Chapter 282: Chapter 254: Striking at the Heart (Second Update)
Compared to a furious Divorce Letter kicking Su Yi out, Lu Pingzhouâs current approach is undoubtedly more torturous.
He neither mentions divorce nor speaks of divorcing her.
As long as she doesnât take the initiative to leave, she remains the Lu Familyâs eldest lady in public.
However, this is based on him knowing from the start that she had betrayed him in the past, conceiving an illegitimate child.
Ever since that day she was exposed, Su Yi hasnât had a single peaceful nightâs sleep until today.
Whenever she closes her eyes, all she sees in her dreams are Lu Pingzhouâs sinister eyes, clearly smiling, yet sending chills down oneâs spine.
Itâs the same now.
No sooner had Lu Pingzhou finished speaking than Su Yi shivered involuntarily.
She glanced at Aunt Wen sitting below.
Aunt Wen seemed not to hear what the master was saying at all, resting her hands on her knees, sitting with a dignified posture, lowering her eyelashes slightly, showing no expression on her face.
Su Yi cursed in her heart, calling her a vixen, then stepped out of the front hall.
No one went out to invite her, so the old woman from the Su Family didnât come inside and waited outside the main door all along.
Seeing Su Yi, her anxious face finally lit up with joy, "At last, this old servant waited for the madam."
Su Yi looked toward the carriage nearby and asked her, "Was it arranged by my elder brother?"
The old woman nodded affirmatively.
"Has something happened at home?" Su Yi asked again.
The old woman lowered her voice, "Specifically, even this old servant doesnât know, the Prime Minister asked you to return for a private discussion."
Thinking of her husbandâs words before she left, Su Yi hesitated.
It wasnât that she didnât want to deal with her natal familyâs affairs, but she herself was in a precarious situation.
If Lu Pingzhou truly becomes angry, she canât imagine what he might do.
The last time he spoke of arranging a good place for her lover, Su Yi originally thought Lu Pingzhou would torture the man worse than death, then quietly kill him for his revenge.
But the result was unexpected, Lu Pingzhou not only didnât kill the man but also arranged for him to mend and renovate the Lu familyâs main courtyard.
One day, Su Yi got up and opened the door, just in time to see the man watering flowers outside; she was almost scared out of her wits.
Later on, when she asked Lu Pingzhou, Lu Pingzhou, holding a tea cup, calmly said to her directly in front of Aunt Wen: "Heâs already impotent, if heâs homeless again, how pitiful would that be? As the eldest lady, youâve always been benevolent, once even sacrificing your body for him, surely you canât be heartless enough to watch him die with wide eyes? Having shared a bed, itâs only right to offer some shelter."
Su Yi can no longer remember how she responded to Lu Pingzhou then, she only knows that every time she sees that man in the main courtyard, it feels like a nightmare.
Previously, she focused all her attention on Lu Xingzhou, only treating Lu Pingzhou as a terminally ill patient destined for death, little did she know she was being manipulated.
The sick man she had underestimated for nearly twenty years turned out to be a venomous snake.
Lu Pingzhouâs gaze when looking at people, his methods in exacting revenge, all left her terrified and full of remorse.
Su Yi regretted not proposing divorce the moment she discovered the marriage swap years ago.
Now, she has no way to escape safely from the Lu Family.
At her age, proposing divorce, not to mention whether outsiders would ridicule her, Lu Pingzhou simply has no such intention, unless she absolutely canât stay and packs up to leave on her own, otherwise Lu Pingzhouâs attitude of "no divorce, no separation" wonât change. Besides, if it ever escalated to that point, once her adultery becomes known, sheâs driving herself into a dead end.
However, staying with the Lu Family, her days will only become increasingly agonizing; how long she can endure, even she canât say for sure.
Concealing her thoughts, Su Yi said to the old woman, "If itâs not urgent, I wonât return; you tell my elder brother to make his own decisions, Iâm already the Lu Familyâs wife, it doesnât make sense to run back to my natal family frequently."
The old woman evidently didnât expect the madam to say such words, her mouth opened in shock.
Seeing Su Yi about to return inside, she quickly caught up, saying in a low voice: "Itâs related to the former Princess Changping."
Upon hearing this, Su Yi paused, "Zhao Xunyin?"
The old woman nodded.
Hearing about that woman, Su Yi, who had initially decided not to intervene in her natal familyâs affairs, started to waver.
"Was there anything specific mentioned?"
The old nanny shook her head, "The Prime Minister only asked this old servant to convey to you, Madam, that this matter is extremely urgent, and you must return as soon as possible."
If it can make my older brother say the words "extremely urgent," it seems thereâs truly a serious issue at hand.
Su Yi hesitated no more, just as she was about to say "Alright," Lu Pingzhouâs voice came from inside, "Whatâs happening with your older brotherâs family again? Every other day they want our Madam to go back without even a prior notice. Those in the know would say the Madam married into your family, but those who donât might think your Su Family is actually her in-laws."
At first glance, Lu Pingzhouâs words seemed harmless, but on careful consideration, they were quite malicious.
Saying the Su Family is Su Yiâs in-laws was clearly insinuating an abnormal relationship between Su Yi and the Prime Minister, wasnât it?
The old nanny was startled, her face turning pale, "Young Master, please mind your words."
Lu Pingzhou did not respond. His deep, dark eyes only gazed at Su Yi.
Even without saying a word, Su Yi could feel the warning from her husband.
Right now, he was giving her an out, allowing her to make a choice.
Su Yi bit her lower lip, not hesitating for long, and said to the old nanny, "I have two older Madams above me. Whatever the matter is, let my older brother find them. Iâm not going; I have a lot of work at home to keep up with."
The person who had initially agreed suddenly reneged, and just when the old nanny wanted to say more, Lu Pingzhou had already instructed the two servants following behind him, "See the guest out!"
He never had any fondness for Su Xiang, his brother-in-law.
This time when the Su Family faced trouble, he was the one who asked his parents not to intervene.
If back then Su Yi hadnât proactively proposed marriage, the Su and Lu Families wouldnât have possibly joined through marriage, and it wouldnât have been possible for him to suddenly be forced to marry a woman from the Su Family at a time when he was preparing to propose to Wen Niang instead of his second brother.
For so many years, even though every situation was under Lu Pingzhouâs control, even though Wen Niang had never demanded formal recognition, his resentment towards Su Yi only grew.
In his view, whether it was separation or a Divorce Letter, both were too lenient for Su Yi.
Lu Pingzhou scorned the notion of hitting women, but he excelled at emotional torment.
If she liked to stray from the fold, he would first cripple that man, then bring him to the mansion to let her face him every day and night, making her live in agony and fear, unable to sleep well every night.
...
After entering the gate, Lu Pingzhou, walking beside with hands behind his back, cast a subtle smile, "From my impression, even if no one came to fetch you, the Madam would voluntarily return to the Su Family two or three times each month. Now that they personally invited you today, why did you suddenly change your mind?"
Su Yi lowered her head, her gaze falling on the cobblestones beneath her feet, and had to respond in a low voice, "Compared to my maternal family, Qiaoâs marriage is more important."
The true lineage of Lu Yanbin and Lu Qiao was only known to a handful of them, and even the old master and old lady were kept in the dark, thereby Lu Qiao was being wed under the identity of a legitimate daughter.
In the eyes of the servants, the Madam was still the birth mother of Qiao, so naturally, she had to be deeply concerned about Qiaoâs marriage.
Even though the Princess Mansion was no longer involved, it was because they themselves requested removal from the family register, not affecting the Marquis Mansionâs reputation, and Qiaoâs marriage should not be hindered.
Just as Su Yi finished speaking, she heard the man let out a low chuckle.
It wasnât joy; in fact, it seemed like mockery.
She maintained a stoic expression, daring not to let any of her inner dissatisfaction leak out.
...
Su Xiang had been waiting at home for a long time, only to be told by the returning old nanny that the Madam said there were matters at home and she couldnât come.
Su Xiang didnât wonder if Su Yi had met with trouble. He only asked the nanny, "Did she not want to come, or couldnât she come?"
The old nanny hesitated for a moment, then truthfully confessed, saying that the Madam had initially agreed to come, but the Young Master suddenly intervened, said something, and then the Madam changed her mind.
Su Xiang asked, "What did Lu Pingzhou say?"
At this point, the old nanny dared not hide anything, and she relayed everything truthfully and completely.
Su Xiang found his temples throbbing with anger, "That bastard Lu Pingzhou, he really dared to say that!"
The nanny didnât reply. Having been with the Su Family for many years, she was well aware of the Madamâs character, her proud and uncompromising nature.
All previous times, havenât she always been dressed splendidly? But today, besides dressing simply, the Madam even lacked her usual confidence in her speech.
If the Madam didnât have something weighing on her heart, how could just a few words from that sickly Young Master intimidate her? She was never like this before.
Thinking of the Young Master, the old nanny suddenly recalled something, "Prime Minister, when this old servant went to the Lu Family, I noticed the Third Young Master seemed much healthier."
Su Xiang was preoccupied with thoughts of Wen Wan and the Eldest Princessâs relationship and didnât ponder, "With so many good medicines being used on him, if he doesnât show some improvement, your Madam may find herself a widow!"