My wife wants a divorce; if she ruins my life, I'll leave.

Yu Yan and Meng Ruohua's marriage went very smoothly, and they completed the betrothal, name-asking, and auspicious date selections on an auspicious day.

This was the day for betrothal, and the Yong'an Marquis's mansion delivered the prepared betrothal gifts to the Meng family early in the morning.

Although the heir of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion disliked Yu Yan, Yu Yan was, after all, the eldest son of the legitimate wife, and the proper pomp and circumstances were naturally indispensable. Moreover, all these things had passed Princess Yangcheng's approval; if she was not satisfied, Princess Yangcheng would have crossed them out on the spot.

The betrothal gifts were higher than those of most families in the capital, amounting to 160 taels of gold and 8,000 taels of silver, which was already the highest in recent years.

If it weren't for the requirement to exceed the royal standards, the banquet would have been even more elaborate.

There were also two hundred bolts of silk, sixty sets of gold, silver and gemstone headdresses, two jade ruyi scepters, sixteen jade artifacts, and various kinds of cakes, chicken, duck and fish.

A total of seventy-two units were loaded, each box was packed full, so heavy that the carrying pole bent under the weight.

Yu Yan didn't need any people from the Yong'an Marquis's mansion. Instead, he drew over a hundred men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They were all burly and strong, and their presence on the street attracted many women and young wives to peek at them.

The bustling scene attracted countless people to come out and watch, all of whom were filled with envy.

At that time, Song Chen'an was drinking and chatting with several scholars at Tan's Restaurant. Seeing this grand scene through the window, he couldn't help but ask, "Whose family is making this betrothal? Whose daughter is being married off with such high-profile arrangements?"

Several people craned their necks to look, and one of them clicked his tongue and said, "It must be some powerful and wealthy family. Just look at the size of that carrying pole; it's not something an ordinary family can afford."

"Judging from his movements, he must have some martial arts skills."

"Forget about kung fu, look at those people, they're almost all the same height and build, could they be elite soldiers from somewhere?"

"Only royalty would have such a grand display, but I've never heard of any prince or princess getting married before?"

"Sigh, why don't we just ask?" After saying that, the man called over the waiter.

The waiter scoffed, “Don’t you all know? This is the marriage of the eldest grandson of the Marquis of Yong’an and the daughter of General Meng. Although the daughter is remarrying, judging from the scale of this wedding today, it is even grander than the first wedding of an ordinary family.”

"Tsk tsk, I just sneaked down to take a look. Putting aside other things, just take that 160 taels of gold and 8,000 taels of silver. It's the first of its kind in the capital. It's true that nobles are rich and powerful. Not to mention Princess Yangcheng, even the Yong'an Marquis's mansion is not something that ordinary people can afford."

The Yong'an Marquis's Mansion has kept a low profile in recent years. Those official families know the inside story, but ordinary people don't. They just think that the family is of high status and disdains to associate with others.

The waiter wanted to say something, but everyone quickly stopped him, saying, "Alright, this is none of your business."

"Alright, please enjoy your meal. Call me if you need anything."

Upon hearing that it was a young lady from General Meng's mansion, the group immediately recalled that Song Chen'an had originally married a young lady from General Meng's family, and that she had lost her official position and fame because of falsely accusing General Meng, thus ruining her promising future.

These men were all self-righteous and unappreciated talents. They had failed the imperial examinations for many years and inevitably harbored some resentment. Although they associated with Song Chen'an, they looked down on him for losing his academic success because of his personal relationships.

Someone immediately joked, "What's your opinion, Brother Zhenping (Song Chen'an's courtesy name)?"

Song Chen'an sneered, "They're nothing but adulterers, do they really think no one knows anything?"

The group exchanged glances, their interest piqued. "Brother Zhenping, why do you say that?"

Looking at the heavy loads of betrothal gifts, Song Chen'an compared them to his own family's previous betrothal gifts, which were simply incomparable. He also thought about how he had previously said he would marry Shen Yunlan in a grand and glorious manner, but in the end, the total betrothal gifts amounted to no more than a thousand taels of silver.

He was insanely jealous and deeply regretted not keeping Meng Ruohua's dowry; otherwise, the household wouldn't be in such dire straits.

Now, when people ask him about it, he embellishes the story, and only then does he feel a little better.

He thought it was just casual conversation with a friend, but he didn't expect that these words would be spread quietly and reach the Meng family in less than two days.

Yang Sanli told Meng Xin about this, and Meng Xin couldn't help but curse.

“I haven’t settled the score from back then, and now he’s coming back to cause trouble again. If we don’t teach him a lesson, people will think the Meng family is easy to bully!” Meng Xin said with a grim expression. “Go and investigate this kid.”

Yang Sanli said, "Miss has been having someone keep an eye on her. Why don't I call the child who's been watching her over here?"

"it is good."

Before long, Yang Shu was summoned and told everything that had happened at the Song residence.

Meng Xin asked, "So that boy and that Ran Yan..." Seeing that Yang Shu looked only sixteen or seventeen years old, he continued, "That boy and that girl are in love?"

Yang Shu glanced up quickly and said, "Not really. Miss Ranyan should have a better relationship with the young master of the Duke of Lu's mansion. Several times when Song Chen'an went to Fuguang Pavilion, if the young master Fu was there, Miss Ranyan would pretend to be sick and not see guests."

Meng Xin chuckled, "I'm sorry to trouble you, going to places like that at such a young age. I'll have your Uncle Yang arrange another job for you in the future."

Yang Shu hurriedly said, "Thank you for your kindness, General, but I'm used to working for Miss. Even when I'm in or out of places like that, I always do my best and never dare to cause trouble or delay things." He paused and then said, "I'm also grateful to Miss for letting me see a lot of the world and witness the wickedness of people's hearts."

"Oh, you're willing to do these things?" Meng Xin asked.

Yang Shu said, "I'm willing!"

"Okay, let's get started then."

After Yang Shu went down, Yang Sanli said, "General, don't worry, Yang Shu is a good boy. He wouldn't dare to have any wicked thoughts."

"Keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't do such dirty things in the future. If he picks up any bad habits, how will I face his father in the future?"

Yang Shu's father was his subordinate, though only a centurion, Meng Xin remembered him clearly.

"Don't worry, General, I'm watching!"

The news reached Meng Ruohua's ears in less than half a day. Meng Ruohua immediately went to Meng Xin and said, "Father, don't worry about this. I'll handle it."

Meng Xin glared and said, "You can do whatever you want while I'm not home. There's no reason why I shouldn't be in charge when I'm home." Then he laughed and scolded, "That kid is really loyal. He told you even this little thing?"

Meng Ruohua said smugly, "That's right, my people are definitely loyal to me."

"Alright, don't worry about it." Meng Xin gave a few more words of advice on being kind and gentle, and then told Meng Ruohua to go back to her embroidery.

As she walked, Meng Ruohua muttered, "I'm embroidering every day, and my fingers are all pricked like sieves."

Hearing this from inside the house, Meng Xin teased, "That's because your skills are lacking. You haven't worn many of the clothes you made in all these years, but that kid wore them first."

Meng Ruohua turned around and coaxed, "Okay, okay, I'll make you more in the future."