Chapter 21: Don’t Even Think About Taking Me Away!

Nanyan had anticipated their arrival, so upon returning to the courtyard, she gave instructions to Mother Su.

"Find two sturdy men to guard the gate. No one is to be allowed in without my permission!"

Mother Su nodded firmly. "Do not worry, My Lady! These are men we brought with us from the Duke’s Mansion; they won't even let a fly get through!"

The rooms were already mostly cleared, and the maidservants were busy moving back and forth. Biezhi gathered the umbrellas and helped her put on her cloak. "As you commanded, everything is packed. We can return to the Duke’s Mansion tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" Nanyan scoffed. "I don’t want to spend another moment in the Meng household."

Biezhi paused, glancing at the torrential rain outside. "But My Lady, it is late, and the rain is so heavy..."

"My father and brother have met with misfortune, and my grandfather is so advanced in years; I cannot rest easy. I must return, even if it rains knives!"

Biezhi understood. "Rest assured, My Lady, I will see that everyone works faster!"

The entire Meng family and Xia Qingfei were blocked at the courtyard gate by the heavy downpour. Two hulking men stood guard; let alone Meng Boji, a mere scholar, even a martial arts master would not have found it easy to force their way in.

Meng Boji put on the airs of a head of the household. "You are being insolent! Move aside—did you hear me?!"

"My apologies, Young Master! The Young Mistress—no, our Lady—has given orders: she is the only one we take commands from!"

Since they had changed their address from "Young Mistress" to "Lady," it seemed the letter of divorce truly aligned with Nanyan's wishes. Meng Boji suddenly panicked; the possibility of what Xia Qingfei had suggested was becoming ever more real.

The Old Matriarch was furious. "How dare you two! Do you want to take a closer look and see if this is the Meng residence or the Nan residence?!"

"She is nothing but a cast-off woman who has been divorced, and yet she dares to throw her weight around in our Meng house? Who gave her the authority—"

Due to her agitation and the chilly mist of the torrential rain, the Old Matriarch’s face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed in a faint. The Meng family rushed to support her, but fortunately, she soon regained consciousness.

Xia Qingfei stepped forward to argue. "This is still the Meng residence! Move aside at once—"

"My apologies. The Old Matriarch said that our Lady has already been divorced and is no longer a member of the Meng family."

"We came from the Nan family with our Lady; we are no longer Meng family members either, and we only take orders from her!"

Xia Qingfei grew anxious. She turned, grabbed Madame Meng by the arm, and whispered instigatingly in her ear.

"Madame! You cannot let her take all of the Meng family’s assets! How will this whole family survive?!"

She had worked so hard to enter the Meng household—was it not to live a life of luxury and wealth? If Nanyan took all the money, would her goals not be thwarted?

Madame Meng knew Xia Qingfei was stirring the pot, but there was truth in her words. The Old Matriarch had been angered to the point of fainting, and Madame Meng was equally filled with indignation.

"This is rebellion, sheer rebellion..." Madame Meng pointed at the two guards, trembling. "Someone, come here—"

After calling for a long time, only Aunt Fen, who was by her side, came forward. Madame Meng shouted in desperation, "Go and call the men!"

Aunt Fen didn't even bother to take an umbrella; she ran off, drenched in the rain.

The Old Matriarch, with only half a breath left, refused to leave. She pointed a trembling hand toward Nanyan’s courtyard and kept instructing Meng Boji.

"She... she has been divorced... the dowry and everything else, don't you dare... don't you dare let her take it—"

"I know, I know, Grandmother, do not be angry! Watch your health!"

"How can I not be angry—" The Old Matriarch roared, gasping for air. "Hurry... hurry inside—don't let her carry off everything the Meng family owns!"

Just then, Aunt Fen arrived with a few servants. They looked like drowned rats and hadn't even brought weapons. Madame Meng was furious when she saw them. "What is the use of these few? Where are the security guards?!"

Aunt Fen stammered, "The guards... the guards are all people from the Nan family... they are all inside!"

"What?!" Madame Meng’s eyes nearly popped out of her head.

Hearing this, the Old Matriarch nearly fainted again. With her last bit of strength, she shouted, "...I don't care who they are, charge... charge in!"

The servants were pushed to the front. The two guards were a head taller than them, and the servants looked up, stunned. How were they supposed to fight this? But with the crowd behind them urging them on, they gritted their teeth and charged.

The two guards didn't even move; they simply stood in the middle, immovable as mountains. They allowed the crowd to scream and collide with them, but they didn't budge an inch.

For the sake of money, the family lost all sense of decorum, especially the young ladies, who resorted to scratching and clawing. The scene became chaotic, and none of them would leave, even though they were soaked to the bone.

Nanyan heard the commotion and finally came out, leading Mother Su and Biezhi.

"Enough—"

At Nanyan's shout, the courtyard gate fell silent. Nanyan stood under the eaves; she, Mother Su, and Biezhi were already wearing their cloaks, ready to depart.

Through the curtain of rain, Nanyan looked coldly at the drenched Meng family. "Don't you think it's a bit late to come here and make a scene now?"

Meng Boji wiped the rain from his face and pointed at her, teeth gritted.

"I have given you the letter of divorce. I don't care if you leave, but listen to me, Nanyan—"

"If you dare take even a fraction of the Meng family's property, I will never let this go!"

Nanyan sneered. "The Meng family's?"

"What does the Meng family have? My dowry? The career you built thanks to the Nan family?"

"Even this Meng manor—you didn't know that the deed is under my name, did you?!"

The Meng family gasped, looking at Meng Boji one by one. Meng Boji himself was stunned, struggling to recall. "This house... this house isn't..."

"It is one of the assets of the Nan family," Nanyan answered for him.

"When you first passed the imperial examinations, what did it matter that your reputation grew tenfold? How much was the Emperor's reward, plus your meager salary?"

"Do you have any idea how much a large mansion like this in the capital is worth? Selling your entire family of scholars wouldn't be enough to pay for it—"

The Meng family went silent; not a single person could utter a word of refutation.

Nanyan’s eyes reddened slightly. "I am a legitimate daughter of a Duke’s house; how could my grandfather bear to see me suffer?"

"You, Meng Boji, had a whole family to support, yet you didn't even have a shack in the capital. It was my grandfather who gave me this house, and I arranged for someone to pose as the owner and sell it to you at a rock-bottom price."

"It is a pity that you, Meng Boji, were too arrogant to manage these trivialities, and you had no idea that the deed was in my name—"

This house was not on the list of her dowry. Since the divorce letter had been signed, even if they took it to the authorities, this house belonged to Nanyan.

The Meng family stared at one another, eyes wide. No one dared to speak. If Nanyan truly pursued the matter, the entire family would be out on the streets immediately.

Xia Qingfei’s face turned green. She snapped out of her shock and tugged hard on Meng Boji’s arm, glaring at him. "Is everything she said true?"

Meng Boji remained silent, which was as good as an admission.