Yang Fang raised his hand, intending to brush the stray hair from her forehead, but Qiu yue quickly pushed the wheelchair back, avoiding him. A flash of coldness passed through Yang Fang’s eyes, barely noticeable.
Looking at her husband’s seemingly gentle demeanor, Lu Youtiao felt a chill rush from the soles of her feet to the top of her head. The thought of her deceased child sent tremors of cold and fear through her body.
Dong shuang, standing nearby, immediately stepped forward to shield Lu Youtiao, positioning herself between them.
After all this, this wretched man still dared to pretend to be a loving husband in front of others, even trying to touch her!
Gu Xingzhao spoke sternly, “Lu Youtiao, give him the divorce document.”
A daughter of the Lu family should leave with dignity, clear of any accusations, not with the stigma of being a runaway wife.
Upon hearing the ancestor’s voice, Lu Youtiao finally steadied her emotions. She took out the recently written divorce document from her sleeve. “Yang Fang, the bond between us as husband and wife is over. Let’s part ways peacefully.”
The words “part ways” struck hard. Yang Fang’s face turned as dark as ink. His expression became thunderous, and his clenched fists trembled with anger. A murderous glint flashed in his eyes.
All eyes were now on the couple.
Yang Fang gritted his teeth, struggling to maintain a calm demeanor, “My patience is running thin. I don’t have time to entertain your tantrums.”
Lu Youtiao’s voice was cold and resolute, dripping with hatred. Her words echoed in the courtyard, “Why continue this act? Who in this household doesn’t know that you imprisoned me under the guise of illness? Who doesn’t know that you fed me abortion-inducing medicine under the pretense of protecting the baby? Who doesn’t know that you’ve been poisoning me?”
The servants nearby widened their eyes in shock. They were aware that the master had confined the lady to her courtyard, but they had no idea he was the one who had caused her to lose her child, let alone that he had been poisoning her.
Sympathy filled their gazes as they looked at Lu Youtiao.
Yang Fang sneered, “Lu Youtiao, you want a divorce? Have you forgotten your current situation? Do you think you’re still the pampered daughter of the Lu family?”
Lu Youtiao clenched her fists, her eyes locked on him. She no longer recognized this man. When had he become so utterly despicable? Or had he always been this way, and she just never saw it?
Yang Fang scoffed, “Your Lu family was exiled. I didn’t abandon you; I took you in. That’s more than you deserve. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even have a place to lie down. You should be grateful. And now you want a divorce?”
He was confident that he could control Lu Youtiao. After all, women were easy to pacify with a few sweet words. Just like back then, wasn’t the pampered granddaughter of the Grand Chancellor herself begging to marry him?
With a smirk, he added mockingly, “Or maybe you’d rather follow your exiled family, like those lowly women who debase themselves for food and water on the road, throwing themselves at the officers.”
“Slap!” Yang Fang was met with a fierce slap across the face.
“You scoundrel!”
Lu Youtiao had somehow stood up from her wheelchair, her entire body trembling with anger. Her hand, still raised from the slap, was red, a testament to how much force she had used.
Years of upbringing restrained her from cursing him beyond the words, “You scoundrel.”
No one had expected Lu Youtiao to hit Yang Fang. She had always been so gentle and kind, not even harsh with her servants, let alone raising a hand.
Yang Fang’s eyes darkened. He lunged forward, grabbing her arm tightly, “You want a divorce? Don’t even think about it!”
“In the Yang family, we only part with wives through death!”
Pushed to her limits, Lu Youtiao bit down on Yang Fang’s arm, as if determined to tear a piece of flesh off him.
“Argh!” Yang Fang screamed in pain, shoving her away.
Qiu yue and Dong shuang rushed to support their lady.
Blood quickly seeped through the fabric of Yang Fang’s sleeve where he had been bitten. Furious, he cursed at Lu Youtiao and shouted to the servants, “What are you standing around for? The lady has gone mad! Seize her and those trying to abduct her!”
The servants, finally snapping out of their shock, moved to surround Lu Youtiao and her maids. Fang’s two brothers stepped forward, wielding sticks to protect her.
Qiuyue, shielding her mistress, shouted in fury at Yang Fang, “You snake! You were the one who begged the Lu family to marry her. You swore you’d only have her as your wife, but you’ve kept mistresses all this time. Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution?”
Yang Fang’s eyes turned bloodshot as he sneered, “Divine retribution? Thunder and lightning? Don’t make me laugh.”
His mocking tone sent a chill through everyone’s hearts. How they wished they could rip apart his smug face.
But before anyone could say another word, a loud crack of thunder shook the sky.
A blinding bolt of lightning split the heavens, accompanied by a deafening roar, striking the ground near Yang Fang.
The servants scattered, fleeing in all directions in sheer terror. The ground where the lightning hit was scorched black, and the acrid smell of burnt earth filled the air.
The courtyard fell into stunned silence. Had retribution truly arrived?
Qiu yue and Dong shuang were just as shocked. Qiu yue had merely said it out of anger. Could it be that the heavens had truly responded?
Yang Fang’s face turned deathly pale. This can’t be happening—it’s just a coincidence. He took two steps back, still glaring defiantly. “What divine retribution? I, Yang Fang, am upright and righteous. I fear nothing!”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than another bolt of lightning tore across the sky, striking even closer to him.
Yang Fang fell to the ground in terror, frantically scrambling backward, his arrogance gone in an instant.
Gu Xingzhao squinted at him, amused. It had been a while since she’d played with lightning. Simply killing him outright would be too boring.
She calmly advised Lu Youtiao, “Don’t be afraid. While he’s frightened, make him sign the divorce papers.”
The lightning had startled Lu Youtiao, but hearing the ancestor’s voice reassured her. So it was the ancestor helping her!
She felt much more at ease.
With the ancestor’s support, Qiu yue and Dong shuang stood taller and more confident.
The entire courtyard held its breath, hearts pounding in their chests. The echo of thunder still reverberated in their ears, and the fearful expressions frozen on their faces told them all they needed to know—those bolts of lightning were meant for Yang Fang.
But no one dared to speak.
In the uneasy silence, someone finally whispered, “There really is… retribution.”
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