Chapter 9

Chapter 9

"Is this the Divorce Agreement, Miss?"

Zhe Liu and Wen He, who had been watching closely as Chen Wenyao acted, immediately approached after he left.

Wen He carefully took the paper in her hands, scrutinizing every word, still unable to believe it.

It was far too simple.

"What, do you think a single flimsy sheet of paper seems too informal?" Ming Tang could tell exactly what she was thinking at a glance.

Wen He nodded. She had expected it to resemble a marriage certificate—written on the thickest, most exquisite paper, something that would immediately signal its importance to anyone who saw it.

"What matters has never been the form, but the content inside."

Even if it were written on scrap paper, as long as it bore her father's seal and Chen Wenyao's seal, it was a legitimate Divorce Agreement. No one could deny its validity.

In terms of procedure, this was even simpler than a modern divorce.

Zhe Liu stepped forward, producing a flat box from somewhere and carefully storing the Divorce Agreement inside, her eyes gleaming with satisfaction. "We must keep this safe. If it gets lost, who knows if that Chen fellow might try to renege."

Ever since the divorce was finalized, Zhe Liu had long stopped referring to Chen Wenyao as "young master" in her heart, now openly calling him "that Chen fellow" for the first time—a small, private satisfaction.

Wen He nodded emphatically. "Miss, when are we going to retrieve your dowry?"

When they returned to the mansion today, they had only brought back the most important title deeds and promissory notes, leaving the rest of the belongings still piled up at the Chen residence.

Ming Tang glanced at the sky—it was already mid-afternoon. "Tomorrow. Bring more people."

Wen He understood, a smirk curling at her lips. "Don’t worry, Miss. Once we inform Madam, Zhe Liu and I will definitely bring the strongest menservants and maidservants from the household."

If the Chens didn’t interfere, fine. But if they dared to make trouble, they’d deal with them first and talk later.

The thought made Wen He almost eager for action.

Perhaps due to some shared intuition, the moment Wen He entertained the idea, over at the Chen residence, Madam Chen had just learned that Ming Tang, after merely stepping out for a while, had silently caused an uproar. Furious, she immediately gathered people to storm the Ming household and demand an explanation.

"Divorce? What divorce! How dare she even mention divorce! She can’t bear children herself but won’t let others do so, and now she wants a divorce just because her husband took a concubine? Since when does the world work like that? She’s already violated at least two of the 'Seven Grounds for Divorce'! If she wants a divorce, I’d rather write her a letter of repudiation!"

Madam Chen slammed the table loudly, glaring at Chen Wenyao with gritted teeth. "Go now, write that letter and send it to her! The Ming family may have many officials, but none of them ever ranked as Tanhua (third-place imperial examination graduate)! They just rely on having a powerful father—how could they compare to the glory of your Procession of Honors down Vermilion Bird Street?"

Chen Wenyao, sitting before her, remained silent. At her words, he lifted his eyelids and glanced at her, frowning. "Mother, it’s called the 'Procession of Honors.' The ones who 'parade' are criminals."

The more Madam Chen spoke, the more Chen Wenyao was reminded of the past—when he had ranked as Tanhua and processed through the capital in glory, the entire Ming family had watched him from a restaurant's viewing gallery along Vermilion Bird Street.

As he passed by, he had looked up and locked eyes with Ming Tang, who had been smiling at him.

At the time, their engagement had already been settled. Chen Wenyao, at the peak of his pride, had been overjoyed at the thought of Ming Tang becoming his wife, so much so that he hadn’t even noticed his own mother waving excitedly beside her—his eyes had been fixed solely on Ming Tang.

Now, everything had changed. The Ming Tang who had once shared in his glory would rather divorce him than stay by his side. To Chen Wenyao, it all felt like a fleeting dream. Upon waking, he was left only with this mother of his—harsh-faced, mistaking an honor parade for a criminal’s march.

Chen Wenyao rubbed his temples, forcing his tone to remain calm. "Mother, what’s done is done. There’s no use making a fuss now. Let’s just settle this cleanly and not dwell on it, lest we become a laughingstock."

"Hasn’t it already been settled?" Madam Chen grumbled. "You’ve grown so independent that you didn’t even consult your mother on such a major decision. What use am I now?"

Even a decade ago, major household decisions had always been Chen Wenyao’s to make. Ignoring her complaint, he continued slowly, "Today, we only signed the Divorce Agreement, signifying both families’ consent to the separation. But Ming Tang’s belongings are still here—they must be returned. Without a doubt, the Ming family will send people tomorrow. Mother, just stay out of it. Let them take Ming Tang’s things back according to the inventory."

"Ming Tang’s things?"

Madam Chen’s eyes gleamed as she recalled the princely dowry her former daughter-in-law had brought—so vast that even the prepared storerooms couldn’t hold it all, forcing them to build two additional rooms in the east courtyard just to store everything.

If her anger at Ming Tang quietly finalizing the divorce had been one part, the thought of all those treasures being taken away now made it a hundred.

Those pearls as large as lotus seeds, the intricate jade carvings shaped like potted landscapes, the shops, the country estates—though they had never been in Madam Chen’s hands, they had still been in the Chen family storerooms, destined one day to benefit the Chen household. Now, faced with their loss, Madam Chen felt as if her heart were being gouged out.

"No!" Her voice was so shrill it startled even Chen Wenyao. "A divorced woman has the gall to take her dowry? Those are our family’s things! Ours!"

Her eyes were bloodshot, bulging slightly, her expression so twisted it bordered on ferocious—utterly unlike the gentle mother Chen Wenyao remembered, the one who had once held him and wept.

Caught off guard by her intensity, Chen Wenyao frowned. "Mother, that’s Ming Tang’s dowry." It had never belonged to the Chens in the first place. Besides, they were just worldly goods—why cling to them?

Seeing Madam Chen stubbornly refusing to yield, Chen Wenyao grew impatient and resorted to intimidation. "The Ming family is already displeased. If we block them from taking her things, do you think they’ll let me off easily? I’ve only just entered government service. If someone accuses me of 'seizing property,' the least I’ll get is a reputation for poor household management. How could I serve in court after that?"

The severity of the situation finally dawned on Madam Chen, and she paled. "Surely it wouldn’t come to that?"

"Of course it would. 'Cultivate oneself, regulate the family, govern the state, bring peace to the world.' If I can’t even handle family affairs, who would believe I’m fit to govern? Take the current Duke of Dingguo, for example—he favored his concubine over his wife, let things spiral out of control, was impeached, and lost the emperor’s favor. He even lost his position as the keeper of the seal of the Office of the Front Military Governor. If not for his eldest son dying in battle and his second son being a martial arts virtuoso, the Duke’s household might have fallen within a generation or two."

Madam Chen fell silent. In her mind, a duke’s household was even more powerful than high-ranking officials—a family that would never want for food or clothing, generation after generation, as long as the line continued. If even such a household could nearly collapse over domestic strife, she dared not gamble on her son’s future, no matter how confident she was in him.

Still, admitting she was wrong was a blow to her pride. Lowering her head, she muttered, "Fine, fine. I just thought since everyone does it, it must be safe. Since you’ve said so, I won’t interfere tomorrow. I’ll just treat the Ming family like unwelcome guests and send them off."

Relieved, Chen Wenyao felt utterly drained. Unable to muster the energy for further conversation, he offered a few perfunctory words of concern before leaving the central courtyard.

Subconsciously, he began heading toward the east courtyard but stopped after a few steps, his heart heavy. Glancing at the small courtyard shrouded in darkness, he turned and went to his private study in the front yard.

Since the situation was beyond repair, he ought to focus on his career.

Only by one day reaching the pinnacle of power would people speak of him as something other than the first man in the Great Xia Dynasty to divorce his wife.

Steeling himself, Chen Wenyao retrieved the letters and invitations requiring careful replies and worked by lamplight until the third watch drum sounded before finally retiring.

The next morning, just as he had predicted, the Ming family sent a group of several dozen people who knocked on the Chen family’s gate shortly after the mao hour (5-7 a.m.).

The doorkeeper nearly collapsed in fright when he opened the door.

The group was made up of burly men and sturdy women, all looking thoroughly intimidating. Were they here to rob the place in broad daylight?

Fortunately, as someone Ming Tang had personally selected as doorkeeper, he had his wits about him. Barely keeping his composure, he spotted Zhe Liu and Wen He—Ming Tang’s personal maids—among the crowd and hastily stepped aside, bowing and scraping to let them in. He then hurried after Wen He, forcing a smile. "Sister Wen He, what’s all this about? Is the young mistress planning to build something new? Why bring so many people?"

Wen He planted her hands on her hips, pleased with the shock her entourage had caused among the Chens. She shot the doorkeeper a look. "Don’t call her 'young mistress' anymore. Our Miss has divorced your young master. We’re here to collect her dowry."

The doorkeeper’s mind went blank. The young mistress had divorced?

If Wen He said so, it must be set in stone. Stunned, he stood frozen for a long moment before snapping back to reality, only to find himself surrounded by curious onlookers all eager to know what was happening.

When he relayed the news with a pained expression, the same dismay spread across every face around him.

Had he been able to read their thoughts, he wouldn’t have been surprised to find them all echoing the same worry: If the young mistress left, would their monthly stipends still be paid on time?

Wen He, now inside the east courtyard, couldn’t care less what the Chens thought. Watching Zhe Liu direct the servants to move the neatly packed crates from the storeroom, she led a few efficient women into the main quarters, pointing out which items to take, which to leave behind, and which to destroy outright.

For example, the "Hundred Sons and Thousand Grandsons" bed curtain in one of the chests—though Ming Tang had only hung it for a day, since it had been a gift from Madam Chen and tied to recent events, it had become a thorn in Wen He’s side, something she was determined to remove.

After a single glance, Wen He declared mercilessly, "Cut it up and burn it." Such a thing shouldn’t be brought back to upset the Miss.

The woman holding the curtain gasped, reluctant to waste it, but with a regretful expression, she carried it outside.

In the courtyard, however, Zhe Liu stopped her. Upon hearing Wen He’s orders, Zhe Liu chuckled. "Ah, I knew we’d forgotten something. The Miss gave instructions about this before—Sister Wen He was busy selecting people, so she might not know. The Miss said to give this to that concubine in the main courtyard, Concubine Ya."

According to the Miss, the embroidery was too exquisite to burn—better to give it to someone who truly needed it, letting it serve its purpose one last time.