Dare to Enter Willow Cloud Manor, and the Lady Will Divorce You

It was only upon reaching the door of the study that he learned from the butler: Pei Jingzhi had gone out.

"When will he return?"

"I am afraid it will take some time." The butler smiled and said, "The master went out today to look for the madam. After all these years, this is the first time the master has gone to Liuyun Villa in the suburbs of the capital to find her."

"You do not know, but to see the madam this time, the master really dressed himself up. He wore a brightly colored long robe, tied a colorfully embroidered jade belt, and wore a jade pendant and a fragrant sachet. His hair was combed meticulously, and he even pinned a carved gold hairpin."

"The master simply dressed himself up like a young man."

"He went to see the madam with great joy."

"I am afraid it will be a few days before he returns!"

Chen Liang felt a wave of annoyance; if he had known, he would have come earlier.

The matter for which he sought Pei Jingzhi, though not exactly a burning emergency, was still quite pressing. Besides, there was also Hongxiu to deal with right now.

But Pei Jingzhi had gone out, and there was no telling how many days he would be gone.

He could only wait.

"I hope I will not miss the opportunity."

Thinking this, he went to see Hongxiu again, even planning to overstep his bounds and act as the head of Pei Jingzhi's household for a moment, dealing with Hongxiu on Pei Jingzhi's behalf first. At the very least, he could restrain her and throw her into the woodshed.

As a result...

"Where is Hongxiu?"

"M-my lord, Lady Hongxiu wanted to go out, and w-we did not dare stop her!"

Chen Liang could not help but sigh.

But soon after, he did not take it too much to heart.

First, the valuables of the Pei residence had not been taken away.

Second, even if the valuables of the Pei residence were taken, it would not matter.

Despite Lord Pei Jingzhi currently being squeezed out by Ren Tianye in the imperial court, no matter how much he was pressured, he was still a pillar of the court. As long as he returned and issued an order, unless Hongxiu grew wings and could travel a thousand miles a day, she could forget about escaping.

"Forget it, I will ignore Hongxiu for now!"

"I will just wait!"

...

On the road leading to the suburbs of the capital, Pei Jingzhi sat inside a horse-drawn carriage.

The carriage swayed, yet Pei Jingzhi still held a bronze mirror.

Looking at himself in the mirror, he saw that he had grown old. Over the years, having been dispatched by His Majesty to rush to various places, toiling day and night, wrinkles had spread across his face, and his health was increasingly failing.

He did not look like a man in his fifties or sixties, but rather like an elderly man in his seventies or eighties.

Right now, although he had changed into very bright clothes, even showing a conspicuous inner lining at the collar, and his actions mimicked the flamboyant arrogance of young scions from noble families, time spared no one. His gray hair could not even be held down by his hat.

"Alas, I wonder if dressing up like this will catch the madam's eye?"

Pei Jingzhi felt a bit anxious.

His wife, Madam Liu, loved seeing him look youthful the most. She was always willing to put effort into dressing him up, giving him a bit more of a romantic and handsome flair. Therefore, when Madam Liu was by his side, he would always be teased when he went out.

This displeased him, causing him to often dress sloppily when Madam Liu was not around.

But on this trip, he was going to beg Madam Liu to step forward and persuade the Liu family to provide assistance for his final gamble. Naturally, he had to tidy himself up properly according to his wife's preferences.

Dressing up made him blush a little.

"Master, your love for the madam is as deep as the sea. Having not seen you for so long, the madam will be overjoyed to see you."

The young servant driving the carriage heard this. Knowing that Pei Jingzhi was quite kind to his subordinates, he quickly offered some flattery.

This made Pei Jingzhi feel much better in his heart.

It did not take too long to arrive at Liuyun Villa in the suburbs of the capital.

This was the private property of the Hedong Liu family. Situated here, the scenery was beautiful and unparalleled. However, as Pei Jingzhi looked at Liuyun Villa, he could not help but feel a bit dazed.

"I have not been to this Liuyun Villa for over a decade, have I?"

"In the past, this was a place of romance for me and my wife, but now..."

"It actually brings back some memories of the youthful love between me and the madam."

Pei Jingzhi could not help but laugh softly.

Perhaps because he was wearing very bright clothes and deliberately hiding his old age, trying hard to stand tall and walk briskly, he managed to feign a bit of youthful spirit and also gained a bit of youthful sentimentality.

Walking up to the front, the main gate of Liuyun Villa was tightly shut.

He knocked directly.

A moment later, a voice sounded from behind the gate: "Who is it?"

The gate was opened, and a maid stepped out. It was Dongxiang, the personal maid of Pei Jingzhi's wife, Madam Liu.

"M-m-master, h-how come you are here?"

The maid Dongxiang's expression instantly changed, and her tone became stuttering: "D-do you, does the m-madam know you are here?"

Pei Jingzhi, however, did not notice the change in the maid Dongxiang's expression and said, "The madam does not know. I have come to see her."

"Where is the madam?"

"The m-madam went out, she will be back soon."

"Oh." Pei Jingzhi did not mind and said, "Then I will go inside the manor and wait for her..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he saw the maid Dongxiang spread her arms, blocking him outside the door.

This made Pei Jingzhi somewhat surprised: "Dongxiang, what are you doing?"

"M-master..." Dongxiang stuttered even more: "The m-madam will be back soon. Y-you should just wait for her outside the door. Do not come in."

"Nonsense!" Pei Jingzhi's face sank: "I am the master of the house, coming to see my wife. How can there be any reason for me to wait outside?"

"M-master..." Dongxiang was so anxious she was almost crying: "Y-you better not come in, lest the madam gets angry again. It is not like you do not know that once the madam gets angry with you, it is terrifying!"

"Y-you should not make the madam unhappy again."

"Furthermore, today, if you dare to enter this door without the madam's permission, the madam will not only get angry, but she might even be so furious as to divorce you!"

The word divorce startled Pei Jingzhi for a moment.

Wait, just entering a door would lead to a divorce?

Immediately after, he completely disbelieved it!

He and his wife, Madam Liu, were so deeply in love!

Back then, when Madam Liu's lover died in the military, Madam Liu's world seemed to plunge into darkness, falling into an inescapable slumber. It was he, Pei Jingzhi, who, because his appearance resembled Madam Liu's lover, walked to Madam Liu's side.

During that time, he took care of her day and night, using every possible method before finally helping Madam Liu step out of the darkness.

After that, his pampering and care for his wife did not diminish in the slightest.

He knew very well that he was able to get close to Madam Liu because he looked like her former lover, but he had always worked hard to make Madam Liu forget her past love. Over all these years, he had succeeded.

He took great care of Madam Liu. What is more, completely independent of the Hedong Liu family's influence, he relied on his talent and hard work to step by step reach the position of Superintendent of the Imperial Household, which could be considered as restoring the family's prestige for Madam Liu.

His relationship with Madam Liu was exceptionally affectionate and sweet.

Madam Liu even bore him a son and two daughters.

His feelings with his wife, Madam Liu, were so profound. Right now, it was just a matter of entering this Liuyun Villa; how could it possibly lead to a divorce?

Therefore, Pei Jingzhi pushed Dongxiang aside and strode inside.

Before he had walked very far, he saw a young man with a bare back lifting a stone block, training a strong and muscular physique.

He could not help but smile.

His wife, Madam Liu, loved to make him look young and flashy. For this reason, she had often forced him to exercise in previous years.

He did not expect that inside this Liuyun Villa, such rules also applied.

It was just... who was this young man, exposing himself like this? Was it not a bad influence?