Divorce her

The emperor's expression remained unchanged. He tapped the armrest of his throne with his finger. "What bewitches the soul?"

Han Qing straightened up and looked directly at the emperor. "Your Majesty, I have carefully recalled these past two days and discovered a gap in my memory. The day I was arrested happened to be my day off. I had arranged to go to a restaurant for drinks with General Wang. I remember leaving the mansion at the beginning of the morning, but for some reason, I returned to my study at 3:45 AM. I have no memory of what happened during those three hours. I am sure I was set up."

The emperor narrowed his eyes and did not express his opinion, but he harbored doubts about Han Qing's treason.

At this moment, Imperial Censor Wang stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, a piece of news that has been circulating among the people in the capital these past two days is quite similar to what General Han said."

The emperor spoke up: "What news?"

Imperial Censor Wang replied, "I have heard that barbarian sorcerers use evil magic to bewitch the people and take the opportunity to sneak into the capital."

The emperor felt a chill run down his spine. If the barbarian tribesmen truly possessed evil magic, he would surely purge the capital.

Imperial Censor Zhao stepped forward to refute, “Absurd! With the Imperial Guards present, it is impossible for barbarians to infiltrate the capital. The evidence of Han Qing’s treason is irrefutable. The claim of being bewitched is nothing but a sophistry to exonerate him. I beg Your Majesty to make a wise judgment.”

Upon hearing the words "Imperial Guards," the emperor subtly frowned.

Imperial Censor Wang sneered, "Lord Zhao, have you forgotten that General Han's grandfather died at the hands of the Xiongnu? General Han hates the Xiongnu to the bone, and he would never defect to them."

Imperial Censor Zhao retorted, "You're not a mind reader, how would you know what Han Qing is really thinking?"

Censor Wang pointed at Censor Zhao and cursed, "Have you lost your conscience? The Han family has been loyal and virtuous for generations, and every one of them is a man of courage and integrity. If it weren't for the men of the Han family guarding the frontier, do you think you would have grown into this bloated and malnourished state?"

Zhao, the Imperial Censor, was so enraged by Wang's public insults that he was trembling with rage.

Imperial Censor Wang ignored him and turned to face the emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe it is too much of a coincidence that General Han was arrested shortly after being accused of treason. In my opinion, General Han has been wronged." As he spoke, he took out a piece of paper from his sleeve and held it up with both hands. "Your Majesty, I find the analysis in this article regarding whether General Han has committed treason very reasonable. Please take a look."

The eunuch took the paper and handed it to the emperor.

After reading it, the emperor asked, "Who wrote this article?"

Imperial Censor Wang respectfully replied, "Your Majesty, it was done by a young man surnamed Jin."

The emperor smiled and said, "It's very well written."

Imperial Censor Wang felt much more at ease and tentatively asked, "Your Majesty, how do you intend to deal with General Han?"

"Han Qing returned to his residence to repent and was not allowed to leave without imperial decree."

The ministers were taken aback. Shouldn't it be a time for reflection?

The emperor offered no explanation, simply waving his hand and declaring, "Court adjourned."

Jin Xiaoxiao was eager to know how the emperor would deal with Han Qing, so she and Ji Jun headed to the Prince Yi's residence early in the morning.

Upon arriving at the gate of Prince Yi's residence, Jin Xiaoxiao saw a large crowd gathered in front of the neighboring Marquis Wenxin's residence. She asked the gatekeeper, "What's going on over there?"

The gatekeeper glanced in that direction with pity. "I heard that the heir apparent's wife from the Marquis of Wenxin's mansion was kicked out."

Jin Xiaoxiao recalled Han Qing leaving the Marquis of Wenxin's residence that day and asked again, "General Han, do you have a good relationship with the neighbor next door?"

The gatekeeper's expression was complicated. "The Crown Prince's wife's mother is General Han's paternal aunt."

Jin Xiaoxiao sneered. Han Qing had just been imprisoned and he was already eager to kick people out. This young master of the Marquis's mansion was no good either.

She turned and beckoned Ji Jun to go with her to visit the Marquis of Wenxin's residence next door.

Ji Yun skillfully parted the crowd, allowing Jin Xiaoxiao to easily find a good spot.

She stood still and looked toward the center of the crowd.

A graceful and noble young woman stood with her head slightly bowed, while opposite her stood a young man with a pained expression wearing a gold-embroidered crown, and between them knelt a disheveled servant.

The two were none other than the heir apparent of Marquis Wenxin and his wife, He Nanxing.

With red-rimmed eyes, the heir of Marquis Wenxin scanned He Nanxing and the servants on the ground, asking, "Why did you betray me?"

Upon hearing his words, the servant immediately kowtowed repeatedly, begging for mercy. "Young Master, it was Madam who seduced me. She was the one who took off my clothes. She said she was jealous of your favor towards Concubine Sun and wanted to take revenge on you. Young Master, even if I had the guts of a bear and the gall of a leopard, I would never dare to defile Madam. Please spare my life, Young Master."

After hearing what he said, the heir of Marquis Wenxin lost his temper and kicked the servant to the ground, yelling, "Shut up! Shut up!"

To passersby, his behavior appeared to be the deep affection and protection that the Marquis of Wenxin's heir showed for his wife. The contrast between the two men's actions made the passersby even more disgusted with He Nanxing and more pitiful of the Marquis of Wenxin's heir.

"The wife of the Marquis of Wenxin's heir seemed like a respectable person, but I never expected her to be so indecent."

"The young master is truly pitiful. If you ask me, such a wicked young master should be divorced."

Suddenly, someone in the crowd raised their right hand into the air, and with a loud thud, an egg hit He Nanxing on the back of the head, the golden egg liquid flowing down He Nanxing's hair.

The egg seemed to be a signal, and someone in the crowd shouted, "Divorce her!"

The crowd, incited by righteous indignation, joined in shouting, "Divorce her! Divorce her!"

The hesitation on the face of the Marquis of Wenxin's heir disappeared. He pressed his hand down, and the crowd became quiet.

His eyes were bloodshot as he said in grief, "Mrs. He has committed adultery and is unfaithful to her husband. She is jealous, immoral, and her behavior is utterly despicable. Today, in front of everyone, I am divorcing you!"

He Nanxing suddenly looked up; the sun was blazing, but her heart was filled with icy coldness.

She parted her lips slightly, her voice calm yet firm, "Unless we agree to a divorce, I will not agree."

Someone spat and said, "You, a woman who has had an affair, are not worthy of divorcing the prince."

He Nanxing's fingernails dug into his flesh as he coldly stared at the Marquis of Wenxin's heir. "If you don't agree to a divorce, I don't mind peeling your skin off in public."

The Marquis Wenxin's son's expression changed. "You wretch!" He raised his hand to strike He Nanxing.

Jin Xiaoxiao gave Ji Jun a wink, and Ji Jun flicked a copper coin, which accurately hit his raised wrist.

The heir apparent of Marquis Wenxin clutched his wrist and screamed, "Ah! Who?"

Jin Xiaoxiao shouted, "You're shameless for beating your wife!"

The heir of Marquis Wenxin glared at Jin Xiaoxiao. "She talked back to me. I just wanted to reprimand her. That's a husband's right. What do you know?"

Jin Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes. "It's really bad luck for my sister to marry you. Luckily, I saw your true colors, otherwise I would have to ruin my life."

The Marquis Wenxin's heir stared at Jin Xiaoxiao with a sinister gaze, "You little brat, do you want to die?"

Ji Jun's eyes darkened, and he appeared in front of Marquis Wenxin with a swaying motion, slapping him twice across the face, causing his cheeks to swell up instantly.

The heir of Marquis Wenxin covered his cheek and said angrily, "Guards, kill him!"

Ji Jun looked up at him, and the Marquis of Wenxin was so startled that he fell to the ground.

He Nanxing nodded gently to Jin Xiaoxiao in thanks, then turned to look at the person on the ground with disgust. "Divorce or go to court, you choose one."

The Marquis Wenxin's heir's expression kept changing. After a while, he said in a low voice, "Bring me pen and ink. I want to write a letter of divorce."

The servants of the Marquis's residence quickly brought over a table and chairs and placed them in front of the Marquis Wenxin's heir. The table was fully equipped with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone.

The heir of Marquis Wenxin lifted his robe, sat down, picked up a brush, and licked the ink. Before writing, he glanced at He Nanxing and saw that she still had an arrogant expression. He was immediately filled with anger and lowered his head to finish writing the letter of divorce in one breath.

After finishing writing the divorce papers, he threw them at He Nanxing, asking, "Are you satisfied now?"

He Nanxing glanced at the letter of divorce, then folded it up and put it away, before heading towards the Marquis's residence.

The heir of Marquis Wenxin blocked her way, saying, "You are no longer a member of my household."

He Nanxing raised her eyes and said calmly, "You're not letting me in because you want to keep my dowry?"

The heir of Marquis Wenxin's face turned a mixture of red and blue, unable to advance or retreat.

While the two were locked in a stalemate, a well-maintained woman in her forties stepped forward.

She came straight over and grabbed He Nanxing's hand. "Nanxing, listen to your mother's advice. Don't be angry with that wicked child. If you get divorced, your life will be ruined."

The heir of Marquis Wenxin pulled his mother away, saying, "I'll give you one hour. Take your dowry and get out of here!"

Jin Xiaoxiao understood his unspoken meaning: any dowry not moved out within an hour would belong to him. How shameless!

She tugged at Ji Jun and whispered something in his ear. After listening, Ji Jun disappeared into the crowd.

He Nanxing understood what he meant. The people she brought were gradually driven away by the Marquis's mansion under various pretexts, leaving only two or three people. With their strength, she would probably have to keep most of her dowry.

Seeing that she didn't move, the heir apparent of Marquis Wenxin mocked, "What? Afraid to come in again?"

This manor is filthy and disgusting. Leaving here is the most important thing. It's okay if the dowry is less. After thinking it through, He Nanxing lifted her foot to walk around them, but was stopped by someone as she stepped over the threshold.

"Wait a minute, sister."

He Nanxing turned around and saw the little girl who had spoken up for her earlier running to her side.

Jin Xiaoxiao looked up at her and said, "Sister, I bet you have a lot of dowry. You must need someone to help you carry it, right?"

He Nanxing chuckled, squatted down and patted her head, "Thank you for your kindness, but you're too small to lift."

Jin Xiaoxiao pointed to the back of the crowd, "Sister, I've borrowed someone for you, look."

He Nanxing looked up and saw the crowd parting spontaneously, and a group of soldiers in armor, carrying long swords, strode in. Behind them were more than a dozen carriages.

He Nanxing turned to look at Jin Xiaoxiao incredulously, "Them?"

Jin Xiaoxiao nodded, "Sister, let's go in and collect the dowry."

The heir apparent of Marquis Wenxin moved to stop them, but the leading soldier glanced at him and the heir apparent obediently retreated.

He watched, furious but unable to utter a word, as the group of soldiers followed He Nanxing into the Marquis's residence.

The soldiers were very skilled at moving things, and within an hour He Nanxing's dowry was all moved and loaded onto the carriage.

Jin Xiaoxiao slipped a purse to the leading soldier, and after seeing them off, she turned to He Nanxing and asked, "Sister, are you going back to the He family?"

He Nanxing shook his head, "I'm not going back—"

Before he finished speaking, the sound of horses' hooves came from not far away, and three people on horseback were heading towards the Marquis of Wenxin's residence.

He Nanxing looked up and saw the person on horseback, and frowned.

The three horsemen stopped half a step away from He Nanxing. The young man in the middle looked down at He Nanxing with arrogance on his face. "You are the first He family daughter to be divorced by her husband's family. He Nanxing, you have disgraced the He family. You are selfish and disregard the family's reputation. From this day forward, you are expelled from the Qingyang He family."

Many onlookers remained nearby, and they became even more excited upon seeing this scene.

"Caught cheating on her husband and still having the nerve to ask for her dowry back? She has no shame."

"She's been expelled from the family, how can she still have the nerve to live?"

He Nanxing lowered her eyes, and the sunlight on her face seemed to drape her in a yellow veil, shielding her from the prying eyes of others.