm just a princess who lives by depending on him. I'm destined to be unable to defy or oppose him, and can only depend on him and live my life accordingly..."
Lin Yuwei sighed helplessly. From the day she was betrothed to Chu Chenyi, her fate had been sealed. She would spend her entire life confined within the high walls of a noble family, revolving around a man.
Living like this every day was truly stifling and unbearable. If she could make her own choices, she would want to live as she pleased, just for herself.
"What do you mean by living by depending on a man? We are all living, breathing individuals. We have hands and feet, and we are not lacking anything compared to men. Why should we depend on others to live? Can't we live by ourselves?"
As an independent woman, she found it most unbearable to hear talk of depending on men, and even more so to tolerate the restraints of the 'three obediences and four virtues' imposed on women.
Born into this world, why should there be a distinction between primary and secondary based on gender? Who decreed that women must rely on men to live?
"Live by myself... live by myself..." Lin Yuwei murmured, Feng Jin's words echoing in her mind. Instantly, a myriad of thoughts flooded her. She could also live in this world by herself...
"That's right, live by yourself. As women in this society, we are inherently the weaker sex. We need to learn to protect ourselves well. The most important thing is to firmly grasp wealth in our hands."
"So, you must learn to earn money with your own hands, to support yourself. That way, you won't be controlled by men. Even if you have to divorce Chu Chenyi one day, you'll have the confidence to pack your bags and leave!"
Feng Jin's words instantly ignited Lin Yuwei's passion. She felt that Feng Jin's words made perfect sense.
"That's right, Sister Feng Jin, you're absolutely correct! I must learn to make money with you, so that when Chu Chenyi bullies me again, I can divorce him directly, part ways, and never see each other again!"
Sometimes, just looking at Chu Chenyi's face made her feel unlucky. Things were much better now than before, but they still argued several times a week.
This kind of life, toiling for daily necessities, truly wore her out mentally and physically. She also had to constantly think about earning money to fill Chu Chenyi's bottomless pit. From time to time, she felt like she was out of her mind to be doing such foolish things.
Now that she understood, she needed to find a way to cut her losses. However, a marriage bestowed by imperial decree was not something that could be easily dissolved.
Even for ordinary families, divorce was a complicated and troublesome affair, and women had to endure scorn. For a moment, Lin Yuwei couldn't help but feel a sense of retreat.
Her gaze hesitantly fell on Feng Jin, and she asked in a low voice, "Sister Feng Jin, after a woman divorces, won't she be ridiculed by everyone... ridiculed for being unvirtuous and committing one of the seven grounds for divorce... that's why she gets divorced?"
It wouldn't matter if she alone endured some ridicule, but she couldn't implicate the entire Pingyang Marquis Mansion with her. Not only could she not support the Marquis Mansion, but she also had to rely on her mother for help from time to time. If she were to bring trouble to the entire Pingyang Marquis Mansion due to her own selfishness, it would be too much.