CHAPTER 396: CHAPTER 396: DIVORCE

Steward Shao and County Magistrate Zou were both deeply shocked upon hearing this... What did County Magistrate Xu mean by saying this? Could it be that he wanted to replace County Magistrate Zou and take his position?

Steward Shao and County Magistrate Zou exchanged glances, feeling that this was very likely what County Magistrate Xu meant.

County Magistrate Zou forcibly swallowed the blood that had rushed to his mouth and said to County Magistrate Xu, "My lord, rest assured, I only have a minor illness. I will recover after two days of rest and it will not be a big problem. I will be able to return to the county government office the day after tomorrow."

County Magistrate Xu did not actually want to replace County Magistrate Zou, but instead warned him not to cause trouble. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand and said, "County Magistrate Zou, go back and recuperate in peace."

Seeing this, County Magistrate Zou said no more, and supported by Zou Jiang and Steward Shao, he headed towards the gate of the county government office.

Lu Hehua became anxious when she saw County Magistrate Zou leaving, crying out loudly, "Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, you can’t go, if you leave we will be thrown into prison!"

Lu Hehua’s son and two daughters cried along, shouting, "Uncle, Uncle, save us, we don’t want to be locked up in prison, we don’t want to be servants, boo-hoo-hoo..."

Lu Hehua’s husband, Niu Chengwu, however, did not say a word but stared at Lu Hehua and Old Master Lu, his expression grave, not knowing what he was thinking.

Master Cao, unable to bear their shouting, turned around and kicked Lu Hehua, shouting angrily, "What brother-in-law, uncle! Mei Hua is just a concubine of my master, don’t falsely claim relatives here."

Lu Hehua fell with a scream and collapsed to the ground. By the time she got up, County Magistrate Zou had already been taken away by Zou Jiang and Steward Shao.

Lu Hehua was furious and cursed County Magistrate Zou to her heart’s content.

County Magistrate Xu, troubled by this family’s uproar, said to Squad Leader Yang, "Come, take them to the prison cell to await disposition."

"Yes," Squad Leader Yang, together with Luo Wu and others, moved forward and dragged the kneeling Old Master Lu and his family up.

"Wait, my lord!" Niu Chengwu suddenly shouted, "Lord County Magistrate, Lu Hehua is greedy and tricky, disrespectful to her in-laws for many years, and has hidden the crime of being a runaway slave from the Niu Family. I disdain to remain married to this woman, my lord, please bear witness. I want to divorce her right here and break all ties with the Lu family!"

Saying so, he grabbed the hem of his own clothes, bit a tear, and then tore it into two halves, throwing it onto Lu Hehua’s head.

Lu Hehua was stunned. She jumped up and yelled, "Niu Chengwu, you ungrateful scoundrel, you have no achievements of your own, and now you divorce me when my family is in trouble, do you have no conscience? What about the children? I am the mother of three children. By divorcing me, what will happen to the children?"

Niu Chengwu sneered, "Since you look down on the Niu Family and have been longing to leave for a wealthy family, I am fulfilling your wish considering our past as husband and wife. You should be grateful to me."

"As for the children..." Niu Chengwu looked at his son and two daughters, "Who asked them to have such a mother? Even if I, their father, want to protect them, I can’t."

Widow Yu is already pregnant with his child, and according to Widow Yu, it is likely a son. He had been worried about how to tell Lu Hehua to let Widow Yu in. Now he need not worry, he could simply divorce Lu Hehua, the shrew, and live with Widow Yu.

Lu Hehua had looked down on the Niu Family. Since getting married, she had never shown Niu Chengwu a good face. She thought with the Zou family backing her, she could control Niu Chengwu for life. Now hearing Niu Chengwu talk about divorcing her and abandoning the children as well, she was so angry she couldn’t breathe and fainted.

"Mother, mother, what’s wrong with you? Wake up!" Lu Hehua’s son and two daughters rushed over, crying around her.

Lu Guihua’s husband, Yao Minghui, upon hearing Niu Chengwu’s words, felt as if a path through his body had been cleared, and immediately said to County Magistrate Xu: "My lord, please bear witness for me. I did not know of the Lu Family being runaway slaves, and now that I have suddenly learned of it, I feel deeply ashamed and unwilling to be associated with the Lu Family People. I beseech your honor to testify, as I wish to divorce my wife right here in court!"

County Magistrate Xu felt a headache coming on, wondering why there was yet another sudden request for a divorce in court.

Lu Guihua was stunned upon hearing this, and looked at Yao Minghui in disbelief: "Husband, you, you actually want to divorce me?"

Lu Guihua always thought that Yao Minghui treated her well. Although Yao Minghui was a scholar who had spent most of his life failing to achieve any official position, their life was comfortable since he came from a village chief’s family and she had a substantial dowry provided by the Lu Family.

She thought that even if her father was a runaway slave, given the love between her and her husband, he would pay to redeem her and thereafter they could continue to live a good life together.

How could it have come to the point of divorce?

Yao Minghui said, "Guihua, don’t blame me. I intend to pursue an official position in the future. Marrying a daughter of a runaway slave with a runaway father-in-law, how would I ever establish myself among the scholars? I would be ridiculed to death. Considering the time we spent as husband and wife, don’t hold this against me... As for the children, I will discuss it with my father when I return... If possible, we shall redeem our two sons."

As for Lu Guihua, he did not plan to redeem her, rather he intended to marry another girl from a family with clear reputation.

Lu Guihua was utterly dumbfounded.

Lu Laoda and Lu Laoer were furious and yelled at Yao Minghui, "Yao, when the Lu Family faced adversities, you abandoned your wife and children. You disgrace the scholars, you beast in scholar’s clothing!"

Yao Minghui did not feel his actions were wrong and retorted, "It was the Lu Family who deceived my Yao Family first. It is only because of my family’s kindness that we did not accuse the Lu Family of marriage fraud!"

He had married a decent girl from the citizen Lu Family, not the daughter of the runaway slave Lu Family. The difference was significant.

Smack! Smack!

County Magistrate Xu, pounding his gavel furiously, shouted, "Enough! If you wish to divorce, go home and write the divorce paper. If you continue this disturbance, I will lock you all up in prison. Court dismissed!"

Enraged, County Magistrate Xu stormed off, and Squad Leader Yang immediately took all the Lu Family People to prison.

Although the two daughters-in-law of the Lu Family were crying, they were already thinking about how to send a message to their parents to come and negotiate a separation from the Lu Family.

Yao Minghui and Niu Chengwu, eager to disassociate from the Lu Family, went straight to a stationery shop upon leaving the government office, bought pens, ink, paper, and an inkstone, and wrote two divorce papers on the spot. They delivered them directly to the county government office, where the documents were stamped with the official seal and then taken to prison for the Lu Family.

Lu Laoda, seeing the two divorce papers stamped with the seal of the county government, was so furious he nearly passed out.

Whether they were runaway slaves or not had yet to be determined, but those two ungrateful dogs had written the divorce papers and stamped them with the official seal, finalizing the matter such that the Lu Family could not contest it.

Yao Minghui, still concerned about his reputation as a scholar, after giving the Lu Family the divorce papers, went to the county government office to inquire of Steward Tian, "Steward Tian, can I redeem my two sons back?"

After all, both were boys, and being nearly forty years old, he was unsure if he could father more sons; thus, redeeming these two sons was essential.