Chapter 179 Revenge
Xiao Jin pursed her lips, her face showing maturity and composure despite her young age.
He waited quietly for the old lady to finish speaking before slowly saying in a tone completely incongruous with her age:
"No, I was just about to persuade my father to divorce my mother."
Princess Runing abruptly stopped in her tracks as she led him forward by the hand.
"Have you thought this through? It's not easy to be a child without a mother. And judging from your father's current state, I'm afraid he'll remarry as soon as your mother leaves!"
The other party made this assumption about Xiao Su. Xiao Jin did not respond, but simply stared at her toes in silence, without reacting.
As a son, he couldn't condemn any decisions his parents made; all he could do was prevent the mistakes that had already occurred from happening again.
The father failed the mother's expectations and betrayed his original promise; he had no right to comment.
But he couldn't bear to watch his sister, whom he had spent fourteen years with—even if she was just a half-sister—drown.
Since that's the case, the only option is divorce.
Even if a new mistress comes to the Xiao family in the future, his mother will still be his mother, and that will never change.
In the main courtyard bedroom, as Xiao Jin followed Princess Runing into the room, she saw Xiao Min standing tall with his back to them.
"Second Brother."
He shouted.
"What are you doing here? And who is this old lady?"
Xiao Min turned around, his expression somewhat impatient. But when he saw the unfamiliar yet elegantly dressed old lady, he managed a forced, humble smile.
“This is Princess Consort of Runing.” Xiao Jin’s face was downcast, then she turned and said, “Princess Consort of Runing, this is my second brother, Xiao Min.”
Princess Consort of Runing nodded, intending to bypass Xiao Min and walk inside.
“Hey, Princess Consort of Runing, Mother said she doesn’t want to see anyone. Why don’t you wait a little longer?”
Xiao Min raised his hand to stop the person, his impatience resurfacing on his face.
"I haven't been to the academy for several days. I've come to see my mother, but she won't see me!"
Xiao Jin pursed her lips, her gaze fixed on Xiao Min: "What did you say to your mother?"
"What can I say? I can only advise her not to get a divorce. They're both so old, what's the point of making a fuss about divorce? Isn't that just making a fool of themselves in front of everyone?"
"Besides, neither you nor I are married or settled down yet. What will we do if she goes back to the Lin family?!"
Xiao Min spoke with such confidence that his selfishness was practically written all over his face.
However, in the next instant, a sharp whooshing sound rang out, and the dragon-headed cane that Princess Runing had been holding was suddenly swung over, striking Xiao Min in the back of the knee—
"ah--"
Xiao Min was stunned by this sudden attack, and by the time he came to his senses, he was already kneeling on the ground.
The dull pain in his back of the knee continued, and Xiao Min's face instantly turned red to his ears, his eyes filled with shame and anger. He stared wide-eyed at Princess Runing in disbelief.
"Princess Consort of Runing! I have no grudge against you, why did you hurt me for no reason?!"
Xiao Jin was also shocked by this turn of events and was speechless for a long time.
"I'm beating you, you unfilial son!"
Princess Runing put away her cane, her face gloomy, and her gaze toward Xiao Min was full of reproach and disappointment.
"Is this how you think of your mother? She managed the Xiao family for over twenty years, and now your family is squeezing out the last bit of her value, not allowing her to leave the Xiao family?"
"Princess Consort of Runing! My second brother didn't mean to say that, please calm down!"
Seeing that Princess Runing was truly enraged, Xiao Jin finally realized what was happening and quickly knelt down to beg for mercy.
Princess Consort of Runing is a princess consort, whose status is far above that of the Xiao family. If she really angers Xiao Min, she has a hundred ways to make him miss the imperial examinations and live a mediocre life.
This is definitely not what my mother wanted to see.
Even though Xiao Jin was inwardly blaming Xiao Min for his selfishness and harming others, she still had to plead for him.
Xiao Min was now scared. He trembled and hunched over, shaking his head repeatedly: "I... I misspoke, I didn't mean that..."
"Hmph, you'll kneel here and reflect on your actions until you've figured things out!"
Princess Runing wouldn't really argue with a child. Seeing his frightened look, she didn't bother to say anything more and walked past him toward her bedroom.
The maid had already gone in to announce her arrival, but when Princess Runing entered and saw Lin Hui's appearance, she was still startled.
Lin Hui was wearing a purple brocade robe. Her face was withered, her eyes were sunken, her cheekbones were high and prominent, and her eyes were dull and lifeless, as if all her life force had been drained away.
She was sitting on the couch when she saw Princess Runing enter. With the help of Mama Li, she managed to stand up and give a bow.
"Hui'er greets her godmother—"
"What are you doing? You're not feeling well, sit down quickly!"
Princess Runing rushed forward to help her, her eyes filled with heartache.
Lin Hui shook her head slightly and said, "Godmother, I'm fine. Why did you come all the way here? You could have just sent someone to let me know if there was anything wrong."
"How could you not know the purpose of my visit today?"
Lin Hui's eyebrows twitched slightly, "Godmother..."
Princess Runing held Lin Hui's thin fingers, turning them over and over, just like when she was a child, and patted Lin Hui with heartache.
She had no daughters in her life, but she had a very close relationship with Madam Lin, which is why she was recognized as a godmother. In the past, Lin Hui was treated like a precious gem in the Lin family, and no one would have thought that something like this would happen.
"When I first learned of this, I was so angry that I couldn't eat or sleep all day, so I decided to write to your mother that very night."
“Xiao Su is shameless and has kept this from us for so many years. Now you're unwell and unhappy, why hang yourself on this tree? Your mother has already replied to me, saying she'll take you back to the Lin family first. No matter what, the Lin family will never starve you. If all else fails, I have a few houses under my name for you to stay in temporarily…”
"If you're willing, I'll immediately send someone to register it with the authorities and draft a divorce agreement for you..."
Princess Consort of Runing spoke earnestly, then raised her eyes and found that Lin Hui, sitting in front of her, had changed her expression from emptiness and pain to resoluteness and bone-chilling coldness.
"Godmother, why do I want a divorce?"
Lin Hui clenched her teeth, her eyes filled with unwavering determination.
"It was Xiao Su who wronged me first. If I were to hand over the position of the matriarch of the Xiao family to someone else, wouldn't that just be giving those two despicable people a free ride?!"
Her tone was unusually sharp and sarcastic, and Princess Runing felt a lump in her throat as she listened.
"Godmother, I will make them pay the price, I will make them taste the bitterness of not being able to eat or sleep. I will never divorce you!"
Despite this scandal, Xiao Su was still able to maintain his position as a second-rank minister. Apart from moral condemnation, neither the emperor nor the common people imposed any actual punishment on him.
But that's not enough, far from enough.
No matter the cost, she will make those who hurt her pay the price, and she will personally drag them from their smugness into the abyss of pain!
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