Seeing his father ready to surrender without even putting up a fight, Wang Daxia quickly said, "Father has spent half his life in the Northern City Military Command. How could you lose your official position because of me? It's better for me to withdraw from the Embroidered Uniform Guard. After all, I'm just a low-ranking soldier."
Wang Commander firmly refused, "You cannot resign. If you do, you'll betray Lord Lu's cultivation, and Yan Shifan won't be appeased. It might even cost our Wang family the hereditary title passed down through five generations—the loss would outweigh the gain. Moreover, our family has experienced many ups and downs over these five generations, which is quite common. Your great-grandfather, during the Chenghua reign, spoke a few words on Tang Bohu's behalf, believing him innocent, and was accused of sympathizing with imperial examination fraud and demoted."
"Your grandfather was mediocre in ability, so your great-grandfather didn't secure him an actual post, saying it was better to support him at home for life than to have him make mistakes and cause trouble outside. When I grew up, your great-grandfather worked hard to pave the way for me and secured a position in the Northern City Military Command. Moving forward is like stepping toward a cliff, while stepping back opens up vast possibilities. We must take a long-term view and not be confined to temporary gains and losses."
For a family that had maintained the commander title for five generations in the capital—the center of fame and fortune—smooth succession was no easy feat. As the saying goes, wealth seldom lasts three generations. Many glorious noble families had fallen to begging on the streets. The Wang family's century-long inheritance was closely tied to their deeply ingrained sense of crisis and sharp instinct for danger.
Wang Daxia spurred his horse and rushed back to the Imperial Guard Office under the scorching heat, informing Lu Bing of his father's decision.
Lu Bing, also a father, was not surprised by Wang Commander's sacrifice for his son. He said, "Such is the heart of parents under heaven. However, having 'corruption' written in the metropolitan evaluation would leave a lifelong stain, making future reinstatement unlikely. If the censors collectively impeach him over this, your father might not even retain the hereditary title."
"Your father was unaware of the usurious loan, and his name isn't on the contract. Retrieving the money to mend the fold after the sheep is lost is not too late. At most, your father would be guilty of 'lax household management' and 'negligence.' I'll speak with Minister Wu to have the metropolitan evaluation records revised—removing 'corruption' and replacing it with 'lax household management' to clean the slate. This will make it easier for me to pave his way later. Once the storm passes and vacancies arise elsewhere, I'll recommend your father to fill one."
Lu Bing, truly a seasoned official, considered matters more thoroughly than Wang Commander, leaving no room for error. This was the best possible outcome.
Wang Daxia hurried home to relay Lu Bing's words.
Wang Commander was immensely grateful. "We will follow Lord Lu's arrangements."
Wang Daxia added, "Father, you must urge Mother to retrieve the money quickly. Our family can no longer lend money out—usurious loans are heinous. If this financial issue isn't resolved, it will remain a handle against us, and Minister Wu of the Ministry of Personnel won't be able to alter the metropolitan evaluation records easily."
Wang Commander replied, "I understand the severity and won't put Minister Wu in a difficult position."
Meanwhile, Madam Wu had already resorted to weeping, arguing, and threatening suicide at her maiden home. "Elder brother, are you trying to drive your own sister to her death? Now my husband is furious and wants to divorce me! I'll lose my noble title, my son, and all my efforts managing the household over the years will be in vain. What good would it do you if I'm divorced and stuck at home? My only way out now is to get the money back. What you're returning isn't just money—it's my noble title!"
But were usurious loans ever easy to retrieve?Uncle Wu said, "The money has all been lent out. Who are the people borrowing usurious loans? Only those truly desperate and cornered would resort to such measures. If they could repay both principal and interest within a month, why would they need usurious loans? My dear sister, why can’t you understand? It’s not that I don’t want to repay you—it’s that I simply don’t have the money!"
Madam Wu, fiery-tempered, lunged at her elder brother, clawing at his face. "I only gave you the money because you said it was for official debt! You deceived me, brother. Had I known it was usurious loans, I would never have agreed!"
Truly, the debtor acts like the master. Wu Dasao, no longer able to tolerate her domineering sister-in-law, grabbed hold of Madam Wu. "Madam, let’s discuss this calmly. Why resort to violence? This is your own brother!"
Madam Wu, who had even attacked her brother, showed no restraint toward her sister-in-law. She slapped Wu Dasao across the face. "Last time, you said you were going to a banquet and had no decent jewelry, worried you’d embarrass the Wu family. You borrowed my gold-woven hairpiece and a set of gold and ruby head ornaments. Have you returned them yet? Have I not reminded you enough?"
"They say a married daughter is like spilled water—gone forever. Haven’t I been generous enough to my natal family? Haven’t I been good enough? I’ve nearly emptied my husband’s household for you, and you still accuse me of not speaking reasonably?"
Furious, Madam Wu overturned the kang table, sending teacups and teapots crashing to the floor. "I’ve told my husband that this time, I must get the money back. If I can’t recover it, I’ll be too ashamed to return home. I’ll stay here day after day, demanding repayment. I refuse to believe that debtors have more right than creditors!"
Wu Dasao sneered, "Oh, who’s refusing to repay a debt? Do you have a written agreement? If you do, would you really sue your own brother in court? Besides, we didn’t borrow from you—we were helping you lend out usurious loans to supplement your household income. All the profits were yours. Your brother worked hard to find channels for your loans, and instead of gratitude, you bite the hand that feeds you."
Madam Wu, stunned by her brother and sister-in-law’s audacity in turning the tables, trembled with rage. Just as she was about to unleash another tirade, a maid announced that the master had sent Officer Mu to speak with her.
Wang Commander could not come in person, as his arrival would imply forgiveness, reconciliation, and an intention to bring Madam Wu home. Wang Daxia never set foot in the Wu residence, and Wang Daqiu was still young, so Officer Mu was dispatched instead.
When Madam Wu met Officer Mu, her first question was, "How is Daqiu? Has he been asking for me? Tell him I’m visiting relatives and will return in a few days."
Officer Mu dismissed the others and relayed Wang Commander’s message: "...This matter can be suppressed through connections—sacrifice the pawn to save the king, abandon the official post to preserve the noble title. But the usurious loans must be recovered. As long as the Wang family’s money remains out there accumulating interest, it leaves us vulnerable. If not handled, both the official position and the title will be lost."
Madam Wu felt a chill run through her. "But my brother and sister-in-law say it can’t be recovered now. Those borrowing usurious loans are in dire straits—some even flee before repayment is due. That’s why the interest is so high. At best, we might recover seventy percent of the principal and interest, but it will take time and hired enforcers to collect the debts. The enforcers take a ten percent cut as their fee. It could take at least a year or two to recoup the funds."Usurious loans involve layers of exploitation that drive borrowers to ruin, squeezing them dry until they are forced to sell their children and abandon all conscience. Such practices are universally despised. When officials are exposed for issuing usurious loans, it becomes a scandal, inevitably drawing collective condemnation from censors.
Greedy individuals cannot even wait for hens to lay eggs—they crave quick returns, hoping money will breed more money. Yet money does not always multiply; more often, it breeds disaster.
As the officer in charge of security in the northern part of the city, Officer Mu understood the difficulty of the situation. He said, "But the metropolitan evaluation results will be released this autumn. Madam has at most two months."
Madam Wu wept, her face drenched like rain-soaked pear blossoms. "I cannot do it!"
Officer Mu thought to himself, You’ve brought this upon yourself. Other wives might discreetly skim from their husbands’ households to support their maiden families—minor offenses that are often overlooked. But you? You wish you could strip your husband’s estate bare for your family. If not for the fact that the shops, houses, and lands are registered under the names of Wang Commander and his son, your greedy brother and sister-in-law would have coaxed you into handing everything over.
Officer Mu said, "Madam, the loss of wealth is a minor matter. What is at stake is the noble title that the Wang family has held for five generations. There is only one way to save Wang Commander’s title now."
"What method?" Madam Wu wiped her tears, as if clutching at her last lifeline. "Please tell me, Officer Mu. Even if I must plunge my hands into boiling oil or roll on a bed of nails, I will do it."
"That... won’t be necessary," Officer Mu replied. "If Madam voluntarily requests to leave the household and takes responsibility, then Wang Commander will not be accused of greed but of failing to manage his household strictly and neglecting his duties. He would lose his official position but retain his title."
Officer Mu had been promoted by Wang Commander and still resided in the Wang household, so his loyalty lay entirely with him. He had long believed Madam Wu was no virtuous woman, especially after she employed tactics of "praising to death" against her stepson Wang Daxia, scheming to seize the future position of Thousand-Household Commander. Such a woman was unworthy of Wang Commander.
Yet, Wang Commander was enchanted by his young wife and delighted with their young son, Daqiu. Officer Mu could hardly advise the couple to separate.
This time, Madam Wu had gone too far—threatening the extinction of a title passed down through five generations of the Wang family.
"This—" Madam Wu felt as if struck by five thunderbolts. "This is worse than plunging into boiling oil or rolling on nails! If I leave the household, what will become of Daqiu? He is still so young."
Officer Mu said, "Daqiu will remain the son of a Thousand-Household Commander. But if Wang Commander loses his title, Daqiu will merely be the son of an ordinary commoner."
Madam Wu twisted her handkerchief tightly in her hands and fell silent.
As an outsider, Officer Mu had no right to interfere in marital affairs, let alone something as significant as separation. He had only probed to see if Madam Wu was genuinely repentant and willing to admit fault to rectify the situation.
Seeing the evasiveness in Madam Wu’s eyes, Officer Mu was unsurprised. "I understand Madam’s stance. I take my leave."
Officer Mu returned and truthfully reported to Wang Commander that the money could not be recovered: "...Uncle Wu has already lent out all four thousand taels of silver. It will take one or two years to recover the full amount, let alone within the mere two months before the metropolitan evaluation. Even if we obtain the list of borrowers and forgo interest to reclaim the principal, those who borrowed usurious loans did so out of desperation—their money is already spent. How could they repay us? If we send enforcers to press for repayment, even without demanding interest, the censors would impeach the Commander for oppressing the people. This time, we are truly trapped in a dead end."This is troublesome. The label of "greed" would cling to Wang Commander for the rest of his life, impossible to shake off.
He hadn’t married a wife—he’d brought a calamity into his home! Wang Commander was frantic with anxiety.
Officer Mu said, "The only solution is to divorce your wife and sever all ties. Don’t expect to recover the four thousand taels of silver you lent out. Find the debtors, publicly burn the loan agreements, and leave it to their conscience whether they repay you or not. Announce this matter openly so that Uncle Wu can no longer profit from it and has no means to hire thugs to pressure the debtors into repaying. Only then can you preserve your reputation, Commander."
Officer Mu’s plan to sacrifice wealth to avert disaster was ruthless. The Wang family would be stripped to the bone, left with little more than an empty shell.
Like a warrior cutting off his own arm to survive, Wang Commander could only sigh. "Do as you say. Cancel all the debts—I won’t even ask for the principal back. Silver can be accumulated again, but if I lose the Thousand-Household Title passed down through five generations of my ancestors, I would be too ashamed to face them even in death!"
Officer Mu picked up his sword. "With the connections of the Northern City Military Command, obtaining the list of debtors and their loan agreements shouldn’t be too difficult. Commander, you should draft the letter of divorce at once."
As Officer Mu and his subordinates stepped out, they encountered Madam Wu, who had washed off her makeup, dressed in plain clothes, and let her hair down. She had spread a straw mat in front of the Wang residence and knelt on it, removing her hairpins as a gesture of accepting blame.
The Wang residence faced West Drum Tower Street, and soon a crowd gathered, no smaller than the one that had surrounded Wang Daxia during his arrest by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Wei Caiwei, returning after a medical consultation, was escorted back in a carriage from the Duke of Chengguo’s estate. She was astonished by the scene: she had only been out for an hour to diagnose the pregnancy of the Duke’s daughter-in-law—Lu Ying’s eldest sister—and now the world seemed turned upside down.
Wang Commander rushed to the scene upon hearing the news and opened the main gate.
Seeing her husband, Madam Wu handed him a written statement with both hands. "I have been neither virtuous nor wise. Greedy and foolish, I have brought upon us an irreparable disaster. I am unworthy to be the mistress of the Wang household and hereby request to be divorced."
Officer Mu asked her quietly, "I urged you to request a divorce this afternoon. Why did you refuse then and only come now?"
Madam Wu wept. "I wanted to retrieve the betrothal gifts from my family and return them to the Wangs, to compensate for at least part of the loss. But after you left, I asked my brother and his wife, and they told me the gifts had all been used for my younger brother’s marriage. Not a single copper coin remains. I had no choice but to come empty-handed and beg for divorce."
Author’s Note: Another strange pairing has emerged. It’s the Ming dynasty version of a P2P lending crash.
OpenNovel