Chapter 548: The Plan to Send Fang Jinxiu to the Countryside

Chapter 548: The Plan to Send Fang Jinxiu to the Countryside

"Hah, that good-for-nothing. I’m happier now that I’ve left him. Xiao Wan, you should be happy for me."

Xiao Wan forced a bitter smile. "If it were in the past, I would indeed be happy for you, Miss. But now..."

"What's wrong?" Wang Fuzhen pretended to be oblivious.

"Master has gotten into trouble. Today, in the court, he was stripped of his official title and sent straight to the Da Li Temple Prison. Your husband was in such a hurry to divorce you that he didn’t even bother to remove his official robes. He must be afraid of being implicated by Master. He definitely did it on purpose."

Wang Fuzhen pretended to have a sudden realization, first acting anxious about her father's trouble, then angrily charging toward Lu Shen.

"Lu Shen, you did it on purpose, didn’t you? You knew something happened to my father?"

Lu Shen and Madam Lu exchanged glances, then both laughed.

"So what if I did it on purpose?"

"You..."

"Hahaha... Wang Fuzhen, I didn’t expect you to end up like this."

Wang Fuzhen sneered. "Are you so sure my father will definitely be in trouble?"

"Hehe, whether he will or not, time will tell."

Seeing Wang Fuzhen's frustrated face, Madam Lu finally lifted her head.

"You unwanted, abandoned woman, get out of here. Don’t dirty our Lu family’s place."

Wang Fuzhen, seeing their smugness, also smiled. "If something happens to my father, I’ll drag your Lu family down with us."

Lu Shen’s smile faltered.

Seeing that he couldn’t laugh anymore, Wang Fuzhen, having achieved her goal, turned and left.

In just half a day, her belongings were all moved out.

Madam Lu felt somewhat uneasy. "Shen’er, do you think Master Wang’s trouble will implicate us?"

Lu Shen was also uneasy, but he knew he couldn’t panic.

He comforted his mother. "It’s fine. We didn’t participate in those matters."

"How could you say we didn’t participate? I seem to remember you father saying..."

"Mother." Lu Shen glared at her.

Madam Lu fell silent.

Lu Shen said, "Grandfather fell ill suddenly, and Father passed away unexpectedly. We weren’t deeply involved. It’s fine."

Madam Lu patted her chest to comfort herself. "Yes, yes, it’s fine. We didn’t know anything. It was all done by your father and grandfather. So, should we now hurry and bring Fang Jinxiu back? We must hold on to this in-law relationship with Cui Qingqing. No matter how bad she is, she’s still the Empress’s mother."

Lu Shen had a sudden realization. "Yes, yes, how could I have almost forgotten? Let’s go, we’ll go and invite her back now."

Madam Zheng arrived at Fang Jinxiu’s place just before them.

She had changed again.

After the Wang family encountered trouble, she keenly sensed something was amiss. Now, she is earnestly advising Fang Jinxiu not to go back and not to get involved with the Lu family.

She wasn't sure if the Lu family would be implicated, but she didn't want Fang Jinxiu to take any risks.

However, Fang Jinxiu was certain of something. Xia Lian had brought back the news that Lu Shen had divorced Wang Fuzhen, who had already moved away. Now, Fang Jinxiu was desperate to return.

Even if there were issues with the Lu family, she didn't want them to suffer.

After all, the Lu family belonged to her son.

She wanted to go back immediately so that Madam Zheng could find a way to help the Lu family, focusing on preserving her son's inheritance.

"Mother, I know what you're worried about, but the Lu family isn't just Lu Shen's. It's also Ning'er and Huan'er's. I can't just watch the Lu family be dragged down by the Wang family and let them suffer in the future."

Madam Zheng said, "This is a political matter; it's not like the affairs of the inner household that you can mess around with."

"I'm not messing around; I just want to protect Ning'er and Huan'er. Mother, they are your grandsons too. You can't just ignore them."

Madam Zheng furrowed her brow deeply and sighed, "If you want to quarrel with your mother-in-law, I can help. If you quarrel with Wang Fuzhen, I can help too. But if Lu Shen gets into trouble and ends up in prison, there's really nothing I can do. I'm just a woman of the inner household."

Fang Jinxiu refused to believe it, biting her lip with a look of grievance.

How could she not help? Couldn't you ask Zheng Jinyu?

Didn't you say she had stopped holding grudges? If she's not holding grudges, what's wrong with her helping you?

It's clear she just changed her mind after Wang Fuzhen's issue was resolved.

"Sigh!" Madam Zheng sighed and patted Fang Jinxiu's shoulder. "It seems you and the Lu family are truly not destined. Let this go, and don't mention going back to the Lu family again."

But Fang Jinxiu felt this was the perfect time to return. Lu Shen and Wang Fuzhen had divorced, and they had no children. Even if Wang Fuzhen's father committed a crime punishable by the extermination of nine clans, it wouldn't implicate the Lu family.

Her foster mother was overthinking.

No, she just didn't want Fang Jinxiu to go back and leave her. She wanted Fang Jinxiu to stay with her forever and take care of her in her old age.

Just as she was thinking this, Madam Zheng said, "Once this storm passes, I'll send you to the countryside. We'll shave a couple of years off your age, and you can marry a suitable man there. You can start your life anew."

Fang Jinxiu looked at Madam Zheng in shock, "Mother, you want to send me away?"

Her reaction was so strong... it left Madam Zheng unsure of how to begin.

She had promised Zheng Ji that once Huan'er stopped breastfeeding, she would send her away.

Madam Zheng had been waiting for the right opportunity to broach the subject with her, but she hadn't found the right moment.

Since it had come up now, she might as well just say it.

"Yes, this was what your father and I agreed upon last time. Only this way can you start your life anew."

"Start anew?" Fang Jinxiu exclaimed, "Why would I need to start anew?"

Madam Zheng: "..."

"The Lu family isn't a good place to go to, and it's true that it wouldn't be proper for you to stay with me all your life. I don't mind, but your brother and sister-in-law might. I must find you a home while I'm still in good health. When you have a husband's family, a loving husband, and adorable children, I will have no regrets in this life."

Fang Jinxiu was furious. She had thought her adoptive mother wanted to keep her for selfish reasons, to take care of her in old age. It turned out she was afraid Fang Jinxiu would be a burden and wanted to send her away to the countryside.

Was she finally admitting that she was a burden? As if her disappearance would bring harmony to the couple and mother and daughter?

No, she wouldn't go. She wasn't leaving.

Fang Jinxiu pretended to agree and had someone escort Madam Zheng back.

Then she called for Xia Lian and asked her to go to the Lu family to inquire further.

Just as they were talking, a servant reported that Lu Shen and his mother had arrived.

A few days earlier, when Madam Zheng decided to send Fang Jinxiu back, she had dismissed the hired thugs, so there was no one guarding the outside. Fang Jinxiu let them in.

Madam Lu immediately came over familiarly to take Fang Jinxiu's hand.

"Jinxiu, we had agreed before that once Shen'er and Wang Fuzhen divorced, you would return, right?"

Fang Jinxiu took a deep breath, having made up her mind, she nodded, "Yes, have they divorced?"

"They have. She has already moved out. That's why Shen'er and I have come to take you home, for our family to be reunited."