TRBDM -Chapter 79 Reclaiming the Dowry

Xie Wanrou’s words carried two layers of meaning. First, Lei Lieshan would not escape his crimes—his imprisonment was a foregone conclusion, and he would never return to the General’s Manor. Second, with an imperial decree granting a divorce in hand, any attempt by the Weiyuan General’s Manor to repudiate her would be nothing but a joke.

Lei Tieyun clearly failed to grasp the implications behind her words.

“What did you call me? Madam Lei? What is this—after staying at the Marquis Manor for a few days, you’ve forgotten who your mother-in-law is? Forgotten who your husband is?”

Xie Wanrou smiled faintly, unafraid of Lei Tieyun’s threats.

“And if I say that’s the case—Madam Lei—what do you intend to do about it?”

“How insolent! Who allowed you to speak to me like this? Xie Wanrou, have you not knelt in the Lei family ancestral hall for too long? Tonight you will kneel there as punishment. Without my permission, you are not to rise!”

Before Xie Wanrou could respond, a furious shout rang out—

“Lei Tieyun, what nonsense are you spouting? Has it only been a few days since you tasted my slap that your mouth’s itching again?”

Wei Zhaorong rolled her wrists and stepped forward, shielding Xie Wanrou behind her.

“You—you—don’t you dare act recklessly! This is the General’s Manor, not a place for your insolence!”

Lei Tieyun instinctively took a step back, then abruptly remembered she was standing in her own residence and shouldn’t be afraid.

Not far away, the servants of both households were already glaring at one another, poised to break into a fight at any moment.

“Lei Tieyun, I have come today to retrieve Rou’er’s dowry—what rightfully belongs to her.”

“What! Xie Wanrou is the daughter-in-law of my General’s Manor. Her dowry belongs to the General’s Manor! What right do you have to take it?”

Lei Tieyun trembled with rage. “Taking advantage of my son Lieshan’s absence, you barge into a private residence in defiance of the law. I will report this to the authorities!”

She was so furious her heart felt like it was burning. If not for Lei Lieshan’s arrest, how could the General’s Manor have been trampled over by Wei Zhaorong like this?

These past days, Lei Tieyun had sought out many people for help. She had even used connections to send word to the Third Prince. Not only did she receive no response, she was scolded instead—warned not to act rashly again, or no one would show her any courtesy in the future.

Originally, she had believed that once her son entered the Court of Judicial Review, he would soon be released. After all, Lei Lieshan was adept at cultivating connections and had even latched onto the Third Prince.

And who was the Third Prince?

To utter something bordering on treason—the Third Prince was the future emperor.

The Crown Prince was mediocre, and his maternal family lacked influence. Sooner or later, he would be removed by the Third Prince.

Lei Tieyun had assumed that with the Third Prince as backing, Lei Lieshan would rest easy. But as the days of his detention at the Court of Judicial Review dragged on, her confidence began to crumble.

She worried day and night, even sprouting a few white hairs from the stress—yet it was all in vain.

And now, at such a critical juncture, Wei Zhaorong had come to stir up trouble again. How could she endure it?

“Men! Beat them—drive them out!”

At Lei Tieyun’s command, the General’s Manor servants charged forward.

Across from them, the people from the Mingde Marquis Manor were no less aggressive.

Xie Chuan raised his arm and shouted: “All of you, move! Win and there’ll be rewards! Lose and there’ll still be rewards! None of you dare back down—charge!”

“Charge!”

“Go!”

In an instant, chaos erupted.

The servants struck viciously, each more ruthless than the last. Before long, someone’s face was already bruised and bleeding.

“The imperial decree is here! All of you—stop at once!”

Wei Zhaorong bellowed as she held the imperial edict high.

Lei Tieyun stared closely. Gleaming and unmistakable—it truly was an imperial decree.

“Lei Tieyun, to see the decree is to see His Majesty himself. Why are you not kneeling?”

The once uproarious General’s Manor fell silent at once. Every servant dropped to their knees.

Lei Tieyun stood frozen in place, disbelief written across her face.

“Impossible. This can’t be real. How could you have an imperial decree?”

“What?” Wei Zhaorong shot her a sidelong glance. “Do you intend to defy the Emperor’s command?”

Faced with such an accusation, Lei Tieyun could not possibly withstand it. Gritting her teeth, she forced herself to kneel.

“This common woman would not dare.”

Wei Zhaorong’s expression remained calm as she read aloud the imperial edict.

Every single word in the decree struck Lei Tieyun like a thousand-pound hammer, crashing heavily against her skull.

An imperial decree of divorce personally written by the Emperor—why?

Lei Tieyun suddenly felt as though she had been struck by lightning. Could it be…

Could it be that Lei Lieshan had truly met with disaster?

Thinking back over these past days, not a single one of Lei Lieshan’s usual friends had come to offer concern, nor had anyone stepped forward to help.

It was not that they were heartless and disloyal.

Rather, this matter had been placed under thorough investigation by His Majesty himself.

Lei Tieyun collapsed to the ground. Her veil slipped askew to one side, but she had no mind to fix it.

“It’s over… it’s over… Lieshan, he…”

She muttered as if possessed, her eyes unfocused. Her sky had fallen.

Wei Zhaorong looked at her coldly.

“Madam Lei, get up. As the old madam of the General’s Manor, what kind of sight is it to sit on the ground like this?”

Lei Tieyun seemed not to hear her at all. Like a madwoman, she kept repeating, “It’s over… it’s over…”

After waiting for a while and seeing no change, Wei Zhaorong ordered someone to summon the General Manor’s accountant.

“Is Rou’er’s dowry inventory registered in your records?”

“Yes, yes, it is.”

“Good. According to the registered list, move out every item in the General Manor’s treasury that belongs to Rou’er’s dowry. We are taking it all back.”

The accountant wiped the sweat from his forehead. “Yes.”

The matter of cross-checking the inventory was entrusted to Dou Shuyao, so there was no need to worry about omissions.

From sunset until well past midnight, the group worked tirelessly to verify every item on the list.

Dou Shuyao handed the list of missing items to Wei Zhaorong. “Mother, these items are still lacking.”

Wei Zhaorong examined it closely. The missing items matched exactly the assets that had been seized by the Court of Judicial Review.

The Weiyuan General’s Manor was not short of silver; it had not yet fallen to the point of selling or misappropriating Xie Wanrou’s dowry. Therefore, most of her dowry could be taken back intact.

After confirming everything, Dou Shuyao instructed the servants to quickly load the carriages.

The process took a long time. Throughout it all, Lei Tieyun never appeared again.

It was said among the General Manor’s people that she had suffered a hysterical episode and was rambling incoherently, and that the manor physician was treating her.

Wei Zhaorong cast a final glance around the General’s Manor, bearing witness to the last vestiges of its former splendor.

For a great family to flourish for generations was extraordinarily difficult.

There were many like the Weiyuan General’s Manor—at the height of power, dazzling and favored; but once deemed a discarded pawn, the entire clan would collapse.

When the nest is overturned, no egg remains unbroken. Fortunately, Xie Wanrou had managed to secure her divorce before Lei Lieshan was formally convicted; otherwise, she too would have been dragged down with him.

The returning carriage swayed gently. Xie Wanrou had fallen asleep, resting against Wei Zhaorong’s lap.

Wei Zhaorong gently stroked her daughter’s face, a faint smile curving at her lips.

“Fourth Brother, look—they’re back.”

Xie Lan stood on tiptoe, craning his neck, and spotted the carriage beneath the moonlight.

Xie Yu saw it too. “Yes, Third Brother, I see the carriage.”

The two immediately ran toward it.

Riding at the front was Xie Chuan. Though the night was deep, he showed not the slightest hint of fatigue.

“Eldest Brother, you’re back,” Xie Lan called out.

Mounted high on his horse, Xie Chuan appeared lofty and imposing. He bent slightly at the waist, narrowing his eyes as he looked down at the two half-grown boys gazing up at him.

One a concubine-born son, the other an adopted son—low in status, humble and insignificant.

From the bottom of his heart, Xie Chuan had never regarded them as brothers.