After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

The next day was still a cloudy day, and the Marquis's mansion was busy with the matter of divorcing the wife early in the morning. The marriage was arranged by the parents and the matchmaker, and now that the wife was to be divorced, there should be a procedure. Lu Huai and the old lady Lu knew in their hearts that the so-called procedure was just a formality, a performance for the servants in the mansion.

Unexpectedly, Xie Yu'an and Xie Yu'bai arrived, and they even brought along the Lu clan members who were unable to leave their homes. In addition, there was also the witness from before, Eunuch Xu, who served the Empress.

Eunuch Xu held two imperial edicts. One was for those present, and the other was kept secret, saying the time was not yet ripe.

Xie Chaoyun and Lu Zhiyuan came from Fangfei Courtyard. They first greeted their two elder brothers, and then paid their respects to the elders of the Lu family. Not long after, Old Madam Lu arrived, accompanied by Ji Wanwan. Ji Wanwan was dressed quite conspicuously; to an outsider, she would have been mistaken for Lu Huai's wife.

Unlike the dignified and elegant Xie Chaoyun, Ji Wanwan exuded an inexplicable pettiness. The Lu family relatives had guessed something about her appearance, but out of respect for Old Madam Lu, they hadn't spoken out. The letter of divorce was written by Lu Huai in front of everyone; its content was similar to the divorce agreement he had written that day, mainly accusing her of being childless, jealous, disrespectful to her husband, and unfilial to her elders.

The Lu family members felt both guilty and embarrassed upon hearing this.

Xie Chaoyun didn't bear a son for the Marquis's household, but her daughter, Lu Zhiyuan, was deeply loved by the Emperor and Empress. With such a daughter, what more could a husband ask for? For Lu Huai to want to divorce his wife over this was truly brainless. As for jealousy, which woman in the inner quarters isn't jealous? If jealousy meant being forced to leave, Old Madam Lu would have been sent to the countryside long ago. Everyone in the capital knows that Old Madam Lu once had a maidservant beaten to death because of her jealousy.

Disrespect and filial impiety are out of the question, but since this is a matter for the Marquis's own household, and they are there to witness it, they cannot say much. What's worse is yet to come. A dignified Marquis actually coveted his divorced wife's dowry. If word got out, not only would the Marquis's reputation be ruined, but even his clansmen would be ashamed to face anyone.

The old clan chief coughed lightly: "Does the Marquis really intend to leave behind the entire dowry?"

Lu Huai looked embarrassed and explained to the clan leader, "It's not that I'm staying, it's..."

“It’s because the Marquis can’t bear to part with Yunniang’s dowry.” Her tone was gentle, but every word was piercing: “The clan leader doesn’t know that the Marquis wants to use Yunniang’s dowry to support the Marquis’s mansion and to support Ji Wanwan and her children.”

"Xie Chaoyun, who gave you permission to spout nonsense here?" Lu Huai glared at Xie Chaoyun. "You are the one who has been divorced, and you should keep your dowry! Take the divorce papers and leave immediately. I do not wish to make things difficult for you in front of everyone."

"Is that so? Yunniang has some things here, please let the elders of the Lu family take a look." Xie Chaoyun took the box from Qingzhi's hand, calmly opened it, and took out one piece of evidence after another.

"In the fourth year of Mingde, the Marquis secretly gifted the four shops left by the old Marquis to Ji Wanwan behind Yunniang's back. These are the testimonies and signatures of the four old shopkeepers."

“These are debts that Ji Wanwan’s younger brother signed and sealed at the gambling den. Some of them were borrowed in the name of the Marquis’s mansion, and Yunniang repaid part of them on his behalf.”

"These are proof that Yunniang transferred money to you through the bank when you were in Weinan."

Lu Huai didn't know what Xie Chaoyun was going to do. He felt both ashamed and angry and couldn't say a word. He could only watch helplessly as Xie Chaoyun continued to take things out.

"These are the two residences the Marquis acquired in Weinan. One is registered under Ji Wanwan's name, and the other under both Ji Wanwan's and the Marquis's names. These are testimonies from the neighbors, who can attest that the Marquis and Ji Wanwan addressed each other as husband and wife in Weinan, and many people considered Ji Wanwan to be the Marquis's wife. Although Lu Jinyao is not the Marquis's biological daughter, he has been added to the Lu family genealogy. As for Lu Jingyuan, would the Marquis dare to conduct a blood test for paternity in front of everyone?"

Lu Huai dared not, for he had already secretly verified that Lu Jingyuan was his biological son.

Closing the box, Xie Chaoyun's eyes reddened: "Do you all still remember what the Marquis said when he proposed to Yunniang? It's not that Yunniang is disrespectful or unfilial, but that the Marquis has wronged Yunniang. It was Old Madam Lu who helped the Marquis deceive Yunniang, which made Yunniang extremely heartbroken. For the sake of the Marquis's future, Yunniang was willing to be divorced and willing to bear the speculation and gossip of others. However, the Marquis has made a mistake and still wants to seize Yunniang's dowry, which is truly bullying. I beg my two elder brothers and all the clan elders to uphold justice for Yunniang."

Hearing this, Old Madam Lu sneered, "Even if what you said is true, what wrong has Huai'er done? He's a marquis, thousands of miles from home. What's wrong with having someone by his side? He's a man, he can't be left alone like a woman, can he? Aren't you afraid he'll get sick from being cooped up? Anyone with a modicum of sense should send someone over. Ten years, two children, one of whom isn't his own, Huai'er is a good man. Besides, he didn't have a grand wedding procession, he didn't marry properly. You, the legal wife, don't even have that much tolerance, yet you have the nerve to nag here."

Old Madam Lu rolled her eyes at her: "You can't give birth to a son yourself, and you won't let others have one either? Are you trying to cut off the lineage of our Marquis's family? Wanwan is generous and willing to adopt these two children into your name. You don't need to carry a child for ten months to have a pair of smart and clever children. What's there to feel wronged about?"

Madam Lu snorted coldly: "Huai'er has already explained the matter of the shop to me. It was you who refused to take over after the marriage, so Huai'er reluctantly handed the shop over to Wanwan and her brother to take care of. The shop's business is not good because those managers are arrogant and domineering, and they even plotted to make Wanwan's brother develop a gambling addiction. In the end, it is still your fault."

In the end, it was her fault!

Xie Chaoyun shook her head, while Old Madam Lu looked heartbroken.

"Didn't I tell you to live well with Huai'er? If you really can't tolerate Wanwan, then let her move to the Lu family's old residence. As for the family genealogy, I've already discussed it with the clan head. When Yuan'er turns nine, her name will be recorded in the genealogy. She will still be my Marquis's legitimate daughter. Ask yourself honestly, since Wanwan followed Huai'er back to the capital, have I, as her mother-in-law, ever protected her?"

Xie Chaoyun slowly shook her head: "No!"

Madam Lu never gave anyone cause for gossip in public.

Hearing this, Madam Lu became even more grief-stricken: "It was you who insisted on leaving the Marquis's mansion, it was you who forced Huai'er to divorce you. Since you agreed, why did you still frame him? Just because of those gold and silver? Yunniang, you are truly disappointing."

“Framed? Yunniang’s story is all true, so how can it be framed? I have no resentment at the Marquis’s divorce, but the gold and silver items that the old lady mentioned are my dowry from my father, mother and two brothers. If the old lady and the Marquis are not after those gold and silver items, why don’t they return them to Yunniang? Coveting a woman’s dowry is a joke no matter where you look at it.”

"Half!" The Lu clan patriarch stroked his beard and said, "Leaving it all would be inappropriate. In my opinion, leaving half would be an explanation to both the Marquis's Mansion and the Xie family. Yunniang is gone, but there is still Yuan'er. For the sake of the child, we shouldn't make this matter too tense."

Xie Chaoyun glanced at Lu Zhiyuan and agreed. The most important thing right now was to sever ties with the Pingnan Marquis's mansion. As for her dowry, she had already made arrangements, and the Lu family wouldn't get much.