But very quickly, overwhelming humiliation and shame drowned him. Looking at this entire courtyard full of familiar faces that had once greeted him with smiles, he felt that each and every one had become so detestable.

He only wanted a son! Yet Song Linlang forced him like this, punished him like this, even indulging servants to trample over his head.

He coughed once, thick phlegm stuck in his throat, unable to go up or down, just like his current state of mind. Then with this disgusted mentality he looked at Song Linlang—this first wife who had once made a marriage vow with him, promised to grow old together and never abandon each other—and felt that she was so unfamiliar.

The Song Linlang of the past always had a smile at the corners of her mouth, dimples so deep one could fall into them, charming yet generous, steady yet not lacking in liveliness, helping and caring for him in everything. She could think of things his mother hadn’t thought of, and when his mother made things difficult for her, she would advise him not to be angry. But when exactly did the two of them reach this point?

It was only a son! He wanted to register his son under her name—wasn’t it also because he worried she would be criticized and mocked for not being able to give birth? Why must she be so stubbornly obstinate about this?

All the past vividly before his eyes—his heart had originally softened somewhat.

But these few merciless words from Yun He eliminated even the last trace of pity he had in his heart for Song Linlang—this woman was still relying on the capital’s Changning Earl’s residence, hoping once again to make him bow his head.

No, it was probably not as simple as just bowing his head, was it? When that old madam of the Song family arrived, in the end it would certainly be full of talk about propriety and morality, full of talk about the distinction between wife and concubine, legitimate and common-born, definitely forcing him to release Xiang Mingzi.

But if he let Xiang Mingzi go, how would he explain to the witch doctors? And how would he face his eldest son?

Speaking of this, the resentment in his heart toward Xiang Mingzi and his disgust toward Song Linlang rose another level. If Song Linlang hadn’t been so domineering, insisting on sending people to smash the witch doctor’s signboard, things fundamentally wouldn’t have been blown up to such proportions!

He thought many, many things, but these many thoughts were actually just a flash through his mind. Finally, after one more glance at the jujube tree he had once planted with his own hands, he closed his eyes and steeled his heart.

“Song Linlang, if you hand over your daughter to me today, I can act as if everything before never happened.” He felt he was already incomparably magnanimous, swallowing hard with some difficulty: “Do you know how much criticism I’ve borne for your smashing of the witch doctor’s signboard?! If you still have even a shred of conscience, don’t make things difficult for me in this matter.”

Song Linlang felt her heart had died—she should be unable to feel pain. Yet her heart was pounding rapidly, and when she took deep breaths, there came from within a repressed yet clear suffocation and discomfort.

She laughed coldly, and only then felt somewhat more comfortable. Turning her eyes, she finally met Xiang Yunzhang’s eyes directly.

“I won’t make things difficult for you. Only a person would be made difficult—you’re a beast willing to send your daughter to her death, so why would I make things difficult for you?” She gripped Yun He’s hand tightly, feeling that speaking each word required enormous effort: “Besides, why should I care how much criticism you’ve borne? The Xiang Yunzhang I knew, the one I admired—he died long ago. The one standing before me now—I find even looking at him disgusting. Tell me, why would I make things difficult for you?!”

Xiang Yunzhang’s face turned pale, almost unable to stand from what she said. He pressed his lips together and laughed loudly twice: “Yes, you’re absolutely right. The Song Linlang who once made a hundred-year vow with me has also long died in my heart! Didn’t you go home to notify your natal family? This is actually just right. First resolve this disaster star, then you and I can part ways—you return to your high gate and great household, I’ll continue being Qingzhou’s prefect, owing each other nothing!”

As he spoke, he had the several henchmen nearby seize Nanny Zheng and Nanny Wang, looking at Song Linlang with an unconvinced expression, his eyes full of determination: “The entire city’s citizens and witch doctors are forcing me to hand over the person. If you stubbornly refuse to give her to me, I’ll first take these two loyal servants of yours to the yamen and give them a hundred strokes with the punishment rod. That disaster star daughter—I don’t want her anymore. Even if given to me for free, I don’t want her. Being husband and wife to this extent, there’s no point continuing. Since you also want to leave, better to break it off completely. When this evil creature dies, there will be no ties left between you and me.”

He had always known where Song Linlang’s vulnerabilities lay, and also knew how to make her hurt more.

Nanny Zheng and Nanny Wang waved the wooden sticks in their hands, in a chaotic dance actually forcing those several henchmen back a few steps. Surrounded by a crowd of maids and servants, they rushed forward to guard Song Linlang’s door.

Song Linlang coughed so hard she couldn’t catch her breath, unable to speak even a complete sentence.

Song Linlang was clear about what Xiang Yunzhang had been like before, but she knew almost nothing about what Xiang Yunzhang had become now. She clenched her fist, feeling the sticky sweat soaking her palm, and suddenly felt grief welling up from her heart.

The current Xiang Yunzhang truly would take Nanny Zheng and Nanny Wang to the yamen and beat them to death—a person who didn’t care even slightly about his own biological daughter, how could he possibly show mercy to a few servants?

“I have no one to give you.” She gripped her hand tightly, her nails digging into her palm warning herself not to show the slightest trace of fear. Holding her head high, she smiled coldly: “You don’t put your biological daughter in your eyes, but I cannot do the same. Nanny Zheng and Nanny Wang are both old servants I brought from my natal home—I can’t bear to have them suffer. The person who ordered the signboard smashed was also me. Why not take me to the yamen and perfect your beautiful reputation as an official—how about that?”

Although she forced herself not to show a trace of weakness, Nanny Wang and Nanny Zheng who had raised her since childhood knew she must already be utterly disheartened.

Yun He also gripped her hand tightly and lowered her voice: “Miss, don’t speak such words. When Old Madam arrives and sees you like this, who knows how grieved she’ll be.”

Xiang Yunzhang’s face alternated between pale and flushed. He opened his mouth to rebuke her: “Are you mad?! You are the prefect’s legitimate wife!”

Taking his wife to court—what kind of talk was that? If word spread, he would probably become the laughingstock of all Qingzhou.

“Mingzi is also the prefect’s legitimate daughter!” Song Linlang showed no weakness as she retorted sarcastically: “Didn’t you just as determinedly decide to send her to her death? At this time you’re not afraid of people laughing?”

Round and round it went—she still wouldn’t hand over the person. She was looking down on him, thinking he had no way to deal with them, looking down on him as the head of household, not daring to do anything to her with her powerful natal family behind her.

Xiang Yunzhang finally gave up trying to communicate further with Song Linlang. He had that group of henchmen take their clubs and drive that crowd of servants to the side to block them, while he personally entered the room.