Chen-shi felt around on her person for a key and had Huo Wanyu open the small chest.
“This hidden mechanism was something I specially designed behind your father’s back. Inside are all the valuable gold jewelry I have saved up over all these years. Originally, I wanted to secretly hide some precious jewelry to prepare for old age, but who knew it would come in handy after the confiscation of our household.
During the confiscation, thanks to Eunuch Wang’s cover-up, very little of our Third Branch’s furniture was seized, so this mechanism was not exposed, and the gold jewelry was preserved. Don’t look down on the small quantity; every single piece of jewelry in here was crafted by a master, and the styles are not easily outdated. Even if taken to a pawnshop and heavily lowballed, it wouldn’t fetch less than three hundred taels of silver.”
“Mother, you truly had foresight.” Looking at the sparkling gold inside the chest, Huo Wanyu became even more unwilling to divide it with the First Branch.
“Last time, I pawned a gold mandarin duck hairpin weighing two qian and exchanged it for three hundred and forty taels of silver. It just so happens I haven’t finished spending it. Wanyu, take out two hundred taels.” Chen-shi instructed her eldest daughter in a low voice.
“Mother, are you planning to give this to the First Branch?”
“Hmph, the First Branch shouldn’t dream of getting a single copper or grain from me!” Chen-shi shook her head. “Take these two hundred taels and quietly deliver them to the Second Branch and Fourth Branch. Just say all this silver was given to me as relief by my maiden family, and tell them that tomorrow morning, as long as they are fully grown, everyone must go to the Old Housekeeper’s courtyard to make a scene about splitting the family.
As long as the family is split, we can leave the estate. From then on, whether Huo Anjiang commits a major or minor crime, it will have nothing to do with us. If the matter succeeds, my maiden family will give each of their branches another two hundred taels to settle their future lives.”
Huo Wanshu understood: “Fifth Brother asked us to deliver money to the First Branch tomorrow morning, and to delay it, Mother is having the Second and Fourth Branches go make a scene to split the family.”
At this moment, Huo Wanyu on the side sneered in a somewhat chilling manner, speaking softly: “If things get unpleasant during the family division, there’s no telling who might raise a hand first. Then it will really be lively.”
Hearing this plan, Huo Wanshu and Huo Wanyan could not help but glance at each other. This single glance contained too many complex emotions, but mostly worry.
The expression on Chen-shi’s face was much more gratified.
Today, to protect the First Branch’s dignity, Old Fifth went as far as to openly throw the match, feigning defeat to Yin Weiyue within a single move, causing her, his own mother, to fall right onto her rear end.
Didn’t that cheap woman claim that before she could talk as a child, she learned to hit people first? Fine, then let the Second and Fourth Branches all go make a scene, and see who she can beat then!
In Chen-shi’s mind, Huo Kai was proficient in both military arts and letters. As a child, he could hold his ground for over ten moves under the First Branch’s Second Son, so how could he possibly lose to a woman in a single move?
Therefore, she was certain that her son was simply too soft-hearted and had lost on purpose.
Huo Wanyan knew she could not persuade her mother and eldest sister, but after pondering for a moment, she still opened her mouth.
“Mother, we and the First Branch ultimately stem from the same lineage. It is obvious that when trouble befell the Huo family, Eldest Uncle was framed. As for the three of us sisters having our engagements broken, it was also destined by the heavens.
The First Branch was falsely accused; they could not control their own fates. And as for the major crime of treason, anyone implicated would fear the execution of all nine kin generations. It was only reasonable for the Mou family, the Chou family, and the Lin family to come break off the engagements.
Because no matter who it is, no one would implicate their entire family to die for the sake of an betrothed woman who has not yet crossed the threshold. But if we imply that the Second and Fourth Branches can resort to physical violence when making a scene to split the family, the First Branch has the old and the young; they will suffer a great loss. Are we really going to act so ruthlessly?”
“I am ruthless? The ones who are ruthless are the Old Lady and Feng-shi! No matter how bad I am, they cannot publicly instruct a junior to hit me! That cheap woman Yin-shi went madly out of her way to humiliate me just because she couldn’t get Old Fifth. From the moment they stomped me beneath their feet to trample upon at will, the First Branch and I were no longer one family!”
As Chen-shi spoke, she took a breath, gave a look to Huo Wanyu to hurry and handle it, then turned back to say to Huo Wanshu and Huo Wanyan: “My injuries hurt severely. You two sleep with me tonight so it’s convenient to take care of me. Before the family is split, neither of you is allowed to leave my room.”
…
The next day.
A sudden sound of urgent knocking penetrated the tranquility of early spring morning. Yin Weiyue was awoken and bounded up from the bed in irritation.
Last night, because of Huo Jun, her entire body felt hot and she tossed and turned continuously, only falling asleep in the middle of the night. Being awoken so early naturally came with a bit of morning crankiness.
Just as she was about to open the door, she saw Huo Jun tied up under the head of the bed. He had a sock stuffed in his mouth and was glaring at her with deep hatred; it was obvious he had not slept the entire night.
The man sat on the floor, both hands tightly bound to the bedhead, his lapels entirely open. Though his chest was thin without muscle, it was still very pleasing to the eye. On his neck were a hickey she had planted and a neat row of tooth marks. The detachment on his face had long been shattered by her wild biting last night, and the red bloodshot lines in his eyes extended all the way to the corners of his eyes.
The desire Yin Weiyue had suppressed all night was stirred up once again by the beauty of restraint the man displayed at this moment.
She shook her head vigorously to maintain her sanity, only then removing the sock from the man’s mouth, immediately followed by Huo Jun’s violent, low coughs.
He said: “Untie me.”
Yin Weiyue thought Huo Jun would definitely scold her, but he didn’t. Nor did he look at her; he simply turned his head away and spoke those two words, then reverted back to his former detachment, as if everything from last night had never happened.
This fellow really knew how to put on an act.
Since daylight had arrived, Yin Weiyue was also unwilling to toss around with him any longer, so she went to untie the clothing strap. Her hand inadvertently brushed against his skin, causing the man another bout of trembling.
“Y-you, hurry up!” Huo Jun gritted his teeth and barked in a low voice. The detachment he had managed to construct on his face was once again shattered. At this moment, his heart felt as if a fighting rooster were inside, thumping around wildly without rhyme or reason.
The man had never experienced such a tormenting ordeal before, nor did he dare to look at the woman’s face. That face had previously felt ordinary and bland, but now, with a single glance, he felt a surging ache in his lower abdomen.
Nearly three years of peaceful and calm marriage had all been ruined by that kiss last night. Huo Jun secretly felt annoyed with himself for actually being led astray by her feminine charms.
Meanwhile, before his eyes, Yin Weiyue finally untied the dead knot. Looking up, she discovered a bright red rope mark left on the man’s wrist.
She could not help but ridicule internally: these young masters from wealthy families truly had delicate skin and tender flesh. But fortunately, this rope mark was caused by her, so the sensation of pain was not shared.
The two dressed themselves separately, neither paying attention to the other. Yin Weiyue tidied herself up and went to open the door. Outside the door was Little Huo Dong again.
“Seventh Sister-in-law!” Who would have thought that as soon as the kid saw her, he burst out crying with a *wah* and hugged her leg, utterly failing to notice his Seventh Brother nearby whose lips were bitten swollen.
It appeared that Yin Weiyue’s lesson to Chen-shi yesterday had successfully won over this nine-year-old child.
“Don’t cry. Tell Seventh Sister-in-law, what happened?”
“The two Old Dowager Aunts of the Second and Fourth Branches, as well as the uncles and aunts of both branches, dragged Mother to Grandmother’s courtyard early this morning, clamoring to split the family! Grandmother and Mother refused, so they were about to charge forward to hit Mother!”
“What?!” Yin Weiyue thought that after intimidating Chen-shi yesterday, the matter of splitting the family would no longer happen. She never expected that not only did it happen, but it was advanced by a full four days.
It seemed the heavenly laws in the book were very strong. If she wanted to change the original book’s plot, she still had to put in painstaking effort, and she must be cautious, cautious, and extra cautious, never letting her guard down until the very last moment.
Just as Yin Weiyue was reflecting on her own carelessness, Huo Jun, with a cold face, immediately ran toward the Old Lady’s courtyard. Watching his disappearing back, the woman nearly ground her silver teeth to dust and hurriedly led Huo Dong to give chase.
Did this fellow have no sense of his own combat rank? What was the use of running so fast? Going there was just serving himself up as a target—wasn’t this trying to ruin her!