Chapter 63: The Bond Has Reached Its End

Fifty thousand taels of silver was certainly not a small sum.

Take the ledger books sent over by the Liang family, for instance; Uncle Hu and his men had been auditing them over the past few days and giving daily reports, so Madam Liang had a clear idea of the amounts.

For Madam Chai to cough up fifty thousand taels in one go was nearly half of the total sum recorded in those account books. Of course it was not a small amount.

Although Li Mingshan directed his words to Pei Yanzhou, the latter remained silent, leaving Madam Liang to speak her mind.

After pondering for a long time, Madam Liang finally said, "Fifty thousand taels in silver notes shall be delivered to the General's Mansion today. As for your mention of Li Ziyang, even if we do not send him back to the ancestral temple in Xuzhou, he must at the very least be driven out of the city. There are plenty of dilapidated temples in the suburbs, or failing that, he can practice asceticism under the banner of the Three Qing. To let him stay at home living in luxury and ease would be letting him off far too lightly."

Li Mingshan figured that as long as the person wasn't exiled entirely, everything else was negotiable. Whether sent to a Buddhist temple or a Taoist monastery, if outsiders ever brought it up, he could simply claim the youth had been sent away to cultivate his mind and temperament. At the very least, that would prevent further damage to the family's already tarnished reputation.

Madam Chai, however, was dissatisfied. "I'm already giving you..."

"I said before, I am not after your family's silver," Madam Liang interrupted, glaring at her. "And I also said that if your family is truly unhappy with this, we can take the matter straight to the Emperor's court to argue it out."

Only then did she turn back to Li Mingshan. "Lord Li, can you actually make the decision here or not?"

"We shall defer to Madam Liang's judgment!" Li Mingshan said decisively. "We will send him to the Three Qing Monastery outside the city and ask the Heir Apparent to leave men behind to keep watch. To the outside world, we will simply announce that he is accompanying the sixth young master to practice asceticism, and that he will be brought home only when the time comes for him to take a new bride. Aside from that, nothing else will be said. The fifty thousand taels of ready cash will be delivered to your esteemed mansion today. As for the sixth young master, he..."

He hesitated, leaving his sentence unfinished. Pei Yanzhou immediately took over the words. "I will send someone to bring him back tonight. He can receive treatment for his illness and recover from his injuries; he will still be able to stay at the Li residence for a few more days."

Madam Liang smoothly added, "Indeed. We still have a few days before we leave Yangzhou. By the time we depart, Li Ziyang's injuries will be mostly healed, which will be just the right time to send him off to the Three Qing Monastery. Lord Li, what do you think?"

The decisions were entirely up to them to begin with. Despite the polite veneer of consultation, the underlying attitude was anything but cooperative.

How could Li Mingshan possibly be in a position to object?

Now, the silver had been surrendered, yet his son still could not remain at home. The loss outweighed any gain, but there was nothing he could do.

He took a deep breath and had no choice but to nod. "I think this arrangement is very good."

Madam Chai still had something to say, but Li Mingshan immediately pressed a hand down on her. "Are you trying to stir up further trouble?"

Madam Liang let out a cold snort and stood up, walking toward the doorway. As she passed Madam Chai, she paused slightly, cast a sideways glance, and said, "Madam Chai, conduct yourself well."

With that, she left without looking back, unwilling to entangle herself any further with Madam Chai.

Pei Yanzhou and Pei Jingxing, the two brothers, naturally followed closely behind her.

Li Mingshan had originally intended to see them out, but Madam Liang radiated such an air of rejection that he was rebuffed before he could even catch up.

This was hardly the proper way to treat guests, but under the circumstances and after such a chaotic scene, there was truly no room for polite formalities. After a moment's thought, Li Mingshan simply instructed the servants to properly escort Madam Liang and her party out of the estate and let it be.

As for Madam Chai, she waited until the sound of Madam Liang's footsteps had completely faded beyond the covered corridor before sweeping every vase and jar in the main hall onto the floor, smashing them to smithereens.

The room was left in utter chaos, covered in a litter of shards, yet Li Mingshan did not even lift a finger to stop her.

When Madam Chai had vented almost to her limit, she pointed straight at his nose and cursed, "I have never seen such a spineless coward in all my life! Fifty thousand taels of silver, and you couldn't even manage to keep our son at home! Then what was the point of me parting with all that silver? And what are you afraid of? Just what is so remarkable about the Marquis of Xintong's Mansion? My family..."

"You aren't afraid, but I am!"

Having been married for decades, it wasn't as though Li Mingshan had never tried to reason with her.

Back when they were both young, he possessed a mild and gentle temperament. Before their marriage, his parents had warned him that the young lady of the Chai family was somewhat spoiled and told him to yield to her more often so that marital harmony could be preserved.

He had figured that since Madam Chai was marrying down into his family, he must not let her suffer any grievances.

That yielding had lasted for half a lifetime.

Li Mingshan's face was etched with profound exhaustion. "The Chai family? Do you truly believe that if we offend the Marquis of Xintong's Mansion, the Chai family can protect you? Or are you relying on someone else entirely?"

He raised his gaze, shaking his head repeatedly. "At your age, you are still just as devoid of sense. Do you think this is some trivial matter? Setting everything else aside, you are a woman yourself. The sixth young master committed such an act against an unmarried young lady—doesn't he deserve to be carved into a thousand pieces? The only reason I am doing this is because he is my son, and when Madam Liang and the Pei brothers came knocking on our door, I had no choice. I had to save him, otherwise I wouldn't care if Madam Liang beat him to death! I advise you to rein in your temper as well. Do not go about believing that there is no one under the heavens who can deal with you. And as for the things you said earlier—"

Now that Madam Liang had been escorted away, Li Mingshan calmed down to carefully ponder what Madam Chai had said previously, and his expression grew even gloomier. "Do you truly believe that if this went all the way before the Emperor, His Majesty would favor you or the Chai family? As for what schemes you harbor in your heart, I am entirely clear on them. Regardless of how General Liang stands, His Majesty has already chosen not to pursue the matter further. With so many people protecting the young Lady Liang, how on earth dared you utter such words right to Madam Liang's face?"

"I was merely..."

"I said, if you dare to cause any more trouble, I will write a letter of divorce and send you right back to the Chai family." Li Mingshan felt a bone-deep exhaustion in both body and mind.

He knew all too well that principles he had failed to make her understand over the past few decades could never be explained to Madam Chai in the span of three or five days.

If she were capable of seeing reason, she would no longer be Madam Chai.

Li Mingshan slowly stood up. "Madam Liang told you to conduct yourself well. I give you those exact same words. Think on it carefully by yourself. Starting today, I will manage the affairs of this household. You are to speak less. If you ever dare point at my nose and curse me again, you will pack your bags and return to the Chai family."

Madam Chai had never heard such harsh words in all her life, and she felt deeply and utterly wronged. "You wouldn't dare! Without me, where would you ever find fifty thousand taels of silver? You stand there acting so high and mighty now, but in the end, aren't you still relying on me? Li Mingshan, what right do you have to..."

"Then don't provide the silver." Li Mingshan was almost at the threshold when, hearing Madam Chai's words, he suddenly stopped and turned back.

He lacked the strength to argue with her any further. She had spent half a lifetime failing to grasp reality; saying anything more was utterly useless.

Whether it was her or their several sons, none of them were what he wanted.

By now, even if he were to truly become a solitary man, perhaps it would finally bring him peace.

"The sixth young master is my son, but he is utterly worthless. The Li family has reached its end with our generation," Li Mingshan closed his eyes slightly. "If you wish to save him, deliver the fifty thousand taels to the General's Mansion. If you believe you can use that fifty thousand taels to manipulate me, then let the sixth young master die. Whatever Madam Liang chooses to do with him, I will not interfere. But Madam Chai, for the rest of your life, you will never think to control me again."

When matters reached this point, the bonds of husband and wife had run their course.

Though Madam Chai was a foolish woman, she understood at least that much.

Even if she managed to rescue the sixth young master, things would remain just like this in the future; the control she had held over Li Mingshan for the past decades was gone forever.

She clenched her teeth until they nearly shattered, glaring viciously at Li Mingshan's retreating back, yet she could no longer find the words to make him stay.