At Che Yi's urging, Chu Yan agreed to use this to threaten Consort Zhang and force Prince Xiao to divorce her.
And what about Consort Zhang?
She originally planned to control Chu Yan by poisoning her food so that she would beg the Crown Princess, but she didn't expect that Chu Yan and the others would find out.
However, when she heard Chu Yan agree to help, a smile still appeared on her face.
"It's good that you've come to your senses. Once Prince Xiao is released, your mother will surely make him treat you well and never betray your affection again. For the rest of your lives, you two will be hand in hand, and things will only get better and better for you."
Consort Zhang smiled and held Chu Yan's hand as she spoke.
Chu Yan, however, remained serious and coldly withdrew her hand from Consort Zhang's grasp.
"Consort Zhang---"
What did you call me?
As soon as Chu Yan opened her mouth, Consort Zhang sensed something was wrong and frowned, interrupting her.
"Consort Zhang."
Chu Yan looked at her without any guilt, "I call you Consort Zhang because I promised to help you save Prince Xiao, but there are conditions. As long as you agree, I will immediately go and beg the Crown Princess to forgive the Prince."
"What are the conditions?"
Consort Zhang narrowed her eyes, a bad feeling rising in her heart.
Chu Yan didn't keep them in suspense and said directly, "As long as you agree to let me divorce Prince Xiao and have Prince Xiao sign a divorce agreement for me, then I will help you save Prince Xiao."
"You want a divorce? I think you're crazy!"
When Consort Zhang heard Chu Yan propose a divorce, her expression immediately changed.
How could she allow Prince Xiao to divorce Chu Yan?
Doesn't this mean losing the Chu family as a supporter?
"Is Prince Xiao more important or is a divorce more important? Can't Consort Zhang tell the difference? Prince Xiao's crime this time is no small matter. If we don't get him out in time, even if he serves a few months in prison, his reputation will be ruined."
Moreover, no one knows what will happen in the next few months. With Prince Xiao in prison, his supporters are probably getting restless. In a few months, the political landscape may have changed drastically.
"You refuse to divorce because you value my Chu family, don't you? But this time, when Prince Xiao is in trouble, our Chu family has remained silent. Haven't you understood our Chu family's stance yet?"
Chu Yan analyzed the situation for Consort Zhang word by word.
Consort Zhang was naturally furious at Chu Yan's aggressive manner, but she couldn't help but be persuaded by Chu Yan.
Yes, this time the Chu family didn't say a single word in Xiao Wang's defense!
If we really wait several months until the Emperor calms down before releasing Prince Xiao, I'm afraid the court will truly be in turmoil.
Those ministers who supported King Xiao originally valued his abilities. If King Xiao didn't have these abilities, they would probably all have to find another wise ruler.
Consort Zhang gritted her teeth and pondered for a long time, and finally found that Chu Yan's analysis made a lot of sense.
"Are you really sure that signing the divorce papers will guarantee the rescue of Prince Xiao?"
Consort Zhang confirmed with Chu Yan.
She really had no other choice at the moment. She was not favored by the emperor, so pleading with him would be useless. In addition, she did not have a powerful maternal clan to help her.
Now, she can only rely on Chu Yan to rescue her son.
"Of course, I can make a written agreement with you."
Chu Yan noticed that Consort Zhang was wavering, and suppressed her inner joy.
"Alright, let's draw up a written agreement then!"
Consort Zhang, fearing that Chu Yan might change her mind, had someone present her with pen and ink, and the two of them wrote a contract.
Afterwards, Chu Yan and Che Yi happily left the palace, while Consort Zhang immediately went to the prison to find Prince Xiao.
"Mother, have you gone mad? I will never agree to a divorce!"
When Prince Xiao heard Consort Zhang say that he should divorce Chu Yan, he immediately refused.
He himself didn't know whether he was unwilling to give up the Chu family's support and divorce, or whether he didn't want to see Chu Yan living a carefree life.
Anyway, he became extremely irritable and unhappy as soon as he heard about the divorce.
“My son, I know you are reluctant to leave the Chu family, but look at this time when you were in trouble, the Chu family did not say a single word to plead for you, and they can't help you with anything!”
When Consort Zhang saw that Prince Xiao refused, she tried to persuade him earnestly, thinking that Prince Xiao was reluctant to give up the power of the Chu family.
"Mother, please stop talking. I have my own plans for this matter. You don't need to worry. I'll be fine."
Prince Xiao did not want to tell Consort Zhang too much about his plans, because in his heart, his mother had never been very capable and had not taken good care of him since childhood.
Therefore, Prince Xiao was used to relying on himself for everything since childhood, and rarely shared his thoughts with Consort Zhang.
"My son, will you really listen to your mother's advice and sign this divorce agreement?"
Consort Zhang advised again.
She knew her son was very stubborn, but the situation was urgent, and she blamed herself for being incompetent, so this was the only way she could help him.
She felt that Prince Xiao was definitely unwilling to accept the situation and hadn't seen the bigger picture, which was why he refused to divorce.
"Mother, please go back. I will never sign this divorce agreement."
King Xiao affirmed again, without any hint of negotiation.
Seeing the expression on Prince Xiao's face, Consort Zhang had no choice but to swallow back what she was about to say, a hint of helplessness flashing in her eyes.
Then she said, "Alright then, if you don't want to sign, that's fine. You've had a tough time these past few days. Your mother brought you some nourishing bird's nest and white fungus soup. Try it."
"Um."
When Prince Xiao saw that Consort Zhang was no longer trying to persuade him, his attitude softened slightly.
It just so happened that the food in the prison had been really bad these past two days, and he hadn't eaten much. When he saw that his mother had brought him bird's nest and white fungus, he didn't hesitate and opened the food box to eat it.
Before he knew it, he had finished eating and felt a little sleepy, so he slowly drifted off to sleep.
“My son, I know you are stubborn, but this is the only way to save you right now. I have no other choice. You will understand me in the future.”
Seeing that Prince Xiao had fallen into a deep sleep, Consort Zhang tenderly touched his face, then took out another pre-written divorce agreement from her bosom and pressed Prince Xiao's hand onto it, leaving his fingerprint.
She had anticipated that her son would be stubborn and might not agree, so she had made preparations in advance.
Several hours later, King Xiao slowly woke up.
"Mother!"
He recalled the scene before he fell into a deep sleep, cried out in worry, and then looked down to see the empty white paper in front of him, which put his mind at ease.
Little did he know that the blank paper was something Consort Zhang had deliberately left behind to deceive him, fearing that he would get angry and harm his health.
The mother and son kept it a secret from each other until they later regretted it.
*
Everything that happened in the prison was clearly seen by Xiao Ye's men, and the news quickly reached Xiao Ye's ears.
"So, Prince Xiao was tricked into signing the divorce agreement without his knowledge?"
Su Liluo was with Xiao Ye when she heard the report from the guards, and she was overjoyed.
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