Chapter 39

At the hour of Yin (3-5 AM), the first rays of dawn break.

Inside the imperial city, officials, holding jade tablets, entered the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Crown Prince Xiao Yu stood at the top of the steps below the dragon throne, his bright yellow brocade robe with dragon patterns making him look even more triumphant.

His gaze swept over the assembled officials below, finally lingering on Xiao Xian for a moment before casually shifting away.

Xiao Xian's heart skipped a beat, and her eyes turned wary.

Sure enough, the next moment, Zhang Sui from the Ministry of Justice stepped forward and said, "Your subject, Zhang Sui, Minister of Justice, has a memorial to present."

The Crown Prince seemed unsurprised and asked in a gentle voice, "What is it, Minister Zhang?"

"The Ministry of Justice has recently received numerous complaints from merchants and common people alleging that officials in the court, for personal gain, have seized land for their own use and forcibly evicted the people."

"Outrageous!" The Crown Prince's face showed anger. "His Majesty is ill and most concerned about the people, yet an official has done something that harms His Majesty and the court's reputation. It is simply unforgivable. Minister Zhang, can you find out who this corrupt official is?"

When the first name was called, Xiao Cheng's fingers paused slightly. By the time the third name was uttered, his knuckles had turned white. These were all his subordinates; although not core members, they were enough to make his heart ache.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at the crimson figure at the head of the military officers' ranks. The man stood quietly in the dim morning light, listening to each name read out by the Minister of Justice, remaining calm and composed, as if he were detached from the matter.

Xie Qi! Xiao Xian murmured his name.

The Crown Prince had no power in the court and no one in the harem. If it weren't for Xie Qi supporting him, the Crown Prince, with his own intelligence, would have been trampled underfoot by others long ago.

Today, the only person who could be so generous is Xie Qi.

Xiao Xian closed his eyes, unable to recall what he had done recently to displease him.

After the court session ended, the officials dispersed.

Xie Qi's carriage was stopped at the palace gate.

"Minister Xie, please wait." Jiangnan Yue, dressed in the robes of a second-rank official, stood in the wind, his white hair at his temples striking, but his back ramrod straight.

"My father-in-law."

Xie Qi stepped down from the carriage, bowed his head respectfully, and clasped his hands in greeting.

Jiang Nanyue returned the greeting, "Thank you, sir. May I have a word with you in private?"

At the window of the teahouse, freshly brewed hot tea steams with white vapor.

Xie Qi and Jiang Nanyue sat at opposite ends of a low, black-lacquered mahogany tea table.

Xie Qi lowered his eyes to look at the letter on the tea table, raising his long eyebrows slightly, "What is the meaning of this, Father-in-law?"

Jiang Nanyue placed his fists on his knees and said slowly and respectfully, "This letter was delivered to the Jiang residence by someone asked by Awan yesterday."

Upon hearing this, Mo Qi, standing behind Xie Qi, turned deathly pale. He was in charge of both the overt and covert guards of Yingyue Residence, and he had been completely unaware that the young mistress had entrusted someone to deliver such an important message; this was a serious dereliction of duty on his part.

Mo Qi ignored the cold sweat on his forehead and quickly gave a look to his subordinate in the distance. The subordinate understood and left silently.

Meanwhile, Xie Qi stared at the letter for a long time without moving, only his long fingers, which were hanging on the armrest of the chair, slowly stroking it.

"Thank you, sir."

Xie Qi remained silent and did not ask, so Jiang Nan Yue could not guess what he was thinking and could only bring the matter to the forefront.

"My daughter pleaded in her letter that the old lady of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion and Lord Xie have treated her very well. In the six months since she married into the Marquis's mansion, she has never suffered any grievances."

Jiangnan Yue paused and continued, "But she has only recently come of age and is still young. She is not mature enough. Only after marrying did she deeply understand the difficulties of being a wife and daughter-in-law. Moreover, the Marquis's mansion is a high-ranking family, and you are a noble and powerful official. All of this makes her fearful and restless every day."

“A while ago, Awan returned to the Jiang residence. Although she repeatedly emphasized that she was doing well, as her father, how could I not sense that she was hiding something in her heart, unlike her carefree life in her boudoir.”

Therefore, her father-in-law agrees with her desire for a divorce.

Xie Qi, no longer wanting to listen to Jiang Nanyue's high-sounding rhetoric, interrupted him.

Jiang Nanyue saw the coldness in Xie Qi's eyes and sighed, "Parents who love their children plan far ahead for them. If I may not be afraid to offend you, Lord Xie, I have always believed that my daughter is not a good match for you."

Anyone with discerning eyes can see that what happened in court today was Xie Qi eliminating the Third Prince's faction. With such cunning and methods, this son-in-law's future is limitless.

But his daughter, simple-minded and weak-willed, would be of no help to Xie Qi. As the Ningyuan Marquis's household rose higher and higher, she would be even less able to manage the household affairs. If Xie Qi were to marry a legitimate wife, A-Wan would be confined to the Marquis's household for the rest of her life.

Thinking of this, Jiang Nanyue became even more determined to support his daughter's idea of ​​divorce.

“I know the Jiang family is in the wrong, and I understand Lord Xie’s dissatisfaction. But now, my daughter’s mind is made up, and forcing her is not a long-term solution. Lord Xie is an outstanding man, and in the future, there will surely be a woman of even higher status to match you.”

Xie Qi poured tea for Jiang Nanyue and himself, placed the teapot steadily on the small table stove, and then said in a calm voice, "What if I do not allow it?"

Jiang Nanyue was taken aback upon hearing this. Xie Qi's marriage to Awan was already reluctant in the first place, so logically he should be more than happy to accept the Jiang family's request for a divorce. Why is he acting this way now?

However, everyone fears Xie Qi's power and methods, but Awan is his heart and soul. Even if no one dares to remarry Awan after the divorce, he will protect Awan and let her live a peaceful life in the Jiang family.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Nanyue clenched his fist and said solemnly, "Our Jiang family will definitely proceed with the divorce. The laws of this dynasty allow for freedom of marriage. Even if the matter is brought before the Emperor, I will have my reasons."

The two men looked at each other. Jiang Nanyue showed no sign of backing down and said, "Awan said in her letter that she was ill and wanted to return to the Jiang family to recuperate. Today I will have her mother go to your residence to pick her up. I hope you will understand."

After saying this, Jiang Nanyue stood up, cupped his hands in farewell, and took his leave.

After Jiangnan Yue left, Xie Qi picked up the teacup and drank the tea in one gulp.

A guard quietly entered and whispered a few words in Mo Qi's ear before retreating.

Mo Qi lowered his eyes and spoke cautiously: "My lord, it has just been found that it was my dereliction of duty. I did not expect that the young mistress would send her maid Jixiang to the Jiang residence to deliver a message. Jixiang is Yang's person. I always thought that she and the young mistress were not on good terms, so I did not... I did not send anyone to keep an eye on her."

Mo Qi spoke in a lower and lower voice, and dared not look up at his master.

Xie Qi stood up, not even glancing at him, and only said as he got into the carriage, "Go to the Dark Guard Hall and collect thirty salt whips."

"Yes, thank you, sir." Mo Qi's heart finally settled down. Thirty salt whippings were nothing. It hurt a bit, but with his physical strength, it was just a superficial injury.

After returning to the Marquis's residence, Xie Qi went straight to Yingyue Residence without even changing out of his official robes.

Inside the main house, Li Wan was leaning on a small table, sipping crab roe porridge. Xiu He and Xiu Zhu stood on either side of her.

Upon seeing Xie Qi enter, Xiu Zhu immediately recalled the terrifying feeling of having a knife pressed against her neck by a cold-faced soldier yesterday, and her legs went weak, almost causing her to kneel down.

Although Xiuhe had been threatened with a knife to the madam's throat yesterday, she remained calm and curtsied, saying, "Greetings, Your Excellency."

"Get down."

Xie Qi gave them instructions, but his gaze remained fixed on Li Wan ever since he entered the room, never leaving her for a moment.

Xiuhe looked at Liwan with worry in her eyes, and then had no choice but to pull Xiuzhu out of the house.

Under Xie Qi's unwavering gaze, Li Wan calmly finished her porridge, rinsed her mouth with tea, and then looked up at him.

"My lord, what's your decision regarding the divorce?"

Xie Qi was surprised that she asked about this matter as soon as she opened her mouth. He forcibly suppressed the anger surging in his heart, lifted his robe and sat down on the round stool next to her.

Why don't you blame me first for using your personal maid to blackmail you into eating?

Li Wan smiled faintly, "I threatened you with a hunger strike first, and then you threatened me with the people around me. In this back-and-forth, I was outmaneuvered, so there's nothing more to say. It's just..."

Li Wan turned to face him, her fair and delicate face framed by a pair of bright, dark eyes that revealed a mixture of suspicion and confusion.

"But I don't understand why you won't agree to a divorce. Keeping a woman who has another man in her heart is just making you miserable."

Li Wan tried to provoke him with words, but Xie Qi didn't respond at all.

After she finished speaking, Xie Qi simply lifted his eyelids to look at her, his beautiful eyes meeting hers as if trying to see through her.

"Jiang Feiwan," he slowly began, "do you have something you're having trouble telling me?"

As he finished speaking, Li Wan's heart throbbed with a loud 'bang'.

She quickly lowered her eyes to avoid Xie Qi noticing anything amiss.

However, Xie Qi, who had extensive experience in interrogation, could see through her every expression.

Her instantaneous dodge was an affirmation of his question.

Xie Qi suppressed the turmoil in his heart and patiently said to her, "Now that you have married me, you are a member of my Marquis's household. No matter what happens, I will take care of it for both reason and duty."

He raised his hand, his fair fingertips lifting a strand of her dark hair that had fallen to the side of her face, and gently tucking it behind her ear. "But on the condition that you tell me first."

His voice was soft and gentle, and for some reason, a slight soreness rose in Li Wan's nose.

She bit down hard on the soft flesh in her mouth, and after thinking for a long time, she was finally able to look him in the eye.

"Since you have seen through me, I no longer need to hide it. The reason I want to divorce you is not only because I still have feelings for Xiao Xian, but also because Xiao Xian is a prince, and I want to secure a better future for myself and the Jiang family."

After hearing her words, Xie Qi was taken aback for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"You really are hopelessly stupid. It's true that Xiao Xian is a prince, but he's not the only prince in the Great Jin Kingdom. Besides, even if he were the only prince, are you sure Jiang Feiwan can ascend to the throne?"

He lowered his gaze to look at her, then asked, "Are you sure I will submit to him in the future? You underestimate me too much."

He lifted her chin with two fingers and whispered in her ear, "The outcome of this world is still uncertain. Jiang Feiwan, you might as well stay by my side and wait patiently."

The man's cool breath filled her ears, and Li Wan involuntarily shrank back an inch, just in time to bring his handsome face into full view.

His beautifully shaped thin lips, his straight nose, and his bright eyes full of proud ambition under his long eyelashes—inch by inch, Li Wan stared at him in a daze.

She only snapped out of her daze and stood up abruptly when the person in front of her got closer and closer, his thin lips almost touching hers.

"You don't believe me?" The man lifted his eyelids to look at her.

Li Wan stood almost level with the seated man, avoiding his gaze and remaining silent.

She believed in him, believed that he could avenge her mother and father, and believed that he had the ability to overpower everyone and seize the throne.

However, she also believed that he would temporarily put aside his personal grudges to protect the Great Jin when the enemy attacked.

According to the military situation of the previous generation, apart from Xie Qi, no one in the Great Jin Dynasty could resist the Northern Qi, which had been plotting for a long time. Xiao Xian and Lin Youke took advantage of this and seized the country while Xie Qi was leading troops to guard the pass.

Therefore, unless Xie Qi allows the Northern Qi to invade and does not leave the capital, all the tragedies will repeat themselves.

But Li Wan knew that once war broke out, he would still choose to go to war.

Therefore, only she can break this deadlock.