Yu'er paused her weeping slightly before continuing, "Marrying you, I only ever intended to live out my days devoted entirely to you. I never thought of anything else. Whether you are poor or rich, whether you pass the imperial exams or not—I chose you, and that is final. Truthfully, I don't want this rift between you and your mother to grow wider because of me. Today, when my family spoke of separating the household, we only meant living separately; it never implied abandoning your mother. Mother is your mother, which makes her my mother too; we will continue to show filial respect just the same. Once our own fortunes improve, we can build a larger courtyard, and we can all live together again. But now that things have reached this point, perhaps it’s too late to say this now, isn't it?"

Yu'er's words were flawless, leaving no room for rebuttal. Lin He was surprised by Yu'er’s insight. Growing up under the watchful eye of Old Madam He, even if she didn't absorb every lesson, she must have absorbed eight or nine tenths of it. Wasn't Zhao Yu's mother trying the tender, emotional route to move Zhao Yu? Yu'er could do the same. And honestly, no matter how good a man's mother is to him, or how much he cherishes her, once he grows up, the woman sharing his bed will always hold the prime position in his heart.

Indeed, Zhao Yu had started leaning toward his mother's side, but hearing Yu'er's heartfelt plea and seeing her face streaked with tears, his heart ached for her. He helped her up and sighed, saying, "Mother, perhaps we should separate the household then. Yu'er is right; even if we live separately, we will still honor you as before."

Hearing her son's words, Zhao Yu's mother stared at him, almost unable to believe it. After fixing her gaze on Zhao Yu for a moment, she turned her eyes toward Yu'er, who stood to the side, her eyes immediately filling with intense malice. After a long silence, she spat out, "You wretched little thing, what clever tricks you have! I raised my son for so many years, and in just a few words, you’ve muddled his head so thoroughly that he’d discard his own mother! Truly, rotten earth breeds rotten grass; your entire family is worthless."

Seeing her mother-in-law’s reaction, Yu'er remained silent, shrinking behind Zhao Yu as if terrified. Old Madam He had been ready to lash out with her own curses, but Madam Zhao silenced her with a look. In reality, the more fiercely Madam Zhao cursed now, the more resolute Zhao Yu’s intention to separate would become. Furthermore, she was cursing Yu’er in front of all her family members. Madam Zhao probably never dared use such vulgar language in front of Zhao Yu before. Let her vent her rage today; it would show Zhao Yu exactly what kind of person his mother was.

As expected, Madam Zhao continued her tirade, unleashing every unpleasant curse she could think of, even extending her venom to the entire Lin family. Finally, Zhao Yu could not bear it any longer and shouted, "Mother, you have gone too far! The decision to divide the household was mine. Why are you cursing her entire family? To scold Yu'er so severely in front of so many people today suggests how much you must torment her when I am not home. It is clear now that Yu’er truly cannot live with you. Forget Yu'er; anyone would find it impossible to live with you. I had originally intended, out of filial piety, that even if Yu'er insisted on separation, I would not agree to divorce rather than split the home. But now, there is no need to consider that. Even if Yu'er and I divorced and I found someone else, they likely wouldn't endure it. Yu'er has suffered so much mistreatment for so long, and I pretended not to see it just to spare your feelings, but today you have truly crossed the line. We will separate the household. Whatever you are willing to give us, I will accept without protest."

Zhao Yu’s words carried immense force. It was clear that in all his years, he had never spoken to his mother with such authority. Madam Zhao was momentarily stunned. Zhao Yu then turned to Yu'er, saying, "Yu'er, after we separate, life will likely be hard. I apologize for the hardship you must endure, but I will find work, and things will eventually get better."

Madam Zhao, initially frozen, now reacted, realizing that so many people were watching her. Being a proud woman, she abandoned any thought of begging them not to leave. She declared, "You wish to separate the household, is that it? Very well, separate then! You just said you’d accept whatever I gave you. Everything in this house I earned. Go pack your clothes and leave."

"You've gone too far! That's not how you divide a home! You ought to at least provide them a dwelling! What kind of division is this? You’re just throwing them out!" Qingshan exclaimed, finally making his presence felt among the gathered family members.

"A house? I built that house. The money in the house, I earned. The fields, my husband and I bought them through back-breaking labor. There is nothing in this house left to divide with them. He is the one who insisted on separating, not me driving them out. I have nothing left, so if he insists on dividing, this is all he gets," Madam Zhao retorted, looking directly at Zhao Yu.

"Fine. We won't argue about the assets for now. First, you must return all the dowry and silver that your family provided for Yu'er," Old Madam He demanded.

"What dowry did your family give? All of that was used as the betrothal gifts I sent over," Madam Zhao said, visibly nervous when the dowry was mentioned.

"In-law, are you planning to starve your son and daughter-in-law? There were written records for both the betrothal gifts and the dowry, all clearly documented. Furthermore, members of our family and Zhao Yu himself are aware of this. If you truly refuse to return the dowry, we will come search for it. Those items are ours, and even if you take the matter to the magistrates, we have a clear case," Old Madam He boomed loudly.

"I'd like to see you dare!"

"You just watch me dare. If you’re ashamed to return the betrothal gifts—fine, we won't press the matter. Those gifts were for our family, so if you claim they were yours, I won't argue, as long as Zhao Yu says nothing and our Yu'er says nothing. But our dowry—the major items included ten taels of silver, two complete sets of silver jewelry, and over a dozen bolts of cloth. You must return every item. If a single piece is missing, I will not consider the division settled." When it came to finances, Old Madam He possessed a faultless memory.

"This mother-in-law of Yu'er’s is truly something rare. How can she claim the betrothal gifts she gave her son as her own? Shouldn't all of that belong to Yu'er? She claims to dote on her son, but it looks like she’s trying to force the young couple to their graves," Song Yuemei remarked to Qingshan beside her in a voice that was purposefully not too low, ensuring everyone present could hear.

"Exactly. When it comes to separating the household, she won't give up a single thing, yet she claims it’s all for her son. I think the person she cherishes most is herself, always planning for her own benefit first, always hoarding everything for herself. I suspect she drove her son so hard to pass the imperial exams only so she could enjoy comfort in her old age. Otherwise, no one treats their own son this way," Hongxia chimed in beside her.