A short while later, Ning Jue brought over another cup.
Nangong Mi could no longer bear it. Tears streaming down her face, she swallowed Nangong Liu'er's blood along with her own, which earned her a satisfied smile from Si Jin.
The young king slowly sat down in the main chair, his slender fingers lightly tapping the table.
Only then did he feign ignorance and get to the point: "Father-in-law, you didn't come all this way in the middle of the night just to ask me for a few sips of blood, did you?"
Nangong Mi trembled all over, his hair turned white, and he seemed to have aged decades in an instant.
He couldn't stand up, and he didn't dare to speak to Si Jin with any more confidence.
He knelt on the ground and begged, even changing his address from "Ning Sijin" to "Fourth Prince".
"Your Highness, I have come today to take my daughter home..."
"But your daughter is now my consort. As the saying goes, a woman follows her husband wherever he goes, so it might not be convenient for you to take her back."
Si Jin continued, his words dripping with malice: "Moreover, Nangong Liu'er is unfaithful and must be executed by the Emperor. If you wish to save her life, I can grant her a letter of divorce, severing her ties with the Fourth Prince's residence. What does the Prime Minister think?"
In this rigidly hierarchical era, a single letter of divorce could ruin a woman's life.
Nangong Mi had originally planned to have his daughter divorce Si Jin when Si Jin was on his deathbed.
This way, she could get rid of Ning Sijin, and also make Liu'er appear loyal and righteous, thus preserving her reputation.
But now that Liu'er's secret rendezvous has been discovered, Ning Sijin's letter of divorce is enough to turn her from a talented woman into the object of ridicule for all the women in the court.
Ning Sijin's actions are a blatant insult to the Nangong family!
Nangong Mi was heartbroken.
But in order to get Nangong Liuer to leave the palace, he swallowed his humiliation and nodded in agreement: "Thank you for your mercy, Your Highness."
“Hey, don’t rush to thank me.” Si Jin added, “This letter of divorce is like a life-saving charm for Nangong Liuer; it’s not something given for free.”
“I remember that your Nangong family owns thousands of acres of fertile land in Mizhou. This was the dowry you promised to Nangong Liuer when she married into the family. Logically speaking, this dowry should belong to my Fourth Prince’s Mansion along with Nangong Liuer.”
"But all these years, it has never fallen into my hands, and I feel it is a great loss."
"If my father-in-law doesn't mind, how about giving me double the amount of land in exchange for Nangong Liuer's letter of divorce?"
He should be given double the amount of fertile land.
Just to bring shame upon the Nangong family!
Nangong Miqi's heart clenched violently, and he almost fainted.
Ning Sijin not only beat him up and made him lose face, but also wanted to take away his land?
When I said I'd give him the land, it was just a joke. Why did you take it seriously?
If they really take his two thousand hectares of land, wouldn't that be equivalent to taking away half of the Prime Minister's estate?
Seeing Nangong Mi hesitate, Si Jin continued coolly, "If father-in-law is unwilling, that's fine too. Tonight, I will hand Nangong Liu'er over to the Censorate for processing. I'm afraid she won't live past tomorrow..."
Threatened like this, Nangong Mi immediately shuddered and finally relented with a heavy heart: "Fine! I'll give you the land! As long as you divorce Liu'er, I'm willing to give you anything!"
As he spoke, Nangong Mi's face flushed red again, utterly humiliated.
For so many years, he had held immense power in the court, but this was the first time he had ever knelt before someone like a dog, offering up everything to beg for a divorce.
Ning! Si! Jin!
Once Liu'er gets through this ordeal, I will definitely not let you go!
"Okay, let's put it in writing."
Si Jin instructed the servants to bring over the document, and had Nangong Mi kneel down and put his fingerprint on it. Only then did he order Ning Jue to throw the unconscious Nangong Liuer, whose body was covered with wounds from the bloodletting, in front of Nangong Mi.
Unable to withstand such intense stimulation, Nangong Mi's fierceness faded, his vision went black, and he fainted.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com