adultery

"Father."

Dou Yanxun nodded in acknowledgment and prepared to walk away.

"Wait a minute." Dou Huaisheng's voice was deep, yet authoritative without being angry. "It's already late at night. Where are you going in such a hurry?"

Dou Yanxun lowered his eyes and bowed, saying, "My son's wife went missing at home, and my son went to find her and bring her back."

Dou Huaisheng remained noncommittal, but walked straight into the hall and sat down in a rosewood armchair. Bai Shi glanced at Aunt Guo, who immediately understood and spoke softly, "Speaking of which, Aunt Guo has some things here that I'm sure the Second Master will be interested in. If you take a closer look, it's not too late to leave."

After saying that, he pulled out a soft, handkerchief-like thing from his sleeve.

Dou Yanxun ignored them, only coldly watching Bai Shi, who had returned to sit down next to Dou Huaisheng, and Dou Yanzhou, who had already stood up and was tidying his robes.

Aunt Guo walked steadily forward to the center of the hall. She slowly unfolded the handkerchief in her hand.

Inside, however, were several well-preserved letters. Written on silk paper, even from a distance, the handwriting was delicate and elegant, remarkably similar to Lin Xu's usual calligraphy practice.

His eyes darkened, and he looked away.

Aunt Guo looked at Dou Huaisheng as if seeking instructions, and said respectfully, "These things were all found in Madam Zhao'en's room, and these letters were hidden in the lining of her dressing case. Every word is full of sincere feelings, but it is inconvenient to say them here. Please take a look, sir and madam."

Bai took the letters, read them quickly, and handed them to Dou Huaisheng beside her. The hall became extremely quiet. You could almost hear a speck of dust falling.

Dou Yanxun kept his eyes slightly lowered, seemingly focused solely on the boots in front of him. Or perhaps, his mind was blank, and he wasn't thinking about anything at all.

Dou Huaisheng's face turned ashen after reading the letter.

Aunt Guo, who was very good at reading people, quickly said, "Madam Zhao'en usually practices calligraphy and writes very well. Her handwriting is also stronger than that of ordinary women. I think this is indeed a letter she wrote to Zhou Weikan in her own handwriting."

Dou Yanxun raised his head, his expression unchanged, a cold smile playing on his lips: "It's just a few letters, whether they're true or false is still uncertain. When did Aunt Guo get the chance to enter our bedroom, and when did she have the right to be the head housekeeper? What are your intentions now, daring to distort the truth and slander my wife?"

Aunt Guo was not angry; she simply took out a half-folded piece of paper from the unfolded handkerchief.

It was just a small, plain piece of paper with a simple floral pattern and a few words. The paper was slightly faded, and the edges were turning yellow, but it seemed to have been carefully preserved, except for a tear at the end, as if it had been scratched by an arrow.

He had never seen this note before.

For some reason, his heart clenched inexplicably.

Aunt Guo glanced at him, a smile appearing on her kind and gentle face, but her expression was complex, as if mixed with pity:

"And this note, with its strong handwriting, is clearly the work of a man. It contains only one short sentence: 'Do not marry him.' Just recently, to express his gratitude, Young Master Zhou sent our family a lot of precious brocade and tea, and even wrote down the items by hand. Coincidentally, when I compared the two, it was indeed written by Zhou Weikan himself."

All eyes turned to him.

Dou Yanxun paused, then smiled, "Is that all? What exactly does Auntie want to say?"

Dou Yanzhou coughed lightly and comforted her, "Second brother, don't be sad. The evidence is irrefutable now, and even if your wife wanted to deny it, she couldn't..."

Bai looked at Dou Yanxun and sneered:

"Do you know why Mother ordered Aunt Guo to thoroughly investigate this matter? The banquet held in the manor a few days ago was a grand and solemn occasion with many guests. Who knew that Madam Lin would be so audacious as to have an affair with Zhou Weikan in the back garden, away from everyone! The two of them were embracing each other, and when they were discovered, they panicked and fell into the water. They have long since abandoned all sense of propriety and shame! It is truly a disgrace to the family!"

Dou Yanxun slowly raised his head, his gaze passing through the crowd and landing directly on the handkerchief in Aunt Guo's hand that contained all the items. He remembered this brocade handkerchief.

It was entirely white, except for a vivid, brightly colored cherry embroidered on each of the four corners. When he was still in Laining, she would spend her time alone in the backyard, either walking around with the county magistrate's wife or burying herself in embroidery. The black cloak she later gave him was embroidered stitch by stitch during that time.

He had discovered it long ago, but he had always pretended not to know. He pretended not to know that she secretly hugged him at night, measuring his chest and waist, and he pretended not to have seen her carefully embroidering the gold thread outline, revising and re-embroidering it.

Back then, she embroidered this handkerchief in her spare time. The bright red cherry was incredibly lifelike and adorable. Later, however, he rarely saw her use this handkerchief. Except for that one day.

That day.

Seeing Dou Yanxun remain silent for a long time, Madam Bai smiled coldly, full of regret, "I know you're upset about this, but now the evidence is conclusive. Not only Aunt Guo, but also the other servants in the manor witnessed Zhou Weikan leaving in a panic, soaking wet. This matter can no longer be investigated..."

"However, after such an incident, Lin must have realized something, which is why she fled in panic today. She has done something so disgraceful that my Dou family will never tolerate her. You should write a letter of divorce immediately today."

Dou Yanxun clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. His gaze first swept over the so-called letters, the plain paper, and the cherry-red handkerchief, then fixed directly on Bai's face. He said in a low, cold voice:

"Is this the scheme you painstakingly set up? Xuxu is six months pregnant, her life hanging in the balance, yet you show no concern, only thinking about how to drag her into an abyss of no return, how to ensure she can never come back?"

"Second brother, how can you speak to Mother like that!"

Dou Yanxun glanced coldly at Dou Yanzhou, his contempt utterly palpable. He surveyed the room, gritting his teeth, and said, "As long as I, Dou Yanxun, live, you will never take her away from me! She is mine! You dare touch her!"

Having said that, he felt an overwhelming fear welling up inside him. Where was she now? These people were so cruel, trying to dishonor her and kill her. He didn't even know if she was alive or not. In just a moment, he was driven almost mad with worry.

No matter what, he had to make sure she was safe... that she would safely return to his side.

Dou Huaisheng had remained silent until now, when he finally glanced at Dou Yanxun and sighed:

"This matter shouldn't have been handled by your Aunt Guo, but your mother is worried about you. Our Dou family is already in a precarious situation, and with the evidence so conclusive, the person has simply disappeared. It's truly unsettling. You are no longer the same as before; you are now a powerful imperial censor, with many eyes watching you. If this matter isn't handled properly, it will not only damage your reputation but also harm your third sister's marriage. With Madam Mu just gone, if another scandal involving family conduct were to occur, Prince Gong might not remain indifferent. Therefore, this is the only way to handle it."

Dou Yanxun's knuckles had turned white. He raised his eyes and looked deeply at his father. For many years, his father had maintained this high position and indifferent attitude, allowing the inner quarters to be wreaked havoc by Bai Shi alone. After his mother passed away, no matter how much he had said he loved Xia Shi before she died, he could only sigh and quickly forgot all those memories.

But he didn't. He never did.

"Father need not worry, I know what I'm doing."

Dou Huaisheng looked at his illegitimate son, who was staring intently at him. It was the first time he had seen such a ruthless look in his eyes. For a moment, Dou Huaisheng thought he was seeing the woman from more than ten years ago whose face was clearly full of ambition and cunning.

Another gust of wind rose, and Dou Yanxun strode away from the main hall, taking with him half the faint fragrance of plum blossoms, leaving only a chilling cold.

.

As Lin Xu left the general's mansion, he was enveloped in a chill, his breath almost freezing. Although it was already spring and the weather had been quite bright just a few days ago, it now felt like a winter night, with a biting cold creeping up on him.

The carriage she had been riding in was nowhere to be seen. She looked around and suddenly didn't know what to do next.

She didn't know if those two sheets of paper, densely filled with evidence of her crimes, could fool Duan Jinru.

Over the years, she had been secretly gathering clues about the Dou family and had become somewhat familiar with Dou Huaisheng's daily social interactions.

Given the fact that Dou Yanzhou had embezzled funds, it was easy for her to fabricate stories about Dou Huaisheng forming cliques and accepting bribes, based on his network of connections. In addition, considering her past dealings with Qiu Shanhai's family in Laining, even though she had not yet seen the accounts in Mu Wenjun's hands, she could still vaguely fabricate a rough outline.

However, she mostly pinned these blames on Dou Yanxun.

With these two pages of "evidence," if Duan Jinru took them seriously, he would report them directly to Prince Mao and the Emperor. He would then lead men to search the Dou residence, and might very well find evidence against Dou Huaisheng and Dou Yanzhou. Dou Yanxun could then be cleared of all suspicion. Even if implicated, his life would be in no danger.

At most, Duan Jinru would turn against her and never trust her again. This matter was sudden and hasty, but she had to take this step before the Bai family could take drastic measures against her.

But what about now...?

She gently stroked her lower abdomen, and only when she felt that the little life still beating inside her was safe and sound did she seem to regain hope and all her strength.

Just as she slowly opened her eyes, she suddenly heard a soft female voice from the corner.

"lady."

The voice was strangely familiar. She looked around sharply and realized that in the darkest corner not far away, there was a woman's figure hiding behind a tree. The woman's eyes were bright and she beckoned to her.