Chapter 9: Just Write the Divorce Papers Quickly

Using this to threaten me—how absurd.

Ning Junru couldn’t help but sneer coldly.

Leaving the Prince of Liang’s mansion was exactly what she had longed for. If she were to be dismissed, it would mean escaping a den of vipers and tigers, which suited her perfectly.

Zhao Shenxing, oh Zhao Shenxing!

Have you listened to so many hypocritical lies that you no longer recognize your own character?

You’re nothing but a spoiled prince, yet you still think you’re some coveted prize.

Ning Junru thought bitterly. When she first learned she was to marry the Prince of Liang, many sisters in the capital pitied her.

Rumor had it that Zhao Shenxing frequently indulged in brothels and taverns. Her mother worried endlessly that she would contract some filthy disease and had urged her repeatedly before she left.

For years, she had reported only good news in her letters home, never mentioning any private matters with the prince.

Her mother subtly asked again and again about her health.

Though she always insisted she was fine, they seemed unconvinced.

Last year, they bluntly inquired: if she was healthy, why had nearly five years passed with no heir? Was she lying to ease their minds?

Only then did Ning Junru reluctantly confess that she had never consummated the marriage after entering the household.

She expected her parents to worry, but instead, they comforted her, saying it might not be a bad thing. In life, one’s health was paramount.

As for children, there was no need to fret; once the mansion had a concubine’s son, they could adopt one under her name.

If the prince had no other intentions, she should just manage the household well and live her life peacefully.

Moreover, if the Prince of Liang dared to dismiss her on the grounds of childlessness, the Ning family’s doors would always be open for her.

Thinking of this, Ning Junru felt suddenly emboldened.

“If the prince truly wants to dismiss me, he can find any excuse he wishes. Why go to such lengths?”

She glanced at the pot of spring orchids beside him, her expression unchanged.

Had she been any other woman, hearing her husband wanted to divorce her would have sent her into a panic, begging on her knees. Yet she remained as if nothing had happened.

Zhao Shenxing’s clouded eyes flared with anger. He pressed his lips tightly and clenched his fists, struggling to control himself.

This marriage had been arranged by the Empress Dowager; no matter how much he disliked it, he had never considered dismissal.

His threat was merely to intimidate her, yet she was neither swayed nor intimidated.

“A divorce? Not a chance!”

Zhao Shenxing, furious, lost control of his words. “Since you want to leave the Prince of Liang’s mansion so badly, I’ll grant your wish. Write the divorce papers immediately!”

“No need for such fuss. I have writing materials right here.” Ning Junru stepped aside, making way. “To avoid lingering doubts, Your Highness should write them now!”

She was even smiling!

Seeing her so cheerful, Zhao Shenxing strode toward the desk.

“Write then! Once I finish, I want you out of this mansion immediately!”

Ha! He was truly provoked beyond endurance. Ning Junru hurried over to grind the ink.

Zhao Shenxing was never good with words. Since arriving in Liangzhou, no one dared oppose him, not even in argument.

He only agreed to write the divorce papers because he was angry. As soon as he sat down, regret filled him.

With Madame Chang just having entered, writing divorce papers right then would have made it seem like he favored a concubine over his wife.

Favoring a concubine and dismissing a wife was a grave offense. Even princes were punished for such behavior.

“You, Ning Junru! You’re truly cunning. I almost fell into your trap!”

As Zhao Shenxing brooded, the voice of Dowager Xu pierced the room.

“How dare you!”

“An Empress Dowager’s arranged marriage is no game for you to play with!”

Like a man being roasted alive, Zhao Shenxing finally felt relief. He hastily stood and bowed, “Your servant greets Mother Dowager.”

Dowager Xu glared at the paper on the desk and demanded loudly, “If I don’t come, does the prince intend to dismiss her?”

“The princess consort insisted on divorce; I was only granting her wish!” Zhao Shenxing snapped, slapping his sleeve and standing stiffly with hands behind his back.

Ning Junru stood quietly, her head tilted, seemingly lost in thought or unaware of the Dowager’s arrival.

Lady Wei hurried forward to help the Dowager sit.

“What exactly is happening?” she asked, accepting a cup of tea from a maid.

Ning Junru came back to herself, folded her hands, and bowed. “I do wish to divorce. I beg Your Highness to grant this request.”

The Dowager lifted the tea lid, glanced at the leaves, then quickly set the cup down and stared at her in disbelief.

“Do you still not tolerate that Madame Chang?”

“No, Your Highness, you misunderstand.”

Ning Junru quickly shot a glance at Zhao Shenxing. “I believe it would be more appropriate for the prince to explain.”

Dowager Xu’s gaze darkened as she looked at her son, as if recalling something.

Zhao Shenxing frowned and spoke gravely, “I merely asked her to retrieve the jewelry she had given to the Xiao family. The princess consort then demanded a divorce.”

Ha! Is that all?

To do something and refuse to accept the consequences—can you even call yourself a man?

Ning Junru had never despised her nominal husband as much as she did now.

Dowager Xu had already heard of Xiao’s flaunting the jewelry throughout the mansion.

“Once given, how can one demand them back?”

She sighed, looking meaningfully at her son. “Back in the capital, the Xiao family helped us mother and son many times.”

After she finished speaking, Ning Junru added, “When Madame Chang moved into Yunmeng Pavilion, the secondary consort felt uneasy. I thought, besides Your Highness and the Dowager, she and I both came from the capital. Fearing her resentment, I decided to give her the jewelry myself. It came from the Cui Bao Pavilion—I only wished for her to find some happiness wearing capital jewelry.”

The Dowager had grown up in the capital, with delicate skin unaccustomed to Liangzhou’s biting cold.

When she first arrived, she suffered from homesickness and took nearly a year to adapt.

Knowing she might never return to the capital again in this lifetime, she still felt a twinge of sorrow during festivals, thinking of her family and old friends.

She had initially thought the princess consort’s gesture was a ploy to curry favor with the Xiao family, but hearing this, she understood the genuine kindness behind it.

“The princess consort did well. Though precious, the jade jewelry is but an external possession.”

She shot her son a sharp look. “You went too far. Apologize to the princess consort quickly, and let this matter rest.”

Before her son could respond, she turned to Ning Junru.

“Teeth and tongues clash in every marriage. What sort of couple never quarrels? To demand divorce at every argument is wrong of the princess consort.”

Though clearly the prince was at fault, she let it slide, placing the blame on Ning Junru instead.

Though annoyed, Ning Junru concealed her feelings.

Lady Wei, standing nearby, could no longer hold back.

“Please, Your Highness, understand that the princess consort’s desire to divorce stems from the prince nearly laying hands on her. In these five years without consummation, the prince has favored his concubine exclusively. Now, over a mere set of jewelry, he declares the princess consort unfit to manage the household…”

“Enough!” Zhao Shenxing shouted fiercely.

“When did I ever lay hands on her? You insolent servant dare slander your master? Guards, drag her out and give her a thrashing!”