He looked to his elder brother for help, asking him to put in a good word for him. He knew that his words might not be effective, but the words of the Marquis of Ningyuan carried a different weight.
But Marquis Ningyuan's expression darkened, and he looked helpless, saying in a deep voice, "Second brother, this matter is of utmost importance. You know the crime of cheating in the imperial examinations; at best, one is banned from taking the exams, and at worst, one is executed! The Chi family cannot afford this risk!"
Master Chi's face was ashen: "But Ah Yan might not have been involved in the cheating..."
Marquis Ningyuan sighed and said meaningfully, "Then how did he become the top scholar in the provincial examination? The teachers of the Imperial Academy praised Chu Mingyu's writing, and even the Grand Tutor praised it highly, but he still failed to surpass Chi Yan."
Master Chi was speechless.
He believes his son won't cheat, but how can he convince others to believe him?
Shen Tangning's eyes flickered, and she thought to herself:
This is a good opportunity. It's time to propose splitting the family. To avoid getting into trouble, the Chi family will definitely be eager to kick out the second branch!
Just then, unexpectedly, Madam Chi, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, her eyes revealing a resolute and ruthless determination: "Since Madam wants to expel my son from the family, then let's divide the family! If we divide the family, no matter what, the crimes of our second branch will not implicate the first branch!"
"..."
Everyone was stunned by her words. Madam Chi had always been tolerant, and no one had expected that she would propose to separate the family!
Shen Tangning's lips curled up slightly. It was worth it for her intentional or unintentional efforts to instill in her mother-in-law the idea that the old lady was biased and that it would be better to separate the family as soon as possible.
At first, Madam Chi was quite shocked by this, after all, in Daqing, the country was governed by filial piety, and as the saying goes, one should not separate from one's parents while they are alive.
The old lady is still alive. Dividing the family property would be tantamount to announcing to the outside world that the family is not on good terms. Moreover, it would be even more outrageous for a younger generation to propose dividing the family property!
She also reminded Shen Tangning, "You can say this to your mother, but you must not let others hear it, otherwise who knows how they will criticize our second branch!"
Perhaps because Shen Tangning had said it so many times, Chi's mother had gotten used to it and even began to have a thought that it might not be a bad idea.
Seeing her son being treated like this now, if she continues to tolerate it, such situations will only increase in the future!
Unable to bear the injustice any longer, the second wife finally stood up for herself and proposed separating the family property!
When everyone came to their senses, the first to attack was the old lady. In her view, Madam Chi's actions were tantamount to a challenge to her authority: "You vicious woman! I'm not dead yet, and you're already thinking about dividing the family property. What are you really up to?"
She glared at Master Chi with hatred, "This is the good wife you married!"
Madam Hou's eyes flickered several times as she softly stirred up trouble: "Second sister-in-law, dividing the family property is no joke. Besides, what will outsiders think of our Chi family? They might think the brothers are fighting amongst themselves!"
"Mother, please calm down." Master Chi pursed his lips, unusually not immediately backing down, he wanted to hear his wife's thoughts.
Madam Chi seemed to have gained confidence and tried her best not to show any fear: "Having been married into the Chi family for decades, I, your daughter-in-law, have asked myself honestly. I have always been very respectful to my mother-in-law and I know that I come from a humble background. I have always been humble and subservient, fearing that I may not have done enough!"
A hint of resentment inevitably crept into her eyes. "But put yourself in my shoes, mother-in-law, have you been fair? I can understand that you don't care about my husband since he's not your biological son. But every time something happens, you immediately threaten to kick my son out of the house. Parents all over the world have their own hearts. If it were your grandson, the heir apparent, who would be in trouble, would you also choose to abandon him immediately?"
The old lady's eyes widened, her breathing rapid, her tone tinged with anger and embarrassment: "How dare you! Are you accusing me of favoritism?"
Madam Chi took a deep breath, her eyes resolute: "Yes! If Mother can be fair, I will have nothing to say!"
The old lady suddenly stood up, her finger trembling as she pointed at her: "Second son, this is what your wife thinks! I never knew she harbored such resentment towards me! Today I'm telling you to divorce this wicked woman, will you obey?"
Master Chi closed his eyes, stepped forward and knelt on the ground: "Manniang has done nothing wrong. I do not wish to divorce her. If you insist on driving my son out of the house today, then drive our whole family out!"
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