Chapter 36 Divorce (The End)
Shen Jizhao dragged Jiang Shuifu all the way to the East Palace. His blood flowed continuously down her wrists, staining her dress and shoes red. She smelled of his blood all over her body, and she frowned unhappily.
"Aren't you the most proud? Even the Crown Prince would resort to such underhanded tricks. The imperial edict can only delay for a while, not forever."
Shen Jizhao wouldn't let go, keeping her firmly in his grasp as he strode toward his study. Jiang Shuifu didn't struggle; based on past experience, it would be futile. She simply covered her nose and mouth with disgust to expel his scent.
Suddenly, he slowed down and bumped into her, pressing close to her and giving her no room to back away or escape.
"You and I are like mandarin ducks playing in the water, our relationship is one of perfect harmony. Mere blood is nothing compared to our flavor!"
Jiang Shuifu glared at him. "Your Highness, you're not pretending anymore? Weren't you barely able to stand? You look like you're about to die, yet you still have the nerve to spout nonsense!"
Shen Jizhao didn't speak, but stared at her intently, as if he wanted to bore a hole through her with his gaze. She said he was being horny!
Ha! Just now in the main hall, she clearly said that even if she left him, she would not forget him and would not be able to bear to part with him.
How many faces does this woman have?
He swallowed her sarcastic words and pulled her along as they continued walking.
Finally arriving at the study, the forbidden area of the entire Eastern Palace, Shen Jizhao finally let go of her hand.
Jiang Shuifu knew he was very stubborn and would never give up until he achieved his goal, so she asked him directly:
"Your Highness, what else do you want? Explain yourself! I'll indulge you one last time!"
Shen Jizhao turned her around so that she could look up.
"I consulted the Imperial Observatory, and tonight is the best time for stargazing. This location is the best in the entire Eastern Palace for stargazing, so I brought you here."
As Jiang Shuifu looked up at the sky, the sky instantly exploded into a dazzling display of fireworks, unlike ordinary flower shapes, these were all star-shaped sparks.
The fireworks display continued unabated, with loud bangs, it was incredibly grand, and she was truly mesmerized by it; no woman could resist its charm.
All the maids and eunuchs of the Eastern Palace rushed to watch the scene. Countless stars burst into bloom in the sky, streaking across the horizon and falling, followed immediately by new fireworks.
In an instant, the entire night sky became extremely bright, with stars twinkling like dappled shadows under the trees, illuminating Jiang Shuifu in the center, making her appear like a goddess appearing and disappearing in the chaotic darkness.
She was truly immersed in the moment, and the tense atmosphere between them was temporarily overshadowed by the dazzling starry sky.
Shen Jizhao's heart gradually relaxed. She liked it. He leaned close to her face and looked at her, saying:
"I've inquired and found out that you like setting off fireworks and looking at the stars. I thought that after the fireworks ended, the stars in the sky would be even brighter, so I prepared a sky full of stars for you."
The fireworks exploded for a full half-incense stick's time, long enough for the blood on Shen Jizhao's hands to slowly dry. She watched the fireworks, and he watched her.
He noticed that her eyes sparkled with a glimmer brighter than all the stars in the sky.
The sparks faded, replaced by real, eternal stars. The wonders of nature astonished her, and she was captivated, gazing at them in awe.
"I saw it at first glance, and I didn't expect you to see it too. The brightest one is Vega, which symbolizes the relationship between men and women..."
Jiang Shuifu interrupted his explanation, telling him not to speak. He thought he was disturbing her and didn't want to bother her while she was quietly watching the stars, so he shut up.
Her expression relaxed completely, her eyes softened, and her lips curved into a gentle smile. At this moment, she felt completely at ease and healed.
Suddenly, she realized that there are different ways to live in this world, and she longed for a new life.
Shen Jizhao had promised her to watch the stars for a long time, but he had never had the chance to do so. On New Year's Eve, he originally wanted to give her a surprise and watch the stars with her, but he never expected that she would propose a divorce on this day.
He knew it was his fault and promised:
"Whenever you want to see the stars, I'll be there with you!"
After a long while, Jiang Shuifu finally looked away and said, "I do like these stars. I take back what I said last time."
Last time she said she didn't want to watch anymore.
Shen Jizhao's expression softened considerably, and the corners of his mouth slightly turned up. However, halfway up his lips, she abruptly froze his lips:
"I just realized that you can enjoy stargazing all by yourself. The stars are beautiful not because you have someone else with you, but because you can enjoy them alone!"
She repeatedly emphasized that one person was enough, and he was somewhat dazed, suddenly recalling the scene of the first time she said she wanted to see the stars.
At that moment, her eyes were filled with stars, blooming just for him.
"I can look at the stars all night long when my husband takes me to see them! My husband will explain every single star in the sky to me!"
Later, after he stood her up, his absurd and bizarre statement to everyone that she wanted monogamy was utterly ridiculous. She replied, "Husband, would you like to look at the stars again?"
Later, when they had a complete falling out, she gave up on the stars she had talked about for so long: "I don't want to watch them anymore."
Now, he stands beside her, watching the stars with her, fulfilling her initial wish, but she no longer cares. She says she's happy enough on her own!
How did these changes come about? Why did things develop to this point, where she no longer needs him, not even something as simple as looking at the stars?
Shen Jizhao took a half step back, somewhat confused. Was she really going to leave him?
"So, from my husband to the Crown Prince, and then to His Highness the Crown Prince, is it enough for you to be the only one?"
Because one person was enough, the way people addressed him became increasingly distant and unfamiliar, from a wife's affectionate nickname for her husband, to calling him "Crown Prince" in front of outsiders to maintain decorum, and finally to the respectful title of "Your Highness the Crown Prince" to strangers.
"So, that's why you don't want me to explain?"
Because one person was enough, his explanation was stopped before he could finish, along with her past feelings for him.
For her, it's all in the past.
Jiang Shuifu lowered her head and looked away. Pan Tao had been waiting beside her with things in hand for a long time.
Her next sentence pulled Shen Jizhao back from the brink of despair:
"Your Highness, the divorce I just offered you wasn't a gift from me. The gifts I offered you were these!"
Shen Jizhao's hope was rekindled. "What gift?"
The peaches were presented to Shen Jizhao, and he recognized them at a glance.
The peach-colored gauze dress he gave her in the countryside, the jade bracelet she never parted with, and the nightgown she made for him by hand—that extremely bright nightgown that he never favored.
How did this nightgown end up in her hands?
Come to think of it, it's been a long time since I've seen it.
Jiang Shuifu's tone was nonchalant, but her words were anything but gentle:
"This nightgown was made by me over many days and nights. I revised it many times, afraid that you wouldn't be satisfied. When it rained, I even kept it close to my body. You don't like it or cherish it. I can't criticize you for that. I just feel it's not worth it. Now, I've taken it back. Your Highness has probably forgotten it even exists."
Shen Jizhao wanted to deny it, but found that he couldn't. In the end, he could only shamelessly admit, "I... am too busy."
Jiang Shuifu nodded:
“Your Highness is very busy. It’s been like this every day since I entered the Eastern Palace. You’re so busy that I’m not allowed to ask where you are, so busy that I’m not allowed to ask when you’ll be back, so busy that you forget all the things you promised me, so busy that all my efforts are labeled as improper. Actually, you just don’t like me. Everything else comes before me.”
Shen Jizhao's palms clenched again, and the bleeding that had just stopped quickly gushed out again. He subconsciously staggered forward, saying, "I...I..."
Shen Jizhao could never say the word "like". In his more than twenty years of life, he had never said he liked anyone. That was an emotion he shouldn't have, and it was also an attempt to please someone who was not of his status.
Moreover, the emotion of liking someone is too unfamiliar to him to recognize.
Jiang Shuifu pointed to the gauze skirt again, exhaled, and said:
"This dress was a gift from you, and I cherish it. I even wore it to my birthday party last time. It wasn't because it was pretty or brightly colored, but because it was a gift from you. It was the first time you earned money with your own hands, and you bought it for me. I was really touched, and I really liked it. It was the first gift you ever gave me in the true sense. But now, without your mark, it's just an ordinary dress, so ordinary that I wouldn't even give it a second glance. I think I won't wear it anymore, so I'm returning it to you."
Shen Jizhao's footsteps drew closer again. It turned out that she used to like the things he gave her so much, and liked him so much. Now she said she wouldn't even glance at them, but in reality, it was him who wouldn't even look at them.
He felt a lump in his throat, and a dense, bitter feeling welled up in his heart.
Jiang Shuifu glanced at the jade bracelet that had once caused her the most heartache, and now she could smile gently:
“This jade bracelet is even more ridiculous. You told me it was a piece of junk, old and worn, and that I should sell it. To tell you the truth, I thought it was a coming-of-age gift from you, so I always wore it on my wrist and never took it off. Because of this bracelet, I was punished and confined to my quarters, but you still refused to agree that it was just a broken and useless object as you described. If it weren't for it, I wouldn't have entered the Eastern Palace. But since it was a mistake, I admit it and return it to its rightful owner. Please return it to the Empress.”
Shen Jizhao looked as if he had been struck by a lightning bolt from the heavens; his face had turned deathly pale!
No wonder, no wonder she cherished this bracelet so much. For this bracelet, she, who was always obedient, actually talked back to him for the first time. For three years, the bracelet she wore all the time had this origin.
He hated the bracelet because she liked it, and she liked the bracelet because she liked him.
And what did he do? He punished her, made her sell herself, and spoke ill of what she valued most. What exactly did he do?
So, after her birthday banquet, she took off the bracelet, which also meant kicking him out of her heart, because she knew the truth and was completely disappointed in him.
He missed her birthday banquet and broke his promise. He never imagined that this bracelet would be his death warrant.
He longed to approach her, but unconsciously he stepped back, realizing then that he had lost the right to get close to her.
Jiang Shuifu said no more: "I will repay you for everything, one by one. We are now even!"
Shen Jizhao reacted quickly. Although he was not qualified, he still followed his heart: "I will not accept these things, I will not accept any of them!"
Jiang Shuifu remained silent, so Pantao took a pair of scissors from the clothes basket and handed them to her.
After she took it, she did something without hesitation that made Shen Jizhao's eyes redden, so red that it was hard to tell whether the blood on her hand was redder or the emotion in her eyes was more intense.
"Sizzle sizzle!"
Peach pink and bright red overlapped, from large patches and heaps to strips and threads, and finally broke into pieces.
She tore up the gauze dress he gave her, and even cut and tore the nightgown he gave her. The nightgown was so tattered that it was beyond repair.
Shen Jizhao's eyes were as red as a rabbit's, and the blood from his palms flowed onto the ground, soaking the fragments until they were completely dark and unrecognizable from what they had been before.
"You...you...why?"
Jiang Shuifu's movements were swift and ruthless, but her expression was extremely calm, and her words were very gentle: "If you don't accept it, it's useless for me to keep it."
To Shen Jizhao, it felt like a mountain pressing down on him; he was trapped under a pitch-black mountain, unable to move, with no chance of escape.
But who is he? Someone who struggles desperately even on the verge of death, refusing to recognize anyone until his last ounce of strength is gone.
Shen Jizhao's eyes suddenly lit up with realization, and he pulled her into the study.
This time, he was very gentle, because he no longer had the right to force her.
He kicked open the study door: "Come with me, I have something to show you!"
Jiang Shuifu had never entered his study before. His study was very large and filled with letters. She dared not look at them for long, but he pulled her to the desk.
She stared wide-eyed, walked closer, and was utterly astonished.
Shen Jizhao picked up the ugly buck-toothed rabbit standing on the desk. The buck-toothed rabbit's teeth were already protruding outwards, and its body was shriveled up beyond recognition.
Seeing this, he felt a pang of guilt and immediately tried to cover it up:
"I will ask the best craftsman to revive it! This was made especially for me, just for me alone. I remember it, so I brought it back a long time ago!"
Jiang Shuifu remained silent, blinking her eyes indifferently.
He picked up the incongruous calligraphy brush on the table again, like a poor scholar who had mistakenly wandered into a wealthy young master's private garden party.
"I told you I wanted a calligraphy brush, and you spent most of your money to buy it for me. At that time, we couldn't even afford to eat! After returning to the palace, although I had many brushes, I kept this one all this time!"
"And the wooden cane you picked up for me and the clothes you bought for me, I brought them all back. On the second day after we set off to return to the palace, I didn't tell you anything."
Shen Jizhao simply refused to admit that he had already sent people to retrieve everything from the countryside before she begged him to bring it back to the capital.
He realized his behavior was inappropriate only after he did it, so he pretended not to hear and didn't respond to her.
"We will not be even; I am willing to owe you!"
She took the two items he gave her, first stroking them tenderly, as if recalling past experiences they had shared, her eyes softening for a moment.
"You're right, we're not even yet!"
Shen Jizhao was overjoyed. Even though his methods were clumsy, as long as he could keep her, he still had a chance.
But the next instant, "Crack!"
A crisp sound landed clearly in the entire study, striking his heart.
Then, it was "tap tap!" again.
His heart felt heavy, crushed, and the rising emotions quickly subsided.
The calligraphy brush was broken! The buck-toothed rabbit was stepped on!
The last few things that connected them were gone; she had destroyed them all with her own hands, completely and utterly destroyed them!
No, there's more! His cane, his cane!
Shen Jizhao quickly looked at Jiang Shuifu, but she had already noticed the cane. No one was more familiar with the cane than her, so she saw it as soon as she came in.
She took the candle from the table and burned the cane. The cane, which hadn't been processed at all, was just a very ordinary old piece of wood, and it caught fire instantly.
Flames began to rise rapidly from the head of the cane, growing larger and larger.
Just as the cane was about to be burned to a crisp, Shen Jizhao appeared out of nowhere and used his hands to save the remaining part. His hands were already bleeding, and now they were swollen and blistered, bloody and raw, oozing pus and sores.
He seemed oblivious to the pain, continuing until the fire was completely extinguished.
He looked at the mess on the floor and casually asked her a question, as if that way, even if he got a negative answer, he could pretend he didn't hear her:
"Can't things end differently for us?"
Jiang Shuifu chuckled slightly: "Us? What 'us'?"
Shen Jizhao's hand trembled slightly, and the cane in his hand rolled far away.
This answer is even more negative than a denial.
She reminded him of his identity again: "Your Highness the Crown Prince!"
His relationship with her was that of His Highness the Crown Prince and his subject's daughter; there was no other connection between them, and certainly no "us."
"Shui Fu, I have never called you that before. Will you reconsider?"
"Shen Jizhao, I have never called you that before. Please grant my wish!"
In an instant, a high-pitched, feminine voice came from outside:
"Imperial decree has arrived! Jiang Shuifu, the eldest daughter of the Jiang family, receive the decree!"
The eldest daughter of the Jiang family! Shen Jizhao knew it was coming!
From this day forward, she will no longer be his Crown Princess, but simply the legitimate daughter of the Jiang family, Jiang Shuifu.
The imperial decree for divorce has arrived!
Jiang Shuifu calmly accepted it, a smile spreading across her face as she expressed her gratitude.
After seeing off the eunuchs around the emperor, she was about to leave as well. She had packed all her things and was ready to go.
Shen Jizhao explained to her before she walked out of the palace gate:
"I...I didn't lie to you, it's my blood, not its blood..."
Jiang Shuifu paused. The "it" he was referring to should be Weiwei. He had promised her he would save it, so the blood he cut wasn't itss, but his own.
That's why he was able to easily cut his hand again, thus gaining this opportunity to delay.
She sighed, and now, completely as an outsider, a passerby, she offered him her final words of advice:
"Your Highness, if you like someone in the future, please don't treat her like this anymore. Women should be cherished."
Shen Jizhao couldn't express his feelings at that moment in words; she was teaching him how to love!
Go and love others!
In a detached tone!
He failed in his responsibilities as a husband, and she felt no love from him, so she reminded him not to treat the next woman this way!
She is indeed generous!
He realized that it would be better to let go first; she needed him to let go.
Since she wanted to leave him so badly, he wouldn't force her. How could he, Shen Jizhao, possibly lack a woman?
But his chest felt swollen and uncomfortable, so he touched it.
Ah, it turns out that he made the bracelet from pearls he caught in the river himself.
It was originally intended as a birthday gift for her, but in the end, it was never given to her.
He stood up, reverting to his former indifference, and casually asked a question as if nothing had happened, merely showing concern for someone he knew:
"I'll give you what you want, but...where are you going?"
-----------------------
Author's Note: The paragraph comments are now open; we've finally divorced.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
