Chapter 5: Let’s Divorce

On this side of the story.

Having received that person’s disdainful gaze, Pei Yuanshao was feeling uneasy.

Xu Shi, however, did not give him time to think. She had just seen that cowardly woman of the Liu family through the door crack.

This time, he had no intention of taking action. Raising his voice, he questioned the courtyard: “Niece Changning, your husband lacks virtue, engaging in illicit relations with others in the wilderness, his conduct corrupt. As his wife-master, how can you not come out and manage him?”

“Although you are usually honest and straightforward, now that the green hat has been firmly placed on your head, your husband is impure and unfaithful. With such a dissolute husband, will you still turn a blind eye, remain deaf and mute, and become a bitter cuckold?”

Xu Chun had always been unrestrained, with a sharp tongue and teeth, scolding people without any regard for their feelings.

The phrase “cuckold” almost trampled on a woman’s last shred of dignity.

The curve of Pei Yuanshao’s lips pressed down slightly, his brows and eyes raised. He glanced at the middle-aged man with displeasure, pulled out the soft whip from his waist, and pressed it against his chest.

Lowering his head, his peach blossom eyes flashed with a stern light, but upon closer look, it was gone without a trace, once again radiant and dazzling.

He lowered his voice, his deep and melancholic tone barely revealing two parts anger: “Enough!”

Xu Chun was stunned, not even having time to react. Pei Yuanshao had already approached two more steps, his tall figure pressing forward, seeming to carry a touch of intimidation.

He was clearly angry, fuming: “Brother-in-law Li, slandering early in the morning at the door is one thing. I know I’m in the wrong, usually speaking a bit frivolously. So even when you took action earlier, I did not argue with you. But as the saying goes, a wife-master is the face of us men. You loudly cursed my wife-master in front of the villagers. Even a clay figurine has a three-part temper, how could I allow you to insult her?”

Having said that, he swung the whip, striking Xu Shi’s body swiftly, fiercely, and accurately.

The red garment fluttered in the wind, the smile on his face completely gone, replaced by a full display of anger. The sunlight fell on his face, making him appear exceptionally proud among the crowd of villagers.

Even if the Emperor of Mingde had been exiled, the pride in his bones could not be erased. Pretending to be frivolous was fine, but this frivolousness was definitely not bootlicking. At this moment, this three-part temper had to be grasped just right!

As the whip hit the ground, the surrounding villagers had not yet reacted to his sudden action. Although they felt it was wrong to hit someone, if his outburst was due to anger on behalf of his wife-master, it made sense.

After all, Xu Shi’s shrewish reputation was already bad, and the insults she hurled, while preceding the whipping, were indeed factual.

Both parties had stains on their reputations, truly fitting the saying “the cuckold and the green bean are fighting, while others watch from the sidelines.”

Xu Shi gritted her teeth in pain, wanting to fight back but unable to win.

What was even more infuriating was that with a light sentence from the fox-like man, the ugly affair of the illicit relations in the wilderness was wiped clean, instead fiercely dealing her a blow.

He was originally a country bumpkin. Although his mouth was vicious, scolding was, after all, an art. At this moment, he didn’t know how to refute, so he covered his face, put his hands on his hips, and said hatefully: “You… you dare to hit…”

“This whip is for your disrespect towards my wife-master!” Pei Yuanshao said coldly, interrupting him.

“If it weren’t for your lack of chastity, how would I curse that good-for-nothing… your wife-master?”

“Brother-in-law Xu, you keep saying I engaged in illicit relations with others in the wilderness. Do you have any proof?”

Xu Chun opened his small eyes wide, spat at him, his voice instantly becoming shrill and malicious: “You little scoundrel, you know very well what you’ve done. Of course there’s proof. Since you have no regard for your reputation, I don’t mind tearing off your fig leaf.”

Having said that, he took out a pouch from his bosom and threw it at Pei Yuanshao’s feet.

“Look, this is what fell from my wife-master’s robe while washing clothes yesterday. After being forced to confess, my wife-master admitted frankly that this pouch was hand-sewn by you. A few days ago, you had an illicit affair with my wife-master, and it accidentally fell on her body.”

Pei Yuanshao glanced at the pouch on the ground, the stitches fine and dense, the pattern complex. Suddenly, he laughed out loud, his face quivering with mirth. After laughing, he leaned against the wooden door, tears seeping from the corners of his eyes.