Chapter 71 Expulsion 2

She seemed to have been provoked and began to speak recklessly: "It's you! It's you who can't tolerate us, the second wife! It's you who are jealous of us!"

"And it's that wicked woman Xie Sangning! She's been plotting to drive us out for a long time! Grandmother! You're getting senile! Your eyes are failing! You've been deceived by this wolf in sheep's clothing! I refuse to accept this! I'd rather die than accept this!!"

She appeared mad, her carefully applied makeup washed away by tears, making her look like a demon.

Before anyone could react, she suddenly rushed toward the nearest incense table!

With a whoosh!

She swept the offered fresh fruits and pastries to the ground, and the sound of the porcelain plate shattering was jarring and alarming!

The fallen fruit, covered in incense ash, rolled to the feet of the clan elders.

Still not satisfied, she slammed herself against an incense burner that was half a person's height!

"Clang—!" The heavy incense burner shook violently from her impact!

"You wicked creature! Stop!"

"Stop her!" The old lady's eyes widened in fury!

Several younger members of the clan changed their expressions and rushed forward to stop them.

But Xie Wuyou was incredibly strong at that moment, and she managed to break free!

With her hair disheveled, she lunged intently at the Xie family genealogy book in the center!

Just as Xie Wuyou was about to reach them, two dark figures emerged from the shadows in the corner of the ancestral hall!

It's Xie Sangning's bodyguard!

The two men moved swiftly and decisively. One of them grabbed Xie Wuyou's wrists precisely and twisted them behind her back, while the other kicked her in the back of the knee without any mercy!

"ah--!"

Xie Wuyou let out a shrill scream as his knees slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

She was forced to lie face down on the ground covered in incense ash, like a mad dog.

Ancestors! Forefathers!

Uncle Qi was so angry that he trembled all over and could not even hold his cane steady.

The other elders were all shocked and looked at Xie Wuyou, their last trace of pity for the second branch of the family gone!

This is absolutely outrageous!

They should be kicked out!

That's an absolutely unforgivable crime!

Even the uncle who had hesitated slightly earlier now had a grim face and showed no mercy whatsoever.

Even if Xie Chengzong was stupid, he knew that he was doomed now, and the anger would shift from Xie Wulu to their entire second branch of the family!

This only makes them more eager to kick the second wife out!

What will he do after he's kicked out? He's always been an idle old man; how will he survive outside?

Without hesitation, he kicked Xie Wuyou!

"You unfilial daughter! You unfilial daughter!! Quickly kowtow to your grandmother and the clan elders to admit your sins! You are utterly disrespectful!"

"Rude? Heh..." Madam Wang calmed down at this moment.

She didn't look at her pitiful daughter on the ground, nor did she pay attention to her husband who was trembling with anger.

She stopped her mournful sobs and got up from the cold ground.

She then tidied her messy hair, and the redness and swelling on her face from the slap she had received a few days earlier were still very noticeable.

Madam Wang looked at the expressionless old lady on the bed: "You want us to leave? Fine!"

“My son, have no worries! He is a literary star descended from heaven! He is a scholar whose name has been chosen by the Emperor and whose name is on the golden list! His future is bright! You drive us out of this general's mansion today, but one day you will regret it and beg us to come back on your knees!”

As she spoke, her voice grew louder and louder, and a sickly flush even appeared on her face.

She could almost see her son achieving great success, returning home in glory, and all these people groveling on the ground.

"Mother! Shut up!"

Xie Wulu, who was kneeling on the ground, suddenly raised his head as if struck by lightning.

His eyes widened in disbelief! He couldn't believe his ears!

His extremely foolish and short-sighted mother, at such a time, was still recklessly proclaiming his precarious and soon-to-be-vanished future.

Doesn't she know that if she's really expelled from the General's Mansion today, it would be tantamount to confirming his crime of stealing gold?!

That would be tantamount to telling the whole world that the Xie family clan believes him to be guilty!

By then, he'll be drowned in spittle!

The Ministry of Personnel will issue the document revoking his official title immediately!

Want to be an official? You probably won't even be able to become a city gatekeeper! You'll only be able to become a beggar on the streets!

A wave of despair washed over Xie Wulu.

Why?! Why does this woman always hold him back at the most crucial moments?!

Why is her so-called maternal love always so foolish, selfish, and deadly?

He hated it! He hated that utterly foolish mother!

He hated the family that had driven him to the brink of despair!

I hate Xie Sangning even more for being aloof and seemingly in control of everything!

Wang was stunned. She was speaking up for her son! But her son told her to shut up in public! He had embarrassed her!

Wang felt a pang of bitterness in her heart; in the end, her son didn't care about her at all!

She was the only one who kept giving!

Xie Chengzong's eyes lit up when he heard what Wang said, and he suddenly realized what she meant, finally straightening his back again!

Hmph, Xie Chengzong, as Xie Zhenting's younger brother, has never suffered such a humiliation!

Never!

"Good! Good! Good!" Xie Chengzong said three times, his chest heaving violently and his eyes bloodshot.

"Fine, I'll leave! You think I can't survive without the Xie family and the General's Mansion? What a joke! What a ridiculous joke!"

He forced himself to straighten his chest, trying to regain a shred of dignity: "Once this wave of rumors spread by petty people has passed, my son will have no worries. He will still be able to walk into the court with his head held high, rise step by step, and be ennobled and appointed as prime minister!"

"Then—" he suddenly pointed at the Old Madam and Xie Sangning, "I'll open my eyes wide and see who's regretting it to the core! I, Xie Chengzong, will remember this humiliation and the hatred of being expelled from the family for all eternity! I will repay you a hundredfold in the future! You just wait! You all just wait!!"

He appeared so absurd and ridiculous that no one answered, as if they were mercilessly mocking his foolishness.

Just then, Xie Sangning moved.

We've had enough of the show; it's time to wrap things up and get to the main course.

She moved gracefully and slowly walked to the family genealogy.

He respectfully picked up the genealogy book with both hands and placed it in front of the clan leader.

"My second uncle is a man of principle; I truly admire him."

"Since you are so tough and think you can make a comeback with Xie Wulu, our Xie family will not dare to look down on you. So we will definitely not raise a tiger to cause trouble. Just leave with nothing... There is no reason to scatter a handful of gold on the road to revenge for the enemy."

"Elders, is Sang Ning right?"

She turned her delicate face slightly, a gentle smile on her face, but the words she spoke sent a chill down the spine of the second wife.

After what had just happened, the elders all nodded in agreement, feeling that leaving with nothing was the best course of action.

"Furthermore, since the second branch of the family is so deeply in love and bound by blood, unwilling to be separated, then we shouldn't be the villains who tear families apart. Otherwise, wouldn't outsiders misunderstand us as heartless and ungrateful?"

Everyone agreed, and Xie Sangning smiled as she handed the clan leader a vermilion brush.

"In that case, please, clan leader, begin writing."

"No—!!" Xie Wuyou, who was pinned to the ground, let out a heart-wrenching scream!

"I'm not leaving! I never said I was leaving! Grandmother! Clan Chief! I'm not leaving! It's all that bitch Xie Sangning's fault! She's jealous of me! She wants to ruin me! She wants to ruin the second branch of the family! She..."

Xie Sangning burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world!

"Hahaha... Jealous of you?"

"What are you jealous of?"

She stepped forward, her posture elegant, exuding an invisible pressure:

"Jealous that your face is so stupid that even makeup can't hide it? Jealous that you're poor? Or jealous that your father isn't as capable as mine?"

"Xie Wuyou, what's in your head is probably different from what ordinary people have. Could it be that your mother stuffed a fetus into your brain back then?"

"Pfft..."

In the corner, someone could no longer hold back.

"You...you..."

Xie Wuyou had never heard such vicious words before. He choked on his breath, his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp as he was about to fall backward.

"Catch her! Don't let her faint here with Grandma, it would disturb her peace."

Immediately, two strong female servants stepped forward and held the swaying Xie Wuyou firmly on either side.

The clan chief watched the farce unfold before him and finally let out a heavy sigh.

Without further hesitation, he stretched out his age-spotted hand and firmly grasped the vermilion pen.

The pen tip fell heavily.

After Xie Sangning watched the clan leader cross out the names of several people, he immediately ordered, "Guards! Expel Xie Chengzong, Wang Shi, Xie Wulu, and Xie Wuyou from the General's Mansion immediately! Do not delay!"

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the four men's expensive clothes: "They should change out of their clothes, but we can give them a servant's outfit as a reward."

"I have always valued kindness."

The four people in the second wife's household were nearly vomiting blood!

Mercy?!

——

Before long, the four were driven out of the general's mansion without even a bundle. Dressed in gray cloth clothes, the sunlight was blinding, shining on their pale faces and the vermilion gate that slammed shut behind them.

Now, they have nowhere to go.

Inside Ruixue Tower, Ruxia said happily, "Miss, the General's Mansion is finally quiet now! Xie Wulu studied hard for so many years and finally passed the imperial examination, but now he has become a laughing stock. This makes me feel so relieved."

Xie Sangning just stared out the window and murmured, "Yes...everyone laughs at him...but anyone could be him."