Gu Ziyu had recovered her composure from her rage, slowly wiping the blood from her hands, and coldly glanced at Xu Pengju.
"You'd better produce solid evidence, or I'll make you regret it."
Su Nan chimed in, "Young Master Xu, since you insist that they are committing adultery and you have witnesses and physical evidence, please present them so we can discuss this matter face to face."
Xu Pengju was already at a loss and had no choice but to have his men bring in the witnesses and evidence.
Han Xiufen relaxed her tense body, leaned back in her chair, and subtly observed the people in the hall.
Dogs fighting, the more intense the better!
Su Wanwan's reputation was ruined, and her dowry had to remain entirely in the Duke of Wei's mansion.
Xu Pengju has greatly offended Gu Ziyu and the Duke of Anguo's mansion today, and I'm afraid he won't be able to cause trouble for long.
The one who will have the last laugh is Han Xiufen, and her grandson Xu Bangrui!
The witness brought up was Deng Zhong, Xu Peng'an's close follower, a clever young man in his twenties.
He knelt upright on the ground, holding a letter and an old handkerchief in his hands, tears streaming down his face:
"We beg Your Excellency, Duke, to do justice for our young master and clear his name!"
After Xu Pengju became the heir apparent, the household began to address Xu Pengan as the eldest son. Deng Zhong felt aggrieved when he thought about this.
Our eldest son died such a pointless death! He studied diligently for many years to revitalize the family, went to the battlefield, and ended up losing his life in vain.
Xu Chengbi's eyes were slightly red, but he still calmly said, "Tell me, what grievances or hatred does Peng An have?"
Xu Peng'an was his eldest son, whom he had carefully nurtured and placed high hopes on, but he died at a young age.
The pain of losing a child is too profound to bear.
If Peng An were still alive, he wouldn't be facing this embarrassing situation today.
Deng Zhong spoke with great passion and fervor:
“The eldest son went to Dushi Camp as a guerrilla general a month after his marriage. He took the lead and led his troops to pursue the invading Tatars. He was about to make a name for himself.”
As he spoke, he pointed at Gu Ziyu with eyes wide with rage.
"It was General Gu who led the troops to obstruct us, causing our efforts to fail! Not only did he not apologize, but he also beat the eldest son, leaving him injured and bedridden!"
In response to Deng Zhong's accusations, Gu Ziyu simply pursed her lips, a faint sneer playing at the corners.
Xu Chengbi slammed his hand on the table: "This is outrageous!"
"Gu Er, my son Peng'an has no grudge against you, you are really going too far!"
Gu Ziyu then looked at Deng Zhong, her tone disdainful and nonchalant: "Idiot."
"Duke of Wei, you are also a man who has led troops. Xu Peng'an went deep into the grasslands alone on his first battlefield. Did he go to his death or to make a name for himself? Don't you have any idea?"
"If I weren't worried that Sister Wanwan would become a widow right after getting married, I wouldn't have bothered to save her!"
Xu Chengbi paused.
Deng Zhong became agitated, "You're distorting the truth! The enemy is just ahead, and they've abandoned their supplies and horses along the way. How could they be sending themselves to their deaths?!"
"What? You don't even know the Thirty-Six Stratagems' 'Invite the enemy into the urn' or Sun Tzu's 'Lure them with profit'? Even you, Duke of Wei, don't know them?"
The Duke of Wei pondered with a grim expression.
Gu Ziyu rolled her eyes and muttered to herself, but her voice was loud enough for everyone present to hear: "It's supposed to be a family of military generals with a history of over a hundred years, but each generation of descendants is worse than the last."
Deng Zhong was somewhat flustered and handed forward the letter and handkerchief in his hand:
"These pieces of evidence can prove General Gu's treacherous intentions!"
Xu Chengbi was humiliated to his face by Gu Ziyu, a junior, and lost face. He angrily pointed at Deng Zhong and shouted, "Show me your beliefs!"
Deng Zhong immediately took out the letter and read it aloud clearly.
"My dearest wife, I hope this letter finds you familiar... Gu Er and you have a past relationship, and he even gave you a handkerchief... I imagine the child in your womb will also bear the surname Gu... Therefore, I am writing this letter of divorce, in accordance with our previous promise, to formally separate and part ways peacefully..."
The other document is a divorce agreement written by Xu Peng'an himself.
Su Wanwan looked a little pale; she didn't know that Xu Peng'an had written her a letter.
She had only met Xu Peng'an three times.
The third and longest one was their all-night conversation on their wedding night. They agreed to be husband and wife in name only and to quietly divorce a year later.
The two had no further contact after that.
She had written to someone to deliver things to Xu Peng'an, but never received a reply.
That's why she breathed a sigh of relief.
It's best if there are no feelings involved, so that the divorce can be cleaner and more thorough.
Unexpectedly, Xu Peng'an died before a year had passed.
Although she and Xu Peng'an had no romantic feelings for each other, they were husband and wife after all, and Xu Peng'an never made things difficult for her.
Ultimately, she owed him more.
She originally intended to raise Xu Bangrui to a few years old before leaving the Duke of Wei's mansion, so that Xu Peng'an's family line would not be cut off.
Unexpectedly, the Duke of Wei's mansion has now become so intolerant of her.
Xu Chengbi's cheeks twitched with anger as he glared at Gu Ziyu and said, "Gu Er, what else do you have to say?!"
Gu Ziyu found a chair, sat up straight, and raised an eyebrow: "That's it?"
"The letter is dated June of the twenty-first year of Honghua. I have been stationed at the border town of Xuanfu since the twentieth year of Honghua, and I am not allowed to return to the capital without an imperial edict. I have not seen Sister Wanwan for several years. May I ask, Duke Wei, how can the child in Sister Wanwan's womb bear the surname Gu?"
Deng Zhong's eyes darted around as he interjected, "Perhaps you secretly returned to the capital to meet with her in secret!"
Su Nan couldn't hold back any longer: "Absurd!"
"Before Wanwan got married, she lived in the palace and never left the palace. Even I, her father, had not seen her for several years. How could she have a secret rendezvous with a man outside the palace?"
"According to your logic, the heavily guarded palace is like a marketplace, allowing border generals to freely enter and defile the palace. Where does that leave the integrity of the Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, and the Empress?!"
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