Clean and Decisive
Zhao Yuanxun was sentimental, and the old lady was attached to her homeland. It was not an easy task to persuade them to give up everything in the capital and leave their hometown for Jiangnan. Even though she had already gained control of the family and they trusted her intelligence and vision, they still refused to go to Jiangnan with her.
Especially elderly people like the old lady.
In ancient times, transportation was inconvenient and medical conditions were poor. When people got old, if they traveled far away and endured hardships, they would worry that they would die outside and not be able to return to their roots.
In her past life, after the imperial decree to confiscate her property arrived, the old lady preferred to hang herself rather than be exiled with her children and grandchildren, largely for this reason.
But if she alienates her clansmen, making them less attached to the capital and less attached to this place, it will be easier for her to persuade them to leave.
Seeing that her mother-in-law's expression was also unpleasant, Lady Zhu was worried about upsetting the old woman, so she quickly changed the subject, saying, "Mother, knowing the Third Brother's temperament, once he knows that the Earl is going to sever ties with him, he will definitely come knocking on our door. At that time, even if the clan doesn't intervene, with his and the Earl's signatures, plus yours, this document will be very effective. Whatever the Third Brother does in the future, it won't affect us."
The old lady nodded. "With this document, even if he was involved in treason, we will be less implicated by him."
She looked at Zhao Ruxi with affection. "Miss Xi, go and eat. We can handle these things. You're just a child, don't get involved."
If they wanted to avoid being implicated by Zhao Yuankun, having official documents wasn't enough; they also needed connections. If someone could plead on their behalf before the emperor at a crucial moment, and they had official documents to report it, then there wouldn't be any problems.
Zhao Ruxi's mentor, Kang Shilin, was such a guarantee.
Upon hearing this, Lady Zhu quickly said to Zhao Ruxi, "Yes, this is a matter between our elders. If you interfere, people will inevitably gossip. We've already eaten something, why don't you go eat with your brother first? We'll eat after we've finished dealing with things."
Knowing it was inappropriate for Zhao Ruxi to interfere, she stood up and said, "Then I'll go eat. Grandmother, Father, and Mother, you've worked hard."
Lady Zhu laughed and slapped her on the back, "What are you saying? Go on."
Zhao Ruxi bowed and left the hall.
Lady Zhu worried that the old lady shared similar thoughts with Lady Su, believing that Zhao Ruxi had caused trouble for the family.
She smiled and said to the old lady, "This matter Third Brother has always been a problem. It would be best to take this opportunity to get rid of them now. If you ask me, Miss Xi is our family's lucky star. If it weren't for her, we wouldn't have been able to see these things clearly, let alone use this as an excuse to get rid of this trouble."
The old lady nodded. "That's exactly right. Don't worry, I'm not that confused."
Just then, a maid came to report, "Madam, Lord, Madam, the Third Master has been carried to our gate. He says he wants to discuss some matters with us and asks you all to leave."
The three exchanged a glance and then stood up.
They've all been working together in the same place for two or three decades, and they all know Zhao Yuankun's temper.
Since he said that, he probably won't come into the mansion; he just plans to cause trouble at the gate.
"Mother, please don't go out. It's enough for me and the Earl to stay here," Lady Zhu advised, worried that if the old lady went over, Zhao Yuankun might upset her and cause her some harm.
"Alright, you can handle this." The old lady didn't want to see Zhao Yuankun either.
After the family separated, she regretted not having done so sooner.
After the family split up, she no longer had to see those two troublesome illegitimate sons, nor did she have to deal with the messy affairs between the two families. The five of them lived happily together, and the old lady was in a good mood every day, even eating a little more at meals.
After leaving the house, Lady Zhu first instructed the servants to fetch food for the old lady from the kitchen before following Zhao Yuanxun to the main gate.
When the couple arrived at the gate, they indeed saw Zhao Yuankun lying on a stretcher made of door panels, lying across the entrance of the Earl of Suiping's Residence.
Behind him, besides the servants of the third branch of the family, were some passersby who had followed him from the alley entrance to watch.
Some passersby were excited to see the Lady Su and Lady Zhu fighting, and were surprised to find that someone else was causing trouble so soon. They kept telling the newcomers about the argument between the women from the two households.
Zhao Yuanxun frowned and said, "Third brother, your wife just came to cause trouble, are you going to come and cause trouble again now?"
If Zhao Yuankun and his wife had come to his residence to complain about their grievances, he wouldn't have been so offended. But the couple chose to cause trouble in public.
Zhao Yuankun is actually quite similar to Zhao Yuanxun in personality; they are both straightforward and dislike pretense.
He didn't address them as "elder brother" or "elder sister-in-law," but simply said, "I heard you just went to the clan association to sever ties with me. Bring me the documents, I'll sign and seal them, and from now on we'll have nothing to do with each other."
Lady Zhu chuckled lightly, "That's right, hurry up and sign. Otherwise, if your third brother loses his position next time, he'll say it's because of my daughter that you're implicated."
"You..." Zhao Yuankun's face turned red with anger.
Although he had been suppressed by the old lady in the past and harbored resentment towards her and the eldest son's family, he still respected the character of Zhao Yuanxun and Lady Zhu.
But now he realizes he completely misjudged the couple.
It was clearly Zhao Ruxi who implicated him, resulting in him being flogged thirty times and losing his official position. This couple not only felt no remorse, but instead thought he was being unreasonable – it was utterly outrageous!
But he didn't want to argue with those two right now, and he didn't have the energy to argue either.
Seeing Zhao Yuanxun hand the document to him, and a servant handing him a pen dipped in ink, he struggled to sit up, picked up the pen, signed his name on the document, and then stamped his fingerprint with the inkpad handed to him.
After doing all that, he lay down on the stretcher and ordered, "Carry me back."
The servants of the third branch carried him, and the procession circled around the alley entrance and returned to the third branch's residence.
The onlookers had been expecting the two brothers to argue, but to their surprise, they were so decisive that they didn't even exchange a few words, and simply signed the papers and left without a word.
At this moment, seeing that Zhao Yuanxun had also returned to the mansion with his wife and servants, the gate of the Earl of Suiping's Residence slowly closed. The gatekeeper at the side gate was watching them intently. Feeling bored, everyone scattered.
Zhao Yuanxun entered the mansion and said to Liu Quan, "Take this document to the clan chief and tell him that Zhao Yuankun signed and affixed his seal to the document. Ask him if he is willing to be a witness."
He was quite disheartened by his clan. But if this document had his and Zhao Yuankun's signatures and fingerprints, as well as the clan chief's signature and fingerprints as a witness, then even the government would recognize his relationship with Zhao Yuankun.
The two families have already separated and severed ties. Even if Zhao Yuankun commits a serious crime of treason in the future, if this document is found in the government office, they can be implicated, but the punishment will be reduced to the least. They will not be stripped of their property or lose their lives.
A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. So even though he was dissatisfied with the clan chief and was rejected once, he was still willing to humble himself and get the job done.