CHAPTER 53: CHAPTER 53: WU YUANPING DIVORCES HIS WIFE

"Xiao Chunyu, what do you mean by this?" Wu Yuanping glared at Xiao Chunyu, "Where are you moving all these bags to?"

"I’ve already informed Mrs. Wu. The weather is hot, and I’m taking the child to the estate to stay for a few days."

The current Mrs. Wu is a second wife, and Chunyu would never call her mother. Her legitimate mother-in-law had long since become a memorial tablet.

That unfortunate woman, upon learning she was pregnant, was overjoyed to tears as she left. She held Chunyu’s hand, wanting to say something but couldn’t. She gestured to Nanny Ma to bring the jewelry box, which Nanny Ma later told Chunyu had been specifically prepared for her as the new daughter-in-law.

Less than a hundred days after the mother-in-law passed away, the father-in-law married a second wife.

Thinking of Wu Yuanping’s actions, and then of the father-in-law’s coldness, she suddenly understood the saying, "A crooked beam causes a skewed roof, and an unsteady roof causes collapse."

With such a cold-hearted father, how good could his son be?

If it hadn’t been for the midwife, out of respect for her second sister, using all her skills to save her during childbirth, she too would have become a memorial tablet. Her unborn child would have been left motherless, and who knows how miserable its days would have been.

"Nonsense, don’t you know that in a few days it’s your mother’s death anniversary? You’re still in the mourning period, and you’re running around? Is this the family discipline of the Xiao family?"

"The family discipline of the Xiao family is excellent." You can criticize her, but not her family: "At the very least, the Xiao family’s discipline wouldn’t involve taking a concubine during mourning, let alone marrying an equal wife during this period."

"You..." Wu Yuanping was red with anger. "What’s wrong with marrying an equal wife? You can’t have more children, and you expect me to be left with no heirs? Who do you think you are, still considering yourself the daughter of the Xiao Mansion? A granddaughter of a revered head of the court?"

"Wu Yuanping, your mean-spirited nature is laid bare." Xiao Chunyu sneered, "People like you aren’t fit to have progeny!"

"You little slut, how dare you curse me?"

Wu Yuanping lunged forward and grabbed Xiao Chunyu’s hair.

"Young master, stop!" Nanny Ma rushed forward to pull him away: "The young mistress is holding the little miss, please let go, don’t drop her."

"Just a worthless girl, nothing special about the little miss, I don’t care about her."

"Even a vicious tiger doesn’t eat its cubs! Wu Yuanping, you’re worse than an animal." Having planned to deal with things slowly, Xiao Chunyu could no longer endure: "I want a divorce from you."

"Oh my, a divorce?" Wu Yuanping scoffed: "The Xiao family is dead, exiled, or has returned to Shu City. As for you, all alone, without my family, you wouldn’t even have food to eat, and now you want a divorce. Let me tell you, I’ve put up with you for a long time, and I want to dismiss you!"

Dismiss her?

"You’re jealous, unfilial, and have ailments. Just picking through the Seven Grounds for Divorce, there are already three grounds. Someone, get the paper and ink, this young master is going to write a dismissal letter."

"Wu Yuanping, how dare you!"

Xiao Chunyu was trembling with anger!

She had acted too rashly!

She wanted a divorce, which would allow her to take away all her dowry. The confiscation of the Xiao family wouldn’t affect the married daughter’s wealth. With this dowry, she could raise Panpan well and straightforwardly support her family back in Shu City.

However, if she were dismissed, she wouldn’t be able to take her dowry.

If dismissed, she’d truly be left with no way out.

"Someone, get the paper and ink ready."

Wu Yuanping had no regard for any conjugal affection. Just as well, he had lost two thousand taels of silver gambling and couldn’t find a way to fill the hole. The Xiao family’s dowry had plenty of valuables, and the shop could sell for a thousand or two taels.

Writing the dismissal letter, he did it with ease.

"Wu Yuanping, you have no conscience!"

Xiao Chunyu’s heart was bleeding. She hadn’t wanted things to turn out this way, but it was indeed her choice. She regretted not being able to slap herself — how blind she was back then!

"Miss..."

Nanny Zhou, Molan, and Jianlan were all stunned. What were they to do?

"Let’s go, we’ll head to the estate first."

In any case, she wouldn’t accept the dismissal letter today.

"Xiao Chunyu, take the dismissal letter and leave." Wu Yuanping said, "Someone, stop her from leaving until I’ve finished writing the dismissal letter."

Immediately, the household servants blocked the exit for Xiao Chunyu and her maids.

"Young master, you can’t do this." Nanny Ma once again felt the Wu family’s heartlessness: "The young mistress has just left the confinement period, she was your lawfully wedded wife, brought in with eight sedan chairs, young master..."

"Old hag, scram." Wu Yuanping kicked Nanny Ma on the leg: "You can’t even recognize who your master is?"

"Young master..." Nanny Ma was kicked to the ground, gazing at the man she had watched grow up, whose face now twisted with savagery, and suddenly found it amusing: such loyalty for such a person was truly worthless.

"Nanny Ma, are you alright?" Jianlan hurriedly helped her up: "Nanny Ma..."

"I’m fine." Nanny Ma whispered to Jianlan: "Think of a solution quickly. If the young mistress is dismissed, she won’t survive."

She felt immense sympathy for the young mistress.

But what could Jianlan do?

They couldn’t leave, and Wu Yuanping was still writing the dismissal letter.

"Miss?"

Nanny Zhou and Molan shielded Xiao Chunyu and her daughter behind them, looking equally anxious: "Miss, what should we do?"

"I underestimated the cruelty of human nature." Xiao Chunyu laughed bitterly in anger: "No matter, if they won’t let me live, then I’ll take a gamble."

Xiao Chunyu was thrust into the dismissal letter. The four of them, no, five, including a baby just a month old, were driven out of the Wu Mansion by its servants, leaving all her previously packed belongings behind.

"Miss, what should we do, where can we go?"

Nanny Zhou, despite her years, had never encountered such heartlessness.

"Nanny, you take Panpan..." Xiao Chunyu thought for a moment: "Alright, Nanny, you and Jianlan and Heilan take Panpan to the Qiu Mansion, and ask to see Mrs. Qiu and Miss Qiu. Please take good care of Panpan for me."

The only ones she could think of were Mrs. Qiu and Miss Qiu. She wouldn’t go to any relatives through marriage with the Xiao family, because she knew they were all avoiding the Xiao family now, and they wouldn’t understand her sufferings, accusing her instead of being ungrateful.

The Capital isn’t large, but not small either; she didn’t believe her childbirth story wouldn’t reach the ears of her in-laws.

And yet, the only ones who had come to see her were Mrs. Qiu and Miss Qiu. What did that say?

When a person falls, the tea cools. All the good deeds her grandfather did had vanished with his passing.

"Miss, what about you? Where will you go?"

With the Xiao family confiscated and exiled, the young lady had nowhere to turn. Entrusting the little miss to them implied she had some other plan.

"Miss, why don’t you take the old servant and Jianlan, Molan, let’s all ask Mrs. Qiu for help with some travel expenses, and head to Shu City to find the old lady?" Nanny Zhou suggested. "Miss, as long as we have life, there is hope, you must stay positive."