“Elder Brother!” Not only did Zhao Wanniang show no trace of shame, she glared at Liang Yunshan, but her words were directed at Zhao Zhenyuan: “Wait for me, I’m going to get Zhen’er and Zhe’er, I want a divorce!”

Liang Yunshan’s eyes widened: “You dare!”

Zhao Wanniang snorted coldly: “What wouldn’t I dare? One by one, filthy and vile, truly disgusting to the extreme!”

Liang Yunshan was so angry his chest heaved violently: “What are you saying? You yourself don’t follow wifely virtues, yet you dare to make false accusations!”

“I don’t follow wifely virtues? Liang Yunshan, open your dog eyes and look carefully, see clearly whether it’s I, Zhao Wanniang, who doesn’t follow wifely virtues, or whether you mother and son from top to bottom are all filthy and vile!”

Having dropped these words, Zhao Wanniang headed toward Qianxi Garden.

Zhao Zhenyuan was immediately startled. Had the conflict between Wanniang and Old Madam Liang reached such a tense point? How could she say such words? And why did Wanniang’s expression look so fierce and agitated?

This, this, this—in a prominent family, she’d be drowned in spittle in minutes! What on earth was wrong with Wanniang?

Of course Liang Yunshan couldn’t accept this either. He raised his bowl-sized fist to strike, but forcibly restrained himself: “Zhao Wanniang, you’re spouting filth, do you even understand what filial piety means!”

“Filial piety? She should look at herself and see if she’s worth my respect! Does she deserve it?”

Liang Yunshan could hardly believe his wife’s crazed appearance: “Zhao Wanniang, you’ve gone mad!”

“I’ve gone mad? It’s you who’ve gone mad!”

Zhao Wanniang moved swiftly, walking very fast.

Of course Liang Yunshan wouldn’t let this go, following closely behind, and Zhao Zhenyuan, worried, also followed.

Along the way, Liang Yunshan caught up to Zhao Wanniang several times: “Zhao Wanniang, stop right there and explain yourself!”

But Zhao Wanniang only laughed coldly: “Birds of a feather, what’s there to explain? I want a divorce! I want a divorce! I want to leave this filthy, disgusting Pingxi Marquis Manor! Elder Brother, let’s go get Zhen’er and Zhe’er and hurry away, hurry and leave this filthy place…”

“Zhao Wanniang, how dare you! After divorcing me, you’ll go be Zhou Xiang’s concubine? Do you have no shame? Even if you have no shame, the Liang family can’t afford to lose this face!”

Zhou Xiang was Prince Liang’s name.

“Say whatever you want, whatever! I want a divorce, I can’t stay another moment! I want a divorce!”

Zhao Wanniang’s voice sounded furious, yet also carried despair and pain.

Liang Yunshan tried to grab Zhao Wanniang, and she struggled desperately. Zhao Wanniang’s struggle clearly used all her strength, that kind of determination couldn’t be ignored.

Though Zhao Zhenyuan had been anxious all along, he ultimately sided with his sister. He would help, and no matter how strong Liang Yunshan was, he’d be blocked by the combined efforts of the siblings.

Pulling and tugging this way, they reached the edge of Qian Lake, where Zhao Wanniang was once again caught by the wrist by Liang Yunshan.

Zhao Wanniang was furious beyond measure, her face bearing crystalline teardrops, her eyes bloodshot, with traces of ferocity and madness: “Liang Yunshan, don’t touch me with your dirty hands! Let go of your dirty hands!”

By this time Liang Yunshan had softened somewhat, because he saw that on Zhao Wanniang’s beautiful face, tears streamed down, half her face was swollen high, and her speech had become slurred—probably her gums were swollen too.

However, because of Zhao Wanniang’s words, Liang Yunshan’s slightly softened heart blazed with anger again: “You stop right there and explain yourself clearly, do you have any shame at all!”

“It’s you, it’s all of you! You! Filthy, shameless, disgusting…”

A string of words poured from Zhao Wanniang’s mouth. Liang Yunshan’s face gradually became twisted, and he roared: “Zhao Wanniang, you’ve gone mad!”

“The one who’s mad isn’t me, it’s you, it’s all of you, it’s you mother and son!”

Zhao Wanniang struggled desperately to shake off Liang Yunshan’s hand, but Liang Yunshan wouldn’t let go. The two pulled and tugged, and Liang Yunshan accidentally pushed Zhao Wanniang into Qian Lake.

Both Zhao Zhenyuan and Liang Yunshan hurried to rescue Zhao Wanniang.

However, the water was deep here, and after Zhao Wanniang fell in, she quickly sank down.

The two men frantically jumped in and thrashed about in the water for quite a while before managing to rescue Zhao Wanniang.

After being rescued, Zhao Wanniang was soaked through and shivering with cold.

It was late September, in the middle of the night, and the capital’s weather was already very cold.

Zhao Wanniang shook so hard her teeth chattered “ge-zhi ge-zhi,” but she wouldn’t accept Liang Yunshan’s help, instead being carried back to Qianxi Garden on Zhao Zhenyuan’s back.

As soon as they returned to the room, the maids who had been anxiously circling around Zhao Wanniang surrounded them and hurried to help her change clothes.

Liang Yunshan and Zhao Zhenyuan paced back and forth anxiously, staring at each other.

Zhao Zhenyuan said: “My lord, though Wanniang has a fierce temperament, she’s not someone who doesn’t understand right from wrong, nor is she willful and spoiled. In my view, there must be some misunderstanding in all this.”

Though Liang Yunshan was very angry, he and Zhao Wanniang had been married for so many years, and their relationship wasn’t bad. Though there had been some ups and downs, he had never thought of shaking Zhao Wanniang’s position.

Tonight’s events were too sudden and too overwhelming. Though Liang Yunshan had been furious earlier, after all this turmoil, he was much calmer now. Hearing this, he said: “Don’t worry, after Wanniang comes out, I’ll have a good talk with her.”

After a while, Liang Yunshan and Zhao Zhenyuan estimated that Zhao Wanniang should have finished changing clothes, but unexpectedly a maid stumbled out: “My lord, Uncle, Madam has fainted!”

Liang Yunshan lifted the curtain and walked inside, Zhao Zhenyuan couldn’t care about propriety and followed in, only to see that Zhao Wanniang had already been helped onto the bed by the maids and had fallen unconscious.

Zhao Zhenyuan tested her forehead with his hand—it was burning hot.

A maid had already gone to fetch a physician.

Before the physician arrived, Zhao Wanniang remained unconscious.

After the physician examined her, he prescribed some medicine.

Both Zhao Zhenyuan and Liang Yunshan kept vigil all night, but Zhao Wanniang never woke up.

After sleeping for two days and two nights, Zhao Wanniang died.

Not long after Zhao Wanniang’s death, when Zhao Zhenyuan came to the Pingxi Marquis Manor again, Old Madam Liang specifically met with him once.

Old Madam Liang said: “Zhao Wanniang knew no shame and did such things. The Pingxi Marquis Manor will remove her name from the family records.”

How could Zhao Zhenyuan agree to this?

Old Madam Liang’s face showed no expression as she said coldly: “If the Zhao family doesn’t agree, then we’ll expose the matter.”

Of course Zhao Zhenyuan wouldn’t agree to this either.

Though Wanniang was dead, the truth of the matter remained confusing. He had gone to find Prince Liang, who only said with a sorrowful expression that he was sorry to Zhao Wanniang, sorry to the Zhao family. Beyond that, he refused to say anything more, even unto death.

But if Old Madam Liang really exposed the matter, Wanniang’s reputation would be completely ruined. Though she was dead, even in death she couldn’t be pointed at and gossiped about.

Moreover, she had left behind two children. Making two children live with such a reputation—how cruel, how innocent they were. How would Liang Zhen marry in the future? How would Liang Zhe take a wife?

Old General Weiwu came angrily to the Pingxi Marquis Manor, and Old Madam Liang said mockingly: “This matter was witnessed with your son’s own eyes, and your son also heard Zhao Wanniang repeatedly demanding divorce. So I must ask, are Zhen’er and her brother really people of our Liang family?”

However, Old General Weiwu wasn’t someone so easily manipulated. Moreover, he had come prepared and wasn’t afraid of Old Madam Liang’s threats at all.

Old General Weiwu said firmly: “If you dare to do it, I’ll have someone destroy you!”

Old Madam Liang’s face immediately changed.