When Wang Daxia saw that his father was about to back down without even resisting, he hurriedly said, “Father has spent half his life in the Northern District Military Commission. How can he lose his position because of me? I should just withdraw from the Embroidered Uniform Guard instead—after all, I’m just a minor soldier.”
Wang Qianhu firmly refused. “You cannot withdraw. If you withdraw, you’ll let down Commander Lu’s cultivation of you, and Yan Shifan still won’t be appeased. Who knows, our Wang family’s hereditary title that has been passed down for five generations might even be lost—the loss would outweigh any gain. Besides, our Wang family has experienced ups and downs over these five generations—it’s quite common. Your great-grandfather spoke a few words for Tang Bohu during the Chenghua reign, thinking him innocent, but was labeled as sympathizing with examination fraud and was demoted.”
“Your grandfather had mediocre talents, so your great-grandfather simply didn’t arrange any real position for him, saying it was better to support him at home for life to keep him safe, rather than letting him go out to serve and create trouble with mistakes everywhere. Later, when I grew up, your great-grandfather worked hard to pave the way for me and got me into the Northern District Military Commission. One step forward leads to cliffs and deep abysses, one step back brings vast seas and open skies. We must take a long-term view and not be constrained by temporary gains and losses.”
Five generations of thousand-household rank, and being in the capital—the center of fame and fortune—to successfully pass down the inheritance was not easy. As the saying goes, wealth doesn’t last past three generations. There were plenty of once-glorious noble families that had fallen to begging in the streets. The Wang family’s century-long inheritance was not unrelated to the crisis awareness and danger instincts carved into their bones.
Wang Daxia rode his horse at full gallop, enduring the scorching heat to rush back to the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters and told Lu Bing of his father’s decision.
Lu Bing was also a father, so he wasn’t surprised by Wang Qianhu’s concession for his son’s sake. He said, “Pitiful are the hearts of parents everywhere. However, having the character ‘greedy’ written in the Beijing evaluation will leave a lifelong blemish—future reinstatement would likely be hopeless. If the censors use this to attack in groups, your father might not even be able to keep his ancestral hereditary title.”
“Your father had no knowledge of the usury lending matter. The contracts don’t bear your father’s name. Get the money back—it’s better to mend the fold after the sheep are lost than not at all. At most, your father is guilty of ‘lax family management’ and ‘negligent oversight.’ I’ll speak with Minister Wu to have him modify the Beijing evaluation records, remove the word ‘greedy,’ and change it to lax family management, cleaning up the foundation so I can pave the way for him later. Once the storm passes and there are vacancies elsewhere, I’ll recommend your father to fill the position.”
Lu Bing truly lived up to his reputation as an old hand in officialdom—he considered things more thoroughly than Wang Qianhu and handled everything flawlessly. This was already the best possible outcome.
Wang Daxia hurriedly rushed home to relay Lu Bing’s words.
Wang Qianhu was naturally deeply grateful. “We’ll all follow Commander Lu’s arrangements.”
Wang Daxia said, “Father, quickly urge Mother to get the money back. Our family’s money cannot continue to be lent out—usury is unconscionable and harmful. If this money matter isn’t resolved, it will always be a vulnerability. Minister Wu of the Personnel Ministry won’t be able to modify the Beijing evaluation records either.”
Wang Qianhu said, “I understand the gravity—I won’t make it difficult for Minister Wu.”
Wu Shi had already started making a scene at her maternal family’s home, crying, making trouble, and threatening to hang herself. “Big Brother, you’re trying to force your own sister to death! Now my husband is furious and wants to divorce me! I’ll lose my noble lady title, lose my son—all these years of hard work managing household affairs will be wasted. If I’m cast out and abandoned at home, what benefit is that to Big Brother? Right now, my only way out is to get the money back. What Big Brother needs to return isn’t money—it’s my noble lady title!”
But how could usury money be so easily recovered?
Uncle Wu said, “The money has all been lent out. What kind of people borrow usury? If they weren’t truly without money and pressed to desperation, who would borrow usury? If they could repay the principal with interest within a month of borrowing, would they need to borrow usury? My dear aunt, how can you still not understand? It’s not that I don’t want to return the money—I truly don’t have it!”
Wu Shi was fierce and lunged forward with claws ready to scratch her brother’s face. “You said it was lending to officials when I gave you the money, Big Brother deceived me! If I had known it was usury, I would never have lent it no matter what!”
Indeed, the debtor was the master. Sister-in-law Wu finally didn’t have to endure her arrogant and domineering sister-in-law, grabbing Wu Shi in a bear hug. “Lady, please speak nicely—why are you getting physical? This is your own brother.”
Since Wu Shi could get physical with her brother, she was even less polite with her sister-in-law, immediately slapping her with her free hand. “Last time Sister-in-law said she was going to a banquet and didn’t have suitable jewelry, worried about losing face for the Wu family, and borrowed my gold silk tiara and a complete set of gold jewelry inlaid with rubies. You still haven’t returned them—have I pressed you for them?”
“They say a married daughter is like spilled water, but haven’t I been generous and good enough to my maternal family? I’ve practically emptied my husband’s household, and you still think I’m not speaking nicely enough?”
Wu Shi angrily overturned the kang table, and teacups and teapots crashed to the ground with a clatter. “I told my husband that I would definitely get the money back this time. Anyway, if I can’t get the money back, I have no face to return home. I’ll stay at my maternal family and press you for the money every day. I don’t believe that debtors have more sense than creditors!”
Sister-in-law Wu sneered coldly, “Oh my, who’s not repaying debts? Do you have promissory notes? If you really have promissory notes, would Lady actually take her own brother to court? Besides, we didn’t borrow money—we were helping Lady lend usury to supplement the household income. All the profits are yours. Your brother worked hard to find connections for lending, and you’re not grateful—you even want to bite us.”
Wu Shi hadn’t expected her brother and sister-in-law to have this attitude of turning plaintiff into defendant. Trembling with rage, just as she was about to curse again, a maid outside reported that the master had sent Mu Baihu to question the lady.
Wang Qianhu found it inconvenient to come personally, because if he came, it would imply forgiveness, reconciliation, and that he wanted to take Wu Shi home. Wang Daxia never set foot in Wu Shi’s maternal family’s door, Wang Daqiu was still young, so he asked Mu Baihu to help make this trip.
When Wu Shi went to see Mu Baihu, her first words were: “How is Daqiu? Is he looking for his mother? Tell him I’m visiting relatives and will be back in a few days.”
Mu Baihu dismissed everyone and relayed Wang Qianhu’s words completely. “…This matter can be suppressed through connections, abandoning the vehicle to save the commander—losing the position to preserve the title. But the usury money must definitely be recovered. As long as the Wang family’s money remains out there accumulating compound interest, it provides ammunition for others, and this matter cannot be suppressed. Both position and title will be lost.”
After hearing this, Wu Shi felt ice-cold all over. “But my brother and sister-in-law say it cannot be recovered now. Those who borrow usury are all in urgent need of money—some even run away before the repayment date after borrowing, which is why usury charges such high interest. At most, they can recover seventy percent of principal and interest, and this requires time and enforcers to collect debts. The enforcers also take ten percent as their fee. It takes at least one or two years to turn the money around.”
Usury involved layer upon layer of exploitation, driving borrowing families to ruin and death, squeezing out the last drop of blood, forcing them to sell children and daughters—utterly conscienceless and despised by all. So once an official was exposed for usury lending, it was always a scandal, and they would certainly be attacked en masse by censors.
Greedy people were too lazy even to wait for chickens to lay eggs—they all hoped for money to make money, to earn quick profits. But money doesn’t necessarily make money; mostly it breeds disaster.
Mu Baihu managed security in the northern district and naturally understood this matter was difficult to handle. He said, “But the Beijing evaluation results will come out in autumn—Madam has at most two months.”
Wu Shi cried until she was like a pear blossom in rain. “This concubine cannot do it!”
Mu Baihu thought to himself: You too have this day—it’s self-inflicted. Other families’ wives scrimp from their husband’s household to help their maternal families—small matters that can be overlooked with one eye open, one eye closed. You wanted to move your husband’s entire family fortune to your maternal family. Fortunately, the shops, houses, and farmland were all registered under the names of the Wang father and son, otherwise with your greedy brother and sister-in-law, wouldn’t they have coaxed and deceived everything away from you?
Mu Baihu said, “Madam’s actions—losing money is a small matter, but the Wang family’s five-generation hereditary title will be lost. Now there’s only one way to save Wang Qianhu’s title.”
“What method?” Wu Shi stopped crying, like grasping the last lifeline. “Please tell me, Mu Baihu—even if it means touching a pot of oil or rolling on a nail board, I’ll do it.”
“It won’t… come to that.” Mu Baihu said, “As long as Madam voluntarily requests to leave the marriage and takes responsibility herself, Wang Qianhu won’t be guilty of greed, but of lax family management and negligent oversight—losing position to preserve title.”
Mu Baihu had been promoted by Wang Qianhu with his own hands and lived in the Wang household—naturally, everything he did was for Wang Qianhu’s benefit. He had long felt that Wu Shi was not a virtuous person, and she had even used flattery-to-kill tactics against stepson Wang Daxia, wanting to seize the future thousand-household position. Such a woman was unworthy of Wang Qianhu.
Unfortunately, Wang Qianhu was bewitched by his young wife, and having gained a young son Daqiu, Mu Baihu couldn’t very well urge the couple to separate.
This time Wu Shi had really gone too far—the Wang family’s five-generation hereditary title was about to be severed.
“This—” Wu Shi felt as if struck by five thunderbolts. “This would be worse than making me touch a pot of oil or roll on a nail board. If I leave the marriage, what about Daqiu? He’s still so young.”
Mu Baihu said, “Daqiu would still be a thousand-household’s son. If Wang Qianhu cannot preserve his title, Daqiu would just be an ordinary commoner’s son.”
Wu Shi tightly wrung her handkerchief with both hands and fell silent.
Actually, as an outsider, Mu Baihu naturally had no right to interfere in the couple’s affairs, especially in such a major matter as divorce. He was just testing to see if Wu Shi was truly repentant and would acknowledge responsibility and make amends for her mistakes.
But seeing Wu Shi’s evasive eyes now, Mu Baihu was not surprised. “I understand Madam’s meaning. I take my leave.”
Mu Baihu returned and truthfully informed Wang Qianhu that the money could not be recovered. “…Uncle Wu has already lent out all four thousand taels of silver—it cannot all be recovered within one or two years, let alone with only two months before the Beijing evaluation. Even if we obtain the debtor list and try to collect principal without interest, those who borrowed usury were all in urgent need of money—the money is all spent, how could they have money to repay us? If we send enforcers to press them, not wanting even one percent interest, censors would still impeach the thousand-household for exploiting the common people. This time we’re really trapped in a dead end.”
Now this was troublesome. The word “greedy” couldn’t be shaken off—it would follow Wang Qianhu for life.
This wasn’t marrying a wife—it was clearly marrying a disaster! Wang Qianhu was burning with anxiety.
Mu Baihu said, “The only method is to divorce the wife and clear all connections. Don’t hope to recover the four thousand taels of silver that was lent out. Find the debtors and publicly burn the promissory notes—whether they repay or not in the future depends entirely on individual conscience. Announce this matter publicly so Uncle Wu has no money to earn and thus cannot hire enforcers to force debtors to repay. Only this way can we preserve Thousand-household’s reputation.”
Mu Baihu’s method of breaking wealth to avoid disaster was ruthless enough—the Wang family would truly be left with just an empty shell even if they didn’t die.
Like a warrior severing his own arm, Wang Qianhu could only sigh. “Do as you suggest—forgive all debts, don’t want the principal back. Silver can be accumulated again, but if the five-generation ancestral hereditary thousand-household title is lost, I would have no face to meet my ancestors even in death!”
Mu Baihu picked up his sword. “With the Northern District Military Commission’s connections, obtaining the debtor list and promissory notes isn’t too difficult. Thousand-household, quickly write the divorce papers.”
Mu Baihu left with his subordinates, just as Wu Shi, having washed off her makeup and wearing plain clothes with disheveled hair, spread a straw mat at the Wang residence entrance and knelt on it, removing her hairpins in penance.
The Wang residence main gate was on Drum Tower West Side Street, quickly drawing crowds of onlookers—the scene rivaling the day Wang Daxia was surrounded by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Wei Caiwei had finished her consultation and was being driven back in a carriage by people from the Duke of Chengguo’s residence. She happened to see this scene and was quite surprised: she had just gone out to check the pregnancy pulse of the Duke of Chengguo’s heir’s wife—Lu Ying’s elder sister—and returned home. In just one hour, what had happened to this world?
Wang Qianhu heard the news and hurried over, opening the main gate.
Seeing her husband arrive, Wu Shi presented a handwritten letter with both hands. “This concubine is neither virtuous nor moral, greedy and foolish, causing great trouble beyond redemption. This concubine is unworthy to be the Wang residence’s mistress and voluntarily requests to leave the marriage.”
Mu Baihu quietly asked her, “I asked you to voluntarily request divorce this afternoon, but you didn’t agree. Why did you wait until now to come?”
Wu Shi cried, “I wanted to get back the betrothal gifts my husband gave when we were engaged and return them to the Wang family—to compensate a little if possible. After you left, I immediately asked my brother and sister-in-law for them. They said the betrothal gifts were all used for my younger brother’s wedding—not a single copper coin remained. I could only come empty-handed to voluntarily request divorce.”
Author’s Note: Strange CP couples are increasing again. The Ming Dynasty version of P2P has crashed.