Chapter 273

Sitting silently beside his mother, Wang Xiujin refrained from speaking. It wasn’t that he lacked words—he was furious—but he had to bite his tongue, afraid that any stance he took would sway the family’s judgment. He knew his relatives harbored guilt toward him; they deferred to his wishes in everything, especially matters concerning him. Gazing at his sister-in-law, he felt helpless, sighed inwardly—why couldn’t the family unite their hearts, instead of turning their peaceful lives into tangled chaos?

Another sigh escaped him. As he worried over his sister-in-law, Wang Xiujin also pondered his elder brother’s intentions: sending her home—was it to divorce her, or did he hope the family would give her another chance for the sake of the children? His head throbbed. Affairs of the inner household truly were not his forte.

Madam Wang made no decisions, especially with the master absent. The eldest daughter-in-law’s marriage had been arranged by the emperor; even divorce was no simple matter. All she could do was show a stance, summon people from the Chun family, whether or not they had meddled in this issue. For now, she could leverage the eldest daughter-in-law to pressure the Chun family, confine her, or let her natal family take her away, and wait for the master’s return before deciding. As for the servants kneeling in the courtyard, having sold themselves to the Wang family yet acting disloyally, they could not blame her for being ruthless.

The Chun family arrived quickly. The second master Chun and his wife came together—not merely for their daughter, but to maintain good relations with the Wang family. Seeing their daughter kneeling, the couple’s hearts quaked; what had happened?

Madam Wang handed her son’s letter to Master Chun. Since they had become the eldest daughter-in-law’s parents, it didn’t matter whether they were her birth parents or capable of disciplining her—they needed to know what she had done.

Master Chun read the letter, pinching his nose as he finished. Madam Chun glanced over it as well. In the inner household, such matters were not particularly grave, but in the Wang family, it was different. When Wang Xiujin had refused to adopt Wang Zhize, they hadn’t thought much of it, assuming their daughter wouldn’t bring it up again. At the time, adoption truly wasn’t appropriate; it should have waited. Who could have foreseen their daughter’s obsession—trusting dubious people, and with Wang Xiujin adopting a child from the Li family at this juncture, she believed he meant to transfer all property into the Li branch, and so she fell into a stubborn spiral. She was skilled at teaching children, but when she tried to raise them crookedly, she couldn’t control herself. Ultimately, her scheming was laid bare, letting others grasp her weaknesses outright.

Madam Chun could only call her daughter foolish, apologizing to Madam Wang and promising repeatedly to take her back and educate her thoroughly. Wang Xiujin watched the changing expressions above Madam Chun’s head, finally settling on teaching her daughter how to navigate household intrigues, and secretly shook his head at his mother. If Madam Chun took the sister-in-law away, would peace ever return to their household?

Madam Wang did not agree to Madam Chun’s request. She had considered letting the Chun family take her, but after hearing Madam Chun’s words, she felt that the woman regarded the matter as insignificant. Stifling her anger, Madam Wang had to contemplate the Chun family’s situation: Madam Chun was the principal wife, there were several concubines, and Master Chun wasn’t the eldest in his own family… After much thought, she understood why Madam Chun thought little of it. By comparison, the Wang family’s inner household was much cleaner. Madam Wang suddenly wondered if, by giving her eldest son a few more concubines, Wang Chunshi might finally settle down.

After sending off the Chun family, Madam Wang locked her eldest daughter-in-law in a room. As for the servants returned with her, Madam Wang merely waved her hand, deciding their fate instantly; regardless of their tears and pleas, they would not be spared. Wang Xiujin stayed with his mother, secretly instructing the steward to summon a physician. His mother’s health had improved over the years, but one couldn’t neglect her just because she seemed well.

The physician came, examined Madam Wang’s pulse, and prescribed a remedy. Madam Wang, holding her younger son’s hand, reflected on her daughter-in-law’s actions, “You’ve suffered, my child.”

“Mother, what are you saying? It’s my duty to look after you—there’s no suffering in that. As for sister-in-law, I can neither comment nor act. Since brother sent her back, just do as you see fit. If the sky falls, I’ll hold it up for you.” Wang Xiujin was indeed angry—angry that his brother had tossed the problem onto their elders to solve. He wished he could rush to Feng’an and give his brother a few punches. “But sister-in-law is still carrying a child, and that child belongs to the Wang family.”

In the rear courtyard, Zhiyuan, Zhe, and Zhize were blocked by servants. Zhiyuan and Zhe quietly probed about the front courtyard’s events and were deeply shaken—how had their mother changed so much? The things she’d told them before were entirely different from what she taught their younger brother, as if she’d become another person. Zhize, unaware of his brothers’ thoughts, clamored to see his mother. Zhiyuan and Zhe snapped out of their daze amid his cries—no, they must not let him see her, at least not until she changed for the better.

Though born to Wang Chunshi, Zhiyuan and Zhe had spent little time with their mother, much more with their uncle. Naturally, they sided with their uncle. When with their mother, Wang Chunshi never taught them to covet their uncle’s wealth; they revered him, depended on him. After their early education, they learned more about the world, admired their uncle even more, grew fonder of him and his son, especially Yachang, who was irresistibly endearing—they loved playing with him.

They’d looked forward to their brother’s arrival, but after spending time with him, they were disappointed. They never suspected their mother’s involvement, convinced that the servants around their brother had corrupted him. But today, they realized their mother was not only aware, but had said things in front of him. Her actions struck the two brothers hard. They didn’t consider the possibility of divorce in the adult world; their simple upbringing spared them much strife, so they didn’t comprehend the consequences of their mother’s actions. All they wanted, all they could do, was to hold their brother back and guide him straight until their mother improved.

Wang Xiujin stayed with his mother a while, then went to check on his nephews in the rear courtyard. Along the way, he pondered how to phrase things to comfort the children. He also considered his sister-in-law’s situation; outsiders might think divorce was the simplest solution, but putting aside whether the emperor’s arranged marriage could be dissolved, what of the children afterward? If his brother remarried, could the new wife treat all three as her own? The answer was obvious—no. Whether his brother was easily influenced, he couldn’t say, but who could resist constant whispers at one’s pillow?

He sighed—such a simple life, why had his sister-in-law insisted on upheaval? Living in the Wang family was far easier than his eldest sister’s days in the Song family. Comparing his sister-in-law’s situation to those with numerous wives and concubines, what did she have to be dissatisfied with? Another sigh—perhaps he should have arranged his affairs earlier, written a will, so no one would covet his so-called property.

Standing outside the children’s courtyard, Wang Xiujin suddenly lacked the courage to enter. If he imagined the worst—his sister-in-law divorced—he would have become an indirect villain. “I did not kill Bo Ren, but Bo Ren died because of me.” The feeling was bitter; the corners of his mouth twisted in a wry smile. Brother, he truly wanted to beat you until you couldn’t care for yourself.

Not opening the door, Wang Xiujin turned away. After bidding farewell to his mother, he made his calculations. For the first time in years, Wang Xiujin acted impulsively, taking his son and heading to Feng’an.

Yachang huddled beneath thick blankets, swaying with the carriage. His wide eyes blinked as he guessed what had happened at the Wang household to make his usually composed father rush him toward Feng’an. He sensed it was certainly not good news.

The people trailing Wang Xiujin sent word to Li Linshan, believing the young master Wang wasn’t visiting relatives, but seeking vengeance.

On the second day of Master Wang’s arrival in Jingu, another team arrived in haste. Li Linshan received word and sought his father-in-law. After hearing everything, Master Wang said nothing. He was chilled by his eldest son’s actions, resolved to dismiss his son’s post upon returning.

“Xiujin once spoke of his property—he intends to leave each descendant only five acres, and everything else will be donated to the national treasury.” Li Linshan spoke calmly; the Li family had no interest in Wang Xiujin’s assets. Whatever he chose to give was his prerogative—even if he left nothing but donated all to the treasury, the Li family would have no objection. Compared to commerce, their preference was the military camp.

Master Wang waved his hand, suppressing all his anger and turning it on the Jingu prefect, who was quite unlucky—he could have lived a few more days.

Upon arriving in Feng’an, Wang Xiujin sought no inn, but went straight to the magistrate’s office. Hearing he wanted to see Prefect Wang, the yamen runners verified his identity, then led him to the prefect’s residence. “The master suffered a knife wound and is recuperating at home.”

Wang Xiujin’s anger evaporated instantly. “What happened? How was he injured?”

“That, sir, you must ask the master yourself. I am not at liberty to say.” The yamen runner looked embarrassed.

Wang Xiujin raised a brow, his thoughts spinning, his clenched fist relaxing and tightening, tightening and relaxing, finally dissolving into a silent sigh. Better see for himself first.