Chapter 39 The Family Divided
The dagger in Sheng Huai'an's hand was like a hot potato; he couldn't throw it away, but he couldn't leave it behind either...
Was he really going to slit his own throat on the spot?
Seeing Sheng Yunche's nonchalant demeanor, he could barely suppress the boiling anger in his heart, but he still forced a stiff smile: "Cousin, you must be joking, right?"
He gave a bitter laugh: "I really don't know what happened! Someone must have framed me to ruin our brotherhood! If I really wanted to harm you, I wouldn't have done it so blatantly!"
That makes a lot of sense.
But is Sheng Yunche a reasonable person?
He retorted, "Isn't a dagger enough for you to prove your innocence?"
Sheng Huai'an gritted his teeth inwardly, but dared not show the slightest resentment on his face. He forced a smile and said, "Cousin is joking."
Madam Jia became anxious.
She was furious and said, "Sheng Yunche, don't push your luck! You're in poor health and about to die, so you want to force my Huai'an to her death?"
Princess Ronghua sneered, not even bothering to glance at her, and directly shouted outside, "Yaqin, bring in a few old women and have them hold Jia Shi down and beat her hard, right in the face!"
Hearing Yaqin calling people outside, Jia Shi angrily lunged at Princess Ronghua: "You dare hit me? I'll beat you to death first!"
Ye Mingzhu quickly stepped forward and grabbed Jia Shi, but Jia Shi scratched her, leaving a bright red mark on the back of her hand, which made her gasp in pain.
Fortunately, Princess Ronghua seized the opportunity and slapped Jia twice hard, which made her feel better.
Suddenly, the scene became chaotic.
"Enough! Stop it, all of you! Jia Shi, if you keep talking nonsense, you can go back to your parents' home right now!" The old lady was so angry that her vision blurred and her face turned extremely ugly.
Madam Jia restrained herself from throwing another tantrum, and Princess Ronghua also stopped.
Looking at the old lady's silver hair, Ye Mingzhu felt a pang of pity and gave Sheng Yunche a meaningful look.
Sheng Yunche gave her a deep look, stepped forward, took the old lady's arm, and helped her sit down in the chair.
The old lady calmed down, first patted Sheng Yunche's hand, then asked the frost-faced Princess Ronghua, "Tell me, how do you want to handle this?"
“It’s very simple! Have Sheng Huai’an flogged fifty times according to family law, and then split the family and send the people from the West Mansion away!” Princess Ronghua said directly.
Jia, clutching her swollen face, shouted angrily, "No, I don't agree! We were framed! You have no evidence, so what right do you have to kick us out?!"
"Not separating the family? Then you'll have to wait for my methods!" Princess Ronghua said with a stern face. "Junzhao has been harmed like this by you, and I'm only letting him off lightly because of the Old Madam! If you continue to cause trouble, ha!"
Jia's heart skipped a beat: "What...what do you want?"
Princess Ronghua said coldly, "Putting aside everything else, as long as the reputation of Sheng Huai'an poisoning his cousin spreads, he will not have a good ending! I will go to the Emperor to ask him to strip him of his degree and cut off his career!"
Madam Jia was terrified, her face changed drastically, but she dared not shout again: "You, you can't do that..."
"Alright, shut up!" the old lady said sternly. "We can use family discipline, but it's hot. Fifty strokes will only hurt a bad person! Twenty strokes will teach Sheng Huai'an a lesson!"
Madam Jia couldn't believe it and cried as she pleaded, "Grandma, how could you hit Huai'an? He's a scholar and has never been punished before!"
The old lady added, "Dividing the family is also acceptable. From now on, the East Mansion will be the Duke of Wei's Mansion, and the West Mansion will stand on its own and be known as the Sheng Mansion."
"Divide the family?" Sheng Huai'an immediately became anxious. "Grandmother, we can't divide the family!"
Because he came from the Duke of Wei's family, everyone around him fawned over him. Some even said that if Sheng Yunche died, he would inherit the title, and they flattered him greatly.
If they really split up, would he still be as successful as he is now?
Liu Rumei, who was standing to the side, suddenly looked up.
She had been quiet and unassuming, as if she were detached from the situation, but now she finally panicked.
Separating from the family is equivalent to establishing a separate household, which is considered separate property under the law!
Even if Sheng Yunche dies, his two half-brothers are also dead, so Sheng Huai'an can no longer inherit the title!
Madam Jia was struck dumb, crying and pleading, "Grandma, we can't divide the family property! Huai'an isn't married yet. Dividing the family property will definitely affect his marriage, and that would ruin his whole life!"
The old lady was well aware of this principle.
But she was helpless.
The East and West branches have become enemies, so it's better to separate to avoid fratricide.
The old matriarch then said to Princess Ronghua, "There are many courtyards in the mansion. There's no need for the West Mansion to move outside and become a laughing stock. Just stay where you are. If you don't want to associate with them, then block the road between the two mansions. What do you think? You can have them sign and seal the agreement, and after I pass away, you can take the mansion back."
Now that things have come to this point, even if Princess Ronghua hates the people of the West Mansion, she can't completely disregard the old lady's thoughts, otherwise she would be unfilial.
She nodded and said, "Okay."
"And you two?" The old lady looked at Sheng Yunche and Ye Mingzhu again and said kindly, "You two are the ones who are most wronged in this matter, and we need your approval."
Sheng Yunche said, "Okay."
Ye Mingzhu was momentarily lost in thought, but was reminded by Sheng Yunche, and quickly nodded and said, "Okay."
The family discipline committee was called in, and Sheng Huai'an was taken to the courtyard and flogged.
Before long, his white robe was stained with blood. The pain was so intense that even though he tried to maintain his scholarly demeanor, he couldn't help but scream in agony, tears streaming down his face.
Jia was frantic, crying and pleading to no avail. With no other options, she could only cry and lie on top of him to shield him from the board.
Liu Rumei tried to pull Jia Shi away, but after taking only two steps, she closed her eyes and fainted weakly. The old lady had someone send her back to Qinghui Garden.
Ye Mingzhu sighed inwardly: What a coincidence that I fainted.
After being given twenty strokes of the cane, Madam Jia felt dizzy and vomited a mouthful of blood, which alarmed the old lady so much that she immediately sent someone to fetch the family physician.
Sheng Huai'an cried out "Mother," his voice hoarse as if scalded by boiling water, which made the old lady's eyes show a bit more pity.
Ye Mingzhu turned to Princess Ronghua and suggested, "Mother, let's do as the old lady said and sign a lease agreement with the West Mansion."
Princess Ronghua's eyes lit up: "Yes, let's sign it today!"
The amount of rent doesn't matter; the main thing is to finalize the matter of Jia and others "renting" the Duke of Wei's mansion, so as to prevent the residence from being forcibly occupied in the future.
A guarantor is needed to sign the lease agreement. Princess Ronghua summoned Yaqin and asked her to go to the Qin residence as soon as possible to invite Madam Qin over.
Ms. Jia was in a daze, and when she heard that she had to sign a lease agreement, she immediately wanted to make a scene.
But she took many beatings for Sheng Huai'an, vomited blood, and could barely get up. Sheng Huai'an and Liu Rumei were both beaten to the point of being unable to get up, one was unconscious and had to be sent back to the courtyard, so she couldn't rely on either of them.
She was isolated and helpless, and could only break down and cry, begging the old lady for help. But the old lady wouldn't speak up for her, so she had no other choice.
When Madam Qin arrived, she signed and sealed the document while crying.
She burst into tears after losing her pen.
The old lady looked reluctant, but she didn't try to persuade her; she just sighed deeply.
From then on, there were no more East Mansion and West Mansion, only the Duke of Wei's Mansion and the Sheng Mansion, as the family had separated.
...
It was already late when we came out of Rongshou Hall.
Ye Mingzhu escorted Madam Qin to the gate of the mansion, then handed her a large bundle that Baozan had hastily retrieved: "Sister Xuefei mentioned in her last letter that she liked the Ye family's wound medicine, so I prepared some more for her. Please give it to her when you send your letter home."
"Thank you very much." Madam Qin didn't stand on ceremony and whispered in her ear, "That girl Xuefei always tells me good news and never bad news. She only tells you the truth. When you write to her, ask about her recent situation. If anything happens, tell me quietly. I will never betray you!"
Ye Mingzhu smiled, her almond-shaped eyes crinkling, and quickly replied, "I understand."
"That's good." Madam Qin smiled, patted her hand, and got into the carriage.
Back at Linfeng Hall, before Ye Mingzhu could even catch her breath, a light shadow fell over her, and she was pulled into a familiar embrace. She smelled the scent of cedar mixed with cold spring water—a crisp, cool fragrance.
A deep voice sounded above her head as Sheng Yunche asked, "What were you lost in thought when Grandmother asked you those questions?"
Ye Mingzhu thought for a moment and said truthfully, "I just don't understand why my grandmother said I was wronged."
It was Sheng Yunche who was poisoned and injured, but it was Princess Ronghua who felt the pain in her mother's heart when her son was hurt. Is she alright? She's not upset at all.
"How can you not feel wronged?" Sheng Yunche said. "If I die, won't you be a widow?"
Ye Mingzhu slowly let out an "Ah," clearly having never considered this point.
Observing her expression, Sheng Yunche gritted his teeth in anger and suddenly asked in a gloomy voice, "Ye Mingzhu! Why do I feel that you are not worried about being a widow at all, but rather quite looking forward to it?"
Ye Mingzhu blinked innocently: "...?"
Is it that obvious?
Oh no, what was she expecting?
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