Chapter 69: He’s Desperate! He’s Desperate!

In her eyes, Shangguan Ze had always been a gentleman, a refined scholar who wrote well and loved her dearly.

Little did she know, all those sweet words were just traps Shangguan Ze had set in advance.

She believed his sweet talk, ignoring her mother’s and brother’s warnings, and insisted on marrying Shangguan Ze.

Now, she suffered in silence, unable to even tell her family.

“How can I ever forgive you?”

Shangguan Ze thought he still had a chance. “Ping’er, I swear I’ll be devoted to you from now on, but can you accept Liangliang? She… she has my child, and I can’t let the Shangguan family’s bloodline be lost. This is our only bloodline. Ping’er, I know you’re understanding. I can persuade Liangliang to let the child be adopted by you. Ping’er, will you?”

“Shangguan Ze, do you think I can’t have children, so you found another woman to have them?” Changping tried to suppress her pain.

Shangguan Ze, kneeling and holding onto Changping’s leg, said, “Ping’er, our Shangguan family… can’t be left without descendants. Ping’er, I never minded that you couldn’t have children. You’re still my dearest Ping’er.”

Changping felt nauseous and dry-heaved. “Let go of me! I’m disgusted.”

Shangguan Ze’s face turned ashen.

Changping took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Shangguan Ze, I might be able to forgive you, but I need to clarify a few things.”

“Ask away.”

“Did you take more than half of the gold and jewelry from my private treasury to support this woman?”

“Ping’er, we’ve been married for many years. Why split everything? Now that Liangliang has a child, it counts as yours too. The Princess’s Mansion’s things need to be passed on.”

In other words, what’s yours is mine.

Changping’s body swayed with anger.

The surrounding villagers were dumbfounded.

It was said that Princess Changping had endured the Duke’s behavior for years due to her inability to have children. It seemed to be true.

“Princess, open your eyes. Having children isn’t just a matter of one person. How do you know it’s your body that’s the problem?” Auntie Yun rolled her eyes. “Men’s mouths are deceivers. They say they look for women outside because you can’t have children, but why not divorce and then find someone else? Eating from the bowl while looking at the pot, truly shameless!”

Changping came to her senses. “My belongings will never be given to this woman. I’ll take everything back! As for you, Shangguan Ze… I want a divorce!”

Shangguan Ze’s eyes widened. “Ping’er, are you serious?”

“Do you think I’m as shameless as you? Saying one thing and forgetting it the next?”

“Ping’er, looking for someone outside was my fault. But you can’t just divorce me like that. Even if you divorce me and marry someone else, can you guarantee that person won’t look for another woman?”

“Having three wives and four concubines is normal for men. Why should you care so much about Liangliang’s existence, Ping’er?”

“But what if it’s you who can’t have children?”

“Huh?” Shangguan Ze suddenly laughed. “How could that be? I already have a son.”

Princess Changping looked at Xiao Liangliang.

Xiao Liangliang lowered her head, her face pale.

“Qingliu, bring them over.”

Qingliu complied and brought Dr. Zhang and three other doctors. These were well-known doctors in the capital, not inferior to the imperial physicians.

Princess Changping had heard of them before but had been using imperial physicians all these years.

Shangguan Ze did not know why Princess Changping had called these four or five doctors.

Until the doctors began taking Princess Changping’s pulse publicly.

Then they took Shangguan Ze’s pulse.

Shangguan Ze, with a mocking tone, said, “Ping’er, I know you’re angry. I’ll let you make a fuss, as long as you calm down and don’t divorce me.”

Princess Changping sneered. “Make a fuss?”

After the doctors finished taking pulses, they exchanged glances and sighed heavily.

Shangguan Ze grinned and said, “Ping’er, even if you invite all the doctors in the capital, it won’t change the fact that you can’t have children. It’s okay, I don’t mind. After all, you’re my dearest Ping’er.”

“Woof woof woof—”

Little Black scampered over.

Shangguan Ze recognized Little Black. Although he disliked it, he couldn’t drive it away.

Little Black bared its teeth and barked at him a few times, then wiggled its butt and let out a fart, followed by a pile of poop.

It then wagged its tail and ran to Ah Bao.

“Stinky! So stinky!”

“Disgusting!”

“Sometimes, people are even worse than dog poop.”

The crowd quickly covered their noses, almost vomiting their lunch.

Their disdainful expressions seemed as if they were looking at Shangguan Ze instead of the dog poop.

Shangguan Ze’s face turned extremely ugly.

But there was something even more humiliating for him.

Dr. Zhang said, “Princess, your health is fine, but the Duke… has a condition that prevents him from having children.”

Shangguan Ze: ?

“You’re talking nonsense. I can have children! My body is fine. It’s the Princess who can’t. Open your eyes and see, this is my son.”

He was desperate!

He was desperate!

Shangguan Ze immediately stood up and snatched the child from Xiao Liangliang’s arms, showing it to the doctors as if it was a treasure.

The doctors shook their heads and sighed repeatedly.

The onlookers, mostly elderly women, chuckled.

After all, they were seasoned and had seen more than Shangguan Ze had eaten salt.

“Oh, looks like this Xiao Liangliang may have been fooling around with someone else and claimed the child as the Duke’s.”

“The Duke’s got a whole green prairie on his head.”

Clunk—

A green ball made of leaves rolled to the Duke’s feet.

The bright green color stood out starkly.

It made the Duke’s face turn pale and his whole body tremble.

Everyone saw that it was the little cutie from the Concubine’s arms, tossing green grass balls from her little cloth pouch, one by one.

Ah Bao was tossing and pointing at the Duke, showing her two small milk teeth and laughing, “Donkey… donkey…”

“Hahaha, even the baby knows the Duke is green! This is killing me with laughter,” Auntie Yun laughed with her hands on her hips.

Princess Changping’s mood lightened, and a trace of a smile appeared in her eyes. Ah Bao was truly delightful!

“Hmph, you’re all people Princess Changping brought, so of course you side with her. Ping’er, I’m still your husband. Don’t make me lose face in front of so many people. It’s not good for you either.

I know you’re angry. When we get home, you can make me kneel on a washboard if you like, or even kneel on a pestle, I won’t mind.

But family shame should not be aired publicly. Don’t you think?”

Princess Changping sneered. “Shangguan Ze, let me tell you the truth. The imperial physician who previously came to treat me has been sent to Ningguta for accepting bribes and concealing my condition. As for the monk you invited, he’s just a charlatan.”

Shangguan Ze’s face changed.

The imperial physician who came to treat Princess Changping used to receive a large ingot of gold from him every time.

Later, the physician would say that Princess Changping could not have children and had a chronic illness.

He assumed it was Princess Changping who had the problem.

He never expected that the physician regarded Shangguan Ze’s action as ‘bribery’. Even if Princess Changping was healthy, they would still claim she was ill.

And that so-called monk wasn’t an enlightened master.

He had met the monk once on the street, who claimed there were troubles in his residence, so he sent the monk to the Princess’s residence…

“Hmph, if I can’t have children, how did my son come about?”