Chapter 125 Detailed Discussion on Divorce "Zhaozhao, let's get a divorce, only in this way..."
The very next morning, Zhuang Ziyang brought the news when he returned home from court.
During the morning court session, Emperor Qing announced that the salt certificate case would be handled by the Ministry of Revenue from that day forward.
"The Ministry of Revenue?" Li Yang tried hard to recall. "Grandpa, isn't the Ministry of Revenue the same Minister who recommended Zhang Youdao last time?"
Zhuang Ziyang nodded. "His Highness the Second Prince has also been placed under house arrest by His Majesty."
"Why?" the mother and daughter asked in unison.
Yesterday, the Second Prince agreed to help with the salt permit issue, so why is he under house arrest today?
"Because the Second Prince strongly recommended replacing him with someone else, His Majesty was angered," Zhuang Ziyang said in a deep voice, explaining the reason.
It turns out that during the morning court session this morning, the Second Prince Li Zhen raised the salt permit case and suggested that the Ministry of Personnel should preside over the trial.
However, the Minister of Revenue said that the case involved not only the officials involved but also the salt merchants, and therefore fell under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Revenue.
Emperor Qing immediately appointed the Minister of Revenue to take charge, but the Second Prince strongly recommended him, which angered Emperor Qing, and he was punished by being confined to his quarters.
However, Emperor Qing eventually agreed to have the Ministry of Personnel assist in handling the matter.
"Grandpa, would the Assistant Minister of Personnel be of any help?" Li Yang was unfamiliar with court affairs.
Zhuang Ziyang then explained the various factions within the court to his daughter and granddaughter one by one.
It turns out that the Minister of Revenue was recommended by Ji, the younger brother of Consort Li. Because of this connection, they recommended Zhang Youdao to serve as the Vice Minister of Revenue.
The Ministry of Personnel was under the jurisdiction of Consort Gao, the maternal relative of the Second Prince.
Zhuang Xiangguo and his disciples have always obeyed only Emperor Qing's orders, making them a truly loyal faction.
Therefore, it is said that the court is divided into three pillars: the Second Prince, the Fourth Prince, and the lineage of Prime Minister Zhuang.
"Grandpa, if the Fourth Prince or the Second Prince gains power in the future, aren't you afraid they will target you because of this?" Li Yang asked directly, puzzled.
Upon hearing this, Zhuang Ziyang gave her a deep look. "What if it were Zhaozhao?"
"I don't know. Maybe he's like my grandfather, living off the emperor's salary and being loyal to him." Li Yang rested his head on his hand, unable to come up with an answer.
Zhuang Ziyang then asked, "Isn't Zhao Zhao afraid of being targeted afterward?"
Li Yang thought for a moment, "I am afraid. But this is a matter for the imperial family, not for the court officials, and it is not something the court officials should do."
Zhuang Ziyang nodded and smiled, "That's right."
However, now that the second prince is under house arrest, the family of three is facing a dilemma.
"For now, we can only wait for information from the Ministry of Personnel. I've also sent people to inquire about the prison guards," Zhuang Ziyang said helplessly.
Before they could receive any news from the jailer, they received news of the rapid progress made by the imperial court in investigating the salt permit case.
On that day in the imperial court, Lord Li reported the results of the investigation into the salt certificate case. The amount of embezzlement was exactly the same as the amount Emperor Qing had estimated. Although no signatures were obtained from the salt merchants or Lin Yihuai, the amount calculated based on the account books was irrefutable.
Such a groundbreaking case, lacking empirical evidence and relying entirely on speculation, is naturally unconvincing.
Therefore, during the morning court session that day, the court officials were in an uproar. The civil officials led by Zhuang Ziyang and the Ministry of Revenue led by the Fourth Prince Li Zhao held completely opposite views on the verdict in this case.
Because the Second Prince Li Zhen was under house arrest and did not participate in today's morning court, the Ministry of Personnel was happy to watch the show.
Emperor Qing, who was always cautious, was furious after hearing the report from the Ministry of Revenue. He immediately ordered the confiscation of the homes of officials, including Chen Junbai. The others were released and allowed to return to their hometowns to pay fines, as they were considered accomplices.
The news reached Li Yang's ears along with Zhuang Ziyang.
She felt a wave of dizziness. So fast?! A verdict based solely on guesswork in the accounts?
“Grandpa, Chen Junbo couldn’t possibly be corrupt.” Li Yang knelt down with a thud. “Grandpa, please think of a way to save him.”
Zhuang Ziyang simply held her arm and gently shook his head. "I've already spoken with the people in charge of guarding her. Zhaozhao, go see him tomorrow."
"Grandpa, if they raid our house, will they be beheaded?"
Seeing his granddaughter's face covered in tears, Zhuang Ziyang took a letter from his desk and handed it to Li Yang.
A divorce agreement?!
"Grandpa?" Li Yang asked, puzzled.
"This is what Chen Junbo gave me last time." Zhuang Ziyang looked at Li Yang. "Zhaozhao, he did it for your own good."
Tears streamed down Li Yang's face as he clutched the letter in his hand, utterly incredulous. This man actually wanted a divorce? How dare he? He had vowed to be devoted to her for life, not even for a single day less. How could he dare write this divorce agreement? He was the one who had forced her to tear up the contract back then, and now he was the one writing the divorce papers.
With tears streaming down his face, Li Yang returned to his room in a daze. He thought about it for a whole day and night, but couldn't figure anything out. Then, in a daze, he went back to his cell.
The verdict has been handed down, and Li Yuhan and Liu Yitong are about to be released, so they are assigned to separate cells with Chen Junbo.
What Li Yang saw was a tattered body, curled up on a few straws on the cell floor.
The person who was usually so clean is now covered in dry hair and dirt, and his hands are shackled and black.
His undergarments hadn't been changed for days; the whip had torn them to shreds, leaving his skin ripped and blood mingling with the filth on the ground.
He looked like a beggar on the street, and also like he was about to die.
"Chen Junbo," Li Yang called out to him in a trembling voice.
The person lying on the ground opened their eyes, glanced in her direction, then closed them again and took a deep breath. Using the strength of their shackled hands, they pushed themselves up from the ground, trembling and hunched over, unable to sit upright. They sighed twice, "You've come."
Li Yang ignored the scolding and rushed over to check his injuries. There wasn't a single uninjured spot on his body or back, and she didn't know how to support him.
She quickly took out the medicine from her bosom and asked the jailer to bring a basin of water. She then took out her undergarments and cloth from her bundle, intending to apply the medicine and change his clothes.
Chen Junbo seemed to lack the strength, letting her do as she pleased without making a sound.
The wounds on his back were layered one on top of another; some looked as if they had been exposed to the sun for a long time, while others still had beads of blood seeping from them.
Li Yang carefully wet the cloth, tore off his shirt, used the cloth strips to clean the wound, and then carefully applied medicine.
After some fuss, they changed him into a new undergarment, and he looked somewhat like his usual self.
Seeing this, Li Yang's initial resentment turned into bitterness.
With an expression that suggested she wanted to both curse and cry, Chen Junbo looked up and reached out to pull her.
Without much effort, Li Yang was pulled to sit on the ground.
"You want a divorce?" Li Yang threw out the divorce letter that had been written at some unknown time.
Chen Junbo seemed to still lack strength. He fumbled for the letter for a while before resting his head on Li Yang's shoulder.
Li Yang felt that the man's head was extremely hot. He reached out and touched it, and his forehead was burning hot. "Do you have a fever?" he said, and then got up to call for someone.
Chen Junbo pulled her down, saying, "Just let me lean on you for a bit, I don't have the strength."
Hearing him say that, Li Yang lost all her temper and sat up straight beside him, letting him lean on her.
After a moment of silence, Chen Junbo said slowly, "Zhaozhao, let's get a divorce. Only in this way will we not be a burden to you."
"I don't care!" Li Yang said angrily in a low voice, "I don't care. You said we'd be together for life, not even for a day less."
Hearing her say that, Chen Junbo forced a smile, then sighed a few times, "Zhaozhao."
Li Yang remained silent, holding back his words.
Chen Junbo began to speak, “When I was a child, my father was never home, and my mother was always busy, so she would lock me alone in the yard.”
Later, one time, the maidservant was probably careless and forgot to lock the door. I secretly ran into my mother's courtyard and saw an actor. I was terrified and ran back to my own courtyard, where I bumped my head on the rockery.
After that incident, my grandfather took me away from the Chen family, and I grew up in the Zhang family.
My grandfather had extremely high expectations for my studies. He made me catch up on all the lessons I had missed because of my parents within a year. If I made a mistake in any one area, he would hit my hand.
Once, while I was writing, ink splattered on me. I didn't notice and went to find my grandfather to hand in my homework. My grandfather smacked my hand as a punishment.
Li Yang suddenly realized, "So that's how it is. No wonder Chen Junbo changes his clothes so many times every day. Growing up in such an environment, it's no wonder he's so strict with himself."
Hearing this made my heart ache, and I couldn't help but turn to the side and hold his hand.
"Zhaozhao, you asked me why I used an embroidered ball to choose a husband."
Li Yang had been puzzled by this question ever since she received the embroidered ball. She asked Chen Junbo about it after they got together, but Chen Junbo didn't say much.
"After you married into the Chen family, your mother targeted you repeatedly. It wasn't because of your fault, but because I didn't follow her wishes regarding the marriage."
My mother and Li Yuhan's father were childhood sweethearts. However, the Li family arranged a marriage for Li Yuhan's father with the daughter of a minor official. After losing her childhood sweetheart, my mother married my father, who was a small merchant at the time.
At first, I heard that my father loved my mother very much. But as my mother's temper grew worse, my father moved to another house in the back alley and never came back.
I was taken in and raised by my maternal grandfather from a young age. My mother, throughout her life, was strong-willed and never managed to control me. But when it came to my marriage, she was incredibly enthusiastic.
As he spoke, he couldn't help but smile.
“During that period, my mother arranged for me to meet eight young ladies on and off.”
"Eight people?" Li Yang didn't understand why he suddenly said so much, but he still listened to what he said.
Chen Junbo told her about the backgrounds of the eight young ladies in fits and starts.
"What's wrong with this eighth young lady?" Li Yang asked.
The previous seven women were either too old or lacked money at home, and so on. This eighth woman was the daughter of a high-ranking official. She was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and was gentle and kind. Li Yang could not find anything wrong with her.
“That one is the daughter of a military general.” Chen Junbo sighed. “The Chen family is the head of the salt industry in Lianghuai. If they can also marry into the powerful and wealthy, especially military generals, then they could hold enormous wealth and military power in one person at the same time, which would be the current emperor.”
Li Yang understood immediately. "So you avoided those young ladies by using the method of choosing a husband through a bridal bouquet, and you even signed a contract with me."
Chen Junbo nodded, "I had no intention of getting married. I was just thinking of finding someone willing to cooperate, signing a two-year contract, and that would solve my immediate problem."
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