“Divide the family?!”
“Sever ties?!”
As these words left her mouth, the onlookers gasped, unable to believe their ears.
While parents were alive, the family was not to be divided.
Was Madam Yun out of her mind?
And to sever ties on top of that?
Without any support, how could this mother and daughter survive?
“Second Brother’s Wife, don’t be impulsive!” Although Lu Jinghai also despised Madam Zhao’s heartlessness, it was hardly necessary to go so far as to sever ties completely.
Though, he had indeed thought about dividing the family.
Madam Yang glared at him sharply and whispered, “Keep your mouth shut!”
Ever since hearing that Madam Zhao intended to sell Yiyi into a place like that, Madam Yang wanted nothing more than to stay far away from this viper of a woman.
If the family divided, her three sons would also have an easier time.
Lu Ping’s gaze toward Yun Zhu turned dark and sinister, his voice growing even colder. “You are merely a woman without a son to your name, utterly incapable of establishing an independent household! Once you leave the Lu family, you are nothing!”
“That is why I want you to divide both the first and second branches out together!” Yun Zhu said unhurriedly. “After all, in your eyes, the first and second branches combined do not hold as much weight as Lu Jingshan, do they? Unless you wish to destroy Lu Jingshan’s official career!”
In this ancient dynasty where men were revered and women were demeaned, her husband was gone and she had no male heir. Furthermore, the Kingdom of Tianqi had no precedent for allowing a woman to establish a household. She could only temporarily attach her household registration to the first branch.
The provocation on Yun Zhu’s face was unmistakable. Lu Ping’s expression turned so grim it seemed capable of dripping water. “Are you threatening me?”
“I wouldn’t dare!”
Though the words “wouldn’t dare” left her lips, Yun Zhu repeatedly challenged Lu Ping’s bottom line. “I heard that the reason Lu Jingshan knows Madam Xu is that he is a frequent patron of Yingchun Brothel, and he currently owes them dozens of taels of silver. If the master of the academy and his fellow scholars were to find out about this, what do you think would happen?”
Lu Ping was deeply shaken. He was unwilling to believe that the youngest son he treasured most would spend the hard-earned blood and sweat of the entire family to seek pleasure.
But what if it was true?
Given his understanding of Madam Yun, she was not someone to fabricate something out of thin air!
“Head of the house, Madam Yun has lost her mind from illness! You can’t believe her nonsense!” Madam Zhao had no idea how Madam Yun had found out about these matters, and her heart sank to the bottom. Terrified that the old man might give up on her son, she hurriedly grabbed his arm. “Jingshan works tirelessly day and night—what is it all for? He’s striving for the future of our entire family! You cannot doubt him and ruin his prospects just because of a few words from Madam Yun!”
Yun Zhu let out a cold laugh. “Are you certain Lu Jingshan is studying day and night, rather than indulging in wine and women at Yingchun Brothel?”
“Madam Yun, you dare slander my son! I’ll tear your mouth apart!” Filled with hatred, Madam Zhao lunged at Yun Zhu.
This time, Yun Zhu did not dodge. She grabbed Madam Zhao’s wrist in a firm grip, her voice suddenly turning sharp and harsh. “Did you think that by withholding a doctor and denying me food, you could starve and sicken me to death—so no one could ever investigate Lu Jingshan pocketing the settling-in money my husband sent us? Did you think that by selling my daughter, no one would know Lu Jingshan secretly claimed my husband’s 100 taels of military pension? Let me tell you, every single thing you and Lu Jingshan have done is written down in my ledger!”
With that, Yun Zhu shoved Madam Zhao’s hand away.
Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, she would not strike Madam Zhao and give people reason to criticize her.
Madam Zhao stumbled back several steps before catching her balance. Her face was as pale as paper, and the unease in her heart grew stronger.
“What? A 100-tael pension?” someone cried out in shock. “How is that possible?”
“Plus the 50 taels of settling-in money, that’s 150 taels in total!”
To a group of poor farmers like them, that was a massive fortune!
Madam Zhao’s eyes darted around erratically. She collapsed onto the ground and began wailing, “Listen, everyone… listen to what Madam Yun is saying! She really has gone mad from illness! Today she has done nothing but throw mud at me, her own mother-in-law. I have no face left to live…”
At this moment, a villager spoke up. “So many men from the surrounding villages have died in battle, yet I’ve never heard of a pension exceeding 10 taels. Madam Yun must truly have lost her mind.”
Another person shared the same sentiment. “I think so too. Madam Yun usually speaks so softly, but today she’s acting completely out of character.”
Leaving the villagers aside, even Yun Zhu herself harbored doubts.
To easily have someone send back 50 taels of settling-in money, alongside a pension as high as 100 taels—the original host’s husband was likely no ordinary soldier.
“Whoever collected the pension would have left a record with the government, requiring a signature and handprint,” Yun Zhu said, her voice not loud, but clear enough for everyone present to hear. “Whether I am making wild claims can easily be proven with a quick check.”
Madam Zhao’s wailing came to an abrupt halt, and her hands nervously clutched her skirt.
How could she have forgotten about that?
Seeing this, Lu Ping’s heart sank.
Jingshan really had pocketed the 150 taels that belonged to the family!
Just how many things had Madam Zhao kept hidden from him?!
In a split second, countless thoughts raced through Lu Ping’s mind. He turned around and slapped Madam Zhao hard across the face. “This is all the trouble caused by you, you foolish woman! The money Second Son sent back and that pension were clearly received by you. Did you not tell Madam Yun? How did this get pinned on Jingshan?”
Although he was also enraged that Jingshan had kept so much silver secret from the family, Jingshan was the entire family’s hope. He could not allow his youngest son to bear the disgraceful reputation of pocketing his older brother’s pension.
Yun Zhu raised an eyebrow.
This old man Lu wanted to pin all the blame onto Madam Zhao just to preserve Lu Jingshan’s reputation.
Heh.
What a wonderful father!
Lu Ping leaned in and whispered into Madam Zhao’s ear, his voice laced with suppressed fury: “The villagers are all watching! Take the blame for these matters first so we don’t ruin Jingshan’s reputation! Right now, the most important thing is to go to Yingchun Brothel and redeem Jinglan!”
Thinking of her son and daughter, Madam Zhao hesitated for a moment before covering her face and weeping. “Head of the house, it’s all my fault…”
Lu Ping let out a sigh and turned to Yun Zhu with a look of fake apology. “Madam Yun, regarding Yiyi, your mother acted wrongly and caused you two to suffer grievances. I’ll have her apologize to you later…”
Seeing that his father still only cared about Lu Jingshan even at a time like this, Lu Jinghai’s heart turned completely cold. “Father, since things have come to this, let us just divide the family.”
All these years had been spent supporting an ungrateful wolf!
Lu Ping looked at his eldest son in disbelief, his voice dropping low. “Eldest Son, do you wish to sever ties with us as well?”
Lu Jinghai froze, a look of conflict and pain surfacing on his face.
He only wanted to divide the family; he had never intended to sever ties.
“Father,” Madam Yang stepped forward, holding Lu Yiyi’s hand. “Second Brother’s Wife’s intention is our intention. Please forgive your daughter-in-law’s unfilial behavior!”
As Madam Yang spoke, she knelt down and kowtowed three times to Old Man Lu.
For her three sons, and for Yiyi, this family had to be divided!
These ties had to be severed!
Seeing her eldest aunt kneel, Lu Yiyi wanted to kneel alongside her, but Yun Zhu pulled her back up. “No need to kneel!”
These people did not deserve it!
“Oh.” Lu Yiyi held her mother’s hand and obeyed obediently.
“You…” Watching the scene before him, Lu Ping clutched his chest in pain.
“Father—”
Lu Jinghai took two steps forward in concern, but after Madam Yang swept a cold glare toward him, he immediately fell to his knees as well. Choking back tears, he said, “Father, your son is unfilial! But I also have three sons of my own. The third brother is utterly heartless. Today he could sell Yiyi and pocket Second Brother’s pension—tomorrow he might harm my sons! I dare not take that risk!”
The corners of Yun Zhu’s mouth curved upward.
She knew the couple from the first branch were sensible people.
She had gambled correctly!
“You, you… It’s already been said that your mother did those things! As the eldest brother, why do you still keep slandering Jingshan?!” Lu Ping roared at Lu Jinghai. “Since none of you want to see Jingshan do well and wish to sever ties, then sever them! From now on, consider that I no longer have a son like you!”
He had thought that his eldest son merely held a grudge against Madam Zhao, his stepmother, and Jingshan, his half-brother, but still retained some affection for him as a biological father.
Yet now it seemed that in his eldest son’s heart, a father was far less important than a wife and children.
So be it. For Jingshan’s sake, these ties had to be severed.
“Head of the house, dividing the family is fine, but we cannot sever ties!” Madam Zhao cried out.