Thrown out of the house, the wet nurse enters the noble household and becomes a person of high statu

"Bang--!"

As the teacup shattered, tea spilled, soaking Lin Zhiyao's crimson skirt.

But she was completely unaware, standing there dumbfounded, as if her soul had been taken away.

Pei Zeyu leaned back on the couch, neither smiling nor angry, unusually calm.

"After the divorce, I will write a letter of release, stating that the reason is incompatibility, which has nothing to do with you, and you are not at fault in the slightest."

I will give you half of the second wife's property. You can take all of your original dowry and betrothal gifts back to the Lin family.

From now on, we will not interfere with each other's weddings or funerals.

He finished speaking and waited for her response.

Lin Zhiyao remained blankly focused, her eyes unblinking and unfocused.

Pei Zeyu thought she felt the compensation wasn't enough, and frowned slightly.

"Half is not enough? Then you can take two-thirds of the second wife's properties and savings."

He spoke seriously, as if he were discussing a business deal, in a fair and reasonable manner.

Lin Zhiyao had never heard Pei Zeyu say so much to her before.

Three years into their marriage, he treated her with gentleness and politeness, yet remained distant, like a stranger.

He never spoke much to her, and when they argued, he... never let her get close.

But this first long talk turned out to be about divorce.

Lin Zhiyao finally snapped out of her daze, like a drowning person struggling to surface.

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face.

"No, no, I don't want a divorce!"

She suddenly remembered something and said urgently:

"Is saving my cousin too difficult? Then...then don't save him! I'm not begging you anymore! Please don't divorce me, please don't divorce me, okay?"

Lin Zhiyao was in a state of turmoil and wanted to ask him to retract his decision.

In her panic, she grabbed his injured left hand.

Her left hand was suddenly grabbed, and a sharp, excruciating pain shot through me.

Pei Zeyu was caught off guard and groaned, instinctively pushing her away.

Lin Zhiyao was already in a state of confusion, and with this push, she lost her balance and fell to the ground, her skirt came undone and her hair loosened.

My palm landed right on the shards of broken porcelain, and the shards cut my palm.

Ignoring the pain, she sat there, tears streaming down her face.

The tent flap was lifted, and Afu, who had heard the commotion, came in with several attendants, only to find this scene before him.

The second wife sat on the ground, disheveled and with tears streaming down her face.

The second master leaned against the couch, his face pale, his left hand protecting his chest, his brows furrowed.

The scene looked to anyone who saw it as the Second Master and his wife arguing, with the wife being bullied.

Afu and the others were unsure whether to advance or retreat.

Fortunately, Pei Zeyu didn't care and continued talking to Lin Zhiyao on the ground.

"Go back and think carefully about the conditions I just offered."

"During the autumn hunting ceremony, the Lin family has been looking for you many times. Now that you have returned to the capital, you are exempt from the day of returning to your parents' home. You don't need to go back to the Duke's mansion anymore; you can go directly back to the Lin mansion."

Lin Zhiyao's crying stopped abruptly, and she was surprised.

How did Second Master know that Mother had contacted her multiple times?

A chill ran down her spine, and a terrible thought arose in Lin Zhiyao's mind.

During the days that Second Master was missing, she knew about her meetings with her mother.

What about the events before he disappeared?

What else does he know?

Did he already know everything about her and her cousin's relationship?

"Second Master, I..."

Pei Zeyu didn't want to listen anymore and interrupted, "Afu."

Afu shuddered, then snapped back to reality: "This servant is here."

"Take her away. Also, when you return to the capital tomorrow, remember to pack her belongings and send them to the Lin residence."

Lin Zhiyao looked distressed, afraid that those old stories would be known. Her struggles and cries lost their strength and she easily gave up. She was helped up and taken out.

The tent was completely quiet again, and the atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful.

Just as Ah Fu was about to breathe a sigh of relief, he noticed that on the second master's left hand, a shocking red stain was spreading across the thick white cloth.

"Second Master! Your wound!"

Pei Zeyu lowered his head, already numb to the excruciating pain.

The wound reopened after Lin Zhiyao grabbed it so hard.

Afu hurriedly sent someone to fetch the imperial physician, who soon arrived with his medicine box, causing another flurry of activity inside the tent.

The imperial physician cleaned and bandaged the wound again, repeatedly instructing the patient not to move it, not to touch it, and especially not to get it wet.

Pei Zeyu listened, but didn't really take it to heart.

He lay flat on the brocade quilt, gazing at the top of the tent, his thoughts already drifting far away, like a kite with a broken string, falling into the distance.

Lin became increasingly overstepping her bounds and insatiable; the title of Second Madam Pei was no longer enough for her.

He shouldn't have sought out Gu Zijing and used the Dream Powder to cover it up when she initially intended to consummate the marriage.

After that, there won't be so much trouble.

Proposing a divorce was both a natural act and a decision made in accordance with his own wishes.

Pei Zeyu closed his eyes, and the image of that beautiful woman in green floated into his mind.

……

On the other side, when Liu Wenying walked out of the magnificent palace hall, her figure swayed slightly, and even her steps were still unsteady.

Scenes from not long ago are still flashing before my eyes.

She was like a piece of duckweed, tossed about by those towering waves, nearly drowning in them.

She finally stepped out and, bathed in the afternoon sun, realized that her hands were trembling.

She turned stiffly and curtsied to Pei Dingxuan, who was three steps behind her.

"Thank you, sir. The matter is temporarily resolved. This servant... should now return to the old lady's side."

She was about to leave after she finished speaking when Pei Dingxuan called her back.

"I'll take you back."

Liu Wenying shook her head: "No need to trouble you, sir, I know the way..."

Before she could finish speaking, a hand reached out from behind and gently wrapped around her waist.

Immediately afterwards, I was enveloped in a warm embrace.

"Sir! This is improper! Please release me!"

She spent more than a year in the Duke's mansion, and through her daily life, she also learned about etiquette and rules.

Pei Dingxuan is of noble status, and such intimate behavior would inevitably cause controversy if seen by others.

It did her no good at all.

But Pei Dingxuan did not loosen his grip; on the contrary, he tightened it even more.

The warmth of her palms and the touch of her chest seeped through her clothes and into her skin, dispelling some of the chill that had seeped into her bones.

He spoke softly, with a hint of suppressed heartache, "Don't move, you're trembling."

Liu Wenying froze in his arms, forgetting to struggle and speak for a moment.

Yes, she was trembling; she was scared.

From the moment she stepped into that great hall, her heart was in her throat.

Questioned by the Emperor of Wei and splashed with dirty water by Xiao Chenlin, he was so frightened that he jumped up and down.

Liu Wenying thought she could hold on, but she soon realized how insignificant she was; the emperor's words could decide her innocence and her life or death.

If the old man hadn't brought witnesses in time, she would already be in jail...

"You've been through so much, there's no need to keep putting on a brave face."

"I won't let you go through that again. When we get back to the Duke's mansion, it's very safe, and you'll be fine."

Pei Dingxuan had been thinking of saying this ever since he found her at the bottom of the cliff.

But the investigation over the past few days has left him with no time to spare, and even brief moments together are a luxury.

Thankfully, he said it all.

The Duke's residence is very safe...

Liu Wenying never expected that the Duke's mansion would not only become her residence, but also a place of peace and security.

The old lady protected her, the third master insisted on helping her, the second master risked his life to save her, and the eldest master... the eldest master held her like this, saying that he would never let her go through those things again.

…………