“Trickery and deception!”
Yang Fang, whose legs were still weak, forced himself to stand up from the ground. He shouted at the stunned servants, “Why are you just standing there? Tie them up, or by tomorrow, I’ll have all of you sold off!”
His legs barely supported him, and the sight of Lu Youtiao, who had escaped his control, filled him with an unprecedented sense of panic. Desperately, he tried to regain control of the situation.
What retribution? What divine punishment? All this talk of heavenly vengeance and lightning strikes were mere superstitions—just stories to comfort the weak-minded.
The servants exchanged uneasy glances, terror filling their eyes. Whether facing heavenly retribution or being sold off, neither seemed like a choice they wanted to make.
At that moment, Lu Youtiao opened the wooden box she had brought, and under everyone’s gaze, she pulled out a stack of contracts. She turned to Yang Fang and said, “These are their contracts of servitude. Who exactly are you planning to sell?”
When she married into the Yang family, Yang Fang had been nothing more than a commoner with only a few servants. The household staff, including maids and laborers, were all hired after she had settled in. Naturally, she held their contracts of servitude.
After the tragedy that led to her miscarriage, followed by her husband’s betrayal, Lu Youtiao had lost the will to live. But now, thanks to a letter from her grandfather delivered by the family deity, she knew her family was still safe. She had made up her mind to divorce Yang Fang and leave the capital to reunite with her family in the north.
These contracts, once hidden to prevent theft, now served to protect her from Yang Fang’s treachery.
The servants looked at one another, realizing that indeed, all their contracts were in the hands of the mistress. Without those, Yang Fang had no power to sell them.
Yang Fang’s eyes widened in shock. It was as if he had completely forgotten this fact, and now he was speechless, as though something were lodged in his throat.
The entire courtyard was silent. No servant moved, understanding that whoever held their contract was the true master, even in Yang’s household.
After a long pause, Yang Fang gritted his teeth and growled, “Lu Youtiao! This is the Yang household, and those contracts belong to me!”
Just then, another clap of thunder rumbled through the sky, sending Yang Fang cowering on the ground, clutching his head. He glared at Lu Youtiao in disbelief—today was truly a nightmare!
Ignoring Yang Fang, Lu Youtiao turned to her maid, Qiu Yue, and instructed, “Qiu Yue, take the inventory of my dowry and head to the storeroom. Retrieve everything that belongs to me.”
She waved the contracts in front of the servants. “If anyone is willing to help, follow Qiu Yue to the storeroom, and in exchange, you will receive your contracts and be free.”
Qiu Yue stepped forward, barely able to contain her excitement. Though the storeroom key had been taken, they were leaving anyway, so using an axe to break down the door would suffice.
The servants hesitated at first, but once a few started following, the rest quickly followed suit. They had long known the mistress to be kind and true to her word, and with the contracts indeed in her possession, they had no reason to doubt her.
One by one, the servants ignored Yang Fang, rushing after Qiu Yue toward the storeroom.
Seeing this, Yang Fang’s face turned bright red with anger. “This is rebellion! Absolute rebellion!”
In a fit of rage, he lunged at Lu Youtiao, but another clap of thunder echoed through the sky, followed by lightning.
By now, Yang Fang no longer cared about the storm. Did the heavens truly dare strike him down with lightning?
Gu Xingzhao narrowed her eyes, amused by Yang Fang’s arrogance. She casually flicked her hand, and this time, lightning did indeed strike. The bolt hit Yang Fang directly, sending him crashing to the ground, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
Gu Xingzhao chuckled as she watched him writhe on the ground. Some people just needed a little extra persuasion.
Aside from Yang Fang, the courtyard now contained only Lu Youtiao, Dong Shuang, and the two Fang brothers.
Seeing Yang Fang incapacitated, Lu Youtiao knew he would never willingly sign the divorce papers. She ordered the Fang brothers to pin him down. With Dong Shuang’s help, she squatted beside him, the divorce papers in hand.
Yang Fang’s entire body was limp, unable to resist as Lu Youtiao took his hand, pricked his finger, and forcibly pressed his blood-stained thumb onto the divorce papers.
Yang Fang clenched his teeth so hard he thought they might shatter. He believed that without his signature, the divorce papers would remain invalid.
But the next moment, Lu Youtiao took a brush from Dong Shuang and, in front of Yang Fang, meticulously forged his signature.
Watching his own name appear on the paper, identical to his handwriting, Yang Fang’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. “You—!”
He had never imagined that Lu Youtiao could forge his handwriting so perfectly.
Dong Shuang looked at her mistress with a heavy heart. Back then, Lu Youtiao had practiced Yang Fang’s handwriting out of love, but now that same skill was a weapon that cut deep into her heart.
But Lu Youtiao remained calm. She had never felt more clear-headed than in this moment. After securing one copy of the divorce papers, she spread the other one on the ground in front of Yang Fang.
Looking down at him with a cold, indifferent gaze, she said, “Thank you, Lord Yang, for freeing me with this divorce. I will collect my dowry tonight and leave. From now on, I have nothing more to do with the Yang family.”
Gu Xingzhao couldn’t help but give Lu Youtiao a thumbs up. Now this was the granddaughter of the Lu family’s old man—finally showing some of that family spirit!
Yang Fang struggled to speak, “I treated you well…”
A cold laugh cut him off, leaving him stunned.
Lu Youtiao’s gaze was filled with contempt. “Yang Fang, the only reason you’ve gotten this far is thanks to my grandfather. Without him, who would even notice you in court?”
Her words tore away the last of Yang Fang’s dignity, crushing his fragile pride.
His face turned an ugly shade of green as he was forced to confront the truth he had always denied.
But Lu Youtiao wasn’t finished. “You used me to climb to power, riding on my grandfather’s coattails to secure your position. And now that the Lu family has fallen, you think you can step on me to rise even higher? Do you think the people of the capital are blind and stupid?”
Yang Fang’s face twisted with rage. “I’ve succeeded because of my own talents…”
“Pah!”
Lu Youtiao spat directly in his face, her expression full of disdain. “You? Talented?”
Everyone present was stunned. Who would have thought the lady could be so bold as to spit on him?
Pinned to the ground by the Fang brothers, Yang Fang’s face turned an even deeper shade of green, his teeth grinding with fury. “I made it with my own abilities! You slanderous woman!”
Knowing his pride was his weakness, Lu Youtiao delivered the final blow. “The capital is full of talented people. If talent were all it took, you wouldn’t have made it in thirty years. Everyone knows how you got your post at the Hanlin Academy, always thanking my grandfather. And now, you suddenly want to stand tall and reclaim your dignity?”
She sneered, her voice biting. “You should have checked with the Lu family first.”
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