Chapter 49 Aunt's Infidelity "Not only is there evidence, but also my father's own handwriting..."
As night fell, and darkness descended, Pei Lang still hadn't returned.
No matter how the servants tried to persuade her, she refused to close the door.
She watched helplessly as the thin snow drifted into the house, her eyes fixed on the door, not daring to miss a single thing.
Blinking her sore eyes, Lin Zhi took the hot tea Chun Tao offered and sipped it without blinking. The warmth went down her throat, but Lin Zhi still felt cold all over.
She thought about it all day but couldn't understand why Pei Lang would hide it from her and why he would imprison her aunt.
Even though she had heard her aunt say that Pei Lang and she didn't get along, that was many years ago. With a stepmother taking over, not only Pei Lang, but even Lin Zhi herself would be unwilling.
But his aunt was, after all, the matriarch of the Pei family, and she hadn't been unkind to Pei Lang over the years.
Besides, now that she's married to Pei Lang, he wouldn't do this even if it were for her sake.
Lin Zhi was in a state of turmoil. She wanted to grab Pei Lang and ask him for an explanation, but she was afraid that the answer she would get would not be what she wanted to hear.
She gripped the teacup tightly, but its warmth was not enough to comfort her.
Some noisy footsteps sounded, and Lin Zhi quickly stood up. Sure enough, she saw Pei Lang coming in from outside, but his expression was normal as he patted the snowflakes off his shoulders.
"Why are you waiting for me here? Aren't you cold?"
Hearing his usual concern for her, Lin Zhi even thought that her daytime experiences were a dream.
She shook off Pei Lang's outstretched hand, her eyes full of scrutiny: "Husband, you haven't explained my aunt and uncle's affair to me yet. Are you going to pretend nothing happened?"
"You can do it, but I can't."
Sensing the sarcasm in her words, Pei Lang frowned slightly, dismissed the servants, and pulled Lin Zhi to sit down.
"Ask me anything you want to hear."
"Why didn't you tell me that my uncle was seriously ill!" Lin Zhi turned around, wanting to slam her hand on the table, but she managed to hold back.
“My father had been sick for more than a day or two. At first, I thought it was just a normal discomfort, but I never expected it to suddenly worsen.”
"You know his personality. He doesn't want others to see him in this disheveled state. Even though I've only met him a few times, why should I make you worry about him?"
Pei Lang's usually calm and composed expression showed signs of fatigue. "You've been working hard enough managing the affairs of the household these days. Sometimes you even talk in your sleep at night. How can I bear to bother you?"
Although these words touched her somewhat, Lin Zhi remained clear-headed: "What is the meaning of those Imperial Guards who placed my aunt under house arrest?"
"It couldn't have been an imperial decree!"
This time, Pei Lang met Lin Zhi's gaze directly: "It was my arrangement."
“But Ah Zhi, I have something I must tell you. Lin Shaowan and I have never gotten along.”
"I only tolerated her before because of you, but now that she has crossed my line, I will no longer tolerate her."
"Even if she is the mistress of the Pei family, it won't work."
Hearing such serious words, Lin Zhi's heart skipped a beat: "What do you mean by that? Explain yourself!"
But Pei Lang stood up with a cold face: "I still need to make arrangements at the Pei residence, so I won't be back tonight. You stay home and behave yourself."
An unprecedented fear swept over Lin Zhi. She had never seen Pei Lang look like this before. Even when he was at his angrier, he would never abandon her!
A bad feeling crept into her heart, and she quickly chased after him, shouting, "Pei Lang! You're not allowed to leave!"
"You're not allowed to leave until you've explained yourself clearly! What happened to my aunt?!"
Ignoring the snowflakes still falling outside, Lin Zhi, dressed in thin clothes, chased after them, and in the blink of an eye, her upturned nose turned bright red.
Pei Lang frowned and remained silent, but then tapped the back of her neck to catch her steadily and took her back to their bedroom.
Seeing Lin Zhi's delicate brows still furrowed in her sleep, Pei Lang couldn't help but reach out and stroke her brow. He then stood up with a stern face.
Before leaving, he glanced at Chun Tao and Xia Ying and said, "Keep an eye on Madam. If she runs around after waking up, you won't be spared."
"yes!"
Seeing the two maids kneeling down tremblingly, Pei Lang left directly.
When Lin Zhi woke up again, she felt a dull pain in the back of her neck. She hissed softly and covered the back of her neck as she slowly sat up.
"What time is it?"
Lin Zhi squinted at the brightly lit window, a strong sense of unease welling up inside her... That's right! Pei Lang!
Last night, she chased after him to get to the bottom of things, but she never expected that he would simply and decisively knock her unconscious!
Lin Zhi was so angry that her breathing became rapid. She quickly called Chun Tao to help her change her clothes. She was going to the Pei residence to talk to Pei Lang and get to the bottom of things!
The door was gently pushed open, and Lin Zhi was dumbfounded when she saw Chun Tao enter.
After a long silence, she finally spoke incredulously, "Chuntao, what are you wearing!"
Dressed in plain white mourning clothes, Chun Tao knelt down with a thud: "Miss! Master Pei... is gone!"
The news struck Lin Zhi like a bolt from the blue, making her dizzy. She quickly stood up, but her vision blurred again, and she grabbed something to steady herself: "What did you say?"
Chun Tao, her voice trembling with tears, quickly helped her up, "Miss, you must hold on! You absolutely cannot hurt yourself, Madam is still waiting for you!"
"Yes, Aunt... Aunt is still waiting for me!"
The sudden bad news caught Lin Zhi off guard. Just yesterday, she was arguing with Pei Lang about her uncle, but now he's gone just like that?
Lin Zhi, her mind in turmoil, rode in a carriage toward the Pei residence. She had been wondering if it was some kind of misunderstanding, but her legs went weak when she saw the plain white lanterns in front of the Pei residence.
Her eyes were filled with tears. Admittedly, her uncle hadn't taken care of her as much as her aunt, but Lin Zhi also understood that without her uncle's consent, her aunt wouldn't have been able to bring her to the Pei family so smoothly.
Moreover, she not only cried for her uncle, but also for her aunt. Having lost both her son and husband, how would she survive the difficult days to come?
When Lin Zhi arrived, Pei Lang had not yet appeared in the mourning hall; instead, many of Pei family relatives had arrived.
All the elders whom he had only met before the wedding were present, especially Pei Lang's uncles and aunts, who were all there and wept bitterly.
After suppressing her grief and paying respects to the elders, Lin Zhi knelt down in the frontmost position, but after looking around, she couldn't see her aunt.
She frowned with worry, fearing that her aunt had fainted upon hearing the bad news, so she asked Chun Tao to go and check on her.
"If your aunt hasn't woken up yet, go find Pei Lang and ask him to come over."
Before Chun Tao could even leave the mourning hall, she bumped into Pei Lang striding towards her, and quickly dodged to the side to avoid him.
Lin Zhi looked up and saw that Pei Lang also had faint dark circles under his eyes, which made it clear that he hadn't slept last night.
"Pei Lang thanks all the elders and relatives for coming to pay their respects today. There are some things I would like to say, but one person is still missing. Please forgive me."
Upon hearing this, Pei Lang's second aunt burst into tears: "Sister-in-law Lin and my elder brother are a loving couple; I'm afraid she'll be heartbroken."
"Ah Lang, just tell us what you have to say. There's no need to wait for your sister-in-law to come over."
Originally intended as a well-intentioned suggestion, Pei Lang's expression changed, turning slightly cold: "Second Aunt, what you're saying is wrong. Some things should be heard by everyone together."
Lin Zhi didn't look at him, but couldn't help frowning. How could he speak like that!
After waiting for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Lin Shaowan finally arrived late. However, when Lin Zhi rushed up to support her, she noticed that her aunt was in very poor spirits.
Upon seeing Pei Lang, her eyes filled with fear.
"I ask all of you to witness today that my father, Pei Xuan, has left behind his final words to comfort our family!"
Pei Lang unfolded a piece of paper with slightly reddened eyes and slowly read it aloud.
Lin Zhi heard that the previous words were just some instructions for the Pei brothers to help each other, which made the kneeling crowd burst into tears.
"There is only one thing I am worried about, and that is my wife Lin Shaowan and my second son Mingli."
"Upon hearing of Madam's betrayal, I was filled with rage but powerless to say anything more. The only thing I could do was to expel Shaowan and Mingli from the Pei family ancestral hall to console my heart!"
Those few words seemed to silence the crowd's cries, and in an instant, all was quiet; no one dared to speak.
Only Lin Zhi, upon hearing this, flew into a rage and rushed forward: "Pei Lang! What do you mean by that? What did you say about my aunt?!"
Pei Lang merely glanced at her indifferently and remained silent.
Pei Lang's second uncle couldn't help but stand up and whispered, "Lang, are you confused because you're heartbroken? Lin is still your mother, how can you say such things about her?"
But Pei Lang openly handed him the suicide note: "Second Uncle, why don't you take a look for yourself and see if it's something I made up or if it's Father's last letter?"
Before her second uncle could even take it, Lin Zhi snatched it away.
She scanned it word by word with unwavering focus, and it was indeed exactly as Pei Lang had described! But whether it was written by her uncle himself was hard to say.
The second uncle looked somewhat troubled, but ultimately took the suicide note and examined it for a long time: "This... is indeed my elder brother's handwriting..."
However, once this is admitted, it further confirms Lin Shaowan's infidelity, and now it has even implicated her deceased second son, Mingli, which makes people wonder.
"Pei Lang, you're shameless!"
Lin Shaowan, her eyes bloodshot and hair disheveled, tried to rush forward, but Lin Zhi held her tightly: "Aunt! Zhi believes in you!"
"But if you lay a hand on him now, it would mean you're truly enraged and have admitted to what Pei Lang said! Please calm down!"
Lin Shaowan gradually calmed down, then hugged Lin Zhi and burst into tears, her grief overwhelming.
Lin Zhi bit her tongue and tasted the blood, forcing herself to stay awake, but she still looked at Pei Lang with a trembling voice: "This is just what you said. My aunt has been married into the Pei family for several years, and all the relatives have seen what she has done."
"What right do you have to slander her!"
Lin Zhi looked at Pei Lang, but felt a chill run down her spine and felt completely unfamiliar. Just a few days ago, he was a gentle person by her side, so why has he now become a person who speaks harshly and slanders her aunt?
Pei Lang glanced at her, his eyes seemingly filled with a sorrow that Lin Zhi couldn't understand.
"I have my own evidence."
"Not only is there evidence, but there is also a divorce letter written by my father himself."
"I don't want to believe it more than anyone else, but Lin Shaowan has been unfaithful to my father since the day she married into the Pei family!"
"She was the man she wanted to marry but couldn't. Even after entering the Pei family, she still kept the wedding dress she had prepared for her former lover! In fact, the two of them corresponded for several years after they got married! These are the evidence!" Pei Lang said sternly, and among the evidence brought up by his servants was the wedding dress that Lin Shaowan had personally given to Lin Zhi!
The moment she saw it clearly, Lin Zhi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.
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Author's note: Here it comes! Here it comes!
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