Bai Zhiwei, ever the composed noblewoman, had never been insulted so harshly. Her face turned crimson as she retorted through gritted teeth, “Mother, this is uncalled for. A woman’s dowry is her own. Since you’re so generous, why not share your dowry with the household instead?”
“You shameless hussy! Before marriage, you were already fooling around with men! If it weren’t for my son, someone as brazen as you wouldn’t even be allowed near the gates of our house!”
Bai Zhiwei’s greatest sore spot had been exposed. It was precisely because of that scandal that she had hurriedly secured her engagement to Gao Zhan, only for Duchess Gao to bring it up at every opportunity.
“Call Gao Zhan here right now! I want a divorce! I refuse to stay another day in this house!” Bai Zhiwei screamed, then ordered her maids, “Go to my storage, pack my dowry, and prepare my carriage. I’m going back to my family!”
Duchess Gao sneered. “Oh, stop with the empty threats! If you’ve got the guts, go ahead and leave! You’re nothing but a disgrace to our household!”
Young and thin-skinned, Bai Zhiwei could not withstand Duchess Gao’s cutting words. Her face flushed red, and in her anger and frustration, she fainted.
Her servants panicked, and one of her maids bolted out of the house to seek help from the Duke Zhen residence.
Duchess Gao, seeing Bai Zhiwei collapse, thought she was feigning unconsciousness again, much like the last time. She spat in contempt. “Hah! Trying that old trick again, are you?”
Then, turning to Bai Zhiwei’s attendants, she scoffed, “Watch your mistress closely. Don’t let her leap to her feet the moment I step out. She’s shameless enough to make a laughingstock of herself! Tell her this: if she has any dignity left, she should return what doesn’t belong to her. Shameless people will get their comeuppance, and fools like her are beyond help!”
Fuming, Duchess Gao stormed off, abandoning all decorum and grace befitting her noble status. She was so enraged that she nearly fainted herself.
On one side, Gao Zhan received the news and rushed home like the wind. On the other, Duchess Zhen arrived at Duke Gao’s residence. Without even meeting Duchess Gao, she ordered her daughter to be put on the carriage and left without a word.
When Gao Zhan returned home, he found the house empty. Upon inquiry, he learned that his wife had been taken away by his mother-in-law.
He hurried to see his mother, but before he could even speak, Duchess Gao exploded in fury, pointing at him and scolding, “You ungrateful little thing! I carried you for ten months and raised you with all my effort, only for you to grow up into a coward who sides with outsiders!”
Before Gao Zhan could say a single word, his mother lashed out at him. His face alternated between red and pale as he shouted angrily, “Mother, what nonsense are you saying? That estate was never mine to begin with! It was a reward from His Highness the Crown Prince to Zhiwei!”
“The Crown Prince rewarded her? On what grounds? What great merit has she, a mere woman of the inner court, accomplished to deserve an estate from His Highness? You better explain yourself!” Duchess Gao grew even more enraged upon hearing this.
“The Crown Princess and Zhiwei are biological sisters—”
“Pah! Who doesn’t know they’ve long turned into enemies? Don’t try to fool me with that nonsense!”
Gao Zhan, repeatedly rebuked by his mother, was also starting to lose his patience. He snapped, “The Duke’s household running out of money isn’t my doing! Back then, Father wanted to be a good elder brother, while my uncles were all extravagant spenders. One debt after another—why aren’t you blaming Father for it instead of taking it out on Zhiwei?”
“Well, well! Look at this! The little family bird has grown its tail! Married a wife and forgotten his mother! You b*stard, I gave birth to you, but you’re worse than a woman who couldn’t tolerate her own sister and instead flirts around with outsiders like a whore!”
“Mother, what nonsense are you spouting?!” Gao Zhan’s face instantly darkened.
Duchess Gao glared at her son and pointed toward the door. “Go out and ask around! Before the Crown Princess got married, what was Bai Zhiwei running around their house for? And do you know that she secretly met the Crown Prince during the Dragon Boat Festival?”
“I was there that day! How was that a secret meeting? Who’s been spreading rumors in front of you?” The veins on Gao Zhan’s forehead bulged in anger.
Seeing her son still defending that “vixen,” Duchess Gao was so enraged that she nearly choked on her breath. She didn’t even need to put on an act—her eyes rolled back, and she fainted on the spot.
Gao Zhan panicked, shouting for someone to fetch a physician. He rushed forward to pinch the acupoint between her nose and lips, pleading, “Mother, Mother, wake up! It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have argued with you!”
The Momo serving Duchess Gao was also terrified. She hurried forward to help lay the Madam down on the couch, choking back tears as she said, “My lord, how could you upset the Madam like this? She has been running herself ragged these past days managing the household affairs. And today, the young madam kept talking back to her, even going so far as to threaten divorce. That’s what drove her to such distress.”
Gao Zhan was stunned. “Divorce?”
“Yes, my lord. If the young madam had even a sliver of affection for you, she wouldn’t have spoken such words so lightly. How could the Madam not be angered? She endured so much humiliation before Duchess Zhen to bring the young madam into this house. She suffered in silence and never uttered a word of complaint to you. And now, instead of comforting her, you’re siding with someone else to hurt her feelings? She’s not young anymore—how could she possibly bear this?”
Gao Zhan’s mind was in turmoil, with only the word “divorce” echoing in his head.
At that moment, the physician arrived. After taking the Madam’s pulse, he diagnosed that excessive anger had overwhelmed her, causing her to faint from emotional distress.
Gao Zhan stood there, looking utterly dejected as the physician wrote a prescription. Around him, servants scrambled—some fetching medicine, others stoking the fire. Within a quarter of an hour, the decoction pot was already heating on the stove.
With such a commotion in Duke Gao’s household, Gao Zhan had no mind to go looking for Bai Zhiwei.
Inside the bedroom, the Duchess slowly regained her breath, opened her eyes, and asked, “Where is the shizi?”
“He’s waiting outside, Madam.”
The Madam sighed in relief. If he had left to see Bai Zhiwei while she was unconscious, then she would have truly raised this son in vain.
With that thought, she instructed her attendants, “Don’t tell the shizi that I’ve woken up. Send someone to summon the Duke back.”
She was done with this daughter-in-law. Daring to clamor for a divorce? Fine—let her have her wish!
News that Bai Zhiwei had been taken back to Duke Zhen’s residence quickly reached Bai Shixi’s ears.
Bai Shixi had been keeping an eye on Bai Zhiwei all along, but she hadn’t expected to hear such news today. “Do we know the reason?”
Her trusted maid hesitated before replying, “It seems to be because Gao shizi gave one of his estates to the young lady.”
“Which estate?” Bai Shixi asked offhandedly. Was a single estate worth causing such a ruckus over a divorce?
“The one outside the capital—the one with the hot springs.”
Bai Shixi’s expression instantly changed. That wasn’t Gao Zhan’s estate—it belonged to the Crown Prince!
