Chapter 137

The person sent to the Princess's mansion to invite Zhan Yue this time was not an ordinary housekeeper, but the chief housekeeper who managed the finances of the Anguogong's mansion. He had followed the Anguogong for many years and had long since left slavery. Housekeeper Yue was old enough for Zhan Yue to call him "Dad", and because he was the Anguogong's confidant, he had always taken advantage of his seniority in the mansion.

This time he was extremely respectful to Zhan Yue, and his attitude could even be described as flattering.

When Zhan Yue entered the Duke of An's mansion, it was already the evening hour. It was dinner time, but the mansion was very quiet.

Butler Yue led the way, with a very humble attitude: "Fourth Master, please follow me over here. The Duke and the Crown Prince are waiting for you to have dinner together."

"I heard from the Duke that you are now in a position of great responsibility and do not have to work hard every day. Although the food in the Duke's Mansion is not as exquisite as that in the Princess' Mansion, it is also what you have been eating since you were a child. How about the hanging stove pheasant? I remember that you loved this the most since you were a child. In the past, at family banquets, when the old lady was still alive, she always asked people to leave a portion for you alone."

"It just so happens that this dish was cooked today. There are also sweet-scented osmanthus fish strips and lotus tofu, which are all your favorites."

Zhan Yue already knew the purpose of his visit, but he sneered silently in his heart and didn't fall for his fickle attitude.

"Fourth Master, we're here."

As they were talking, they had already arrived at the main hall. Apart from Duke Anguo and Zhan Tai, there was no one else, not even a single servant or boy to serve them.

Butler Yue personally led Zhan Yue to the table and pulled out a chair for him: "Fourth Master, please come in."

Zhan Yue glanced at Duke Anguo and Zhan Tai, and was about to take a seat when Zhan Tai stood up first, as a gesture of respect. He said, "Fourth brother is here, sit down."

Although Zhan Yue was the consort of the emperor and his official rank was much higher than Zhan Tai's, in the Anguo Mansion, Zhan Tai was the elder brother and he was the younger brother. Zhan Tai didn't really need to show such respect.

Zhan Yue glanced at him indifferently, without saying anything, but nodded slightly to show his appreciation.

Only after Zhan Yue sat down at the table did the others start to eat.

The dish in front of Zhan Yue was the "grilled pheasant" that Butler Yue had just mentioned. Seeing Zhan Yue's eyes on this dish, Zhan Tai moved closer to him.

Zhan Tai smiled naturally and said, "I know you like to eat, so I specially invited the chef from the building next door to cook for you today. Try it and see if it tastes any different from what we have here."

As he spoke, Zhan Tai pretended to pick up food for Zhan Yue himself.

Zhan Yue raised his eyes, with a look of aloofness and reserve. He said, "Don't worry, Prince."

After being scolded in a light and not too heavy way, Zhan Tai's expression did not change. He just smiled and said, "It's just a small effort. Grandmother's wish is that our family can be harmonious and respectful to each other, and the whole family can be healthy. Fourth brother, you don't have to be polite."

Zhan Yue raised his eyes slightly, and there was a kind of sharpness in his words. He said: "Let's talk about it. Don't bring up my grandmother."

Zhan Tai smiled, not minding Zhan Yue's indifference and offense, and just said: "My foolish brother is just thinking that you were raised by your grandmother, and the affection is true. Although she has passed away, I believe that you still miss your grandmother all the time. I mentioned it just now. If you don't like it, I won't say it."

Zhan Tai spoke elegantly, but Zhan Yue was already somewhat fed up with this hypocritical tone. He looked Zhan Tai up and down and said, "Don't you think it's too late to talk to me about a harmonious family, my prince?"

"Just say what you want to say. I don't have that much time to waste on you two." Zhan Yue put down his chopsticks and said in a calm voice.

Zhan Tai's gaze froze for a moment, and he finally lost the composure he had been trying so hard to maintain.

Duke An, who had been silent the whole time, glanced at Zhan Yue and said, "Okay. Since you want to get straight to the point, I'll tell you."

"Ying'er is your nephew. Whether you like it or not, your surname is Zhan." An Guogong looked seriously into Zhan Yue's eyes and whispered, "Since we are a family, we ask you to protect Ying'er. Is this request not too much?"

Zhan Yue snorted with an ambiguous laugh, and glanced at Duke An Guo: "So, you already know the whole story of what happened in Changchun Temple?"

An Guogong said: "It's not important whether you know it or not..."

"Not important?" Zhan Yue's expression turned cold, and he said in a stern voice, "The Duke has not attended court for a long time, and he dares to say that 'rebellion' is not important."

"Whether Ying'er is 'plotting rebellion' or not, it all depends on what you and the princess say." Duke Anguo narrowed his eyes and said word by word, "If you are willing to protect him, then his purpose of appearing in Changchun Temple is to protect the princess, and he has a sincere heart."

Zhan Yue's eyes were cold and his words were even colder: "Sincerely? The Duke really has a good plan. He wanted to hurt my wife and children, and I did him a great favor by not killing him. According to your opinion, should I bring the princess to the Duke of An's mansion to express my gratitude?"

Duke Anguo frowned. They were asking for help this time and had expected to run into trouble.

But when Zhan Yue uttered these cold and unfamiliar words one by one, Duke Anguo seemed to see another person through him - the same dusty appearance, the same clear but hard eyes, it seemed, was Fu Shiyu from many years ago?

"Zhan Jianhan, I have something to ask of you now. For the sake of the Fu family and Yue'er, I will not argue with you about those meaningless rights and wrongs. But you must remember, always remember that your arrogance, your indifference to others, and your deliberate humiliation will be taken back for me sooner or later."

“You remember it.”

…

Duke Anguo was stunned for a moment, and suddenly he felt a gust of wind coming quickly from the corridor and hitting him in the face. He felt as if he was slapped in the face. His face turned pale and he covered his face in a daze.

"Fourth brother," Zhan Tai took over the conversation in this moment of shock, and he said in a earnest tone, "Brother Ying has indeed committed an unforgivable crime this time, but the word disloyalty is enough to sentence him to death, and I dare not excuse him. If you want to deal with him in private, please tell me directly. However, the Anguo Mansion has been around for a hundred years, and it took many generations to build us up. There is really no need to tarnish the reputation of our Anguo Mansion for a hundred years just for him."

"Dad was right. Whether you like it or not, your last name is Zhan. Even the child the princess bore you has the last name Zhan. You can't write two characters for Zhan with one stroke. How could a smart man like you not understand such a simple truth?"

Zhan Yue said calmly: "Your Highness has a very clever tongue."

"Your Highness understands everything, but I have one thing I want you to clear up," Zhan Yue glanced at the two of them, his pupils deep, "Are you making a deal with me now, or are you begging me?"

Zhan Tai was stunned for a moment, then he bent down and said respectfully, "I'm begging you. Grand Prince Consort, Governor Zhan, I'm begging you."

Zhan Yue looked down at him and said coldly, "As a prince, you are not qualified to ask me for anything."

Zhan Yue's gaze passed over him and looked straight in the direction of Duke Anguo.

Zhan Tai's face was as gloomy as water. He had always been a filial son, and even though Zhan Shaoying was his only son, he could not sit idly by and watch the Duke of Anguo being humiliated for their sake.

When he opened his mouth again, Zhan Tai's tone was no longer friendly: "Fourth brother, what do you want?"

Zhan Yue smiled contemptuously and said nothing.

"Tai'er," Duke Anguo closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suddenly spoke, "Since Commander Zhan is interested in me, you don't need to say anything more."

"Governor Zhan," Duke Anguo called out in a deep voice, "consider it a deal between you and me. What do you want? As long as I can give it, I'm willing to give it to you."

Zhan Yue: "Duke Anguo, do you think there is anything in your mansion that is worth my attention?"

Duke An pursed his lips, but after Zhan Tai calmed down, he took the initiative to say, "As long as Commander Zhan agrees to my request, I will ask His Majesty to resign the position of Prince. The next Duke An, and the next Duke An after that, will be you and your son."

"Heh," Zhan Yue's laughter was filled with a hint of sarcasm, his face sullen, "Your Highness thinks that I really want the title of Duke of Anguo?"

"The Anguo Mansion is only worth some money because of the old face of the Anguo Duke. I don't like anything else." Zhan Yue met Zhan Tai's gaze calmly and said calmly.

Duke Anguo and Zhan Tai both looked unhappy. Zhan Tai shouted, "General Zhan, don't go too far."

Zhan Yue was unmoved and said coldly: "Sir, this is not the attitude you should use to ask for help."

He stopped beating around the bush, stretched out his white fingers, and said with a cold look: "Three conditions, as long as the Duke agrees, I will protect Zhan Shaoying and the Duke An's Mansion."

Duke Anguo clenched his fists tightly from his sleeves and said in a serious tone: "Speak."

Zhan Yue's eyes were sharp: "I am not interested in the position of the crown prince, I just want a guarantee."

Zhan Tai asked: "What?"

Zhan Yue's voice was steady and powerful: "The next Duke of Anguo can only be Zhan Yihong."

The expressions of An Guogong and Zhan Tai changed slightly, and Zhan Tai's tone suddenly became not so good. He narrowed his eyes slightly and said, "Are they mother and son yours?"

Zhan Yue glanced at him sideways, with a slight warning in his tone: "It is not your turn to ask about this, Prince."

Zhan Tai clenched his fingers unconsciously. But An Guogong was open-minded about this point. Zhan Yihong was Zhan Shaoying's son anyway. As long as his bloodline was true, it didn't matter who Qi Shi joined. It's good to lean on a big tree for shade. In his heart, An Guogong even admired Qi Shi's astute political vision.

"Okay, I agree to this." Duke Anguo said straightforwardly.

"Secondly," Zhan Yue's eyes swept across the increasingly aged face of Duke Anguo, and he smiled lightly, "Please give me a divorce letter, Duke Anguo."

Zhan Tai was stunned, obviously still confused. Divorce? What divorce? Divorce with whom?

Duke Anguo had already understood Zhan Yue's intentions, and his face suddenly became embarrassed. He stared at Zhan Yue quietly with deep eyes.

After a moment, he found his voice again. With his throat rolling, Duke Anguo said in a low voice, "Is it...did your mother tell you to do this?"

Zhan Yue's eyes were cold and he said, "My mother is not a god. She can't predict what will happen in a few decades."

Hearing this answer, Duke Anguo seemed to be relieved. He lowered his eyes and did not respond for a while.

Zhan Tai finally reacted at this time. He looked at Zhan Yue, then at Duke An Guo, and said awkwardly, "This, I've never heard of a story of a son writing a divorce letter on behalf of his parents."

"Not to mention that death is like the extinguishing of a lamp, fourth brother..."

"Your Highness." Zhan Yue decisively interrupted him, his face cold, "You may think that a dog bite is insignificant, but my mother is chaste and she cannot tolerate having an indelible stain on her life."

The "Stain" himself was trembling slightly at this moment. After trembling, he seemed to be extremely angry, but he was still in the mood to smile.

The Duke of Anguo's determined gaze gradually shattered, and he asked softly, "Is this necessary?"

Zhan Yue's eyes were calm as he answered him with one word: "Yes."

"Okay," An Guogong nodded and repeated vigorously, "Okay."

"You are her son, you can make the decision for her." Duke An pursed his lips, his old and loose muscles depicting a cold face, "It's just a letter of divorce, I agree."

"Since we're getting divorced, my mother is naturally no longer a member of the Zhan family. I will move her grave and tablet back to the Fu family." Zhan Yue said as a matter of course.

Duke Anguo remained silent and did not respond.

What Zhan Yue said was of course right. Since they had divorced, Fu Shiyu had nothing to do with him anymore. From now on, no matter if they were dead or alive, in the world or in the underworld, they would never meet again.

Duke Anguo suddenly felt a little tired. Why could that person, who had been dead for so many years, still allow her own son to pierce his heart?

Duke Anguo stared at the scenery in the room that had not been moved for decades and said, "It's up to you."

"As for the third one." Zhan Yue paused.

Duke Anguo and Zhan Tai looked at him together and put forward all the conditions for Fu Shiyu to negotiate for a divorce. Duke Anguo felt that Zhan Yue would not have any more outrageous ideas than this.

"When my mother's grave is brought back," Zhan Yue said slowly, "please, Duke, give my mother three heads in front of all the ancestors of the Fu family."

There was a moment of silence.

Duke Anguo's face gradually turned cold.

Zhan Tai couldn't hold it in any longer and shouted, "Zhan Yanqing, don't go too far!"

"Your Highness, do you think it's excessive?" Zhan Yue smiled and spoke calmly. He drank the first sip of tea since entering the room and looked at Duke An with a heavy gaze. "Duke, is my request too much compared to your breaking the contract and taking a concubine?"

Duke Anguo's eyes were closed, and there seemed to be a chattering sound coming from his face.

Zhan Tai was the first to stand up and said firmly, "I would rather die than let my father suffer such humiliation."

"Zhan Yanqing, today's matter is over." Zhan Tai's breath was cold and his tone was decisive.

Zhan Yue didn't seem surprised that Zhan Tai would say such a thing. He smiled and said, "Prince, from the very beginning, I was not making a deal with you."

"With your status, you are not qualified to talk to me about it." Zhan Yue put away his smile, his eyes were sharp, like a sword fully unsheathed.

He looked at the Duke of An and said nonchalantly, "Duke, what we are discussing is a voluntary commitment. You have one day to think about it."

"I'm not a person who likes to force things." Zhan Yue said meaningfully.