Cai Qing had witnessed Murong Jinyun's fierceness and was worried that Gu Beichen might be bullied if he wasn't her match.
"We'd be lightbulbs if we stayed, and we'd be annoying, understand?"
She didn't want to be a kilowatt lightbulb, shining brightly for others.
"Young Madam, what is a lightbulb?" Cai Qing asked innocently. She didn't understand why her young madam always said such strange words she had never heard before.
What is a lightbulb? It sounded like something powerful.
"It's something that shines, almost like an oil lamp," Feng Jin tried to explain, hoping Cai Qing would understand.
"Oh!" Cai Qing nodded, as if she understood, but not quite.
"So tired, I'll go back and catch up on some sleep."
Feng Jin stretched. Waking up early was really tiring, and her whole body ached. She just wanted to lie in bed and sleep soundly.
With Murong Jinyun's matter resolved, Feng Jin felt a great burden lifted from her heart.
"Yes, Young Madam. I'll have Lu Shi bring the carriage over right away."
Feng Jin watched Cai Qing's retreating back, a smile unconsciously curling on her lips. She felt as if Cai Qing and Lu Shi were heading for a happy union. These past few days, she had seen them together frequently, looking quite intimate.
"Young Madam has arrived. Please be careful," Cai Qing said, carefully helping Feng Jin alight from the carriage upon their arrival at the Ling Mansion.
"Have the small kitchen make some lotus seed congee later, and wait for..."
Before Feng Jin could finish her sentence, an unidentified object flew directly towards her.
Startled, Feng Jin recoiled sharply. The teacup hit the pillar behind her with a loud crash, shattering into pieces all over the floor.
"Young Madam, are you alright?"
Cai Qing, recovering from her shock, rushed to ask Feng Jin about her condition.
"I'm fine," Feng Jin said, relieved. It had been a close call, but she was unharmed.
"Get out! Get out of here!"
Lin Yuwei's voice echoed throughout the entire courtyard. Feng Jin hurried forward to look.
Inside, the room was a mess of shattered fragments. The teapot and porcelain vases were all broken.
Feng Jin's eyes widened. Her blue-and-white porcelain, her sweet white glaze, and her Tang Sancai were gone... gone. Feng Jin felt as if her heart had shattered.
"Get out, get out! Go as far away as possible!" Lin Yuwei yelled furiously at Chu Chenyi, pointing at his nose. If she had a whip in her hand, she would have lashed him a few times.
"I've already made myself clear. Stop being unreasonable and come back with me!"
Chu Chenyi's arrogant demeanor completely enraged Lin Yuwei.
"Listen to me clearly! From today onwards, I have nothing to do with you. From now on, we go our separate ways. You take your sunny road, and I'll cross my single-plank bridge!"
With that, Lin Yuwei stood up, took out the divorce letter she had already written from the desk, and threw it at Chu Chenyi's face: "This is a divorce letter. I've already signed it. If you're smart, you'll sign it quickly, so neither of us ends up looking bad!"
Chu Chenyi was filled with frustration. He tore the divorce letter into pieces and said patiently in a gentle tone, "What will it take for you to come back with me?"
"Never!" Lin Yuwei's tone was resolute. Returning with Chu Chenyi was as impossible as seawater flowing backward, rivers drying up, or mountains losing their peaks!
"Come back with me!" Chu Chenyi's suppressed anger reached its limit. He grabbed Lin Yuwei's wrist and was about to forcibly drag her away.
"Let go of me! Let go... Chu Chenyi, you bastard, let go of me..."
Lin Yuwei cursed him. If she hadn't considered that Chu Chenyi was a prince, she would have insulted his ancestors for eighteen generations.
Feng Jin couldn't bear to watch any longer. She had someone step forward to separate the two.
"Both of you, stop! This is my home. If you want to fight, go fight outside!"
If they continued to quarrel, not only her porcelain, but the house itself might be torn down.
"Cai Qing, go and take an inventory of the broken porcelain. Estimate the approximate cost, and have Prince Jing pay for it!"
Each piece of the broken porcelain was worth a fortune. She had to make Chu Chenyi pay for it.
"Wait!" Chu Chenyi stopped Cai Qing, who was about to leave, and said indignantly, "She broke all these things. Why should I pay?"
It wasn't that Chu Chenyi was unwilling to pay, but rather that he was short on funds. He still had to repay Feng Jin's high medical expenses every month. With his meager salary, he could only cover the most basic expenses. If he were to take on this debt, he would never recover in this lifetime.
"Why should I pay? If you hadn't angered me, would I have thrown things at you? Besides, you didn't catch what I threw. It broke because you couldn't catch it. You should be the one to pay!"
Lin Yuwei clearly didn't want to pay. She resorted to all sorts of unreasonable tactics, obviously intending to make Chu Chenyi pay.
"I have no money!" Chu Chenyi gave up. Between money and pride, he chose the former.
Feng Jin sat on a chair, watching their dramatic performance with helplessness. She coughed lightly and said, "You two are not divorced yet, and Yuwei is still your Princess Consort. This money, naturally, should be paid by you!"
"That's right!" Lin Yuwei firmly agreed.
The two of them, speaking in unison, left Chu Chenyi speechless. Even with ten mouths, he couldn't argue with them.
What the sages said was absolutely true: it is difficult to raise women and small-minded people. Never try to reason with women, because you will never be their match.
"Alright, I admit I'm no match for you. I concede!"
With self-awareness, Chu Chenyi accepted his misfortune. He looked at Lin Yuwei, who was smirking triumphantly, and said, "However, you still have to come back with me!"
"Never!" Lin Yuwei was firm in her stance. "I will absolutely not go back with you. Give up on that idea!"
"Oh, really? Are you sure?" The man's provocative tone made Lin Yuwei's heart tremble. For a moment, she couldn't figure out what he was up to. She tried to steady her voice and asked, "What do you want to do?"
"According to our laws, although women are allowed to initiate divorce, don't forget the power of gossip. Your family is the Marquis of Pingyang. Your divorce from me would bring nothing but harm to the Marquis of Pingyang. At that time, the world will only criticize the Marquis of Pingyang for raising a poorly behaved daughter. What about your elder brother's future? What about your unmarried sisters? I advise you to think carefully."
Seeing Lin Yuwei's expression waver, Chu Chenyi's lips curved into a triumphant smile.