Fourth Master stared at Eighth Master, waiting quietly for him to finish speaking. Then, he suddenly burst into hearty laughter, which eased the tension in everyone's hearts. Although Eighth Master was not as obsequious as Third Master, everything he said was true, and he still expressed his appreciation for Fourth Master's achievements.
The Fourth Prince personally stepped down from the stage, patted the Eighth Prince on the shoulder, clinked glasses with him, and said with a smile, "Eighth Brother, although I placed you in the Ministry of Works because I trusted you to be capable of this position, you have indeed not disappointed me. You have completed all the tasks I entrusted to you perfectly, and I am very pleased..."
The Eighth Prince smiled modestly and nodded slightly, saying, "Your Majesty flatters me. I will certainly do my best to fulfill the tasks Your Majesty has entrusted to me, and I will not dare to be negligent in the slightest..."
Fourth Master drank the wine in his cup and said with a smile, "Eighth Brother, you've worked hard..."
After a few rounds of drinks, everyone was slightly drunk. It was then that Ninth Master remembered that everyone had praised Fourth Master, but he was the only one who had been left out. So he hurriedly picked up his cup, stepped forward, and, mimicking the praise, offered his own compliments.
Fourth Prince had always looked down on Ninth Prince. Knowing that what Ninth Prince said was just empty politeness, he simply smiled at him. However, in his drunken state, he remembered that Ninth Prince wanted to divorce Ninth Prince's wife, and couldn't help but tease Ninth Prince's wife by asking, "Does Ninth Prince flirt with other women every day, so your wife wants to divorce him?"
Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. The Fourth Prince's suggestion of divorce was rare. Although the Qing Dynasty allowed divorce, very few people actually did it. Especially wealthy and powerful families who didn't like their wives could simply take in more concubines; there was no need for a divorce.
Ninth Prince was slightly embarrassed, holding his wine cup, unsure of what to do. Although he didn't know why Fourth Prince brought up the matter of divorce at this time, he couldn't very well refute it. Even Lanqin was startled, seeing the sudden change in the atmosphere below the stage, and was caught off guard. Looking at Fourth Prince's slightly tipsy face, Lanqin was trying to think of an excuse to deflect the question when Ninth Prince's wife stepped forward herself.
When the Ninth Prince's wife heard the Fourth Prince bring this up in person, she was slightly displeased, but she naturally dared not show it on her face. She respectfully replied to the Fourth Prince, "Your Majesty, the Ninth Prince is very good. He has not been philandering or causing trouble outside... It is because of me that my temperament is incompatible with the Ninth Prince's. It would be better if we divorced. I beg Your Majesty to grant my request..."
The Ninth Prince's wife's words left everyone speechless, and they began to whisper among themselves, secretly offering advice to the Ninth Prince. The Fourth Prince narrowed his eyes and said calmly, "Since the Ninth Prince is so good and treats you well, why do you still want to divorce him? Personality issues can be worked out over time..."
Ignoring the stares and gossip of others, Ninth Prince's wife said, "His Majesty and the Imperial Concubine, and Consort Xi, are deeply in love. Naturally, they cannot understand how I feel when I am with Ninth Prince, unable to exchange a single word. I do not care whether Ninth Prince takes wives or concubines, but I wish to remain true to my own heart..."
Ninth Prince stared blankly as his Ninth Princess Consort uttered these words beside him, his heart churning with turmoil. Unfortunately, there were too many people around to speak to her, and he could only watch helplessly as she proposed a divorce in front of Fourth Prince and everyone else…
The Ninth Prince's heart was also in turmoil: the ending of her previous life was so tragic, and now that she had been reborn, she naturally did not want to repeat the same mistakes. She could not tell the Ninth Prince that she had been reborn, nor could she stop him, so she might as well ask the Emperor to separate her from the Ninth Prince herself, so as to protect the Dong E clan from being implicated by the Ninth Prince.
However, Ninth Prince's wife still planned to have a proper talk with Ninth Prince after the divorce, reminding him to prepare in advance, and expressing her guilt and apology towards him. That was all she could do.
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