Yu Hanshan knelt on the ground without saying a word, and touched the bloody marks on his face caused by Zhao's scratches.

Yu Ruhai threw down the broken cane in his hand, sat down on the chair, and looked at Yu Qizhe. "It has come to this, Fifth Brother. The Chen family is using this matter to threaten you to marry Chen Rou, otherwise they will make a big deal out of it. Not only will your title of Jieyuan be in jeopardy, but you will also not be able to pass the imperial examination and become an official."

He paused, slowed down his tone, and advised, "Why don't you agree to the Chen family's marriage proposal first?"

Yu Qizhe glanced at Yu Hanshan, with a cold look in his eyes.

"Uncle San should bear the consequences for his mistakes. I will not bear the consequences for him." Yu Qizhe looked cold and refused decisively.

Yu Ruhai glared at Yu Hanshan fiercely and said in a gentle voice, "That being said, the Chen family has made plans to use this to force you to marry Chen Rou. Grandfather knows that the Chen family is mean and scoundrel. If there is another way, they will never let you down. It is better to settle the marriage with the Chen family first, stabilize the Chen family, and wait until you pass the imperial examination in the future."

"Grandfather, you may have forgotten that I already have a wife, so how can I marry Chen Rou?" Yu Qizhe sneered, with a cold and sharp look on his face, "It doesn't matter if I can't serve as an official."

Yu Jiao, who was standing in the corner, listened to Yu Qizhe's firm words. For a moment, she was confused as to whether he didn't want to marry Chen Rou or was really deeply in love with her.

Yu Ruhai immediately glared at him, "Nonsense! You even won the title of first place in the provincial examination, how can you not become an official?"

He was still waiting for Yu Qizhe to pass the imperial examination in the future, become an official in glory and return home, bringing honor to the Yu family! How could he just let it go and ruin the future of the Yu family!

"You, you..." Yu Ruhai pointed at Yu Hanshan angrily, "I really want to beat you to death!"

Yu Hanshan shrank back, raised his eyes to look at Yu Qizhe, and whispered, "Fifth brother, just marry Chen Rou. Having another wife won't make you lose any meat. This is a good thing that is sure to make money. Besides, Chen Rou is no worse than...Meng Yujiao."

"Everyone has their own aspirations. I'm not like my third uncle who likes to be romantic. Don't confuse me with you." Yu Qizhe said sarcastically.

Yu Ruhai yelled at Yu Hanshan, "Shut up!"

Yu Hanshan's lips moved and he swallowed the words in his mouth.

Yu Ruhai said helplessly, "Then what do you say we should do, Fifth Brother? Chen Gensheng has said that if we don't come to propose marriage, he will send the Third Brother and Widow Li to the government office and charge them with adultery. The Third Brother will be sentenced to exile."

The court has strict etiquette and laws, especially when it comes to ethics and morals. If someone in a family commits adultery, it is a shame for the entire family. Not only will it affect the careers of close relatives, but the punishment will also be extremely severe.

This matter is not a big deal. It is common for men and women to have affairs in private. It would be fine if no one cares about it. It would just be criticized. But if it is exposed and brought to the government, and you are charged with a crime, there will be no good outcome.

Upon hearing about the exile, Yu Zhou could no longer stay out of it, because Yu Hanshan was her biological son after all.

She said in a negotiating tone, "The Chen family wants to marry Chen Rou here so much, or let Fifth Brother take her as a concubine?"

"This... I'm afraid the Chen family won't agree." Yu Ruhai glanced at Yu Qizhe's cold expression, and wrinkles appeared on his face due to worry. He was afraid that even if the Chen family was willing, the fifth brother would not give in.

"Separate the family." Yu Qizhe suddenly said two words, his face expressionless, "If grandfather wants to preserve my reputation as a juren, the only way now is to separate the family and sever ties with my third uncle."

Yu Hanshan's face suddenly changed. He stared at Yu Qizhe and said angrily, "Fifth brother, you have such a cruel heart. I am your uncle. How dare you say such a treasonous and unfilial thing as to instigate you to break off relations with me?"

Yu Qizhe glanced at him coldly, "When Third Uncle was having fun with other people outside, he didn't think about the relatives of the Yu family. If you care about your family, you won't make such a mistake. Besides, Third Uncle, how dare you blame me now?"

He stared down at Yu Hanshan with a fierce and intimidating look in his eyes. Yu Hanshan was frightened by his gaze.

"Fifth brother, do you want me to kick the third son out of the house and not care whether he lives or dies?" Although Yu Ruhai hated his third son very much, he never thought of kicking the third son out of the house.

"Grandfather, no..." Yu Jinshu couldn't help but speak out.

If their third branch severed its relationship with the Yu family, how would he and Jinyan live in the future? How could they hold their heads up in public?

Yu Ruhai glanced at Yu Jinshu and Yu Jinyan. He originally loved these two grandsons the most. Although he was a little disappointed with the provincial examination this time, he had loved them so much for so many years that he was reluctant to drive them out.

"Grandfather, have you ever thought about this? The Chen family has this leverage over Third Uncle. Even if I agree to marry Chen Rou today, how can I be sure that the Chen family will not use this to blackmail my Yu family to do other things in the future? Rather than being controlled by others like this, it is better to make a decisive move."

Yu Qizhe said in a calm and slow tone, "Only if you speak up in person and invite the elders of the clan to witness and sever ties with your third uncle, then your family will have a reputation of being upright when the truth comes to light in the future."

He looked at Yu Hanshan indifferently, "I will show you another way. After the family splits up and the relationship is severed, take Li Xiu'e in as soon as possible. This way, you will not be controlled by the Chen family, and you don't have to worry about going to the government and being convicted and exiled."

Yu Jiao quietly watched the sharp-minded Yu Qizhe in the corner. The immaturity between the boy's eyebrows faded away, and in an instant, he seemed to become a stranger. He analyzed the pros and cons with ease and defeated them with one move. It was vaguely glimpsed that if he really entered the officialdom in the future, he would be able to strategize and kill decisively in the court.