Chapter 467 Then let's take a concubine!

"Because Shen Wantang herself doesn't want a divorce for the time being, and Xiao Qingyuan can't do anything about it unless he divorces his wife."

"What if he divorces his wife?"

"According to the laws of Dafeng, a woman can only be divorced if she has committed one of the seven grounds for divorce. Shen Wantang has not committed any crime, so Xiao Qingyuan cannot divorce her."

"So, Ah Tang will be alright for the time being?"

"Um."

"She won't marry Cousin Pei either?"

"Won't."

"She won't marry you?"

Gu Qianhan fell silent. If he survived, would she be willing to marry him?

A sudden surge of intense longing welled up within him; he even had an impulse to make Shen Wantang divorce Xiao Qingyuan right now and remarry him.

However, reason ultimately prevailed over impulse. He was not qualified to marry her now. If he wanted to marry her, he would at least have to wait until he stormed into the palace, broke through the encirclement, and changed the world.

A surge of energy coursed through his body, and he felt a slight boost in his spirits. For the first time, he relented in front of his sister: "It's not the right time yet. When the time is right, she will marry me."

"When will the time be right?"

"Heavenly secrets must not be revealed."

Gu Qianning was a little unhappy because she didn't get an answer, but at least her second brother had promised to marry Atang in the future.

She breathed a slight sigh of relief. It was better for Atang to marry her second brother than to follow Xiao Qingyuan! And she, as her sister-in-law, was better off than Xiao Qingxi!

"Then I need to go back and write a letter to Atang!"

What do you want to write?

“I want to tell A-Tang that she doesn’t need to be afraid. Even if Xiao Qingyuan is gone, she still has you. She’s very popular. Even if they divorce in the future, she won’t be homeless. The Gu family will be her home from now on!”

A bitter smile appeared on Gu Qianhan's cold face: "I'm afraid your words won't comfort her."

Gu Qianning found it strange: "Why? Doesn't she like our family?"

Of course, it wasn't because she disliked it, but because Shen Wantang knew that the Gu family was also in a precarious situation and could be wiped out by the emperor at any time!

Gu Qianning didn't receive a reply from him, but she didn't care. She turned around and left to go back and write a letter.

After finishing writing, she immediately sent someone to the Prince Ning's residence to deliver the letter to Shen Wantang.

Prince Ning's Mansion.

Wutong Garden.

Shen Wantang had originally planned to rest, but Xiao Qingyuan suddenly arrived, so she had no choice but to force herself to stay awake and listen to him talk.

“Shen Wantang, I have already been to the Gu family. I have received a promise from Madam Gu that as long as we get a divorce, you can immediately marry Prince Pei Lin’an!”

Shen Wantang looked up at him and said, "Didn't I already say? I won't marry anyone but the Crown Prince, and I won't go anywhere but the Ning Prince's Mansion. Why did you go to the Gu family and say these things to Madam Gu? What do you expect Madam Gu to think of me?"

Xiao Qingyuan said somewhat anxiously, "Don't worry, Madam Gu likes you very much, and she especially wants you to marry Pei Lin'an!"

Shen Wantang's tone was slightly cold: "So what? She wants me to marry her, and you want me to marry her too, but neither of you has asked me what I think, right? In your eyes, I'm not a person, but just an object that you can manipulate at will, thrown wherever you want?"

Xiao Qingyuan frowned deeply: "Shen Wantang, what you're saying is so heartless! How could I treat you like an object? I've been running around all day, and who am I doing this for? Isn't it all for you? I'm worried about you and thinking about you, so I'm busy finding you a good home. If it were someone else, I would have just divorced them. Why bother with all this!"

"Of course, the young master isn't doing this for me; you're doing it for Liu Nanshi. Do you think I'm stupid? Can't you even see that?"

Shen Wantang looked at him quietly: "Divorcing a wife is not something that can be done just like that. Even ordinary families have to gather the clan elders, list the wife's crimes, and confirm that they are true before they can report to the government to get the divorce papers. How much more so for a noble family like the Ning Prince's Mansion?"

"If you can divorce your wife with just a word, then wouldn't all the wedding ceremonies throughout history be nothing but child's play?"

“Your Highness, the laws of our Dafeng are not so arbitrary. Women from respectable families are also protected by the law and the government.”

Xiao Qingyuan knew, of course, that divorcing his wife wasn't so easy; otherwise, he wouldn't have rushed to the Gu family overnight to find Madam Gu.

In Dafeng, concubines and maids could be driven away at will, but the legal wife was different. The legal wife was brought into the family through a proper betrothal ceremony, registered with the government, and would be recorded in the family genealogy. As long as the legal wife did not commit any wrongdoing, the law did not allow the man to divorce her.

However, the law allows both parties to negotiate a divorce, which is why he thought of helping Shen Wantang find a new partner so that she would agree to a divorce.

Unexpectedly, Shen Wantang still refused.

She probably... likes him too much and can't bear to leave him.

Xiao Qingyuan sighed heavily: "Shen Wantang, I feel unworthy of your affection. I am not worthy of your love and affection."

Shen Wantang: "..."

Which of her statements just now mentioned admiration for him? Isn't that a bit over the top?

Oh well, it's better that he's so dramatic. It saves her from having to act. I don't even know where she threw away her peppermint balm. She can't cry right now.

"If we have a next life, I will definitely treat you well and let you be my princess consort in peace, and we will have children together."

Shen Wantang rested her chin on her hand, thinking to herself, "Is he about to say 'but'?"

"However, I can't be your real husband and wife in this life. I have to be responsible for Nan Shi. I have to be her husband so that she can save face and not be laughed at by outsiders."

Xiao Qingyuan's tone carried a hint of pleading: "Shen Wantang, I know you've always been the most generous and kindest person. Can you think about Nan Shi? She really has nowhere else to go. Just give her the position of Crown Princess. Only in this way can she have the face to live on!"

Looking at the sincerity on his face and listening to his humble and pleading tone, Shen Wantang almost thought that Xiao Qingyuan was a truly devoted and good man.

How did he manage to do that? How come he acts like he's all lovey-dovey and devoted to every woman he meets, as if he'd give her his heart?

What was he doing all this time?

Liu Nanshi was drugged, but he wasn't. Couldn't he have called the imperial physician for her? Why did he go off to have sex with someone else?

Shen Wantang sometimes suspected that Xiao Qingyuan was acting, and sometimes she felt that he didn't seem to be acting, because he himself seemed to be deeply convinced of his love for Liu Nanshi.

That's a master! He acted so well that even he believed it, and of course he fooled everyone else too!

Shen Wantang mimicked his manner and said with a heartfelt expression, "Since Your Highness has already put it this way, it would seem too unreasonable for me not to agree."

Xiao Qingyuan's face lit up with joy: "You agreed to a divorce?!"

Why do you want a divorce?

Xiao Qingyuan's expression froze: "Then what do you mean by 'giving in'?"

"Oh, what I mean is, if Your Highness really likes Liu Nanshi, then you should take her as a concubine!"