Qi Mingyue suppressed her resentment, looked up at the Fifth Prince, and whispered, "It's my fault. It's all my fault that Your Highness lost face."

"I never expected that after only a short time apart, my cousin Yue'er would develop a liking for precious jewelry. She wasn't like this before."

"People will change in the future."

Her words undoubtedly struck a chord with the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince gritted his teeth and said resentfully, "What makes her so great now? How dare she humiliate me like this? If she weren't still of use to me, I would have..."

The fifth prince was furious.

He can only place all his hopes on Shen Yue now, otherwise he would definitely make Shen Yue wash away the humiliation he suffered today.

Qi Mingyue saw this and was secretly delighted.

The more the Fifth Prince dislikes Shen Yue, the better her situation becomes.

After pondering for a moment, he leaned close to the Fifth Prince's ear and whispered, "Since the method of catering to his preferences is not working, we can use some more radical methods."

She whispered her plan.

The Fifth Prince nodded in satisfaction: "This is indeed a good idea. If it succeeds, you will certainly receive a share of the benefits."

"For Mingyue, it's enough to just stay by Your Highness's side," Qi Mingyue said softly.

Her eyes were filled with admiration as she looked at the Fifth Prince.

The Fifth Prince was very pleased with this and readily agreed: "Once Shen Yue becomes my Fifth Prince's consort as she wishes, I will take you as my concubine and give you a title. I will never let you suffer any grievances."

"Your Highness is so good to Mingyue." Qi Mingyue tentatively nestled in the Fifth Prince's arms, gently drawing circles on his chest with her index finger, her voice sweet and charming.

But when no one was looking, her eyes turned cold.

One was the Fifth Prince's wife, and the other was a concubine; they were worlds apart.

How could she accept this?

Why should someone as stupid as Shen Yue be able to trample on her head at every turn?

Qi Mingyue was filled with resentment, but she knew that this was the only way now.

As night falls, bonfires are lit in the autumn hunting grounds, creating a lively scene.

The Emperor held a banquet to invite everyone, and Qu Jingyun and Shen Yue were arranged to sit next to the Empress.

Everyone saw this and had different thoughts.

It is said that serving a ruler is like serving a tiger; right now, everyone is a little unsure of what the emperor is thinking.

“Madam Shen, no, Miss Qu seems much brighter and more lively since the divorce. It seems the divorce hasn’t brought you any sorrow, so I’m relieved.”

The Empress looked at Qu Jingyun beside her, her feelings equally complicated.

His peripheral vision fell on Shen Yunting, who was not far away, and his thoughts turned back.

After more than twenty years of marriage, she had become somewhat unsure of the Emperor's thoughts.

How come Qu Jingyun and Shen Yunting have clearly taken a liking to Qu Jingyun so much since their divorce?

I wonder what they want to do?

Could it be that they want to use Qu Jingyun to deal with Shen Yunting?

The Empress sighed silently, putting aside the trivial matters on her mind.

"I have nothing to worry about all day long, and I don't need to worry about anyone anymore, so my mood is naturally better," Qu Jingyun replied with a smile.

"That's good, otherwise I would have been a little worried about Miss Qu."

The Empress paused, then suddenly asked, "I wonder what brings Miss Qu to propose a divorce so abruptly? If General Shen has mistreated Miss Qu in any way, the Emperor and I will certainly seek justice for her."

The Empress has already inquired and found out that Qu Jingyun initially got angry and divorced because of the woman Shen Yunting brought back.

But not long after, Shen Yunting sent the woman away, and it didn't seem like there was anything ambiguous between them.

This left the Empress somewhat puzzled.

"I have no feelings for you anymore, and I don't want to live under the same roof anymore, so I want a divorce." Qu Jingyun smiled sheepishly.

“It is truly my fault that Your Majesty and Empress are so concerned about these trivial matters in my household.”

"We have known each other for many years and can be considered old friends. It is only right that the Empress and the Emperor care about your affairs. If you encounter any difficulties after the divorce, you can tell the Empress."

The Empress paused for a moment, then continued, "Although you and General Shen have divorced, you can still enter the palace whenever you wish. You absolutely cannot wrong yourself."

Qu Jingyun carefully considered the Empress's words and finally nodded.

"Then I really have to thank Your Majesty."

She was now somewhat unsure of the Empress's thoughts.

The Empress's attitude towards Qu Jingyun has given everyone different opinions.

Qu Jingyun seemed oblivious, continuing to chat casually with the Empress.

until……

“General Shen, you and your wife have divorced, and now you are all alone. I am very worried about you. I thought that if someone were by your side to take care of you, I would feel more at ease. After all, you are a meritorious official, and you should not be like this.”

The emperor suddenly spoke, and the room fell silent.

Before he could continue speaking, everyone already had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

It seems like a marriage is about to be arranged!

Just as everyone had expected, the Emperor continued, "Gong Yuhuan, the eldest daughter of the Gong family, kept vigil for her deceased fiancé for ten years, which shows her loyalty. Moreover, you and I have known each other since childhood, and you are a good match. Why not take advantage of the beautiful moonlight today to bestow a marriage upon the two of you? What do you think?"

"This matter is probably inappropriate. I have no intention of marrying another. I hope Your Highness will rescind your order." Shen Yunting cupped his hands and hurriedly refused.

"General Shen's objection is not due to dissatisfaction with Miss Gong, but rather to disagreement with my decision," the Emperor said with a half-smile.

"I truly care about General Shen. I can't bear to see you all alone, and I certainly don't want your household to be left unattended and in such a chaotic state. How can General Shen possibly serve the country if things are like this?"

"General Shen is dissatisfied with this decision, so he should at least give a reasonable explanation."

All eyes turned to Shen Yunting.

His expression grew increasingly conflicted, as if he had something difficult to say.

The emperor was not in a hurry and just waited silently.

Finally, Shen Yunting spoke with a conflicted expression: "Your Majesty, I do have some unspeakable difficulties, and it is truly inconvenient for me to take another wife."

"What unspeakable secret is it that General Shen cannot even tell me?" the Emperor pressed.

“This…” Shen Yunting’s expression became increasingly conflicted.

Finally resigned, he said, "I was injured on the battlefield two years ago and have lost some of my male functions, so I am unable to marry normally."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jingyun nearly choked on her own saliva.

He looked at Shen Yunting, who was speaking confidently not far away, with an incredulous expression.

So this is the solution he claims to have for the arranged marriage?

This is absolutely absurd!

Isn't Shen Yunting afraid of being exposed?

Shen Yunting's words successfully silenced the eerie atmosphere.

"What did you say?" The Emperor's smile instantly cracked, and he looked at Shen Yunting with disbelief.