Chapter 107: The Tide Turns

“Now that things have come to this, what do you think we should do?”

Looking at her eldest daughter-in-law’s anxious face, Mrs. Li’s anger surged uncontrollably.

She had trusted this daughter-in-law enough to let her manage the household, yet now, the Xue family’s savings accumulated over many years were all squandered. If it hadn’t been for the second branch causing a commotion, the Xue family might have been completely ruined by the eldest branch father and son.

Zhao had no better ideas and hesitated, “Shall we wait a bit longer, save up enough money, and then build a new residence?”

“Then you go live in the side courtyard?” Mrs. Li asked sternly.

“...”

Zhao fell silent. Having been accustomed to the grand mansion, the thought of moving into a dilapidated side house was more unbearable than death.

Seeing the silence between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, Xue Rui cautiously suggested, “Grandmother, how about listening to my idea?”

“What foolish scheme have you come up with this time?”

Zhao immediately frowned. This nephew had been rather irresponsible in the past but now showed a cunning and sinister side that instinctively posed a threat to her.

Xue Rui sighed, “Since we don’t have enough for a new house, why not follow Aunt-in-law’s idea and divide the family? That way, Grandmother won’t be troubled.”

“Really?”

Zhao was slightly surprised. She hadn’t expected Xue Rui to agree to splitting the family. With the family treasury depleted, the second branch would surely suffer losses in a division.

“Really, but we must agree beforehand that since Uncle and cousin have spent so much of the family’s money, they should compensate our second branch accordingly. We cannot accept Grandfather’s old division plan as a mere formality; that would be unfair,” Xue Rui declared firmly.

Since ancient times, dividing a family was bound to cause conflict. Now that their weak point was exposed, without sufficient compensation, the second branch would never agree.

Zhao looked toward the matriarch and tentatively asked, “Mother, since the second branch agrees, what division do you think is fair?”

Though Mrs. Li wanted to keep the second branch close to honor the Xue family, they couldn’t even afford to build a new house. How could they expect to keep them?

At this point, division was inevitable. Mrs. Li asked, “How much silver is left in the account?”

“About two hundred and fifty-six taels,” Zhao replied.

Mrs. Li thought for a moment, then looked at Xue Yuanhao and sighed. “Before your father passed, he bought one hundred and twenty-four acres of land, which is the only remaining asset of the household. He once told me that if we divided the family, you should get forty acres, a hundred taels of silver, and the side courtyard. Over the years, your eldest sister-in-law has delayed the division. Now with the treasury depleted and the land less valuable than before, the old division plan would be unfair to you. I’ve decided to split both the silver and the land equally between you brothers. What do you think?”

Everyone calculated quickly. If divided equally, the second branch would receive one hundred and twenty-eight taels of silver, sixty-two acres of land, and a side courtyard worth about fifty taels.

Since the disastrous defeat at Tumu Fortress, land prices in the capital had plummeted. Though prices had recently rebounded somewhat, they were still less than seventy percent of their former value. Those sixty-plus acres were worth roughly three to three hundred and seventy taels.

In total, the second branch would have assets worth just over five hundred taels.

The eldest branch, despite the massive deficit, had properties including land worth over three hundred taels, a three-section mansion worth no less than a thousand taels, some other real estate, and over a dozen servants. Their inheritance was several times greater.

Unfortunately, in traditional society, only the eldest legitimate son had inheritance rights, so the bulk of the family’s property belonged to the eldest branch. Fortunately, Xue Yuanhao was also Mrs. Li’s son, and with his official position, his status in the Xue family had risen considerably.

Otherwise, the second branch would be lucky just to have a side courtyard to live in, let alone dare to contest the family estate with the eldest branch.

At this moment, Xue Rui wisely remained silent and left the decision to his father.

Liu, standing nearby, seemed hesitant to speak out against the plan but remained silent after several failed attempts.

Though Mrs. Li was not kind to Xue Yuanhao, as her son, he had his complaints but was ultimately filial. He did not wish to make his mother’s situation difficult over the inheritance dispute and nodded without hesitation, “If Mother thinks this is appropriate, then I have no other demands.”

Mrs. Li turned to the second daughter-in-law and asked, “Liu, what do you think?”

“I... I have no objections,” Liu nodded.

Before the grandmother could look at her, Xue Rui spoke up, “I’ll follow my father’s decision.”

Mrs. Li looked at her eldest daughter-in-law and instructed, “When Yuanbo returns, you discuss this with him. If he agrees, withdraw the silver from the account and finalize the division as soon as possible.”

Though Zhao was reluctant to accept the division method proposed by her mother-in-law, she had no choice but to acquiesce.

This division was actually very favorable to the eldest branch. Zhao had managed the household for many years and, despite the deficit, had quietly set aside one or two hundred taels in a small private fund—an invisible asset.

However, with the land halved, the income would also be halved, meaning she would have to keep a closer eye on her son in the future. Otherwise, the household would soon fall into ruin.

Convincing herself, Zhao told Mrs. Li, “Mother, Yan’er’s father should be back soon. I’ll ask him. If he agrees, I’ll withdraw the silver and hand it over to your younger son.”

“Go ahead. Tell him this division is my decision. Don’t let him blame his brothers,” Mrs. Li instructed.

“No need, daughter-in-law,” Zhao said without expression, glancing once at the three Xue family members before leaving.

After they left, Mrs. Li looked at the Xue Yuanhao couple and said, “The land deeds are in my possession. I’ll get them shortly. You should register them in your name at the office. Also, I’ll give you Su’s servitude papers.”

“You’ve done so much for us, Mother,” Xue Yuanhao said ashamedly.

Mrs. Li shook her head, “It’s partly my fault for poor management. Otherwise, building you a house would be easy. Now that the family is divided, you’ll have to build your own. Fortunately, you have an official position; with some promotions, it’s still possible.”

After hesitating, Mrs. Li lowered her voice, “Hao’er, may I ask a favor?”

Xue Yuanhao quickly stood and smiled wryly, “Mother, just tell me what you want. No need to beg. That’s like shortening your son’s life.”

Mrs. Li sighed, “You know Yanbo is a bookworm, always commanded by his wife with no backbone of his own. Yan’er is undisciplined, spoiled by her mother, and full of bad habits. Who knows if he’ll ever achieve anything? The Xue family looks respectable now, but what if it falls apart? As the younger brother, you cannot just stand by. At least provide them with a meal or two. Otherwise, I won’t rest in peace.”

“Mother, that’s not true. Even though our families are separated, our blood is thicker than water. I won’t watch the Xue family decline,” Xue Yuanhao promised.

“That’s good to hear,” Mrs. Li smiled with relief, then turned to Liu, “Thinking back, I owe you much over the years. Come with me to get the land deeds later; I have something to tell you.”

“Ah... yes,” Liu was flustered. In all the years she had been married into the Xue family, Mrs. Li had never spoken this way to her before. She was naturally uneasy.

When the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law left, Xue Yuanhao and his son both breathed a sigh of relief. Now that the division was settled, they had achieved the outcome they wanted.

After a short while, Liu returned hastily, carrying a rather large square wooden box.

“Mother, is the land deed really kept in such a big box?” Xue Rui asked curiously.

“I’ll explain later,” Liu glanced around cautiously and, seeing no sign of Zhao, relaxed.

The three returned to the side courtyard. Liu closed the main room’s door and said to the father and son, “Grandmother called me earlier and gave me all her dowry!”

“Grandmother’s dowry?” Xue Yuanhao was stunned.

Years ago, Xue Rui’s grandfather passed the provincial exam and was favored by a merchant named Li in the capital, who married his daughter, Mrs. Li, to him.

When Mrs. Li married, her family gave a substantial dowry. Later, to support her husband, Mrs. Li pawned part of the dowry, which allowed the Xue family to gradually improve their fortunes.

They had assumed Mrs. Li’s dowry would go to the eldest branch, but unexpectedly, she gave it to Liu.

“How can you accept Grandmother’s dowry? If word gets out, eldest brother won’t let it go easily!” Xue Yuanhao said angrily.

Liu retorted, “I don’t want it either, but Grandmother insisted, fearing the eldest branch would squander it all. She gave it to me to help when the eldest branch is in trouble. If I refuse, she’ll think I harbor resentment.”

“Grandmother has been too kind to eldest uncle. Compared to my father, it’s like she adopted him from another family,” Xue Rui shook his head in disbelief.

“You little brat, how dare you slander your own father?” Xue Yuanhao’s face darkened. If his son hadn’t grown so much, he would have disciplined him.

Liu looked troubled, “What should we do? If we don’t accept it, Grandmother will worry. If we do, what if the eldest sister-in-law finds out and causes trouble?”

“Why be afraid? They didn’t steal the items. Once in our hands, they’re ours. If what Grandmother says is true and the eldest branch ruins the Xue family, at least we won’t let them starve. That’s enough,” Xue Rui said resignedly.

“That’s all we can do,” Xue Yuanhao shook his head and agreed to accept the dowry.

When they opened the box, the contents nearly made the three gasp.

It was mostly women’s jewelry, including an exquisitely crafted headdress made mostly of gold and silver. According to Liu, the headdress alone was worth at least one or two hundred taels.

There were also scattered items like gold hairpins with dangling beads, jade hairpins, earrings, bracelets, rings, and jade pendants. Altogether, they were worth at least another two hundred taels.

“Grandmother really had quite the treasures!” Xue Rui’s eyes sparkled. Their family had been destitute, but with this division, their assets suddenly neared a thousand taels. It was a windfall.

Liu tried on several pieces, occasionally asking the father and son if they looked good.

The two men showered her with praise.

After some time, Liu froze while putting on earrings.

“What’s wrong?” Xue Yuanhao noticed and asked.

Liu turned her head, panicked, “Oh no! The dowry from my family and the silver we saved were all taken by eldest sister-in-law! I forgot earlier. No, I have to get them back!”

She pushed open the door and ran toward the east wing, lifting her skirt.

“Quick, let’s go with her,” the father and son said, fearing Liu would be at a disadvantage, and hurried after her.

Over a month ago, when Xue Yuanhao was arrested and sent to the imperial prison, Xue Yuanbo and his wife, fearing repercussions, had expelled the mother and son that very night.

Caught off guard and still caring for Xue Rui, Liu was unprepared and didn’t even manage to retrieve the dowry and Xue Yuanhao’s years of savings locked in the chest.

Once they left, everything in the side courtyard naturally fell under Zhao’s control.

Upon opening the chest, Zhao found Liu’s dowry and over eighty taels of silver and accepted it all without hesitation.

Liu had been preoccupied with the division’s assets and had forgotten her own belongings were in her sister-in-law’s hands. Now realizing this, she naturally sought to retrieve them.

When Xue Rui and his father arrived, Zhao and Liu were already in a quarrel.

Zhao flatly denied taking the second branch’s private property, claiming she never saw those things.

Liu refused to believe her and rolled up her sleeves to search the room.

Just then, Xue Yuanbo, the eldest uncle, returned. Seeing his younger brother dressed in official robes, he was shocked and asked what had happened.

Upon learning that Xue Yuanhao had obtained an official post, Xue Yuanbo’s heart turned sour. He had tried for years to pass the provincial exam without success, while his brother, who never studied the classics, had secured a rank-eight official position. He deeply resented the Astronomical Bureau’s appointment system.

After a perfunctory congratulations, Zhao pulled Xue Yuanbo inside and told him about Mrs. Li’s decision to divide the family.

At first, Xue Yuanbo was displeased, but when his wife revealed that their mother knew about their squandering of family funds, he felt guilty. Over the years, he had made many questionable friends, who were no good at studying but skilled at drinking and debauchery. Being a man of face, he often hosted gatherings and spent a lot.

He was also furious about his son frequenting brothels. Because Zhao was strict, he never dared, yet his son did what he wouldn’t. It felt deeply unfair.

Of course, he could only grumble silently.

Realizing the division was irreversible, Xue Yuanbo asked, “My sister-in-law said you took her dowry and private savings. Is that true?”

“I didn’t take them. Who knows which dishonest servant did,” Zhao dodged.

Xue Yuanbo saw through it and sternly said, “Now that Yuanhao is an official, let’s avoid trouble. He might be able to help the family later. Don’t lose the big picture over small things.”

“He’s just an Astronomical Bureau officer. What help can he offer? He’s not our county magistrate and won’t help my husband pass the provincial exam,” Zhao scoffed.

Though ignorant of scholarly matters, she understood that officers of the Astronomical Bureau were outside the civil service system and had no interactions with others. She couldn’t see how Xue Yuanhao could help her husband.

Xue Yuanbo said angrily, “Think about it. Our family has an eighth-rank official now, almost equal in rank to the county magistrate. When I socialize, won’t my friends treat me with more respect?”

“Fine. I’ll ask the household servants later to help find the things. They’re not valuable anyway. Who cares?” Zhao said.

She didn’t understand the scholarly path, but more respect was always good. If her husband could pass the provincial exam sooner, then the imperial exams, and eventually become a high official with titles and privileges for his wife and children, that was the ultimate goal.

Compared to that grand ambition, Liu’s dowry and silver were insignificant.