Chapter 96 Sincerity is the most precious and also the easiest to change in the world...
Qi Jingxuan was stunned for a long time, and this time he remained silent for even longer than before.
He suddenly realized that the biggest difference between himself and Shen Yan was not their family background or status, nor their temperament or personality, but their control over themselves.
Although Shen Yan came from a humble background and her family was not large, her parents and elders cherished her dearly. From a young age, she could study whenever she wanted, go out whenever she wanted, and study law whenever she wanted. Her family not only did not stop her, but also fully supported her. Her family never judged her by worldly standards and gave her the best of everything within their means, including freedom.
Dressed in fine silks and brocades, he appeared to be a high-ranking and noble prince, but in reality, he was a good-for-nothing who couldn't make any decisions. Even his marriage to Aci was only arranged because of pressure and his own tantrums; his father himself didn't actually want it.
How can someone like him promise Aci that he will love her for life? Even if he did promise, could he really keep his word?
No wonder Aci doesn't believe in oaths. If a person can't even make decisions about his own affairs, his oaths are a joke, the most useless things in the world.
Qi Jingxuan felt increasingly distressed, and his eyes began to redden again: "But I truly love you, Aci. Can you... can you give me some time? I will find a way to resolve these issues."
sincere
Shen Yan lowered her eyes and smiled. Of course, she believed in Qi Jingxuan's sincerity at that moment; she had unknowingly developed some genuine feelings for him during their time together. But…
"Your Highness, everyone says that Consort Shu is His Majesty's most favored concubine, and many anecdotes circulate about their past. I've heard a few, and though I don't know if they're true, it seems His Majesty truly cared for Consort Shu back then, and perhaps still does. But Consort Shu... is she happy?"
Shen Yan asked.
Qi Jingxuan's half-open mouth froze completely, and he couldn't utter another word.
He knew better than anyone whether his mother was happy or not.
What about her beloved from her time as a prince, what about supporting each other throughout her life? It's all fake, all fake. My mother has clearly suffered a lot these past years.
Did her father ever truly love her? Of course he did, but what good was that love?
Like a heavy punch to the heart, Qi Jingxuan could no longer hold back and choked up as tears streamed down his face.
Shen Yan's heart trembled slightly. She wanted to reach out and wipe away the tears on his face, but her fingertips twitched and she ultimately did nothing. She only whispered, "Sincerity is the most precious thing in the world, yet it is also the easiest to change. Your Highness, I dare not gamble my life on it."
Solving cases requires evidence, precisely because everything has already happened, and for the sake of fairness, isn't that necessary? Does she want to be like Consort Shu, waiting until everything settles down, only to spend her entire life in misery proving that sincerity is useless? Besides, Consort Shu has already proven everything, yet she's trapped within the royal family and can't escape—isn't that even more frightening?
Suppressing her reluctance, Shen Yan said, "Your Highness is of noble birth and has a pure heart. You will surely find someone more suitable for you in the future. I... I will pack my things now and leave tomorrow."
Only a small portion of her dowry was prepared by her family; the majority was provided by the emperor to enhance her social standing. She only intended to take her share with her, leaving the rest at the prince's residence.
In this way, there isn't much to pack. She only needs someone to sort out her part of the dowry list, and she can pack the rest of her frequently used personal items and the books she brought herself.
Shen Yan got up and started packing her things. Seeing this, Qi Jingxuan quickly stood up as well, sticking to her like a little shadow, constantly pleading, "Aci, don't go, don't go, Aci..."
Shen Yan seemed not to hear, and simply lowered her head to pack her things.
Qi Jingxuan tried to stop her, but the room was so big that he couldn't stop her from the other side. He didn't dare to keep pulling at Shen Yan, for fear of upsetting her and making her more determined to leave.
Shen Yan was about to tidy up her dressing case, but seeing him standing there with his arms outstretched and refusing to move aside, she had no choice but to turn around and tidy up the bookshelf.
Qi Jingxuan was about to follow when he accidentally knocked over a wooden box as he lowered his arm. He quickly apologized and went to pick it up, afraid that she might break her things.
But no jewelry fell out of the open wooden box; instead, there was only a thin piece of paper.
Qi Jingxuan initially mistook it for a house deed or land deed and was about to put it back in the wooden box when he noticed that the faint seal marks visible through the back of the paper looked familiar… It seemed to be… his father's seal. Besides the imperial edict for bestowing titles upon princesses, what else could Aci possibly require his father's seal?
He subconsciously flipped the paper over and was shocked to find that it was a divorce agreement, a divorce agreement that his father and mother had both stamped.
Why... why does such a thing exist? When did Father and Mother write it to Aci? How come he didn't know?
Suddenly, many images flashed before Qi Jingxuan's eyes, and one by one, things he had long forgotten resurfaced in his mind.
"Who told you that getting married means you'll be together forever? What if they want a divorce later?"
"Lord Shen said that this marriage between you and Miss Shen is only a pretense to break the deadlock. Once the facts are clear, you two will have to divorce."
These were all things his father and mother had said to him. He said… what did he say back then?
"If her son ultimately fails to win her over, will she still insist on a divorce?"
"If you can't even keep the wife you've married, that's your own fault for not being capable enough; you can't blame anyone else!"
It turns out that Aci had wanted a divorce from the very beginning. His father and mother had told him this, but they hadn't mentioned the divorce agreement.
He had become too complacent these days and had forgotten his previous worries, thinking that Aci would never leave him again.
But why shouldn't Aci leave him? Besides the gold, silver, jewels, brocade, and fine clothes that she didn't care about at all, what else could he give her? Moreover, she had already obtained these things through her own abilities.
Aci made a great contribution by exposing Prince Ning's treason, and her father rewarded her handsomely. As for Lord Shen, without the suppression of people like Liu Yuan, he will surely rise through the ranks based on his own abilities, allowing Aci to live a life like other young ladies from noble families.
So... what exactly can he give Aci?
A profound panic rose in Qi Jingxuan's heart. At this moment, he finally realized that he couldn't stop Shen Yan. With this divorce agreement in hand, Shen Yan could leave whenever she wanted. The reason she had stayed in the Prince's mansion these past few days was because she was hesitating about this matter. And he, so foolish, hadn't realized what she was thinking, hadn't seized the opportunity to persuade her to stay, and only realized what had happened when she actually decided to leave.
Qi Jingxuan's hands trembled, and large tears streamed down his face. The words kept echoing in his mind: "If you can't even keep the wife you married, that's your own fault for not being able to keep her. You can't blame anyone else!"
"If you're incompetent, you can't blame others."
"You're incompetent yourself..."
Qi Jingxuan burst into tears. Shen Yan heard the noise and turned around. She saw that he was holding a divorce agreement in his hand. She knew that he understood that his mind was made up and he would not change his mind. She sighed and prepared to say a few words of comfort.
When Qi Jingxuan saw her coming, he thought she was going to take the divorce papers back, and suddenly tore the papers in his hand to shreds.
Shen Yan stared in astonishment at the shredded paper scattered on the floor, her words of comfort immediately cut off, and anger surged within her: "Qi Jingxuan!"
They had known each other for six months, and even when their relationship was at its most strained, she had never been this angry with him.
This divorce decree was something she had worked so hard to obtain; it was proof that the Emperor and Consort Shu had granted her permission to divorce. How could she just tear it up like that?
She bent down to pick up the scraps of paper to see if she could piece them back together. Seeing this, Qi Jingxuan quickly bent down, gathered the scraps into his arms, and then stuffed them into his mouth.
He sobbed as he stuffed the food into his mouth, then reached out and hugged Shen Yan's leg, wailing, "Aci, please wait a little longer, please give me some time, I... I will definitely find a way, I will... I can... protect you."
He cried so hard that snot and tears streamed down his face, and scraps of paper kept spitting out of his mouth as he spoke.
As Shen Yan watched him weep and shed tears, scattering scraps of paper everywhere, her anger, which had just risen, quickly dissipated, leaving her feeling both helpless and amused.
She sighed and reached out to help him up: "Your Highness, please get up."
Qi Jingxuan shook his head vigorously, pleading, "Please, Aci, don't go yet, please don't go yet..."
He was crying so hard he could barely breathe, and because he had a wad of paper in his mouth, he choked on it while speaking and almost vomited.
Seeing this, Shen Yan quickly bent down to pat his back and pinched his cheeks, trying to make him spit out the paper in his mouth.
Qi Jingxuan thought she was going to pry the divorce papers out of his mouth, so he covered his mouth in fright and sat on the ground, backing away repeatedly.
The piece of paper wasn't large, but when crumpled up, it wasn't small either. Shen Yan, unsure how many pieces Qi Jingxuan had stuffed into his mouth, worried he might choke and struggle to breathe, so she said, "Let's talk this out slowly. Can you spit out what's in your mouth first?"
Qi Jingxuan's cheeks bulged. Seeing that she really had no intention of snatching it from his mouth, he turned around and spat out the crumpled pieces of paper from his mouth.
He had torn and chewed the scraps of paper until they were unrecognizable, but he was still not at ease. He looked around and kicked them into the gap under the cabinet next to him, thinking that he would call the servants to clean them up later. In any case, he couldn't let them fall into Chen Yan's hands.
Shen Yan was speechless for a moment. She was still a little angry at the thought that the divorce agreement had been lost.
Qi Jingxuan dealt with the crumpled paper, then went over and hugged Shen Yan's leg, continuing to cry. He kept repeating the same few sentences, asking her to wait a little longer and to give him another chance.
Since marrying Shen Yan, he hadn't acted like this in a long time. Although Gao Zheng and A Qing came from different backgrounds, they each had their own unique skills, and whenever they did what they excelled at, they exuded a distinctive aura. Looking at them, Qi Jingxuan always felt inferior, so he gradually began to pay attention to his image in front of Shen Yan, trying to appear more intelligent.
But he couldn't care less about anything else now; all he wanted to do was stop Shen Yan from leaving. Image and intelligence didn't matter; keeping her here was the most important thing.
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