"Even at a time like this, you still feel sorry for this woman?"

Lu's mother shouted, "That bitch should have died long ago! She should have died long ago!"

“I poisoned her to death; it was an act of justice.”

“This is between her and me.” Lu Xiuyuan’s eyes were red. “No matter what she does, as long as I’m willing, no one can say anything.”

"Even if you are my own mother, you have no right to interfere in the matters between her and me."

"How could I have given birth to such a good-for-nothing son like you?"

Lu's mother said greedily, "She's about to die, and this huge house will be yours, plus you'll be the top scholar."

“My son, you don’t need to be sad or upset over such a despicable woman. Your mother is trying to help you.”

Lu Xiuyuan held Pei Zhi tightly, "Aya, what should I do now?"

Lu Xiuyuan's voice trembled, "How can I save you?"

Pei Zhi held Lu Xiuyuan's hand and said, "I'm sorry."

There's no need to say these things between us.

Pei Zhi shook her head, "I'm still the one who's wronged you. I'm not a good wife."

"Nonsense," Lu Xiuyuan retorted softly. "Who defines a good wife? I am your husband. If I think you are good, then you are good."

Pei Zhi could feel her life slipping away. "I'm a little cold."

Lu Xiuyuan hugged Pei Zhi tightly, saying, "The wedding dress I ordered for you is finished."

"In a few days, we will be able to hold the wedding banquet again."

Lu Xiuyuan forced back tears, "Don't leave me, okay?"

Shang Huai and Xiao Chengci entered the courtyard one after the other. Upon seeing this scene, they both stood still.

Shang Huai was the first to react. He rushed over, grabbed Pei Zhi's wrist, and took her pulse.

Shang Huai grew up in a military camp, where soldiers knew how to bandage wounds, and he also honed his skills with military doctors.

After taking Pei Zhi's pulse, Shang Huai's expression immediately darkened.

"How could this be? She was perfectly fine just a few days ago!"

When Lu's mother saw Shang Huai, she became even more excited.

"It was you, you adulterer, you were heartbroken to see her dying, weren't you?"

Lu's mother pointed at Shang Huai, "It's a pity I can't kill you, otherwise you would all die together, so that I can be worthy of my son."

"Is it you?" Shang Huai turned to look at Lu's mother.

"It was me," Lu's mother confessed without hesitation. "I was the one who drugged her, poisoned her. She deserved it."

“A woman as unclean as her deserves to die! Poisoning her would be too lenient.”

Without thinking, Shang Huai kicked him directly.

Lu's mother was thrown to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood, and could no longer utter any more harsh words.

"Someone, summon the imperial physician." Xiao Chengci shook his head again. "Let's go to the East Palace. Let's go now."

After Xiao Chengci finished speaking, he tried to snatch Pei Zhi from Lu Xiuyuan's hands.

Pei Zhi grabbed Lu Xiuyuan's hand and said with all her might, "I want to stay by his side in my last moments."

Xiao Chengci looked blank for a moment, but still put Pei Zhi's health first.

"I'll take you back to the East Palace for treatment first. Once you're better, I won't care how long you want to stay with him, okay?" Xiao Chengci's tone was almost pleading.

Pei Zhi shook her head, "I..." Before she could finish speaking, she vomited another mouthful of blood.

Xiao Chengci hurriedly said, "If you don't want to go, then don't go. I'll call the imperial physician over."

Pei Zhi had no mind to care about Xiao Chengci anymore; she looked at Lu Xiuyuan.

"I wish you were the first person I met."

Pei Zhi's words caused Shang Huai and Xiao Chengci to change their expressions slightly.

Pei Zhi's words were essentially a veiled way of saying that she regretted knowing the two of them.

"It's okay, it's fine as it is now."

Lu Xiuyuan never asked for too much. "As long as you are by my side, I am content."

"I am happy every moment because you can marry me."

"I won't be able to be with you anymore, but you have to live well."

Pei Zhi's biggest worry is that Lu Xiuyuan won't be able to get over this hurdle.

"You're not by my side anymore, what more can I do for you?"

Pei Zhi sighed, wanting to say something more, but in the end, she only said, "I'm sorry," before passing away.

Lu Xiuyuan looked at the person who had closed their eyes in his arms in disbelief, "Aya."

"Aya, don't scare me."

Lu Xiuyuan shook Pei Zhi, but the person in his arms did not react at all.

Shang Huai's eyes reddened, and he turned to look at Xiao Chengci, who was standing to the side.

"It's all your fault." Shang Huai walked over and grabbed Xiao Chengci's collar.

"It's all your fault! What kind of crazy idea was that led to Pei Zhi being poisoned to death?"

Shang Huai is now filled with remorse; he shouldn't have listened to those people back then.

Their original plan was simply to have Pei Zhi experience a mother-in-law/daughter-in-law relationship.

If Pei Zhi finds it troublesome, she will take the initiative to divorce.

But no one expected that Lu's mother, this old woman, would be so bold.

They actually dared to poison Pei Zhi, and Pei Zhi actually fell for it.

"Get out of my way." Xiao Chengci shoved Shang Huai. "Stop pretending to be innocent."

"And what good are you yourself?"

Before Shang Huai could say anything more, the imperial physician arrived.

Xiao Chengci immediately grabbed the imperial physician and ordered him to examine Pei Zhi's pulse.

"Quickly take her pulse."

The imperial physician examined Pei Zhi's pulse and then hurriedly knelt on the ground.

"Your Highness, this person has no pulse at all, so there is no way to diagnose him."

“No.” Xiao Chengci forced himself to remain calm. “She was like this before. At that time, everyone in the Imperial Hospital said she was beyond saving, but she came back to life after she died.”

Xiao Chengci asserted, "This time, she will definitely do the same."

“Take a close look at her; she can’t have died like this.”

This time, Xiao Chengci simply couldn't believe that Pei Zhi was really dead.

The imperial physician looked troubled; there was no pulse, so how could he take a diagnosis?

"Guards, take her back to the East Palace. This time, I will personally guard her."

Xiao Chengci will not allow Pei Zhi to be buried this time, no matter what.

He wanted to personally guard Pei Zhi and wait for her to "come back to life".

Shang Huai seemed to be deep in thought after hearing Xiao Chengci's words.

Yes, Shang Huai witnessed Pei Zhi's "death" firsthand.

Shang Huai had confirmed that Pei Zhi was indeed no longer breathing.

How is it similar to the current situation?

How could someone as clever as Pei Zhi be poisoned to death by an old woman like Lu's mother?

Perhaps Xiao Chengci's guess was right?

"Get out of here, all of you! Aya is my wife, and none of you are allowed to take her away."

Xiao Chengci no longer cared about Lu Xiuyuan and ordered his men to forcibly pull Lu Xiuyuan away.

Xiao Chengci personally carried Pei Zhi into the carriage, and Shang Huai did not hesitate to follow behind Xiao Chengci. The two returned to the East Palace together.

Lu Xiuyuan tried to resist, but he was held down and powerless to fight back. He could only watch helplessly as Pei Zhi was taken away.