Now Liu Mingxuan wants to take Yuan as his concubine.

If it weren't for fear of Xie Zhaozhao, Liu Mingxuan probably would have made Yuan the official wife and Zhang Yanyan the concubine.

“Liu Mingxuan, if you take her as your concubine, I will beg His Majesty to grant me a divorce, taking my two children with me,” Zhang Yanyan said. “Didn’t you say I’m relying on Emperor An’s power? Well, I am, so what?”

Upon hearing this, Madam Yuan immediately knelt on the ground and wept, "Please, sister, have pity on me! I am carrying the young master's child in my belly. You can't let the Liu family's bloodline be lost to the outside world, can you?"

Liu Mingxuan helped Yuan up: "There's no need to kneel before her. It's normal for men to take concubines. I'm not afraid if she goes to Emperor An to slander him."

Zhang Yanyan looked at Liu Mingxuan and said, "Liu Mingxuan, since we can't stand each other, let's get a divorce!"

Liu Mingxuan said, "What are you trying to do? I'm divorcing you, and you're going to go and spout nonsense in front of Emperor An?"

"I won't say anything about divorce. I don't want to be with you anymore."

"Do you know that after the divorce, the Zhang family fell into ruin, and you are now just a used woman with nowhere to go?"

Zhang Yanyan felt like she was going to vomit blood. How could her mother not have seen through such a wolf in sheep's clothing?

"I don't need to trouble you with anything, let's just get a divorce!"

Madam Liu said, "Divorce is not an option, I will divorce you!"

Zhang Yanyan said, "Since we're going to break up anyway, you won't be after my dowry, right? Let's part amicably!"

Madam Liu insisted on not divorcing and demanded that her daughter-in-law be divorced; she had long since stopped wanting her as a daughter-in-law.

Zhang Yanyan and Xie Zhaozhao were on good terms. She was made a princess, and her son was granted the title of prince. However, Liu Mingxuan even dismissed her from her post as transport commissioner.

The Liu family has become a laughing stock.

Zhang Yanyan gave a sarcastic laugh.

"You don't want a divorce, huh? Then I'll divorce you, but it's not you, Liu Mingxuan, who's divorcing me; it's me, the princess, who's divorcing you!"

Zhang Yanyan returned to her room and said to the servants in the courtyard, "Go back to the Zhang residence and send people to bring back all of my dowry. Remember to bring plenty of people with you!"

She quickly wrote a letter of divorce and threw it in Liu Mingxuan's face.

Liu Mingxuan also wrote a letter of divorce to Zhang Yanyan.

Neither of them accepted the other's letter of divorce.

The Zhang family quickly sent people over, and Lord Zhang himself came to pick up his daughter. He was not polite to Vice Minister Liu, and his attitude was firm, half polite and half threatening.

"If the children aren't compatible, then let them get a divorce. Otherwise, I'll ask the Emperor Emeritus to intervene and seek justice!"

The retired emperor Xie Anfeng had an extraordinary relationship with Zhang's father.

Left with no other choice, Vice Minister Liu ordered Liu Mingxuan to sign a divorce agreement with Zhang Yanyan.

The Liu family is determined not to release the two children.

Divorce is possible, but the Liu family's children cannot be taken away.

Zhang Yanyan wanted to argue, but Lord Zhang said, "Take the dowry with you first; the child's matter isn't urgent."

Even if Lord Zhang isn't in court, the Minister of Personnel's cunning surpasses that of ten Zhang Yanyans.

Zhang Yanyan took all of her dowry with her from the warehouse.

It took a whole day to empty the warehouse. Chenxiang was furious and took everything with him, leaving not a single blade of grass that the Zhang family had brought with them.

The Liu family did not actually intend to seize Zhang Yanyan's dowry. Although her dowry was very generous, Yuan was from the wealthy Yuan family of Jingxi Prefecture. Her family was not short of money, and Yuan wanted to become a concubine in order to improve her status.

It's best that Zhang Yanyan left; she can give up being a concubine and become a second wife directly.

No sooner had Liu Mingxuan and Zhang Yanyan divorced than the Dali Temple began arresting people the very next day.

In such major cases, especially those involving embezzlement by high-profile perpetrators, if the investigation is delayed even slightly, key witnesses will die immediately, and the real big fish will all escape.

With lightning speed, the constables from the Dali Temple rushed into the Liu family home, verified Liu's identity, and arrested him.

The second person they captured was the heir apparent of the King of Chu.

The third thing is to arrest Vice Minister Liu as well.

He was immediately thrown into the imperial prison, and no one was allowed to visit him.

Even the old King of Chu was invited to the palace for tea by Zhou Shaoyu. The visit was neither long nor short, but he was not allowed to go home or see his family.

To prevent collusion.

The Liu family was dumbfounded. Their first reaction was: Zhang Yanyan went to Emperor An to complain!

The various branches of the Liu family wanted to go out and inquire, but the entire Liu residence was surrounded by the Imperial Guards, making it impossible for them to leave.

When Yuan's father and brothers, who were in the capital, heard the news of the Liu family's misfortune, they were stunned.

Yesterday, Zhang Yanyan and Liu Mingxuan divorced. The daughter even said she could be promoted to the official wife. How come her in-laws and son-in-law were arrested today?

The common people were unaware of this and were all saying, "Liu Mingxuan favored his concubine over his wife; he deserved it!"

But Yuan's father was a seasoned veteran, and he shook his head: "Impossible. Emperor An is the ruler of the country. He would not arrest a fourth-rank official over matters concerning the inner quarters."

However, they couldn't get into the Liu residence.

For the past two years, Liu Mingxuan has been working for the Crown Prince of Chu, and they have also been involved in the resale of grain. Both Liu Mingxuan and the Crown Prince of Chu resold grain through the Yuan family.

They immediately went to the Chu King's residence, only to find it tightly shut. No matter who came looking for them, the people inside would say, "The master is not here."

The Yuan family father and son are no fools to have built such a large business. There's nothing they don't understand. It's not some private affair; they must have been caught embroiled in a grain smuggling scandal.

What are you waiting for? Run!