Therefore, Yongzheng, who had just finished dealing with state affairs, received a hint from his mother. He frowned slightly and said, "Mother, I am busy with state affairs, so how can I put the affairs of the harem first? Mother, you don't need to persuade me on this matter."
After exchanging only a few words, the Empress Dowager, forced to retreat to the palace, sat down in her chair and pondered deeply. She had a bad feeling about her, and turned to Wu Ci beside her, asking, "I have a bad feeling. Is the Emperor's lack of affection for the harem really because of the affairs of state?"
After pondering for a moment, Wu Ci said in a low voice, "I recently heard that the Emperor has scolded many court officials, but nothing has happened in the harem. The Emperor must just be busy with state affairs."
"I hope that's all there is to it." The Empress Dowager closed her eyes in thought. She was getting older and had started to suffer from headaches. The attentive Wu Ci had learned massage techniques from the Imperial Physician and she quietly stepped forward to massage the Empress Dowager's temples.
That night, Yongzheng was unaware of the Empress Dowager's thoughts. As usual, he sneaked into the Prince Guo's residence. The residence was basically riddled with holes by the people he sent. He looked at the Qingju Pavilion, which was lit up at night, and his eyes lit up with joy.
"Xian'er, are you waiting for me?"
Qingyin pouted, a hint of unease in her voice: "His Majesty comes every night, and I dare not offend him."
Yongzheng was not angry, but rather delighted. Xian'er had never shown him a kind expression before, but now she was actually acting coquettishly in front of him (just kidding). This method of perseverance was indeed effective. He would go back and reward Su Peisheng properly.
Pressing his advantage, Yongzheng said affectionately, "I will never blame Xian'er in my life. Ever since I saw Xian'er at Mother's last time, I have experienced the truth of love at first sight. Xian'er, I don't want to miss you."
Qingyin blushed under his gaze. Thinking of Che'er, her face turned deathly pale. She turned her head away, not daring to look at Yongzheng. Her voice trembled slightly: "But I still have a child."
Yongzheng gently cupped Qingyin's small face in his hands, looking at her, his heart breaking at the sight of her breathtaking beauty even in tears. "Xian'er, if I cared about the child, I wouldn't have come to you. Yuanche is very well-behaved, he looks a lot like you, he will be our child."
Qingyin's tears stopped abruptly, and she was stunned. "But Yuanche is Prince Guo's child."
Emperor Yongzheng declared domineeringly, "I am the Son of Heaven. If I say he is our child, then he is. Xian'er, are you willing to be my only wife?"
Qingyin remained silent for a long time before murmuring softly, "Okay."
Upon receiving a positive reply, Yongzheng happily hugged Qingyin tightly, saying, "Xian'er, I will be good to you for the rest of my life."
The next day, the officials in the court saw that the emperor was in an unusually good mood. Everyone was puzzled. Was the emperor starting to act strangely because he was getting old?
Emperor Yongzheng had Su Peisheng read aloud the prepared decree for divorce.
...
In an instant, the entire court was so silent that you could hear a single breath.
The officials fell into an unusual silence upon hearing the bizarre news. Could it be that the Emperor had ordered the concubine who had given birth to the eldest son of Prince Guo to divorce him, and even allowed the concubine to take the child back to her parents' home? Had they misheard to hear such a strange thing?
The officials tacitly turned their gazes to the Duke of Pei, a minister who had served two dynasties. This concubine was the Duke of Pei's legitimate daughter!
Despite the gloating or sympathetic glances from the crowd, the Duke of Pei remained expressionless. He was keenly aware of His Majesty's good mood and the kindness shown towards Xian'er in his decree. Although the decree was absurd, it did not say anything bad about her. He recalled what his youngest son had once told him, and an impossible guess arose in his heart, making him even more composed.
The officials who had been watching him were filled with admiration. He was indeed a minister of state who had served two dynasties and was still highly regarded. Regardless of whether he didn't care about his daughter or anything else, his calm and composed attitude in the face of adversity was something they should learn from!
Therefore, before Prince Guo knew that he was away dealing with trivial matters, his wife and child were gone.
The news from the palace caused an uproar in Prince Guo's mansion. The happiest person was undoubtedly Yu Yin, who was nearly seven months pregnant. Overjoyed, she didn't care that others would see her in this state and went to see her ex-fiancé, who was divorcing her.
In Qingju Pavilion, Qingyin had Granny Ma pack up her things and the young prince. Amidst the sad and reluctant gazes filling the courtyard, Qingyin led Granny Ma and the others to prepare to return to the Duke of Pei's mansion.
Qingyin only allowed Granny Ma to take the betrothal gifts with her. The gifts from Prince Guo remained untouched. Apart from her confidantes, Qingyin only planned to take the beautiful Caiping with her. Caiping's indenture was already in Qingyin's hands. Qingyin had finally stepped out of the courtyard where she had been lying down for a long time.
Little Yuanche was held quietly in Granny Ma's arms, as if he knew it was an important day, so well-behaved that it broke your heart.
Qingyin affectionately touched his chubby little face before continuing on her way. Once outside the courtyard, she saw Yuyin, who was emaciated except for her belly. Her eyes were full of pride, but that pride froze the moment she saw Qingyin's face.
She wore a light blue cheongsam and had her hair styled in a simple double bun. However, the simple clothing on her was instead accentuated by her extremely gorgeous face, making her look like a fairy in a sari. It did not appear plain; instead, it made the girl seem like a fairy descended from heaven. Her skin was like solidified cream, white with a rosy glow, her hair was as thick as woven fabric, her face was like a lotus flower, and her lips were like vermilion. Every part of her body exuded exquisite beauty, like an unparalleled peony blooming under the ultimate beauty, so flawless and captivating under the warm sunlight.
Originally, Cai Ping, who was standing next to Qing Yin, was also an extremely beautiful girl. However, compared to her, she immediately paled in comparison and became as ordinary as a pebble that could be found anywhere.
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