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“I am not…”
“Have Mom and Dad heard about the princess coming to plant high-yield crops? Is it true?” A boy around eleven or twelve years old walked in just as the magistrate’s wife was about to speak.
Upon seeing the boy, the magistrate’s wife poured out her heart as if he were her backbone, crying, “Yaozu, your father wants to divorce me. Please help me.”
Lin Yaozu frowned at his mother, “What did you do to upset Dad again?”
He knew how good his father was to his mother, so for his father to mention divorce, his mother must have done something to anger him. Otherwise, his father wouldn’t consider such a drastic step.
The magistrate’s wife kept shaking her head, “I didn’t do anything.”
Lin Yaozu couldn’t be bothered with her and instead looked at the magistrate, asking, “What’s going on, Dad?”
The magistrate explained the situation to Lin Yaozu, who, after hearing it all, trembled with anger.
“So you’re not happy unless you’ve killed my dad, right? How did my dad offend you? You want to make my father take the blame?” Lin Yaozu couldn’t believe these words came from his mother.
“Father is an official, he has connections to clear his name easily, so why don’t you two undestand this?” The magistrate’s wife still thought they were making a big deal out of nothing.
Couldn’t he just find someone to protect him? Why bother with so much trouble over his brother?
The magistrate looked at Lin Yaozu, “That’s it, which is why I am divorcing your mother.”
Frowning, Lin Yaozu glanced at the magistrate’s wife and said, “Father, I support you.”
The expression on the magistrate’s wife’s face froze instantly as she looked at her son in disbelief, “Yaozu, what are you saying? You actually support your father in divorcing me?”
“You brought this upon yourself, no one else to blame,” Lin Yaozu said coldly.
“My dad has been good enough to you, but you’re never satisfied. You’ve hurt my dad’s heart over and over for the sake of your family. My dad didn’t say anything about past incidents, but now you want him to sacrifice himself for them. This is all your doing.” Which wife would make her husband take the blame for someone else?
According to his dad, what his uncle did might cost him his life. Did she ever think about the possibility of his dad not coming back if he took the blame for him?
The magistrate’s wife slapped Lin Yaozu across the face, “You disobedient brat! I raised you, did I raise you to defy me? He’s your uncle, not a stranger.”
Lin Yaozu licked his lips, his expression towards the magistrate’s wife devoid of any warmth.
The magistrate, seeing his son’s instantly reddened face, felt a surge of anger.
Walking to the desk, he picked up a pen and wrote a divorce letter.
“Since you are so focused on your family, then leave now. Go as far away as you can, my home can no longer accommodate you.” The magistrate tossed the divorce letter at her.
“I have never laid a hand on my son. Who do you think you are to strike my son for someone else?”
Lin Yaozu has been obedient since childhood, and they have a close relationship. Sometimes, he even accompanies his father to the yamen and puts in a lot of effort in his studies. Last year, he even passed the imperial examination for children.
Moreover, he is very filial; whenever he goes out with his classmates and finds something delicious, he always brings some back for his father.
For such a obedient and filial son, how could she bring herself to harm him?
“From now on, Yaozu is my son. Leave now.” The magistrate was seething with anger.
The magistrate’s wife looked pale as she glanced at the divorce letter on the table. He had indeed written a divorce letter.
“Yaozu, I don’t want to be divorced.”
Lin Yaozu turned away without looking at her, “Father, I’m going to study.”
“Alright, have someone tend to your injuries.”
“I understand.”
With Lin Yaozu leaving like that, the magistrate’s wife was left dumbfounded, her eyes filled with confusion. Her son really ignored her? How could this be happening?
“Lin Yaozu, stop right there.”
Lin Yaozu kept walking without a pause, leaving directly.
That slap shattered the last remnants of hope in Lin Yaozu’s heart.
Ignoring the hysterical individual, the magistrate left after writing the divorce letter.
The magistrate’s wife slumped to the ground, wondering what to do next.
Wang Jinhe, upon learning of the situation, felt that the magistrate’s wife was not thinking clearly.
The fact that she could even consider having Magistrate Lin take the blame for her brother shows a lack of intelligence.
“The magistrate’s wife lacks common sense. Doesn’t she understand the principle of ‘obeying the father at home and the husband after marriage’? Once a daughter is married, she becomes part of her husband’s family. Her actions are the reason the magistrate decided to divorce her directly.” What good comes from unrest in a household like this?
Wang Jinhe nodded in agreement, “The magistrate’s wife seems to have some issues; she doesn’t appreciate her blessings.”
“Does magistrate Lin really not know about these matters?”
Wang Jinhe chuckled and nodded, “Indeed, he probably doesn’t know much. The magistrate’s wife must be aware, otherwise why would she involve him in taking the blame?”
“That makes sense.”
“We shouldn’t meddle in other people’s family affairs,” Wang Jinhe shook his head.
“I don’t want to interfere either, I’m just curious.” He had never encountered someone so selfish and manipulative.
Wang Jinhe chuckled and shook his head; Nan Qiao was indeed still a child.
The next day, many people with substantial land in Ningshui County gathered.
Wen Chao followed behind the magistrate to assist.
“Greetings, Princess.”
“Please rise, everyone. I called you here because I’m looking for a land, preferably in one location,” Wang Jinhe stated directly as she sat down.
“Of course, I’m not asking for your land for free. I will pay you for the land at the market price per acre,” she continued.
The attendees were surprised to hear Wang Jinhe’s proposal of redistributing land among them. They couldn’t help but wonder if they were going to give away their land for free.
To their surprise, the princess was willing to buy their land, which caught them off guard.
“Princess, indeed, a few of our families have land that is connected, totaling over three thousand acres. How much are you interested in?” one person spoke up.
“The more, the better. As you all know, the territory of Xuan Empire is expanding, and the population has increased. I need more land to cultivate crops,” Wang Jinhe was transparent about her purpose, not hiding anything from them.
Upon hearing this, the group understood her intentions.
“Well then, we’ll sell this land of over three thousand acres to Princess for six taels of silver per acre. Could Princess also provide us with more of her high-yield crop seeds in the future? With our substantial land holdings, it’s not ideal to compete with the common people,” one of them hesitantly proposed.
The thought of losing out on harvest due to the unavailability of high-yield crop seeds for their land made them feel uneasy.
Wang Jinhe nodded with a smile, “That can be arranged. I will have someone distribute ten thousand catties of crop seeds from my fields to you. Some will also be allocated to the newcomers in Xuan Empire this year, so I can only provide you with that amount.”
Excited, the group nodded in agreement, “Having that much would be a great help.”