"What method?" Xiao Anle asked, his eyes blurry with tears.
Shen Yunjiao whispered in her ear, "Pretend to be sick."
Xiao Anle looked at her blankly: "Huh?"
Shen Yun smiled mysteriously at her.
The two talked for a while in the pavilion before returning to the banquet.
Beside the Empress Dowager was a beautifully sculpted little child, wearing a gold necklace and with bright, intelligent eyes, who was very endearing.
“That’s ***’s posthumous child, Fenglong Gong.” Pei Zhixuan saw her looking at the child and explained while pouring Shen Yunjiao a cup of sweet wine. “Have some of this, it’s sweet, you’ll like it.”
Shen Yunjiao awkwardly pushed her wine glass towards Pei Zhixuan, saying, "You don't need to worry about me."
"Shen Yunjiao," Pei Zhixuan's breathing was heavy at this moment, "please don't reject me, okay?"
Shen Yunjiao saw the struggling infatuation in his eyes, and her heart tightened instantly.
Her beating heart still held a love for Pei Zhixuan, so every time she faced Pei Zhixuan, Shen Yunjiao would feel an extremely unfamiliar emotion welling up inside her.
This feeling frightened Shen Yunjiao; she feared that, in some mysterious way, the novel would pull her back to her original life trajectory.
She absolutely cannot continue staying with Pei Zhixuan like this.
The Empress Dowager was enjoying her grandchildren, and when Consort Shu looked at the child, the softest part of her heart was touched.
She picked up a piece of pastry and held it up to the little boy. "Young master, would you like some?"
The child was so tempted by the pastry that he immediately drooled.
The Empress Dowager smiled and took the pastries from Consort Shu's hands, then presented them to the little child.
The three-year-old child happily accepted the pastry and began to eat it in large bites.
The Empress Dowager continued talking to the concubines, princesses, and noble ladies of the palace.
Suddenly, the nanny next to the little boy exclaimed, "Why is the young master's face so red?"
When everyone saw this, they noticed that the little boy's face had turned a deep purplish-red, and he was having great difficulty breathing.
He clung to the nanny with both hands, struggling incessantly. The Empress Dowager frantically patted the baby's back to help him breathe, while anxiously calling for the "Imperial Physician."
Shen Yunjiao also heard the sound of the seat of honor. Looking into the distance, she saw the little baby struggling wildly, choking on the pastry.
"Yun Jiao, you—" Pei Zhixuan couldn't help but speak up when he saw Yun Jiao's expression change instantly and her stride straight toward the Empress Dowager.
In this critical moment, Shen Yunjiao disregarded all formalities and etiquette. She walked to the Empress Dowager's side, pulled the child to her side, and drew him in front of her.
Shen Yunjiao stood behind the doll, wrapped her arms around his waist and abdomen, made a fist with one hand and pressed the palm inward, and made a fist with the other hand.
Everyone present was stunned. Where did this crazy woman come from? What was he going to do?
The Empress Dowager recognized her as the Crown Prince's wife and sternly rebuked her, "Crown Prince's wife, put Ping'er down immediately! Guards, come quickly and take the Crown Prince's wife away!"
"Grandmother, please wait. Perhaps Yun Jiao has a way to save Ping'er," Xiao Anle said hurriedly.
"What can she do? She's not a royal physician!" a concubine whispered from the side.
Ignoring the surrounding chatter, Shen Yunjiao made the hand gesture and immediately thrust her hands upwards with great force.
Soon, the foreign object stuck in the baby's throat was expelled with a gust of air.
The pastry looked soft, but it actually contained a lot of nuts.
No wonder the little one choked.
After the young master regained his breathing, the first thing he did was to burst into tears and want to go back to his grandmother.
When the Empress Dowager saw that he had the strength to cry and his complexion had returned to normal, she burst into tears of joy. "My dear grandson, it's good that you're alright. Let Grandma give you a hug."
She was so scared that her hands and feet went numb.
At this moment, the imperial physician also rushed over with his box to examine the child. After confirming that the child was just choking, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
Consort Shu patted her chest, looking guilty, and said, "This is my fault. I didn't know that children could choke on pastries."
Emperor Zhaowu patted her hand to comfort her, saying, "It's not your fault. It was an accident. Besides, my dear consort, you have no experience in taking care of children, so it's inevitable that you would be a little careless."
The Empress Dowager said calmly, "Noble Consort Shu, don't blame yourself. Just be more careful next time."
She turned her gaze to Shen Yunjiao, who had been standing silently to the side.
The Empress Dowager was still somewhat surprised. She hadn't expected the Prime Minister's daughter to be so calm and composed at such a critical moment. It was she who saved the only son of her daughter who had died young.
"Pei Shenshi, I want to thank you. You saved Ping'er at the crucial moment." The Empress Dowager's tone was calm, and her gaze towards Shen Yunjiao was extremely gentle. "I want to reward you. Is there anything you wish for?"
Shen Yunjiao immediately raised her eyes and stared intently at Empress Dowager Xiao. "Does the Empress Dowager mean that Yunjiao can have whatever she wants?"
Emperor Zhaowu narrowed his eyes and put down his wine cup. "Since the Empress Dowager has said so, there is no need to worry about Prime Minister Shen's daughter. Please speak freely."
“In that case, Yun Jiao has only one request.” Shen Yun Jiao said slowly, word by word, “Then let the Empress Dowager or His Majesty issue an edict to let me divorce Prince Pei.”
The noisy scene fell silent instantly, and everyone's astonished gazes turned to Shen Yunjiao, this frail woman.
Pei Zhixuan's face instantly turned cold. He stared intently at Shen Yunjiao's back, a mouthful of metallic taste rising in his throat.
The Empress Dowager was also stunned.
Should I agree to Shen Yunjiao's request or not?
The Empress Dowager looked at Emperor Zhaowu, who first looked at Consort Shu, then at Shen Zhizhang, and remained silent in contemplation.
Upon seeing his daughter's actions, Shen Zhizhang immediately stepped forward and knelt before the Emperor, saying, "Your Majesty, my daughter has always been at odds with Prince Pei. I beg Your Majesty to grant her request."
Shen Zhizhang thought to himself that Pei Zhixuan and he had different stances, so it was better to separate now, so that he wouldn't have to consider Shen Yunjiao when they clashed in the future.
Besides, he knew his own daughter; if Shen Yunjiao didn't want it, she didn't want it. All he could do was offer his full support.
"Very well! Since Prince Pei is also present, I grant you permission to divorce!" Emperor Zhaowu raised his hand and said loudly.
From the very beginning, Pei Zhixuan had been staring at Shen Yunjiao, as if he were an outsider watching a farce that Shen Yunjiao had orchestrated.
Pei Zhixuan only reacted when Emperor Zhaowu mentioned his name.
He slowly stepped out of the line, his knees slamming heavily onto the ground.
For a moment, they were speechless.
Shen Yunjiao took in Pei Zhixuan's nearly broken state.
She sighed inwardly, but her face remained as resolute as ever.
"Thank you, Your Majesty, and thank you, Empress Dowager."
What happened at the banquet that day was later spread like wildfire by certain people in the capital.
The Crown Prince's wife loved him but couldn't have him, so she had to let go in the end. The Crown Prince realized his mistake and cried bitterly in front of the Golden Palace, begging for reconciliation.
There are also rumors that Pei Zhixuan knelt down in front of Shen Yunjiao after the banquet, begging her not to abandon him.
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