Chapter 304: Divorce

The Marquis of Guangyuan sat in the study of the front courtyard, his entire figure shrouded in shadow. His expression was somber as his gaze rested on the peach blossoms blooming vibrantly outside the window, lost in thought.

“Knock, knock!”

The butler’s voice, laced with urgency, sounded from outside. “My lord, someone has delivered a letter, along with news regarding the eldest young lady.”

The marquis’s eyes flickered slightly. In a low voice, he said, “Come in.”

The butler pushed the door open, stepped inside, and shut it behind him. He quickly walked up to the marquis, leaned in close, and lowered his voice. “Word has come that the eldest young lady was poisoned mute by Princess Yongfu and thrown into a brothel.”

The Marquis of Guangyuan’s expression changed drastically. His usually mild demeanor turned ashen, his face dark with rage.

“This… this…”

The Marquis of Guangyuan had always been a refined and courteous nobleman, a paragon of etiquette. His upbringing prevented him from uttering harsh words.

But now, consumed by fury, he hurriedly prepared to confront Princess Yongfu and demand Tang Haoyue’s whereabouts!

The butler stopped him, pulling a letter from his sleeve and handing it over. “My lord, please take a look at this first.”

The Marquis of Guangyuan’s face was dark as he tore open the envelope and pulled out the stack of documents inside. His expression shifted unpredictably.

One moment ashen, the next pale. Shock and disbelief flickered across his face, followed by pain and regret so deep it seemed to tear at his heart.

In the end, it all condensed into hatred!

“It was all her doing.”

The marquis clenched the documents into a crumpled mess, forcing these words through his throat. No longer able to restrain himself, he strode swiftly toward the main courtyard.

——

In the main courtyard, Princess Yongfu looked haggard. She hadn’t slept all night because of Lin’an’s situation, and a dull ache throbbed in her forehead.

Lin’an sat on the bed, wrapping herself tightly in the quilt, sobbing softly.

Right now, the only person who could save her was her mother.

So she had to appear pitiful, stirring her mother’s compassion—only then could her mother help her resist her father’s decision.

Her father was indifferent to most matters, leaving nearly all household affairs to her mother. He had never once lost his temper with her mother.

One could even say he had no temper at all.

Lin’an understood very well—her mother cared deeply about her father and was terrified of falling out of his favor. She had already tried to plead for her, but if she failed to persuade him, she would give up on her entirely.

This time, the situation was severe. It had clearly crossed her father’s bottom line, enraging him to the point of such mercilessness.

Lin’an was truly afraid.

If she were sent to the nunnery, she would never be able to leave for the rest of her life—how could she seek revenge then?

Tang Haoyue’s fate wasn’t nearly enough to quell her hatred!

“An’an, don’t cry,” her mother soothed. “I won’t let you marry Liu Baocheng. Even if your father refuses to relent, you can stay at the nunnery for a year. By then, his anger will subside, and he’ll allow you to return. That way, the people in the capital will have forgotten about this matter, and we can find you a good match when the time comes.”

Princess Yongfu wished she could cut Tang Haoyue into a thousand pieces, but that would be far too easy a punishment!

That wretched woman must have been jealous that Lin’an would have a good marriage in the future—so she orchestrated everything, allowing her cousin to take advantage of Lin’an, forcing her into a marriage with the Qinghe Earl’s residence.

At the thought of the Qinghe Earl’s residence, Princess Yongfu’s eyes filled with disgust. Everyone in that household, along with Tang Haoyue and Tang Nuan, seemed to have been born just to oppose her!

In the past, Liu Zhilan had lingered in her husband’s thoughts, and to sever his attachment completely, Princess Yongfu orchestrated an accident—causing Liu Zhilan to fall into the water and drown during a spring outing.

With his heart utterly shattered, he was ultimately forced into an imperial marriage decree and wed Princess Yongfu. For over a decade, he never once set foot in the capital.

It was only upon the passing of the former Marquis of Guangyuan that he had no choice but to return to the capital to handle his elder brother’s funeral affairs.

The former Marchioness of Guangyuan was Liu Zhilan’s elder sister. It was precisely because of this connection that her husband had come to know, understand, and fall in love with Liu Zhilan.

When Princess Yongfu saw the two of them handling funeral arrangements together—receiving guests and attending to mourning rites—she couldn’t ignore the fact that the former Marchioness bore a five or six-point resemblance to Liu Zhilan. In her eyes, the way her husband cared for his sister-in-law seemed like he was transferring his feelings for Liu Zhilan onto her.

Especially since he often discussed matters with his sister-in-law late into the night, and she, being considerate, would have supper sent to him. This filled Princess Yongfu with an overwhelming sense of crisis.

So, after the former Marquis of Guangyuan was buried, she arranged for her sister-in-law to be murdered, eliminating the hidden threat.

Yet she hadn’t expected the two wretched offspring left behind to ruin Lin’an’s life—one destroying her future, the other stealing her marriage prospect.

Princess Yongfu thought of the Qinghe Earl addressing them as in-laws. The title wasn’t wrong, after all—the two families were indeed connected by marriage.

However, the Qinghe Earl and Liu Zhilan’s two sisters were only half-siblings—he was born of the first wife, while they were born of the second. Their relationship was not close, and they had almost no contact. Since her sister-in-law had no natal family to rely on, she had hoped to secure her position by bearing a son.

A chilling frost settled in Princess Yongfu’s eyes.

Was Tang Haoyue trying to curry favor with the Qinghe Earl in hopes that he would arrange a satisfactory marriage for her?

“An’an, don’t be afraid. I won’t let the Qinghe Earl’s residence off so easily,” Princess Yongfu said gently, stroking her daughter’s hair with affection. “It’s fine if your mouth takes longer to heal—we can use that as an excuse to keep you in the capital. Once your affairs are settled, I won’t let Su Wan off either.”

“I don’t want to go to the nunnery, I don’t want to…” Lin’an sobbed. “If I go, I’ll be nothing but a laughingstock for the rest of my life…”

Lin’an suddenly knelt on the bed, her pale little face filled with panic, tears streaming down uncontrollably. She was especially agitated as she pleaded, “Mother, I don’t want to go! Please, go to the palace and beg the Empress Dowager—ask her to issue a decree allowing me to enter the palace as her companion. Father wouldn’t dare to defy her…”

“Bang—”

The tightly shut door was forcefully flung open, slamming against the wall with a loud bang, startling both mother and daughter.

Princess Yongfu turned toward the doorway and saw the Marquis of Guangyuan striding in, his usual composure gone, his entire presence radiating fury.

Her heartbeat quickened, and a sense of foreboding spread through her.

“My lord… ah—”

A sharp pain spread across Princess Yongfu’s face as a crumpled wad of paper struck her, falling to the ground.

Before she could react, the Marquis of Guangyuan seized her by the throat and pinned her against the bedpost.

“Mother!” Lin’an was startled, her face turning deathly pale. She rushed forward, trying to pry her father’s hand away while crying out, “Father, what’s wrong? It’s me… ah—”

The Marquis of Guangyuan flung Lin’an aside. She lost her balance and tumbled off the bed, unable to recover for a long while.

Princess Yongfu’s legs went weak. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but his grip on her throat was too tight—she could barely breathe, let alone form words. She could only kick at the marquis and claw at him in a desperate attempt to save herself.

“It was you who killed Lan’er, and you who murdered my sister-in-law… Why did you do it? I was just a useless scholar—even if my family background was decent, how could I have defied an imperial decree? You…!”

The Marquis of Guangyuan’s eyes were bloodshot, his throat choked with emotion, unable to form complete sentences. He forced out each word with difficulty:

“You ultimately begged for the imperial marriage decree—why… why didn’t you leave her a way to live?”

Princess Yongfu’s pupils trembled. She saw two streams of tears slip from his eyes, and the sight sent a violent shock through her. She struggled frantically, and his grip loosened just enough for her to rasp out, “It wasn’t that I didn’t leave her a way out—it was you all who forced me… As long as she lived, sooner or later, you…”

“Shut up! Even now, you’re still making excuses! I was just a consort prince whose entire future was in your hands—what power did I have to take a concubine? And she was never the kind of woman to debase herself!”

The Marquis of Guangyuan seemed to be consumed by hatred as he roared, “What about my sister-in-law? What about Haoyue? How could your heart be so vicious?”

Princess Yongfu’s face turned deathly pale as she clutched his hand in desperation.

“Bring Haoyue back.” The Marquis of Guangyuan stared at her with unwavering intensity before suddenly releasing his grip.

“Even if I have to forfeit my title, I will divorce you!”