Chapter 59: Mutual Divorce
Jiang Shu and Cui Yicheng had long since lost any affection for each other. However, as there were no major conflicts, they had simply carried on together. But ever since Cui Miao had nearly intercepted one of Cui Yicheng's memorials, an idea had begun to form in Jiang Shu's mind. She herself didn't care about Cui Yicheng, but Cui Miao did. As a father, he wasn't terrible, not to the point of being despised to the bone. Yet every time Cui Miao felt a glimmer of hope for the word "father," it would be brutally slapped away by some new absurdity from Cui Yicheng. This cycle repeated itself endlessly. Perhaps with age, and knowing his son was a lost cause, he had started to think fondly of his legitimate eldest daughter in recent years. He would swallow his pride and try to get closer to Cui Miao, but his nature was hard to change. He always tried to put on the airs of a father, and the two of them would constantly clash at home. After their fights, Cui Yicheng would always complain to Jiang Shu, saying their eldest daughter was poorly raised, too spoiled, and the like, only to be scolded by Jiang Shu in turn. In short, the estate was in a constant state of turmoil. Jiang Shu had made her plans long ago, laying the groundwork early and winning over the servants around Cui Yicheng. His every move was under her control.
With the court in a state of flux, a servant stole Cui Yicheng's memorial and reported to Jiang Shu. One look was all it took for her to know that Cui Yicheng was about to wade into murky waters again. She summoned him home and proposed a mutual divorce.
Cui Yicheng was bewildered. His focus naturally shifted from the court back to his home. At first, he was furious and argued with Jiang Shu. When their arguments led nowhere, he calmed down for a few days and tried to persuade her gently, but Jiang Shu remained unmoved. Unable to do anything with her, Cui Yicheng wrote to his elderly parents for help while also trying to get his daughters to persuade her. To his surprise, not one of his five daughters would listen to him.
The youngest, A'kui, was utterly innocent, and her words were the most heart-piercing: "It's the same whether Father is home or not. As long as Mother is happy, that's all that matters."
Cui Yicheng trembled with anger. "A'kui, I am your biological father! The madam is not your birth mother! You'd better figure out who is actually related to you!" he scolded.
A'kui turned her head to look at Cui Miao and asked blankly, "Elder Sister, can my mother marry Mother, then? That way, we can still be a family."
Cui Miao couldn't help but laugh, while Cui Yicheng was so agitated he was practically jumping up and down. Cui Miao watched his fury with a cold, detached expression, feeling neither sorrow nor joy.
Cui Yicheng looked at her and said hatefully, "Cui Miao, Cui Miao, have you forgotten your surname is Cui?"
Cui Miao thought for a moment, then replied, "I can also not be surnamed Cui."
Blinded by rage, Cui Yicheng roared, "A divorce it is! A divorce it is! Is this even my Cui Estate anymore? We might as well change the surname to Jiang!"
And so, after nearly thirty years together, the husband and wife finally reached the point of parting ways. But when it came time to divide the family assets, Cui Yicheng was stunned. Jiang Shu went over the family's assets with him, one by one: the annual income from the farmlands and shops, his salary, the household expenses for all the staff, the costs of exchanging seasonal gifts, and how much he, Cui Yicheng, had spent on carousing outside. After all the calculations, the income from the Cui family's properties was not even enough to cover Cui Yicheng's personal spending alone.
"Impossible! When have I ever been short of money? How could we be in the red?" Cui Yicheng cried out in disbelief.
"My lord," Jiang Shu said, calmly closing the ledger, "if not for my capable management, your Cui family would have collapsed long ago."
"What about those shops on South Street?"
"My lord, that is my dowry. Surely a dignified fourth-rank court official isn't going to seize his wife's dowry?" Jiang Shu said with a half-smile.
Cui Yicheng's mind worked fast. "That's not right. When you married into my Cui family, you had nothing to your name and even brought your younger brother and sister with you. Where would you get a dowry?"
"For that, I must thank my father-in-law and mother-in-law. They helped me reclaim my family's property and honorably gave it all to me as a dowry, without taking a single coin. I have managed it diligently for many years to achieve what I have today. What does any of that have to do with you?"
"Right, right! It was my Cui family that did you a favor!"
Jiang Shu sighed. "My lord, if not for the great kindness of my parents-in-law, do you think I would have tolerated you until today? I just showed you the accounts. For all these years, the Cui family's income has only been enough to cover the household's expenses. All your spending outside was paid for by me. Is that not enough?"
"You…" Cui Yicheng knew he was in the wrong and changed the subject. "Fine, I'll agree to everything. But A'miao must stay."
"Why?" Cui Miao couldn't hold her tongue any longer and spoke up.
"You are the legitimate eldest daughter of my Cui family!" Cui Yicheng said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Jiang Shu laughed coldly. "Now you remember she's the legitimate eldest daughter of your Cui family? Weren't you the one who wanted a son to carry on the family line? How about we mother and daughter make way for you?"
"Of course she's my legitimate eldest daughter! How could I not acknowledge her?" Cui Yicheng said, flying into a rage out of shame.
"Then why don't you ask A'miao if she acknowledges it?"
Both of them looked at Cui Miao. Behind her stood her younger sisters. The young girls couldn't get a word in, so they too looked at her.
Cui Miao gritted her teeth and said, "I'd rather not be this legitimate eldest daughter."
"You… you…" Cui Yicheng was speechless with anger.
With both sides at a standstill, the arguments started again. They quarreled day and night, mostly initiated by Cui Yicheng and then shut down by Jiang Shu's rebukes. But Cui Yicheng stubbornly refused to sign the divorce papers, so the matter dragged on day after day, throwing the household into chaos. The only benefit was that Cui Yicheng no longer had the spare energy to get involved in the storms brewing at court.
It was only then that Cui Yicheng realized he was almost completely isolated in his own home. The servants, the steward, the concubines, and his daughters by them—not a single one stood on his side. Those who could leave were eagerly hoping the madam would take them with her; those who couldn't urged him to give in, hoping to return to their old way of life. Even his concubines and their daughters gathered around Jiang Shu, asking after her well-being. Meanwhile, he, the master of the house, was utterly alone. In the dead of night, he would sometimes feel a sense of daze, wondering how his life had ended up like this.
The turning point came when Cui Yicheng's elderly parents traveled a thousand li from their hometown. The two were already in their late sixties and seventies, yet they had to make such an arduous journey for their worthless son.
"Father, Mother…" Cui Yicheng went out to greet them, only to be pushed aside by his father. The elderly couple paid him no mind, speaking only with Jiang Shu as they walked straight into the house.
"A'shu, don't be angry. Your father-in-law and I will set things right for you," Cui Yicheng's mother said, patting Jiang Shu's hand. She then turned to Cui Miao. "This must be A'miao. You're all grown up. Come here to your grandmother…"
His parents knew exactly what kind of person Cui Yicheng was. They had arranged the marriage to Jiang Shu back then precisely because they recognized her intelligence and capability. They knew that if left to his own devices, Cui Yicheng would make a mess of his life. Because of this, the elderly couple always felt they had taken advantage of her kindness and hindered her future, so they treated Jiang Shu with immense care. Before returning to their hometown to retire, they had repeatedly warned Cui Yicheng to live well with Jiang Shu. But as soon as his parents left, Cui Yicheng, freed from restraint, became increasingly reckless.
After a short rest, a meal, and some family conversation, the elderly couple sent Cui Yicheng out, closed the door, and began to discuss serious matters with Jiang Shu. Cui Miao remained by their side, pouring tea for her elders.
"A'shu, I know A'cheng is a scoundrel, but is there truly no room for reconciliation in this matter?" Cui Yicheng's father asked cautiously.
Jiang Shu sighed. The elderly couple felt ashamed for having taken advantage of her, but in Jiang Shu's eyes, they had truly done her a great service. The path she had taken was her own choice, and she couldn't blame them. She had always treated them with the utmost respect. Seeing them humble themselves for that scoundrel Cui Yicheng left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Not exactly."
Upon hearing this, the elderly couple's eyes lit up.
"I'm at this age now. I don't depend on a husband's affection to live, so I don't really care about him. But he cannot treat A'miao like that."
"Mother?" Cui Miao was stunned. She had thought this was her mother's wish, only now realizing it was for her sake.
"…A'miao has grown up to this age. How many times has he held her? How many times has he cared for her? Now that he's old and knows he needs to rely on A'miao for his retirement, he suddenly remembers he's a father? Is he worthy?" Jiang Shu said angrily.
"That scoundrel! Our A'miao is such a fine young woman, with both looks and talent. Has he lost his mind!" Cui Yicheng's mother grew furious as she listened to Jiang Shu's grievances. In any family, the legitimate eldest daughter of the main wife was of paramount importance, destined to carry on the family line. How could she be treated so poorly? Living so far away in their ancestral home, they had no idea he had become so outrageous.
"That is the first reason. The second is far more dangerous. Her Majesty is currently in the midst of carrying out her grand ambitions, eager to sweep away all the old corrupt practices. At a time like this, he actually wants to get involved, tying himself to those powerful clans that are doomed to fail. He's leading our whole family to its death!" Jiang Shu gestured for Cui Miao to show several draft memorials to her father-in-law. "I won't hide it from you, Father-in-law. Both A'miao and I are part of the Emperor's faction. A'miao, needless to say, was placed in the Office of Transmission by Her Majesty with high hopes. And I, too, manage some industries for Her Majesty. Our family has no other path to take."
Cui Yicheng's father took the memorials, and a brief scan was enough to make his heart clench. "Who is instigating this fool to say such things? Although our Cui family has declined, we were once a great clan. To act like this… is he afraid Her Majesty won't remember us? Is this a matter concerning him alone? This is about the lives of the entire clan!"
"Father-in-law, I am not throwing a tantrum. We have truly been pushed into a corner. If I hadn't caused this scene, these memorials would have already reached Her Majesty's desk!"
Cui Yicheng's father slammed his palm on the table, his face contorted with fury. He had once been a high-ranking official himself and knew the dangers well. "A'shu, you don't need to worry about this anymore. I will discipline my own son. I will not let you and your daughter suffer. Just you watch."
Though nearly seventy with white hair and a white beard, Cui Yicheng's father was still in excellent health. He beat Cui Yicheng until he was howling in pain, yet his son dared not talk back to his old father. It wasn't long before he confessed everything.
As everyone had expected, someone had deliberately approached Cui Yicheng, speaking of the Cui family's past glory and flattering him until he couldn't tell north from south. They had induced him to submit the memorial in an attempt to bind the Cui family to the war chariot of the powerful clans. And Cui Yicheng, despite having reached the fourth rank, was completely oblivious to the political currents at court. A few words of flattery were all it took for him to believe them, feeling that the Cui family, as a powerful clan itself, should stand in solidarity with the other powerful clans of the realm.
After hearing the whole story, Cui Yicheng's father was so angry he nearly fainted, letting out a long, dejected sigh at the lack of a worthy successor. The Cui family had once been the head of the great families. Although they had declined under the current dynasty and had no high-ranking ministers in court, they were still a populous and influential clan in their region. During their peak, the Cui family had been a tall tree attracting the wind, suffering severe suppression that nearly led to their annihilation. Since then, they had adopted cautious speech and action as their family motto, treading as if on thin ice to survive to this day. How could they dare to clash head-on with Her Majesty? The powerful clans, dreaming of restoring their former glory, had contacted the Cui family before, but they had been politely refused. The clans had thought the Cui patriarch was old and that the family was a shadow of its former self, so they had mocked them for a while and let it be. Who would have thought there was such a fool in the capital?
Cui Yicheng's father looked at his utterly foolish eldest son, then at the brilliant and promising Cui Miao. A decision formed in his mind. He looked at Cui Miao and said, "A'miao, go write a memorial on your father's behalf. Say that he is of frail health and can no longer handle his great responsibilities, and that he requests to resign from his post."
"Father?" Cui Yicheng was in disbelief. He was currently the highest-ranking official in the entire clan.
"Grandfather?" Cui Miao was also astonished by her grandfather's decisiveness.
"You shut up," his father glared at Cui Yicheng. "You fool, don't ruin A'miao's future any further!"
The father forced Cui Yicheng to submit the resignation memorial. Wei Qi approved it quickly and simultaneously promoted Cui Miao to Secretariat Drafter, a position of the primary sixth rank. Though not high in rank, it was an extremely important post close to the Emperor, one that could only be held by a trusted confidant. The family knew their gamble had paid off, and only then did they breathe a sigh of relief.
Cui Yicheng lost his official post outside the home, and inside, his father stripped him of his authority as the head of the family, handing it over to Jiang Shu. Suddenly, he had nothing. Berated by his old father three times a day, he finally began to understand why his father had done it. His entire demeanor became one of dejection. For the past thirty years, he had considered himself a man of boundless prospects, holding himself in high esteem, believing everyone should flatter and respect him. But the reality was that in thirty years, he had accomplished nothing. He spent his days drinking himself into a stupor. Jiang Shu had someone watch over him and restricted his access to money, but otherwise paid him no mind. They had too much to do now. He could no longer hold them back on their path forward.
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