Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Isn’t it just a divorce? What’s the big deal…

So His Highness had been keeping her locked up in the mansion for this entire time? Was this the reason? Nie Xiangyi's mind was dazed, and she couldn't describe the feeling in her heart.

She had clearly gone to great lengths to escape from the rebels, but now it had become evidence of her collusion with them.

This is not the first time she has been slandered.

But this time it's different.

Although she was not familiar with political affairs, she understood that the crime of colluding with the rebel party was too serious, so serious that even a few groundless rumors were enough to make people suspicious.

Why won't you let her go?

She thought that if Xie Zhi wanted to protect himself, it would be reasonable for him to divorce her.

But as soon as this thought came to her mind, she felt a sense of suffocation. It was as if a heavy rock was pressing down on her chest, making her want to cry.

"Asi." The cold voice suddenly brought Nie Xiangyi back to his senses.

She looked back and saw Xie Zhi standing in the shadows of the corner, looking at her from afar. "Come here."

Nie Xiangyi's feet seemed unable to move, as if they were stuck in place by a pool of paste.

She felt a little resentful at the moment. Why did Xie Zhi keep such a big thing secret from her?

Even if you want to divorce, you should tell her earlier.

Even if it's just to let her be mentally prepared.

Xie Zhi saw that she was silent and his tall figure was walking towards her step by step, which made her want to hide for no reason.

"Miss Pei." Xie Zhi's gaze first fell on Pei Lang. His tone maintained just the right amount of politeness and distance. "The rumors are nonsense. Miss, you come from an aristocratic family, so you know the principle of not saying anything inappropriate."

His words made Pei Lang blush, "Your Highness..."

"I will inform your brother about what happened today, so that you can hear clearly."

As he spoke, he no longer looked at Pei Lang's instantly fallen expression. He simply grasped Nie Xiangyi's wrist and led her back to the meditation room.

His attitude was so strong that Nie Xiangyi's wrist bones were almost hurt by his pinching.

"It hurts! Thank you!"

Ling Zhu, who was guarding the door, was horrified when he saw Nie Xiangyi coming back from outside, "Husband... Madam! What's wrong with you..."

Xie Zhi just gave him a cold look and said, "Go and accept the punishment yourself."

"Your Highness, please don't punish Master Ling Zhu..." Nie Xiangyi's voice was muffled, "I sneaked out on my own..."

"You're quite kind." Xie Zhi's tone wasn't very good. "Then I think next time you want to sneak out, you should think about whether someone will be punished for it."

Nie Xiangyi's tone choked.

This was clearly an attempt to frame her by using Ling Zhu's punishment!

"If Your Highness didn't deliberately hide this from me, why would I sneak out!" She looked a little annoyed, her eyes tinged with a faint red, her expression stubborn and angry, "Why didn't Your Highness tell me about this!"

"Let me tell you, what should you do?" Xie Zhi's calm voice formed a cold contrast with her anger.

"I..." Nie Xiangyi's tone suddenly paused.

His words made Nie Xiangyi realize an almost cruel fact - she could do nothing.

"But I don't want to be kept in the dark!"

She tilted her head and looked away, not wanting to meet Xie Zhi's dark eyes. She stiffened her neck and said, "It's just a divorce! What's the big deal?"

Even so, her eyes were red, but she stubbornly refused to let the tears fall, holding her chin high, "I don't care!"

Xie Zhi's expression darkened suddenly at these words. "Nie Xiangyi, please say it again."

His dark eyes carried a strong sense of oppression, and his whole body was filled with a strong and sharp aura.

Nie Xiangyi felt extremely sad, as if she had swallowed a sharp blade in her throat. The pain was so severe that she almost cried, and even her vision was blurred.

"I say! Divorce means... well!"

Before she could finish her stubborn words, a strong kiss suddenly fell on her. The cold big hands shackled her neck, and she was like a prey with its neck bitten, unable to escape.

His kiss had never been as aggressive and ruthless as it was today. He was always indifferent and calm, as if nothing could make him lose his composure at this moment.

Xie Zhi's clear breath became scorching hot at this moment, almost swallowing her up and making her feel suffocated.

The tears they had been holding back flowed down their cheeks, their taste buds tasting the bittersweet taste. It was like falling onto hot coals, making a sizzling sound before disappearing completely.

"Hmm," Nie Xiangyi bit Xie Zhi's lips to vent all the grievances, and a faint fishy and sweet smell spread between his lips and teeth.

Xie Zhi finally let her go.

Such a cold and desolate person now had an inconspicuous tooth mark on his broken lips. His lips were so red that they seemed to be dripping with blood, adding a touch of lust.

"Ah Si." He didn't seem to care, but stared at Nie Xiangyi solemnly, "Don't let me hear these two words again."

"But..." Nie Xiangyi opened his mouth, but didn't know what to say for a moment.

What about her? Would she hear those two words from Xie Zhi? And how would she deal with those rumors?

She had so many questions, but they seemed to be stuck in her throat and she couldn't ask anything.

"I'll take care of it." Xie Zhi looked at her expression, his tone calm and firm, "It's just a small matter."

Nie Xiangyi was skeptical.

If it was a small matter, why did he hide it from her for so long? Her heart was wandering and unstable, and she could not be said to be at peace.

"Your Highness, can you tell me why these rumors started?"

There was a sudden silence in the air.

He knew it was the prince's doing. But how could he tell her that such groundless rumors were spread only because she married him?

The struggle for power was intricate and complex. As long as she married him, disputes would never be far away from her.

But he didn't want to let go.

She can still be a naive kitten, and he will keep all the wind and rain outside the eaves.

Seeing Xie Zhi remain silent, Nie Xiangyi felt even more uneasy. Like a blindfolded bird, it could smell danger but had no idea what was about to happen.

She didn't know whether Xie Zhi would divorce her, she didn't know whether the rumors would affect her grandfather, and she didn't know what she was about to face.

It felt like there was an invisible knife hanging above my neck, and I didn't know when it would fall.

Her voice was low and muffled, "Then Your Highness, can you please leave me alone?"

"You're not locked up." Xie Zhi said, "It's too chaotic outside, it could easily cause trouble."

What's more, there is a prince outside who is eyeing them covetously.

Nie Xiangyi was a little annoyed, "Then you can always ask cousin Lingyu to come over and play with me!"

Seeing that she was sulking, Xie Zhi's tone froze for a moment, but he finally nodded.

In the evening, Zhong Lingyu finally arrived in the midst of Nie Xiangyi's eager eyes.

"Finally, I see you." When Zhong Lingyu pushed the door open, the cold wind that blew into the room made Nie Xiangyi shiver.

"Rumors are spreading like wildfire. I'm just afraid you're overthinking it! I've been so worried about you these past few days since I can't see you anymore!"

Nie Xiangyi was still somewhat unhappy, "I don't know why this happened... Our Zhong family has been loyal for generations!"

As she spoke, she showed some anger on her face and slammed the table fiercely, "I don't know who spread such rumors! They are slandering me wantonly!"

Zhong Lingyu shrugged and simply told her directly, "Now that the Third Prince has returned to the Divine Strategy Department, and you are connected to the Zhong family behind him, it's natural that some people will be unhappy."

"Cousin, you mean... the Crown Prince?"

The struggle for power used to be just a symbol in Nie Xiangyi's mind, but now that she is involved in it, she understands its cruelty.

"It's all my fault." She lowered her head. "If I hadn't insisted on marrying the Third Prince that day, I wouldn't have dragged the entire Zhong family into this..."

"I knew you'd overthink it!" Zhong Lingyu poked her head with her fingertips. "It just so happens that I brought a letter from my grandfather with me this time. You get one too. Take a look and you'll know."

Zhong Lingyu's words brightened the eyes of Nie Xiangyi, who had been feeling depressed.

She took the letter from Zhong Lingyu's hand like a treasure. The handwriting on it was vigorous and powerful, and it was obviously her grandfather's handwriting!

"My grandson A Si reads this letter: The other day I saw your old toys and suddenly remembered you sitting around my knees when you were little, so I picked up my pen and wrote this letter.

..."

As soon as Nie Xiangyi opened the letter, tears welled up in her eyes. The letter contained thousands of words, mostly expressing her concern and love for Nie Xiangyi. His heartfelt sincerity was evident in his words.

It was not until the very end that Zhong Qi mentioned the recent rumors in his letter, "People are talking about this a lot. Ah Si is honest and straightforward, and he is not familiar with worldly affairs. I think he must be worried about this. But my grandfather has been with the emperor on the battlefield for many years. The mutual trust is not comparable to that of an ordinary monarch and his subjects. He will not be affected by such groundless rumors. Ah Si, please be at ease and do not worry or feel sad about this."

Nie Xiangyi looked at the letter, as if her grandfather was standing in front of her, smiling gently and rubbing her head.

All the grievances at this moment turned into a teardrop, falling on the paper and leaving a mark of ink.

"Grandfather is right. Whether you marry or not, the Zhong family, with its military power, cannot escape this disaster. It is much better to take the initiative to tie yourself to the Third Prince now than to be passive in the future."

Nie Xiangyi looked up at Zhong Lingyu's expression. She had her usual bright smile on her face, as if she didn't take the matter to heart.

Her heart calmed down a little.

After seeing Zhong Lingyu off, Xie Zhi came in from outside. "It is said that there are rebels at the foot of the mountain. I need to go and investigate."

He paused slightly and said, "It's night time. No matter what happens, remember not to go out."

Nie Xiangyi was absent-minded and only nodded sullenly, "Your Highness, please be careful."

As night fell, there was indeed some movement outside. Hanxu came to report, "Madam, the imperial concubine has sent someone to ask you to go to the palace and pray for the late queen."

"Why did you come at this time instead of earlier?" She was annoyed and couldn't help muttering.

Xie Zhi had previously instructed Nie Xiangyi not to leave the house. However, the Imperial Concubine had given her a verbal order, and as the daughter-in-law of the imperial family, it was her duty to pray for the late Empress, so she couldn't not go.

The tree wants to be still but the wind does not stop. Even though she has never left the house, things still happen to her one after another.

Nie Xiangyi frowned and walked out of the courtyard with gritted teeth.

As she walked, she always felt something was wrong, so she suddenly lowered her head and turned away in a hurry.

"Knock, knock, knock!" Nie Xiangyi knocked on the door, "Pei Lang! Open the door!"

"Nie Xiangyi, do you know how to behave?" Pei Lang opened the door with a frown. Inside the room was the sutra that Pei Jue had asked her to copy. He looked dissatisfied, "You're knocking on my door so late at night! Why didn't anyone punish you by making you copy the sutra?"

"Stop copying the scriptures!" Nie Xiangyi gave her a serious look. "The Imperial Concubine has given instructions for you and me to go to the palace to pray for blessings!"

At this point, no matter how dumb she was, she knew to be more cautious. How could she dare to travel alone again? If someone else threw dirty water on her, she would be unable to defend herself.

"Huh?" Before Pei Lang could even think of any doubts, Nie Xiangyi hurriedly pulled her away.

The hall was completely silent. As she pushed open the door, a massive Buddha statue appeared, its face solemn and bowed, gazing down at her. A thousand eternally burning lanterns flickered, and the winter night wind blew, casting flickering shadows on the Buddha's face.

There was not a single monk around, and the silence was almost eerie.

"Nie Xiangyi, you're kidding me!" Pei Lang felt inexplicably frightened by the silence. She shrank her neck, not daring to look the Buddha statue in the face. "How can this look like praying?"

"Bang!"

A gust of wind blew, suddenly closing the door of the palace with a sudden loud noise.

Nie Xiangyi and Pei Lang were both startled by the voice.

Pei Lang squeezed Nie Xiangyi's wrist tightly, "Go, go, go! Let's go back quickly! It's so creepy!"

"Finally he's here." A dark figure slowly walked out from behind the Buddha statue. Under the illumination of thousands of dim lights, he looked like a ghost, making people feel cold all over.

Nie Xiangyi clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, forcing herself to remain calm. "You... who are you..."

Before the shadow could reply, the main door of the palace was suddenly opened. The sound of armor rubbing against each other could be heard from behind. Countless torches lit up the palace, making it almost as bright as day.

"The Third Prince's wife secretly met with an outsider late at night. After investigation, it was found that this person was a traitor." Slow footsteps stepped on the bluestone floor, and the voice was like a death spell.

"The traitor committed suicide out of fear of punishment, and the Third Prince's wife..." A ghostly chuckled from behind, "We caught them red-handed."

As soon as he finished speaking, the black shadow behind the Buddha statue suddenly inserted a dagger into his neck.

With a "puff", bright red blood splashed onto the golden body of the Buddha statue, dripping down and extinguishing several eternal lamps.

Pei Lang was so frightened that his face turned pale and he couldn't even scream. He held Nie Xiangyi so tightly that he almost squeezed her to bleed.

Nie Xiangyi, on the other hand, was unusually calm.

Her heart was beating wildly, but she was thankful that she had brought Pei Lang with her, and that she could still testify for her.

She slowly turned around and met the man's eyes, "I won't let you succeed!"

Unexpectedly, the person behind her had his pupils shrink suddenly after seeing her, as if he had seen a ghost. It was as if his whole body was frozen, motionless, with only his eyes fixed on Nie Xiangyi's face.

"How could it be you!?"

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The author has something to say: Dear children, I have been waiting for a long time.