Chapter 138 Going to the Palace to Ask for Divorce
Lin Qingyue nodded in agreement. "I think so too. Hongyao's life or death is unknown, and with her magic, ordinary people can't hurt her unless the opponent is very powerful. In short, whether she is dead or alive, we must find Hongyao as soon as possible. Xiaohua, where do you think the Li family will keep Hongyao after they capture her?"
Dongfang Qi said, "I just happened to check the recent whereabouts of Duke Li and his family this morning. After the Miao Dong case came out, their family has been much more low-key. Duke Li stays indoors, and the others rarely go out either. There is no record of them entering or leaving the city. So, if Hong Yao is still alive, she should be imprisoned in the Duke's Mansion if nothing unexpected happens."
Lin Qingyue made a prompt decision and said, "Then let's go to the Duke's Mansion and rescue Hongyao!"
Dongfang Qi said, "Duke Li is cunning and his mansion is rife with traps. It's unsafe to go there rashly. After the Donglin Mansion incident, the Li family lost a significant source of income and will undoubtedly harbor resentment. If we reveal our whereabouts and are caught by them, we'll be in a disadvantageous position."
Lin Qingyue asked: "Then do you have any solution?"
Dongfang Qi said, "Since a secret visit is inappropriate, then let's go openly. Isn't Duke Li ill? I'll go with you."
"You're accompanying me?" Lin Qingyue shook her head. "If you were still Xiaohua, there would be nothing to say. But you're the Crown Prince now. You can just come and visit without any pretext, not to mention your lack of authority. What's the point of our pairing? Uncle and sister-in-law traveling together? I'm not afraid of what people say, but what about you, Your Highness?"
Dongfang Qi wanted to say: I am not afraid of what people say.
But after thinking about it, I felt that it was a bit inappropriate to say this.
Lin Qingyue suggested, "How about we do it in secret? You attract the Li family's attention in public, and I'll disguise myself as your follower and investigate secretly. If we can find Hongyao, we'll confront her directly. After all, Hongyao is also a witness in the Donglin case, and detaining a witness without permission is also a crime."
Dongfang Qi thought for a moment and said, "Okay. After lunch, I'll go to the palace to ask my father for a warrant to prevent the Li family from shirking responsibility and closing the door."
Lin Qingyue said, "Okay. I can go to the palace with you and ask your father for an imperial decree for a divorce. You can help me speak up for me."
Dongfang Qi suddenly seemed very happy and readily agreed: "Okay, I will definitely help you."
After lunch, the two went to the palace together to meet Emperor Zhao of Qi.
Emperor Zhao of Qi was a little surprised to see the two of them coming together: "Why are you two coming to see me together?"
Dongfang Qi then told the story of Hong Yao's disappearance and his suspicion that she was kidnapped by Li Guogong. He planned to go to his house under the pretext of visiting a patient but actually wanted to save her.
However, he concealed Hong Yao's identity as a fox demon because he knew that Emperor Zhao of Qi was very disgusted with demons, so he even concealed Xie Shouzheng's identity.
"Your Majesty, Duke Li is now closed to visitors. If I go directly, I'm afraid he will excuse himself by saying he's ill. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty for an imperial decree to visit on your behalf, so that he has no reason to refuse."
Emperor Zhao of Qi nodded and said, "Father, please have an imperial decree issued immediately. It is too late to visit the patient today. According to Qi customs, the best time to visit the patient is in the morning. You can go tomorrow to avoid appearing hasty and arousing suspicion."
Lin Qingyue said, "But Hongyao has been missing for several days. If we delay for one more day, I'm afraid..."
Emperor Zhao of Qi said, "The Li family is a prominent and aristocratic clan, and Duke Li has a vast network of connections within the court. No matter what happens behind the scenes, we must at least maintain a strong surface presence and not allow anyone to find fault with us. Our royal family also relies on the support of the aristocracy. How can we allow a commoner woman to cause discord between the royal family and the aristocracy?"
As an emperor, he needs to consider the overall situation. As for personal life and death, that is secondary.
Being able to unconditionally support Dongfang Qi is already the biggest concession he has made.
"Thank you, father." Dongfang Qi could only settle for the second best and go again tomorrow.
Lin Qingyue then began to bring up her second purpose for entering the palace: "Your Majesty, please grant me permission to divorce Dongfang Yan!"
As she spoke, she presented a memorial that she had written in advance to show her seriousness.
As long as Emperor Zhao of Qi approved it or issued an imperial decree directly, she could go back and write a letter of divorce and kick Dongfang Yan away.
The smile on Emperor Zhao of Qi's face faded. "Why do you want a divorce? If I remember correctly, you were the one who took the initiative to approach the Prince of Jin and used some tricks to create an affair with him. I granted you a marriage, but the Prince of Jin was not very satisfied. How come you don't know how to cherish it now that you have it?"
He was initially wary of Dongfang Yan and didn't want his marriage partner to come from a family that was too wealthy.
The Changning Marquisate was gradually declining, and Lin Qingyue's reputation was not very good at the time, so it was the perfect match for her to be paired with Dongfang Yan.
Now that the Crown Prince has returned, he is determined to vigorously support his son in suppressing the vassal king. Therefore, he does not want Dongfang Yan and Lin Qingyue's marriage to break up.
Dongfang Qi immediately intervened, "Father, I know a little about what happened. Dongfang Yan was attracted to the second daughter of the Lin family, but because the Changning Marquis's family was too low-class, the marriage was delayed. The second daughter of the Lin family was also a scheming woman. She drugged Dongfang Yan and wanted to force him into a fait accompli. Prince Chaolan was an accident that day and was harmed by his mistake. This was a wrong marriage. Please allow them to divorce and set things right."
Emperor Zhao of Qi glared at his son and said, "What business have you got here? You're the crown prince, how come you're meddling in other people's family affairs?"
Dongfang Qi said, "Since the Emperor said this is someone else's family affair, can we let Prince Chaolan handle it himself?"
Emperor Zhao of Qi said, "The Prince of Jin is inherently ambitious. If we divorce, he might turn around and marry into another aristocratic family. Wouldn't that threaten your position as Crown Prince? Or... I should arrange your marriage first. How about the youngest daughter of Duke Cui?"
Dongfang Qi didn't expect to be in trouble. "Father, we were discussing Prince Chaolan's affairs, why are you suddenly talking about me? You promised me that you would allow me to choose my own Crown Princess."
Emperor Zhao of Qi said, "Yes, then who will you choose?"
Dongfang Qi said, "Let's put the selection of the Crown Princess on hold for now. Let's first resolve the issues with Prince Jin and Prince Chaolan!"
Emperor Zhao of Qi did not give him a chance to avoid the issue: "Only if you first decide on a Crown Princess and make sure the family you are marrying into is strong enough, will I agree to the divorce of the Prince of Jin."
Dongfang Qi: "..."
He felt himself caught in a dilemma.
Lin Qingyue had not expected that things would develop to the point where Dongfang Qi was forced into marriage.
Although he was already quite old and shouldered the heavy burden of supporting the royal family, it was clear from his expression that he didn't want to start a family. This must mean he hadn't found the right person.
As the saying goes, do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you.
Dongfang Qi helped her, so she couldn't harm Dongfang Qi, right?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
