Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

136. Dowager Xiao has Fallen in a Swoon

Translator: Sissy That Walk

“Mo, your hard work is highly appreciated!” Xiao Yi took a hamper hanging on one side of the saddle and walked to the carriage, “Get on, let’s talk while you enjoy your favorite food.”

It was roast chicken in the hamper. Cao Mo opened the lid and delicious smells wafted up from inside, Cao Mo was in tears, “Yi, you are the best. I’m fed up with those compressed biscuits!”

“Mo, you had a hard time all because of me.” with that Xiao Yi reached out his arm and cuddled Cao Mo and he could feel Cao Mo got even thinner over the days.

‘Mo, I won’t allow anything like happen to you ever again.’ thought Xiao Yi.

Cao Mo smiled at Xiao Yi, then he ate and drank to his heart’s content, soon he fell asleep in Xiao Yi’s arms.

The carriage slowed down all of a sudden, a hoarse voice came, “Shizi, someone is following us.”

“The Lus?”

“Yes!”

“You go take care of it, kill the Lus who dare to follow us in the future!” Xiao Yi replied atrociously, “No need to ask for my permission!”

“Yes!”

Cao Mo kept tossing and turning, he seemed to have some bad dreams, “Yi! I hate being parted from you!”

“No more parting for us, Mo!” Xiao Yi cuddled Cao Mo tighter, his heart was broken.

… …

The eunuchs visited the Xiao Manor with handsome rewards from the imperial palace the next day after the young couple arrived home. The empress awarded Cao Mo two thousand taels of silver, eight hundred mus of fertile land (1 mu equals 666 square meters), the empress even conferred an honorary title to Cao Mo, Madam Courage!

Cao Mo’s ranking was lower than Lady Lu, but this honorary title that the empress conferred had changed everything, Cao Mo became the first male wife with an honorary title in this dynasty.

And Cao Mo could make a living by himself even if he was repudiated one day.

Lady Lu was infuriated when she heard of the news. She set Cao Mo up by handing him all the account books about their private troops, but little did she expect that Cao Mo soon had concocted various pretexts and rearranged the troops, he also had collected evidence about the shady business she and Lu Jianzhong’s grain shops and reported to the government.

Lady Lu and her whole family were thrown into prison for that, but thanks to Imperial Concubine Fair who suddenly got pregnant and the emperor got softhearted, the Lus had a narrow escape this time.

… …

Three days later, Xiao Yugui was summoned back to the capital city and officials from the Ministry of Revenue had taken over the business in Dingzhou.

Xiao Yugui knew the emperor wanted to meet him to talk about the ‘bandits’, he had also got the message that Imperial Concubine Fair got pregnant, Lu Jianzhong was reinstated in office. Therefore, over forty ‘bandits’ detained in Dingzhou died from the pandemic at that very night.

… …

In Marquis Valour Manor.

Xiao Yugui went to Cunxi Hall the first thing he arrived home, he had driven all the maids and servants out as he set foot in the hall.

Dowager Xiao was surprised to see that, “I thought you were back for an emergency, what are you doing here?”

Xiao Yugui pulled a long face and said earnestly, “Mother, I’m here to ask you permission! Please allow the second branch to establish their own house!”

Dowager Xiao trembled with rage, “I knew it! He has been an eyesore in your life for a long time! But he is your brother, he calls me mother just like you, can you just accommodate him a little bit more? He is always in the frontier region anyways, so far away, he won’t make trouble. Can you just be more tolerant?”

Xiao Yugui showed Dowager Xiao a sword, “Look at this sword, I confiscated it from a ‘bandit’ in Dingzhou who ambushed Yi’s wife, but I recognized it, this belonged to one of father’s subordinates, a subordinate who follows Yuqi’s order now! This is what your second son has done, he works for prince Ning now and he doesn’t care our entire family, he meant to kill Mo in the depots where we both work! He listened to Auntie Lu about everything, and he is dragging our entire family down! What has happened between me and him should be solved within us, I don’t understand why he insists on hurting Yi and Mo, on hurting our entire family!”

This was the first time that Dowager Xiao had heard about the bandits, she was devastated to hear that, she knew what her second son did could incur punishment by the execution of all the members of a family.

“Help him, you have to help him, he is your brother!”

“Since when has he treated me as a brother, I’ve done so much dirty business for him already.” Xiao Yugui replied, “Mother, if you allow me to divide them from our family, I won’t mention the bandits again. But if you don’t, I will drive him out and scratch his name on our family pedigree and we will have nothing to do with them!”

“You, you unfilial son!” Dowager Xiao clasped her hand on her chest.

“Mother, please examine your conscience and answer me how I have treated you. I did have complained you briefly for Yi’s late mother, but I married Lady Lu by your will, I could marry anyone I like back then, but I married her, a Lu, because of you! But what have I got in the end, your mistrust, your urge to control our entire family, your schemes to indulge the Lus! I want to ask you one question, are you closer to us or to the Lus?”

Xiao Yugui’s questions pounded on Dowager Xiao’s heart like a hammer, she panted for breath and said, “Yugui, my son, Old Madam Lu has saved my life once! That was why I promised her to betrothed with her family, but I didn’t want to hurt you by doing that!”

“I know you don’t want to hurt your sons, but they do! I’m hopeless now, but you can still do something about Yuqi!” with that Xiao Yugui stormed out.

Dowager Xiao watched Xiao Yugui’s retiring figure and collapsed on the ground.

… …

In Magnolia House, the young couple was flirting in their room when Mohua came rushing in, “Dowager Xiao is fainted, please pay a visit!”

Xiao Yi’s face turned serious, “No, grandmother needs to stay healthy for me, I’m attending Imperial Examinations this year! If… heaven forbid, but if anything happens to her, I’m gonna have to miss the exam and observe mourning!”

Cao Mo pursed his lips, “Let’s go have a look, grandmother is old now, probably she is just sick.”

Xiao Yi sneered, “It’s not that simple, father is just back, and now grandmother fell in a faint. Hmm, let’s visit her later.”

“People will talk.”

“You are Madam Courage now, no one dares to talk about you, they can’t even find fault with you if you decide not to wait on grandmother.”

Cao Mo pouted, “You are too optimistic, many people are waiting to find fault with me.”