Chapter 2: Xie Yi
Early the next morning, Su Mu went to Yan Jiyue's Hantan courtyard with the divorce papers she had already written.
The Yan family was indeed a wealthy household in Juen City. The Hantan courtyard was filled with clear water, and pure white lotus flowers bloomed gracefully. In the early morning, crystal dew condensed on the petals, and the fragrant aroma was pleasing to the senses.
Unfortunately, it was all a façade. The Yan family had few direct descendants but many collateral branches. All the family members lived in one compound, and neither Yan Zhujun nor Yan Ting were good at management.
Those collateral branches had secretly sold off most of the Yan family's good fields and estates. Only because the accounts were well-kept did Yan Zhujun not realize it himself.
It wasn't until later that Su Mu discovered the problem, and then was forced by Yan Zhujun to engage in business to save the faltering Yan family.
Lost in memories, Su Mu had already arrived at the entrance of Hantan courtyard. She knocked on the door.
The doorkeeper Hua Lu opened the door while yawning: "Who is it?"
Seeing it was Su Mu, he directly rolled his eyes and said sarcastically: "Oh, isn't this Su Mu? You were just driven away by the young master last night, and now you're here to curry favor again early in the morning."
Even though she was a married-in spouse, she was still a master of the Yan family. For a servant to dare speak to her like this, it was clear Yan Jiyue had instructed him to do so.
Back then, she had been eager to reconcile with Yan Jiyue, so she endured the servants' provocations.
But after her rebirth, Su Mu's temper was not so good anymore. Having lived the privileged life of the wealthiest, how could she still tolerate such humiliation?
She was about to deliver a resounding slap when she saw a group slowly approaching in the distance.
Su Mu's eyes rolled, and she smiled humbly: "No matter what, I am still the young master's wife-master..."
Su Mu's retreat imperceptibly further encouraged Hua Lu's arrogance. He impatiently interrupted her: "You really think that marrying into the Yan family makes you the young master's wife-master?"
"If Su Mu is not Jiyue's wife-master, then who is?" An elderly male voice came from behind.
The newcomer was Yan Jiyue's father, the instigator of Su Mu and Yan Jiyue's marriage.
"Greetings, Zhujun." Hua Lu immediately knelt respectfully upon seeing Yan Zhujun.
At this moment, Su Mu felt no inner turmoil, but appearances still had to be maintained.
She turned around and curtsied slightly to Yan Zhujun: "Greetings, Zhujun."
"What happened just now? You, a servant, dare to talk back to your master, how impertinent." Yan Zhujun frowned as he spoke.
"Please forgive me, Zhujun. This slave knows his mistake." Hua Lu knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing.
When Su Mu had first married Yan Jiyue, the servants in the household all looked down on her, and Yan Jiyue had instructed the servants to humiliate her to her face. At such times, Yan Zhujun would always step in to speak up for her.
She had been so moved at the time, but later she realized that this father and son were just playing good cop, bad cop.
"You shouldn't beg me for forgiveness, you should beg Su Mu. She is the young mistress of our Yan family, yet you dare to disrespect your superiors. Ling Hua, slap him ten times." Yan Zhujun said sternly.
Sure enough, the act had begun again.
In the past, Su Mu didn't want her life-saving benefactor to bear the name of a cruel master for her sake, so she would always plead for leniency for the servants. But this time, Su Mu decided to try something different.
"Zhujun, forget about the slapping. A man's face is as precious as his life. How about twenty strokes with the cane instead?" Su Mu smiled gently.
"..."
Both Yan Zhujun and Hua Lu were stunned. They hadn't expected Su Mu to pull this move. Hadn't she always pleaded for mercy for the servants before?
"What's wrong, is the punishment too light?" Su Mu raised her long, delicate eyebrows slightly.
"Ling Hua, didn't you hear what the young mistress said? Twenty strokes with the cane." Yan Zhujun spoke coldly.
"Yes." Ling Hua dragged Hua Lu away, ignoring his pleas for mercy. Soon, Hua Lu's screams could be heard.
"I didn't expect the servants in Jiyue's courtyard to be so unruly and disrespectful. You've been wronged." Yan Zhujun said guiltily.
"There's no question of being wronged or not. I'm just a married-in spouse after all." Su Mu's smile didn't reach her eyes.
Yan Zhujun's eyes narrowed slightly, keenly sensing that today's Su Mu was different from usual.
"What married-in spouse? In my heart, I treat you like my own daughter. This Jiyue is really too inconsiderate. Come, let's go in. I'll definitely give him a good lesson today."
"There's no need. I have some matters to attend to soon." Su Mu had come to Hantan courtyard to discuss divorce with Yan Jiyue, and she couldn't let Yan Zhujun know about it. He would definitely not allow the two to divorce.
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