Cai Wenxuan entered the gate and walked into the courtyard. There he saw Xu's father and mother sitting in the courtyard, with Xu's eldest and second sons sitting on the left and Xu's wife and two sisters-in-law on the right.
Seeing this commotion, Cai Wenxuan frowned, stepped forward, bowed, and joked, "Father-in-law and mother-in-law, you called your son-in-law here in the middle of the night? Are you going to have a three-way interrogation?"
Xu's father did not speak, but Xu's mother glanced at him and said in a harsh tone, "It's not necessary to have a joint trial, but there are some things that need to be debated."
Sitting next to Xu's mother, Xu glared fiercely at Cai Wenxuan, gritting her teeth and saying, "Don't you know what kind of outrageous things you've done?" Then she turned her head and said, "Bring him up!"
Cai Wenxuan's eyelids twitched, and he saw Chen Shi, covered in wounds, and her two children being brought up with their mouths gagged.
Chen's hair was disheveled and she looked utterly wretched, with red, swollen handprints on her face. The two children were so frightened that they couldn't even cry; they could only stare blankly and shrink behind Chen.
When Chen saw Cai Wenxuan, tears welled up in her eyes.
She struggled desperately to spit out the rag stuffed in her mouth and pleaded, "My lord, please save the child."
When Cai Wenxuan saw the mother and her two children covered in bruises, his mind went blank. He strode forward to help Chen up and then went to check on the two children.
The two children also had bruises on their bodies, which looked like they had been whipped. Because they were so frightened, they didn't cry when they first saw their father. It was only after Cai Wenxuan called them several times that they burst into tears and rushed into Cai Wenxuan's arms, calling him "Daddy!" "Daddy, bad people are hitting us and hitting Mommy."
The youngest daughter even showed the scars on her arm, crying pitifully, "Daddy, it hurts so much."
Cai Wenxuan's eyes reddened when he saw the swollen whip marks on his daughter's arm. He held the child protectively in his arms and glared at the Xu family with a ferocious expression: "Xu family, what do you mean by this?"
Relying on her family's support, Madam Xu sneered, "I should be asking you what you mean. You keep saying you won't take a concubine, yet you keep this little slut outside and she's even given birth to two bastards! I'm only sparing them today because I didn't kill them."
Enraged, Cai Wenxuan pointed at her and cursed, "You poisonous woman!"
Seeing that Cai Wenxuan dared to insult her daughter to her face, Xu's mother naturally couldn't sit idly by. Having lived for decades longer than Xu's mother, her words were gentler yet sharper: "Son-in-law, keeping a mistress is wrong no matter what. We brought this mother and her two children here to discuss things and see how to deal with them in the future, but you came here and immediately protected the outsider without distinguishing right from wrong, insulting your wife in front of us, your own family. How can that be justified?"
Cai Wenxuan listened to her distorted and contradictory words, and while he was angry, he eventually laughed. He had dealt with the Xu family a lot, so he naturally knew the nature of each of them. The Xu family had been operating in Xizhou for many years, and their influence was deep and powerful. Relying on this foundation, they acted like local tyrants and had never looked down on him.
Tying him up and summoning him in the middle of the night is just a way to intimidate him and make him obedient in the future.
If it were before, when Cai Wenxuan had nothing and had to rely on the Xu family, he would naturally have no choice but to comply. But now the Xu family and he are in the same boat, each holding the other's life in their hands, so why should he still grovel before the Xu family?
The plan that had been brewing in his mind for a long time was finally implemented, and Cai Wenxuan's anger disappeared.
He helped Chen up, picked up the two children, ignored Xu, and looked at Xu's father, who was in charge of the Xu family, and said slowly, "Your Xu family is going too far. Since you don't treat me as family, then this marriage is off. I will have someone send the letter of divorce first thing tomorrow morning."
The Xu family members probably didn't expect him to be so resolute this time, and their expressions changed immediately.
Madam Xu was flustered. Although she was making a scene, she never thought that Cai Wenxuan would really divorce her. The rest of the Xu family members were unhappy, especially Xu's father. Upon hearing this, his brows furrowed tightly, and he looked at him with a deep gaze: "Have you thought it through?"
Cai Wenxuan chuckled: "Father-in-law, there's no need to test me. The Xu family knows my background, and I know the Xu family's background as well. I won't hold it against the Xu family for humiliating my son today; let's part ways amicably. But if they continue to push me, I've served as the governor of Xizhou for so many years, and I'm not some clay figure to be molded at will!"
Having said that, he turned and left with his men.
Seeing that he was truly determined to take Chen and her two children away, Xu suddenly stood up and said, "Cai Wenxuan, you stop right there!"
Cai Wenxuan left without looking back, carrying the two children.
*
The farce involving the Xu family reached Xue Shen's ears almost simultaneously.
Shen Youying found it unbelievable after hearing this: "The Xu family's actions are far too arrogant."
Although Cai Wenxuan may not be a good person, the way he was being held hostage and subjected to a three-way interrogation would make even a clay figure angry.
Xue Shen said with a hint of amusement, "This shows how powerful the Xu family is in Xizhou City. Even though Cai Wenxuan has risen to the rank of governor, he has no roots in Xizhou City and is still subject to the Xu family's control."
Shen Youying said, "The Xu family would probably be even more difficult to deal with."
Xue Shen nodded: "That's why we have to go to great lengths to break up the alliance between Cai Wenxuan and the Xu family. Once we have a breakthrough, things will be much easier."
Shen Youying said, "After this incident, Cai Wenxuan will probably break ties with the Xu family completely."
Xue Shen nodded: "It's about time to extend an olive branch to Cai Wenxuan." He considered carefully and said: "I'll have someone send a woman over tomorrow."
Shen Youying paused for a moment, then asked, "My 'sister'?"
“Cai Mingxuan is cautious and doesn’t act without a clear benefit. To get him to willingly submit, you have to make him feel that you have a guarantee.”
Shen Youying understood and said, "Tomorrow I will pretend I don't know anything and send a letter to the Cai family."
*
The following day, Shen Youying indeed sent a letter to the governor's office.
After bringing the person back yesterday, Cai Wenxuan invited a doctor to treat Chen and the two children's injuries. Chen was fine, only suffering some superficial injuries, but the two children were young and frightened, and had external injuries, so they developed a fever that night. Cai Wenxuan had to worry about the children and make plans to break with the Xu family, so he didn't sleep a wink all night.
Early in the morning, he had someone deliver the written letter of divorce to the Xu family.
The messenger had barely left when the gatekeeper came to report that a letter had been sent from the King of Qin.
Logically, Shen Youying's invitation should have been sent to Madam Xu, but now that Cai Wenxuan has broken with the Xu family, there is naturally no mistress in the mansion, so the invitation ended up in Cai Wenxuan's hands.
The news of Cai Wenxuan's break with the Xu family had not yet spread, so Shen Youying should not have known at this time. She simply invited Madam Xu to visit her residence and mentioned that her sisters had already arrived in Xizhou.
After reading the post, Cai Wenxuan thought of the Xu family's faces last night, smiled coldly, and instructed the gatekeeper: "Go and tell them that something happened at the mansion and I can't get away for the time being. I will personally come to apologize in a couple of days."
Since the Xu family can no longer be relied upon, he will naturally seek another powerful figure to rely on.
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