Feeling He Yunze's heartless actions, Song Ruoan stared at him with disbelief in her eyes: "Did I do this all by myself? You're really good at shirking responsibility!"

Her expression was frantic, bordering on hysteria: "You say I've lied to you again and again, but before, you were the one begging me to treat people, and now you're the one who went to open the brothel with me. What do you mean I've caused you so much suffering?"

Did I force this upon myself?

Hearing her shrill voice, He Yunze felt a buzzing in his ears. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, he couldn't say anything.

Then, Song Ruoan's expression turned sorrowful in an instant. Her face was ashen, and she was drenched in sweat. She grabbed He Yunce's sleeve again, softened her voice, and pleaded desperately:

“My husband, I really can’t be tortured in the government office, otherwise I will never be able to hold my head up again in this lifetime.”

"...Please, go apologize to my sister, plead with Prince Ning, tell him we'll never do it again, we'll accept the punishment, we'll give him silver...Please, Magistrate of the Capital, tell him not to beat me..."

This time it was different from the family punishment he received in the Marquis's mansion. When he was punished in the Marquis's mansion, no one knew, and it was a private punishment. No matter how fierce the old woman in the ancestral hall was, she could not kill him.

But the government's whipping was not only carried out in full view of the public, but the executioners were also people who had blood on their hands!

How could Song Ruoan, a woman, accept this?

She was scared; this time, she was truly terrified.

Song Ruoan cried her heart out, completely lost, like withered grass.

He Yunze listened to her words, but his expression didn't change at all. His expression remained indifferent as he simply said to Song Ruoan:

"Ruo'an, let's separate for a while."

Upon hearing this, Song Ruoan was struck dumb, her entire body filled with terror, like a frightened bird: "Husband... what do you mean by that?"

Are you going to divorce me?

If she were to be whipped and then divorced, she would either have to cut off her hair and become a nun for the rest of her life, or she would be hanged by the elders of the Song family with a white silk ribbon!

As she thought about it, her voice suddenly became frantic: "He Yunze! You were the one who said we'd be together for life, you were the one who told me to be a Lady of the Imperial Decree!"

Are you going to divorce me now that we're in court?

"I was just deceived, and you want to divorce me? Do you want my life?"

Song Ruoan spoke with such intensity and tears streaming down her face that even the Prefect of the Capital, who was in court, did not interrupt their argument.

He craned his neck, and the yamen runners standing neatly on both sides stared wide-eyed, watching with great interest.

Hearing Song Ruoan's roar, He Yunze felt his mind was in a mess, so messed up that he couldn't think straight.

He staggered back a step, then shook his head absently, "I don't know, Ruo'an, I really don't know..."

Memories of his past life seemed to flash through his mind, the incredibly beautiful moments standing in stark contrast to the present.

He Yunze looked at Song Ruoan in front of him with some confusion, feeling that the woman in front of him was completely different from the woman in his memory.

He didn't deny Song Ruoan's words, but simply repeated, "Give me some time to calm down, okay?"

He Yunce needs time, but Song Ruoan has absolutely no time left.

Her messy hair was stuck haphazardly to her temples. She knew that He Yunze hadn't initially denied the idea of ​​divorcing his wife because he genuinely had that thought in mind, but he couldn't be sure yet.

The thought of this possibility completely overwhelmed Song Ruoan, and she kept repeating what she had just said.

She pressed him relentlessly, almost pathologically: "Husband, go and beg my sister, go and plead with the Prefect of the Capital. You're a sixth-rank official, His Majesty likes you very much, go and plead for him!"

He Yunze could no longer bear it. He looked at the woman in front of him, who was acting like a madwoman, and had lost all her former innocence, kindness, naivety, and beauty.

He broke down completely and shouted, "Are you still the same Ruo'an I used to be?"

"Yes, I want to divorce my wife... Can't a man divorce his wife? This whole thing is your fault!"

After saying this, He Yunze muttered to himself, "I'm leaving. I need to borrow money to pay the fine. I'm leaving. I need to borrow money."

After saying this, he turned and left without looking back.

Song Ruoan looked at his retreating figure in despair, and without hesitation stepped forward to chase after him.

But at this moment, the Prefect of the Capital and the two rows of yamen runners who were watching the play with great interest finally came back to their senses as if waking from a dream.

The Prefect of the Capital slammed his gavel: "Guards! Arrest Song Shi and bring her back to me! Execute her on the spot!"

As expected, Song Ruoan was dragged back by several yamen runners. She struggled fiercely, but the tall and strong yamen runners pressed her to the ground.

The long whip lashed across Song Ruoan's back, causing her to scream in agony.

The pain was excruciating.

Song Ruoan's mind went blank. She trembled with pain, almost lost consciousness, and her throat was so hoarse that she couldn't cry out at all.

This was the first time she had experienced the ruthlessness of a man.

The woman's screams reached He Yunze's ears.

He Yunze was in a state of utter confusion. He was breathing heavily, covered in cold sweat, and staggered out, nearly falling to the ground several times.

It felt like there were evil spirits chasing me from behind.

He Yunze asked himself again and again, did he really love Song Ruoan?

He knew he loved her, otherwise he wouldn't be heartbroken like this now.

But that person just now...

He Yunze was plunged into endless confusion and bewilderment: Was that hysterical woman just now really Ruo'an?

He didn't think so.

He Yunce hurried along, his mind in turmoil, and ran towards where the carriage was parked.

Shuangxi was still waiting for him in the carriage. He wanted to go back to the manor and escape from this place. He couldn't afford to delay for even a moment longer.

Before He Yunze could walk far, a sack fell from the sky and completely covered him from head to toe.

The world before his eyes turned pitch black in an instant, and He Yunze let out a terrified scream.

"Who?! Who is it?! I am a sixth-rank remonstrating official!"

"This is right next to the Jingzhao Prefecture! Murderers must pay with their lives! What kind of thieves are these, so brazen?! ​​Aren't you afraid of dying?"