The Aloof Lord's Mysterious Wife
Chapter 548: "Cut Flesh to Pay Back Mother, Cut Bone to Pay Back Father!"

Chapter 548: "Cut Flesh to Pay Back Mother, Cut Bone to Pay Back Father!"

Nanli interjected her thoughts, "It seems to me that it’s not just a matter of suffering again, but rather that you, Cao Bin, are enduring a fate worse than your father ever did."

Elder Cao’s face turned as dark as a soot-covered pot.

Though he couldn’t chase them away, he was skilled at throwing insults. "You’re here to watch a show, so keep your mouths shut!" he barked, his frustration boiling over.

Cao Bin, however, continued to sneer as he accused, "What’s wrong with what they’re saying? Father, you married Mother before you even turned sixteen, and the Yue family supported your studies. You didn’t have to worry about anything. But me? I’m almost twenty-two and still can’t settle my marriage because of you!"

"You prided yourself on being an upright official, but you’re nothing but a parasite! You squandered Mother’s dowry and even dipped into my hard-earned money!"

"Your salary always goes to help those impoverished scholars, but you never spend a single coin on your own family! To the world, you’re a saint, but to me, you’re nothing but an unworthy husband and father!"

No man, no matter how educated, likes to have his reliance on others aired publicly. Even Elder Cao, despite his scholarly background, was no different.

"Unfilial son!" Elder Cao’s face flushed with rage, veins bulging on his neck.

He stepped forward, raising his hand to punish Cao Bin. But a burst of golden light erupted.

Elder Cao couldn’t take another step forward.

Nanli had used a Body-Freezing Talisman. "Lord Cao, you might be angry, but you can’t lay a hand on him."

"He’s my son! A father has the right to discipline his own child!" Elder Cao protested. "Isn’t that a lesson you learned from your studies, Ninth Princess?"

Nanli raised an eyebrow. "You’re right; a father can discipline his son. But he’s done nothing wrong today, and while I’m here, I won’t allow you to harm him."

"Well said, sixth sister!" Chu Shuo gave her a thumbs-up.

Xie Beihan nodded in agreement.

Elder Cao’s temper was infamous, especially as a leader from a poor background. Few dared to disrespect him.

Cao Bin looked gratefully at Nanli before turning back to Elder Cao. "I finally understand why Mother would choose to poison herself. Someone like her, who devoted her life to you, would rather die than see you lose face in a divorce."

Even he, her own son, would be sacrificed.

"What?" Elder Cao exclaimed, stunned. "You mean... she... she committed suicide?"

Nanli had suspected this possibility earlier and was not particularly surprised now.

Cao Bin smiled faintly, a look of resignation on his face. "You two are willing to bear the consequences of your choices, yet I’m the one who suffers. I once questioned why I was born your son. Now I understand--I’ve died once, and my new life is a gift from someone else. From now on, I will no longer be your son!"

"Bin’er!" Elder Cao’s rage peaked, even as he remained unable to move. "The bond of father and son cannot be severed by mere words! You are Cao by name! In this life and the next, you will always be my son!"

Cao Bin was momentarily at a loss for words.

He clenched his fists tightly.

By law and etiquette, he could never completely sever their father-son bond.

He made a determined resolution. "Then I’ll cut flesh for my mother and bone for my father!"

Elder Cao’s heart twisted in pain.

Yet, someone like him lived for face and died for dignity.

"How dare you speak such madness! Unfilial son! I know you don’t have the guts to follow through. If you admit your mistakes now, I won’t hold your disobedience against you!"

He had previously used threats like this, and his son would kneel and apologize immediately. But this time was different.

Cao Bin had faced death once. He was resolute in not wanting to live under the same roof as Elder Cao anymore--there was no way they could maintain a father-son relationship!

His expression was fierce. "Second Brother, Lord, do you have a knife?"

"Are you really going through with it?" Chu Shuo’s eyes widened.

Xie Beihan chimed in, "Maybe you should recover before doing something so drastic. You won’t survive it now."

"I’m doing it now! I can no longer be your son!" Cao Bin was adamant, ignoring their pleas.

The poison had mostly been purged. He felt a bit stronger and sought a knife.

But suddenly, a frail hand grasped his arm--Lady Cao, her skin dry and wrinkled, with visible veins and bony fingers.

"Bin’er..." Her voice was equally hoarse.

Cao Bin turned to look at her.

They had both consumed the same poison, but Lady Cao, being older, had a lower tolerance. Though she was awake, she looked extremely weak.

Cao Bin held resentment toward her. "Since the moment you made me drink the poison, our mother-son bond was severed. Let go of me."

Lady Cao was overwhelmed with regret.

Her once dutiful son, who had always been so understanding, now refused to even call her "Mother."

Elder Cao shouted angrily, "Li! Look at what you’ve done!"

Madam Li shot a glance at Elder Cao but refused to let go, turning her gaze back to Cao Bin. "Bin’er, Mother was impulsive. I made a mistake... I’m begging you... forgive me."

As she spoke, she tried to kneel down, dragging her frail body toward him.

"Mother!" Cao Bin gasped, both shocked and pained.

He too sank to his knees.

A son should never let his mother kneel before him.

His voice choked with emotion, "You’ve cared for me so thoroughly all this time. I can’t truly hate you. I’m just frustrated that you constantly prioritize others over yourself and my happiness for the sake of your dignity!"

Lady Cao tightened her grip on his hand. "I won’t do that anymore! I promise!"

Only after facing death did one truly understand regret.

"Really?" Cao Bin was skeptical.

Lady Cao nodded, looking around the room at everyone. Her gaze landed on Nanli. "Ninth Princess, please help me get the wooden box from my dressing table."

Nanli complied.

Lady Cao opened the box.

Inside were some cheap trinkets, but beneath them lay a neatly folded piece of xuan paper.

With a steely gaze, she spoke slowly, "Cao, when I married you, you were supported through your studies. You signed a contract that you couldn’t divorce me. In the future, if I decide to, I’ll take our child with me, and we’ll have no further ties with you."

She carefully unfolded the paper.

"Your signature and fingerprint are on here. After years of education and with your current status, you wouldn’t deny this, would you?"

Nanli was taken aback. "Lady Cao... Madam Li, I didn’t expect you to have this up your sleeve."

Looking at her, it was hard to believe she could be so clever.

Madam Li, filled with guilt, admitted, "It was my father who made him sign it. When I was going to marry this impoverished scholar, my father opposed it from the start."