Chapter 130: Final Decision

Final Decision

Yin Fengzhan's voice was very soft, his low tone carrying a faint rasp. And at this moment, upon hearing those words, Nie Jinxuan, who was drying his hair, could not help but pause her hands.

The surroundings were utterly quiet, so still that even the sound of breathing could be faintly heard. Only after a long while did Nie Jinxuan press her lips together slightly, then resume drying Yin Fengzhan's hair.

"I haven't thought about it yet."

Her hands moving stroke by stroke, Nie Jinxuan spoke in a low voice, her lowered eyes fixed unblinkingly on the long hair growing increasingly dry before her, yet not once glancing at Yin Fengzhan. Hearing her words, Yin Fengzhan, who had been looking away, suddenly flashed a glint in his eyes, then raised his gaze to cast a sidelong glance at Nie Jinxuan, before withdrawing his eyes once more.

Yin Fengzhan said no more, and the room fell quiet again. At that point, they heard Nie Jinxuan continue,

"Let's see what His Majesty means tomorrow..."

In truth, at this very moment, though Nie Jinxuan said she hadn't thought about it, the fact was—something as momentous as divorce, and having already made a three-day pact with Emperor Shuncheng, how could she not have thought about it?!

But precisely because she had thought about it, Nie Jinxuan was torn. How on earth should she decide?!

So at this moment, unable to voice her tangled thoughts, Nie Jinxuan could only deflect by saying she wanted to see what Emperor Shuncheng meant tomorrow...

Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan each had their own thoughts. Before they knew it, Yin Fengzhan's hair had dried. Then Nie Jinxuan rose on her own and placed the cloth towel back behind the screen, but just then, they heard Yin Fengzhan, who had been silent all along, suddenly say in a low voice,

"Don't worry about whether Father will suspect me, because he has never believed me!"

The three-day pact—today was the third day! It was also the day Nie Jinxuan was supposed to enter the palace and give Emperor Shuncheng an answer.

So bright and early, Nie Jinxuan rose, dressed neatly, and headed to the palace together with Yin Fengzhan.

The journey was smooth, and in the blink of an eye they arrived at the palace gates. Then Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan alighted from the carriage one after another and began walking straight toward the Imperial Study... As they drew closer to the Imperial Study, Nie Jinxuan grew increasingly nervous, and so she could not help but stop in her tracks.

Seeing Nie Jinxuan suddenly halt, Yin Fengzhan, walking beside her, immediately frowned, then also came to a stop.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..."

She said in a low voice with pressed lips, but just as Yin Fengzhan was about to say something, they saw a young eunuch hurrying toward them from ahead.

And that young eunuch was none other than the very one Zhang Guifei had sent to find Nie Jinxuan last time!

So upon seeing him approach, Nie Jinxuan could not help but start slightly, but then immediately composed her expression and said with a smile,

"Good morning, young gonggong~"

"Hehe~ This slave greets His Highness the Prince and the Princess Consort~!"

Nie Jinxuan had taken the initiative to speak, and the young eunuch, who had already reached her, hastily bowed in greeting. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan knew he hadn't come solely to pay respects, so she asked directly,

"What is it? Is there something from Her Ladyship the Noble Consort's side today as well, young gonggong?"

"Hehe~ The Princess Consort truly has a sharp eye~! Yes, my master heard that His Highness and the Princess Consort would be entering the palace this morning, so she had this slave wait here. And she instructed this slave that as soon as I saw the Princess Consort, I should bring you to see her right away~!"

"Oh, so that's how it is... Hm? Young gonggong, from what you're saying, does Her Ladyship the Noble Consort only want to see me? His Highness, he..."

"Yes, Princess Consort. My master specifically instructed that His Highness may go see His Majesty first; she only needs the Princess Consort to come over for a visit."

Nie Jinxuan did not understand what Zhang Guifei meant by summoning only her, knowing full well that she was entering the palace together with Yin Fengzhan today. But since someone had already been sent to fetch her, Nie Jinxuan naturally could not very well say anything, so after glancing at Yin Fengzhan, she went straight off with the young eunuch.

Nie Jinxuan had no idea why Zhang Guifei was looking for her again. But after arriving at Yongxin Palace, the moment Zhang Guifei opened her mouth, Nie Jinxuan instantly understood. It turned out Zhang Guifei already knew about the three-day pact, which was why she had intercepted her first thing this morning—her purpose was to try to persuade her once more!

Zhang Guifei could truly be said to have spoken with painstaking sincerity, citing classics and precedents, speaking at great length with both emotion and reason. Then, when it was time for her to leave, she even personally escorted Nie Jinxuan to the door and said in a low voice,

"Jinxuan, you know Zhan'er's temper, but you must never assume that just because he doesn't speak, he doesn't care about you! Ah, men are all like that, and Zhan'er even more so! Besides, it's not just me, as his aunt, speaking on his behalf—at the very least, I feel that given Zhan'er's temper, if he truly didn't care about someone, he wouldn't so much as say a single word to them..."

"And how you two conduct yourselves as husband and wife in private, I don't know, but last time at Zuixiashanzhuang, how many times did you and Zhan'er have rows?! Setting everything else aside, if it were anyone else, with Zhan'er's temperament, he wouldn't even have the time to bicker with you—he'd have simply walked away... So Jinxuan, you must think this through carefully!"

Holding Nie Jinxuan's hand, Zhang Guifei did not forget to offer her final words of guidance. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan merely replied with a respectful acknowledgment, then turned and left...

Nie Jinxuan's face was calm, but at this very moment, the confusion and struggle from before had vanished from her eyes, replaced instead by a faint glimmer of resolve!

Leaving Yongxin Palace, Nie Jinxuan hurried straight toward the Imperial Study. But as she was passing through the Imperial Garden, she was suddenly called to a halt.

"Consort of Prince Chen, Her Majesty the Empress requests your presence."

The one who stopped Nie Jinxuan was a young palace maid. Hearing this, Nie Jinxuan turned her head, and sure enough saw Empress Duan sitting in the stone pavilion in the Imperial Garden not far away...

Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan's eyes shifted slightly. She had wanted to decline, but in the end, she stepped forward and walked over.

"Jinxuan greets Her Majesty the Empress."

"Mm, very well, rise."

Empress Duan spoke gently, but as she did so, she could not help but look Nie Jinxuan up and down.

"I just saw the Consort of Prince Chen hurrying over. What's the matter? Is there something you need?"

"To answer Your Majesty, it is nothing in particular—I am simply on my way to the Imperial Study for an audience with His Majesty."

"An audience with His Majesty?!"

Hearing that Nie Jinxuan wanted to see the Emperor, Empress Duan, who had been reclining leisurely to one side, could not help but raise her elegant brows, but then instantly smiled in understanding.

"Oh, I see... Could it be that the Consort of Prince Chen wishes to explain to His Majesty those rumors circulating outside the city recently~?! Hmm, that makes sense—an explanation would be good. After all, how could the affairs of the imperial family be left for those common riffraff to gossip about?! What's more, Prince Chen and the Consort of Prince Chen have always shared a deep marital bond—how could they possibly divorce?!"

Empress Duan's words were quite thought-provoking. Hearing them, Nie Jinxuan did not say much in response. After the two exchanged a few more words, Nie Jinxuan took her leave... But just as she was about to go, they saw Crown Princess Zhen Xiao Lian walking over from the cobblestone path to the side!

Graceful of figure, with a face like a painting... One had to admit, Crown Princess Zhen Xiao Lian was truly a rare beauty. And today, that begonia-red dress complemented her water-like features, adding a touch of vivid brilliance!

But at this moment, looking at that splash of red before her, Nie Jinxuan felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity for no reason! As if she had seen it somewhere before!

In the brief moment Nie Jinxuan was stunned, Zhen Xiao Lian had already arrived at the stone pavilion. Upon seeing Zhen Xiao Lian, Empress Duan could not help but raise her brows with a smile.

"Mm~! I said this outfit would look absolutely wonderful on you~! Just look at how you appear—it seems I wasn't wrong~!"

Empress Duan had only one son, Crown Prince Yin Fenghan. So she treated her daughter-in-law, Zhen Xiao Lian, quite well in everyday life. Not only did she often summon her to the palace, but she also frequently sent her gifts. The begonia-red dress she wore now had been made by the palace's tailors under Empress Duan's personal orders, then gifted to Zhen Xiao Lian a few days prior.

So upon hearing Empress Duan say this, Zhen Xiao Lian immediately smiled softly. Seeing the harmonious atmosphere between the mother- and daughter-in-law, Nie Jinxuan, who had been about to leave, naturally could not very well stay any longer. After bowing to Empress Duan once more, Nie Jinxuan turned and left... But just as she turned, she heard Empress Duan say in a measured voice behind her,

"You silly girl, didn't you say yesterday that you'd come to the palace in the afternoon to keep me company? How come there wasn't a sign of you by evening?"

"Oh, Mother, please forgive me. I did intend to come yesterday, but something came up at the last moment, so I left the city..."

Zhen Xiao Lian answered softly. The moment Nie Jinxuan heard her say she had left the city, she, who had already walked several paces away, abruptly stopped in her tracks, and a scene flashed through her mind in an instant! The moment she thought of this, Nie Jinxuan immediately spun around and called out to Zhen Xiao Lian,

"Crown Princess left the city yesterday afternoon?"

Nie Jinxuan's question came out of the blue. Hearing it, Empress Duan and Zhen Xiao Lian, who had been speaking, both startled almost simultaneously; after a moment, Zhen Xiao Lian slowly came to, but then did not immediately answer Nie Jinxuan—instead, after lowering her eyes in thought for a bit, she hesitantly spoke in a low voice.

"Yes, yes......"

Zhen Xiao Lian's answer was indecisive. After speaking, she lifted her eyes to glance at Nie Jinxuan, then lowered them again. Seeing this, Nie Jinxuan's eyes widened instantly, and without thinking she asked again.

"Then... may I ask, are you also wearing this outfit today?"

"Um...... this......"

"I'm asking you—are you or aren't you?!"

Nie Jinxuan had never been so abnormal before. Upon hearing this, Empress Duan beside her immediately became displeased and promptly shouted in a stern voice.

"Impudent! Consort of Prince Chen, in front of this palace, you dare to speak to the Crown Princess Consort like this—do you still have any regard for this palace at all?!"

Empress Duan's beautiful face flushed with fury. Yet at this moment, Nie Jinxuan continued to stare fixedly at Zhen Xiao Lian before her; after gazing at Zhen Xiao Lian for a while longer, she suddenly turned and walked away.