Cao Xinqian was about to object when Ji Meiniang looked at him coldly and said, "Those servants are still in the woodshed. If you disagree, I don't mind letting the government get involved."
"I didn't want to get involved in your affairs. But if you make me unhappy, I have nothing to fear. Cao Xinqian, will you agree or not?"
Seeing Ji Meiniang's resolute expression, Cao Xinqian was stunned. This wife, who had been by his side since he first entered the workforce, was someone he seemed to have never truly understood.
In the past, he felt unworthy of her, so he never dared to speak loudly in her presence, feeling both inferior and resentful. Later, after the Ji family's downfall, he gradually gained a foothold and more confidence, so he began to ignore her, even finding ways to upset her. He thought that without him, she was nothing. But when that day truly came, he realized that she wasn't lacking in courage, but rather that he hadn't touched her sore spot.
Yes, he genuinely didn't want her to have any more children. He feared the Ji family would take the child away, and even more so, he worried the Cao family would one day bear the Ji surname instead of the Cao surname. That's why he went to great lengths to find the Mother-Child Grass. This herb was harmless to the body, and ordinary doctors couldn't detect its effects. He had planned to try it, and if she still became pregnant, he would remove the mother and keep the child, just to preserve the Cao family's assets. Unexpectedly, she found out the truth at some point.
He was good to his daughter because he knew she might be her only child. Unfortunately, when she became pregnant again, his heart began to waver completely. He almost, just almost, killed his own daughter!
Seeing the cold indifference in her eyes as she looked at him, Cao Xinqian felt utterly defeated for the first time.
So be it. Without Ji Meiniang, couldn't Cao Xinqian establish himself in the capital on his own?
Thinking of the people he had met these past few days, Cao Xinqian's eyes turned cold. He wouldn't stop this woman from leaving. He only feared that one day, when he held great power, she wouldn't come crying back to him.
"good!"
Cao Xinqian readily agreed, and Ji Meiniang breathed a sigh of relief. She turned around and cupped her hands to the Cao clan elders, saying, "I, Ji Meiniang, am grateful for the care of all the clan elders. From today onwards, I will regularly provide the share of funding that I previously used to support the Cao clan children's education every year, and I will never break my promise."
"Good! Ji Shi, for your magnanimity, the doors of my Cao clan will always be open to you!"
The elders of the Cao clan were also astute enough to assess the situation. They realized that if the matter continued, Cao Xinqian would likely meet a bad end. Now that Ji Meiniang had given up the pursuit and only wanted to leave with her daughter, nothing could have been better.
The official quickly wrote the document, and Ji Meiniang and Cao Xinqian each pressed their fingerprints on it. As for Xiang Wan, she had the official draft another document severing her relationship with her father.
The person who plotted to kill her is still in the back room. Cao Xinqian doesn't want these things to be completely exposed, so he lets Xiang Wan leave.
Only then were Ji Meiniang and Xiang Wan truly free from the Cao family.
Before leaving, Ji Meiniang took Wu Ma, Huan'er, Yuan'er, the servant who had a close relationship with Huan'er, and the people who usually served her and whose indentures she held. Xiang Wan only took Zijuan.
Before stepping out of the Cao family mansion, Xiang Wan whispered a few words in Wang Pozi's ear.
Xiang Wan had already cleared out the dowry, house deeds, land deeds, and other items stored in the storeroom. After handing them over to Cao Xinqian, she and Ji Meiniang took a carriage back to the Ji family.
Not all those who remained in the Cao household were of one mind with Cao Xinqian. Yuan Xiqing and Cao Ruwan each had their own agendas. The reason Xiang Wan didn't expose them immediately was to see if, without Ji Meiniang and Cao Xiang Wan herself, they would still be as glamorous as they were in their previous lives.
Sitting in the carriage, Xiang Wan was in an incomparably good mood. It was as if she had escaped from a quagmire, as if she had been reborn.
Lifting the curtain, amidst the crowd, the person the original owner had longed for for half her life in her past life came into view.
Xiang Wan smiled, "It'll be soon."
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