“Hey, have you heard? General Huo kicked his former wife and daughter out of the house!”
“What?! I thought they were deeply devoted to each other! How could this happen?”
“Word has it that Old Madam Huo badmouthed her daughter-in-law in front of General Huo, and in a fit of rage, the general threw his wife and daughter out of the mansion.”
“General Huo has lost his mind! That Old Madam Huo is no pushover!”
“Shh, keep your voice down. With General Huo being so blindly filial, careful he doesn’t hear you and come after you!”
With Wang Qi fanning the flames, Jiang Xingyan had just finished putting on a show according to Huo Ci’s plan. After just one night, there was hardly anyone in the entire capital who didn’t know: the famously filial General Huo was back in full force!
Sure enough, at court, Xiao Ao’s face turned ashen as he questioned “Huo Ci”: “What is the meaning of this, Minister Huo?
Back when Old Madam Huo stormed the court, weren’t you the one who insisted she had been mistreating her daughter-in-law?
Now how is it suddenly Jiang’s fault?”
He had even issued an imperial edict back then, stripping Old Madam Huo of her title as First-Rank Noble Lady. Since when could imperial authority be treated so lightly?
Jiang Xingyan replied unhurriedly: “Your Majesty, if I may explain.
My mother’s outburst in the great hall was indeed unbecoming of her status.
But what I said at the time was true in every word, and I certainly did not deceive Your Majesty.
However, after Jiang and I parted ways, she became consumed with her shop business and had little time to tend to household matters.
Meanwhile, my mother repented day after day and grew gaunt and thin. I thought it best to have Jiang reconcile with my mother.
After all, upon returning from the war, I would need to renew our marriage contract with her.
Yet she refused in the harshest terms, vowing never to make peace with my mother. She even argued fiercely with me, throwing the entire general’s household into chaos.
I was already troubled by military affairs, and she picked fights with me time and again.
I never knew that the granddaughter of Old Master Jiang, who was so generous and chivalrous back in the day, could be so lacking in righteousness and so petty.”
His words fell, and the court fell silent.
Even the corner of Xiao Ao’s mouth twitched involuntarily.
Had “Huo Ci” lost his mind?
How could he so casually speak of others’ sacrifices as if they were nothing?
Just because the knife wasn’t cutting his own flesh, he didn’t feel the pain, right?
So you get to be the filial son, but your wife’s suffering over the years can just be erased so easily?
And you have the nerve to throw her out of the house.
What a thick face you have.
Xiao Ao watched the disgruntled “Huo Ci” coldly, feeling that something was off somewhere.
But as the Son of Heaven, how could he pry into his minister’s private affairs?
Especially right there in court!
Better to end the session quickly and ask the secret guards what was really going on!
Xiao Ao waved his hand impatiently.
Su Sheng quickly stepped forward: “If there are matters to report, speak now; if not, court is dismissed!”
The civil and military officials all had things to say, but preferred to keep quiet.
What could possibly be more important than the war right now?
Look at the Emperor and General Huo: one was livid and snapping at everyone, the other was frowning so hard he’d kicked his own wife and daughter out.
No one wanted to be on the receiving end of their wrath.
They all chanted “Long live the Emperor” and saw him off.
Being a minister was truly difficult!
Jiang Xingyan couldn’t help but think to herself: Got to admit, Huo Ci’s plan was pretty clever.
She was in a great mood, but had to keep up the appearance of indignation as she hurried out of Taihe Gate.
“General Huo, please wait.”
A familiar voice stopped Jiang Xingyan in her tracks.
She turned around, and was genuinely surprised to see who it was.
It was Cui Yu, the Vice Minister of the Dali Temple.
“Oh? Minister Cui, what can I do for you?”
Cui Yu stepped forward and bowed to “Huo Ci.”
After all, the other was a First-Rank General, while he was merely a Fourth-Rank official in the capital.
“General Huo, since we are both men of filial piety, I’ll speak plainly.”
Jiang Xingyan had a good impression of Minister Cui, so she softened her tone and returned the courtesy: “I’m all ears.”
“Since ancient times, filial piety has been the foremost of all virtues.
However, if you wish to preserve your reputation for pure filial devotion, General Huo, you should not drag innocent people into it.”
Jiang Xingyan raised an eyebrow: “Oh? What do you mean by that?”
“Old Madam Huo is the mother who gave you life. Whatever she does, whatever mistakes she makes, as her son, you must bear the burden.
But your wife is not Old Madam Huo’s daughter, nor was she raised by her with toil and hardship.
She came to you because she loved you, and she has no grievance with Old Madam Huo.
How could you force your own filial obligations onto her?
That is the first mistake!”
Seeing “Huo Ci” stunned speechless, Cui Yu did not flinch. He looked directly into “his” eyes and said slowly, word by word:
“Since you cannot let go of Old Madam Huo, General Huo, you should never have confronted her face-to-face in court and exposed her shameful deeds to the whole world.
That is the second mistake!”
“And there is a third mistake: even though you have already divorced the Jiang lady, you still use filial piety to demand that she wipe away all the harm she suffered before.
This is the gravest mistake of all—so wrong it borders on absurd!”
If Jiang Xingyan hadn’t been wearing Huo Ci’s skin, she would have copied down every word Cui Yu had just said and distributed it far and wide.
“Since you are determined to be filial to Old Madam Huo, General, you should never again think of taking a wife.
That way, you can devote yourself entirely to being good to your mother.
Am I right, General Huo?”
Jiang Xingyan grabbed Cui Yu’s hands excitedly.
“Yes! Absolutely right!
Minister Cui, you are a guiding light to Huo!
Would you be willing to write down what you just said and send it to the military camp?
Huo will read it daily and engrave it in his heart!”
Cui Yu nodded earnestly: “Very well!
I’ll draft it as soon as I return, and have it delivered to your tent this afternoon!”
Jiang Xingyan shook his hands with heartfelt sincerity: “Minister Cui, you truly are Huo’s beacon of light!”
After exchanging pleasantries with Cui Yu, she got back into the carriage, a smile lingering on her lips.
Yun Chunfeng stopped playing with the little girl and asked with a gentle smile:
“What amusing thing happened to you at court today, Miss?
Won’t you tell Yun Ge’er about it?”
Jiang Xingyan could never resist Yun Ge’er when he acted coy, so she laughed and said:
“Don’t rush. You’ll find out when we get back to the mansion.”
Yun Chunfeng curled his lips: “Why keep Yun Ge’er in suspense?”
Only then did Jiang Xingyan remember his divination abilities, and she chided him playfully:
“Yun Ge’er knows full well, yet still asks.”
“Yesterday, you discussed things with that man for ages. If Yun Ge’er hadn’t divined, I’d never have known.
It kept Yun Ge’er from seeing you last night. Today, you must make it up to me.”
Hearing these sour-sweet words, Jiang Xingyan felt her bones go soft and was powerless to refuse.
She only regretted that it was high noon and she still had to go drill the troops at the camp.
Huo Ci had long since disguised himself as a man and slipped into the army.
He and the little girl were both under Yun Chunfeng’s illusion spells.
So the secret guards watching them all believed that Jiang Xingyan had taken her daughter and left the capital alone, heading back to Jiangnan.
As Xiao Ao listened to the secret guard’s report, his doubts gradually faded.
It seemed Huo Ci was still the same blindly loyal, foolishly filial Huo Ci!
“Your Majesty, Old Madam Huo is now in control of the general’s mansion again. At this very moment, she is interrogating and torturing the servants to establish her authority.”
