His entire family perished in battle; he rose from the ashes to conquer the world.

In this respect, his wife and father-in-law did indeed help him in his early years.

On the other hand...

Mu Yuan's grandmother, also known as Old Madam Mu, helped him when he was down on his luck in his early years.

Both hands are flesh and blood.

It was indeed very difficult for Xu Wei to choose a side.

Before leaving, Mu Yuan glanced at Xu Wei, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

I also learned a lesson.

That is, there must be something hateful about a pitiful person.

Xu Wei was henpecked and always meek and submissive in front of his wife, appearing utterly pathetic. Despite being fully aware of the political situation at court, he did not restrain his wife's behavior.

Instead, they let Madam Xu cause trouble.

They appear pitiful, but are actually hateful.

Because if this continues, the entire Xu family will be dragged into it and become victims of the power struggle.

"Hmph, you think you can mess with me!"

Madam Xu watched Mu Yuan leave, her face full of smugness.

However, Mu Yuan had just reached the door.

"Nephew, wait!"

Xu Wei suddenly called out to Mu Yuan.

"What's with the slowness? Do you call the shots in this family, or do I?" When Madam Xu saw Xu Wei trying to persuade Mu Yuan to stay, the smugness on her face vanished without a trace, replaced by anger.

"I'm the head of the household, so of course I call the shots!"

Xu Wei, unlike his usual timidity in front of his wife, looked directly at Madam Xu without any hesitation.

Madam Xu was stunned.

She never expected that her husband, who had always been so timid and submissive in front of her, would dare to talk back to her and even look her in the eye.

He immediately threw a tantrum:

"Fine, you heartless bastard, you got all swayed by just a few words, and now you're the one dealing with me? Think back to what happened back then..."

Madam Xu was about to mention the kindness she had shown Xu Wei back then.

Unexpectedly, Xu Wei forcefully interrupted him: "Back then, back then, what else do you have besides back then?"

At this point, Xu Wei's aura grew increasingly assertive, and his voice rose considerably:

"I did receive favors from you and your father back then, but don't forget, I already had a good track record when I was a county magistrate; otherwise, I wouldn't have been transferred to the capital so smoothly!"

Xu Wei's sudden change and assertive attitude completely stunned Madam Xu.

After regaining her senses, she collapsed to the ground, throwing a tantrum and rolling around on the floor, accusing others while crying and sniffling:

"Xu Wei, you're a heartless bastard! Now that you've grown up, you're openly bullying me for the sake of an outsider! I can't live anymore!"

Madam Xu's loud crying quickly attracted the attention of the servants and maids of the Xu household.

They stood at the doorway, and seeing Madam Xu's actions, everyone wore an expression of disbelief.

Not long after.

Xu Yan also rushed over upon hearing the news.

She hurried into the house, helped Madam Xu to her feet, and sat her down in a chair. With concern, she asked, "Mother, what happened?"

Madam Xu pointed at Mu Yuan standing at the door, then added fuel to the fire, saying, "Your father bullied your mother for the sake of an outsider! I can't live anymore!"

Xu Yan was also shocked upon hearing this.

Throughout the Xu household, everyone knew that Xu Wei was afraid of his wife.

Let alone bullying her, they didn't even dare to say a few harsh words to Madam Xu.

Xu Yan clearly didn't trust Madam Xu, but she couldn't openly question her, so she could only say tactfully, "Mother, could there be some misunderstanding?"

"Misunderstanding? Look at your father's attitude now, what misunderstanding could there be?"

Madam Xu cried even louder.

Xu Yan raised her head and looked at Xu Wei. She saw that Xu Wei's eyes were wide open, his face was full of anger, and he was arrogant and domineering.

Seeing this, Xu Yan had no choice but to believe Madam Xu's words.

"Father, what exactly happened?"

Xu Wei did not rush to answer, but looked towards the door and said to the servants:

"Go and get on with your own business!"

The servants and maids, seeing Xu Wei so assertive for the first time, scattered like birds and beasts.

After dismissing the servants and maids, Xu Wei answered Xu Yan's question and recounted the whole story in detail.

After listening, Xu Yan glanced at Mu Yuan, and then fell into deep thought.

After a long silence, Xu Yan spoke:

"Mother, Father did the right thing, and Mu Yuan... was right too."

Upon hearing this, Madam Xu felt as if the sky had fallen. All along, not only had her husband listened to her, but her daughter, Xu Yan, had also been completely obedient to her.

Why are they all working against me now?

Unable to understand the reasoning behind this, Madam Xu directed all her anger at Mu Yuan.

She angrily pointed at Mu Yuan:

"It's all your fault! You're the one who started all this! If it weren't for you, my husband wouldn't have treated me like this, and my daughter wouldn't have stood up for me!"

Mu Yuan was both amused and exasperated by Madam Xu's unfounded accusations.

He was merely advising Xu Wei, and his intention was to do everything for the good of the Xu family.

Now, however, they have become the instigators.

"Mother, Mu Yuan is right. Although I don't understand much about court affairs, it's best for our Xu family not to get involved in the current situation." Xu Yan spoke up for Mu Yuan for the first time.

Enraged, Madam Xu slapped Xu Yan across the delicate face and said viciously:

"Is your surname Xu or Mu?"

A clear handprint appeared on Xu Yan's face. This was the first time she had ever been hit by her mother in her life. Overwhelmed with resentment, her eyes reddened and tears welled up in them.

However, Madam Xu did not give up.

"That's right, your surname is Xu, you're in cahoots with your father. Now that you've grown up and your wings have hardened, you're all ganging up on me!"

After saying this, Madam Xu burst into tears.

The weeping was incredibly pitiful.

If an outsider heard this, they might think the person crying had suffered some great injustice.

"Shut up!"

Xu Wei suddenly roared.

Madam Xu was so startled that she forgot to cry and froze in shock.

"Wailing and sobbing, what kind of behavior is this!"

Xu Wei strode up to Madam Xu, grabbed her collar, and said coldly, "If you keep crying and whining, I'll write a letter of divorce right now and divorce you!"

In the past, Mrs. Xu would have definitely made a huge fuss and acted irrationally and without thinking.

However, at this moment, she dared not cry, much less speak.

Because she saw determination and seriousness in Xu Wei's eyes; if he had used the old methods, she would have been divorced.

Madam Xu immediately stopped crying.

Xu Wei then released her and said, "From now on, you only need to manage the affairs of the Xu family. You are not allowed to interfere in other matters. If you do, don't blame me for being impolite."

These words left Xu Yan speechless.

She dared not think about it; her father, who was henpecked, now seemed like a completely different person, no longer afraid of her mother.

Mu Yuan was also impressed by Xu Wei's sudden change and began to look at him with new respect.

I was deeply moved, realizing that people often unleash their full potential when they are in dire straits.

If Xu Wei hadn't been forced into a corner...

No...