freenovelworld Chapter 333 Towards the Golden Palace (37)
Chapter 333 Towards the Golden Palace (37)
Xie Zhao was troubled by this matter for several days.
He went to work as usual during the day and slept in his study at night. In the quiet of the night, he would recall the words Meng Zhenyue had pointed at his nose and cursed him that day, and the more he ruminated on them, the angrier he became.
It turns out that Meng Zhenyue, who usually dotes on him, actually sees him this way behind his back.
She has always looked down on him.
The thought that all her sacrifices for him and the Xie family were done with a condescending attitude of pity and charity made him feel disgusted and miserable, as if he had swallowed a fly.
How could he tolerate being looked down upon by someone he despised?!
Unfortunately, Meng Zhenyue's attitude towards him had become increasingly cold these past few days, and the servants below, who were adept at reading people's expressions, also began to treat him coldly.
He went out to work in the morning, and the gatekeeper clearly saw him, but turned away as if he hadn't seen him.
The entire Xie family was plunged into an unprecedentedly low mood because of Meng Zhenyue's attitude.
In the afternoon, Xie Zhao was on official business at the Hanlin Academy when a commotion suddenly broke out outside.
Some people were talking, and some were laughing loudly. Curious, he went out to see what was going on. It turned out that Xue Lin, who had been promoted to Salt Warehouse Supervisor, had returned to retrieve his old belongings from the Hanlin Academy and was being surrounded by several former colleagues who were chatting and laughing.
Xue Lin changed into a scarlet official robe, which made him stand out among his colleagues in green official robes from the Hanlin Academy.
He was sent to Yunzhou to inspect the salt wells a few days ago and only returned to the capital yesterday.
During this overseas assignment, Xue Lin brought back many specialties from Yunzhou, including an expensive cat's eye stone bracelet.
These bracelets cost tens of gold coins each, but Xue Lin distributed them like candy, giving one to each of his colleagues who gathered around. In just a few moments, he had given away gifts worth hundreds of gold coins.
The colleagues who received the gifts were overjoyed, showering Xue Lin with compliments and showering him with sweet words.
Xie Zhao found this scene particularly irritating.
Who does Xue Lin even belong to!
If it weren't for Luo Yun, he wouldn't be where he is today.
Even this official position of Salt Commissioner was obtained through Luo Yun's influence!
Don't be fooled by the fact that these people are saying nice things to him on the surface; behind his back, they're probably thinking he's a kept man.
Thinking of this, Xie Zhao felt a little better.
At this moment, a colleague noticed Xie Zhao standing to the side and raised his voice, "Lord Xie, it's almost time to get off duty. Lord Xue is hosting a dinner party at the Zhenxiu Pavilion. Let's go together."
Upon hearing this, Xue Lin also looked up.
Their eyes met, and Xue Lin smiled slightly: "Yes, Lord Xie, let's go together. My wife has someone send a batch of Yaochi Zui wine from Yinzhou to the capital. This wine is from three years ago, and you can't buy it even if you have money."
Xie Zhao maintained the most basic composure: "No, I have things to do at home, let's do it another day."
The colleague who spoke earlier said, "Lord Xue will be working for the Salt Warehouse Supervisor from now on, and will rarely have any interaction with the Hanlin Academy. If you miss today, you won't have this opportunity again."
Xie Zhao gave a forced smile: "Then I'm just unlucky enough to miss out on the good food."
Seeing that he wasn't going, everyone gave up and began to discuss with great interest which dish at Zhenxiu Pavilion was the best.
When it was time to leave, everyone rushed out like a swarm of bees.
Xie Zhao walked out of the Hanlin Academy and immediately saw a golden-roofed carriage pulled by three white steeds parked outside.
The carriage was enormous, entirely crafted from expensive rosewood, with intricate and exquisite carvings, and bells hanging from its four corners.
Just after the start of summer, before the heat of summer had even arrived, the carriage had already replaced its heavy windproof curtains with light and breathable light blue silk curtains.
Through the curtain, one can see the even more comfortable and luxurious furnishings inside, with cushions, small tables, and incense burners with animal heads, each item of considerable value.
The Great Ji Kingdom had strict regulations on the specifications of carriages. Ordinary people could only ride in carriages drawn by one horse, scholars with academic titles rode in carriages drawn by two horses, and officials rode in carriages drawn by three horses.
This carriage was top-of-the-line in both specifications and furnishings; only Xue Lin, whose family was incredibly wealthy, could afford to ride in it.
As expected, the two coachmen standing beside the carriage greeted Xue Lin with a respectful bow and a solicitous offer to help him into the carriage.
Xue Lin got into the car and turned to wave to his colleagues at the Hanlin Academy: "Let's go together, so you don't have to walk."
The others, who had been looking at him with envy, stopped being polite and got into the car one after another.
Five or six people had all boarded, and there were still empty seats in the carriage. Xue Lin looked at Xie Zhao, who was standing at the entrance of the Hanlin Academy with an uncertain expression, and "kindly" greeted him, "Lord Xie, shall I give you a ride?"
Xie Zhao's fake smile was about to crumble: "No need, my carriage is over there."
“I saw it, but you still haven’t changed the winter curtains on your carriage. Be careful of heatstroke.”
Xie Zhao: "..."
Even though he knew Xue Lin was provoking him, Xie Zhao's face still darkened: "No need for Lord Xue to worry about this."
After saying that, he turned and left, and even after walking a long way, he could still hear his colleagues praising Xue Lin.
"Lord Xue is so generous. This silk costs a hundred gold coins per foot. It's a luxury to make clothes with it. Yet you use it to make a windproof carriage curtain."
"Alas, it was my wife's idea. She felt sorry for me working hard every day and knew that I couldn't stand the heat, so she changed my clothes to silk early in the morning, afraid that I would get heatstroke."
……
Even after returning to his residence, Xie Zhao still felt a surge of resentment.
Especially when he entered the backyard, the servants he encountered along the way treated him as if he didn't exist, and didn't even greet him.
Upon entering the study, Xie Zhao, sitting at his desk, grew increasingly angry and swept the inkstone off the table.
He wasn't unaware that Xue Lin's grand entrance to the Hanlin Academy today was a show of force against him.
Seeing with his own eyes everything he possessed and enjoyed, and comparing it to his own current miserable situation, even though he knew that getting angry would be a mistake, he still couldn't help but feel furious.
Fame, fortune, and power—those things should have been his.
He is Luo Yun's husband!
Xue Lin took everything that belonged to him!
He must find a way to get these things back as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, that vile woman Meng Zhenyue wouldn't let him take a concubine, so Luo Yun couldn't return to his side, and what she possessed didn't belong to him.
Xie Zhaosheng began to consider divorce.
Should we offend Meng Zhenyue and Meng Zongrong for Luo Yun's sake?
Xie Zhao pondered for a long time, then changed out of his official robes and went out under the cover of night to find Luo Yun.
At this time, in the Cao residence, Yan Zhen was teaching Wang Xiaocui to play chess in the flower hall.
After coming into this world, because she was illiterate, her ways of entertaining herself were limited, and playing chess became her most frequent form of entertainment.
Upon hearing the steward announce that Xie Zhao had arrived, Yan Zhen got up and went out to greet the guest.
Perhaps having learned his lesson from being beaten up last time, Xie Zhao chose a meeting place quite a distance from Cao's residence this time.
As soon as the two met, Xie Zhao got straight to the point: "Meng Zhenyue does not agree to me taking a concubine, and I plan to divorce her."
Yan Zhen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Divorce? Does Lord Meng agree?"
"That's why I came to see you tonight," Xie Zhao said. "If you divorce Meng Zhenyue, the Meng family will definitely be dissatisfied with me. You should sever ties with Xue Lin as soon as possible and marry me. Only then will the Meng family not dare to act rashly."