Chapter 117: Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" (Are You the One)

 FlamingoBees 

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 Jiao Cang "Delicate Concealment" / Are You the One

 Chapter 117: 

 

Actually, Cui Xingzhou had originally planned to accompany Liu Mian Tang and his sister to the temple for the incense offering today. However, due to an unexpected situation that arose at the military office, he was delayed and arrived later than planned.

Originally, Cui Xingzhou had planned to wait for them to finish their incense offering and then take them back from the mountain. However, before he could even reach the base of the mountain, he saw the thick black smoke rising from the summit.

Alarmed, Cui Xingzhou spurred his horse into a frantic gallop and arrived at the base of Wangfeng Temple just as Liu Mian Tang and the others were descending.

Hearing Liu Mian Tang's report, Cui Xingzhou immediately ordered his guards to take his sister back to the estate and sent for renowned doctors from the capital to provide medical care at the residence.

At this point, Cui Fu's face had turned pale, and she was in severe pain. Her pregnancy had been difficult from the start; she had experienced severe symptoms when she first found out she was pregnant. After moving to the capital and discovering that a new concubine had been added to her husband’s household, she felt increasingly distressed and frustrated. Although her mood improved slightly after coming to her brother's place, her ongoing conflict with her husband over their separation weighed heavily on her heart.

All these issues made her emotional state volatile, and the stress and grievances from being scolded by the Duchess earlier only exacerbated her condition.

By the time they reached the estate, she was already bleeding heavily.

The three doctors summoned to the residence all shook their heads, saying that the baby could not be saved. Their only course of action was to focus on stabilizing the mother’s condition to prevent long-term infertility.

Upon hearing the grim news, Cui Fu remained silent, her face a mask of complex emotions as she silently wept.

Jin’er, seeing her mother being carried back, was terrified and his face turned pale. After the doctors had finished their examination, he curled up next to his mother, unwilling to leave her side.

Liu Mian Tang, heartbroken, stepped into the corridor and quietly wiped away her tears. When Cui Xingzhou came out after settling his sister, he saw Liu Mian Tang crying and hurried over, saying, “Just a moment ago, you advised my sister not to cry and worsen her condition. How is it now that you’re crying yourself?”

Liu Mian Tang roughly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and said with bitterness, “It’s all my fault. I should have set the fire earlier. Why let my sister suffer like this...”

Prince Huaiyang had already learned about the incident that happened at Wangfeng Temple, and his eyes were filled with cold anger as he said, "How can this be your fault? If you hadn't tried to scare off those damned women by setting that fire, my sister might not only have suffered a miscarriage but could have lost her life as well. Since some people think the women of my Huaiyang residence are easy to bully, they should be prepared to face the consequences. Blood debts must be paid with blood!"

Just as the physician was treating his sister, a memorial accusing Consort Yun's convoy of disregarding the common people and injuring many had already reached the heavenly court. Since she was the Emperor's woman, the Emperor should manage her properly. In any case, he had preserved all the evidence, and those injured citizens were sent to kneel in front of the Governor's residence in the capital after treatment, pleading for him to take responsibility for the cost of their medicine.

The news spread throughout the capital within half a day due to the Governor's residence being in such a bustling area.

As for the Duke Qing’s residence, Prince Huaiyang intended to settle accounts with them as well!

The next day, Prince Huaiyang led a hundred guards to kick down the door of the Duke’s residence. The newly painted vermilion door was kicked into a distorted shape by the force of their assault.

A crowd of people rushed in and began to smash and throw things around recklessly.

The people of the Duke Qing’s residence had never seen such a scene before and immediately began shouting for them to discuss things calmly.

Unfortunately, Prince Huaiyang could no longer be bothered to speak with the people of the Duke's residence. He simply pulled up a chair, sat down in the main hall, and ordered someone to bring in Guo Yi to sign the divorce papers.

At first, Guo Yi was indignant, accusing Prince Huaiyang of using his power to oppress others.

Prince Huaiyang slowly got up, walked over, and delivered two loud slaps to Guo Yi’s face, saying, "I originally intended to hit your foolish and cruel mother, but since she’s a woman, it's inappropriate for me to lay hands on her. So you, as her son, will take her punishment! My sister has already suffered a miscarriage due to your mother’s torment. I will make sure to settle this score with the Guo family in full!"

The incident with the mountain fire at Wangfeng Temple caused quite a stir. It was later inspected, and it was said that the fire burned a small section of the hillside bare. The burn marks, strangely enough, resembled a seated Guanyin.

The noblewomen who were present at the time saw everything clearly. They secretly gossiped, wondering if the Guo family’s matriarch had been too harsh on her pregnant daughter-in-law, thereby angering the Goddess Guanyin. They speculated that this might be why the deity manifested her power and took back the child originally destined for the Guo family.

In any case, the Guo family matriarch’s actions were far from proper. Her sharp, provincial manner of speaking was truly shocking. Within just two days, rumors spread throughout the capital, with people discussing how the Guo family had angered Guanyin, leading to the mountain fire.

Guo Yi also heard about what his mother had done. He was both angry and anxious, feeling that his mother had treated the capital like their old home, where she could behave as she pleased.

Such a scandalous act had given Prince Huaiyang's residence a perfect handle against them.

However, no one in the Guo family had expected that Cui Fu would suffer a miscarriage upon her return.

When Guo Yi heard this, he was stunned. Though the romantic love between him and Cui Fu had faded over the years, they had a bond of affection from their time together. Hearing this, he was eager to go see Cui Fu.

But Prince Huaiyang sternly said, "The gates of the Cui family are not open to your family. I came here today to sever the ill-fated bond between you. Since your mother does not like my sister, I ask that you quickly sign the divorce papers so that you two may go your separate ways!"

Guo Yi became anxious and protested, "But... but this is just a quarrel between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. How can it lead to a divorce?"

Divorcing at this critical moment would only confirm that the Guo family had indeed mistreated their daughter-in-law. Such an act would greatly damage his reputation.

At this point, Duke Qing could no longer pretend to be oblivious, hiding in his study, fiddling with his calligraphy and paintings. He had no choice but to step over the mess left by the Prince's people smashing things and come out to negotiate with Prince Huaiyang.

Unfortunately, Prince Huaiyang wasn't there to reason with them. When Duke Qing tried to reminisce about the old friendship between his father, Prince Huaiyang waved him off, uninterested in hearing about the past. "My father is gone, so as his son, it is my duty to protect the women of our household. I might not have known how your family treated my sister before, but now I see it clearly. Out of respect for the old friendship between our two families, I’ve only smashed up your hall. But if it weren't for that..."

He drew the sword from the scabbard of a nearby guard and, with a swift strike, split a lacquered wooden round table in the hall in half. Then, looking at Duke Qing, he said, "There would be blood to pay! Duke Qing, do you dare to guess if I’d kill someone?"

Prince Huaiyang was the Grand Marshal of the Northwest, a man who had personally fought in battles and had blood on his hands more times than anyone could count. Seeing the murderous intent in his eyes, Duke Qing was so terrified that his courage nearly failed him. He believed that if this mad prince were to lose his temper, he might very well kill someone right under the Emperor’s nose.

Given how things had escalated between the two families, there was indeed no reason to continue the marriage. After a moment of contemplation, Duke Qing reluctantly nodded, signaling for his son to sign the divorce papers.

Guo Yi grit his teeth and unrolled the document, only to widen his eyes in shock as he read it. He exclaimed, "Jin'er is the legitimate son of the Guo family! Why should he be raised in the Cui family?"

Prince Huaiyang let out a cold snort and replied, "Jin'er is still young, so naturally, it's better for him to stay with his birth mother. Our Prince Huaiyang's residence is reasonable and hasn’t demanded that Jin'er’s family name be changed in the genealogy. When he turns thirteen and is ready to begin his studies, he can return to your Guo family."

At this point, the Duchess, who had rushed over and had been eavesdropping from the corridor, could no longer restrain herself. She burst out angrily, shouting, "If she wants to leave the residence, let her go! No one is stopping her! But Jin'er is the legitimate grandson of the Guo family, and no one can take him away!"

Prince Huaiyang glared coldly at her and suddenly charged at her with his sword. The guards from the Prince Huaiyang's residence quickly intervened and shouted at Duke Qing, "If you don’t get her out of here, our prince was so enraged yesterday that he nearly came to cut her down himself. It was only thanks to the princess consort that he was stopped. If she doesn’t leave now, you can expect to collect her corpse!"

In the ensuing commotion, Prince Huaiyang even kicked a chair into the rafters, smashing it to pieces. His fury was clearly not an act!

Guo Yi, quick on his feet, dragged his mother out and urged her to hide. Otherwise, if Prince Huaiyang’s anger continued to escalate, he might indeed commit murder!

Duchess Qing, used to being domineering over the women in her household, had never faced someone charging at her with a sword. Terrified beyond measure, she stumbled back to the inner quarters of the residence.

Duke Qing’s residence was in chaos, with servants running to the city magistrate for help.

However, the magistrate was preoccupied with handling the medical expenses for the injured from the Wangfeng Temple incident. He couldn’t possibly go to the palace to request funds. Instead, he had to act as a responsible local official and cover the costs out of his own pocket to calm the public outrage.

As the magistrate was fuming and struggling to manage the silver, he received the report from Duke Qing’s residence and was left dumbfounded. "This is a domestic matter between your two households. Your masters are all higher-ranking than I am. How can I mediate? If no lives have been lost, it's not within my jurisdiction. Otherwise... wait for the morning court session, and let the Emperor make a judgment."

When they returned to Duke Qing’s residence, they were shocked to find that the entire estate was surrounded and sealed off by Prince Huaiyang’s men.

Prince Huaiyang made his stance very clear: the divorce papers were to remain unchanged! If they signed them today, that would be the end of it. If not, he would have the estate sealed tight, not even a fly would get in. Once the estate’s provisions ran out and people starved, and Jin'er became an orphaned child and grandchild, it would be easier to handle—he’d simply change Jin'er’s paternal surname and cut all ties with the Duke’s residence.

Duke Qing’s household had never encountered such a lawless and ruthless prince. The tactics employed were extraordinarily unscrupulous.

The Duchess, who was infuriated to the point of a headache, found that even the physician was not allowed to enter.

Prince Huaiyang remained nonchalant, saying, "The Duchess isn't dying from miscarriage or hemorrhage; she won’t die immediately. Just endure a bit longer."

Duke Qing realized that they were clearly in the wrong. If this matter reached the Emperor, it would be a significant embarrassment.

And since their grandson would not change his surname, it was the same whether he was raised in the Cui family or not.

Thus, after discussing with his son, Duke Qing signed the divorce papers.

However, as Guo Yi signed and stamped the documents, tears of sorrow streamed down his face, and he insisted on seeing Cui Fu one last time.

Prince Huaiyang had the signed documents put away without even glancing at Guo Yi. He simply instructed, "Withdraw the people and return to the residence!"

After demolishing the Duke’s residence, the lawless prince and his entourage left the estate and strode away down the long alley.

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