Chapter 8: Three Rules to Set My Husband Free

　　After dawn broke, morning air drifted through the window—pure and sweet, without the smell of concrete or car exhaust. Qianli Xun kicked off the blanket. Breathing in the fresh air in her sleep, she called out: “Shen Jianchen! Shen Jianchen!..”

　　Kuqiao heard the voice, lifted the bed curtain, and asked softly, “Miss, what did you say?”

　　“Shen Jianchen!” Qianli Xun didn’t open her eyes, still asleep.

　　Kuqiao muttered, “Who is Shen Jianchen? How come I’ve never heard Miss mention him?”

　　She tucked the blanket back over her miss and drew the bed curtain closed. Then she sat down by the bed and began to sew, waiting patiently for her to wake.

　　Kuqiao had just finished sewing a leaf when Qianli Xun opened her eyes and sat up. Looking at the bed and curtains, she felt like she was in a different world. “Right, I’ve transmigrated. I thought I was still back home.”

　　Hearing the sound, Kuqiao stopped her work. She put everything into the bamboo basket and set it aside, then got up and lifted the bed curtain. “Miss, you’re awake?” She pulled the curtain aside as she spoke.

　　Seeing Kuqiao made it feel even more real. She had become Zhu Shuzhen. “What time is it?”

　　Kuqiao thought for a moment and asked, “Is Miss asking what hour it is?”

　　Qianli Xun smiled bitterly. Different times, different ways to say the same thing. At least they could still communicate. “Yes.”

　　“Not yet the Si Hour.” Kuqiao brought over clothes for her miss.

　　Qianli Xun had written web novels about ancient times and studied how they kept time back then. That meant it wasn’t yet nine o’clock. She got out of bed and let Kuqiao dress her.

　　“Miss, the young master was quite quiet last night. I didn’t hear a single sound.”

　　“I shoved a gag in his mouth. Of course he was well-behaved.”

　　“Ah! How could you gag your husband? Aren’t you afraid he’ll cast you out and write a letter of divorce?”

　　“Hmph! I’m not afraid at all. Yesterday I even asked him to divorce me, but he refused and even gave me a good idea.” Qianli Xun looked quite pleased.

　　Kuqiao had finished dressing her miss and immediately clasped her hands in prayer: “Amitabha! Amitabha! Thank goodness the young master didn’t agree, otherwise Miss would have been ruined!”

　　Qianli Xun looked at Kuqiao’s worried, silly expression and laughed. “Look how scared you are. So what if I get cast out? What’s the big deal?”

　　Kuqiao said worriedly, “Looking at it this way, you really aren’t the previous Miss. She would never make such a request to her husband.”

　　“I was never her in the first place.”

　　“But I only have you as my Miss. Please, let me beg you—don’t let the master send you away.”

　　Seeing Kuqiao’s pitifully nervous look, Qianli Xun asked, “Tell me, what’s so terrible about a woman being cast out? Why are you this terrified?”

　　Kuqiao said immediately, “A woman thrown out by her husband is seen as lacking in morals! Remarrying would be near impossible, and it would bring shame to her maiden home. If she had unmarried sisters, their reputations would be ruined, and no one would dare propose to them. To protect the other girls’ purity, families absolutely never let a cast-out daughter step foot back in the house.”

　　It really was serious. Qianli Xun couldn’t help asking, “Do I have any other sisters?”

　　“No, there aren’t. The Zhu residence only has you as the young lady. You have an older brother.”

　　“Then I’m relieved. Even if Lin Jue kicks me out, I won’t have to worry about dragging anyone else down.”

　　“No way. If you’re cast out, you probably won’t even be allowed through the gates of the Zhu estate. Your father, the Old Master, values his reputation above all else. He would never allow his children to tarnish the family name.”

　　Kuqiao guided her miss to the bronze mirror, helped her sit down, and began to tidy her appearance.

　　Qianli Xun carefully watched Kuqiao help her style her hair through the bronze mirror. “Don’t worry. Lin Jue won’t cast me out. He gave me the idea of an amicable divorce.”

　　“Then the young master isn’t so bad. An amicable divorce is the best choice. In our village, Aunt Yao separated from her former husband. Her family not only let her back in, but later found someone for her to marry. I heard they’re living happily now.”

　　“But I feel Lin Jue isn’t that kind-hearted. There might be some dirty tricks in store for me.”

　　Kuqiao continued to tidy her miss’s hair and put in hair ornaments. “The young master really wasn’t good to Miss before. You two were meant for different paths but got forced onto the same one. Not only did you suffer, but others watching also suffered.”

　　“So I must leave him. It’s good for him, and good for me too.”

　　Qianli Xun decided she must leave Lin Jue.

　　From Qianli Xun’s perspective, she had never even had a proper boyfriend. After transmigrating to the Great Song and becoming someone else, she entered a marriage for the first time ever. Only to find her husband was a wife-beating scumbag who openly brought courtesans home. If she didn’t divorce such trash, even heaven wouldn’t stand for it!

　　From Zhu Shuzhen’s perspective, she and Lin Jue shared zero common ground—no shared ideals, no shared hobbies. It was like sticking a fresh flower into cow dung. Not only was it visually offensive, but the flower would eventually die from the stench. Since Qianli Xun had the fortune of taking over this body, she had a moral obligation to help Zhu Shuzhen escape this nightmare. Besides, helping Zhu Shuzhen was helping herself.

　　Just as she was thinking, Kuqiao asked, “Miss, you called out a name in your sleep. It seemed to be Shen Jianchen. Who is he?”

　　Qianli Xun had no need to hide it from Kuqiao: “He’s a friend who died with me in the earthquake. I probably dreamed of the earthquake scene in my sleep and couldn’t help crying out his name.”

　　“Is he someone Miss liked in another era?”

　　“Hehe! If I liked him, pigs would fly. Every time he sees me, he has to insult me a few times or he’s not satisfied. He calls it ‘pursuing me.’ It’s really funny!”

　　After speaking, Qianli Xun felt inexplicably sad: “Now I don’t even have a chance to let him insult me to my face. I’ve become Zhu Shuzhen. I don’t know how he’ll react. Maybe I’ll never see him again.”

　　As the two chatted, Kuqiao had finished her miss’s outfit: “Miss, look. How is it? Are you happy with it?”

　　Qianli Xun glanced at the mirror again: “You’re a clever and skilled maid. You even know how to style your miss most beautifully. Not bad, I’m very satisfied.”

　　After Qianli Xun finished getting ready and eating breakfast, she decided to go see Lin Jue. He probably didn’t have an easy night. It was better to let him go quickly.

　　She pushed open Lin Jue’s room and walked in.

　　Hearing the sound, Lin Jue quickly sat up. Cloth was jammed in his mouth and he couldn’t speak. His eyes clearly demanded that Zhu Shuzhen release him as soon as possible.

　　“Don’t glare at me. I came here to untie you.” As she spoke, Qianli Xun went over and pulled the cloth from his mouth.

　　Lin Jue blurted out, “You vicious woman!”

　　Qianli Xun began loosening his ropes. “If I were truly vicious, you wouldn’t have lived to see today. Be smart. You can’t beat me in a fight, so from now on, you will do as I say and agree to a peaceful, amicable divorce. After that, we’ll cross the bridge and go our separate ways. You live your life, I live mine. If we bump into each other on the street, we can just nod. Isn’t that nice? My father is a prominent figure in Lin’an with a higher rank than you. If you cooperate, he definitely won’t make things hard for you.”

　　Just as Qianli Xun finished her spiel, the last rope came loose. She braced herself—once the ropes were free, Lin Jue might strike. But he made no move. Instead, he just stared at her, his gaze much gentler than before.

　　“What are you looking at me for?”

　　“You’ve spoken more words to me since yesterday than you have in our entire marriage. If you had been like this from the start, I never would have hit or scolded you.”

　　Qianli Xun suddenly felt Lin Jue was also quite pitiable, having married a wife who gave him the silent treatment: “So we’re not suitable. Together, you suffer, and I’m not happy either.”

　　Lin Jue got off the bed and stretched his arms and legs: “I’ll give you three days. As long as you can invite your parents and the Zhu family elders in three days, I will definitely let you leave the Lin family.”

　　Qianli Xun said excitedly, “It’s a deal! But you have to tell me, how many elders do you plan to invite? We need at least as many as you. Both sides must be evenly matched, so when negotiating, neither party will overwhelm the other. Only then will it be fair.”

　　“Don’t worry. However many you invite, I’ll invite the same number. If you can’t invite even one, then my dear wife, don’t think about an amicable divorce anymore.”

　　Hearing this, Qianli Xun said warily, “Do you have some kind of scheme?”

　　Lin Jue stared at Zhu Shuzhen. Though she wasn’t the same person as before, her appearance remained the same. He couldn’t bear to send her into another man’s arms. “I was the one who suggested an amicable divorce. What scheme could there be?”

　　“That’s true too!” Qianli Xun thought she still had to stay at the Lin residence for some time and needed to set three rules with him. Looking at Lin Jue’s back as he walked out, she called loudly, “Hey!”

　　Lin Jue stopped and turned around: “What else?”

　　“I need to stay at the Lin residence for some time. I have to make some requests.”

　　“I’m all ears.”

　　Lin Jue actually liked hearing Zhu Shuzhen speak. Even if it was all nonsense, he was happy to listen. He could only blame himself—before, it was hard to even hear her say a word.

　　“First, you’re not allowed to enter the Zhulan Residence. You’ve already felt my fists.”

　　Lin Jue didn’t have good impressions of the place. All it left him with was coldness and neglect. Even though he’d entered a few times, besides beating Zhu Shuzhen, he couldn’t remember what he’d done there. Not entering was fine too. He nodded.

　　“Second, you’re not allowed to bring merchant courtesans back to the Lin residence. If you want to have fun, go to the Qinglou.”

　　“Fine.”

　　“Third, before the amicable divorce, you have to give me silver to spend.”

　　“You’re still the mistress of the house. Of course you have the right to use the money.”

　　“I didn’t expect you to be so straightforward. My opinion of you just went up a point.”

　　After Lin Jue left, Qianli Xun prepared to work on the amicable divorce matter. It seemed she had to make a trip to Zhu Shuzhen’s paternal home. She knew nothing about that family and planned to first ask Kuqiao about the situation before making plans.

　　Three days was too short. To have a new life in this unfamiliar era, she decided to give it her best shot.