Having no other choice, Ding Wanyue couldn't stop her daughter from speaking, so she could only try to smooth things over with her husband.

She lowered her posture to the extreme, "Second Master, you work so hard outside. It's all my fault for not disciplining Siqi properly, which is why she talked back to the Old Madam."

"Rest assured, I will certainly discipline her well from now on, so that she learns proper manners and knows how to respect her elders."

Chen Ziye is not the type of person who makes grand gestures and then quietly lets things fall.

In business, one should always leave room for maneuver, but if you really anger him, that person should also consider their own limitations.

If you treat outsiders this way, you'll definitely treat your family differently.

But now that Chen Siqi has done something so outrageous, it would be understandable if it were solely her fault.

Ding Wanyue was also present and did not stop her from rebelling, which means that she probably tacitly approved of it, but just did not say it outright.

Chen Ziye's gaze was piercing, making Ding Wanyue feel uneasy.

She didn't know how much of what she had just said had Chen Ziye taken to heart, or how much of it he was willing to believe.

After a moment, Chen Ziye looked at Chen Siqi and said, "It seems you still don't know where you went wrong."

If that's the case, then you shall go to the ancestral hall and kneel down to copy the scriptures.

Wash away the hostility and the competitive spirit from your body!

As for disrespecting elders and talking back to your grandmother, it seems that we, as parents, failed to teach her well.

"Then let the governess teach you proper manners again, lest you leave and disgrace the Lin'an Marquis's mansion!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Siqi's eyes widened, and she looked up at Chen Ziye in disbelief. "Father, are you going to confine me to my quarters?"

Chen Ziye said, "It's not that they're hopelessly stupid!"

He glanced indifferently at Ding Wanyue's furrowed face and continued, "Spoiling a child is like harming a child. Since your mother can't teach you, then let the governess discipline you properly."

If you don't learn it in a day, you shall not leave the house for a day.

Even if you never get married, your father can still support you!

That last sentence was quite unorthodox.

But precisely because of this, Chen Siqi also knew that her father hadn't lied to her at all.

This was a serious order to confine her to her quarters, even a death sentence.

Thinking of this, Chen Siqi immediately turned to Ding Wanyue for help, "Mother, Mother, please persuade Father for me. What kind of family keeps a daughter alive for her whole life?"

She had liked the Prince of Libei for many years. If she couldn't leave the manor, let alone marry him, she would even have difficulty seeing him again!

If Chen Ziye could say he would support Chen Siqi for the rest of her life, how could Ding Wanyue dare to argue?

If she says something wrong again, she might be punished.

So she comforted Chen Siqi, saying, "Your father is doing this for your own good. Just listen to him and study hard."

If Chen Siqi, after being hit one blow after another, still doesn't know how to assess the situation, then she would truly be foolish.

She stopped talking and, following her father's instructions, withdrew with Ding Wanyue's personal maid.

Ding Wanyue watched the person walk away until their figure disappeared from sight, and only then did she feel relieved.

But to her surprise, Chen Ziye's words immediately tugged at her heartstrings.

“Over the years, I have seen you serve your parents-in-law and raise your children at home.”

You know how hard I work away from home, and I understand how hard you work too.

I originally thought that if you could raise the children well, I could focus on my business without any distractions.

But in the past year, the things you've done with your two daughters have truly impressed people.

When you and Wenjun were close, I would only glance at you once more, and I never had the thought of taking a concubine.

It was only to fulfill the promise Wenjun made to spend her life with you.

"With your current attitude, I don't know if I misjudged you, or if Wenjun misjudged you back then."

Chen Ziye's self-deprecating voice, when it reached Ding Wanyue's ears, was like a soft, sharp thorn piercing straight into the depths of her heart.

It pierced her heart with pain, yet she had no way to find that soft thorn and pull it out.

Ding Wanyue had almost shredded the handkerchief in her hand, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Chen Ziye was exhausted and hungry after a long day, and he still had to worry about the affairs of the inner quarters.

He said, "If you really want to separate the family, you can just tell me directly."

The Marquis of Lin'an's residence was never a place of absolute power or where people were silenced.

Wenjun's two children have now been found.

The elder brother's prestige in the court only increased, and even without the money he earned from business to bribe officials, his career progressed smoothly.

If the family were to separate, they would naturally live in separate residences.

In the future, the money earned from business will be used not only to support my parents, but also as a share of the profits for my elder brother's family.

After the profits are divided, it will be up to you to manage.

Upon hearing this, Ding Wanyue finally understood that the two brothers were not actually separating their households; it was their second branch that had gained face.

The eldest son's family inherited the title, his official career was going smoothly, and the eldest son's family owned a lot of land and shops, so managing them themselves was not a big deal.

Since the elder brother is an official, he can simply leave it to the steward to manage.

The second branch is different. Even though Chen Ziye is the second son of the Marquis of Lin'an, after they separate their residences and live separately, once the old Marquis dies, that branch will truly have nothing to do with the nobility.

Some could only become merchants.

The Great Jin Dynasty has always valued agriculture over commerce. The fact that she can now enter and leave the mansions of noble families is entirely due to her status as the wife of the second son of the Marquis of Lin'an.

If things really come to the point where they have to separate and live separately, let alone her two daughters, she might find a son from a noble family.

Her son could only find a girl from a good family by passing the imperial examination and becoming an official.

Thus, a perfectly broad and promising road can be narrowed by a single wrong thought!

She can't let that happen.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!