Despite Sang Yanrang’s analysis to Du Yangxi, Du Yangxi felt there was no big deal and decided to take Shouhua to their new post. Sang Yanrang, anxious, confessed to Du Yangxi that he had once been helped by Shouhua, met her once, and had fallen in love at first sight. He advised Du Yangxi to treat Mrs. Li well.
Later, Yu Weiyi personally invited Du Yangxi to his residence. Du Yangxi noticed that the character “Fang” on the plaque in the study was identical to the one on his jade pendant, which, combined with his mother’s previous unusual behavior, made him suspicious. After this meeting, the court appointed Du Yangxi as the Supervisor of the Imperial Workshop and to serve in the History Museum, allowing him to stay in the capital from then on.
However, Du’s mother didn’t seem particularly happy about it, while Mrs. Li was thrilled and prepared a lavish feast to celebrate. But Du Yangxi never showed up, making the atmosphere at the dinner table very gloomy. Even after the meal, he still hadn’t appeared, which infuriated Mrs. Li.
That night, as Fan Lianghan and Chai An were heading back, they complained about Du Yangxi’s behavior, especially his disregard for his mother-in-law now that he had risen in status. While passing through the market, they unexpectedly saw Du Yangxi secretly meeting with Yu Xiulei. Chai An left in anger, while Fan Lianghan exclaimed in alarm.
Upon returning home, Du Yangxi felt sorry seeing Shouhua sleeping restlessly. He wanted to kiss her forehead but held back. Shouhua woke up, leaned on his shoulder, and shared her nightmares. Du Yangxi was glad she was opening up to him but felt despair about their future, thinking it was too late.
The next morning, Du’s mother angrily scolded Du Yangxi for neglecting his duties as a son-in-law by not attending the feast, and she went back to her room without eating. Du Yangxi spoke harshly to Shouhua over this, which even Sang Yanrang couldn’t tolerate, leading to a heated argument where Sang threatened to cut ties. He then packed his bags and left.
Soon, Du Yangxi brought home two women, Jin Nu and Fefei, intending to take them as concubines, which enraged Du’s mother, who accused him of being ungrateful. When Sang Ma tried to help, Du Yangxi angrily whipped at her, accidentally injuring Shouhua.
That night, as Sang Ma applied medicine to Shouhua’s wounds, Shouhua pondered over Du Yangxi’s drastic change in behavior. Du Yangxi then proposed divorce, saying he didn’t want her to suffer with him. Shocked, Shouhua packed her things and returned to her parents’ home.
Back at her family, her sisters rallied around her, discussing ways to punish Du Yangxi. Mrs. Li tried to convince Shouhua not to be stubborn, believing Du Yangxi would apologize the next day. However, Du Yangxi only came to deliver the divorce papers, insisting on separation.
Mrs. Li tried to persuade him, but Du Yangxi was unyielding, leading to her physically attacking him in anger. Shouhua, devastated, was crying her heart out when Ling Yao hurriedly took Du Yangxi back to pack. Du’s mother, furious and feeling betrayed, refused to move, even attempting suicide but falling instead. Shouhua rushed to comfort her, yet she too had doubts.
Meanwhile, Kang Ning, Shouhua’s sister, demanded that Chai An cut ties with Du Yangxi, which he agreed to, declaring Du Yangxi an enemy who would be chased away if he ever showed up again.
