Repudiating a Good Wife Is Out of the Question

30. Twists and Turns

Translator: Sissy That Walk

In Magnolia House, Xiao Yi had been waiting for Cao Moanxiously when Concubine Lu’s maid Lvzhu came report, “Young Master, please go to Dowager Xiao’s now, Young Madam just got so wronged… …”

“Is he all right?” Xiao Yi sprang up from the chair.

“He is locked in the utility room now, please save him, how could Young Madam survive a winter might in the utility room? I need to go back now, Young Master, please save Young Madam.” with that Lvzhu withdrew.

Xiao Yi went to Xiao Yugui with the support of Moqi, Xiao Yugui was the only one who had the ears of Dowager Xiao.

Xiao Yugui listened to Xiao Yi carefully, he knew it wasn’t as simple as it looked and Xiao Yi was surely wronged. But he didn’t want to have a fall out with Lady Lu, he couldn’t force her to marry Cao Le to their son. Xiao Yugui couldn’t afford to ruffle Dowager Xiao’s features either, Dowager Xiao was already mad at him for not informing her of Xiao Yi’s marriage, he was willing to do whatever to appease her at this point. Xiao Yugui thought the situation over and over, he figured the only way out was to make Cao Mo the scapegoat.

Xiao Yugui pondered over the situation for a while and said, “I know what to do now, don’t worry and go back to your house.”

Xiao Yi knew that meant his father wasn’t willing to help Cao Mo out, he knelt on the ground and begged, “Father, please investigate this matter thoroughly, if Mo is hound to death, please prepare me a body bag as well.”

“Nonsense! Are you willing to give up your own life for him?” Xiao Yugui fumed.

Xiao Yi replied, “Father please come to Magnolia House after the guests leave.”

Xiao Yugui fidgeted in his seat and answered, “Please rest assured I will help him out.”

Hearing that, Xiao Yi slumped onto the ground in relief.

… …

Seeing Xiao Yugui walking into Cunxi Hall, Lady Lu knew someone had leaked out the information, and her first suspect was Mammy Wang.

Lady Lu growled out, “Are you here to laugh at me, Your Lordship? Your son Xiao Yi had never showed any respect to me, and he has been doting on his wife Cao Mo to a point where Cao Mo dares to scheme against our Jin and his own brother Cao Le. I used to stay at a respectful distance from Yi and Mo, but today Mo has harmed our Jin’s and the whole family’s good name! It will be so hard to find good matches for our girls! Are you really going to just sit and watch that scoundrel Cao Mo stir up a turmoil in our family?”

Xiao Yugui pulled a long face, “Aren’t you the one who has arranged this marriage for Yi? But you are the one who has never stopped complaining Mo since he married into our family. Why did you go through all those trouble and beg Mo to marry to our family if he is such a scumbag? Have you really investigated this? Have you really interrogated the witnesses? When and where have they seen Mo?”

Lady Lu flushed bright red in embarrassment, “Let’s marry Cao Le to Xiao Yi as wife, and Cao Mo as concubine. No way would I allow Cao Le marry my son!”

Xiao Yugui pointed at Lady Lu and retorted, “You are up to your old tricks, aren’t you? Mother arranged our marriage in a similar way, I won’t allow this happen to Yi!”

“Your Lordship!” Lady Lu threw herself on the ground and cried, “Mother, it looks like His Lordship doesn’t appreciate your arrangement back then, it’s all my fault, I don’t deserve His Lordship! But my Jin hasn’t done anything wrong, he deserves to have offspring!”

Dowager Xiao also sighed, “My son, I know you have been harbouring bitter resentment against me since I’ve arranged you this marriage, but what you don’t know is you aren’t able to keep your title of nobility if not for the Lus’ influence in court! You have been blaming me for years, and you have been separating me and your Second Brother for years, my poor son Qi is still garrisoning the frontiers in the remote mountains! Alas, I better go back to the temple to get out of your way!”

Xiao Yugui couldn’t hold back any longer hearing Dowager Xiao mentioning the past, “You lied to me when you arranged me this marriage, you told me she was already pregnant with my child, but Jin was born after a year of our marriage, you lied to me!”

Xiao Yugui turned more grieved as he continued, “I know you had a difficult labour when I was born, so you thought I must be your bane. You have been favoring my two little brothers since we were kids, and you have been inciting them to gang up and scheme against me. I was able to inherit title of nobility because I was your first born and also because of my achievements on the battlefield!”

Lady Lu had no idea her husband and her mother-in-law had such a past, Lady Lu listened carefully and thought it all over, a scary thought crept over her, probably it was her mother-in-law who was behind this scandal.

Xiao Yugui wasn’t done yet, he continued, “You would make clothes for my two brothers and check their study when we were kids, I could only wear clothes made by the mammies, but never had I have the courage to ask you to make me some clothes or spare me some attention! But I have have a clear conscience that never had I neglected my filial duties to you. I also turned a blind eye to the fact that you throw money at my Second Brother to pave the way for his promotion! Tell you what, Yi’s mother made me feel loved for the first time in my life!”

Dowager Xiao knew Xiao Yugui thought she was the one who set Cao Mo up, but what she didn’t know was Xiao Yugui was actually defending Cao Mo for Xiao Yi. He and his own mother were not on good term for his whole life, he was afraid his son Xiao Yi would hate him forever if he didn’t help Cao Mo out this time.

Xiao Yugui glared at Lady Lu, “I know what you have been up to, I have been very lenient with you and your doings. But don’t you wish for Jin to inherit the title, it’s going to be Yi who is able to inherit the title and do me proud!”

“But Yi’s wife is a male, which means his children are born by concubines!” Dowager Xiao wailed!

“It doesn’t bother me! I will love my grandchildren equally!” was the answer.

Lady Lu was thunder-struck, she slumped onto the ground and gave way to a storm of weeping.

Dowager Xiao was choked, she wished she could at least maintain a peaceful term with Xiao Yugui for courtesy’s sake, but little did she expect Xiao Yugui would talk to her like this. What was more upsetting was she heard the news that Xiao Yi presented the manual of producing mirrors to Xiao Yuzhen, but Xiao Yuzhen gave the credit to Xiao Yugui in front of His Majesty. Dowager Xiao was annoyed that she could no longer establish authority to anyone in this family!