Chapter 268 Sent to the Family Temple
"Father, please forgive Mother just this once. If you really divorce her, what will we do in the future?"
Nanping Bo didn't expect that these two would also appear at just the right time.
After all this fuss, his patience had reached its limit. The little bit of sympathy he had for Qiao Shi had completely vanished in the back-and-forth wrangling these past two days. Otherwise, he wouldn't have made the decision to divorce her so decisively.
At this moment, his two children were kneeling in front of him, crying and sobbing. Nanping Bo was even more irritated and ordered his men to take them away.
Yu Qingying clung tightly to Madam Qiao, weeping uncontrollably, while Yu Qingyun knelt before the Earl of Nanping, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Father, please forgive Mother this time. I am willing to take the blame for Mother. You may punish me as you see fit. Please forgive Mother."
Looking at her beloved daughter and grandson, Madam Wen felt as if her heart was being torn apart. Wiping away her tears, she looked at the Earl of Nanping and said:
"Son-in-law, Lord, for the sake of the children, I beg you to be lenient and not divorce Ru'er. Otherwise, their future and marriages will be affected. They are your own flesh and blood. How can you bear to do this?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the brother and sister cried even louder.
Yu Qingci watched all this coldly, unmoved, her eyes filled only with deep-seated hatred.
Nanping Bo glanced at the silent young couple beside him and thought, "Fine, let him be the bad guy."
“You’re all grown up now, and you must know what your mother did. Since you’re here, you might as well listen to what she has to say.”
The Earl of Nanping stood up, looked around, and announced his verdict against the Qiao family: Wu Mama, Tian Niangzi, and the other servants involved would each be given fifty strokes of the cane, and then both families would be sold off far away, never to return to the capital.
The Vice Minister's residence delivered the agreed-upon 10,000 taels of silver, along with several boxes of precious medicinal herbs and antique treasures.
As for Qiao Shi, she must be divorced; the Earl's Mansion can no longer keep her. However, for the sake of the children's future, this matter should only be known to the two families. They will send her to the Earl's Mansion's ancestral temple to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures for ten years to atone for her mistakes.
The official statement was that Lady Qiao was seriously ill, and the imperial physicians recommended finding a secluded place with mountains and water to recuperate. Whether or not to bring her out to live ten years later, and where that place should be, was entirely up to the eldest son, Yu Qingyun.
Furthermore, given that Qiao is the mother, Yu Qingyun can forget about becoming the heir apparent.
As soon as the Earl of Nanping finished speaking, not only Madam Qiao, but even Vice Minister Qiao and his wife almost fainted.
Madam Wen cried out, "I won't agree! Why? Qingyun is your eldest son! He did nothing wrong, so why should he be given the title of heir?"
This is even harder to accept than being divorced from their daughter.
"That's settled! Anyone who objects will be handed over to the authorities!"
Once the Earl of Nanping had made his decision, he didn't hesitate any longer. He immediately ordered someone to bring pen and ink, wrote a letter of divorce on the spot, and threw it to Madam Qiao. From then on, Madam Qiao had no further connection with the Earl of Nanping's mansion.
"Qingyun, Qingying, accompany your mother back to Haitang Courtyard for a chat. I will send someone to take her to the family temple early tomorrow morning."
After saying that, he left first.
The Qiao couple wanted to give chase, but the Earl's steward stopped them:
"Minister Qiao, Madam Wen, and the Wu family's indentures are all in your residence, as are the previously agreed-upon compensation payments. Please complete the handover as soon as possible today. Would you two like to go back and retrieve them yourselves, or would you like us to send someone with you to collect them?"
The steward of the Earl's mansion was respectful, polite, and easy to talk to.
Watching helplessly as the Earl of Nanping disappeared from sight, Vice Minister Qiao and his wife lowered their arms in despair.
He has done everything he could for his daughter, and there is nothing more he can do now.
Although the son-in-law—no, the former son-in-law—promised never to tell anyone about this, how could the commotion caused in the past two days, with Lu Yunqi and his black-hearted wife even leading the General's Mansion to surround the Earl's Mansion for several days, possibly leave no trace of what happened?
That's enough. A married daughter is like water spilled from a cup. He still has other children and grandchildren to take care of. He can't let the entire Vice Minister's mansion be criticized because of a divorced daughter.
Vice Minister Qiao glanced at the dazed Qiao Shi, who was sprawled on the ground, with a look of disappointment and frustration, and left without saying anything more.
Seeing their father leave resolutely, Qiao Chengfeng and Ruan could only help the weeping Wen to separate from Qiao and her son.
The next morning, under the watchful eyes of Yu Qingci and her husband, Qiao Shi, who had removed her hairpins and was dressed in plain clothes, walked out of the Begonia Courtyard with a constant backward glance.
She had already given all the necessary instructions last night, and she forbade her two children from seeing her off, leaving her with a last bit of dignity.
A plain blue cloth carriage, devoid of any decoration, was parked outside the side gate. This was specifically for taking her to the ancestral temple. The old women unceremoniously crammed Qiao Shi into the cramped carriage.
The moment the carriage curtain fell, it cut off everything outside, severing her last connection with the Marquis of Nanping's mansion. The wheels rolled over the bluestone road, making a monotonous and heavy sound, gradually fading into the distance.
Yu Qingci withdrew her gaze, her voice calm and even:
"Husband, let's go see Mother."
The two returned to Mingyue Residence. Su Chengniang was in much better spirits today and was even able to sit up and lean against the headboard.
The Earl of Nanping stayed here last night and seemed to be in good spirits; at least he had a smile on his face. However, that smile faded considerably after he saw his daughter and son-in-law come in.
Despite the commotion at the Earl's mansion these past few days, Su Chengniang remained completely unaware, thanks to the vigilant presence of Granny Liu and others. She still believed she had just fallen seriously ill.
This was also the result of the discussion between the Earl of Nanping and his daughter and son-in-law. They would not reveal anything to her before she had fully recovered. After she had rested for a few more days and everything had settled down, she would naturally find out what she needed to know.
Su Chengniang was very relieved to see her daughter and son-in-law come in. She reached out and took her daughter's hand, saying:
"Qingci, my illness has kept you all by my side, and you haven't even been able to go home. If you don't go back soon, your mother-in-law will be very worried."
I'm fully recovered now, so you can all go back today and don't need to stay with me. Yunqi is busy with official duties and can't keep taking leave. Your father can handle things here."
"Mother, I just want to stay by your side. I'll be at ease as long as you're alright."
The group chatted with Su Chengniang for a while longer, and finally, after Su Chengniang's repeated urging, the two packed their things and headed home.
The Qiao family quickly delivered the compensation to Su Chengniang to the Earl's residence. There was nothing they could do; the Earl's steward refused to leave the Qiao family residence because the compensation was insufficient.
The Earl of Nanping acted swiftly, submitting a memorial the very next day requesting that Yu Qingbai be made heir apparent. By the time Lady Zhang learned of this, the palace eunuchs delivering the imperial decree had already arrived at her door. Lady Zhang could do nothing but cry while holding her beloved grandson, whom she had cherished for over a decade.
From then on, the two families rarely interacted, until Yu Qingyun and Yu Qingying married a few years later, at which point the two families completely severed ties. Of course, that's another story.
...
A month later, the Ningyuan General's Mansion and the Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion were united by marriage.
Lu Yun Chu, dressed in a phoenix coronet and embroidered robe, was married off in a lively procession of ten miles of red bridal procession. The groom, Li Bei Feng, rode on a tall horse, his usually stern face now showing an undisguised upturned smile.
Three months later, Yu Qingci and Lu Yunchu both tested positive for pregnancy, and the entire household was filled with joy. Upon receiving the news, the Earl of Nanping and Su Chengniang immediately ordered people to prepare many tonics and supplies suitable for pregnant women, and the two personally delivered them to their door.
Overjoyed, Madam Ning followed suit the next day and visited her daughter at the Marquis of Zhenbei's residence with generous gifts, chatting warmly with the Marquis's wife.
Six months later, a scandal broke out in the Qiao family mansion: Qiao Chengfeng's eldest son's concubine poisoned his wife, intending to kill her.
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