Separation of the Family
Kaifeng Prefecture wasn't too far from the Bo Mansion, so the young couple chose to walk home at noon, braving the drizzle. Under the oil-paper umbrella, the distinction between man and woman was no longer the same as when they first met. The zither clung to Cui Zhijun's arm, wishing she could hang from him.
It was probably dinnertime. Zheng's stomach, rumbling even more punctually than a rooster, made Cui Zhijun's steps quicken. Zheng felt like she was about to be dragged out, so she asked, puzzled, "Why are you walking so fast?"
Cui Zhijun glanced at his wife and said, "Madam, you're hungry and worried about me. Aunt Wu said we'll have stuffed fish for lunch today."
"Is that so? Then—" Zheng was quite pleased with Choi Shik-jun's attitude. As she spoke, she quietly separated from him. "Let's run back! Whoever gets home last gets to eat the fish tail~"
Zheng cheated and ran away early, Cui Zhijun looked at her with an umbrella, his eyes full of doting.
He shouted: "Xiao Zheng, you are playing rogue——"
-
The young couple chased each other all the way back home.
But who knew that just as she entered the house, Zheng braked suddenly. If Cui Zhijun had not grabbed her, she would have fallen to pieces in front of the visitor.
Cui Zhichou was so eager to protect his wife that even though the others were eight feet away, he insisted on standing in front of Song Mingyue, sternly saying, "Second sister-in-law, please keep an eye on her! Our Liu'er is here! Don't scare her! And you, second brother, too, why don't you keep an eye on her? She's running around so fast, it's so dangerous."
When Cui Zhijun heard this guy lecturing his own wife, he immediately became unhappy. So his wife was a treasure, but his own wife wasn't? He finally understood why Cui Zhichou had been beaten so often by his eldest brother. He was always so careless with his mouth.
Cui Zhijun was about to step forward to argue, but Zheng stopped him, "Sorry, Third Brother. I'll be more careful next time."
Zheng thought to herself, why bother with her brother? He was doing this for Mingyue's own good. He had no ill intentions.
But Song Mingyue was unhappy when she heard Zheng apologize.
Look at her raising her hand to push Cui Zhichou's head and throw him away. "Cui Laosan, get out of here. You're always clinging to me, and you're the most dangerous. It's good enough that you don't trip me. This second sister-in-law is so far away, she stopped, and why are you still pestering me? It's annoying."
Song Mingyue's love for Tai Shi Zheng now far exceeds that for Cui Zhijun.
After a few steps, she shook off Cui Zhichou and, despite her heavy belly, took Zheng's hand. "Second sister-in-law, you've come just in time. The old lady just summoned everyone to the ancestral hall. I don't know what the important matter is, but the father-in-law was on duty and was called back. This is the first time the old lady has made such a big fuss. I'm so curious. I've felt that the Bo Mansion has been unnaturally quiet lately."
Is there any impenetrable wall in this mansion?
Regarding the Kaifeng Prefecture incident, some information should have leaked out by now, right?
Zheng sighed silently. Ever since Song Mingyue became pregnant, the news had become less and less well-informed. Without saying anything more, Zheng simply said, "Let's go and take a look."
Song Mingyue nodded.
The two sisters-in-law held hands closely, but the two brothers scowled at each other, snorted coldly, and neither of them both went to their wives.
-
The ancestral hall was filled with people who had been summoned. Even Xiaoyu, the little girl who had just taken her afternoon nap, was carried over by Cui Zhijian. Cang Yi stood beside Cui Zhijian and gently patted the little girl's face as she lay on Cui Zhijian's shoulder. He said softly, "Xiaoyu, wake up. We're at the ancestral hall."
Cui Zhijian turned around to protect the little girl's head and said to Cang Yi: "The child is sleeping, just let her sleep. The old lady will not have any trouble with Xiaoyu."
After Cui Zhijian finished speaking, he took Cang Yi's hand and stood outside the crowd, where he would not be involved in any trouble.
"Okay, okay, just continue holding her if you're not tired. Our Xiaoyu should sleep more and grow taller." Cang Yi shook her head and laughed. Cui Zhijian loved to tease her the most on weekdays, and he was also the one who spoiled her the most.
Turning around, he saw Taishi Zheng and Song Mingyue sneaking into the crowd. Cang Yi called out in a low voice, "Zheng, Mingyue, come here."
The two sisters-in-law suddenly looked up and followed the sound stealthily.
"Sister-in-law, what's going on today? So many people are here, and nothing big has happened in our family recently?" Song Mingyue was scratching her head, wanting to know very anxiously. Cang Yi seemed to want to say something but stopped herself when she heard it. She seemed to know something, exchanged a look with Zheng, but swallowed her words.
Song Mingyue was puzzled, but before she could ask, Yu Yuelan came in and helped the old lady who had just recovered from a serious illness into the ancestral hall.
Everyone fell silent.
Everyone looked again: behind the old lady were the furious father-in-law and... the embarrassed Second Master. What was going on? Why was the atmosphere so off? The second wife's illegitimate brothers and sisters were piled on the other side of the ancestral hall, staring at each other in bewilderment.
Zheng watched as the old lady walked to the ancestral pedestal and bowed with her frail body. Cui Yu invited her to sit down, but the old lady flatly declined. Zheng sensed that the old lady seemed to have made a great decision today, having come all the way from Fushou Pavilion leaning on her cane.
She lowered her eyes and said nothing. She thought that since something like this had happened today, she must be the one who was the saddest.
It was quiet under the ancestral hall and the sky outside was gloomy.
The old lady stood in front of her ancestors, her eyes filled with sorrow.
She suddenly remembered the day her grandfather passed away. It was also the same season. Ten years had passed in a flash.
With tears in her eyes, the old lady reflected on the current misfortunes in her family. It was probably because she had been too indulgent, always thinking that the second wife was not as prosperous as the first wife. So, she repeatedly allowed and protected the "weakling", which led to the disaster today.
Over the years, the old lady only felt that the Bo family owed the second house, but she didn't know that the first house's current achievements and peace were all earned bit by bit by Cui Yu and Yu Yuelan, and the children's path was also made step by step by themselves.
The realization came too late. The old lady leaned on her cane, grief-stricken. It was she who had failed to take good care of the family.
Cui Yu was a filial son. He already knew the whole story, but he shouldered the pressure from the court while taking care of the old lady's emotions. He said, "Mother, why are you doing this? Please sit down first. You are just getting better and can't stand this kind of anger. Why don't you let me handle this matter?"
As Cui Yu said this, he was about to reach out and hold his mother's arm.
The old lady turned her hand to stop Cui Yu's concern, and Cui Yu stopped, not daring to make any rash moves. The old lady sighed deeply and asked, "Where is Chu Fanghua?"
Cui Bin's heart tightened. Cui Yuru said, "He's been sent back to Kaifeng Prefecture to be treated for his injuries after receiving his punishment."
The old lady raised her head when she heard this and said, "Call her over to me."
Although Yu Yuelan was usually unreasonable, she still had some kindness in her heart. Seeing this, Yu Yuelan tried to comfort the old lady, "Mother, the second daughter-in-law has committed a serious sin today, but she has also suffered and been punished. Although it's okay for her to delay treatment, I'm afraid she will anger you again. How long have you been well? Have you forgotten what you looked like when you were sick? I'm afraid of the consequences now, aren't you afraid..."
But Yu Yuelan's mouth still loves to say unpleasant things as always.
Cui Yu glanced at her fiercely, and Yu Yuelan quickly restrained herself and spoke in a lower and lower voice.
But the old lady didn't pursue the matter.
During these months of illness, she finally saw who was the one who truly treated her well.
Her spoiled and favored third daughter had never returned to see her since she was driven out by Yu Yuelan that day. And her favored youngest son, who lived under the same roof with her, hadn't even bothered to ask about her.
When the tree falls, the monkeys scatter. The old lady never imagined that in the end, the only ones who would show filial piety by her bedside would be her eldest daughter-in-law and the grandchildren of the eldest wife, who had resented her for half her life. The old lady raged, her staff pounding the ground. "Today, I will die of anger in this ancestral hall. You must carry that bitch Chu Fanghua to me—"
The arm cannot twist the thigh, the old lady is still an old lady after all.
Cui Yu was forced to do so and shouted, "Go, go, go to the second room to carry the body, and bring Doctor Li to the ancestral hall as well."
Things had developed to this point, and Song Mingyue, like the rest of the Cui family, was completely bewildered. They could only wait for Chu Fanghua to arrive, no, to be carried here, for the truth to be revealed.
-
The Bo Mansion was not big, so people brought the person here quickly, but Chu Fanghua was not carried here.
He was carried here by an old woman.
The old woman entered the ancestral hall, placed the person on the ground, and left without saying a word. Chu Fanghua, looking haggard, collapsed in front of everyone, looking extremely embarrassed. Cui Bin didn't even look at her, as if he was eager to distance himself from the people around him.
Zheng looked at him with disdain. He had clearly played a role in this matter, so how could he just walk away completely? He didn't have to bear any responsibility at all? But just as Zheng was feeling indignant, the old lady suddenly turned around and glared at the second wife and her husband.
Look, the old lady shouted, "Cui Bin, kneel down."
Cui Bin was so frightened that his knees trembled and he fell to his knees with a thud.
The old lady, still dignified, immediately issued an order, "The second wife has colluded with the newly admitted Jinshi, intending to do the evil thing of divorcing his wife and remarrying. This is truly a misfortune for our family! Although I have asked Kaifeng Prefecture for a fair trial, I simply cannot face our ancestors. Eldest son, serve the second son the family law. You will give the second son the same number of beatings as the emperor sentenced his wife to in Kaifeng Prefecture today. Eldest son's wife, you count for the eldest son. Do not miss a single one."
Cui Bin was extremely frightened when he heard this. He didn't understand why his mother, who had always doted on him, would be so cruel today.
He stepped forward and grabbed the old lady's clothes, begging, "Mother, this matter has nothing to do with my son - this was all Chu Fanghua's idea. You know, although my son is incompetent, he is not as cruel as this vicious woman. Mother, you have to believe in me."
The old lady moved her skirt aside and looked at Cui Bin with disappointment. "After all this, you're still trying to make excuses? Well, Second Brother, even if you weren't involved, you still have to bear the responsibility for not raising your wife properly, causing such a disaster and bringing shame to the family."
After the old lady finished speaking, she waved her sleeves, turned her back, and never looked at her heartbreaking son again.
She snorted, "Boss, what are you standing there for? Hit me."
The old lady had made up her mind, and Cui Yu had to respect her decision. He grabbed the cane and brought it down on Cui Bin. Wailing cries echoed through the air, and everyone present was shocked by the sudden change in the family and the transformation of the old lady.
Ten, twenty, thirty...
Cui Yu's wailing under the vines became weaker and weaker.
It was not until Cui Bin and Chu Fanghua collapsed on the ground that the eighty strokes of the cane were finally brought to an end.
The couple, blinded by greed,
Both sides suffered losses and no one got a happy ending.
Chu Fanghua looked forward from the parallel line of the floor. Cui Bin's miserable appearance made her want to laugh. She wanted to curse Cui Bin, the old man, for having come to this day. But when she caught a glimpse of the onlookers watching the fun, they looked at her with contempt.
Chu Fanghua, who had always been competitive and arrogant, finally collapsed at this moment.
She should be laughing at herself.
The old lady was heartbroken. Although the eighty canes hit Cui Bin, it hurt her heart.
But when everyone thought that the matter would be settled after Cui Bin received family punishment.
Unexpectedly, the old lady shook her staff and said something that shocked everyone for a long time, "I didn't call you all here today to see the second son punished. Today, I want to take advantage of everyone's presence and, in the presence of our ancestors, to clarify the unresolved matters since the passing of our old man."
"From now on, the ancestral property in Bianjing belongs to the eldest branch, Cui Yu. The second branch, Cui Bin, is a traitor, violating the Cui family's traditions and insulting the ancestral teachings. He is unworthy of the ancestral heritage and is therefore expelled back to his ancestral home in Yongqiu. From now on, the Pingkang Marquis's Mansion—"
"Separation."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
