Chapter 118 Stuffed in a Sack

When Madam Ning started crying, Wang Mama and Su Jin, who were serving her, took the opportunity to surround her, some offering words of comfort and others serving tea. Wang Mama even told someone to quickly invite the young mistress and the elders of the clan to judge the matter for the old lady. The two mistresses had gone back on their word about the agreed-upon division of the family property and were now making things difficult for the old lady.

Wei and Ma were startled, fearing that the old woman would really send someone to invite the clan elders, so they could only leave reluctantly.

When Yu Qingci found out, she didn't directly cause trouble for the second and fourth branches of the family. She just gave Pei Mama a few instructions, and Pei Mama quickly went to the main kitchen and the purchasing room to give her some instructions.

Since they haven't moved out yet, the daily necessities of the second and fourth wives, including three meals a day, are still provided by the General's Mansion.

Yu Qingci sent a message to Pei Mama: since the family has been divided, the General's Mansion will no longer be responsible for the expenses of the other two branches of the family from this day forward. Before they move out, each branch of the family will be responsible for their own daily expenses.

When the servants from the eldest son's family came to deliver the message, both families were completely dumbfounded. Were they just going to abandon them?

After years of eating and drinking for free, they are suddenly being told that everything is clearly divided and that even their three meals a day are no longer taken care of. This is something they are really not used to.

Each household had at least several dozen people, including masters and servants. The daily food expenses for this large family were a real pain for them.

Not to mention other expenses.

For example, it's almost time for the monthly allowance again, are we not going to give it to them? And what about the monthly allowances for the servants, how much do they add up to?

Are you just going to abandon us now?

The Wei and Ma families were so worried that they couldn't eat or sleep.

Seeing that their two mothers were not working, the brothers Lu Yunzhang and Lu Yunbo then adopted a conciliatory approach and went to Songbai Hall to pay their respects.

When they arrived at Songbai Hall, the gatekeeper refused to even announce their arrival; and when they tried to find connections, they were unable to leave through the main gate.

This is clearly an attempt to force them to move out as soon as possible; they've simply stopped seeing them altogether.

Undeterred, the two went to Guanlan Courtyard to find Yu Qingci, hoping to at least be allowed to leave the mansion.

As expected, the two met with Granny Pei. The old servant's status rose with her master's, making her equivalent to Granny Wang who used to serve Madam Ning. She was quite difficult to deal with.

Whenever Lu Yunbo sees Granny Pei, he can't help but think of the pair of butterfly tourmaline hairpins. Last time, when his scheme in the garden failed, he completely offended his third sister-in-law. Later, his third sister-in-law sent Granny Pei to forcefully take back the pair of butterfly hairpins and also disgusted him. Thinking of all this, he is even more irritable than Lu Yunzhang.

He explained his purpose with a cold face, but the old servant refused to budge. Even when Lu Yunbo brought up his position at the Dali Temple, it was no use. He was both angry and helpless.

He was merely a low-ranking seventh-grade official doing odd jobs at the Dali Temple; how could he be qualified to enjoy the benefits of mourning for his parents? If he didn't go on duty for too long, his position would probably be taken by someone else.

Granny Pei looked at him with a smile and said, "If you are really worried about your job, Second Master, why don't you just move out? Once you move out of the General's Mansion, our eldest branch won't be able to control whether you stay at home to observe mourning or go out to take up your post."

Lu Yunbo forced a smile and said, "Thank you for reminding me, Granny Pei."

The gatekeepers, those sycophantic lackeys, acted like they didn't know them at all. No matter how much they tried to persuade them, it was no use. If they wanted to leave, they needed a pass; otherwise, no way out!

Lu Yunzhang was so anxious that he paced around the room all day long.

Lu Yunbo considered taking a gamble several times, hoping to sneak into Guanlan Pavilion at night and force the issue, but as soon as he stepped out of his own courtyard, he discovered that the nighttime patrols in the mansion had been significantly increased compared to before.

He might not be able to sneak over there unnoticed.

Moreover, remembering what Yu Qingci said in the warm pavilion in the back garden that day, and knowing that the third sister-in-law was backed by the Marquis of Nanping, it would be easy for him to crush her if she wasn't careful. In the end, she shrank back.

After a few days, perhaps having come to a realization, Lu Yunbo, citing the urgency of his duties, took the lead in bidding farewell to his parents and moved out with his wife, children, and a few servants, settling in his own two-courtyard house on Yangliu Street.

Because Yangliu Street is relatively close to the street where Dali Temple is located, it will be much more convenient for people to go to work in the future, and they will also have more freedom to do whatever they want without their parents supervising them.

As for the General's Mansion, and my parents, I'm not worried about not having a chance to come back.

The idea was wonderful, but unfortunately, he was a little unlucky. Just as he settled in, he went out to work before dawn the next day, only to be caught in a sack and beaten up on the way.

Although Lu Yunbo had some martial arts skills, he was suddenly put into a sack and was beaten by several people before he could react. He was completely powerless to resist.

After those people ran away, he struggled to crawl out of the sack. He was covered in bruises and his face was swollen and black, and both of his arms were broken.

After finally staggering back home, Ye was startled to see him in this state, and a flurry of activity ensued.

Afterwards, he carefully recalled that he had not offended anyone before, and he had not left the house for some time, but those people showed no mercy at all, and it seemed that his two arms were deliberately broken.

It takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone; now, he can't even get out of bed, let alone go out.

When Ye Shi and her two maids saw this, they cried as if he were about to die, which made him very angry, but it aggravated his wound and made it hurt even more.

He told Ye to go to the General's Mansion to find the Second Master and Wei. Ye obediently went, but unfortunately, she couldn't even get through the main gate. The gatekeeper said that the General's Mansion was in mourning and refused all visitors.

Upon hearing this, Ye turned and left.

She never genuinely came to her in-laws for help. Since the general's mansion wouldn't let her in, she couldn't be blamed. At worst, she could just go home and cry to her husband. What could an ignorant woman like her do?

Although the gatekeeper didn't let Ye Shi in, he still went to inform the second branch of the family.

When Madam Wei heard that her son's two arms had been broken for no reason, she was so frightened that she wanted to fly out immediately to see what was happening. But when she rushed to the gate crying, she was stopped.

Wei was both angry and anxious, and she pointed at the gatekeeper's nose and cursed loudly. The gatekeeper's servants just lowered their heads and listened, seemingly respectful but refusing to open the door no matter what.

After a thorough reorganization of the manor, many people were expelled. Now, all the servants in the manor recognize who their true master is, and no one dares to do anything that would disobey their master and cause them trouble.

Unable to leave, Wei rushed to Songbai Hall crying all the way, only to be stopped by Granny Wang and several old women.

"Please wait, Second Madam. The Old Madam is currently focused on reciting scriptures and is not available to receive guests. Besides, the Young Madam is now in charge of the household affairs. If you need help moving and require manpower, please go to the Young Madam."

"Sister-in-law, you are truly heartless! My son Yunbo was almost beaten to death. I just wanted to go out and see what was happening, but you deliberately had people block the door from opening it. You are trying to force us to our deaths!"

Wei was so angry that she threw a tantrum on the spot.