Chapter 32: The Turmoil of Separation

The Madam demanded a separation, and the young master and miss declared they would sever all ties. The servants stood with heads bowed, not daring to make a sound.

Xu Guodong felt a burning sensation across his face.

The Old Madam, unable to stomach this, erupted on the spot. "Fine! You said it yourself—a separation it is! Let’s settle it right now! Stop putting on airs; do you really think you’re so important? You’ll regret this soon enough! And as for all of you, wanting to sever ties, is that so? Excellent. Once you leave this house, let’s see how you manage to survive..."

"Mother..." Xu Guodong grabbed the Old Madam, trying to stop her from saying more. There were things the old woman simply did not understand.

Seeing this, Lady Qiu sneered, "Xu Guodong, your mother has nodded her head, so the elder has given her consent. Let us write the divorce agreement now!"

"Write it! Write it right now!" The Old Madam chimed in again. To her, this was a magnificent stroke of luck; she could hardly wait.

"Yunxiang, bring the pen and ink!" Zhaojiao commanded. Lady Qiu walked into the courtyard without hesitation. She was not an uneducated woman; she would write the agreement herself. She understood Zhaojiao’s intent: strike while the iron is hot. Xu Guodong would never willingly agree to a divorce, but the Old Madam was practically begging for it.

A divorce agreement is legally binding once an elder presses their thumbprint to it.

"Mother! The Madam is just speaking in anger; please, do not take it seriously! We have been husband and wife for decades; how can we just separate like that?" Xu Guodong feigned a plea, pulling at the Old Madam. He could not allow a divorce. Once separated, they would have nowhere to live, and all of Lady Qiu’s dowry would be lost!

"Master..." Concubine Qiu interjected, "I can see the Madam has made up her mind. I fear she is angry because you took away her control of the household... She is unhappy that you brought us here. Master, perhaps you should just send us back to our hometown..."

Concubine Qiu’s words were like pouring oil on a fire. The Old Madam was ignited once more and refused to listen to a word from Xu Guodong.

Lady Qiu worked swiftly, and the divorce agreement was finished in moments. "Xu Guodong, just press your thumbprint, and we shall be even. From this day forward, we go our separate ways. Aside from my dowry, I shall take nothing. These decades of toil I have poured into this house—I will consider them as having been fed to the dogs!"

Before Xu Guodong could speak, the Old Madam snatched the document. Being illiterate, she shouted, "Qian, take a look at this!"

Xu Qianying was thrilled. If they truly separated, her mother could be elevated to the position of the official wife, and she would finally be considered a legitimate daughter.

After a quick scan, she nodded to the Old Madam, signaling that there were no issues—it indeed mentioned nothing beyond the return of the dowry.

"Dong’er, separate! Divorce her! She is nothing but a jealous shrew, disrespectful to elders and her husband. She deserves to be cast aside; this separation is letting her off easy!"

"Mother! Go back inside first; we will discuss this later... She is just speaking in anger, after all, we have been married for so many years..." Xu Guodong’s head throbbed with agony. He tried to usher the Old Madam away. His mother did not know that when Lady Qiu first married into the family, she had used her own dowry to maintain the family’s prestige, all to save his face. What they claimed were Xu family assets were, in reality, all listed on her dowry inventory.

He had to wait. In a little while longer, all of Lady Qiu’s dowry would have belonged to the Xu family. Before he brought his mother and the others back, he had already been feeding Lady Qiu a slow-acting poison...

He had long hated Lady Qiu. Because of her, he had been unable to hold his head high for years. Outsiders said he, Xu Guodong, only became an official by relying on his wife’s family, and his own clansmen whispered that he had sent his own mother back to the countryside just to curry favor with the Qiu family.

"My mind is made up; there is no need for further discussion. I have already sent for witnesses; they will arrive shortly. Today, we shall settle everything clearly!" Lady Qiu spoke with a calm expression. It was clear this was no mere fit of pique.

Zhaojiao was surprised to see how thoroughly she had planned this. It seemed Lady Qiu had harbored these thoughts for a long time.

Xu Guodong felt as if he were being roasted over a fire. He dragged the Old Madam away in a panic. "Mother, we cannot separate! Stop interfering!"

Left with no choice, Xu Guodong had to be blunt.

"Why not? Is she giving herself airs? Her father is no longer in the imperial court; what are you afraid of?"

"Mother, you don't understand. If we truly separate today, we won't even have a place to live!"

The Old Madam froze, her eyes widening as she looked at him nervously. "What do you mean?"

Xu Guodong sighed. "This manor is part of her dowry. You know the state of our family finances. Over the years, she has spent heavily to support us... The shops and farms you know of—they are all her dowry!"

"How can that be? You are an official; you have a salary and other sources of income! Even a county magistrate back home is wealthy. You are an official in the capital; how can you have no silver?" The Old Madam could hardly believe it.

"Mother, this is the capital! There are officials everywhere. I am only a fifth-rank official; there are no extra earnings, and I have to spend a fortune on social obligations... In short, do not interfere. We cannot divorce now! We cannot let her take that dowry. She is the only daughter of the Qiu family; her dowry was substantial..."

Hearing this, the Old Madam nodded. "Then we cannot let her leave like this. If she wants a divorce, she can have it, but she takes nothing! Tell her it is to be left for Ting’er to marry a wife. Ting’er is her son, after all; she cannot simply ignore him!"

The Old Madam’s mind worked quickly, and she was shameless enough to match.

What Xu Guodong did not expect was that Lady Qiu had already made up her mind and left no room for negotiation.

When he heard that the venerable Master Zeng had arrived, Xu Guodong was both shocked and panicked. He rushed to receive him, never imagining that the witness Lady Qiu had invited was none other than the Minister of Rites.

"...My foolish wife is making a scene over a trivial matter, and to think it has disturbed you, sir. This is... it is truly embarrassing!" Xu Guodong greeted him with forced smiles and polite words, while cursing Lady Qiu in his heart. She was determined to humiliate him all the way to the imperial court!

"Official Xu, you speak too seriously. The Qiu family’s niece requested me, so I had to come. Do you not know, Official Xu, that her grandfather, the old Master Qiu, once did me a great favor?" Master Zeng clarified the connection in a few short words.

Xu Guodong couldn't help but glance at Lady Qiu. He had never heard of such a thing.

"Master Zeng! I am deeply sorry to trouble you with this. I, Qiu Ling, am truly ashamed... but I have no other choice. I intend to separate from Xu Guodong, and I ask you to serve as a witness. I have explained everything in my letter..."

Master Zeng sighed upon hearing this. "They say one should urge reconciliation, not separation. Niece of the Qiu family, are you truly determined to divorce Official Xu? Have you thought this through?"

"I have thought it through completely!" Lady Qiu did not hesitate for a second.

"Madam, stop this nonsense. Is it not just because I took away your management of the household? Why escalate to a divorce? I was only worried about your poor health and wanted Mother to help share the burden. If you are unhappy, then so be it; you shall manage it as you always have... Master Zeng, this is truly... I apologize for wasting your time today!"

"Xu Guodong, stop acting. Master Zeng is no stranger, and I do not fear his judgment. Let us lay everything out in the open today..."

Zhaojiao watched the farce in silence. When she saw Zeng Zhixian, she realized that even if Xu Guodong refused to separate, it would happen regardless.

Indeed, Lady Qiu began to list a series of Xu Guodong’s crimes: condoning his concubine’s attempts to harm his own offspring, selling his daughter, and encouraging his mother to harm his children!

Zhaojiao was stunned to silence as she listened. So, that was the reason the Old Madam and Concubine Qiu had been sent back to their hometown years ago—the Old Madam had nearly caused Xu Yunting’s death, and Xu Guodong, upon learning the truth, had merely sent her away, shielding her in a roundabout way.

Lady Qiu had solid evidence for all of this, and Xu Guodong was left speechless.

"...Now, Xu Guodong has brought them back and intends to hand the household over to them. I cannot face this, nor can I accept it. Since he considers me useless, I have no face to remain the mistress of the Xu house. The divorce agreement is already written. If Official Xu refuses to sign, we shall have no choice but to take this matter to the magistrate’s court."