In the Great Yan Dynasty, the concept of a mutual separation did not exist. The more modern term "divorce," therefore, was even less likely to appear here.
However, the literal meaning of the two characters for "divorce" was self-evident. In this time and place, anyone who could read would understand their implication.
Li meant to leave.
Hun meant marriage.
Thus, after merely glancing at the title centered on the page, Qin Shaozong could read no further.
He only felt a surge of fury rise from the bottom of his heart, spreading through his limbs and bones with the force of a sweeping army, rushing straight to the top of his head. It made the veins on his neck bulge and twitch, and his vision went dark.
The Qin family was a prominent and aristocratic clan in the region. Although he was not the eldest legitimate son, he still bore the title of a legitimate heir. Since childhood, apart from his elders and older brothers of the same generation, who hadn't treated him with the utmost respect and profound humility?
When he came of age and took over the heavy burdens of the family, and was later conferred a title by the imperial court, the Qin clan directly honored him as their patriarch, following his every command.
Later, he continued to wage wars across the land, bringing the Ji and Bing provinces under his control and firmly grasping the entire North in the palm of his hand. It could be said that the entire situation in the North was at his fingertips.
His elders had passed away, and the Emperor of Han was far away in Chang'an. There was no longer anyone in the North who could make him bow his head, nor anyone who dared to show him even the slightest disrespect.
He had set his heart on taking her as his wife. They were not even married yet, but she had already handed him some sort of "Divorce Agreement."
When had he ever suffered such an insult?
"Absurd!" He slammed the table and stood up.
Everything on the desk jumped, including the personal seal Qin Shaozong had taken out and the inkstick resting on the inkstone. The latter was jolted so hard it slid down the edge. The wet tip of the inkstick smacked onto the table, leaving a streak of ink.
Slapping the desk was not enough for him; he reached out, crumpled the "Divorce Agreement" into a ball, and threw it out the door with a swoosh.
Dai Li: "..."
Anyone else facing Qin Shaozong's thunderous rage would surely turn pale and tremble in fear, but this was not the first time Dai Li had provoked his anger, and she had anticipated this reaction.
"It's not absurd."
Dai Li did not rush to pick up the agreement. Instead, she walked around the long desk to stand on the same side as Qin Shaozong. She took the initiative to hold his large, rough hand, trying to pull him back down to his seat.
On her first attempt, she couldn't move him.
The man stood as immovable as a mountain. He stared straight ahead, not even turning his head in the slightest. Were it not for his violently heaving chest and rapid breathing, Qin Shaozong would have looked more like a majestic and cold stone statue.
"My Lord, do not be angry. There is a reason for this. Listen to me and I will explain it slowly," Dai Li said, raising a hand to gently stroke his chest.
Her voice was a soothing, gentle tone, like a flowing spring or the silent, nourishing spring rain.
Qin Shaozong turned his head to cast a sidelong glance at her. He didn't speak, but that heavy look clearly said: I don't want to hear it.
Seeing that he had at least reacted, Dai Li pulled his hand a second time, trying to get him to sit back down.
And this time, she still couldn't move him.
Dai Li said softly, "In my homeland, there is no such thing as a 'Betrothal Reply Letter.' But since you wanted one, I granted your wish and learned how to write one, even though I had never written such a letter to any man before."
Qin Shaozong's expression remained ugly, but the terrifying pressure radiating from him dissipated slightly.
Dai Li began to spin a lie to deceive him. "It's not that I'm deliberately making things difficult for you. It's just that where I come from, all men and women who are about to marry must sign a 'Divorce Agreement.' The purpose is so that in the future, if they grow to despise each other and can no longer live together, they can separate quickly."
Following his exclamation of "Absurd," he finally spoke his second sentence:
"Impossible," he said, his voice ice-cold.
Dai Li knew he wasn't exposing her lie; he was simply refuting the word "separate."
She continued, "Actually, not many people end up using this prenuptial agreement. Many loving couples leave it buried at the bottom of a chest for their entire lives, until it is mostly eaten by moths or naturally rots away, never seeing the light of day again. After all, the conditions in the agreement are not easily met. Or rather, if they are met, such a couple is basically estranged and there is no longer any need for them to be together..."
Pausing for a moment, Dai Li's tone took on a hint of melancholy. "I was willing to adapt to local customs for you, My Lord, and write a 'Betrothal Reply Letter' that I had never written before. Are you not willing to change even the slightest bit for me? Even if this agreement were taken to court, according to the laws of the Great Yan, it likely wouldn't be recognized anyway."
Hearing the last sentence, Qin Shaozong's expression softened slightly.
At this moment, Dai Li reached out to pull him for the third time. He finally moved, following her gentle force to sit back down.
Only then did Dai Li go to retrieve the crumpled ball of paper.
The mulberry paper had quite a bit of weight to it when crumpled. Moreover, since the man had been furious, his throw had not only sent it flying out the door but almost into the middle of the courtyard.
When Dai Li returned, she saw Qin Shaozong looking at the "Betrothal Reply Letter." His expression was even better than before she went out.
Dai Li secretly curled the corners of her lips, quickly composing her expression before he looked up. But she soon noticed that the personal seal previously placed on the desk was gone.
Dai Li: "..."
She walked around behind the desk to sit beside Qin Shaozong and smoothed out the crumpled "Divorce Agreement."
The displeasing title was glaringly obvious. The veins on Qin Shaozong's forehead twitched again, but this time he didn't immediately look away.
He forced himself to read on with patience.
The beginning was very brief, without much elaboration. It simply stated that if the married couple met any of the following conditions, they could separate.
Qin Shaozong took a deep breath, his gaze shifting imperceptibly to the side for a moment before he continued reading.
There were not many conditions; she had only listed three scenarios.
1. If either party in the marriage takes a new lover, the marriage shall be considered broken.
2. If the two parties have disagreements in their values, including but not limited to views on childbearing, and cannot reach a consensus, the marriage shall be considered broken.
3. If conflicts arise involving the children of either party, and the conflicts are irreconcilable, the marriage shall be considered broken.
After reading the first clause, Qin Shaozong simply skipped past it.
Her taking a new lover?
If she actually did, he could make this so-called new lover immediately reincarnate, turning a reality into nothingness.
He paused slightly upon reading the second clause, then skipped it as well. But when he saw the third clause, his gaze froze.
The man's fingers, resting on his thigh, tapped rapidly a few times. "Madam, what exactly does 'conflicts' refer to in this third clause?"
"There are no specifics; it is a general term." Seeing him frown, Dai Li said gently, "Although it's a general term, I don't believe either of us is the type to just have a mouth but not know how to communicate."
Dai Li's tone remained gentle, but there was a hint of probing in her words. "Could it be, My Lord, that you believe we would have irreconcilable conflicts when it comes to raising children?"
Qin Shaozong fell silent. He did not respond to Dai Li's words and continued reading.
[After the marriage is broken, both parties shall take their respective children and live separately. From then on, they shall part amicably and have nothing to do with each other. They must absolutely not inquire about or interfere with each other's futures.]
Every word in this paragraph seemed to grow legs, running wild across Qin Shaozong's minefield. The fury he had just barely suppressed threatened to surge wildly once more.
Dai Li knew what he was displeased about; it was nothing more than his objection to the "verdict" in the final line.
But on this bottom line, she absolutely could not compromise.
The laws of this era were highly flexible. The saying that a prince who breaks the law commits the same crime as a commoner was often just empty talk.
A man like Qin Shaozong, who was arrogant yet exceptionally strict with himself in certain aspects, tended to take his promises very seriously. Even if these matters were not explicitly stipulated by the law, he would still abide by them.
As long as Qin Changgeng signed and stamped his seal, the matter would be ninety percent settled.
Thus, Dai Li pretended not to notice his displeasure. She took the box of sealing clay, thoughtfully unscrewed the lid, and placed it in front of him. Without asking what he was dissatisfied with, she said directly, My Lord, please.
Qin Shaozong did not move.
My Lord? Dai Li called out.
Qin Shaozong did not respond.
Dai Li's mouth twitched.
Fine, if he wanted to stay silent, let him stay silent.
It was useless for him to hide his personal seal; she would just find it herself.
The two were sitting close to each other anyway, so it was very convenient for Dai Li to search for things. She simply reached over and rummaged through his sleeve pocket.
Qin Shaozong noticed her movements. He didn't move his hands or feet, but merely lowered his eyes, watching her dig through his pocket.
The garments of the high officials and nobles of this era featured wide sleeves with pockets designed to slant upwards, preventing small items from falling out easily. The wider sleeves could even reach half a meter in width.
As Dai Li reached her hand inside, her body naturally leaned toward Qin Shaozong. There wasn't much in his sleeve, and she quickly felt his personal seal.
Qin Shaozong's personal seal was rather bizarre. No, calling it a personal seal wasn't entirely accurate.
The man held many official positions, which meant he had many corresponding seals. Finding it cumbersome and annoying, he specifically took another piece of jade and carved it into a multi-faceted seal.
Each face was a different seal; turning it to the side revealed yet another. Several seals were all encompassed within a single piece of jade.
Dai Li placed the seal by his hand. I must trouble you.
In the fading daylight, the man's light brown eyes increasingly resembled those of a tiger lurking in the forest, staring at its prey, exuding a hint of ferocity.
One glance told Dai Li that he was unwilling, but she said nothing more. She merely took the unfolded Marriage Agreement, folded it, and then reached for an envelope.
She looked as if she were about to put the Marriage Agreement away.
Qin Shaozong finally moved. He first picked up the wolf-hair brush, casually dipped it in some ink, and then signed his name on the paper. The signature was much messier than usual; someone with poor eyesight might not even be able to read it.
After signing, he waited quite a while before picking up his personal seal. He sluggishly dipped it into the red paste and then smacked it down on the designated stamping area at the bottom.
Dai Li tried to push her luck. There are other faces too.
Qin Shaozong tossed the jade block aside, his face dark and gloomy, refusing to do any more.
If he wouldn't do it, Dai Li would.
She immediately took his personal seal, dipped it in the ink paste herself, and with several loud smacks, stamped every remaining face onto the paper.
Once the stamping was done, Dai Li also signed her own name.
With that, the task was successfully completed.
After letting the hard-won agreement air dry and folding it up, Dai Li belatedly realized that the Marriage Agreement had somehow ended up back in his hands.
Her goal was achieved; the rest didn't matter.
Dai Li tucked the letter into her own sleeve pocket and stood up to head outside.
Where is Madam going? asked the man who had been treating his words like gold just moments ago.
Dai Li replied, Earlier, I was worried about the carriage ride and didn't dare to eat much. Now I am a bit hungry, so I am going to have someone cook a bowl of noodle soup.
Qin Shaozong said, It is a trivial matter. Just have a maidservant handle it.
Dai Li reasoned smoothly, After sitting in the carriage for so long, my bones are about to fall apart. I still need to go out for a walk.
In reality, however, after leaving the main courtyard, Dai Li did not go to the kitchen herself. Instead, she casually passed the task off to a servant she bumped into, while she headed toward Qin Yanzhou's courtyard.
The winter sky darkened quickly. By the time Dai Li arrived at her son's courtyard, only a faint layer of light remained in the sky.
Mother? Qin Yanzhou was surprised by her arrival at this hour.
Dai Li didn't waste words. She pulled the agreement from her sleeve pocket. Zhou Zhou, help me keep something safe. I just signed a divorce agreement with Qin Changgeng regarding our marriage next year. Although the government offices of this era do not recognize a divorce initiated by a woman, Qin Changgeng generally keeps his word. Plus, this has many official seals stamped on it, so I think it should be enough to fool others.
Qin Yanzhou looked down at the letter in his hand. His face was shrouded in the dim light, making it impossible to read his emotions. Mother, do you... not want to marry the Marquis of Wu'an at all?
Dai Li lowered her eyes. Of course not. Writing this agreement is purely a precaution. After all, the civil affairs bureaus of this era don't process divorces, so I have to arrange a way out for myself.
Qin Yanzhou looked up, facing the gradually clearing moonlight. His eyes were as deep as pools. Mother, may I take a look at this agreement?
Dai Li was momentarily stunned. Ah? Sure, go ahead and look.
The letter hadn't been sealed yet, so it could be taken out directly. As soon as the mulberry paper inside was pulled out, Qin Yanzhou immediately noticed that it was severely wrinkled, as if someone had forcefully crumpled it into a ball and thrown it away.
The young man unfolded the letter and read it very carefully, word by word. It wasn't a long letter, but Qin Yanzhou looked at it for a very, very long time.