Zhan Beiwang hurriedly stopped her, "Mother, listen to me, I cannot accept her dowry."
The old lady said angrily, "You're such a fool, my foolish son, how much has she bullied us? You're being soft-hearted, but she wants your mother's life!"
Zhan Beiwang's resolve was firm, "Father, Mother, Elder Brother, taking her dowry is not something a true man would do. I absolutely cannot accept it. Tomorrow, I must trouble Father and Elder Brother to invite the clan leaders from both sides and the matchmaker who arranged the marriage as witnesses. As for the neighbors, just invite a couple of families for formality's sake."
"The one who arranged your marriage was the Princess Consort of Yan," Zhan Ji frowned. "The Princess Consort of Yan is Madam Song's cousin, and Song Xixi's maternal aunt."
The old lady said, "Then don't invite her, invite the matchmaker who came to deliver the betrothal gifts. I remember she was invited from the west quarter."
The Princess Consort of Yan was in poor health, and the Yan Prince's Mansion was managed by a concubine. Although the General's Mansion was not afraid of an unloved and childless Princess Consort, they still tried to avoid conflict with the royal family.
Zhan Beiwang said, "I'll leave everything to Mother to decide. I'm going out for a bit."
"It's so late, where are you going?" Zhan Beiqing asked.
"Just out for a walk." Zhan Beiwang strode out. He needed to find Yi Fang and explain the situation to her.
He knew Yi Fang despised men who bullied women, and he wanted to tell her that he wasn't bullying Song Xixi, but was furious at her extreme and ruthless actions. It wasn't his first time sneaking to Yi's house in the middle of the night.
Yi Fang's father, Yi Tianming, was a former subordinate of the Marquis of Zhenbei. He had been injured in battle, leaving him with a crippled leg, which prevented him from returning to the battlefield.
Therefore, Yi Fang's return with military honors was a great joy to Yi Tianming, who felt his family still had a capable warrior contributing to the country.
Regarding the betrothal, Yi Tianming wasn't very pleased, but Yi Fang persuaded him, saying that Song Xixi was sensible and agreeable to the marriage. Only then did he not object.
However, Yi's mother was very satisfied with her daughter marrying into the General's Mansion and made a big fuss about it, demanding a hefty bride price and dowry.
A small pebble knocked on the window. After a while, Yi Fang quietly opened the door, and Zhan Beiwang slipped inside.
Yi Fang's boudoir was filled with weapons, none of them particularly valuable, but she liked it that way. The room was filled with the glint of swords and knives in the lamplight.
The two embraced, the dim light casting shadows over them. Yi Fang lowered her voice and asked, "Why did you come so late?"
The Yi family was not large. A small hall with two rooms on either side and a small courtyard at the back where her elder brother and sister-in-law lived.
So, Yi Fang dared not speak loudly, fearing they might hear.
"Yi Fang," Zhan Beiwang held her shoulders, his expression serious, "I want to divorce my wife. I hope you understand."
"Divorce your wife?" Yi Fang was shocked, "Why?"
"Mother fell ill tonight. I went to invite Doctor Dan, but he refused to come."
"Is the old lady alright?" Yi Fang asked urgently.
"She's fine now. We invited the imperial physician, but he said Mother's heart condition requires Doctor Dan's Danshen Pills. Doctor Dan was invited by Song Xixi. He is a close friend of the Marquis of Zhenbei, so he listens to Song Xixi. She told him not to come, and he didn't."
Yi Fang understood, "So, she wants to use your mother's illness to force you to call off our engagement, right?"
"Exactly. I already said tonight that I will divorce her, but don't worry, I won't take her dowry. I'm not bullying her; it's just that her actions are too heartless, so I have to divorce her."
Zhan Beiwang explained his reasons for the divorce, fearing she might misunderstand him as a heartless man who bullies women.
Yi Fang was also angry, "What she did is too much. This isn't just about filial piety; it's malicious. She wants to harm your mother."
Zhan Beiwang said, "So, you agree with me divorcing her, right?"