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Qi Rong’s words were a devastating blow to Qi Rong’s father. He couldn’t give Qi Yuan her mother’s dowry, as doing so would leave the Qi family with nothing. However, he also couldn’t bring himself to sever ties with her.
“If you want me to sever ties, punishment must be severe. Otherwise, forget about it,” Qi Rong’s father said coldly.
Qi Rong looked at her father anxiously. “Father, you can’t do that.”
Once Qi Yuan severed ties with them, it would be difficult for them to obtain anything from her.
Now, Qi Rong regretted her shallow-mindedness in coveting the things of the County Princess’s child . If she hadn’t done these foolish things, things wouldn’t have come to this.
But it seemed like it was too late for regrets now.
“Shut up. If it weren’t for you, things wouldn’t have turned out like this,” the once obedient daughter now appeared so repugnant in her father’s eyes.
“Dad…” It was the first time Qi Rong had been scolded like this by her father, and her eyes immediately turned red.
Seeing Qi Rong like this, Qi Yuan sneered. In the past, Qi Rong’s father had always scolded her, but she had never reacted this way. Qi Rong was quite good at putting on a show, and it was sickening.
“Shut up,” Qi Rong’s father warned her. He knew very well that he couldn’t sever ties with Qi Yuan.
Is not severing ties tantamount to letting them all go hungry?
“No problem, I’ll take the punishment.”
Seeing that they had reached an agreement, Wang Jinhe glanced at Qiu Yi, who was about to nod when Yuan Bao approached. “Madam, let me do it.”
Wang Jinhe hesitated. Would it be safe for Wen Jian to be handled by Yuan Bao?
As Wang Jinhe hesitated, Su Yu leaned in and whispered softly in her ear, “Yuan Bao knows how to make it look severe, but it’s actually just superficial. He’ll be fine after a few days.”
“He’ll only suffer minor surface injuries.”
Upon hearing this, Wang Jinhe felt reassured and nodded at Yuan Bao. “Alright, then it’s up to you.”
Wen Sitong looked at Wen Jian, about to speak, but was stopped by Wen Jingyu, who whispered something in her ear.
Wen Sitong walked up to Wen Jian and whispered in a voice only the two of them could hear, “Brother, you must pretend to be in a lot of pain later.”
Wen Jian immediately understood what his sister meant and nodded subtly. He then looked at Yuan Bao and said, “You can begin.”
Yuan Bao took the whip and approached Wen Jian, ready to strike.
With each lash, Wen Jian showed signs of intense pain, and after twenty lashes, the whip was stained with blood.
Wen Sitong’s mother watched her son anxiously, wondering if he would be okay.
Soon, the punishment was over. Wen Jian, looking at Qi Rong’s father with a pale face, asked, “Is it enough?”
Qi Rong’s father was surprised by Wen Jian’s endurance. Despite the bleeding, he didn’t make a sound.
“Write up a document to sever ties and bring it here. Everyone present today will serve as witnesses,” Wang Jinhe ordered calmly, showing no sympathy towards the Qi family.
Seeing the blood on Wen Jian’s back, Qi Yuan felt heartbroken. “It’s all my fault.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine in a few days.”
Qi Yuan didn’t believe his words at all, taking them as mere consolation. “How can you recover in just a few days with such a serious injury?”
As the Qi family was still present, Wen Jian couldn’t say much and could only comfort Qi Yuan by patting her shoulder. “I’ll go write the document to sever ties.”
“Alright.”
Wen Jian prepared three copies of the document, one for the Qi family, one for the Wen family, and the last one was held by Wang Jinhe. With the County Princess as a witness, they felt reassured.
Qi Rong’s father signed and stamped the document with a grim expression. “Don’t regret it in the future. A woman without her natal family won’t be valued in her in-laws’ home. You’ll cry for it.”
“We are not only Qi Yuan’s in-laws, but also her natal family. She will have a much better life with us than with you. Don’t envy her then,” Wen Sitong’s mother stepped forward, blocking Qi Yuan and speaking up.
Qi Rong’s father looked somewhat uncomfortable, not expecting the Wen family to treat Qi Yuan so well.
Qi Yuan walked over resolutely, pressing her hand, stained with Wen Jian’s blood, onto the document to sever ties.
“The document to sever ties today was obtained with my husband’s blood, and I will never regret it,” Qi Yuan said coldly, looking at her father.
“You… don’t know what’s good for you.”
Qi Yuan then issued a decree, “From now on, I have no further relations with you. Leave my house with Qi Rong.” From that moment on, she had no more ties with the Qi family.
Qi Rong’s father, accompanied by Qi Rong and the Qi family, left the Wen family with a grim expression.
After the others left, Qi Yuan finally breathed a sigh of relief. “We’ve finally severed ties with them.”
“Our days will only get better from now on,” Wen Jian said, looking at Qi Yuan.
Qi Yuan looked at Wen Sitong and Wen Jingyu, feeling apologetic. “Sister, brother-in-law, I’m really sorry for causing trouble on a day like today.”
Wen Sitong shook her head repeatedly. “Sister-in-law, it’s fine. We’re okay, and besides, the engagement ceremony has already passed.”
Now, they were just chatting as a family, without causing any trouble.
“Then my husband and I will head back first.” She wanted to go and check on Wen Jian’s wounds.
As Qi Yuan pulled Wen Jian away, Wen Sitong watched them leave and said, “The Qi family will definitely regret this.”
Everyone present remained silent but agreed with Wen Sitong’s words. The Qi family would surely regret their actions.
After the engagement ceremony, Wen Jingyu began preparing for the wedding, and even Wang Jinhe became busy.
Su Yu took the opportunity to grab Wang Jinhe’s hand and, as she turned to look at him in surprise, he said, “I just wanted to tell you that the local officials have come to inquire about when you will start purchasing cotton.”
Wang Jinhe tapped her forehead. “I’ve been so busy with my brother’s wedding that I completely forgot about this.”
“I’ll go and meet them.”
When Wang Jinhe arrived, several people were waiting for her, including the local magistrate and the county magistrate, who had good relations with Wang Jinhe.
Originally, they had other matters to attend to, but a few colleagues insisted on accompanying them.
They had no choice but to comply.
“Several village heads have approached us, saying that they have prepared the cotton and are eager to know when you will start purchasing. They want to make preparations,” one of them said.
“I will arrange for someone to accompany you back, and then we can begin the purchases,” Wang Jinhe said with a smile.
“I’ve been quite preoccupied with some family matters recently, and I completely forgot about this. I apologize for the oversight,” Wang Jinhe explained apologetically.
The inquiring county magistrates breathed a sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t a refusal, they were satisfied.
“It’s understandable that everyone has their own matters to attend to,” the county magistrates hurriedly responded.
They had come with some trepidation, fearing that the County Princess might not be accommodating, which was why they had brought along two colleagues.