Upon hearing the na "Xue," Nanli’s brows furrowed. "The Xue family? Xue Yan’er?"
Chu Huan nodded. "Lord Qin previously used her in a sche. Feeling guilty, he promised Lady Xue that he’d help introduce to the Second Young Lady Xue."
Nanli bit her lip. "Lord Qin never ntioned this to . He probably knew that if I found out, I’d scold him until he was drenched in sweat."
Xue Yan’er was Xue Shengnan’s sister!
Though the personalities of siblings don’t always align, anyone who inquired about Xue Yan’er’s usual conduct would quickly realize that she was not a suitable match.
Chu Huan poured her a cup of tea to help calm her down. "It’s no big deal; we only t once. I was just doing Lord Qin a small favor. When Lady Xue sent another invitation afterward, Mother declined it politely. I believe Lady Xue has understood our stance by now."
Nanli rested her chin in her hand, murmuring, "Xue Shengnan is stubborn. She pestered our elder brother relentlessly in the past, so her sister might be similar."
Her words hinted that Chu Huan should ntally prepare himself.
Xie Beihan had ntioned such matters to her occasionally.
The Chu family was now one of the most promising families in the Capital, a desirable connection. The quickest way to establish ties was through marriage.
Their eldest brother was married, the second brother was engaged, and there were still the third, fourth, and fifth brothers available for selection.
Any household with a daughter of marriageable age was eager to be seen by Madam Shen, hoping to secure a position as a wife or, at the very least, a concubine.
Nanli couldn’t help but sigh. Indeed, in this era, marriage was often a union between families, carefully considered by both the families and parents, leaving little room for personal choice.
However, a warm feeling arose within her heart.
She was fortunate to be able to marry soone she loved, to have mutual understanding and support--a true blessing from the heavens.
Chu Huan, unfazed, smiled and said, "The Second Young Lady Xue is, after all, a lady of noble birth. She should be mindful of her reputation."
"Let’s hope so," Nanli advised. "Keep your distance from her and avoid any misunderstandings that could lead to trouble."
"I understand," Chu Huan agreed.
Nanli, having said all she needed to, ntioned that her nephew would be born tomorrow and told Chu Huan to return ho early after his duty.
Chu Huan nodded enthusiastically, "Of course!"
His first nephew, the Chu family’s first grandson, was finally about to be born!
On her way back to Chilling Garden, Nanli felt a faint warmth from the Spirit Pearl she carried.
She found it odd. The last ti the Spirit Pearl had saved her from a disaster, its crack showed no signs of healing, and it had remained dormant since then.
Because of this, she was still waiting for news from that mysterious gentleman. But he hadn’t appeared even after so ti had passed.
Thinking about this, Nanli took out the Spirit Pearl.
In the sunlight, the Spirit Pearl was crystal clear, and the crack on it was even more noticeable.
But now, she could see that the crack had beco slightly shorter!
Though it was just a small change, it was enough to fill her with joy!
She blinked and murmured, "What’s going on? How is it starting to repair itself again?"
A faint voice ca from the pouch, "Previously, your Spirit Pearl used up a lot of its power, so it was hard to repair. But now you’ve accumulated quite a bit of virtue, which has been converted into repair energy."
Nanli frowned and dug into the pouch, pulling out the golden hairpin attached to the Hairpin Elf.
"You’ve been silent for so long and haven’t been much help. I nearly forgot about you."
The Hairpin Elf, unable to reveal its true form under the sunlight, coughed awkwardly, "I’m just a soul-nurturing hairpin. I’m only useful when you’re in trouble. I hope you ascend to immortality; don’t say things like that."
In truth, her spiritual power was too weak to stay awake all the ti, so she had been sleeping for a while.
She had already sensed that Nanli’s body was no longer the sa, indicating that she was solidifying her physical foundation.
But she didn’t dare to ntion it, fearing that Nanli would beco too capable and discard her out of disdain.
Nanli shrugged. "I don’t care whether I beco immortal or not. I just want the Spirit Pearl to be restored so that I can use its power again."
The Hairpin Elf responded, "Isn’t that simple? Just keep doing what you’re doing, and you’ll accumulate plenty of virtue!"
Nanli had previously caught many ghosts and set up several formations, but the Spirit Pearl hadn’t reacted at all.
Lately, she hadn’t done anything special...
Clutching the Spirit Pearl, Nanli thought for a mont before suddenly realizing sothing. "Could it be related to the Divorce Law?"
The Hairpin Elf, groggy from sleep, didn’t understand what she ant but didn’t want to admit her ignorance. She pretended to know and said, "It must be!"
Nanli wanted to clarify the matter imdiately and returned to Chilling Garden, summoning Qingyang.
After explaining her thoughts, Qingyang understood her intent. "Princess, you want to know how many people the Divorce Law has benefited?"
Nanli nodded. "Exactly. There’s no need to worry about other areas; just tally up those in the Capital."
It had only been a few days since the law’s implentation. Nearby counties might have received the decree, but the more remote areas likely hadn’t, so there was no need to waste manpower and resources.
"Understood. I will investigate imdiately." Qingyang didn’t ask further questions and left Chilling Garden promptly.
The investigation was straightforward.
With the new law in place, many won had flocked to the courthouse to file for divorce, no longer fearing the harsh punishnts of the past.
All Qingyang had to do was examine the petitions, cross-check the nas and addresses of the won, and determine the law’s impact.
There were cases where husbands had squandered their wives’ dowries or taken multiple concubines.
So husbands were gambling addicts, stealing every penny their wives earned and even contemplating selling their children for gambling money.
Others were violent, getting drunk or hitting their wives over minor disagreents, leaving them battered and bruised every few days.
These won had different reasons for seeking divorce, but they all shared one thing in common.
They had married the wrong n, enduring years of mistreatnt and abuse. The previous divorce laws were so harsh that they couldn’t seek justice and had even considered suicide as a way out!
But the new Divorce Law gave them a glimr of hope and a chance at a new life!
There were as many as two or three hundred such won!
The divorce petitions piled up high!
That evening, Qingyang reported her findings to Nanli.
Nanli’s eyes brightened as she stroked her chin and muttered, "So it’s true!"
The new law had essentially saved the lives of hundreds of won.
She had expected that so won would find a new lease on life, but she hadn’t anticipated that the accumulated virtue would be credited to her.
This was a delightful surprise!
She touched the Spirit Pearl in her pocket and already had a plan in mind for the future.
This Spirit Pearl--she would repair it herself!
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