Chapter 230: Volume 1, Chapter 230 — Absolutely Must Not Let Di Yue Nu and Her Son Make a Laughingstock of Them

Rong Luoge could not think of a good solution for the moment. Figuring that she was completely in the dark about the current situation at the Qi Wang Fu, she decided to wait and see.

Rong Xin lifted the curtain and entered. Seeing that the Noble Consort was lost in thought, she did not know what she was thinking about and did not dare to disturb her, so she just stood to one side and waited slowly.

After quite a while, Rong Luoge finally snapped out of her reverie. Looking up, she saw Rong Xin waiting at the side, and she opened her mouth and asked, "What did Madam Chu say?"

"Madam Chu says to rest assured, Your Ladyship, she knows what to do. The Protector Duke has already shown some signs of wavering. If Di Yue Nu arrives in the capital this quickly, then the Protector Duke won't have much time and should nod soon," Rong Xin said with a smile.

Que Cai, standing to one side, could not hold back and said, "This is truly good news. Your Ladyship, you will soon get your wish."

Rong Luoge smiled faintly. "There's no question of getting one's wish or not. It is simply that everyone holds different positions and each serves their own master."

Chu Ke was someone who handled matters properly. Since she said so, things should not go wrong. Rong Luoge only had to wait for Di Yue Nu now.

Three days' time was neither long nor short. Rong Luoge received two pieces of good news.

One was that Prince Qi agreed to oversee the Internal Court Office's affairs, but he had a requirement: His Majesty had to deal with Fan Mingzhang first. This was not difficult—Prince Qi only wanted a legitimate justification, and Han Xinglan did not make things difficult for him over such a small matter and agreed.

The second matter was that the Protector Duke agreed to a divorce. Chu Ke signed the divorce papers witnessed by the clan elders, and without the slightest hesitation, she moved out of the Guo Gong Fu that very day, taking her dowry with her.

It was not until Chu Ke came to see her that Rong Luoge learned Chu Ke had peeled a thick layer off Rong Heng. Of the Zhen Guo Gong Fu's assets, apart from those used for the clan's heaven worship and the title that could not be divided, she took away nearly two-thirds of everything that could be split.

"Originally, Rong Heng refused to agree, but I told him that Rong Yan would not covet the title in the future and that he should leave it to Rong Lang, so he parted with his money readily," Chu Ke said, her face full of mockery.

Rong Luoge then said, "The Protector Duke's title is nothing much. In the future, as Rong Yan accumulates more and more merits, he can earn one himself. Why would he need Rong Heng's charity?"

Chu Ke was very happy to hear these words, and since they came from the Noble Consort's own mouth, as long as her son did not hold things back, a title was a sure thing. Her eyes practically bloomed with smiles as she looked at Rong Luoge and said, "We've already divorced. To be honest with you, Your Ladyship, I thought I would be sad, but you would never imagine—last night I actually slept the most soundly I have in this entire period."

Hearing this, Rong Luoge smiled and said, "That's good then. The days ahead are still long. You must take care of your health, Madam."

Chu Ke nodded. "Yes, I still need to live long enough to hold my grandchildren and watch my daughter marry. Of course I have to live well."

When Chu Ke left the palace, her mood was bright and sunny. She used to think divorce was a shameful thing; back when the Noble Consort divorced Prince Qi, she had looked down on it. Now that it had fallen on her own head, she realized that divorce was simply a rebirth, not a pain.

Chu Ke had obtained a large sum of money, and she also needed to bring her daughter and younger son back. The place her eldest son currently lived in was too small for the whole family. She had long had her eye on a three-courtyard mansion—it naturally could not compare to the Zhen Guo Gong Fu, but it was more than enough for her and her children to live in.

She had already sent people to clean the house before the divorce, so now they could move right in.

Rong Yan's duties were busy, so he arranged with his mother that he would come back to stay when he was not on duty, but if he was on duty, it would still be more convenient to remain at that small residence.

Chu Ke was naturally happy. She cheerfully replanned the mansion, deciding where her son and daughter would each live, and waited for her children to come home with a heart full of joy.

Upon receiving her mother's letter, Rong Ling Shan could not wait to bring her younger brother back to the capital. On the road, the siblings were both somewhat quiet. Rong Yu had originally been a hellion by nature, but with one upheaval after another in the family, he had changed a great deal over the past year or so.

"Sis, do I have to keep studying after we go back?"

"Of course you have to study. Your future depends on this," Rong Ling Shan said to her brother in a gentle voice, then gave a cold laugh. "We can't count on our father—he only has those illegitimate children in his heart. Mother has had it hard; let's both be more considerate from now on."

"Did Mother and Father really divorce?"

"Didn't you see what Mother said in her letter? That Di Yue Nu, as a princess of Qingxuan, came for a marriage alliance. With Mother holding the position of Duchess of the State, how could Father be willing? He wanted Mother to vacate the spot for his beloved woman." Rong Ling Shan's tone was extremely cold, carrying a hint of disgust. "In short, from now on I'll treat my father as dead. As for what you and your brother think of him, that's your own business."

Rong Yu was silent for a long time before speaking. "From now on, I'll only have Mother and you all."

Rong Yu was still young after all, and previously the family had kept many things from him. By the time he found out, his life had been threatened and he had no choice but to lodge at the academy. Later, Mother felt the academy was not safe either, so she had him follow his sister back to her maiden family's home. It was only after returning to his maternal grandmother's home that he learned from his sister what had actually happened in the family.

And life at the Chu family was not very pleasant either. Although their grandmother treated them well, their aunt was somewhat mean. Especially after their aunt heard that Mother and Father had divorced, the disdain and disgust in her eyes when she looked at the siblings was practically un concealed.

Their grandmother was not unaware, but aside from comforting them, she would not strip her daughter-in-law of face for their sake.

He did not want to experience the life of living in the cracks ever again. Being able to return to the capital was good—even if it meant living with Mother in a small house, he would still be happy.

The day they arrived in the capital was an unfortunate coincidence—it happened to clash with Di Yue Nu's arrival in the capital.

From afar, they could see the grand princess procession. They even saw Rong Lang on horseback, dressed all in white embroidered with golden patterns—only the Qingxuan imperial family could use golden motifs.

Rong Lang sat astride a fine horse fitted with a golden saddle, high-spirited and dashing. The surrounding attendants were all in armor, cutting an extraordinary figure.

Rong Yu's face took on a greenish pallor. Rong Ling Shan, however, did not care. Looking at her brother's expression, she laughed and said, "What's so showy about this? No matter how much they show off, Qingxuan is still a defeated foe of our Xiao nation. The more solemnly Di Yue Nu and her son act, it's nothing but upstarts getting their way."

Hearing his sister say this, Rong Yu's expression improved a little. "We will definitely be better in the future."

They absolutely could not let Rong Lang and his mother make a laughingstock of them!

"You're thinking the right way. We still have Mother and eldest brother, so things will definitely get better and better. Besides, we also have eldest sister in the palace," Rong Ling Shan said with narrowed eyes and a smile. No matter how hard things got, they could not be harder than before.

They would all stand back up and live well.

"I will study hard," Rong Yu said, pressing his lips together. He would no longer feel that studying was a bitter chore like before.

He would study hard and build a future from it. One day, he too would petition for a titled honor for his mother!