Chapter 125: Rumors

Rumors

Xiao Xiu spoke with a sobbing tone, and at that moment, upon hearing this, Nie Jinxuan was instantly stunned!

Everyone already knows about the divorce? This… how could that be possible?!

First of all, the fact that I wrote the Divorce Document was only known to Xiao Xiu and Nie Jinhui before. Even after presenting it before Emperor Shuncheng, given the three‑day deadline he gave her, it would never be spread!

Moreover, even if there truly were no airtight walls in this world, I'd only been back from Zuixiashanzhuang for two days—how could it already be known by everyone?!

Could it be that there's something…

In an instant, a flood of thoughts raced through Nie Jinxuan's mind. At that moment, seeing Nie Jinxuan standing there silently, Xiao Xiu, already terrified, reached out and grabbed Nie Jinxuan's sleeve, saying

"Princess Consort, please think of a solution! Wh—what should we do?! Sob…"

Xiao Xiu eventually burst into tears. Hearing that, Nie Jinxuan snapped back to herself and hurriedly whispered

"Xiao Xiu, stop crying for now, tell me exactly what happened. And who are the 'everyone' you mentioned?"

"Sob… y-yes, Princess Consort… the matter is this: this morning everything was fine, but in the afternoon something strange happened. Suddenly a few maids who had been out returned and claimed that the Princess Consort and the Prince had divorced. At first everyone didn't believe it. Then those maids said it's now spreading outside, the whole capital knows… sob…"

While crying, Xiao Xiu recounted everything that had happened in the residence. When she reached this point, she sniffed again and said

"Prince, Princess Consort… sob… so now the whole household is in an uproar! Everyone's talking about it, and then—Han Luoxue and the others have already arrived at Ningxiang Yuan… Prince, Princess Consort… what should we do?"

At this point Xiao Xiu was terrified beyond reason. Then, as if she suddenly remembered something, she seized Nie Jinxuan

"Right, right, Princess Consort, you did write the Divorce Document, but you haven't produced it yet, have you?! As long as you haven't produced it, whatever they say is useless, right… Princess Consort, you haven't produced it, have you?"

It seems Xiao Xiu still didn't know that Nie Jinxuan had already presented the Divorce Document and made a three‑day appointment with Emperor Shuncheng. But Nie Jinxuan now had no time to explain this to Xiao Xiu. After calming herself slightly, she asked again

"Prince?"

"Prince! Prince went out… sob…"

"Went out? Didn't we tell him not to… where did he go?"

"Sob… I— I don't know…"

Hearing that Yin Fengzhan had gone out, Nie Jinxuan felt a surge of anger, but she forced it down, stepped over Xiao Xiu, and walked straight into her Ningxiang Yuan… At the very moment she entered, she indeed saw Side Concubine Han Luoxue, Qin Yuxia, and Bai Meilan waiting for her in the courtyard!

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan pressed her lips together slightly. At that moment, perhaps hearing footsteps, everyone in the courtyard turned, and upon seeing Nie Jinxuan, the seated women rose instantly, with Han Luoxue stepping forward to greet her.

"Princess Consort sister, you finally returned! You have no idea, this time it's a huge incident!"

Han Luoxue spoke anxiously, her delicate face showing obvious panic—a stark contrast to the calm composure Nie Jinxuan displayed when she first arrived through the transmigration.

Seeing her like that, Nie Jinxuan couldn't help a cold smile in her heart, though her face remained placid, and she lifted her gaze to retort

"Oh? A big incident? What could be so big that it scares Side Concubine Han so much?"

Nie Jinxuan's expression was indifferent; seeing this, Han Luoxue's eyes flashed briefly, then she quickly recovered, opened her mouth, but abruptly stopped, glanced left and right, and whispered

"It's inconvenient to speak here; Princess Consort, follow me."

With those words, Han Luoxue grabbed Nie Jinxuan and led her into a room. Qin Yuxia and Bai Meilan hurried in after them. Once everyone arrived, Han Luoxue gave a signal to the maid Xing Er, who immediately understood, slipped out, and quietly closed the door.

In an instant, the room contained only Nie Jinxuan, Han Luoxue, Qin Yuxia, Bai Meilan, and Aunt Wu plus five others. Only then, after calming slightly, Han Luoxue turned to Nie Jinxuan and said

"Princess Consort, you just came back from outside—did you hear anything?"

"Heard anything? No… what? If Side Concubine Han has something to say, just say it—what exactly happened?"

Nie Jinxuan pretended not to understand and asked back. Hearing this, Han Luoxue slightly frowned, stared at Nie Jinxuan for a while, then sighed

"Sigh, this matter is strange, but I'll tell you directly, Princess Consort… Actually this afternoon, a few maids who returned from outside said that Princess Consort and the Prince actually… actually divorced!"

"But divorce isn't a joke, so everyone initially didn't believe it. Then those maids said it's now spreading throughout the city, everyone's saying it… Of course, I never believed it, but now it's out, Princess Consort, what should we do?"

Frowning, Han Luoxue spoke with a look of difficulty, never taking her eyes off Nie Jinxuan. Just as her words finished, before Nie Jinxuan could reply, Qin Yuxia, sitting beside her, couldn't help but raise the corner of her eye and whispered

"Ah, actually regarding this, I've always found it odd, because it's silent and doesn't cause a stir~! Why is it divorce that's being whispered about…"

At that point Qin Yuxia's voice faltered, and she glanced away from Nie Jinxuan.

In an instant, the room fell silent; no one spoke, yet everyone stared at Nie Jinxuan, eager to see how she would respond.

Being fully aware of their thoughts, Nie Jinxuan, after a brief silence, flashed her eyes and said calmly

"So what was the matter? So it was this…"

Nie Jinxuan spoke as calmly as if discussing the weather. Hearing this, Han Luoxue and the others were startled, and Bai Meilan, who had remained silent, couldn't help but ask

"Um… does that mean the divorce… is real?!"

Bai Meilan widened her eyes slightly, staring at Nie Jinxuan. Upon hearing that, Nie Jinxuan merely gave Bai Meilan a calm glance, then instantly shifted her gaze to the side, toward Han Luoxue.

"Han Luoxue, you just said a few maids returned from outside and heard that this Princess Consort and the Prince divorced. Could you bring those maids over to me right now?"

Without answering Bai Meilan's question, Nie Jinxuan's tone shifted, startling everyone again. Han Luoxue, however, reacted quickly, a brief surprise passing, then immediately complied, and Aunt Wu summoned the maid.

……

Aunt Wu, who once in Chen Wangfu could command wind and rain, has become very obedient after Nie Jinxuan's previous reprimands. Being a former palace servant, she works efficiently, and within moments she called the three maids over.

The three maids were all quite young; Nie Jinxuan didn't know their names but knew they worked in the kitchen. After a quick glance, she asked

"I've heard about today's incident. Rest assured, I'm not blaming you, but I need to clarify something, so just tell the truth… Understand?"

She emphasized the last few words, speaking each syllable carefully. Though not particularly shrewd, the maids weren't stupid; hearing Nie Jinxuan, they immediately nodded vigorously.

"Yes, I— I know!"

"I— I will certainly speak truthfully."

"I— I understand."

All three maids spoke simultaneously; Nie Jinxuan nodded in satisfaction.

"Very well, I ask you: from whose mouth did you hear the news that this Princess Consort and the Prince divorced?"

Nie Jinxuan got straight to the point, and upon hearing that, the three maids trembled all over, exchanged a silent glance, and the maid on the far left whispered trembling

"Answering you, Princess Consort, I— I heard it from Aunt Zhou…"

"Who is Aunt Zhou?"

"Um… just a vegetable seller… the vegetables the residence usually uses are all bought from Aunt Zhou…"

"Hmm, do you know where Zhou Sao heard about it?"

"This... I, the maid, also asked at the time; Zhou Sao said... she said she heard it this morning when passing the teahouse, from the people there... also, also said this matter has been going on for several days, but... just has been kept hidden..."

"The little maid whispered, and as she reached this point, she couldn't help but look up at Nie Jinxuan. At that moment, hearing these words, Nie Jinxuan's eyes narrowed, then they pressed their lips together and said nothing."

"Nie Jinxuan fell silent. In an instant, the room became quiet again. Seeing this, Han Luoxue immediately waved a hand, sending the three little maids away, then turned to look at Nie Jinxuan and said"

"Princess Consort sister... what do you think is the right way to handle this?! Otherwise, my younger sister could now spread a story saying it's a rumor... Princess Consort sister, what do you think? After all, this matter can't be spoken of carelessly~!"