Chapter 334 Letter of Divorce
“Uncle, the Prince of Xiang died for the country, and Yunheng lost his father at a young age. I only want to take better care of him and do justice to my brother.”
"Rest assured, I will not allow the Prince of Xiang's heir to suffer any harm," Prince Gong said, stroking his beard.
The matter at hand today was brought to him by the Crown Prince himself a few days ago.
He initially didn't believe Xiao Yunheng would do such a thing, until Xiao Xuanyou produced the evidence of Xiao Yunheng's crimes and invited him to the palace today to hear it for himself.
He had lived in seclusion for many years, yet he remained keenly aware of the power struggles within the palace. He naturally knew what Xiao Yunheng's intentions were.
Emperor Xuanzhao asked him, "How does the Imperial Uncle intend to deal with the Heir Apparent of the Prince of Xiang?"
"Let him cultivate his character and stay with me to farm for a few years. Let him come back after the Crown Prince ascends the throne."
Prince Gong looked at Xiao Yunheng and spoke slowly.
Xiao Yunheng's expression changed as expected.
Prince Gong now resides at the foot of Changshan Mountain in the northern suburbs of Beijing. Many farmers live around the area, and Prince Gong cultivates his mind and body while farming, leading a tranquil rural life.
But Xiao Yunheng himself was in his prime and had grand ambitions. How could he bear to be far away from the power center of the capital and grow vegetables in such a remote place?
"Uncle, please forgive me. I am not unwilling, but if I go to Changshan with you, my mother in the Prince of Xiang's mansion will be left unattended."
Prince Gong said, “It’s alright. Then we will bring your mother to the foot of Changshan Mountain. There are plenty of places to stay there. Besides, your mother likes to be quiet and meditate on Buddhism. There is also a Buddhist hall on Changshan Mountain, which is most suitable for your mother.”
"What does Your Majesty think?" he asked Emperor Xuanzhao.
Emperor Xuanzhao thought about it.
With so many people watching, he can't just keep protecting Xiao Yunheng.
Let's find another excuse to bring them back after some time.
So he nodded and said, "Alright, we'll do as you say, Uncle."
He then turned to Xiao Yunheng and said, "Go to Changshan and take good care of your royal uncle on behalf of your father. When your father was alive, he was closest to your royal uncle."
Xiao Yunheng's expression was beyond ugly.
Having left Kyoto to live under someone else's roof in Changshan, how could he act as secretly as before?
With such an imperial uncle by his side, it was as if he was being watched all day long, unable to move an inch at all.
Why do they all keep thinking about Xiao Xuanyou?
He also called him Imperial Uncle, and was also his blood relative. Just because Xiao Xuanyou's identity was legitimate, were they all busy trying to please him?
Xiao Yunheng gritted his teeth and knelt down with a thud. As usual, when no one was around, he asked Emperor Xuanzhao for help and grabbed his robe.
"Your Majesty, my mother has been unwell. If she knew that I had left the Prince of Xiang's residence and would not be able to return, she would be heartbroken. I beg you to consider my mother's feelings and change the punishment. I am willing to accept any punishment, as long as I can stay in the capital and see my mother whenever I want."
He disregarded the presence of so many people and looked up at Emperor Xuanzhao with tears in his eyes.
Emperor Xuanzhao sighed, but only patted his shoulder without saying anything, his tiger-like eyes filled with heavy sorrow.
Xiao Yunheng knew that Emperor Xuanzhao was planning to abandon him.
Sure enough, no matter how much he seemed to dote on him on the surface, Emperor Xuanzhao would abandon him once Xiao Xuanyou was involved.
He should have known this long ago.
"It was I who overstepped my bounds," he immediately adjusted his mindset, stopped dwelling on it, and resumed being the gentle and refined Prince Xiang of the past. "I will be filial to my imperial uncle and do my best to cultivate myself and atone for my sins."
"That's good then." Emperor Xuanzhao couldn't bear to look at him again.
Xiao Yunheng quickly took his leave with Prince Gong.
Before leaving, Xiao Yunheng gave Shen Ci'an another look with a half-smile.
Now, only half of the seven days until the onset of the poisoning remain.
He will take Doctor Xue with him before going to Changshan.
He wanted to see if Shen Ci'an could pull through without the antidote.
Shen Ci'an merely glanced back at him indifferently, without saying a word.
"Your Highness, please take good care of your injuries. I'm sorry you had to suffer today," Emperor Xuanzhao comforted Xiao Xuanyou.
"With Father Emperor upholding justice for me, I have no regrets," Xiao Xuanyou said respectfully.
Emperor Xuanzhao offered a few more words of comfort before departing from the Eastern Palace.
"Miss, may we return to the manor now?" Shen Ci'an asked, holding Jiang Zhi's hand.
Aside from that brief meeting at the imperial prison, he hadn't seen his young lady for a long time.
Jiang Zhi nodded and bowed to Xiao Xuanyou and Li Jinyan, "If there is nothing else, then my husband and I will take our leave."
"Go ahead." Xiao Xuanyou did not try to stop him.
Shen Ci'an and Jiang Zhi bid farewell and left.
Lu Yuan, holding his sword, followed them out of the palace.
“The Shen family’s carriage is right at the palace gate, Lord Lu,” Shen Ci’an said calmly, “take your leave now.”
Lu Yuan ignored him completely, staring intently at Jiang Zhi. "When can I come to see you?"
"Lu Yuan!" Shen Ci'an could no longer contain himself. "Don't go too far."
"Aren't you two about to get a divorce?" Lu Yuan smirked. "What does it have to do with Lord Shen if I'm just trying to build up my relationship with her beforehand?"
Shen Ci'an's previously calm expression cracked, and his voice turned cold. "At least for now, she is still my wife. If you continue to cause trouble, I will have no choice but to file a lawsuit with the Emperor and let him punish you properly."
Lu Yuan snorted coldly.
Jiang Zhi spoke up, "Lord Lu, let's talk about this after everything has settled down. I'm tired and just want to go back to my residence to rest."
Although everything went very smoothly.
But for some reason, Jiang Zhi felt a vague unease in her heart.
The look Xiao Yunheng gave Shen Ci'an before being taken away by Prince Gong sent chills down her spine.
It was sinister, resentful, and tinged with a hint of excitement at watching a good show.
She had a feeling that something unexpected was going to happen.
“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” Lu Yuan’s attitude only softened slightly when he was facing Jiang Zhi. “I also ask Lord Shen to take good care of Princess Qinghe for me.”
Shen Ci'an had no desire to say anything more to him.
With a cold face, he helped Jiang Zhi into the carriage that was already waiting outside the palace gate.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow, mounted his horse, and rode away.
Jiang Zhi returned to the Shen residence, feeling as if she had been transported to another world.
Qingxing, her eyes red, came forward to help her wash her hands and wipe her face. Ruying and Anyue followed beside her, as if afraid that she would disappear again in the blink of an eye.
It was already dark when the maids withdrew after dinner and washing up, and the room gradually quieted down.
Jiang Zhi sat in front of the bronze mirror, taking off her hair bun. Shen Ci'an stood behind her, removing the hair ornaments one by one.
"Master, it's getting late, you should rest early."
Shen Ci'an gave a faint "hmm" and said, "Miss, go to sleep first. I have some official business to attend to and will be back soon."
Jiang Zhi was indeed feeling physically and mentally exhausted, so she nodded and went to bed first.
Shen Ci'an slowly walked into the study, lit a candle, and took out paper and brush to grind ink and write.
Soon, the three powerful characters "Letter of Divorce" appeared on the paper.
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