Madam Huang shouted at Fang Xiuqi, "It's all because of you, Fang Xiuqi, all because of you! You ruined me!"
Madam Huang roared with fury, as if to release all the grievances of the past decade.
Fang Xiuqi was stunned. Because of him?
Weren't they a model couple? He didn't even have a concubine, and his only maidservant was Madam Huang's dowry, chosen by Madam Huang herself.
He stared blankly at Madam Huang, his bewildered ignorance enraging her further.
She burst into laughter, then sobbed, "You don't know why? Can't you figure it out? Haha!"
Fang Xiuqi truly couldn't understand. Everyone in the courtyard was looking at him, as if he had done something heartless and wronged Madam Huang.
Fang Xiuqi stammered, "I don't know..."
Fang Zheng looked coldly at the near-insane Madam Huang, "No matter what Father did, it's no excuse for you to harm my child!"
Madam Huang pointed at him, "If it weren't for you and Fang Yuan, how would I have never had my own child? You wouldn't let me have children, so I'll make sure your Fang family has no descendants! No bloodline!"
Fang Xiuqi trembled, his expression one of disbelief, "You did this because of that..."
"Isn't that enough?" Madam Huang cried in despair.
Fang Zheng frowned slightly. He was unaware of the hidden reasons behind this. He had always assumed Madam Huang couldn't have children due to her own health.
Old Duke Zhongyong also glanced at Fang Xiuqi.
Madam Huang was only eighteen or nineteen when she married Fang Xiuqi. She had once dreamed of a future surrounded by children, of becoming a mother.
Fang Xiuqi treated her very well. She diligently raised the two children left by his first wife, treating them as her own.
But after a long time, her belly remained still.
Fang Xiuqi already had two children, so it couldn't be his fault.
It had to be Madam Huang's own issue.
How many doctors had she seen, how many folk remedies had she tried, how much suffering had she endured to conceive?
She even kept Granny Yu, who understood medicine and how to nourish a woman's body, close by.
It was Granny Yu who discovered that Madam Huang couldn't conceive not due to her own issues, but because Fang Xiuqi had been taking infertility medication.
To protect the two children left by his first wife, to ensure they wouldn't be wronged, and to prevent future complications, Fang Xiuqi had rendered himself infertile!
Madam Huang could hardly believe her ears! How could this man, who showered her with affection and sweet words, rob her of her right to be a mother?
During those painful and guilt-ridden days, he had told her nothing, only repeatedly assuring her it was alright, which only deepened her guilt.
This man, who claimed to love her, couldn't he see her daily torment, her life worse than death?
She vowed revenge.
She gave Granny Yu to Zuo Yun, making Zuo Yun mistakenly believe she was infertile.
She introduced Huang Xuanming to Fang Yuan, so that Fang Yuan would also suffer the same pain she did.
Only, Wang Qingyao appeared unexpectedly and disrupted her revenge plan.
The courtyard fell silent, only Madam Huang's frantic curses could be heard.
She cursed heaven for its injustice, and the Fang family for their extreme cruelty!
Fang Zheng asked Yu'er to help Zuo Yun inside to rest.
Seeing her revenge dashed, Madam Huang suddenly lunged towards Zuo Yun's belly—
Of course, she couldn't reach her. Before she could even touch Zuo Yun's robe, Fang Zheng kicked her to the ground.
"Madam..." Fang Xiuqi's expression was complex as he tried to help her up.
Madam Huang yelled at him, "Get out, get out of here!"
Fang Xiuqi spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed.
Old Duke Zhongyong ordered Madam Huang to be taken away and Fang Xiuqi, who had fainted, to be carried off.
The farce finally ended.
Wang Qingyao listened, dumbfounded. She never imagined the Duke Zhongyong was so devoted to his first wife!
Bah, bah, bah, if he was so devoted, he wouldn't have married a second wife.
She could only say he was a good father.
But not a good husband.
Wang Qingyao almost felt pity for Madam Huang.
But Fang Zheng was right. Whatever the reason, it was no excuse for Madam Huang to harm another's child.
The Fang family invited Madam Huang's maternal relatives. An agreement was reached, and ultimately, Madam Huang could not escape death.
Fang Xiuqi wanted to plead for Madam Huang, but Old Duke Zhongyong refused, and Fang Zheng even more so.
After spitting blood, he had been bedridden. Upon hearing the news of Madam Huang's death, his condition worsened. He barely managed to hold on to see her one last time before fainting again.
He was still bedridden and couldn't get up!
No wonder Wang Qingyao hadn't seen Fang Xiuqi at the memorial service.
Zuo Yun, having spoken so much, was also tired. She gulped down a cup of water and sighed, "Madam Huang was also a pitiable person."
Wang Qingyao almost rolled her eyes. "You still pity her? Such a saint!"
"I don't pity her," Zuo Yun said. "I just... I just... sigh..."
She couldn't quite explain it.
When she first learned of Madam Huang's actions, she hated her to the core. But after knowing the reason, she felt a strange sensation.
"Yaoyao," she asked, "Does a woman have to have children?"
Wang Qingyao answered seriously, "Not necessarily, but whether to have children or not should be decided by the woman herself. Not being able to have children and not wanting to have children are two different things."
Zuo Yun seemed lost in thought.