Chapter 84: Spit Out the Dowry You Swallowed

"Then, will Mother not want Yuanyuan anymore?"

Jiang Yuan's question left both Jiang Yu and Lu Yifang speechless, unsure of how to answer.

In truth, they all wanted Zhang Xiangling to stay in the Duke of Chu's mansion, as it would be better for both her and Jiang Yuan. However, they didn't know what Zhang Xiangling was thinking. Therefore, they had no way to answer Jiang Yuan's question.

"Are you hungry?" Jiang Yu asked Jiang Yuan with a smile, changing the subject.

Jiang Yuan blinked her big eyes at her, clearly worried that Jiang Yu hadn't answered her question. But she still replied, "I'm a little hungry."

Lu Yifang handed her a piece of pastry, "Have a piece of pastry first, and I'll have the kitchen make your favorite sweet and sour fish, okay?"

Jiang Yuan nodded obediently, and Jiang Yu patted her head comfortingly. Lu Yifang looked at her with heartache. A four-year-old child already understands a lot and can think about simple problems with her little brain.

Both she and Jiang Yu were worried about how heartbroken Jiang Yuan would be if Zhang Xiangling didn't want to stay in the Duke of Chu's mansion. This would also have a significant impact on her future life.

Soon, the kitchen brought over Jiang Yuan's favorite food. Lu Yifang fed her herself and played with her for a while before Jiang Yuan fell asleep. She carried the little girl to her bed, gently put her down, and instructed someone to stand guard at the bedroom door before returning to the hall to speak with Jiang Yu.

“If she doesn’t want to stay, I’ll bring Yuanyuan here to raise her.” Lu Yifang looked a little troubled. “I’m just afraid that Jiamu and his wife will overthink it.”

Jiang Yu pondered for a moment and said, "It depends on your decision, sister-in-law. If she really doesn't want to stay, you can tell Jia Mu and the others that you want to keep Yuan Yuan by your side. If they mind, then... let Yuan Yuan live with me, and I will take care of her."

No matter what, the child is innocent.

“This…” Lu Yifang hesitated for a moment, then said, “If that’s really the case, then you’ll have to take care of him. I’m just sorry to trouble you.”

Jiang Yu laughed, "With so many servants in the courtyard, how could I possibly be troubled?"

Having raised children before, Lu Yifang naturally knew that raising children was not just about feeding and clothing them; there was much more to worry about.

She said, "We'll talk about it when the time comes."

...

On Mrs. Wu's side.

She returned to the Wu residence, dejected and distraught. Wu Ruzhou was anxiously waiting in the hall. Upon seeing her return, he hurried forward and asked, "How did it go? Did she agree?"

Madam Wu didn't answer her question. Instead, she walked blankly to a chair and sat down, looking completely lost. Only then did Wu Ruzhou realize that something was wrong with her, and he became even more anxious.

He frowned and asked, "What happened? Say something!"

“It’s all over, all of it is over,” Madam Wu murmured.

Wu Ruzhou was so anxious he was jumping up and down, "Say something!"

But Madam Wu still seemed completely lost. Just then, the steward trotted over and said, "Master, the maidservant from the wife of the Duke of Chu's heir has arrived. She says she's bringing you something."

Wu Ruzhou was wondering what the wife of the Duke of Chu's heir would send him when Madam Wu screamed, "You can't accept it, sir, you can't accept it!"

Wu Ruzhou was even more puzzled about what had happened after she arrived at the Duke of Chu's residence. Could it be that the Duke of Chu's heir's wife sent things that they simply refused to accept?

He said to the butler, "Hurry up and invite them in."

The butler responded and hurried away. Madam Wu slumped into a chair, muttering, "It's really all over."

"What happened? Tell me!" Wu Ruzhou shouted at her, but Madam Wu did not answer him. Instead, she began to shed tears.

She was scared, she was really scared!

A moment later, the steward arrived with Granny Feng, and Wu Ruzhou immediately smiled. If it hadn't been a servant, he might have knelt down and kowtowed.

Granny Feng glanced at his fawning manner, calmly bowed to him, and then said, "Lord Wu, you probably already know what Madam Wu came to our residence for. Madam Wu said that if my young mistress doesn't agree to her demands, you should sever ties with her."

My mistress thinks this matter is in your favor, so she had my young mistress write a letter of severance; this is your copy.”

Granny Feng took out the letter of severance and handed it to Wu Ruzhou, saying, "This letter of severance is in triplicate. The copy for the yamen has probably already been sent over."

"No...no no no..." Wu Ruzhou's mind was in a mess, and he couldn't figure out what had happened for a moment, but he subconsciously stepped back and refused to accept the letter of severance.

Seeing this, Granny Feng placed the letter of severance on the table and said, "The letter of severance is on the table for you. I hope Lord Wu will keep it safe, since this is what you wanted."

After saying that, she bowed and turned to leave, while Wu Ruzhou was stunned for a moment before shouting, "When did I ever want to sever ties with her? I just wanted to scare her."

But no one responded to him.

He glared angrily at the distraught Madam Wu, walked over, and slapped her across the face. "What exactly did you do? How did you sever ties like that?"

In this way, not only did the promotion promised to him by the Marquis of Jiangling's mansion vanish, but he also lost his daughter, who was to become the legitimate granddaughter-in-law of the Duke of Chu.

What is this? Is it a case of "chicken flying and eggs breaking"?

Mrs. Wu, having recovered somewhat from the slap, concealed the hatred in her eyes, covered her burning cheek, and cried:

"Master, I told the eldest daughter everything you said. But who knew that the wife of the Duke of Chu's heir would suddenly burst in and demand that the eldest daughter sever her father-daughter relationship with you? She's the heir's wife, what could I say? What could I do? Waaah..."

"Then what do you suggest we do now?" Wu Ruzhou asked with a look of complaint.

Normally, if Madam Wu cried like this in front of him, he would feel sorry for her and offer a few words of comfort. But now, he only felt annoyed. "Crying, crying, all you do is cry. Quickly think of what to do about this?"

Madam Wu clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her flesh, but her face still showed hesitation. "I think it's best to appease the eldest daughter and the wife of the Duke of Chu's heir as soon as possible."

Wu Ruzhou sat there in silence for a while, then asked, "How can we appease them?"

Madam Wu: "My lord, you...you should go to the Duke of Chu's mansion and apologize to them."

"Smack!"

Wu Ruzhou slapped Madam Wu across the face again. "You messed things up, and you expect me to apologize?"

With the slap mark on her face, Madam Wu looked at Wu Ruzhou and said, "What else can I do? If I apologize and they calm down, I'll kneel down in front of the Duke of Chu's mansion to appease them. But I'm not worthy enough!"

Wu Ruzhou gritted his teeth and gasped for breath, finally saying, "Spit out the dowry you swallowed."