Chapter 165: The Divorce Incident

To ensure the physical and mental health of the “second generation,” Ai Beibei established the Third Outpatient Clinic, specifically responsible for maternal and child healthcare—at this stage, of course, it primarily served the Elders. Pregnant maids and female Elders were required to register here, receive prenatal guidance and check-ups.

For the health of the next generation, Liu San naturally wanted Xuanchun to go as well. As a medical professional, he was well aware of the significant role that modern maternal and child healthcare systems play in reducing maternal and infant mortality rates.

And it was at this point that a leak occurred. The General Hospital was a place with many people and prying eyes, not to mention it had now become a place where the maids from various households frequently visited. Any bit of gossip would be immediately amplified and spread rapidly throughout Bairen New City.

In just a few days, Liu San became the “damned rich bastard who should be doused in gasoline and set on fire” in the mouths of the Elders. Of course, this was just a joke. But for some of the parties involved, it was no joke at all.

After getting the confirmed news, Wu Yunhua calmly returned to her apartment, opened the cabinet, took out the Glock 17 pistol issued to her for self-defense, and put it in her bag. Then, she pulled the decorative sword that Liu San used when he traveled to gather herbs and treat patients from the wall and stormed out of the door.

Just as she walked out of the gate of Bairen New City, she was intercepted by Ye Mengyan and four team members sent by the General Office.

At Ye Mengyan’s instruction, she obediently handed over the sword. Just as Ye Mengyan took it, Wu Yunhua suddenly erupted, throwing a left hook, followed by a sweeping kick, and then a flying kick. If it weren’t for the fact that Ye Mengyan had been in the Special Reconnaissance Team since D-Day and had become a skilled fighter, this beanpole of a former high school student would have been no match for her. Ye Mengyan dodged her three-hit combo and subdued her with a reverse arm lock. Two female team members immediately restrained her from both sides.

Ye Mengyan picked up the bag from the ground and solemnly announced to Wu Yunhua, “In the name of the Senate, I am under orders from the General Office—” Before he could finish, a glob of spit flew at him. Ye Mengyan nimbly dodged it. “Comrade Wu Yunhua, please maintain the dignity of an Elder. Your current emotional state is not suitable for going elsewhere. I am now ordered to take you to the General Office’s First Guesthouse.”

He then opened Wu Yunhua’s handbag, found the pistol and scattered bullets, and put them in a special paper bag. A later inspection revealed that Wu Yunhua’s pistol was not loaded, and it hadn’t even been properly cleaned of gun oil. The bullets had clearly been hastily grabbed from a box of ammunition.

She was then taken to the General Office’s First Guesthouse in Bopu. Female Elders had already been arranged to comfort her there. Dong Weiwei, who had some dealings with her on a daily basis and was seven months pregnant, was there with her large belly to provide her with psychological support.

Xiao Zishan ordered Ye Mengyan’s squad to take over the security of the guesthouse and gave instructions: Du Wen was not allowed to enter the guesthouse until Wu Yunhua’s emotions had stabilized. He then called several other female Elders and asked them to go to the guesthouse to “stabilize the situation.”

He then called the Lingao Garrison Command and ordered Li Yiyang to immediately dispatch an infantry platoon to secure the perimeter of the Runshitang. Liu San, who had been supervising work at the Runshitang pharmaceutical factory in the industrial zone, was also “protected” by Xue Ziliang and his men—he was sent to Wu Nanhai’s farm.

Liu San’s maid problem became a hot topic in the Senate the very next day. The nature of the incident, how to handle it, the related issues of human rights, law, sociological significance, and relations with the natives were discussed over and over again on the Senate’s BBS and in meetings for more than ten days.

None of the male Elders denied their own ambitions of having multiple wives and concubines. The problem was that Liu San was an Elder who already had a wife. Allowing them to have many women would be an infringement on the power and status of female Elders, undermining the fundamental principle of equality among all Elders. But if they were not allowed, while single Elders could, it seemed to violate that same principle.

This difficult paradox was not something no one in the Senate had thought of before. Because it concerned the “sexual power” of the Elders, it was too sensitive and had always been avoided. The General Office had answered the Elders’ questions with a very slick statement: “The General Office is only responsible for training and distributing life secretaries. How to use them is the personal affair of the Elders.”

On the issue of the rights of female Elders, the General Office’s answer was equally slick: the maid allowance was distributed to every Elder, regardless of gender or age, so female Elders could also purchase female or male servants.

Although this answer could barely muddle through on a daily basis, it was impossible to skirt around when faced with a situation like this.

The Standing Committee of the Senate held two closed-door meetings specifically for this matter, and the Senate held a plenary session. More than thirty articles on the matter were published in the “Lingao Times Internal Edition” and on the BBS. Almost everyone in the Law Club wrote an article about it, and several other societies also joined in. Not only did the Law Club, the Native Rights Protection Association, the Datong Society, and the Women’s Federation write articles and join the great debate, but even the unrelated Otaku Party, the Scale Model Club, and the Steampunk Group also expressed their views. It seemed that anyone who didn’t express an opinion was falling behind the times.

The hot topics of discussion were some of the issues that the Senate and the Executive Committee had always avoided: Was there inequality in sexual power between male and female Elders? Furthermore, would the personal inequality between Elders and natives stipulated in the basic law lead to Elders killing each other’s maids and life secretaries as a safe means of retaliation? If Wu Yunhua had really killed Xuanchun, how should it be handled legally? According to the “Common Program,” there was personal inequality between Elders and natives. Wu Yunhua would not have to pay with her life for killing a native, only suffer an economic penalty. Such a punishment was pitifully light.

These questions sparked heated discussions from all sides. There were different views and opinions. The most active among them was Du Wen. She used this incident to launch a fierce attack on the “maid-life secretary” system. She had always had a strong aversion to this “disguised concubine” system, and now she seized the opportunity to make a major move. Not only did she vehemently criticize the “reactionary resurgence of feudal remnants,” but she also campaigned everywhere, trying to collect the signatures of all female Elders to demand the complete abolition of the life secretary system, the establishment of a clear monogamous system, and the prohibition of any form of “concubinage”—whether through a clear system or private “unspoken rules.”

However, the attitude of the female Elders towards this was very ambiguous. Although they were emotionally inclined to support Wu Yunhua, most female Elders were unwilling to take a clear stand. An old lady like Li Mei, who had long seen through the ways of the world, said to Mu Min in private:

“It’s fine if you want to support Wu Yunhua, but for heaven’s sake, don’t follow little Du and stick your neck out. Think about it, how many people in the Senate want to have second and third mistresses, and how few don’t? If it really comes to a head, with an open vote in a general meeting, little Du will definitely be utterly defeated, and she might even drag herself down with it.”

Although everyone discussed this heatedly, all parties remained restrained. Everyone was aware of the sensitive issues involved, and these issues were unsolvable under the current structure of the Senate.

The two parties involved, however, were relatively calm. It seemed that they had vented all their anger on that day. After staying in the guesthouse for two or three days, Wu Yunhua formally submitted a divorce application to the General Office. Xiao Zishan pretended to “study” it for a few days, and then had a private talk with Liu San. After this whole affair, Liu San had no hope for his relationship with Wu Yunhua. The divorce application from both parties was then submitted from the General Office to the Elder’s Court of Honor.

Ma Jia handled this matter personally. He was in the process of drafting the “Marriage Law” for the naturalized citizens and never expected the first divorce case to occur among the Elders. While reading the materials, he discovered a problem: Liu San and Wu Yunhua were not formally married in the old timeline, so there was no legal marriage between them. However, considering that they had been cohabiting since D-Day, it could be recognized as a de facto marriage. In the end, they reached an agreement: Liu San and Wu Yunhua would dissolve their civil relationship immediately. Liu San would compensate Wu Yunhua in installments with his share of the stock dividends for the three years from 1631 to 1633. The private property they had acquired in Lingao would be divided equally between them, and the property they had brought with them on D-Day would be returned to its original owner.

Although the matter was settled, the many questions it left behind became a constant concern for the Elders. How to define the rights between Elders, naturalized citizens, and natives? What was their legal relationship? How to prevent Elders from using the loopholes in the current “Common Program” to do things that harmed the interests of other Elders?

After settling the incident, Xiao Zishan, fearing further repercussions, specifically advised Liu San to “go out and lie low for a while.” Thus, Liu San boarded the reconnaissance ship Haitian, preparing to participate in the entire Operation Engine.

Standing on the deck, Liu San couldn’t help but think of Xuanchun. The incident had given her a great fright—and not just her. The Yang family was also terrified. Dozens of heavily armed soldiers had suddenly surrounded the Runshitang for no apparent reason. Although they later learned that this was for their protection, it still scared the wits out of old Mrs. Yang and the other women in the house.

Xuanchun was so frightened at the time that it affected her pregnancy. Fortunately, the Yang family owned a pharmacy. Ready-made pregnancy-stabilizing medicine was administered immediately, and Yang Shixiang prescribed a few more formulas for her recuperation. She finally stabilized. To ensure her safety, the General Office once considered moving her to the farm or Gaoshanling, but Liu San requested that she remain with the Yang family. The Yang family now had no other choice but to take care of Xuanchun with all their hearts. At the farm or Gaoshanling, there would be no one suitable to look after her.