Chapter 183: Yes, I Hold a Grudge
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“Young Master Du, if you wish to flaunt your authority here, save yourself the effort. Everyone at Breeze Pavilion is under my command and not born-servants of your Du family. You have no right to reprimand them.”
Yu Zhi Yi spared no face for Du Zi Heng.
Du Zi Heng was left speechless.
As the son of the Chancellor’s family, he had always led a charmed life. While there were rival factions in the capital, verbal sparring was often cloaked in civility. Schemes were subtle, and outright confrontations were rare.
To be directly told he was unqualified—this was a first.
His expression darkened, pride wounded. Anger clouded his judgment as he retorted, “Fine, I may not have the right to reprimand them, but I certainly have the right to address the matter of Bing Yue. Since you were aware that she was afflicted by yin energy, why did you stay silent? Are you still holding a grudge over her stealing your credit?”
Du Zi Heng assumed that, despite Yu Zhi Yi’s bold demeanor, she wouldn’t dare admit to such a petty grievance. Even if she did harbor ill feelings, she would likely deny it.
And once she denied it, he could capitalize on her response to persuade her to dispel the yin energy.
Unexpectedly, Yu Zhi Yi admitted it openly. “Yes, I hold a grudge.”
Du Zi Heng: “What?”
He gaped in disbelief, rendered utterly speechless by her candor.
Yu Zhi Yi sneered. “Surprised by my honesty?”
“I’m a cultivator, though not of the Buddhist path. I rarely lie unless absolutely necessary. And frankly, You Bing Yue isn’t worth lying for.”
“She blatantly stole my credit in front of everyone. It’s no different from humiliating me. If someone bullies me to my face, why should I warn them about the calamities coming their way?”
“People must face the consequences of their actions, don’t you agree?”
Her smile was exquisite, but her tone was laced with biting sarcasm as she continued, “Besides, doesn’t she have the Chief Disciple of Dragon-Tiger Mountain by her side? If she hadn’t rushed off overnight, anxious to claim credit, and instead waited for Ou Yang Shuo to recover the next day, he’d surely have noticed her condition.”
“But no, she feared losing the limelight to me and left him behind. Honestly, self-inflicted harm… is the hardest to absolve.”
Du Zi Heng was silenced again. He could find no rebuttal.
His temper cooled, and reason reminded him that convincing Yu Zhi Yi to help You Bing Yue today was an uphill battle.
He softened his tone. “Zhi Yi, I know Bing Yue has offended you. Can you not do me a favor and help her this once?”
Yu Zhi Yi found this amusing. “And what favor do you imagine you hold with me?”
Du Zi Heng: “…”
Yu Zhi Yi pressed on, twisting the proverbial knife. “Forgive my bluntness, but your favor here matters less to me than the grass and wood of Breeze Pavilion.”
Initially, she’d intended to compare him unfavorably to the steward and Aunt Wen, but realizing such words might draw ire toward them, she adjusted her phrasing.
Du Zi Heng was nearly apoplectic with anger.
He knew Yu Zhi Yi’s sharp tongue well, but it had been some time since he last experienced it firsthand. Today’s encounter only reaffirmed how little tolerance he had for it.
Closing his eyes, he stifled his frustration and helplessness before asking, “What will it take for you to remove the yin energy from Bing Yue?”
Yu Zhi Yi, having anticipated this question, smiled. “Wait a moment.”
She instructed Li Rou to fetch paper and ink, swiftly scribbling a few lines. Moments later, she set the brush aside, allowing the ink to dry, then handed the paper to Du Zi Heng.
“Take this divorce letter. Only then will I go with you,” she declared.
Du Zi Heng’s initial astonishment at her bold calligraphy quickly gave way to fury as the words “divorce letter” registered. His face darkened. “Zhi Yi, must you cause such a scene?”
Yu Zhi Yi smirked. “You think I’m causing a scene?”
Du Zi Heng closed his eyes briefly, as if restraining himself from an outburst. His voice, when he spoke, was tightly controlled. “Saving a life is more virtuous than building a seven-story pagoda. Besides, the grudge between you and Bing Yue hasn’t escalated to the point where you could coldly stand by and watch her die, has it? She may have wronged you a few times, but she’s always been straightforward. In the end, her actions caused no serious harm. Can’t you show some magnanimity?”
Yu Zhi Yi’s expression turned cold. “You’ve never heard the saying: those who urge others to be magnanimous invite divine retribution, have you?”
“You…!”
Her gaze was icy as she continued. “The reason her actions caused no serious harm wasn’t because she couldn’t, but because I’m capable enough to avert disaster. Otherwise, on the very first day when she pushed Zi Yuan by the water, the consequences could have been dire.”
Zi Yuan couldn’t swim. If she had fallen in, her survival would have been uncertain.
It was true there were people by the water at the time, but if Yu Zhi Yi hadn’t been skilled enough to stop You Bing Yue, she wouldn’t have been able to bypass her to save Zi Yuan either. Had that been the case, Zi Yuan’s fate wouldn’t merely have been the ruination of her reputation; she might have lost her life.
Later, that woman allowed her servants to falsely accuse Yu Zhi Yi of practicing witchcraft, a grave and detestable crime in any dynasty. At the time, she had yet to establish her footing in the Du Mansion, and Chancellor Du and Madam Du could very well have cast her out.
Not that Yu Zhi Yi feared being cast out.
Still, her abilities didn’t negate the difficulties caused by false accusations.
Every incident thereafter, without exception, was initiated by You Bing Yue.
Yu Zhi Yi’s voice was sharp. “Du Zi Heng, you are unworthy of my magnanimity. Today, you have only two choices: accept this divorce letter, or return to serving You Bing Yue. Stop pestering me.”
Du Zi Heng’s anger flared again. “Since your heart is no longer here, I’ll grant your wish!”
He snatched the divorce letter. “Now, will you help save Bing Yue?”
Yu Zhi Yi gave him a sidelong glance. “Do you think I’ve never read the Great Sheng Empire’s Legal Code? For a divorce to be legally binding, both parties must register it at the prefecture office. Without that, this letter is merely a scrap of paper.”
Du Zi Heng fell silent, unsure whether he had genuinely overlooked this or deliberately avoided mentioning it. Yet now, faced with her resolute stance, he found himself unable to hold onto any pretense. Seeing how eager she was to sever ties with him, he no longer wished to persuade her to stay.
Letting her face reality might even be better. She seemed to think that being a fifth-rank official in the Ministry of Justice exempted her from the era’s harsh constraints on women. But whether fifth-rank or even as powerful as the Empress, a woman abandoned by a man would inevitably face societal scorn.
His gaze lingered on her. “As you wish.”
He waited for the day she’d come crawling back, pleading for reconciliation.
An hour later, Yu Zhi Yi and Du Zi Heng exited the Jingzhao Prefecture office, each holding a certificate proving their newly single status. Additionally, Yu Zhi Yi now possessed a new household registry.
After marrying Du Zi Heng, her household registration had been transferred to the Du Mansion. With the divorce finalized, her record would typically revert to the Yu Family.
However, as an official of the court who had publicly severed ties with the Yu Family in front of the Emperor, she was now eligible to establish an independent household registry for herself.
Took long enough.