Who Cares About Being the Matriarch? My Rebellious Husband Secured Me a Noble Rank! - Chapter 85

“Grandmother, please reconsider! If we split the family at a time like this, wouldn’t that only make my husband’s situation worse? You saw how arrogant those people were outside. Without the protection of the marquisate, what are we supposed to do?”

Shen Tangning’s face was full of pleading as she looked pitifully at the old matriarch, hoping she would take back her command.

Chi Yan’s expression was desolate, as though all the strength had been drained from him. His face was pale and lost, like a man utterly broken.

But the old matriarch was thoroughly enjoying herself. She snorted coldly.
“He brought this upon himself! He deserves everything that’s come to him!”

Second Madam Chi stepped forward under Shen Tangning’s gaze, her expression full of shame.
“Mother-in-law, I spoke out of turn before. Perhaps… we could postpone the matter of splitting the family?”

The old matriarch sneered. Her gaze held nothing but contempt.
“Weren’t you all quite spirited when you demanded to split the family yesterday? Let’s see how long you can keep up that backbone!”

Shen Tangning lowered her eyes slightly, masking the glint of amusement behind them.

The more they resisted splitting the family, the more convinced the old matriarch became that it was absolutely the right thing to do.

Had they acted willing and agreeable, she might have reconsidered. But deep down, she simply didn’t want them to have an easy time.

With all that had happened lately, her anger had been simmering, and now her heart was set.

Shen Tangning had played her hand well — spending a little silver to stir up a few troublemakers to fan the flames. With public resentment already boiling, it wasn’t hard to push the crowd into showing up and causing a scene.

The Marchioness still felt something was off, but the old matriarch had already made a firm, overbearing decision.
“Send for the clan elders! And summon the Marquis and the Second Master back too!”

The Marchioness bit her lip silently. This matter is already sealed.

So be it. Whether Chi Yan could clear his name of cheating was still up in the air.

Recalling something her son had said in passing the other day, her eyes flickered. Perhaps distancing themselves from the second branch early wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

Before long, the clan leader and two respected elders of the Chi family arrived.

Soon after, the Marquis of Ningyuan and the Second Master also returned.

The elders got a rough understanding of the situation from the old matriarch. As soon as they saw the second master, they began scolding him.

“Your stepmother raised you, and now you’re clamoring to split the family? Have you no sense of filial piety or moral code?!”

Second Master Chi kept his head down and took the scolding silently. Then he pinched his thigh hard, and his eyes reddened with tears.
“The elders are right to reprimand me. I should never have made Mother angry. But… I couldn’t just stand by and watch her drive my son out of the family. As a father yourself, surely you can understand my heart?”

One of the elders looked awkward and said nothing.
“……”

The other tried to maintain his stern expression.
“But still, it doesn’t excuse such disrespect toward your elders!”

Looking completely defeated, Second Master Chi suddenly dropped to his knees and kowtowed hard to the old matriarch, voice hoarse with emotion.
“Mother, your son knows he was wrong. Can we… not split the family after all?”

The old matriarch’s fury exploded instantly.
“Keep dreaming! The family must be split! Even if you don’t want to — I will!”

The two clan elders exchanged puzzled glances.
“…?”

This didn’t quite match what they’d heard from the old matriarch earlier.

So who exactly had wanted to split the family?

The clan leader more or less saw through the act. The old matriarch had clearly added some dramatic flair to her version of events. Though he was displeased, he didn’t want to embarrass her in public. Clearing his throat, he solemnly declared.

“Since we are to split the family, then we shall follow proper rules. All lands, assets, and shops will be divided equally among the sons, regardless of birth order. The noble title and ancestral rites shall remain with the eldest legitimate son.”

Splitting the family and the assets in half? The old matriarch’s face darkened, but this was the law. She had no grounds to argue.

The clan leader had already prepared a list of the Chi family’s assets and began to read it aloud, “As of now, the Chi family holds six estates, four hundred mu of fertile farmland, and twenty shops in total…”

Compared to other noble houses, this wasn’t much.

Back when the old marquis was still alive, the Chi household had flourished — owning up to eight hundred mu of land and dozens of shops. But over the years, with poor management, they’d sold off assets bit by bit to cover losses and maintain appearances.

What remained now was barely holding on.

The clan leader paused and looked at the Chi brothers.
“Per the old matriarch’s wishes, the shops on Yongning Street and Xingsheng Street will go to the Marquis. The rest will go to the Second Master.”

Second Madam Chi couldn’t help but feel mocked.

Who didn’t know those streets had the best locations and most profitable businesses? The remaining shops were either unprofitable or bleeding money. Most months, they had to dip into their own savings just to cover expenses.

So much for “equal division” — the first branch had already picked through everything and left them the scraps.

Just yesterday, she had told Tangning, “As long as we can split the family, I don’t even care about the money. I don’t lack silver anyway.”

But Tangning had advised her, “If it rightfully belongs to us, why give it up? Mother’s being considerate, but they may not appreciate it.”

And now, her words rang true.

Second Madam Chi’s eyes turned cold. If that’s how they wanted to play it, then she wouldn’t leave anything on the table either.

They could keep the shops.

She batted her eyes once, then tentatively asked, “Clan Leader, we can divide the land and shops evenly, but what about the ancestral house and the household servants?”

The Chi residence was a single estate. Were they supposed to split the building down the middle?

And the servants — they were all trained and used to serving them. Would the old matriarch even allow them to be taken?

As expected, the old matriarch’s face immediately dropped. Her voice turned icy with restrained rage.
“Don’t tell me you’re eyeing the ancestral estate too? I’m living with the eldest — the house naturally stays with the first branch!”

The Marchioness’s gaze flickered and she added with a sugar-coated barb, “Sister-in-law, you know we can’t literally divide the house in half. Where would Mother live then? If we really did split it like that, people would laugh at us!”

She smiled gently, but her words carried venom.
“I know you’ve always been… frugal, but if you haggle too much, people might say you’re petty — like a common merchant.”

It was a thinly veiled jab at her merchant background — calling her uncultured and money-grubbing.

But Shen Tangning wasn’t about to sit by and let her mother-in-law get shortchanged. Her lips curved ever so slightly as she spoke in a soft tone.

“Aunt is right. The estate itself certainly can’t be divided.”

Before the Marchioness could feel pleased, Tangning’s tone suddenly shifted:

“But the law is clear — when a family splits, all property must be divided evenly. If not, the guilty party is punished with twenty strokes for every twenty strings of coins’ worth.”
(Note: 1 string = ~1 tael of silver)

The Marchioness’s smile instantly froze. The old matriarch’s face turned ugly in a flash.

Shen Tangning widened her eyes in mock surprise, voice full of “concern”.
“That’s a harsh punishment…”

The clan leader’s expression shifted slightly. Clearly, he no longer dared to show favoritism. He looked at her seriously.
“Then how do you propose we divide things?”

Shen Tangning smiled faintly.
“We’re all one family — no need to calculate things so precisely. We’re willing to leave the house and the servants. But we’d like compensation in other areas — like more land or shops. Just calculate the market value and make up the difference.”

Everyone: “……”

You call that not calculating things too precisely?