Virtuous Consort Chen was so terrified that she no longer dared to speak.
Su Yiyao’s shrill, agonized screams rang out without end. The boards struck her body again and again, and she soon could not hold on any longer. Her head lolled to the side as she truly passed out, but the beating continued with sharp smacks, leaving Prince Rui and Virtuous Consort Chen utterly humiliated.
“Imperial Father.”
Prince Rui turned and knelt before the Emperor.
“If she wants a divorce, then let her have one. But the children cannot be given to her. She must also leave the Capital and never return.”
Since she could no longer risk her life for him, he would drive her out of the Capital and have someone kill her on the way.
He would never allow anything he no longer wanted to benefit someone else. If people learned how capable Su Luoluo was, many would surely set their sights on her.
Su Luoluo trembled with fury, the killing intent in her eyes no longer controllable.
“What? You want to use imperial power to suppress me? Is this how you admit your mistakes? Prince Rui, as far as I’m concerned, I have never wronged you in a single matter since we married. We have no grudges between us, yet this is how you treat me!”
She truly did not know how she had managed to endure it silently, time and again, in the past. Her heart had clearly been aching as if it were burning, and her tears had fallen like rain, yet the next day she would still begin anew, waiting with full hope for Prince Rui to change his mind.
But—
In her previous life, Prince Rui had not even eaten a single meal with her.
“Your Majesty.”
Su Luoluo knelt down, her back straight and rigid. There was not the slightest trace of fear in her eyes—only determination.
“I want a divorce, and I want to take the children with me. I will absolutely not leave the Capital.”
Ah…
The children began to cry weakly. When one started crying, the other soon joined in. The wet nurse hurried forward to soothe them, while the Emperor looked at the two newborns. Once they had been cleaned, they were so adorable that they looked like two tiny little sprites.
“Imperial Father—”
“Shut up!”
The instant Prince Rui opened his mouth, the Emperor kicked him in the shoulder. Virtuous Consort Chen was so startled that her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. She rushed over and caught Prince Rui, crying out anxiously,
“Your Majesty, what does this have to do with Huai Jin and Yiyao? This was all caused by Su Luoluo stirring up trouble!”
“Su Luoluo, why aren’t you coming over to plead for your Prince?”
Su Luoluo’s gaze was icy. Unlike before, she did not obediently play along with Virtuous Consort Chen. Virtuous Consort Chen stared at her in horror.
What had happened to her?
In the past, if she told Su Luoluo to go east, she would never dare go west. If she ordered her to kneel, she absolutely would not stand.
“Luoluo.”
The Emperor looked at the group of people on the ground, so furious that he wished he could personally go over and kick them a few times. They were simply—
“What demands do you have? State them all.”
Su Luoluo looked toward Eunuch Yunhai. Before long, the eunuch had prepared the Four Treasures of the Study. Su Luoluo spread them out on the ground and, still kneeling, began to write.
The first sheet was the Divorce Agreement. The second listed the things Prince Rui was required to do.
After the Emperor read through them one by one, he was shocked again. He knew that Su Luoluo’s calligraphy had been taught by the Grand Tutor’s school, but he had never expected her writing to be so beautiful.
After being Emperor for so many years, he dared to guarantee that hers was the finest calligraphy he had ever seen among women.
The Emperor tossed the Divorce Agreement in front of Prince Rui.
“Do exactly as Luoluo says.”
Prince Rui hurriedly picked it up and read it. He took up the brush and signed his name on the first sheet, but when he saw the second page, the veins on his forehead bulged with fury. Virtuous Consort Chen was so angry that she nearly fainted as well, and she began to berate Su Luoluo.
“Su Luoluo, you spent your dowry yourself. What right do you have to demand that Prince Rui return every last item to you?”
Bang!
The Emperor could barely bear to look at this consort anymore. Her conduct had disappointed him beyond measure. He grabbed a book and hurled it at her.
“Do you want her to calculate every single expense and explain to you where her money went? You are simply… How could I have ever bestowed the titles Virtuous Consort and Prince Rui upon the two of you?”
Virtuous Consort Chen and Prince Rui’s expressions changed slightly as they listened. The titles Virtuous and Rui were extremely honorable. If the Emperor stripped them of those titles, would Prince Rui not even be able to touch the Crown Prince’s position?
No.
They could not continue fighting.
Virtuous Consort Chen and Prince Rui quickly came to their senses.
“Your son obeys the imperial decree.”
Prince Rui bowed deeply, then continued,
“Su Luoluo, where do you intend to live?”
The conditions stated that she wanted a divorce and the return of her entire dowry. Prince Rui would also have to arrange a residence for her and the children, as well as pay her five thousand Silver Taels every month to raise them.
“Plum Garden, south of the city.”
That name made everyone’s heart tremble, while Prince Rui gritted his teeth in fury.
Everyone knew that Plum Garden south of the city was the private estate of Jun Molin, the Capital’s foremost playboy. Its location was excellent, and the estate was so vast that it took several days to traverse on horseback. Its scenery was like a paradise, and it even contained a stretch of plum blossoms so vast that its end could not be seen, enchanting everyone who laid eyes upon it.
It was now the depths of winter, and the plum trees were in full bloom.
Plum Garden had a rule: no one could enter without an invitation, and everyone had to follow its rules regardless of their status.
Those who wished to admire the plum blossoms could do so as well. For fifty thousand Silver Taels, they could stay for one night, with delicious food and fine service guaranteed to make them reluctant to leave.
Despite the exorbitant price, the powerful and influential people of the Capital still streamed into the estate to admire the flowers. In a single winter, Jun Molin could earn more than a million Silver Taels.
An estate that luxurious could not possibly be bought for less than several million Silver Taels!
He would have to return her dowry exactly as it was, spend several million Silver Taels arranging a residence for her, and pay another five thousand Silver Taels every month. Would that not drain Prince Rui’s Residence dry?
This Su Luoluo was trying to force him to his death!
Yiyao had also mentioned wanting to visit Plum Garden to admire the blossoms. He had been planning to have Su Luoluo pay for a month there, where Yiyao could admire the flowers while the mother and children recuperated…
Holding the Divorce Agreement, Su Luoluo’s heart was filled with complicated emotions. She slowly bowed to the Emperor and the assembled officials.
“Thank you, Your Majesty, and all the officials, for helping me today and restoring my innocence and that of my children. Otherwise, even if we died, we would not rest in peace.”
“Now that Prince Rui and I are divorced, our future marriages and lives have nothing to do with each other. I will live honorably and openly, and I will continue living in public. From now on, if I hear even a single word of gossip, I will charge over and beat the speaker until they have to search the ground for their teeth.”
A trace of appreciation flashed through the Emperor’s eyes as he listened to Su Luoluo.
First, she thanked everyone for saving her life. Then she issued a warning, while also making it clear how she intended to live from then on, so that no one would find fault with her for it.
“Prince Rui, please have my dowry and residence fully arranged within three days.”
Prince Rui was so furious that his vision repeatedly darkened. It was not that he could not afford several million Silver Taels, but spending it on Su Luoluo was simply… A bloody sweetness surged up his throat, and waves of pain stabbed through his chest.
“Yunhai.” The Emperor looked at Eunuch Yunhai. “Arrange a carriage of consort specifications. Have Xiaosheng bring some restorative medicinal materials, fine fabrics, jewelry… Also arrange for Imperial Physician Chen to escort Su Luoluo back to Su Residence. Have Imperial Physician Chen take her pulse once every five days and report to Me once every ten.”
“This matter ends here!”
The officials from Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice bowed. They understood the Emperor’s meaning. Su Luoluo also knew when to stop and did not object.
At that moment, Su Yiyao on the punishment platform slowly regained consciousness. Her body felt as though it had been torn apart, and the pain was enough to make her wish for death. Upon hearing the Emperor’s words, she hurriedly forced herself to regain her composure and stared at him with wide, hopeful eyes.
After dealing with Su Luoluo, the Emperor’s next step would be to confer a consort title upon her and grant her countless rewards—rewards that would be more numerous and better than Su Luoluo’s…