After the divorce, I was adorned in a phoenix robe, while my ex-husband's entire family dug up

Worry washed over her like a tidal wave; her hand, clutching the hem of her clothes, trembled slightly, and her face turned somewhat pale.

Seeing Wei Zhaoning's anxiety, Lu Ze thought he had made the right bet.

"I only had the madam keep that girl for half an hour. If you sign now and rush down the mountain, you might still make it in time."

Wei Zhaoning was startled and immediately said, "I'll sign."

Lu Ze laughed heartily, "You should have done this earlier."

As he spoke, he handed the paper and pen in his hand to Wei Zhaoning again.

Wei Zhaoning's hands trembled as she looked up at Lu Ze and said, "I'll sign it, then tell me where Dongxu is."

"Sign first, then we'll talk. Who gave you the right to haggle?"

While the two were talking, Wei Zhaoning had already signed the letter of divorce.

Lu Ze snatched the letter of divorce, examined it carefully, looking at it several times as if trying to see through it. Only after confirming that the three large characters "Wei Zhaoning" on it were perfect did he finally put the letter of divorce into his sleeve with satisfaction.

He frowned. "I didn't just make one condition."

Wei Zhaoning said, "I only have half an hour. I'll go find Dongxu first. If something happens to Dongxu, I can't guarantee what I'll say when I get out."

Lu Ze narrowed his eyes, seemingly not particularly satisfied with Wei Zhaoning's tone.

Are you threatening me?

Wei Zhaoning: "You went through so much trouble to get me to sign this divorce agreement, you don't want anything to go wrong in the following steps, do you?"

Besides, I've already signed it, what else do you have to be afraid of?

Lu Ze stared at Wei Zhaoning for a long while.

Having lived two lives, he knew Wei Zhaoning's personality all too well.

They keep their word and will not go back on their promises.

She always puts on airs of superiority; she wouldn't resort to underhanded tactics. She values ​​her reputation above all else, and would probably even feel that doing such a thing would be beneath her dignity.

"Yihong Courtyard"

"Good sister-in-law, you'd better hurry. Your maid is so pretty and still a virgin. The shopkeeper said there are many men who want her."

"If you had gone any later, you might have ended up like your maid before, transformed into a concubine in a wealthy family and living a good life."

Lu Ze was talking incoherently and was no longer acting like a normal person.

Ignoring everything else, Wei Zhaoning rushed down the mountain before it got dark, and accidentally fell and injured himself along the way.

Hidden deep within the city, the Yihong Courtyard's vermilion gate, though its paint is faded and worn, cannot conceal the bustling activity within.

Upon entering the building, a fragrance mingled with the scents of rouge, wine, and incense wafted towards you, rich yet not cloying, lingering and permeating your nostrils.

Before Wei Zhaoning could even ask a question, she heard a curse coming from the private room upstairs.

"You bitch! You dare hit me! I'll show you what's what today, you little slut!"

Then came a scream, a sound filled with immense pain. Wei Zhaoning recognized it immediately – it was Dong Xu's voice.

"Go ahead and cut off all ten of my fingers!"

Wei Zhaoning's breathing stopped and her body stiffened. She suddenly kicked open the door to the private room.

A burly man pinned Dongxu down, severing one of Dongxu's little fingers on the ground, blood still flowing from the wound—a horrifying sight.

Wei Zhaoning was speechless for a moment. Looking at Dongxu's dying struggle, she just wanted to cry.

Dongxu was someone she had pampered and cherished since childhood. In her heart, Dongxu was no longer a maid, but a family member.

How dare he... How dare he!

"Miss!" Dongxu's eyes instantly reddened. "Miss, why are you so foolish? Don't sign it!"

Wei Zhaoning had never felt so angry before. She turned her head and gave a wink to the guards following behind her.

A group of guards stepped forward, dragged the man out, and tied him up tightly.

"Both hands were chopped off."

"yes!!"

The man cried out in alarm, "What are you doing! It's my right to pay for women, and she won't let me have my way with her after I paid her! And you still think you're right?!"

Wei Zhaoning's eyes were like cold knives. She ignored him and ran over to take off her outer robe and cover Dongxu with it.

"I'm sorry... Xu, I..."

It was my fault for not protecting you, for underestimating the enemy, and for making you stay with me in this den of wolves and tigers in the Marquis's mansion for my own selfish reasons.

A thousand words are stuck in my heart, and all I can say is "I'm sorry".

Dongxu was already sobbing uncontrollably. She buried her face in Wei Zhaoning's chest and cried for a long time, slurring her words, "Miss! You can't sign it, don't sign it..."

"It's clearly the people of the Marquis's mansion who owe you something, so why... it's all my fault, I've dragged you down."

"ah!!!!"

"ah!!!!!"

The man let out a heart-wrenching scream, and when he turned around, the room was already a river of blood.

Two severed limbs lay quietly in a pool of blood. The man stared wide-eyed as he watched his body being torn apart, and he had already fainted from the pain.

The guards dragged the man away.

The noise startled the madam downstairs, who was happily counting her money.

"What's going on? Ah!"

Just as the madam was about to go upstairs to check, she saw several guards dragging a blood-soaked person downstairs. She covered her mouth, too shocked to speak.

Those around were disgusted by the scene; some fainted, others vomited.

The madam was experienced enough that such a scene could only frighten her temporarily. Once she came to her senses, she immediately realized that someone was causing trouble on her turf.

Accompanied by a few men, she stormed upstairs.

"Who's causing trouble here!"

After quickly bandaging Dongxu's wound, Wei Zhaoning turned around, her eyes filled with coldness, as if she wanted to skin the person in front of her alive.

Even the madam was somewhat surprised; such a fierce and ruthless look could appear on that stunningly beautiful and youthful face.

"I'd like to ask you, didn't Lu Ze say he'd leave for half an hour? How come my Dongxu suffered the pain of a severed finger?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the guards suddenly drew their swords, the gleaming blades pressed against the madam's neck. If she uttered a single wrong word, her head would fall to the ground.

Wei Zhaoning is furious. She doesn't care about the law. She will not let anyone who hurts Dongxu get away with it.

The madam suddenly felt a little guilty, and her eyes became shifty.

"Miss...please don't get so angry. Let's sit down and talk this over. Someone, quickly serve our distinguished guest tea!"

She laughed it off, clearly hiding something.

Wei Zhaoning had just asked Dongxu, but Dongxu knew nothing. She only heard Lu Ze's guards say that they were going to force the young lady to sign a letter of divorce, and then she was knocked unconscious. When she woke up, there was a man taking off her clothes.

"I'll count to three."

"Tell me everything you know, or else..."

The sword held the madam even tighter, and traces of blood seeped from her fair, plump neck.