"Are you finished?"
Bai Xiang asked indifferently after she stopped.
Madam Shen, who was not afraid of those ravenous gazes, was filled with vigilance at Bai Xiang's indifferent tone. It felt as if he was implying that once she finished speaking, she could be disposed of.
Thinking of such an end, it was impossible for her not to be afraid, but having come this far, it was impossible for her to back down.
So, she hardened her heart and continued to curse.
"Finished? Can the trivial matters of the Bai family be finished in a moment? Don't think that by silencing me, outsiders won't know about your affairs. Hmph, heaven's net is vast, and though you kill me today, the Bai family will still suffer. Who knows when you will fall out of favor with His Majesty. Then I'll wait to see you all thrown into prison!"
By the time she reached this point, even Bai Sihan didn't know how to speak to spare her mother from blame.
She even felt her mother had lost her mind. If the Bai family suffered, would they be spared?
If they were to perish together, what was she fighting for?
Madam Shen herself didn't know what she was saying in the end. She just wanted to vent her anger and enjoyed poking at sore spots.
Seeing her increasingly deranged state, Madam Lin finally couldn't help but speak.
"Mad, mad! Are you trying to drag the entire family down with you, you madwoman?"
Princess Wenyi also abandoned her usual amiable demeanor. The matter of Bai Siruo's "elopement" was the most sensitive point for her. Now that it had finally faded from public discussion, Madam Shen was calling her a "bitch" repeatedly. How could she tolerate it?
She gritted her teeth and said to Bai Xiang.
"Father-in-law, where does such a madwoman deserve to be the matriarch of the Bai family? I implore you to make a decision!"
The sisters-in-law spoke in unison, and Old Madam Bai also looked coldly at Madam Shen.
From the beginning, she had disliked this daughter-in-law, and now even more so.
If such a rotten fruit were kept in the family, who knew when it would harm the children!
She said to Bai Xiang as well.
"Master, since she looks down on our Bai family so much, give her a letter of divorce. I, this old woman, will personally go to Ying Tian Fu to file the lawsuit and swear to deal with this madwoman!"
Upon hearing this, Bai Sihan immediately burst into tears and knelt down, begging.
"Grandfather, Grandmother, my mother is suffering from madness and is speaking nonsense. This is not her intention. Please allow your granddaughter to take her back to Qiong Zhou. I will never set foot in the capital again. Your granddaughter will vouch for this with her life! I will definitely not let my mother affect the Bai family!"
After saying this, she kowtowed repeatedly with such force that bruises quickly appeared on her forehead.
Bai Siruo looked at Bai Sihan's appearance and felt a pang of sadness.
However, Bai Shanwei remained unmoved by his blood-related sister. After all, his heart was still cold. For the sake of the family, Madam Shen was a threat if she remained for another day. Therefore, eliminating her would solve the problem.
Everyone looked at Bai Xiang, awaiting his judgment on Madam Shen.
Bai Xiang, who was decisive in state affairs, rarely applied it to his family. However, when he did speak, it was with a killer's intent.
"I will personally write the decree, citing disrespect to in-laws, jealousy, and instigation as reasons for your immediate divorce. You are no longer a wife of the Bai family. Furthermore, you have been spreading rumors outside, deceiving the common people, and losing your composure before the Emperor. After administering aćèŻ (mute drug), you will be sent to Ying Tian Fu. As for how you will be dealt with, let the prefect handle it according to the law."
"Yes, Father."
Madam Shen was stunned by this outcome.
She was unsure if she had finally received her retribution or if she was simply terrified into a stupor, offering no resistance.
Only when the divorce letter and the mute drug were presented to her did she struggle and writhe.
"Since I am no longer a wife of the Bai family, by what right can you punish me! By what right can you give me a mute drug! Your Bai family is a dirty place that cannot bear to be seen. Do you think everything will be fine if I can't speak? No! My maternal family will not let you off! You just wait and see!"
"Mother, Mother..."
"Grandfather, no, Grandfather!"
Bai Sihan sobbed uncontrollably. She didn't want her mother to be divorced, nor did she want her to be drugged into silence. However, her grandfather's authority was unquestionable, and no one in the family dared to speak up in support. She wanted to rush forward but was held back.
She could only watch helplessly as Madam Shen was forced to take the mute drug. Instead of being enraged, she fainted.
"Have someone take her to rest and find a physician to examine her. Also, eldest daughter-in-law, have someone keep a close eye on her. Sihan will not be sent back to Qiong Zhou. She will remain in the capital from now on, and you will guide her well."
"Your daughter-in-law obeys."
Although Madam Lin did not particularly like Bai Sihan, she was moved by her earnest plea for her mother.
Whatever bad temper Madam Shen possessed was due to her poor upbringing.
However, such filial piety was salvageable, so Madam Lin could not abandon her.
If she were sent back to Bai Sanlang, who knew what trouble would arise again. It was better to keep her in the mansion and guide her slowly, as opening her heart was more important.
After Madam Lin was forced to take the mute drug, she could initially utter some muffled sounds. Soon, the drug took effect, and she was unable to curse even if she wanted to.
Bai Dalang's eyes blazed with anger. He had her bound and personally took her to Ying Tian Fu.
The farce brought about by Madam Shen finally came to an end, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Xiang then turned to Feng Jin Yao, Bai Siruo, and Bai Shanwei and said, "The three of you, follow me to the study."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Yes, Grandfather."
"Yes, Maternal Grandfather."
In the study, the water for brewing tea was still bubbling with heat. Bai Xiang remained unmoved, watching it boil over from the pot and extinguish the hot charcoal beneath.
The complexions of the three were also not good. They understood that Bai Xiang had done this intentionally.
The purpose was to make them understand a principle: a hundred days of prosperity are fleeting, and too much is as bad as too little.
"Grandfather..."
Among the three present, Bai Siruo had spent the longest time with Bai Xiang. She had been doted upon by the Bai family since childhood and had seen Bai Xiang in countless moods.
Calm and kind, stern and unsmiling, upright as a pine, quiet and cunning.
Only today, she saw a sense of decay and powerlessness in him.
He had held this family together for decades, yet such chaos had still erupted under his roof.
Fortunately, they had been prepared this time, otherwise, the entire Bai family would have been ruined because of Madam Shen.
Although Bai Xiang had resolved the matter with decisive action, he also harbored some self-doubt due to the family's discord and Madam Shen's resentful words.
He wondered if he had been too harsh on the third branch of the family, leading to such deep resentment.
If he had realized Bai Shanwei's existence earlier, would today's disaster have been averted?
Everything was a question, but they were bloody questions!