Ye Yunniang turned her head away, not daring to look at the kind-faced Old Madam Jiang any longer. Was she even human?

Why are you telling me all this?

Ye Yunniang couldn't look the Jiang family in the eye. This included Jiang Mingzhe, of course.

Jiang Mingzhe knew Ye Yunniang was afraid. It was precisely because she was afraid that he spoke up.

"The Jiang family members are all bad people. Don't be foolish and rush in to help. You'll be betrayed without even knowing it."

"You're no good either," Ye Yunniang snapped at him.

"Yes, I'm not a good person." Over the years, many people have died at Jiang Mingzhe's hands in his pursuit of expanding his business.

Sometimes he would wonder if it was because he had committed too many sins that he didn't have a child.

But he couldn't bring himself to give up the Jiang family business.

"I've made arrangements for those maids and old women you were worried about. You, your mother, and your son should live your lives well. Don't worry about or ask about the Jiang family's affairs."

Ye Yunniang listened as Jiang Mingzhe spoke as if giving his last words, "What are you going to do?"

"I am going to do something. If I succeed, I will be free. If I fail, I will be gone forever."

Ye Yunniang originally thought that the romance would end once it was over. But since it had already happened, how could it just end like that?

Ye Yunniang felt flustered, worried and reluctant. She turned to face Jiang Mingzhe, "Can you not go?"

“If I don’t go, the entire Jiang family will die.” Jiang Mingzhe loathed the Jiang family, but he couldn’t bear to watch them all die. More importantly, he didn’t want to die either.

"Ye Yunniang and others,"

Bang, crash—

The sound of the dilapidated temple door being pushed open interrupted the conversation between the two people inside the pavilion.

Bai Xiuxiu, who was hiding behind, saw the person who came and happily went forward.

"Mother, what brings you here?"

Madam Bai slapped Bai Xiuxiu as she ran over.

"Such a big thing happened, and you still want to hide it from your family?"

Bai Xiuxiu covered her face, "Mother, I didn't." She didn't want her family to worry.

"Our in-laws have arrived," said Old Master Jiang, stepping forward with a very friendly attitude.

"Forget about in-laws." Madam Bai looked around the dilapidated temple and the people in the courtyard, then took out a piece of paper from her bosom and handed it to Old Master Jiang.

Grandpa Jiang took it and saw it was a divorce agreement.

"My dear in-law, what does this mean?"

"Mother, do you want me to get a divorce?" Bai Xiuxiu shook her head vigorously; she refused to get a divorce.

"Mom, don't leave me." Jiang Fangrui, who was six years old, understood what divorce meant. She ran over and hugged Bai Xiuxiu.

Bai Xiuxiu hugged Jiang Fangrui, "Mother, I'm not leaving."

Madam Bai frowned. "If you don't get a divorce, you'll be sleeping in a drafty, leaky house with the Jiang family every day. And you'll be with that man who's good for nothing but classical Chinese and couldn't even pass the imperial examinations. Xiuxiu, you're still young. Come home, and I'll find you a better one."

"mother,"

"I agree to a divorce." Jiang Mingyu stood at the door, holding a bundle of firewood.

Jiang Mingyu looked at Madam Bai, "Mother-in-law, I agree to the divorce."

Bai Xiuxiu looked incredulous. "Jiang Mingyu."

Jiang Fangrui: "Father, I don't want Mother to leave. Mother, don't leave me. I can't bear to part with you..."

Mrs. Bai felt sorry for her granddaughter's crying and relented.

"If the Jiang family is willing, the Bai family can take in Rui'er."

"I don't want to leave Father. Mother, don't go. I don't want you to leave me." Jiang Fangrui didn't want her parents to divorce.

"Rui'er, be good. Go back with your mother first. Dad will work hard to earn money and bring you back," Jiang Mingyu comforted Jiang Fangrui.

"Jiang Mingyu, I'll ask you one more time. Are you really going to let me go?" Bai Xiuxiu stared intently at Jiang Mingyu, her eyes red from crying.

"Xiuxiu, I'm sorry. I'm not capable of giving you a better life." Jiang Mingyu lowered his head.

"Jiang Mingyu, in your heart, am I, Bai Xiuxiu, someone who can only enjoy happiness and can't endure hardship?" Bai Xiuxiu shouted at Jiang Mingyu, wondering why the man in front of her didn't try to win her over.

"No, in my heart Bai Xiuxiu is the best wife. After you married into the Jiang family, you were always at the forefront, always wanting the best. You said it was for yourself, but it was all for our little family."

"If the Jiang family hadn't fallen, you would have had plenty to eat and wear if you stayed with me. Now that the Jiang family is ruined, if you stay with me, you'll be eating yams. I don't want you to live such a miserable life." Jiang Mingyu's words brought tears streaming down Bai Xiuxiu's face.

“I’m not afraid. We’ve been married since we were young, and we’re going to spend our whole lives together. I won’t leave, so please don’t make me leave.” Bai Xiuxiu shook her head vigorously.

Jiang Mingyu was bad at studying and bad at business. But his feelings for Bai Xiuxiu were genuine. In the Jiang family mansion, Jiang Mingyu fully supported whatever Bai Xiuxiu wanted to do.

"Father, don't send Mother away," Jiang Fangrui cried.

The family of three hugged each other and cried bitterly.

Ye Yunniang couldn't help but shed tears, "Third Master and Third Madam have such a good relationship."

"It wasn't as good as their rehearsal last night."

Jiang Mingzhe's words interrupted Ye Yunniang's emotions, and she blinked her tearful eyes.

"What do you mean, sir? They're fake? Why?" Ye Yunniang asked, puzzled.

"For the old man's precious treasure."

"Wasn't it for Aunt Bai?"

“Bai Yurong wants everything. Aunt Xue won’t agree. She’s served the old man for 25 years, and she doesn’t want to end up empty-handed.” Before Jiang Mingzhe could finish speaking, Aunt Xue’s voice came from the dilapidated temple.

"Madam Bai, I beg you. Don't take Xiuxiu away, don't let Ruier lose her mother. I will go to work and earn money. I won't let Xiuxiu live a hard life."

Aunt Xue wiped away her tears and pleaded with Madam Bai.

"What skills do you have to make money if you rely on your looks? Jiang Mingyu, hurry up and sign the divorce papers." Madam Bai urged, showing no mercy to Aunt Xue.

Jiang Mingyu reached out to Old Master Jiang, asking for the divorce papers.

"Master, you can't give it to me." Aunt Xue cried and shook her head, begging him not to let go.

Grandpa Jiang looked at his son.

"Father, give it to me." Jiang Mingyu pulled hard, snatching the divorce papers from Old Master Jiang's hand.

Li Mingshu still had the pen and ink he had bought. He picked up the pen and asked for his signature.

"You can't sign it. Yu'er, you can't sign it." Aunt Xue snatched the divorce papers and tore them to shreds, thinking to herself, this is not what we discussed last night.

The Bai family truly wants Bai Xiuxiu to leave and return home.

Thinking of this, Aunt Xue had no choice but to resort to her last resort, and with a thud, she knelt down in front of Old Master Jiang.

"Master, please sell me. I've enjoyed all these years with you. Now it's my turn to contribute to the family." Aunt Xue said pitifully, tears welling in her eyes.

Grandpa Jiang really liked Aunt Xue, and by extension, he treated Jiang Mingyu very well as well.

“My dear in-laws, I will not agree to a divorce. The Jiang family has been stripped of its assets and is now penniless. But that is only temporary. The Jiang family will surely rise again.” Madam Bai scoffed at Old Master Jiang’s words.

"His Majesty personally ordered the confiscation of the Jiang family's property. Who would dare do business with the Jiang family now? Want to make a comeback? Hmph, what a joke."

Madam Bai's attitude reflects the attitude of most people today. It won't be easy for the Jiang family to rise again.

"There's no need for you to worry about that, in-laws." Old Master Jiang didn't want to argue.

“Old Master Jiang, it’s your business if you have confidence. But I won’t let my daughter stay in the Jiang family and suffer.” Madam Bai’s attitude was clear. “Guards, take the girl back to the mansion.”