Chapter 074

Chapter 74: She Offered a Ladder, So Climb Down

Madam Yao sobbed without stopping: “How could it be nothing! That wicked assassin even smeared poison on the sword. The imperial physician said it kills the moment it touches blood. If you hadn’t been in the palace and treated it right away, even if the whole Imperial Infirmary rushed over, they still might not have saved you.”

Yu Zhi Yi listened in silence, waiting for the real point.

But Madam Yao kept rambling and still didn’t say what Yu Zhi Yi wanted to know, which made her uneasy. She could not ask right now, so she pretended not to notice.

Du Zi Heng had not gone home to change clothes for two days. With rough stubble and dark shadows under his eyes, he said to his mother: “Mother, I have already sent word to the imperial physician. Zhi Yi just woke up and is still weak. Let’s wait until she recovers before talking.”

Chancellor Du also spoke calmly: “Yes. After the imperial physician checks on her, let Yi’er rest well first.”

Madam Yao patted her own forehead and hurried to agree: “Oh right, look at me forgetting. Yi’er, don’t talk and don’t move. Whatever it is, we’ll speak after you heal.”

Yu Zhi Yi stayed quiet. [Did my ability drop, or are all the palace physicians useless? Why can’t they tell that I was hurt in the most important part for a woman and can’t have children anymore?]

Just then, the imperial physician arrived.

After taking Yu Zhi Yi’s pulse, the imperial physician said: “Young Madam Du is blessed and has passed the most dangerous stage. If she rests quietly for a time, she will recover. Only…”

Before he finished, Madam Yao cut him off: “Imperial Physician Zhang, thank you for your hard work. After Yi’er leaves the palace, please come to Chancellor’s Manor a few more times.”

Yu Zhi Yi narrowed her eyes and asked evenly: “Imperial Physician Zhang, is something else wrong with my body?”

All three members of the Du Clan froze. Chancellor Du gave Imperial Physician Zhang a mild look. His face looked calm, but Imperial Physician Zhang still straightened his back at once.

Yu Zhi Yi spoke quietly but with certainty: “Members of the Mystic Sect cannot divine our own fate, true. But we can do more than cast lots. We can think. You are hiding something from me, and it is about my body. If you do not tell me now, won’t it be worse when I discover it on my own later?”

Chancellor Du turned his eyes away, unable to watch. Madam Yao began to cry again.

After a moment of silence, Du Zi Heng walked to the bedside and said softly: “Alright, I will tell you. But promise me you will stay calm. Believe that no matter what happens, we as a family can face it together. We will not look down on you.”

Chancellor Du waved his hand to dismiss Imperial Physician Zhang, and the physician wisely withdrew.

Yu Zhi Yi frowned and said simply: “Speak.”

Du Zi Heng sat on the bed and reached for her hand. She moved away without expression. He paused, then tucked the quilt at her shoulder and said: “The angle of that sword was very tricky, and it stabbed your womb. If it had only been a cut, there might have been a chance to heal. But the blade was poisoned. The imperial physicians worked together to save your life, but they could not save your womb…”

Yu Zhi Yi cut him off: “Get to the point.”

Du Zi Heng swallowed, then forced the words out: “You may never be able to bear children.”

Yu Zhi Yi lifted her gaze and took in the faces of all three of them. Madam Yao was still crying. Chancellor Du’s back looked bleak. Du Zi Heng’s face held pain and guilt.

She said in a very calm voice: “The Du Clan cannot be without an heir, and it cannot accept a daughter-in-law who cannot have children. Let’s divorce.”

Du Zi Heng jerked his head up and met her unusually calm eyes. The chill there struck his pain into pieces, then pulled the pieces back together into something he could not name.

He and Madam Yao spoke over each other: “We will not divorce, Yi’er. Don’t think like that.” Chancellor Du did not speak, but at their words he quietly let out a breath.

Yu Zhi Yi asked in puzzlement: “What is the use of a wife who cannot have children?”

In her heart, she did not think a woman who cannot give birth has committed any sin. But she understood how the world thinks. She had created this chance on purpose, so she could end the marriage in a proper way. To be blunt, she no longer wanted to play along with them.

In her past life, because of her Master’s words, she put up with Zhang Tian Shun’s antics for a whole lifetime. She found it boring. She also refused to compete with other women over a man.

Du Manor was very good. As the mistress of Du Manor, she could enjoy wealth and respect. Her parents-in-law were also very good, letting her feel a family’s love and warmth she had never known. But between her and Du Manor was a conflict that could not be solved: she did not want to have children, and she did not even want to share a bed with Du Zi Heng.

Before, she could use the matter of Du Zi Heng and You Bing Yue as an excuse to keep her peace. But now that You Bing Yue had left Chancellor’s Manor and would not return soon, that excuse would not hold much longer.

No matter how kind Madam Yao was, she was still a mother-in-law, not Yu Zhi Yi’s own mother. She would care about the Du family line. Rather than wait until the problem of children tore them apart and left both sides bitter, Yu Zhi Yi preferred to find a reason now and end this sudden marriage.

She had not expected the Du Clan to refuse.

Maybe they disagreed because she had just “saved” the Emperor. They did not want to anger him or carry a bad name, so they did not dare accept her suggestion.

The more she thought about it, the more it made sense. She said steadily: “You don’t need to worry. I won’t leave you with a bad name. Or we can divorce first. After everything calms down, I will leave Du Manor. Then…”

Du Zi Heng stood up at once and cut her off: “There is no then. I will not divorce. No matter how you change, I will never divorce.”

He strode out of the room and told the palace maid at the door: “Heat the medicine.” After that, he went outside to clear his head.

Yu Zhi Yi watched him leave, then turned to Madam Yao.

Madam Yao wiped her tears and sighed: “Yi’er, we are not an unreasonable family. What happened to you wasn’t your choice. This is not your fault. We have no right to look down on you, and we won’t.”

Yu Zhi Yi began to speak, but Madam Yao added carefully: “As for children…”

Yu Zhi Yi interrupted her: “What if I say I will not accept Du Zi Heng taking a concubine?”

Madam Yao froze.

Yu Zhi Yi gathered herself and looked her straight in the eye: “About Miss You, I did not know ahead of time. But whether I knew or not, I was the one who stepped into their feelings first. I have no standing to stop them from being together, so I could look the other way. But I cannot accept that my future partner still has other women.”

Her pale face showed unusual resolve.

To tell the truth, she had stirred up all this so she could say goodbye to the Du Clan with dignity. Madam Yao had treated her well. She did not want to anger her the way she had angered Madam Meng. So now that she had offered them a ladder to climb down, they should climb down quickly.