The Duke's Mansion.
Li Zan knelt on the ground, crawled to Bai Wei's side, looked at her ashen face, and pleaded bitterly, "Wei'er, we have been married for more than twenty years, and in this vast Lingyang City, we have always been a model couple. You are also a model of household management among the ladies of Lingyang City. I have only made a small mistake that any man would make. Why do you have to make such a trivial matter known to the whole city?"
Bai Wei coldly stared at Li Zan below.
He spoke words of apology and performed a gesture of repentance, but his tone and eyes were full of reproach.
She sneered and said, "Li Zan, tell me, was it me who made the whole city know about this?"
After more than twenty years of marriage, this was the first time she had called Li Zan by his given name.
Li Zan felt a chill run down his spine. He realized that Bai Wei was serious about divorcing him this time.
Thinking of this, he got up from the ground, straightened his slightly disheveled clothes, sat on the begonia and pear wood armchair opposite Bai Wei, stared at her intently, and gestured for her to continue.
Bai Wei's lips curled into a cold smile, thinking to herself: So she can't keep up the act anymore?
"On New Year's Day, I was strolling with Yun'er when we passed the Cangchun Pavilion. Suddenly, a woman in red rushed out of the building, grabbed my legs, and began to sob. She said she truly loved you and was now pregnant with your child. But you couldn't bear to hurt me and wouldn't let her into the manor..."
Bai Wei couldn't help but recall that unforgettable scene from that day. The red-clad woman's pleading seemed to still echo in her ears.
At that moment, the woman in red tightly hugged her legs, her voice choked with sobs, each word dripping with grief: "Madam, please let me into the manor! My husband and I are truly in love, and I am already carrying his child. He remembers your kindness and cannot bear to let me become a burden to you, but you... you love my husband so much, how can you bear to watch this child come into the world without a name or status?"
At that moment, the surrounding air seemed to freeze, and time slowed down considerably.
The red-clad woman's pleas were like sharp blades, stabbing her heart again and again.
Looking at the tear-streaked face of the woman in red, she felt a mix of emotions—shock, heartache, and an indescribable anger surging within her.
Over the past year, Li Zan has spent tens of thousands of taels of silver from his household under various pretexts to support just this one woman!
Li Zan used the property from his wife's dowry to support another woman, and he even got her pregnant with his child!
The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger.
Bai Wei's face remained calm, but her heart was in turmoil.
She glanced coldly at the woman in red who was crying and clutching her legs, and said in a low voice, "You certainly have some tricks up your sleeve, young lady. But aren't you afraid of shooting yourself in the foot?"
"Oh, isn't that the Duchess? The Duke is famous for spoiling his wife!"
"Men are like cats; what cat can resist the urge to steal fish?"
The crowd was buzzing with discussion, each voice talking at once.
Enraged, Zhao Yun slapped the woman in red hard across the face: "Who are you, you little whore? How dare you bother with my mother?!"
She struck with great force, and the woman in red's face immediately swelled up. She was already beautiful, but now, with her tears, she appeared even more pitiful. The onlookers gradually began to speak in her defense.
"She's already pregnant with Lord Li's child, and they won't even let her in. They're just being jealous!"
"These days, which man doesn't have three wives and four concubines? The wives in the inner quarters can't be too domineering."
What followed was even more unbearable to hear. Zhao Yun was so angry that she went into labor, clutching her stomach and crying out, "It hurts, mother-in-law, my stomach hurts."
Bai Wei snapped out of her reverie and turned her gaze back to Li Zan, saying, "Li Zan, now that our marriage is over, let's part amicably! If you refuse to divorce me, then I will no longer consider our past relationship and will give you a letter of divorce."
Seeing Bai Wei's resolute attitude, Li Zan suddenly stood up and roared angrily, "Bai Wei, don't push your luck! I've been with you, the only woman, for so many years, you should be grateful!"
Bai Wei had never seen Li Zan so out of control.
She was startled by Li Zan's outburst.
She stood up, not wanting to argue with him anymore.
There's no point in arguing any further.
"Where are you going?" Li Zan took a step forward, stepped in front of her, closed the door, and bolted it shut.
"Li Zan, don't do anything reckless!" Bai Wei backed away in fear.
Li Zan took off his coat and tossed it onto the chair he had just sat on. Then he rolled up his sleeves and slowly approached Bai Wei.
"Bai Wei, haven't I been too gentle with you all these years?" His eyes burned with rage.
Bai Wei's heart raced instantly; she hadn't expected Li Zan to suddenly become so violent.
She forced herself to remain calm and tried to find a chance to escape, but the door was locked, and she could only watch helplessly as Li Zan approached.
She took a few steps back until her back pressed against the cold wall, with nowhere left to retreat.
Li Zan's hands were already gripping her shoulders, his eyes filled with anger and madness, as if he wanted to devour her.
"Bai Wei, who do you think you are? Do you think I'm really afraid of your letter of divorce? Let me tell you, my position in Lingyang City is not something you can shake! Do you think I'll obediently sign and seal the document just because you propose a divorce? Let me tell you, even if it means death, I will never let you leave me so easily!"
Li Zan's words were like a sharp blade, cutting into Bai Wei's heart.
She never imagined that the man she once loved so deeply could be so ruthless and cruel.
She closed her eyes, tears streaming down her face, her heart filled with despair.
Just as Bai Wei was at her wit's end and bracing herself for Li Zan's rage, a series of urgent knocks came from outside the door.
This chapter is not finished, please click the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
