He calmed down, wiped the tears from his face, and said evenly, "Let her go."
"Third Master... but..."
"I said let her go!" Xie Jinzhao snapped.
"Yes."
The servant went out and told the people at the entrance not to stop her.
With her people and cart after cart of dowry goods, Zhong Youyan left the Xie Residence without a hitch.
Outside the Xie Residence.
Liu Wan handed the child to Qing Sheng and stepped forward to take Zhong Youyan's hand.
Happy and excited, she said, "Miss Zhong, you can finally leave. You've suffered so much. It's just a shame that you..."
She had opposed this marriage from the start, but even then, she had never imagined the Xie family would resort to such despicable means to ruin a young woman's chastity.
Thankfully, Miss Zhong had now secured a divorce too.
Her tone held three parts sympathy, three parts regret, and four parts happiness for her.
Zhong Youyan, however, thought nothing of it. "A woman's purity has never lain beneath her skirts. There's nothing to regret."
"I consider the Xie Residence nothing more than a stretch of road I traveled in my life."
"Only after walking it did I learn how treacherous hearts could be, and what was truly genuine in this world."
"I don't consider this journey a stain on my life. On the contrary, I think it added the most brilliant stroke to my otherwise ordinary life."
"At least I broke free of feudal shackles and fought oppression through my own abilities. I think this experience is all the more worth being proud of!"
When she first arrived, she had been carefree and reckless, believing her martial arts would keep her safe wherever she went.
But she had underestimated the sinister cunning of the human heart.
Being tricked