Chapter 365: Repairing the Courtyard Wall, Dividing the Family

Chapter 365: Repairing the Courtyard Wall, Dividing the Family

She definitely didn’t believe what happened in her dream, so Lord Zheng didn’t mention it.

He only said, "Was it Fang Jinxiu who conspired with Wang Fuzhen to plot against her and Lu Shen? Although they failed, have you considered what would happen if they had succeeded? What would Jinyu face then?"

Hearing this, Lady Zheng felt somewhat guilty.

Lord Zheng continued, "If they had succeeded, Jinyu would only have two paths: death or becoming Lu’s concubine. For a woman whose chastity is ruined, becoming a concubine would already be considered merciful. Given her character, she would rather die than accept that."

"This isn’t..."

"Are you going to say that nothing happened?" Before Lady Zheng could finish, Lord Zheng interrupted her.

Lady Zheng was left speechless.

"What do you mean by 'nothing happened'? Do you need something terrible to happen before you’ll regret your actions?"

"I..."

"Enough, what do you regret? You won’t regret anything. You’d just think that since one child is already ruined, you can’t let both children be ruined. First, you’d scold the other one, then threaten them, and leave them alone for a few days as a small punishment. Then, you’d start covering up the mess."

These words made Lady Zheng feel somewhat guilty, but she wouldn’t admit it.

She stubbornly replied, "You’re just imagining things. If something really happened to Jinyu, how could I possibly cover it up? Whoever dares to harm my own daughter, I’d risk my life to make them pay."

At the end, she added weakly, "No matter who she is."

Hearing her words, Lord Zheng couldn’t help but bitterly smile.

Would she really risk her life to seek justice? In the dream, not a single person stood up to help her seek justice.

When others accused them of using a concubine-born daughter to deceive in marriage, they didn’t reveal that Jinyu was the legitimate daughter out of fear of the impact on Jinxiu, thus tacitly accepting the accusation.

Apart from crying and cursing the Lu family at home, they did nothing else.

They were guilty because they deceived in marriage first.

Oh no, they didn’t deceive in marriage; the person they married off was indeed a Zheng family legitimate daughter, they just didn’t dare to admit it.

Lord Zheng was utterly disappointed with Lady Zheng and didn’t want to talk to her anymore.

"You may leave."

"What about Jinxiu’s matter..."

"I can’t control you. Do whatever you want. Whatever you decide to do in the future is your own business, don’t bother me anymore."

Lady Zheng hesitated but, seeing his expression of disgust, she ultimately said nothing and stormed off angrily.

The next day, Lord Zheng took another leave and brought back a team of craftsmen.

The family was puzzled.

Zheng Hongxu asked, "Father, are you repairing the courtyard?"

They thought that since Lord Zheng was now living in Grandmother’s courtyard, he wanted to renovate it.

But Lord Zheng shook his head and said, "No, I’m repairing the courtyard wall."

Repairing the courtyard wall? Was the courtyard wall damaged?

Zheng Hongxu didn’t ask further and went to the academy with his second brother.

Half an hour later, Chunmei rushed to Zheng Jinyu and said anxiously, "Something bad has happened. Lord is repairing the courtyard wall."

Zheng Jinyu calmly replied, "So what if he’s repairing the courtyard wall? What’s wrong with that?"

"But do you know where he’s building it?"

"Where is he building it? Surely not in someone else’s house."

"Oh no, it’s not in someone else’s house, but he’s building it right through the middle of our residence."

"Hmm?"

Chunmei hurriedly explained, "It looks like he’s planning to divide the residence into two parts. Oh, Lord must be dividing the family with Lady."

Zheng Jinyu: "..."

"Let’s go and see."

Zheng Jinyu went to observe the scene but didn’t approach closely, only watching secretly.

Indeed, she saw Lord Zheng directing a group of craftsmen to repair the courtyard wall.

And the planned location seemed to be dividing the Zheng residence into two parts.

After observing, Zheng Jinyu quietly retreated and told Chunmei, "Go find out exactly how the residence will be divided."

Zheng Ji was an official, and the Cui family wasn’t an ordinary family, so he couldn’t follow the proper procedures to divorce Lady Zheng. Lady Zheng had borne him children and helped him take care of his parents, fitting the criteria for the three non-divorce rules.

But Zheng Ji didn’t want to live with her anymore, so he decided to divide the family in his own way.

Divide the residence into two parts and live separately.

Zheng Jinyu guessed that this was the meaning.

What she cared about now was whether she would be assigned to her father or her mother.

Spring Plum ran out to inquire and returned after another half an hour.

"Miss, our courtyard has been included in Master's side."

Zheng Jinyu: "…"

"Not just ours, the courtyards where Eldest Young Master and Fourth Young Master live have also been allocated to Master's side."

"Oh." That meant they were split in half.

Master Zheng took Zheng Hongyan and Zheng Jinyu, while the two illegitimate sons took the one born of Concubine He.

Lady Zheng obtained Zheng Hongqi, Zheng Hongxu, and the illegitimate son born of Concubine Luo.

Quite fair.

"Lady hasn't said anything?"

"They did. The two are currently fighting. Do you want to go take a look?"

Zheng Jinyu waved her hand, "Forget it."

She wouldn't go and watch, lest the fire of battle spread to her.

"Go prepare some snacks; I'm craving them."

"Yes."

The war between Master Zheng and Lady Zheng was their own matter. None of the men in the family could interfere, and she certainly couldn't.

But this was for the better. Although they were still in the same large residence, dividing things up allowed them to live their own lives behind closed doors, avoiding constant arguments.

They wouldn't divorce, because after all, this was ancient times, and public opinion was terrifying.

If they really divorced, it would have a significant impact on the entire family.

...

Xie Peiyu placed a letter before the Princess Dowager.

After reading the letter, the Princess Dowager's eyes reddened.

One hand gripped the armrest of the chair tightly, turning her fingers white.

The other hand held the letter, trembling uncontrollably.

Xie Peiyu watched her calmly and, after a moment, said, "Do you still think there is a misunderstanding now?"

The Princess Dowager took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Xie Peiyu continued, "Mother, actually, when you saw what Fang Jinxiu brought back last time, you already knew, didn't you?"

The Princess Dowager nodded slightly.

Xie Peiyu said coldly, "But you refused to admit it."

The Princess Dowager continued nodding.

"So now, do you still refuse to admit it?"

The Princess Dowager bit her lip tightly, looked up at Xie Peiyu, and seemed to see someone else through his face.

"Do you know why I refused to admit it? Do you think it was because of my sibling affection for Gao Zhi? No, this empire was left to me by my father, and the common people are innocent. I could only turn a deaf ear."

As she spoke, the Princess Dowager became agitated. She stood up, grabbed Xie Peiyu's arm, and tightened her grip, saying, "I know what you're doing. Have you considered what will happen once the fighting starts?"

Xie Peiyu replied, "Do you think this fight can be avoided? Do you think only I am taking action? Cui Yongnian has returned."

The Princess Dowager was stunned, slowly released him, and murmured, "Is this fight truly inevitable?"