Divorcing His Wife

"Father, who are you going to drown?"

Liu Jinyu looked up and saw her daughter, and her tears instantly burst their banks.

"Shushu! I didn't do it. I never did anything to betray your father! It's a setup. Someone framed me!"

Qiao Shuyi looked at her mother, kneeling on the ground in a wretched state; at her well-tended face, now covered in tearstains; at her eyes, usually so full of gentleness, now filled with panic. Her heart ached.

But this was the only way to save her.

Qiao Nanyu's fate was sealed-

Rebellion, failure, confiscation of his property, and extermination of his clan.

Even if he raised an army now, he would be no match for Zongzheng Heng.

Zongzheng Heng had come to Jinzhou in person to seek evidence only to avoid losing a single soldier, only to keep the imperial court stable, and only for the sake of his own reputation.

The outcome of this game had been sealed the moment Zongzheng Heng set foot in Jinzhou.

Although she had tacitly allowed Song Chengyin to set the scheme in motion, seeing her mother like this, Qiao Shuyi would make them pay before the Prince of Jin'an's Manor was wiped out.

Qiao Nanyu's voice was displeased.

"Your mother committed such a disgraceful act. Only by drowning her in the pond can I preserve the dignity of the Prince of Jin'an's Manor. What are you doing here?"

Qiao Shuyi did not answer.

She crouched down and gathered the trembling Liu Jinyu into her arms.

"Father, you can divorce Mother, send her to an estate outside the city, or have her spend the rest of her life beside the green lamp and ancient Buddha, but you can't take her life!"

She released one hand and pointed to the letter on the ground.

"Someone is definitely pulling strings behind today's affair. Father, I want to get to the bottom of it."

Qiao Nanyu gazed gravely at Qiao Shuyi, a mixture of feelings rising in his heart.

This daughter took after him-calculating, resourceful, and unwilling to admit defeat.

What a pity she was a woman.

If she were a son, what need would he have to worry about finding an heir to his great undertaking?

He was silent for a moment before slowly speaking.

"What if I refuse?"

Qiao Shuyi met his gaze without yielding an inch.

"Then you can disown me as your daughter too. I'll leave the Prince of Jin'an's Manor and make way for Song Chengyin and her daughter."

At those words, Song Chengyin lowered her eyes, concealing the flicker of panic in them.

Qiao Shuyi had thought it through long ago. Qiao Nanyu dared to kill Liu Jinyu because even without her, he would still have Qiao Shuyi as his daughter.

As long as she was here, the Liu family's silver would continue to flow into his pockets.

He could not do without that money.

Qiao Nanyu gazed gravely at Qiao Shuyi for a long while. She stared straight back, refusing to yield.

At last, he looked at Liu Jinyu.

"Enough. For the sake of our many years as husband and wife, I'll spare your life."

"Send her to the estate outside the city. Without my permission, she is not to set foot outside it."

Liu Jinyu went limp against Qiao Shuyi, tears streaming down her face.

Qiao Nanyu then turned to Zhou Yan, who was kneeling nearby, his gaze icy.

"As for Zhou Yan-throw him in the dungeon to await judgment."

Zhou Yan's body jerked, but he did not dare utter a word.

Qiao Shuyi lowered her head and gently patted her mother's back.

She was not worried about Zhou Yan. She had not chosen him as this scapegoat at random.

Lord Zhou was one of the talented people Zongzheng Heng would promote after coming to Jinzhou. He even had a part in the original book.

Zongzheng Heng would not let him die.

Qiao Shuyi accompanied Liu Jinyu back to her courtyard.

Liu Jinyu did not say a word along the way, simply letting her daughter support her. Her steps were unsteady, as though she were walking on clouds.

Once inside, she sat down on the daybed, her eyes vacant.

"Shushu, your father... his heart is truly cruel."

Her tears slipped silently down her face.

"After so many years as husband and wife, it would have been one thing for him not to believe me, but he actually... wanted to kill me."

Qiao Shuyi sat down beside her and took her ice-cold hand.

"Mother, don't worry. I'll save you."

"Even at the estate, you won't live poorly. The Liu family has no shortage of money. I'll have Grandfather send you enough valuables for you to live comfortably."

She took an embroidered pouch from her sleeve, placed it in Liu Jinyu's palm, and gently closed her fingers around it.

"Mother, if, after some time, something happens... something you absolutely cannot bear, only then should you open this pouch."

Liu Jinyu's gaze was blank.

Sometimes she truly did not understand this daughter of hers.

Normally, all Shushu knew was eating, drinking, and having fun, looking as though she knew nothing and had no skills.

Yet at every critical moment, she seemed to become a different person-calm and sure of herself, as though she could hold up the sky even if it fell.

Now, looking into her daughter's tranquil eyes, she actually felt... reassured.

As though everything would be all right as long as she was there.

Yet she could not help blaming herself again.

If a daughter from an ordinary family discovered that something so serious had happened to her mother, she would probably have lost her head long ago, concerned only for her own future and reputation.

But what about Shushu?

From beginning to end, she had been comforting her and making plans for her.

She was truly useless as a mother.

"Mother, don't ask anything now. Live well at the estate. You don't need to think about anything else."

She reached out and smoothed the loose strands of hair at her mother's temples.

"Those who hurt you won't come to a good end. I promise."

Liu Jinyu's tears welled up again. She reached out and embraced her daughter, burying her face in her shoulder.

"Shushu, the only people I've loved most in this life are your grandfather and you. You both must take good care of yourselves..."

"Song Chengyin and her daughter have tripped the two of us up so many times over the years, and I never took it to heart. I never thought... I'd end up falling into their hands."

"Mother, don't worry. I'll be fine. I won't let any of the people who hurt you get away."

Where Liu Jinyu could not see, Qiao Shuyi's eyes were filled with malice and darkness.

A blue-canopied carriage was already waiting at the back gate of the prince's residence.

Qiao Shuyi helped Liu Jinyu into the carriage, then gave the driver and the accompanying maid a few careful instructions.

"Mother, take care."

Liu Jinyu held her hand, squeezing it again and again before finally letting go.

The carriage curtain fell.

The wheels turned, rumbling over the bluestone paving.

Qiao Shuyi stood where she was, watching the carriage travel farther and farther away, pass the mouth of the lane, and finally disappear into the dusk.

After a long while, she withdrew her gaze.

When she turned around, the softness in her eyes had faded entirely, leaving only a cold chill.