A fierce wife enters the house: She helps up a house full of spineless people.

In the Yongning County government office, a bright mirror hangs high.

The magistrate sat upright in the hall and slammed the gavel down heavily.

"Chen Xiufen and others committed the crime of manufacturing and selling counterfeit goods, causing disfigurement to victims. The evidence is conclusive! According to the law, each of them shall be given twenty strokes of the cane and imprisoned for one month. They shall return the proceeds from the sale of counterfeit goods and each of them shall also compensate the victims with five taels of silver for medical expenses!"

Upon hearing the verdict, the crowd watching outside the hall erupted in cheers.

Several bailiffs stepped forward and dragged Chen Xiufen, Li Ersao, and others to the bluestone slab outside the hall. Long wooden benches were laid out, and the people were held down tightly.

The water-and-fire stick was raised high and fell with a whoosh.

The dull thuds of the blows echoed through the county government office. Chen Xiufen initially wailed loudly, proclaiming her innocence, but after ten strokes, her voice gradually weakened, leaving only heavy breathing and cries of pain. Large patches of blood seeped through her coarse cloth trousers.

Wang Jinzhu stood on the periphery of the crowd, her hands tucked into her sleeves, watching the scene expressionlessly. Wang Tianfang stood beside her, his tall figure blocking the shoving crowd around them.

"Let's go back to the workshop." Wang Jinzhu turned around. The outcome was already decided; she didn't need to waste any more time.

News of the verdict spread like wildfire, quickly reaching Chenjia Village.

Li Ersao's husband, Chen Ergen, had just returned from the fields and hadn't even put down his hoe when he was blocked at the gate of his own courtyard by Li's servants who had rushed over upon hearing the news.

"Chen Ergen! Your wife fabricated evidence and harmed people. The county magistrate has sentenced her to return eight taels of stolen money! She also has to pay five taels of silver for medical expenses! Hand over the money now!" The head servant said menacingly.

Upon hearing this, Chen Ergen's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He silently walked into the house, and after a while, he took out a cloth bag, untied it, poured out a few loose silver pieces and a pile of copper coins, and threw them on the ground.

"This is the eight taels of silver that spendthrift woman got from selling counterfeit goods. Not a single coin is missing, it's all right here," Chen Ergen said, pointing to the money on the ground.

"And the medical expenses? Five taels of silver!" The servant took a step closer.

"No!" Chen Ergen answered decisively. Then, he turned and went into the house, took out a piece of yellow paper that had been written beforehand and bore a red handprint, and threw it directly at the servant's feet. "This is a letter of divorce. From today onwards, Li is no longer a member of my family. Her debts, murders, and arson are none of my concern!"

After saying that, Chen Ergen picked up his hoe, didn't even look at the money and paper on the ground, and went straight back to the field.

The husbands of the other women soon received the news as well. Without exception, they first returned the so-called "stolen money," then immediately wrote divorce papers, which were taken away by the victims' servants who rushed to the scene, or directly sent to the county jail.

Five taels of silver is enough for a farming family to live on for more than a year. Who would be willing to take on such a huge debt for a troublesome woman?

The news reached the cold, damp prison, where several women, beaten half to death, lay on haystacks, wailing and lamenting.

"Li Ersao! It's all your fault! You damned bastard, didn't you say you knew how to do it and that there wouldn't be any problems?!" Ignoring the injury on her buttocks, Chen Xiufen struggled to crawl over and grabbed Li Ersao's hair to hit her.

The other women, overcome with grief, began to blame and curse each other.

Meanwhile, in Chenjia Village, Chenjia Second Branch.

Chen Shuyan paced anxiously back and forth in his room, unable to concentrate on his reading.

Chen Yang sat on a low stool in the main room, his face gloomy.

"Father! How can you sit still? If word gets out about Mother's affair, where will I put my face?" Chen Shuyan flung open the door and rushed into the main room. "Quickly write a letter of divorce! Divorce her! Sever all ties!"

Chen Yang exhaled a puff of smoke and looked up at his eldest son. A chill ran through him. Although Chen Xiufen was usually somewhat arrogant and domineering, she doted on her eldest son, always giving him all the meat in the house.

"You want me to go to the county office right now and divorce her?" Chen Yang asked in a low voice.

"Yes! It has to be done immediately! Send the letter of divorce to the prison! Otherwise, what will my classmates think of me when I return to the academy? What will the teacher think of me?" Chen Shuyan's tone was urgent, with an unquestionable determination.

Chen Yang sneered, stood up, and walked to Chen Shuyan.

"Shuyan, have you ruined your brain by reading the classics?" Chen Yang stared at him. "Your mother only got those fake cosmetics to save money for your tuition. Now you want me to divorce her and throw her in jail? Will outsiders say you're putting family before family? No. Outsiders will only say you, Chen Shuyan, are a cold-hearted and unfilial ingrate."

Chen Shuyan was stunned, and subconsciously retorted, "I did it to protect my reputation..."

"The imperial court selects officials through the imperial examinations, prioritizing moral character above all else!" Chen Yang interrupted him, his voice suddenly rising. "You can even abandon your own mother who gave you birth and raised you. Which examiner would dare to grade your paper? If you don't take care of her now, you can forget about ever becoming an official!"

Chen Shuyan's face turned deathly pale instantly. He staggered and leaned against the doorframe. He was so focused on getting rid of this burden that he forgot about this crucial point.

"Then...what should we do? Do we really have to pay five taels of silver to make amends? And then we have to spend money to bribe the jailer?" Chen Shuyan was in great pain. The silver he had saved was his travel expenses for taking the imperial examination in the prefectural city next year.

"We must ransom him," Chen Yang said firmly. "Not only do we need to ransom him, but we also need to cover his medical expenses. You'll pay for that."

"I have no money!" Chen Shuyan suddenly looked up.

"Don't think I don't know you still have money," Chen Yang said coldly. "Take out the money, pay the medical bills, and shut the outsiders up. Once this storm has passed and you've taken her back to the old house, I'll write the divorce papers. By then, you'll have fulfilled your filial duty, and I'll have divorced my wicked wife who violated the seven grounds for divorce. No one will be able to find fault with me."

Chen Shuyan gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, and struggled internally. Finally, reluctantly, he pulled a small bag of silver from a bundle under the bed and threw it heavily on the table.

Half an hour later, in the county jail.

Chen Yang paid the fine and medical expenses, and the bailiffs opened the prison door.

Chen Xiufen, lying on the haystack, heard the noise and struggled to lift her head. Seeing Chen Yang, her chapped lips forced a sorrowful smile.

"My lord...you've come to save me..." Chen Xiufen reached out her hand.

Chen Yang walked in expressionlessly and, together with the constables, helped her onto the cart they had hired outside.

After a bumpy ride, the cart returned to the old house in Chenjia Village.

Old Mrs. Chen sat on the threshold of the main room, watching the half-dead Chen Xiufen being carried into the courtyard. She snorted coldly, turned around and went into the house without even a word of greeting.

Chen Xiufen was placed on a tattered bed in the second room. She gasped in pain, looking at Chen Yang standing beside the bed: "Husband, go get a doctor… I'm in so much pain…"

Chen Yang didn't move. He took out a neatly folded piece of paper from his sleeve and placed it on the wooden table by the bedside.

"We won't call a doctor. We're out of money." Chen Yang's tone was eerily calm.

"What is that?" Chen Xiufen stared at the piece of paper, a sense of foreboding washing over her.

"Letter of Divorce"

The moment those two words were uttered, the room fell into a deathly silence.

Chen Xiufen's eyes widened, forgetting the excruciating pain in her buttocks, as she struggled to prop herself up halfway: "What did you say? You're divorcing me? I gave you a son and a daughter, I've been your slave for the Chen family, how dare you divorce me!"

"You've committed 'excessive talk' and 'theft'—two of the seven grounds for divorce." Chen Yang looked at her, his eyes devoid of warmth. "You forged and sold counterfeit goods, ending up in jail and bringing shame upon the Chen family. Most importantly, you've tarnished Shuyan's reputation. The Chen family cannot tolerate you. Stay home, recover your health, and then leave!"

"Shuyan! Shuyan!" Chen Xiufen turned to look at Chen Shuyan standing by the door, tears and snot streaming down her face. "My son, please plead for me! I've done all this for you! I can't be divorced! Where can I go if I'm divorced!"

Chen Shuyan looked at his mother, who was lying on the bed looking disheveled, and said in a cold and resolute tone, "Mother, Father is right. If I have a mother who has been to prison, I will not be able to hold my head up in the academy. Don't worry, when I pass the imperial examination and become successful, I will definitely send someone to give you money to support you in your old age."

After saying that, Chen Shuyan turned and walked out of the house, entering his room without looking back and slamming the door shut.

Chen Xiufen was stunned. She stared at the closed door, then at Chen Yang's expressionless face. Suddenly, she understood everything. The father and son had planned this all along. They redeemed her not to save her, but to protect Chen Shuyan's reputation. Now that the reputation was preserved, this useless burden of hers was kicked aside.

"Ah—" Chen Xiufen let out a piercing scream, grabbed the pillow beside her and threw it, "You two heartless beasts! I'll fight you to the death!"