Chapter 132: Everyone's Thoughts

Everyone's Thoughts

This time, Nie Jinxuan really left. Yin Fengzhan stood there dumbfounded, watching her back, unable to recover for a long while!

The surroundings were silent; even the guard who had been at the gate was nowhere to be seen, the empty space around so still that the faint sound of a leaf falling could be heard clearly.

Yet at that moment, amid the silence, a whistle suddenly sounded from behind the pillar beside the hall gate.

"Whoosh—"

The sound was clear and pleasant, with an indescribable wildness. As it faded, a pleasant male voice was heard saying

"Looks like it still doesn't work in the end... Ah, I wasted my effort yesterday going over to play the villain, telling a massive lie, only to end up like this..."

The man spoke softly, then stepped out from behind the pillar... It turned out the speaker was Prince Qin Yin Fenglian.

At that moment, as soon as he emerged from the pillar, Yin Fenglian glanced at the still expressionless Yin Fengzhan, then curled his lips.

"So, had I known, I should have told the truth yesterday. That way, relying on the fourth prince's sister‑in‑law... oh no, I mean Miss Nie the Third's generosity, maybe she'd even agree to help me~! What do you think, fourth prince brother~!"

Saying that, Yin Fenglian's sunny, handsome face broke into a slight smile, and he swaggered out...

Midnight, Chengde Hall

Chengde Hall is the sleeping palace of Dongling's ruler, Emperor Shuncheng. At this moment, having just finished reviewing memorials, Emperor Shuncheng had completed his bath and was preparing to retire.

In the vast hall, a group of palace maids stood silently aside, while Gao Caiyong personally attended with a few junior maids...

The surroundings were extremely quiet, and then Emperor Shuncheng straightened his posture and sat directly on the dragon couch.

Emperor Shuncheng remained silent, but seeing his expression, Gao Caiyong's eyes flickered, and he quietly waved his hand, dismissing all the palace staff. Once they left, Gao Caiyong stepped forward to adjust the dragon pillow and bedding for the emperor, whispering

"Your Majesty, are you still thinking about the matters of the day?"

Gao Caiyong had served by Emperor Shuncheng's side for decades, knowing him better than anyone. Hearing this, the emperor let out a slight sigh.

"Ah, indeed."

He raised his eyebrows slightly, then looked ahead and said

"The fourth prince's wife has requested a divorce; this truly surprised me. I originally thought it was prearranged by the fourth prince. But now it seems it might be genuine..."

Emperor Shuncheng spoke softly, and upon hearing this, Gao Caiyong froze, looked up at the emperor and said

"Um... Your Majesty, forgive my foolishness, but even if it's true, what's the harm? His Highness Prince Chen is royal kin, so if you think the matter sounds bad publicly, you could simply say Prince Chen dismissed Miss Nie the Third rather than a divorce... Why should you trouble yourself over this?"

"The divorce itself need not be mentioned; if we say the fourth prince divorced her, that would embarrass him and the royal family. What I worry about now is..."

At this point, Emperor Shuncheng rose, walked to the window, remained silent for a while, then pressed his lips together slightly.

"In short, I hope this matter won't cause many disputes..."

Emperor Shuncheng whispered, and Gao Caiyong nodded and fell silent...

For a moment, the sleeping hall fell quiet again, then Emperor Shuncheng's eyes flashed, and he lowered his voice to ask

"By the way, have we found the palace intruder from last time?"

"Um... reporting to Your Majesty, not yet."

"What? No clues at all?"

"Yes..."

He replied respectfully, then Gao Caiyong stepped forward and explained

"Your Majesty, that intruder is exceptionally skilled, beyond ordinary men. Moreover, I have personally interrogated the night palace guards, and none found any trace... so I think..."

Gao Caiyong fell silent, only glancing at the emperor. Hearing this, Emperor Shuncheng narrowed his eyes and whispered

"Fine! If we can't find them, forget it. From now on, strengthen the defenses and issue orders: anyone appearing there shall be slain without question! Whoever it is!"

Having said that, Emperor Shuncheng's eyes flashed, and he strode out...

Inside Chengde Hall, Emperor Shuncheng pondered. Meanwhile, not far away in Deyang Palace, a faint giggle drifted out.

Empress Duan reclined leisurely on the soft couch; though it was late night, she remained spirited, her graceful face radiating an indescribable pride.

"Hehe~, good, very good! I never expected this divorce to actually happen... I thought it was just nonsense. But that Nie family's girl really has the guts to deny the royal family's face... Excellent!"

Empress Duan laughed openly, delighted as if she had encountered a momentous joy. Hearing this, Xiang Yi, standing nearby, immediately echoed

"Exactly. Earlier, news came from the front hall about a three‑day pact; I thought it was just frivolous. Who would have thought that the Prince Chen Consort actually went through with the divorce! Moreover, I heard the commotion was so loud that even the emperor intervened~!"

"Oh? Anything else?"

"Of course~! So this is settled. And that means it's a huge boon for our Crown Prince!"

Listening to Xiang Yi, Empress Duan's smile deepened, then she straightened her posture on the couch.

"Indeed! This is truly a tremendous boon! Nowadays, the only one who can oppose Han'er is Prince Chen. Back then, Prince Chen's marriage alliance with the Nie family was only for the old man's influence at court. This now lets him stand toe‑to‑toe with Han'er!"

"Hmph, things have changed. Prince Chen and the Nie family's girl divorced; the emperor, to preserve royal dignity, will surely call it a dismissal rather than a divorce. That leaves the Nie family at a great loss, and no one can easily swallow that... Yet, given the emperor's ways, I expect some compensation for the Nie family. Regardless, cutting off Prince Chen's alliance with the Nie family is like cutting off his arm, so I want to see how Prince Chen will confront Han'er thereafter!"

"Your Majesty is right! Moreover, even Senior Minister Nie, despite his good temper, will surely bear a grudge against Prince Chen, which is a perfect chance for us to win him over! Once Senior Minister Nie sides with us, who else could we fear?"

Leaning close to Empress Duan's ear, he whispered, but she simply shook her head.

"That may not be so. That old Nie fellow has always been at odds with me! Even if he resents Prince Chen, he might not ally with me; why would I seek such an unpleasant partnership?!"

In Dongling, external relatives rarely intervene, but their influence cannot be denied. Senior Minister Nie has always opposed this, so everyone in Dongling knows Senior Minister Nie and Empress Duan are mortal enemies, having clashed openly many times.

So, hearing this, Xiang Yi fell silent, while Empress Duan, previously stern, curled her lip into a smile and lazily leaned back.

"Nevertheless, this benefits us only. Again, do you know what I most look forward to now? I want to see the face of that scowling one in Yongxin Palace—what does he look now? Hehe... He must be fuming! Hmph~! Still dreaming of allying with the Nie family to strengthen our power against Han'er? Dream on!"

She spoke with a smug tone tinged with resentment, then Empress Duan pursed her lips. After finishing, she couldn't help scanning the surroundings, her eyes flashing sharply as she slightly frowned...

Nie Jinxuan and Yin Fengzhan finally broke up completely!

After more than half a year of marriage, Prince Chen Yin Fengzhan sent the third Miss of the Nie family back home... The news shocked all of Dongling!

Meanwhile, all sorts of reliable and unreliable rumors spread throughout Dongling's streets, alleys, teahouses and taverns—

Some say that Nie Jinxuan was unvirtuous and incompetent, causing Prince Chen Yin Fengzhan to finally cannot stand her and thus dismissed her! Others claim that Nie Jinxuan was arrogant and tyrannical in the Wangfu, bullying the concubines, so she was dismissed. And according to insiders from the Wangfu, the reason Prince Chen forced a divorce was that after half a year of marriage they had no child, and she was secretly meeting someone, which the prince discovered, leading to her dismissal...

In short, rumors abound, but they all boil down to one point: Prince Chen Yin Fengzhan's dismissal of his wife is justified, Nie Jinxuan truly earned the name of a shrew, having broken several precepts, and thus deserved to be dismissed!

Nie Jinxuan was pushed to the forefront of the storm. At this moment, Nie Jinxuan, who was sitting alone in the Nie family's backyard basking in the sun, acted as if she hadn't heard anything, not even blinking an eye.