When Tao CiCi woke up, he saw his mother lying weakly on the bed. His two sisters, Dong Chun and Qiu Xia, were attending to her, wiping away tears from time to time.
He felt so sad, but he couldn't do anything. He could only cry, trying hard to hold back his tears, not wanting his mother to worry about him any further.
He secretly resolved in his heart to study hard and become his mother's greatest support, ensuring no one would dare bully her again.
The events of the previous night had already become the talk of the town. Tao Qianmian, having just recovered from an old injury, sustained new wounds and was confined to bed, unable to attend court.
However, the Ministry of Personnel officials who came to examine him declared him to be in excellent health. Tao Qianmian argued vehemently, even suspecting the official was deliberately trying to harm him.
Finally, the Emperor sent an imperial physician to examine him. After taking his pulse for a long time, the physician reached the same conclusion as the doctor brought by the Ministry of Personnel.
The Emperor, furious, immediately stripped him of his official post. He deemed this person to be incredibly arrogant, lying so outrageously just to avoid attending court. If he didn't want to come, he would never be allowed to come again.
Now, with peace prevailing across the land and the Jin Kingdom weakened, along with many rising talents, the presence of General Tao CiCi had no impact on the Zhao Kingdom.
Without the title of General, the General's mansion was naturally to be reclaimed. However, the Emperor, in his benevolence, granted them three days to relocate.
Jun Jiuli had already purchased a courtyard residence in the capital. Before the soldiers arrived, she moved all the valuable items, leaving all the imperial gifts untouched.
Zheng Wan'er's eyes were almost cried blind. Her fate was now completely in Jun Jiuli's hands.
Brother Qianmian was no longer the Great General. He had even told her to keep a low profile and not anger the Jiang family any further. From now on, both of them would have to rely on the Jiang family for sustenance.
The two lamented their tragic fates, and in their shared misery, a spark of love ignited between them.
It was then that Jun Jiuli burst in with her entourage, catching them in the act and taking them directly to the Jingzhao Prefecture, demanding a divorce from her husband.
The Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture looked troubled. "Madam Jiang, since ancient times, there has only been mutual separation and a wife divorcing her husband, but never a husband divorcing his wife."
At this, Jun Jiuli tearfully pleaded, "Your Honor, Tao Qianmian is truly inhuman. Zheng Wan'er is our adopted daughter! She is a full 20 years younger than him. This is incest!"
"Wuwuwu, I dare to come to the yamen today, not fearing shame. That day, he even found a Taoist priest to whip me, saying I was possessed. I believe he simply wanted to beat me to death to monopolize my Jiang family's wealth."
The surrounding crowd was in an uproar, exclaiming what a terrible person Tao Qianmian was. He had such a good wife as Madam Jiang yet still caused trouble. They all shouted from outside, "Divorce him! Divorce him!"
The Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture slammed his gavel. "Silence!" The crowd immediately quieted down.
At this, Jun Jiuli produced the divorce decree, bearing their signatures and handprints, and handed it to a bailiff to present.
"Your Honor, we both agreed to the divorce. Furthermore, Tao Qianmian originally married into my Jiang family. It is only right that I divorce him now."
The common people outside nodded, finding her words to be very reasonable.
The Governor asked Tao Qianmian if this was his voluntary decision. Tao Qianmian quickly nodded in agreement. This woman was too strange, and it was best to part ways as soon as possible.
Seeing this, the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture had nothing more to say. He placed the divorce decree with their marriage certificate, dipped his brush in cinnabar ink, and wrote "divorce him" on it.
"Now that your marital relationship has been dissolved, neither of you shall interfere with each other's future marriages."
"Your Honor, my two sons shall remain with me. After all, they are of the Jiang family bloodline. My generation of the Jiang family only has me as a daughter. If no descendants are left for the Jiang family, my father will not rest in peace!"
"Tao Qianmian, do you agree to Miss Jiang's request?"
Just as Tao Qianmian was about to answer, Tao Chuzhu stumbled in. "Wait."
The moment Tao Chuzhu woke up, he heard Qiu Xia say that his parents were divorcing. He knew it must be because Zheng Wan'er and his father's affair had been exposed. Thus, he rushed to the yamen. He still bore the Jiang surname. The Governor of Jingzhao might let him go with his mother to continue the Jiang family line.
He had rushed in, and the servants had kept their mouths shut. Therefore, he was unaware that Tao Qianmian had lost his official post. All of this was within Jun Jiuli's calculations.
"Your Honor, I do not wish to go with my mother. If my younger brother goes with my mother to continue the Jiang family line, what about the Tao family's lineage? I am willing to go with my father and continue the Tao family's lineage. I hope your honor will grant this." He then kowtowed firmly to the ground.
Tao Qianmian looked deeply moved. Jun Jiuli appeared to be struck with grief, swaying precariously. Jiang Zhici, kneeling beside her, supported her.
He glared angrily at his elder brother. "Brother, do you know that while you were unconscious these past few days, Mother stayed up day and night taking care of you, while Father paid you no mind? Yet, you now wish to abandon Mother. Are you worthy of your conscience?"
"Younger brother, you are still young, so I will not quarrel with you. Our brothers cannot both follow Mother; it would be unfair to Father."
"Good, good, you are truly good. Mother, since Brother doesn't want us, we don't want him either. In the future, your son will surely bring you honor and ensure your life is not difficult."
Tao Chuzhu's actions had deeply wounded Jiang Zhici's young heart. He had witnessed firsthand his mother's devotion to his elder brother during those days.
Yet, he was so heartless, choosing to side with the father who had caused their mother so much pain. From this day forward, he, Jiang Zhici, no longer had a brother.
Jun Jiuli, holding Jiang Zhici, wept tears. Forcing back her tears, she said to the Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture, "Your Honor, since he is unwilling to follow me, I shall not force him. I beg your honor to swap the surnames of these two brothers."
After consultation, everyone agreed to this arrangement. The Governor of Jingzhao Prefecture changed their names in the household registration. This farce of a day finally concluded.
Jun Jiuli, with her son, rode in a carriage back to her own residence to live at leisure. Tao Qianmian, dejected, led his son out of the yamen gates.
"Father, what did you say? You were actually dismissed from office!"
Tao Chuzhu felt a wave of dizziness. He forced himself to ask, "Then what about my maternal grandfather's businesses?"
"Your mother took it all back, and the secret informants I planted were all dealt with."
Tao Chuzhu fainted again. He truly regretted it. Now that his father had nothing, what future could he have by following him? They might even have to endure hardship.
The spot where Tao Chuzhu fainted happened to have a sharp stone, which directly cut his face. Tao Qianmian, dragging his ailing body, finally managed to carry his son back to the General's mansion.
They encountered a group of soldiers who unceremoniously threw Zheng Wan'er out of the mansion, along with a few bundles containing their belongings. Without a place to stay, the three of them had to go to a dilapidated temple in the west of the city to vie for space with the beggars.