The old madam's carriage entered Luodu city and had nearly reached the Marquis of Guangde's official manor. Madame Shu had just received the notice that the old madam returned, so she hurriedly brought everyone in the manor to meet her at the gates.
"We are happy for Your return, Madam." Madame Xu carried a smiling face as she walked past Madame Shu to hold the old madam's hand. The affectionate gesture made it seem as though she was the old madam's rightful daughter-in-law.
"The Madam has had a hard journey." Madame Shu greeted the old madam.
"And the Marquis?" The old madam swept a glance throughout the crowd, but only saw the women's servants and attendants. She didn't see her son or her two grandchildren.
"The Marquis still hasn't returned to the manor. Jingrui went to his stores early in the morning to check the accounts, and will return any moment now. If he had known that Madam would have arrived today, then he wouldn't have gone to his stores and waited for You at the manor." Madame Xu explained while walking the old madam into the home. Everyone, including Madam Shu, followed behind them.
"Since the Marquis and Jingrui are busy, then that's fine. However, why hasn't Jingyun come to see me yet?" The old madam questioned.
"Jingyun is at the Hanwu temple discussing dharma with Master Kong Wu. This daughter-in-law will go get him." Madame Shu immediately replied after she heard the old madam ask about Qiao Chen.
"There are so many servants in this manor. Just send one of them to fetch him. Why would you want you, as the madam of the house, to get him? Or is it that you just want to keep out of my sights after I've returned? Are you so scared of me that you think I'll eat you?" The old madam's relaxed face morphed into displeasure as she looked at Madam Shu.
Before Madame Shu could reply, Madame Xu said, "You don't know, Madam. It's difficult to see the eldest young master now. Even when the master of the house went to see him, and several times at that, he wasn't able to see the eldest young master at all."
"Since that's the case, then you, as the mother, should personally find him. If even you can't do it, then I'll go myself." Madame Xu supported the old madam to the main seat and looked at Madame Shu with a gloomy expression.
Madame Shu bowed and left in a hurry. She had some servants prepare a carriage for a visit to the Hanwu temple.
Qiao Chen had already guessed what was happening when he heard that his mother came to visit him. All of the Guangde Prefecture was currently under his surveillance. So he also naturally knew that his father sent a letter to the south and requested the old madam's return some time ago. They knew that if they used his mother, then they would be able to control him. This was a good idea, but why would Qiao Chen let them succeed?
"Your grandmother is back, Jingyun. She is waiting for you to see her at the manor. She also said that if you don't return, then she would personally come here to find you." Madame Shu quickly said as soon as she saw Qiao Chen.
"Don't worry mother. Sit down and speak slowly." Qiao Chen helped his mother to a chair.
"How can I not be in a rush? Your father didn't tell me anything about your grandmother's return. I didn't even know about it until I got home." Madame Shu sighed and said. "I'm afraid that we mother and son won't have an easy life since your grandmother came back. You know her. What won't she do to us?"
"I bought another courtyard on the mountains outside of the city. It's both beautiful and elegant. Why can't we return to the Marquis Manor for now to settle these matters, and then live in that courtyard afterwards?" Qiao Chen said.
"If your grandmother wasn't here, then we could stay there as we pleased. Unfortunately, she's returned. How would she let us stay at another place?" Madame said full of worry.
"If we completely move out of the Cheng household and Marquis Manor, then she won't care about us." Qiao Chen said.
"Completely moved out?" Madame Shu looked at Qiao Chen, puzzled. She didn't understand what Qiao Chen meant when he said completely move out.
"The old madam hates the Xiao family the most, but I've helped the Xiao family several times now. I'm afraid that she won't let me off easily with her return this time. Mother won't have a good life with her there either. Instead of returning to that place to suffer and allow her to humiliate us, I think it's better for us to sever ties with the Cheng family and live on our own."
"You mean…"Madame Shu finally understood Qiao Chen and was surprised at such an idea. She quickly denied, "How can you do that? If we did that, then how could you conduct yourself in the future? I don't know how many people would talk about the skeletons in our closet*?"
Qiao Chen held Madame Shu's hand and said, "Your son doesn't want his own mother to return to that place just to be bullied any more. I don't want you to be bullied even for a day. We've gone through enough already."
Madame Shu's eyes welled up with tears as she thought about the times she had suffered with the old madam before. She was able to grit her teeth and endure it. However, when she saw the old madam's attitude today, she knew that she didn't want her son to suffer either- especially if the old madam decided to specially target Qiao Chen. However, she also really couldn't find the determination to sever ties with the Cheng Family and divorce.
"Then let's go back and see what the old madam wants to do with me." Qiao Chen walked with his mother and they left together.
Qiao Chen and Madame Shu returned to the Guangde Marquis Manor together. One the way, Madame Shu was worried about what would happen once they returned to the manor. She thought about Qiao Chen's words from their conversation just right now and her heart churned with uneasiness.
Madame Shu and Qiao Chen went immediately to see the old madam after they returned to the manor. Cheng Su and Cheng Jingrui had also returned to the manor at the same time.
"I heard that you're such a big shot that your own father can't even see you when he wants to, hm?" The old madam looked at Qiao Chen with anger in her eyes. Her eyes lacked the loving look she gave to Cheng Jingrui before Qiao Chen returned to the manor.
"When I live in the Hanwu temple, I often discuss scriptures with Master Kong Wu. Every time father came to visit, the discussions had yet to finish." Qiao Chen's answer was neither haughty nor humble.
"Hmph." The old madam snorted. "I also heard that you helped the Xiao family as they went against Prince Yong An many times now. Is this the case?"
"I have helped the Xiao family several times." Qiao Chen told the truth.
The old madam picked up the tea cup on the table and threw it at Qiao Chen. It smashed against him and Qiao Chen's clothes were wet and stained with tea.
"You know that the Xiao family has bad blood with our Chegn family, yet you still help the Xiao family?" The old madam pointed at Qiao Chen and scolded him angrily.
Madame Shu was nearby and saw the hot tea splatter all over Qiao Chen. She was so distressed that she wanted to check to see if Qiao Chen was scalded. She had yet to take a step forward when the old madam scolded her, "Madame Shu, I am the one speaking to him. Who allowed you to step forward? Fall back in line."
"I..." Madame Shu was worried about Qiao Chen, but still instinctively afraid of the old madam.
Qiao Chen signaled to his mother not to worry. Then he replied to the old madam, "I don't know what bad blood the Xiao family has with the Cheng family. Why can't I help the Xiao family?"
"How dare you claim to not know." The old madam slammed her hand on the table and said. "The Xiao family had killed more than ten people of my Sun family descendants. Yet you dare have the gall to say that you still don't know about such deep enmity before me?"
"The Sun family was harbored greed and ill intentions. They stole the disaster relief money as well as slaughtered the victims. The Xiao family killed them in retribution. The Sun family deserved everything that happened to them. Furthermore, this is all the Sun family's matters, so again I ask you. What does it have to do with our Cheng family? Hadn't Madam had frequently told my mother that a woman married out can no longer be retrieved? Wasn't it Madam who said a married woman should not keep her familial bonds close in her heart, because she must only care and focus on the family in which she married into?"
"You…." The old madam was speechless because of Qiao Chen's words.
"How can you talk to your grandmother like this? Why haven't you knelt down and admitted your wrongdoings yet?" Cheng Su saw Qiao Chen contradict the old madam and immediately reproached him.
"I'm not wrong. What wrong does father want me to admit?" Qiao Chen stood there without an inkling of weakness.
"Good. Haha. Great! You see that? This is the kind of son that Madame Shu so painstakingly raised. " The old madam took Cheng Su's hand and said. "Do you see how he sees you, the father, and me, his grandmother?"
"The Madam doesn't need to implicate my mother in everything. You've never been happy with my mother and I. All these things have nothing to do with my mother. If you want blame someone then here I am."
"Retrieve the jiafa." The old madam shouted. "Give me a good fight until you kill me if you're so proud."
"Jingyun." Madame Shu hurriedly cried out after she hear that the old madam wanted to get the jiafa out. She pulled at Qiao Chen's sleeves and said, "It's better just to admit your wrongdoing to the Madam."
Qiao Chen stood there without speaking or replying.
"Hmph." The old madam snorted coldly. "I'll see which is stronger, your bones or the jiafa."
Madame Xi and Chegn Jingrui stood to the side as they watched the show. Their faces were filled with happiness as they relished the moment.
"Firmly hold him down. Hit him ten times first. If he still isn't willing to admit his wrongdoings then hit him until he will." The old madam grit her teeth and ruthlessly ordered.
"Don't hit! No. You can't hit him." Madame Shu pushed the servants that held Qiao Chen down away. She hugged Qiao Chen and cried out to Cheng Su, "Marquis, don't tell me you are just going to stand there and watch Jingyun get beaten to death? His constitution won't be able to handle it!"
Cheng Su also knew that Qiao Chen's body wouldn't be able to stand ten strikes, so he carefully spoke to the old madam, "Mother….."
"Shut up." The old madam interrupted Cheng Su's plea for leniency for Qiao Chen. She glared at Cheng Su and stated, "If you even dare to speak up for him, then you don't even think about calling me mother ever again."
Cheng Su immediately retreated to one side and stopped talking. Madame Shu suddenly felt chills. The tears wouldn't stop flowing from her eyes.
"Madame Shu, if you don't step aside right now, then I'll just beat the both of you." The old madam viciously spat.
Madame Shu shook her head and continued to hold onto Qiao Chen.
"Servants come. Separate them and give them a good beating for me." The old madam commanded loudly.
"Cheng Su!" Madame Shu cried out after the old madam's orders. "I want to divorce you!"
"What did you say?" Cheng Su thought he heard wrong and asked, wide-eyed.
"I said that I wanted to divorce you. This mother and son will never accept the burden of your wrath and anger again." Madame Shu yelled.
"Madame Shu. Do you know what you are saying? You have to think this through." The old madam asked in a calm manner.
"I couldn't be any clearer on this." Madame Shu looked at the old madam and said. "Ask yourself this, Madam. Since I married into this family, have I, Shu Qianrong, ever disrespected you? Furthermore, have you ever given me face in return? You held Concubine Shi above me, the first wife. So much so that she would dare to go over me and abuse me. You even treat the bastard son of a concubine better then the legitimate son born from the first wife. He is the first one for everything. You think that these things are done behind closed doors, but all these things are done in the name of your maternal family's doors, aren't they? However, you don't know how everyone outside can see it all, and they all think that Cheng family as a big fat joke. All you've done is turn the Cheng family into a laughing stock in order to revive your Sun family!"
"Why haven't you shut your mouth yet?" Cheng Su heard Madame Shu's words and knew it was the truth, but they were the younger generation. How could they point blame to their elders?
"Why should I shut up? Besides, I don't want to stay in the Cheng family anymore, so I might as well say everything I want to say today." Madame Shu threw caution to the wind. She had to vent out all of her dissatisfaction and misery today.
"When I married into the Cheng family, it was me who was marrying down. Not the other way around. It was your father who personally came to the door of my home to bring up marriage. It was you who swore to my father, face-to-face, that you would be good to me- that you would never let me suffer. Yet what was the result? How many good days have I experienced since the day that I married into your household? You watched, unfeelingly, as your mother tortured me, as Concubine Shi humiliated me. Which one of these acts was you being good to me?"
"Ever since my parents both passed away and my elder brother took up a government post far away, the old madam abused me even more. Even Concubine Xu doesn't respect me either." After interrogating Cheng Su, Madame Shu said, "These things were all in the past and I can bear with it. However, now? Now you want to kill my son! I will never allow it. I will never just bear with it! You will not lay a hand on my son!"
Cheng Su knew that it wasn't easy for Madame Shu to bear with these things over the years, but what could he say to his mother?
"Madame, it's not right for you to say that. The Madam is an elder. The family's laws and conduct is used to establish a standard in the household. It is used to raise upright and honest individuals. Haven't you been using the it to make me behave?" Madame Xu said and took two steps forwards.
Madame Shu looked at Madame Xu talking. She walked towards her and slapped her hard.
"Ah!" Madame Xu didn't expect Madame Shu to slap her and to even dare slap her in front of the old madam. "How dare you hit me?"
"Mother." Cheng Jingrui immediately glared are Madame Shu and went up to help his mother when he saw her get hit.
"So what if I hit you?" Madame Shu looked at Madame Xu and said. "I am still the Cheng family's first wife. Don't even talk about hitting you. I can even sell a used concubine like you if I wanted to."
"Madam!" Madame Xu immediately cried and rushed to the old madam's side. "She even dares to hit me in front of you now. She even said she was going to sell me. You have to give me justice, or I won't be able to live."
"Give her the certificate of divorce. Have that mother and her son leave this house at once." The old madam slapped the table and snarled.
"Mother, it's not that you can't write the divorce certificate. It's…." Cheng Su looked at his mother in embarrassment and didn't know how to explain it. Then he spoke to Madame Shu, "Quickly admit your wrongdoings and ask mother to forgive you."
"Bring the divorce certificate. We'll leave once we get those papers. We're never staying here again." Madame Shu looked at Cheng Su and said. "Qiao Chen is my only hope for survival. I will never let the Cheng family hurt my son or my future anymore."
"Did you hear that? She asked for it. Why do you want to keep her anyways? Do you want that boy and his mother to anger me to death?" The old madam clutched her chest and emotionally said that she was getting dizzy.
Madame Xu hinted to a servant and they quickly brought ink, paper, and an ink stone to Cheng Su. Cheng Su looked at Madam Shu and Qiao Chen standing below. Then he looked at his angry and pale mother. He didn't know what to do.
"Do you want to anger me to death too? Why haven't you started writing yet?" The old madam roared.
Cheng Su had no choice but to pick up the brush and write the divorce certificate.
Madame Shu took the divorce certificate from Cheng Su. She looked at it carefully and read it word for word. Then she folded it up and put it in her sleeve.
"From this point on, this mother and son pair have officially severed ties with you. We no longer have anything to do with your Cheng family." Madame Shu decisively said. Then she took Qiao Chen and left.
When the Guangde Manor gates opened, Qiao Chen and Madame Shu saw Xiao Qinan standing outside. Behind him were many Xiao family soldiers.
Of course Qiao Chen wouldn't let his mother or himself be bullied by those in the Cheng family. He had already sent someone to inform Xiao Qinan. If those people really dared to do something, then Feng Shu would immediately report it to Xiao Qinan.
As soon as Xiao Qinan received that report, then he would rush in to save him. Furthermore, if it came to it, he was going to throw his pride away, sever ties, and take his mother away on his own. However, his mother endured for countless years already, and she didn't want him to suffer even for a moment. Therefore, she took the initiative to ask for the divorce and he didn't need to do it for her.
"Has everything been arranged properly?" Qiao Chen asked Xiao Qinan.
"It's done. The carriage is outside. I'll take you there now." Xiao Qinan said.
Qiao Chen walked with his mother to the carriage's door and helped her in They were escorted by Xiao Qinan and Xiao family army to their new courtyard in the mountains outside of the city.