On the day Gu Yanzhi returned to the capital after completing his southern inspection tour, he looked forward to seeing his wife, Shen Weiyang. He brought her a red coral hairpin, imagining the bright color would suit her. However, when his carriage arrived at the Marquis Wei Yuan Manor, Shen Weiyang was not among the welcomers. He found her in their courtyard waiting at the dinner table, but her demeanor was cold and distant. Without greeting him, she served him food and refused the gift, stating she never liked such gaudy items. She then produced a divorce letter, signed by her and already filed with the authorities, requesting he sign it. Gu Yanzhi was stunned. Under his questioning, Shen Weiyang revealed the truth: on the day he left the capital for his tour, she had suffered a miscarriage. Her voice was steady as she accused him of negligence, recounting how his final instructions before departing had been to take good care of his visiting cousin, Rong Wanqing. The household servants, hearing his words, devoted all their attention to the cousin, leaving no one to help her when she began to hemorrhage. She lost the child. Gu Yanzhi recalled that morning: she had waited in the corridor with a pale face, as if wanting to say something, but he had been preoccupied with official duties and worries about his cousin's health, only nodding briefly and telling her to look after Wanqing. Now he realized the grave consequences of that neglect. Shen Weiyang left him standing alone in the dining hall with the divorce letter, the red coral hairpin a mocking glare under the candlelight.That night, Gu Yanzhi pored over the manor's medical records and found a brief notation confirming the miscarriage, annotated by his cousin as routine care. He was filled with guilt and rage. Before the morning fog cleared, he brought Rong Wanqing to Shen Weiyang's isolated courtyard. The condition of the courtyard shocked him: it was rundown, with withered grass in the stone cracks, a stark contrast to the opulent manor. Shen Weiyang sat on a stone bench calmly feeding sparrows. Rong Wanqing, dragged from her bed, initially protested and accused Shen Weiyang of being a vicious woman who lost her own child. But Gu Yanzhi had already obtained a confession from a maidservant. Faced with the evidence, Rong Wanqing broke down and admitted that she deliberately caused the miscarriage. She declared that she did it for her cousin's sake, claiming Shen Weiyang was unworthy as a substitute bride and that the child would only tie Gu Yanzhi to the manor. She said he should be with Su Luo Xue, the woman he truly loved. Gu Yanzhi, enraged, ordered his servants to slap her and then banished her from the manor forever. Yet, when he turned to Shen Weiyang, hoping to make amends, she coldly told him to leave and not perform hypocritical acts in her courtyard. She refused to accept his punishment as compensation. Gu Yanzhi, desperate, insisted he would not sign the divorce letter and would give her a full explanation.Determined to force the issue, Shen Weiyang spread rumors throughout the capital about the divorce, causing a scandal that threatened both families. Gu Yanzhi sent people to prevent her from leaving the manor, but she believed that if the shame became public, the Marquis would have to grant her wish. The next afternoon, her stepmother, Madam Wang, arrived with several burly servants, barging into the courtyard. Madam Wang accused Shen Weiyang of disgracing the Shen family, reminding her that she had entered the Marquis Manor as a substitute for her elder sister. She attempted to beat Shen Weiyang with a bamboo plank, but Gu Yanzhi rushed in and stopped her. He declared that as long as he had not signed the divorce, Shen Weiyang remained the Heir Consort of Marquis Wei Yuan, and no one had the right to discipline her without his permission. Madam Wang left in fury. Immediately after, news arrived that Prince Zhenbei's carriage had passed Tongzhou two days early and would reach the capital that afternoon. The palace ordered Gu Yanzhi to prepare immediately to welcome the prince. He knew that Su Luo Xue, the woman Rong Wanqing had mentioned, was traveling with the prince's train, and he was responsible for receiving her as well. Torn by duty, he glanced back at Shen Weiyang but had to leave. He resolved that once Prince Zhenbei was settled, he would return to her and not let her down again. Shen Weiyang, however, remained unmoved, her hand resting unconsciously over her now-empty womb, her eyes dark with resolve. The story ends with Gu Yanzhi departing the courtyard, still hoping for reconciliation but aware that the deep wound of betrayal and loss might be impossible to heal.
