Mr. and Mrs. Liu themselves beat Liu Chuan, but they didnt think much of it. However, when they saw others beating their precious son, the feeling was different. Madame Qi rushed up to hug Liu Chuan, using a handkerchief to wipe away the blood from his mouth while glaring at Liu Chengcai: "Sir, will you let these unscrupulous and coarse people bully our Liu family? When commoners hit officials, they should be caned!"

  He Zhizhong scolded He Dalang: "Speak properly, youre already in your thirties, how can you be so impulsive and resort to violence? Its laughable that youre so crude and ignorant of etiquette."

  Liu Chengcais heart ached and he trembled with rage, but his rationality was still intact. Stomping his foot, he said: "He did such an absurd thing, beating his wife, he should taste the experience of being beaten by others! Let him learn from this lesson and see if he dares to be reckless again in the future! At over twenty years old, he still doesnt know whats important or not! He has completely lost face for our Liu family!"

  He Dalang pinched his fingers, looking at the bloodshot eyes of Liu Chuans cold smile: "Not convinced? Not convinced to start a fight. See the official just see the official, what are you afraid of? Even if we get dozens of slaps, we must first vent our anger! On the main hall, I will also tell others that the adulterer has done shameful things and still dares to show off his might, where is there such a shameless thing in the world?! My He familys threshold should be cut and burned and replaced, lest it ruin my familys feng shui! Spit! What kind of thing!"

  Liu Chang still didnt know that the Qinghua County Master had gone to the He family, and turned his face towards Qi Furen. Qi Furen scolded: "Whats wrong with you, provoking that person for no reason? Yesterday, as soon as he left our house, he went to the He family to show off."

  Liu Chuan suddenly pushed open the door, spitting out a mouthful of bloody saliva, and glared at He Dalang with his neck stiff: "Im not afraid of you, its just..." He glared viciously at Peony, but he didnt want to leave yet. Seeing Peony looking at him expressionlessly, he couldnt express the feelings in his heart, she was probably eager for him to die, right? The wound on his arm was aching again, and he smiled coldly: "Now that weve fought and vented our anger, can we have a good talk?"

  He Zhizhong glanced at his wife and daughter, but saw that Mrs. Cen had a resolute expression on her face, while Peony looked indifferent. Although he didnt know the specific details, he believed that Mrs. Cens decision wouldnt be reckless. He sighed silently and beckoned Peony to come over: "Peony, things have reached this point, what do you want to do now?"

  Peony walked away, and before she could speak, Liu Chengcai coaxed in a soft voice: "Dan Niang, good child, you have been wronged. Dont worry, this kind of thing will never happen again." He also looked at Qi Fu Ren, hinting that she should hurry up and coax her too.

  Madam Qi was already fed up with Peony in her heart, and she remained silent with a stiff face. Liu Chengcai had no choice but to scold Liu Chang: "You ungrateful son! Dont you hurry to apologize to your wife?"

  Liu Chong didnt say a word, only staring fiercely at Peony with his eyes. She dared to say she wanted to leave, did she? Peony gave him a faint smile and bowed to Liu Chengcai: "Sir, why must you force someone against their will? A forced melon is not sweet, its better to be considerate of others and oneself. Dan Niang doesnt want to be a bad person, she wants to keep her life to take good care of her parents."

  "Father, from now on, even if I die of illness, I would not want to be a wife of the Liu family again! He and I, we will sleep in different beds, die in different graves. Its best that we never see each other again."

  He Zhizhong sighed and patted Mudans shoulder: "In that case, lets go!"

  "Whats wrong with you, Peony!" Liu Chuan rushed over in one swift motion, reaching out to grab Peony. He hadnt given up on her, so why did she dare reject him in front of all these people? He wouldnt allow it! He wouldnt allow it! Even if they were to part ways, it should be him rejecting her, not the other way around. But before he could even touch Peonys sleeve, he was pushed away by He Dalang with a single palm.

  "Lius kid still wants to pick a fight?" He Dalang sneered, "Youre so vicious in front of us, who knows what kind of atrocities you commit behind our backs!"

  "Be more respectful!" He Zhizhong shouted at He Dalang, then nodded towards Liu Chengcai: "My intention is to make peace and disperse, I wonder what Lord Liu thinks?"

  Is it easy to disperse? I dont know what the conditions for this easy dispersion are. Liu Chengcais mind thought of dozens of ideas in an instant, and he quickly made up his mind. Since things have come to this point, it is indeed that a forced melon is not sweet, so he must fight for more benefits for his family. Before he could speak, Liu Cheng had already provocatively glared at Peony, shouting loudly: "Dont even think about it! My woman, Im in charge! I disagree! I wont write the divorce letter!"

  As expected, he had such a temper. Only he would discard others like worn-out shoes, and no one else would dare to reject him. Peony gazed at him with a sarcastic smile: "So youre reluctant to part with my dowry and my familys money."

  Liu Chuans face suddenly turned multicolored with rage, gritting his teeth as he said: "You...!" He didnt need that stinky money now!

  "Otherwise, what else? Are you still remembering the shame of that time and want to keep me here, torturing me to death just to satisfy your own desires? You resent me for taking away your good marriage, Ive already repaid you with three years of my youth, were even now. If youre a man, dont continue to entangle yourself in this, also leave some face for yourself, dont let people look down on you. A man should have broader horizons, not dwell on these things, and be worthy of respect."

  "Peonys words were harsh, even Liu Chengcai couldnt bear to listen anymore. He coldly shouted: Thats enough! Dont stop her again!"

  "Lets have the ladies go home first, and the gentlemen stay behind to discuss with Mr. Liu." She then handed the dowry list to He Daren: "My intention is that large items are not easy to take away, but these small things must be taken away. Our familys shop is not far from here, so we can call some workers to come and collect these odds and ends."

  How outrageous! Madame Qi had long forgotten how her own family had begged the Hes in the past, and was so angry that she trembled with rage: "This is the Liu household, not the He household. Do you think you can do as you please? Is there still no justice?"

  Madam Cen said with a seemingly smiling yet not quite smiling expression: "If its about the dowry, well take it away. Could it be that Dan Niangs dowry is actually incomplete? If thats really the case, dont be polite, just say so. We can also yield and give in. Our family isnt lacking these few taels of silver, and we still know how to leave some leeway for others."

  Madam Qi was so angry that she fell back: "Who cares about her dowry?"

  Madam Cen said, "Isnt that enough? If you continue to block us like this, we know you cant bear to part with Dan Niang, but others wont understand and will say who-knows-what. If she doesnt bring back the valuable trinkets like peonies today, itll be a wasted trip. As for other things, they can be discussed later."

  Liu Chengcais temples throbbed with impatience as he said, "Let them move." If things continued like this, it wouldnt be a big deal. One step at a time, first resolve the crisis in front of him before anything else. His status and position couldnt withstand such ridicule.

  He Zhizhong went to Liu Chengcai, made a fist, and didnt say much. He just sat in the middle of the courtyard, waiting for his family members to come and move things away. Even though it had reached this point, he still didnt want to completely fall out with Liu Chengcai, after all, the other was an official, while he was a commoner.

  The peony shook off its peduncle and entrusted He Dalang with a worried expression: "Brother, take care of my flower."

  He Dali nodded: "I know. Just go."

  Shai Shai knew she was going out and got so excited that she couldnt stop laughing: "Ha ha!"

  Liu Chuans fists were clenched tightly, his eyes fixed on Peony as she walked out of the courtyard with the He family, her steps light and carefree, without any hesitation. Shame and anger made him almost go mad, he wanted to rush forward and grab her, but felt too embarrassed, his heart in turmoil, suddenly shouting: "Wait, I have something to say to her!"

  Peony saw his bloodshot eyes and gloomy gaze, and for some reason, she felt a little apprehensive in her heart. Nevertheless, she puffed out her chest and said: "What do you want to say?"

  Liu Chuan saw her feigned fearlessness and sneered coldly: "You go back home and play for a few days, Ill come to pick you up after a while." Before Peony turned around, he silently said: "Do you believe me, I will exhaust you to death."

  "Peony was taken aback, casting a disdainful glance at him, silently saying: Lets see who exhausts whom. She could wait, he could endure, but the young lady of Qinghua Manor couldnt. Besides, she had already taken the most crucial step, and what remained wasnt a problem."

  As she walked out of the Lius gate, Peony looked up at the bright sun in the sky and felt that the sky was so blue, the clouds were so white, and the air was so fresh. Even the hustle and bustle on the street and the people coming and going seemed to have an inexplicable charm.

  The He family set out, regardless of whether they were men or women, all riding horses. Only Mrs. Cen was old and disliked the carriage for being stuffy, so she rode in a sedan chair. Xues wife put a canopy hat on Peony and laughed: "I knew it would be like this, we should have taken a carriage instead. Dan Niang is still ill and probably doesnt have the energy to ride a horse. Why dont we wait for a moment and rent another carriage?"

  Madam Cen glanced at Peony and said, "Shes so weak, let her ride with me in the sedan chair on our way home. We can take it slow." After finishing speaking, she took Peonys hand and got into the white rattan sedan chair. The mother-daughter duo leaned against each other, each lost in their own thoughts as they headed back home.

  Xue sighed silently, put on her veil, and skillfully mounted her horse. She led a group of people to slowly follow behind the sedan chair, feeling somewhat heavy-hearted and frustrated. How could they possibly arrange for Peonys residence?

  Madam Cens sedan chair was not like a palanquin, but had only an oilcloth canopy to keep off the sun, and light silk curtains around it, making it both cool and convenient for sightseeing. It was just right for Peony, who rarely went out, to find everything novel. The beautiful Hu Ji sold wine at her counter, men rode horses with swords by their sides, looking dashing and carefree, while women either wore mens clothes or barbarian dress, or wore brightly colored skirts, wearing hats that showed their faces, in groups of three or five, either riding horses or walking along the road, chatting and laughing, feeling very comfortable.

  This is the life she wanted to live. Peony turned her head and took a last look at the Liu familys black-tiled gate, which represented their status, then abruptly turned back, leaned on Mrs. Cens shoulder, and said softly: "Mother, daughter always troubles you and father."

  Madam Cen stroked her hand affectionately: "Whats the point of saying that? Were a family."

  "Peony sighed: Hes just afraid he wont let me off easily. And that money..."

  "Be afraid of what? You just live comfortably, eat when you should eat, play when you should play. The rest is for your father and brothers to worry about." Although this was said, both mother and daughter knew that things were not so simple.

  They can stand up straight in front of the Liu family because they have something on them, and for the same reason, the Liu family wont let Peony go easily. Today is just a small victory.

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