The communication between the two families was not smooth.
Liu Chengcai began bluntly: “Zishu said that Danniang has been childless for three years, is jealous, neglects her in-laws, spreads gossip, and incited Li Xing to beat him publicly. By law, she should be divorced.”
Divorce and separation were two entirely different concepts. Upon hearing this, not only did the He family’s father and sons’ faces darken, but even Qi Changlin was shocked. Hadn’t they agreed on everything earlier? Why such rudeness now? It seemed as if Liu Chengcai wanted to break ties completely. The He family was known for their hot temper; if a fight broke out, the matter would remain unresolved. Liu Chengcai could then easily blame the He family, while Qi Changlin would be seen as ineffective. Prince Ning rarely asked others to handle matters, and Liu Chengcai was ruining this rare opportunity… Qi Changlin became displeased and glared at Liu Chengcai, trying to signal him with his eyes.
Liu Chengcai remained unmoved, pretending not to notice. He faced the He family trio with a stern expression, sitting firmly and exuding official authority.
“How shameless! Even if it costs me my life, I’ll break all ties!” He Dalang was furious, smashing his teacup and jumping up to confront Liu Chengcai.
As He Dalang’s finger pointed at his face and his large hand reached for his collar, Liu Chengcai’s eyelid twitched, his heart racing. He forced himself to remain calm, maintaining a stoic expression with wide, unmoving eyes.
Liu Chengcai’s initial show of authority was merely to shift all blame onto Mudan and avoid paying the large sum of money. He Zhizhong, prepared for this, held He Dalang back with He Erlang. After exchanging a glance with He Erlang, the latter calmly addressed Liu Chengcai: “Minister Liu, as an official, you surely know better than us commoners about the seven grounds for divorce and three exceptions. What does the law say? A wife over fifty without children may allow a concubine to bear an heir. Danniang isn’t even eighteen yet. Within a month of their marriage, my good brother-in-law already had two concubines. In less than half a year, a son was born. Recently, he’s even brought home singing girls, using Danniang’s dowry. If Danniang were jealous, how could those two children have been born? And where did the soon-to-be-born child come from?”
He Zhizhong coughed, stopping He Erlang. He scolded, “You ignorant boy. How could you understand better than the Minister? Let’s not waste words on other matters. Whatever Minister Liu says goes. Since things have reached this point, there’s no turning back. Let’s not rush to violence. Write the divorce papers, and we’ll go to the Capital Prefecture to hear the judgment. Even if all reasons can be fabricated, our Danniang has always been well-behaved. I doubt there are any clear faults to record. We’re not afraid.”
He was threatening Liu Chengcai, reminding him of the case where Minister Xiao Yuansu had fabricated reasons to divorce his wife, only to face a lawsuit from his unafraid in-laws, resulting in financial compensation and imperial punishment. Although the husband’s family held the initiative in marriage matters, everything could become complicated if taken seriously. Divorce papers couldn’t be written casually, and the seven grounds for divorce couldn’t be fabricated easily. To divorce a wife, there had to be clear, provable faults. The He family wasn’t afraid of trouble and held leverage over the Liu family. If this went to court, it was clear who would suffer more. The Liu family might be able to retaliate in the future, but if they didn’t back down now, they would face immediate significant losses.
Seeing the situation escalate suddenly, Qi Changlin, though secretly blaming Liu Chengcai for inviting trouble, had to intervene: “Calm down, calm down. My brother-in-law hasn’t finished speaking, has he? Such talk of violence damages the harmony and benefits no one. Right, brother-in-law?” He spoke while signaling to Liu Chengcai with his eyes.
Liu Chengcai, having just regained his composure, thought to himself that the He family was indeed rough, resorting to threats of violence at the slightest disagreement. They truly couldn’t be long-term relatives. But he also knew that desperate people were not to be provoked lightly. He slowly sipped his tea, maintaining the dignity of a third-rank official, then tossed his teacup onto the table and said, “Indeed, why the rush, in-law? What I said earlier was Zishu’s opinion. You know Zishu, he’s proud and can’t bear to be wronged. He told me that although Danniang did these things, he didn’t blame her at all and refused to divorce her. In a few days, he even wants to bring Danniang home to live happily together.”
Qi Changlin secretly rolled his eyes upon hearing this. He had always known his brother-in-law was quick to change face and thick-skinned, but he had never witnessed it firsthand. Today, he finally saw not only how thick-skinned but also how shameless he could be. This manipulation was just to extract more money. Fortunately, his sister was capable enough to handle him; otherwise, who knows what might have happened.
Liu Chengcai showed no sign of embarrassment and calmly looked at He Zhizhong, saying, “Of course! If Danniang doesn’t want to live with him anymore, we can’t force her. We’re both fathers, and we always want the best for our children. My thoughts are the same as yours – if they’re incompatible, there’s no need to keep them together. Their fighting puts our lives at risk. Don’t you agree?”
He Zhizhong inwardly despised this shameless man, imagining maggots crawling from Liu Chengcai’s mouth. But outwardly, he remained calm and said mildly, “You’re right. Rather than living in mutual disdain and risking death from abuse, it’s better to part ways amicably. It saves our own lives and prevents the old from burying the young.”
Liu Chengcai maintained his composure, cleared his throat, and said, “Good, good. Our children are never at fault, so let’s not discuss who’s right or wrong. What did you say to me the other day? The part on good terms, right?”
He Zhizhong nodded, “As long as Minister Liu keeps his word, I, He, will also keep mine. In all my years of business, I’ve never broken my word.”
For businessmen like him, integrity came first. This was an indirect guarantee to Liu Chengcai. But Liu Chengcai wanted something more tangible. Seeing He Zhizhong play dumb, he inwardly cursed, his eyes darting as he said, “Very well, very well. A man without credibility cannot stand. I’ve been an official for many years and value integrity above all. I agree to this matter, we’ll part on good terms, but…” He glanced at Qi Changlin and the others. Qi Changlin, realizing Liu Chengcai had private words for He Zhizhong, invited the He brothers to step out with him.
With only He Zhizhong and Liu Chengcai left in the room, Liu Chengcai smiled bitterly and bowed to He Zhizhong, “A few years ago, I was greatly indebted to you, brother. We failed to take good care of Danniang, and I’ve let you down… I truly wanted the young couple to live happily, but somehow this matter has reached Prince Ning’s ears… I’m quite anxious about it.”
Seeing through Liu Chengcai’s act, He Zhizhong also sighed, feigning great distress, “Enough. Marriages are predestined. They were not meant to be. Let’s not speak of this anymore. Give me the divorce papers, and let’s not mention past affairs.”
Liu Chengcai noticed He Zhizhong didn’t reveal anything about Prince Ning’s involvement. Inwardly cursing the old fox, he continued with a worried expression, “That sum of money is a small matter. I can gather it and send it to you in a few days. But Zishu is stubborn. I tried to persuade him yesterday, but he refuses to write the divorce papers… As his father, I can’t force him into such a major matter. It requires his agreement, or he might trouble Danniang again in the future, denying everything…” He watched He Zhizhong closely as he spoke, noticing impatience on his face. Liu Chengcai then smiled and added, “But don’t worry. Give me some time to persuade him, and we’ll surely part on good terms. As soon as I heard about yesterday’s incident, I severely disciplined him and confined him. He won’t trouble Danniang again in the future.”
With both sides holding leverage over each other, it became a test of patience and shamelessness. As long as He Zhizhong didn’t relent, Liu Chengcai wouldn’t produce the divorce papers. At this point, he could justify his actions to Prince Ning – it wasn’t that he wasn’t trying, but he needed time to deal with a stubborn child. See? He had even confined his son, showing his sincerity.
He Zhizhong was surprised to hear that Liu Chengcai had confined Liu Chang, but he understood the delaying tactic and its ulterior motive. He paced the room several times, then closed his eyes, gritting his teeth painfully, “Since we’re parting on good terms, why discuss money between us?”
This was exactly what Liu Chengcai had been waiting for! It was a substantial sum! Delighted, he still said, “No, no, a man must keep his word. We must honor what was said.”
He Zhizhong suppressed the churning in his stomach and said with a sincere expression, “Aren’t we being too formal? Danniang’s illness is cured! It was a thank-you gift! For the sake of our past relationship, and Danniang’s benefit, let’s not mention it again.”
Liu Chengcai mumbled agreement and changed the subject, “Then once I’ve persuaded Zishu, I’ll send someone to inform you?”
He Zhizhong’s heart sank. The money had been agreed upon, and the contract promised to be returned, yet Liu Chengcai was still delaying. What did this mean? After all this effort, if the matter wasn’t settled in one go with Prince Ning’s influence, complications might arise later. Thinking this, He Zhizhong had to negotiate with Liu Chengcai, suggesting that since they had agreed, they should settle everything at once.
Liu Chengcai just smiled enigmatically, “Don’t worry. My word is my bond. You’ve helped me greatly, and Danniang was my daughter-in-law for several years and was very filial. I won’t make things difficult for her.” How many people in the world truly had integrity? A merchant’s word was worth no more than toilet paper! If he were to believe He Zhizhong’s promise not to reveal anything based on a single statement, he wouldn’t be Liu Chengcai. He hadn’t reached his current position through mere luck and boldness after decades of navigating treacherous waters. It wasn’t a problem to be caught in someone’s grip; what mattered was to have a grip on them in return. Without leverage over the He family, how could he easily let go?
Unaware of Liu Chengcai’s calculations, He Zhizhong only sensed something amiss. He insisted that Liu Chengcai give him a solid guarantee.
Liu Chengcai didn’t make it difficult and smiled, “You dote on Danniang, thinking only of her interests. It’s a pity I don’t have a daughter; I would spoil her just the same. How about this: I’ll write you a document guaranteeing their amicable separation. You can exchange it for the divorce papers when the time comes. How does that sound?”