Mother Zheng said matter-of-factly, "It can't be that serious, can it? Yu Chan is our daughter-in-law. Yu Shan wouldn't cut off her sister's future, would she?"
His mother didn't take it seriously, so in order to get her to take it seriously, Zheng Lin deliberately exaggerated the matter.
"What was cut off was the Zheng family's escape route, what does it have to do with Yu Chan? This time only I came back. Yu Chan was kept in the palace by the Imperial Concubine. The Imperial Concubine said that Yu Chan should divorce me and is not allowed to return to the Zheng family."
Upon hearing this, Zheng's mother became anxious. "No way! How could Yu Shan let you two get a divorce over such a small matter? Our Zheng family helped the Su family back then, and you even went to jail for saving her. Doesn't she care about our kindness?"
"If she didn't care about the favor, why was the Zheng family's shop allowed to open in the Summer Palace out of so many others? This was a great opportunity to establish a reputation, but because of what you did, you angered the Imperial Concubine and the Emperor, and lost a great opportunity."
After remaining silent for a long time, Mr. Zheng grew increasingly angry, slamming his fist on the table and shouting angrily.
"I told you from the beginning not to let Lin'er take a concubine. Our Zheng family's business was not very prosperous at first, but later we had more and more customers. Wasn't that because Yu Chan was a member of the royal family?"
"Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Now, the Imperial Concubine believes her sister has been wronged in our household. If we really force Yu Chan to divorce Lin'er, our shop's business will surely plummet!"
Both her husband and son said so, and Zheng's mother felt terrified. She dared not speak loudly again, and whispered something.
“Then I’ll go and plead with Yu Shan, and say that taking a concubine was my idea as an old woman, and has nothing to do with Lin’er.”
She thought it was too simplistic. Master Zheng sneered, "Do you think the Summer Palace is your own backyard? It's an imperial palace and a forbidden garden. Yu Shan is now a concubine of the court. You can't just see her whenever you want."
The father and son talked back and forth, and Madam Zheng became increasingly flustered and anxious. "Then what do you suggest we do? We have to find a solution!"
Taking the opportunity, Zheng Lin set out his conditions: "Send Xu Rui away and don't let the child take any more concubines. Perhaps there's still room for negotiation."
Zheng's mother immediately refused, "That won't do. Rui'er has already entered our family, so she is your woman. She can't leave, otherwise people will laugh at her."
Zheng Lin disagreed, “I haven’t consummated our marriage yet, she’s not my woman at all! Mother, think carefully, is the concubine more important, or is Yu Chan, my wife? There’s still a chance now, but once the Imperial Concubine petitions the Emperor for a divorce for Yu Chan, it will be too late even if you send Xu Rui away!”
Master Zheng secretly scoffed at his wife's foolishness, too lazy to argue with her, and only said to his son:
"Lin'er, don't try to persuade her anymore. Rui'er is closer to her than her own son! Whether you and I live or die is not important. Rui'er is the one she cares about the most."
"Our Zheng family's business, built up over decades of hard work, is going to be ruined by your mother. She doesn't care anyway; the money she's saved over the years is enough for her to live on for the rest of her life. As for you and the children, we can't help you. Let's just divide the family property! Everyone can live their own lives."
Feeling wronged by the accusation, Madam Zheng raised her voice and retorted, "What are you saying? When did I ever say I wanted to divide the family property? When did I ever say I wouldn't care about my sons and granddaughters?"
She didn't say it, but her actions were enough to make people grit their teeth in hatred. "Now that disaster is imminent, you're still thinking about Rui'er's reputation. Have you ever considered the Zheng family's situation?"
"I'm only thinking about the continuation of the Zheng family line. If Yu Chan could give birth to a healthy baby boy, why would I have to worry about this?" As she spoke, Madam Zheng even started to cry, feeling wronged. Normally, Master Zheng would often indulge her wishes, but after this incident, he lost all patience and refused to comfort her anymore.
"They're both not even thirty yet, they have plenty of opportunities, why are you in such a hurry?"
"What if he still can't have a son after he turns thirty? Does that mean Lin'er can never take a concubine?"
Zheng Lin was displeased that his beloved daughter was being treated so disliked by her mother. "What's wrong with my daughter? Which of your three granddaughters isn't filial to you?"
“I didn’t say my granddaughters were bad. I like all of them very much. I just want to hold my grandson.”
Originally, Master Zheng also thought that sons were better, but now he has changed his mind.
“If a daughter marries well, she is no worse off than a son. Look at Yushan, she married the emperor, and her whole family enjoys the good life and gets promoted. In the future, Yushan will definitely take care of the marriages of our granddaughters. When they marry into official families, our Zheng family will no longer be just merchants and will not be looked down upon.”
This is a blessing that others would kill for, and you still won't treat your daughter-in-law better? You're still thinking about your niece; you're utterly foolish!
Her husband and son were both blaming her, and Madam Zheng had become the sinner of the Zheng family. She really couldn't bear this guilt. There was no other way at the moment, so Madam Zheng could only send Xu Rui back.
Her brother didn't say anything, but her sister-in-law, Qiao, objected, saying that the person had already been sent away, and her daughter had been wronged to be a concubine. Now that the person was being sent back, wouldn't they be ridiculed by the neighbors?
Madam Zheng repeatedly apologized to her younger brother and sister-in-law, saying that the Imperial Concubine in the palace already knew about the matter and had no choice but to send Rui'er back. She told the outside world that Rui'er was just staying at the Zheng family for a short time, which would not prevent her from remarrying.
Seeing that the person had climbed to a high position but was then thrown down, Qiao was furious and shouted that she would make a big fuss about it.
Helpless, Madam Zheng could only make a harsh statement: "You can make a fuss all you want. Lin'er is a man, so even if word gets out, it won't affect him much. But Rui'er has a chance to remarry. If this gets out to everyone, she'll never be able to get married again. You'll have to support her for the rest of your life and you'll be the subject of gossip!"
Xu Rui, standing to the side, choked back sobs, tears streaming down her face.
She had always been in love with her cousin Zheng Lin, and now she finally had the opportunity to enter the Zheng family. She thought that with time, Zheng Lin would gradually fall in love with her, but unexpectedly, the Imperial Concubine could not tolerate her and tried every means to drive her away.
When she got home, her mother disliked her again. Feeling ashamed, Xu Rui went back to her room, closed the door, and cried her heart out in bed.
Speechless after being choked by Madam Zheng's words, but unwilling to give up so easily, Qiao demanded compensation. In the end, Madam Zheng gave her family two hundred taels of silver, thus settling the matter peacefully.
When Madam Zheng let Xu Rui in, she had already given her younger brother's family one hundred taels of silver. Now, three hundred taels had been spent, but it was all for nothing. They hadn't even seen a glimpse of a grandson.
Madam Zheng was sulking, and Zheng Lin was too lazy to coax her; he still had to find a way to bring Yu Chan back.
But when he rode in a carriage to the Summer Palace, the guards refused to let him in.
Left with no other option, Zheng Lin had to turn to Su Mingfeng for help.
Su Mingfeng also accompanied the emperor to the Summer Palace. He was free to come and go as he pleased. Zheng Lin waited outside the palace for two hours before his brother-in-law finally arrived.
Upon learning the details, Su Mingfeng agreed to help relay the message, but he couldn't guarantee whether Yu Chan would come out or what Yu Shan's attitude would be.
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