Chapter 110: Severing Family Ties at the Ancestral Hall
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Shi Yun, we have been husband and wife for eighteen years. I will give you one last chance!”
“If you agree to adopt Jing Huai and Jing Yao under your name and establish Jing Huai as the heir, you can remain the mistress of the Marquis’s household.”
“As a divorced woman with three sons and a daughter, how will you live a good life?”
“Yan Shu is crippled, and your household is nothing but a burden. Surely you don’t plan to rely on the Xu family forever?” Lu Yuan Ze gazed at Shi Yun and sighed.
“Jing Huai has a bright future ahead. He will bring you pride. If you admit your mistakes, the Marquis’s household won’t proceed with the divorce. I, Yuan Ze, am willing to give you another chance,” the Old Madam interjected, glancing at Shi Yun, her tone laced with veiled disdain. She caught sight of Shi Yun’s mocking gaze, igniting a fire within her.
[How dare this aging woman, driven out of the Marquis’s household, mock me?]
“Keep your lavish wealth for yourself, Old Madam. Don’t come crying to regret it later!” Shi Yun chuckled coldly.
“Deng Zhi, have the family elders arrived?”
Deng Zhi narrowed her eyes. “They’ve arrived, every last one of them, including the Lu family Clan Chief and elders.”
The family elders returned to the Lu household, their faces darkened.
“Lu Yuan Ze, you still owe us one thousand taels of the three thousand you promised last time. Don’t forget it!” the Lu Clan Chief scolded as soon as he entered.
Lu Yuan Ze’s expression was grim.
“You must have lost your mind! Why divorce such a good wife?”
“Yan Shu is the bloodline of the Lu family, the eldest son no less. Aren’t you afraid the late Marquis will crawl out of his grave to slap you?” The Clan Chief’s anger flared upon learning of Lu Yuan Ze’s plans to divorce Shi Yun and disown their children.
Lu Yuan Ze remained silent, his face somber.
The Clan Chief trembled with rage, pointing a shaking finger at him as he unleashed a tirade.
“You’re enjoying your life too much to think straight! Once the divorce is finalized, you’ll regret it!” The Clan Chief remembered all too well how the Lu family had lived frugally before Shi Yun’s marriage. The mansion had been dilapidated, and year-end gifts sent to the elders were barely worth mentioning. But after marrying Shi Yun, the entire estate had transformed, and the gifts became lavish, starting at a thousand taels.
“Regret? Our Marquis’s household can’t possibly rely on a single woman!” Lu Yuan Ze sneered. “Jing Huai is far more accomplished than those failures!”
The Old Madam couldn’t bear the insult.
“I apologize for troubling the elders to come here. As a token of gratitude, I prepared a gift,” Shi Yun said, offering a thick red envelope. Though it was still the Lunar New Year, she knew the elders had traveled a great distance.
The Clan Chief accepted the envelope with a sigh, glancing at her.
Lu Yan Shu, seated in his wheelchair, nodded politely to the Clan Chief. “Third Granduncle.”
The Clan Chief’s heart ached. Yan Shu was a good child, cherished and admired by the late Marquis. And yet, his foolish father sought to sever ties with him.
“You’re a fine boy, Yan Shu. It’s your father who’s lost his senses,” the Clan Chief muttered, his brow furrowed.
[What kind of family removes its eldest son from the family register?]
No, not just the eldest—three sons and one daughter!
“Yan Shu may be a good boy, but he’s crippled,” Lu Yuan Ze interjected. “He’s unfit to be the heir. Since they wish to leave with Shi Yun, let them go.”
“Have you met Jing Huai?” the Old Madam asked with a proud smile. “He’s genuinely talented. Compared to Yan Shu, he’s blessed with better fortune. His writings are celebrated throughout the capital.”
At that moment, Pei Jiao Jiao entered the hall with her two children. Lu Jing Huai, dressed in a scholar’s robe, held his sister Lu Jing Yao’s hand. They knelt before the Old Madam, addressing her with practiced courtesy.
“Grandmother.”
“Grandmother.”
“Ah, my darlings! Finally, you can call me grandmother openly and live proudly under my care,” the Old Madam wept with joy, pulling the children into her embrace.
Meanwhile, Shi Yun’s children gathered around her, watching coldly as the reunion unfolded.
The Clan Chief frowned. Even Lu Jing Huai didn’t spare him a glance, let alone address him.
[This boy saw my worn clothing and decided I wasn’t worth acknowledging.]
The elders exchanged displeased glances. The children raised by Shi Yun were clearly more refined, scholarly, and generous. Every year, they would bow respectfully and even send him gifts. Their virtue and character were unmatched.
Pei Jiao Jiao smirked triumphantly at Shi Yun, her eyes glimmering with victory.
[So what if Shi Yun married well? Her sons are worthless!]
Shi Yun simply held Lu Chao Chao’s hand, her gaze cold and unyielding.
“Is everyone here?” the Clan Chief asked, sighing heavily.
[For some reason, I feel Lu Yuan Ze will regret this.]
“Yes. Let’s open the ancestral hall,” Shi Yun said calmly.
“Open it,” the Clan Chief commanded. With his steady voice, several clan members pushed open the hall’s heavy doors.
The family register brought from Clear Creek Village was already laid out before the ancestral tablets.
The Clan Chief hesitated, his heart heavy. “Are you certain about removing their names?”
Lu Yuan Ze turned to Yan Shu. “Are you truly leaving with her? She’s a divorced woman. Life with her will be hard.”
Despite himself, Lu Yuan Ze felt a pang of reluctance towards his eldest son.
Pei Jiao Jiao’s expression flickered with unease.
Lu Yan Shu’s face was serene. “Since you despise my crippled body, I’ll remove myself from your sight.”
Lu Yuan Ze paused, catching the warning look in Pei Jiao Jiao’s eyes. Reluctantly, he nodded.
The Clan Chief’s expression darkened. “It has come to this. You leave me no choice.” He took up the brush with trembling hands.
“Lu Yan Shu, born in the seventeenth year… removed from the register.”
“Lu Zheng Yue, born in… removed from the register.”
“Lu Yuan Xiao, born in… removed from the register.”
Lu Chao Chao had never been added to the register.
[Write the severance document! Write it! What if Father returns to exploit my brothers when they succeed?]” Lu Chao Chao whispered fervently, her childish voice filled with urgency.
Her brothers stiffened at her words.
Shi Yun’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Since the Marquis finds the children burdensome, let us sever ties completely. Draft a severance document!”
Lu Yuan Ze’s head snapped up in shock.
Pei Jiao Jiao’s barely contained laughter slipped through.
With a severance document, they would be strangers forever.
The Clan Chief’s heart sank. “Must it go this far? Even if you divorce, Yuan Ze is still their father.”
“Sister Shi Yun, think of the children. One day, Jing Huai might become a high official and support his brothers,” Pei Jiao Jiao suggested, pretending to plead.
“Marquis, you should beg Sister Shi Yun to spare the severance document,” Pei Jiao Jiao added, baiting him. Her words left Lu Yuan Ze’s eyes red with anger.
“Write it! Severance it is. Our Marquis’s household doesn’t need them!” Lu Yuan Ze declared.
“Before the Lu ancestors and elders, draft the severance document! Let’s see how tough your bones are. Without the Marquis’s household, you are nothing!” He ordered paper and ink.
Each of the three children signed and pressed their fingerprints onto the documents.
Even Lu Chao Chao pressed her tiny finger against the ink.
Finally!!! *eating popcorn*