"Xiao Ye, husband and wife quarrel, it's nothing major, how many men in this world don't beat their wives?" Madam Luo said earnestly, "Your father just gambles, he will change."
"Mom, I will absolutely never hit my wife from now on," He Ye said loudly, "That person won't change, he doesn't deserve to be..."
"Xiao Ye, he is your father!" Madam Luo interrupted He Ye, "No matter what, he is your father. If you defy him and bear the crime of unfilial piety, do you still want your future and reputation?"
"I can not..."
"He Ye." Xiao Man scolded, stopping He Ye and slowly shaking her head. She had a rough understanding of why Madam Luo was unwilling to leave. Madam Luo didn't care whether she herself lived well or not, but she was afraid that a divorce would affect He Ye. She would rather be beaten to death by Old Second He than let her son bear a stigma.
He Ye was angry and furious, his eyes reddened, but he stubbornly refused to let tears fall. A cold glint flashed in Xiao Man's eyes. Madam Luo would eventually know that leaving such a man was the best for her and her son.
The three were eating around the table when several constables barged into the house. The person in charge was an old acquaintance of Xiao Man, Ling Xuan.
Ling Xuan also froze when he saw Xiao Man. He seemed surprised that the eldest daughter of the General's mansion, who was noble and wealthy, and whose meals cost a year's worth of expenses for ordinary people, would be sitting in such a dilapidated shack, eating food of unknown origin.
"Xiao Man!" Ling Xuan quickly regained his composure, his eyes fixed on Xiao Man. He still remembered the incident on New Year's Eve. Xiao Man had acupointed him, and no one could undo it until time passed and it dissolved automatically. He only then regained his freedom.
"So it's Constable Ling," Xiao Man picked up a chopstick of wild vegetables and ate them slowly. "Is there something you need?"
"Are you He Ye?" Ling Xuan decided to ignore Xiao Man. After all, he couldn't beat her or win an argument with her, so he might as well pretend she didn't exist.
He Ye was a little confused but did not deny it: "I am He Ye."
"Arrest him." Ling Xuan gave an order, and the constables behind him immediately stepped forward to arrest He Ye.
Xiao Man stood up and walked in front of Ling Xuan: "Constable Ling, you have quite the authority. You want to arrest a soldier without any reason. Do you know that he belongs to the Ministry of War? Even if he has made a mistake, it should be my brother or my father who punishes him. What right do you have?"
"If he has violated military discipline, then the general will naturally punish him. Now, someone has come to the yamen accusing He Ye of great unfilial conduct, beating his own father, and causing him serious injury, breaking his right arm. Such actions are extremely heinous. Even if brought before the Great General, I'm afraid even the eldest lady cannot shield him."
Xiao Man smiled upon hearing this and looked behind Ling Xuan. She didn't see Old Second He and wasn't in a hurry: "Old Second He, since you're back, why are you hiding and not coming out?"
Ling Xuan frowned: "Old Second He, come out."
Old Second He cautiously poked his head out from the doorway. He flinched when he saw Xiao Man, but then he remembered that he was accusing He Ye, not Xiao Man, so he immediately gained confidence and trotted in, holding his arm.
"Sir, my son He Ye, relying on his martial arts skills, beat me, his father. Look at all my injuries, and my arm. Sir, you must severely punish him."
"Old Second He!" Madam Luo's face turned red with anxiety upon hearing this. "When did Xiao Ye hit you? You're spitting blood! He is your own son! A father like you, slandering him like this, how can he live in the future?"
"What slander? Didn't he bring people back to beat me?" Old Second He snorted. "Today I will let him know that he is my son, and he must accept whatever I do. I'll see if he can still be arrogant after beating his own father and going to jail!"
Madam Luo never imagined that Old Second He would be so despicable. To vent his anger, he would even ruin his son's future!
She had endured it all for the sake of protecting her son's future, but now this man was using all his might to destroy her son's future. This man didn't care about them at all!
Madam Luo suddenly realized that continuing to live with such a man would not only harm her but also her son. If she couldn't break free, her son might die because of this man, just like her daughter who died young!
Madam Luo grabbed Xiao Man's sleeve, tears streaming down her face: "Eldest Lady, please help us. I never want to see this man again!"
Xiao Man nodded understandingly and looked at Ling Xuan: "Constable Ling, this young lady was beaten by someone. The person who beat me is him. According to our country's law, commoners attacking a daughter of a high official should be given one hundred strokes and imprisoned for six months."
"You're talking nonsense! When did I hit you?" Old Second He panicked. He originally wanted to deal with He Ye and give Xiao Man a taste of her own medicine, but unexpectedly, Xiao Man turned the tables and accused him of beating her!
"Nonsense? Are you implying that this young lady is slandering you?" Xiao Man said disdainfully. "Everyone saw you attack this young lady. Are you still going to quibble?"
"Nonsense, it was you who beat me. I never hit you, and I couldn't even beat you. You even broke my hand!" In his panic, Old Second He revealed that his hand was broken by Xiao Man.
Xiao Man winked playfully: "Oh, so it was me who broke your hand, not He Ye."
Ling Xuan's face looked very grim. Xiao Man had toyed with him because he was inferior and couldn't beat her, leaving him helpless. But now, even a commoner was playing tricks on him.
"Old Second He, what exactly happened?"
Old Second He was so scared that he knelt on the ground: "Sir, I didn't hit her, I really didn't. She hit me, and all these injuries are from her. I really didn't hit her."
Ling Xuan forcefully suppressed his anger: "Old Second He is falsely accusing someone and behaving improperly. Thirty strokes, strike!"
"Sir, I was wrong, I was wrong, I dare not again."
Ling Xuan's face turned ashen. He watched as the constables forced Old Second He onto the ground outside the door and began to beat him. Old Second He cried out in agony, attracting many onlookers.
Meanwhile, Xiao Man quickly wrote a letter of divorce, had Madam Luo put her thumbprint on it, and then walked up to Old Second He: "Sign it."
Old Second He was already deathly pale. He was a rascal, but he had never seen such a situation before. He didn't care what Xiao Man gave him to sign and immediately put his thumbprint on it.
"Eldest Lady, I was wrong, I was really wrong. Please forgive me. I dare not again. I swear I won't hit her anymore. Please spare me."