Yun Chu raised her hand.

Behind her, Tingxue took out a piece of paper from her sleeve and handed it over.

She unfolded that thin sheet of paper. The three characters at the top—”Divorce Papers”—shocked everyone present to the extreme.

“Did everyone see clearly?” Tingfeng said coldly. “Our mistress… no, our young lady divorced Xie Jingyu long ago. Here are Xie Jingyu’s name and handprint. When the Xie family fell into trouble, our young lady could have thrown out these divorce papers and left your Xie family. But even when the Yun family members came, our young lady didn’t leave. Why? Tell me, why is that?”

The repeated questioning left everyone silent.

Yuan Shi’s face was full of guilt.

Chu’er had stood together with the Xie family through thick and thin, yet the Xie family was forcing Chu’er to sever ties with the Yun family.

The Xie family members truly weren’t good people.

She wasn’t a good person either.

Yuan Shi stepped forward and grabbed Yun Chu’s hand. “Chu’er, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have…”

“Xie Jingyu and I divorced long ago. I should have left here long ago too.” Yun Chu’s face showed no emotion. “When the Xie family needed me, I was willing to stand with the Xie family through thick and thin. Now that the Xie family no longer needs me, it’s indeed time to leave. An’er, your thirteenth birthday is coming soon. I’ve already prepared a birthday gift for you, so let me give it to you early.”

She had a maid bring over a writing brush. “I hope you can be like this brush—unbending and unyielding.”

Xie Shi’an still couldn’t accept why his father had written divorce papers for his mother before dying…

Mother was leaving just like this.

And the Xie family would get nothing.

Deep unwillingness arose in his heart.

But immediately after, he began to despise himself.

Mother had prepared his birthday gift so early, but what about him? Every day he thought about how to scheme against Mother…

How could he be such a selfish person?

He had driven his birth mother to death.

He had driven away his adoptive mother.

How did someone like him deserve to live…

“An’er, the Xie family will depend on you from now on.” Yun Chu spoke. “If you encounter any troubles, you can come find me for advice…”

Then she smiled bitterly. “Forget it, better not come find me, lest I implicate you.”

With these words, Xie Shi’an’s guilt deepened even more.

After he had done such things, Mother was still thinking of him.

“Slap! Slap! Slap!”

Unable to restrain himself, he slapped himself several times.

Yun Chu’s long lashes concealed the emotion in her eyes.

Divorcing at this time served two purposes.

First, to silence the gossip throughout the wards.

Second, she wanted Xie Shi’an to feel guilty toward her. Guilt was easier to dispel than hatred. She didn’t want a hungry wolf lurking in the shadows forever.

Yun Chu had people pack her things.

Her belongings had actually been packed long ago, all in trunks in the storeroom. In less than an hour, everything was moved out.

Yuan Shi’s tears flowed like springs. “Chu’er, let’s just pretend those divorce papers never existed, alright? I won’t force you to sever ties with the Yun family anymore…”

She truly couldn’t imagine the Xie family’s days without Yun Chu. She truly didn’t know how to continue living such days…

Tingyu stood at the manor gates, watching servants carry trunk after trunk onto the carriages. Her expression grew worse and worse. All of this should have belonged to Yun’er, yet it was all being taken away by the mistress. How could she be reconciled? How could she be willing…

Yun Chu’s grand departure attracted many passersby to watch.

“What’s happening?”

“Why is Madam Xie moving her things away?”

“What’s going on?”

“Our young lady has divorced the Xie family.” Tingfeng stood on the carriage and said coldly. “These are divorce papers written in Xie Jingyu’s own hand. After the Xie family fell into trouble, our young lady didn’t bring them out because she wanted to weather the difficulties with the Xie family. However, now that the Yun family is in trouble, the Xie family, fearing implication, forced our young lady to sever ties with the Yun family. That’s why she had no choice but to bring out the divorce papers!”

“Heavens, the Xie family members are too despicable!”

“Madam Xie… oh no, she should now be called Miss Yun or Lady Yun. She was first affected by her husband’s family, and now with the Yun family in trouble, she’s implicated by her natal family again. It’s truly tragic.”

“Miss Yun never abandoned the Xie family and was willing to weather the storm with the Yun family. Such loyalty, such integrity—she’s truly a model of noble women.”

“When marrying a wife, marry a Yun family daughter. Unfortunately, the Yun family won’t make it.”

“…”

The carriage gradually departed amid the crowd’s discussions.

Xie Shi’an watched the carriage and said silently, “Mother, I’m sorry…”

He gripped the brush in his hand. No matter how much force he used, the brush remained straight—unbending and unyielding.

He also wanted to become an unbending and unyielding person.

But it was too difficult.

The news that the Yun family’s eldest legitimate daughter had divorced Xie Jingyu instantly spread throughout the capital’s streets and alleys.

Yun Chu lifted the carriage curtain and looked back, but could no longer see the Xie family manor—not even a glimpse of its eaves.

She had imagined this day’s scene many times before.

Turns out, this kind of calm couldn’t even stir a ripple in her heart.

On a sunny late autumn afternoon, an utterly ordinary afternoon, she had thus left the Xie family that had entangled her for an entire lifetime.

The past pain, hatred, grief, and indignation… slowly dissipated in the autumn wind.

Don’t chase the past.

Look forward.

She would have a better future.

Qiutong led the convoy to the courtyard in Yulin Alley, while Yun Chu rode the carriage back to the Yun family home.

Upon hearing the news, Lin Shi had long been waiting at the Yun manor gates with people.

“Chu’er, you’ve finally come back!”

Lin Shi pulled Yun Chu into her embrace, touching her again and again.

She looked behind and frowned. “What about your dowry? Chu’er, you didn’t leave it at the Xie family, did you?”

“Of course not.” Yun Chu smiled. “I had Qiutong take it to that courtyard in Yulin Alley. I’ll live there from now on.”

Lin Shi looked disapproving.

Yun Ze smoothed things over. “It’s just a few steps away anyway, no problem. Let’s go inside first.”

Just as they entered the Yun family’s main gate, a convoy of carriages stopped at the Yun family’s entrance.

All the Yun family’s branch families in the capital had arrived.

The Yun family had been in the capital for a century, so naturally there were many branch families. A courtyard full of people stood in a dark mass.

With major matters facing the Yun family, naturally few people paid attention to Yun Chu’s divorce. After asking a few brief questions, everyone turned their gazes toward Old General Yun.

Old General Yun sat on a soft couch, his voice low. “The Yun family has weathered storms for so many years and experienced everything. This little wave is nothing—everyone stay calm. It’s just hard on the Yun family’s married daughters… I’ll say this now: if any family’s daughter is bullied by her husband’s family because of the Yun family’s troubles, bring the Yun family guards to bring your daughter back. From then on, the Yun family will support her!”

Everyone nodded.

The families their daughters married into naturally weren’t as disgraceful as the Xie family and absolutely wouldn’t create trouble before matters were settled.

Third Master Yun spoke up. “His Majesty has handed the three thousand Yun family troops to outsiders. Next, will he dismiss the Yun family’s court officials?”

The Yun family’s main branch was a first-rank general’s manor. Among the branch families, the highest was the fifth-rank branch of Yun Run. The others were basically around seventh rank, holding inconspicuous minor posts across the Six Ministries—Personnel, War, Finance, Works… It was precisely these Yun family members at the very bottom of officialdom who supported this prestigious family… If all the Yun family members were dismissed from office, the Yun family would truly be finished.

Old General Yun stroked his beard. “Of course not.”

His Majesty had sat in that position for so many years and played the art of balancing power to perfection. To suppress the Empress Dowager’s momentum, His Majesty absolutely wouldn’t allow anything to happen to the Yun family.

His Majesty would definitely spare no effort to find Yun Silin and use the Yun family’s hand to execute the Empress Dowager’s nephew, the General of Chariots and Cavalry, thereby extinguishing all possibilities for the Empress Dowager’s faction.

The Yun family was still useful, so His Majesty wouldn’t let the Yun family fall like this.

Moreover, Chu’er had said in her dream that Yun Silin would return to court in two years carrying the King of South Yue’s head…