I've Divorced Him

Although Zhao Yuanxun was quite dissatisfied with the Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan's inexplicable actions against his wife and daughter, he still admired Fu Yunkai.

This young man has achieved many military exploits at such a young age, and what's rare is that he is so humble. He treats this good-for-nothing middle-aged man with such courtesy. In the past two days, he has even had the urge to die for someone who understands him.

Now that Fu Yunkai apologized to him so sincerely, his anger vanished instantly.

Wife of the Marquis of Pingnan was of humble birth and her words and actions were inappropriate, so how could Fu Yunkai be blamed? It's quite helpless for a son to have unreliable parents.

He quickly smiled and Fu Yunkai, saying that he didn't mind.

By this time, Zhao Ruxi had already followed Xiaoru into Xiao Ruotong's courtyard.

Just then, Nanny Yun came out of the house and saw Zhao Ruxi. She smiled and said, "My young lady was just talking about you, Miss Zhao. What a coincidence that you've arrived! Please come in."

Zhao Ruxi noticed that Nanny Yun seemed to have aged a few years. Her temples, which had previously been free of gray hair, were now streaked with white, and her face looked somewhat haggard.

Her heart skipped a beat. She greeted Nanny Yun with a smile and then stepped across the threshold.

Inside the room, Xiao Ruotong, dressed in a light-colored dress, was standing at the table writing. Listening to the sounds, she remained completely focused, her pen moving steadily and smoothly until she finished the last stroke. Only then did she look up and smile at Zhao Ruxi, saying, "Xiaoxi is here?"

She washed her hands in the basin and walked to the chair next to her. "Please sit down."

Zhao Ruxi noticed that Xiao Ruotong had lost a lot of weight when she entered the room. She was wearing a loose light blue dress and looked rather emaciated.

"What is this...?" she couldn't help but ask.

Wasn't it said that Xiao Ruotong returned to the Duke of Ying's Residence? According to the Princess of Zhennan, she should have gone back to live a good life. Why does she look so thin now?

However, although Xiao Ruotong was thin, her mental state was not only better than when she was sick, but even better than when she saw her at the academy and the jewelry store.

Xiao Ruotong stood up and curtsied to Zhao Ruxi.

Zhao Ruxi quickly stood up and moved away, scolding, "Teacher, what are you doing?"

"Call me 'sister'." Xiao Ruotong glared at her before sitting down and said, "I'm divorced."

"Huh?" Zhao Ruxi was startled. "Didn't you say you went back to the Duke of Ying's Residence? How come you've already divorced after only two days?"

Xiao Ruotong picked up her teacup, took a sip, looked up at Zhao Ruxi, and smiled brightly, "Didn't you advise me to try again, and if it didn't work out, then let go? That night I thought about it a lot, and I think you were right. If I don't go back to face the problem, but instead divorce him, I definitely won't be able to let go. I'll always think that he had no choice, that he had his reasons, that he still cares about me, that he can't forget me. In the future, if I think of him, see him, or hear news of him, my heart will be stirred. I can't start a new life like that. So I went back to the Duke of Ying's Residence."

She gave a mocking laugh as she spoke, "When I got back, I thought I would be in a lot of pain, that I would have a huge struggle and conflict with him, that I would experience all the bitterness and sweetness of life. But when I saw him..."

She shook her head. "Perhaps I'm just naturally intolerant of infidelity. Everyone else thinks it's no big deal, but when I see him, I'm reminded of his betrayal. I remember him whispering sweet nothings to me while he was entangled with other women."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "So I see that he no longer has the same feelings as before. Instead, I feel calm, yet somewhat disgusted. I feel nauseous at his touch. The affectionate words he used to say to me, which used to move me, now feel hypocritical."

"After calming down and cooling down, I thought about a lot of things. If he didn't want to, no matter how much the Wife of the Duke of Ying pressured him, how could he let a maid get pregnant? Even if he wanted a child, he could have adopted one of his younger brother's children. Everything that happened was just an excuse he made for himself."

"Perhaps at the beginning, he did have feelings for me, and all his vows were sincere. But as life became more and more mundane after marriage, I became an obstacle to his taking a concubine. Unfortunately, he had made a vow beforehand, and he knew that I was someone who couldn't tolerate any infidelity. If he went back on his word, I would definitely want a divorce. And his family couldn't afford to offend our Prince of Zhennan's Residence."

"It just so happens that I can't have children, so he did this under my mother's guidance. If I can tolerate it, then he might gradually bring concubines into the family; if I can't tolerate it, he won't lose anything by divorcing me. Anyway, I'm the one in the wrong, not him. No matter the man or woman in the world, they will only accuse me of being intolerant, while he is forced into it and is innocent."

"Once I saw everything clearly and understood my own heart, I immediately wrote him a divorce agreement." She smiled mockingly. "I could tell that he seemed relieved as soon as he received the divorce papers."

"He wasn't as affectionate as I imagined. All the deep feelings were just my imagination. If I hadn't gone back to the Duke of Ying's Residence and divorced him directly, I might have been tormented every day by my own imagined deep affection and pain. I would have kept him in my heart forever, and even if I wanted to let go, it would have taken a very long time. Now, after going back, in just a few days, everything is clear and understandable, and I have completely let him go."

She picked up her teacup and clinked it against the one in front of Zhao Ruxi: "So I have to thank you. If it weren't for you, I really wouldn't have let go so easily."

"Do the Prince and Princess also agree to your divorce?" Zhao Ruxi asked.

"Of course I agree!" Xiao Ruotong said with a smile.

She sighed softly, "Actually, when this happened, the one who was most furious wasn't me, but them. Because the Duke of Ying's Residence had completely outmaneuvered us, utterly humiliating our Prince of Zhennan's Residence's mansion, making everyone in the capital gossip about my infertility and my inability to tolerate others. And while it was clearly the Duke of Ying's Residence that was in the wrong, they weren't criticized at all, but instead became the object of sympathy. Everyone said that our Prince of Zhennan's Residence was abusing its power, forcing the Wife of the Duke of Ying to resort to such a desperate measure."

"But my parents were worried that I wouldn't be able to let go and would have to go back to my old life. In order to prevent me from being mistreated by my mother-in-law and neglected by my husband, they had no choice but to swallow their anger."

"If it weren't for you, Xiaoxi," Xiao Ruotong grasped Zhao Ruxi's hand, "I would have been trapped in a state of torment for a long time, unable to forgive yet unable to let go. It wouldn't just be me suffering, but also my loving parents and family. That's why my grandmother and parents are so grateful to you. They aren't afraid of me getting a divorce, because there are many men who admire my family's power and want to marry me. If I wanted, I could be married off again tomorrow with a grand wedding procession, and even marry a man who has never been married before."