Liu and her son Chen Ming stood at the gate of the main courtyard with their hands on their hips and shouted.
"Isn't he just the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture? He'll only reach the fourth rank after a lifetime of service. What's so great about that?"
"Look at my son. He didn't even have to take the Spring Examination, but he was able to get a sixth-rank official position."
"He's still so young, and with the Emperor's protection, he has a bright future! By then, you won't even be worthy enough to carry shoes if you marry us! You'll cry your eyes out!"
The wife of the prefect was listening inside and her face turned blue with anger.
She yelled at her son and husband, "Listen to what she's saying! If you don't know, you'd think our family is mistreating them!"
"It's obviously this bitch who wants to harm my son. As a father, you don't even say a word. What's the point of just dividing the family? My son was almost ruined by this bitch!"
Chen Yonggu said nothing, his eyes still red.
He didn't sleep all night yesterday, thinking about every detail of his encounter with Wang Yuyan, which felt like a knife stabbing his heart.
The prefect did not go to the yamen either, and the yamen runners he brought with him were still guarding the door.
The father and son were silent, and Wang Yuyan's sweet voice came in from outside.
"Don't be angry with them, mother-in-law. They are the ones who don't know how good it is for you. From now on, they will be too late to curry favor with you!"
Liu looked at Wang Yuyan's belly, and her expression softened a little.
"You are lucky. You have brought a lucky star to my Chen family. Just give birth to the child with peace of mind. Who knows, I might have to take you as my equal wife in the future."
Wang Yuyan's face stiffened slightly.
She had paid so much, but now she was just a concubine with no status. If she gave birth to a son, she could only be a co-wife at most.
Isn’t this bullying?
Unfortunately, she has no power and can only be manipulated by others.
Wang Yuyan smiled and said, "My child is blessed. He will definitely bring luck and fortune to my husband in the future. His future will be smooth sailing."
"You're really sweet-talking and clear-minded, unlike some people who talk about true love but even dislike their brother's children. They're two-faced!"
Chen Yonggu slammed the table and stood up, ready to rush out and debate with them.
He was stopped by the prefect of Shuntian Prefecture.
He blocked the door and said, "You are still too young. If a dog bites you, can you bite it back?"
"But they're going too far! I don't know what happened to the emperor, but he actually gave Chen Yonglin a sixth-rank official title. Why?"
"Shut up!"
The prefect shouted loudly.
"You think you can speculate about the emperor's affairs? He must have his reasons for doing this. Besides, you are just a small official of the sixth rank. You should study hard. I have heard that you can be in the top 15. Are you afraid of having no future?"
Chen Yonggu also knew about Jiang Shuyue's affairs.
This is a death pact that they all made in their hearts, and it cannot be spoken of.
When the topic of the Spring Examination came up, the lady's expression relaxed. She took her son's hand and said, "Mother has already sent a letter to your eldest brother overnight. He will be back in a few days. You don't need to worry about the affairs at home."
"All you have to think about now is to prepare for the Spring Examination. If you can make one more step forward, you can rub those bitches' faces on the ground!"
Chen Yonggu nodded, and his mood calmed down a little.
But this breath seemed to be stuck in my chest, unable to get out or go out, and it was very suffocating.
"My lord, what you requested has been prepared."
The yamen runner knocked on the door and brought in a stack of documents. The prefect took them and nodded with satisfaction. "Yonggu, today, your father will show you what it means to strike the snake at its most vulnerable part. We need to shut those dogs up. Fighting them isn't a wise move."
The prefect walked out of the yard, followed closely by Chen Yonggu and his wife, and several yamen runners also followed beside them.
When Liu saw so many people coming out, she panicked instantly.
She feigned composure and acted like a mistress: "What are you doing? Are you regretting it now and want to beg for mercy? I'm telling you, it's too late!"
"You committed adultery with my sister, and now you've abandoned my eldest brother's widow and child. Chen Tianhai, when you're in the afterlife, how will you face my husband?"
The prefect snorted coldly: "I'm used to seeing shrews, but this is the first time I've seen someone like you. It really opens my eyes!"
"My wife and I were married in a legitimate ceremony with three matchmakers and six betrothals. How could there be any talk of an illicit affair? But you, for the sake of power and influence, cried, made a scene, and even threatened to hang yourself to force your father-in-law to change his husband. You are truly despicable!"
Liu's face turned pale.
Seeing her being humiliated, the prefect's wife was in a good mood.
The prefect picked up the item in his hand and said, "This is the dowry list that was registered with the government before you got married."
"This is my wife's dowry list."
"There's also a list of all the gifts and favors my second wife has received and spent over the years."
"Since we've already split up, these things naturally need to be accounted for. Ah Cai, take your men and carefully count them. Bring back everything on the list. If anything's missing, find out how much it's worth. Once you've calculated it, send the bill to Mrs. Liu."
Acai quickly agreed.
Liu and Wang Yuyan's faces turned from ashen to pale.
Over the years, she has made a lot of money from the second wife, both openly and secretly.
Even the headdress she is wearing now was brought from the second house.
Some of the things have been used to pay off debts.
A rough calculation would be around 70,000 to 80,000 taels of silver.
How can she come up with the money given the eldest wife’s current situation?
The wife of the prefect was very happy to see her embarrassed look.
"Sister, you are a legitimate daughter, of noble status. Now that your son has entered the officialdom, who knows, he might even ask for an imperial decree for you in the future. You, the future imperial consort, won't want to deny your debt, right?"
"Nonsense! How could my mother-in-law be such a person? But we are relatives, isn't this too much?"
Wang Yuyan, intent on showing off, stood up and expressed indignation, "The prefect is taking advantage of his position to bring the dowry list over to demand payment. Is this abusing his power for personal gain?"
The prefect didn't take it seriously. He waved his hand and said nonchalantly, "Then go ahead and sue me. Dali Temple, Jiumen Commandery, whatever you want. I'll be waiting here."
Wang Yuyan: ...
I was speechless for a moment.
Liu glared at Wang Yuyan, blaming her for looking for trouble.
He signaled her with his eyes again.
Wang Yuyan immediately understood, tears welling up in her eyes, and said to Chen Yonggu: "Second brother, we are all family, why do you have to be so cruel?"
"Who's your family?"
When Chen Yonggu thought about the sincerity of this incident, he felt as uncomfortable as if he had eaten shit.
"Even brothers should settle accounts. If my uncle were still alive, a wretch like you wouldn't even be able to enter his house."
"Stop talking nonsense to me. I bought all your clothes with my own money. I don't want them anymore after wearing them. Just convert them into silver and return them to me."
"You! Are you still a man? How can you take back what you gave away?"
Chen Yonggu sneered: "I gave it to my future wife. Who do you think you are? You are lying!"
Shuntian Prefecture Governor patted his shoulder and said, "You too, why are you talking so much?"
"If you don't come back, I'll use your belongings to pay off the debt. Ah Cai, do it!"
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