Chapter 462: Tearing Off the Mask, I’ll Divorce You

Chapter 462: Chapter 462: Tearing Off the Mask, I’ll Divorce You

King Shu grew anxious. "Your Majesty! The Ninth Prince is still so young, he..."

"How is he young?" the Emperor said, displeased. "Brother, when you and I were his age, We had already made something of ourselves."

The Emperor’s mind was made up. No matter how Princess Consort Qi pleaded, he had no intention of changing his decision.

And so, the Ninth Prince departed, filled with resentment.

Due to this incident, the banquet ended on a sour note for everyone.

Mo Lingwei escorted Shen Ningning to the palace gates.

"Princess Consort Qi is vindictive. With the Ninth Prince sent away, she’ll surely be looking to retaliate. Be careful these next few days," Mo Lingwei warned her.

The young girl wasn’t the least bit afraid.

"If she comes after me again, I’ll uncover all her secrets and humiliate her so thoroughly she won’t be able to show her face in public!"

"What secrets?" Mo Lingwei raised an eyebrow.

The words were on the tip of Shen Ningning’s tongue, but she swallowed them back.

’Mo Lingwei doesn’t know yet. He still thinks his uncle and aunt are a loving couple, but it’s all just a facade.’

Shen Ningning didn’t intend to tell him, but Mo Lingwei was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Still not going to tell me? It’s just like that misunderstanding you had with Pei Yin—something I knew nothing about. Shen Ningning, why do you try to hide everything from me?"

The young man’s dark brows furrowed, and a cold displeasure filled his eyes at the mention of Pei Yin.

Shen Ningning felt helpless. She blinked her large eyes, her expression anxious.

"Fine, I’ll tell you. But you’re not going to believe it."

"Say it, and I’ll believe it."

"Your uncle, King Shu, is in love with Princess Consort Qi. He’s been meeting her secretly behind your aunt’s back!"

Her words plunged Mo Lingwei into silence.

Shen Ningning saw that he remained silent, his expression grim. The depths of his eyes, untouched by the moonlight, were like a bottomless abyss.

The young girl tugged on his sleeve. "Are you angry?"

But Mo Lingwei simply asked, "How do you know about this too?"

From his tone, Shen Ningning was stunned.

"Brother, you knew all along?!"

"I only found out recently myself."

That day at the Prince Mansion, he had used his horse to test the sword-fighting habits of King Shu’s guards. After confirming they were left-handed, Mo Lingwei had guessed the assassins sent after Xie Ming’an might have been arranged by King Shu.

But why would King Shu want to assassinate Xie Ming’an?

So Mo Lingwei arranged for a secret, thorough investigation.

While the investigation yielded nothing about the guards, it did uncover that King Shu and Princess Consort Qi had been secretly in love years ago.

Unfortunately, by that time, his father was already the Emperor.

Mrs. Qi Sr. had insisted on sending her daughter to the palace, refusing to let her follow King Shu and suffer hardship in the remote Shu State.

In Mrs. Qi Sr.’s eyes, it was better for her daughter to be one of the Emperor’s Concubines than to be King Shu’s main wife.

She had brutally torn the two of them apart.

Mo Lingwei had also discovered that Princess Consort Qi had put up a life-or-death struggle for a time, but in the end, likely realizing resistance was futile, she compromised and entered the palace.

From this, he surmised that Xie Ming’an, with his brilliant investigative mind and meticulous attention to detail, had likely discovered something about the lingering connection between Princess Consort Qi and King Shu.

That must be why King Shu had sent assassins to silence him.

It was precisely because of this that Mo Lingwei’s attitude toward King Shu had changed so drastically.

’A man who would betray his wife, who still pines for Princess Consort Qi even after marrying, is hardly a man at all. He’s not worthy of my admiration.’

Shen Ningning let out a sigh of relief.

"If I’d known you were already aware of this, I wouldn’t have had to struggle so hard to hide it!"

Mo Lingwei pressed his thin lips together. "You didn’t tell me because you were afraid I’d be hurt?"

Shen Ningning nodded gently. "After all, Brother, you said they were your family."

Mo Lingwei let out a soft laugh.

His dark, piercing eyes gazed at the young girl.

"But I will always give serious thought to your words. If you had warned me, I would have carefully re-evaluated him."

"Shen Ningning," he said with utter seriousness, "the person I trust most in this world is you."

His father’s behavior toward his mother had made Mo Lingwei feel that no relationship was secure.

Yet, strangely, when he was with Shen Ningning, he felt their bond could last a lifetime.

As if they could be the closest of friends for a lifetime.

Before Shen Ningning left, she told him, "We need to keep a close eye on your aunt. She’s the one who suggested sending the Ninth Prince away, after all. I’m afraid King Shu and Princess Consort Qi will now hate her for it."

The young girl shuddered at the thought.

If the person sharing her bed wanted to kill her, how could Princess Shu possibly escape?

Mo Lingwei nodded, his gaze profound. "I already considered that. I’ve arranged for Hidden Guards to follow them back to the mansion."

’I hope my uncle doesn’t do anything more outrageous.’

’Otherwise, I won’t hesitate to drag all of King Shu’s past into the light for my father, the Emperor, to see.’

「Shu Royal Mansion.」

As soon as King Shu and Princess Shu returned, they shut themselves in their chambers.

The maids standing outside could only hear the sounds of arguing from within.

Suddenly!

SLAP! A sharp crack echoed from the room.

Inside the room, King Shu had slapped Princess Shu so hard she stumbled and fell to the floor.

She clutched her cheek, her eyes bloodshot but filled with a cold, calm hatred.

King Shu pointed at her, his voice dripping with disappointment. "I never thought you were such a venomous shrew! To think you’d speculate about my relationship with Princess Consort Qi now, all because of what happened years ago?"

"Yue He, what are you thinking? Princess Consort Qi is one of the Emperor’s Concubines now. Even if we were fond of each other many years ago, that’s all in the past! After we married, haven’t I treated you well? Isn’t that enough to prove that you’re the only one in my heart now?"

"But you! At the banquet, you actually harmed her son out of jealousy! Your actions bring me nothing but shame. You’re utterly heartless!"

His hypocritical accusations made Princess Shu let out a sharp, scornful laugh.

"I’m heartless? Then let me ask you, what about the Jade Token with the twin lotuses? Did the Ninth Prince really buy that?"

King Shu’s expression froze. He flung his sleeves and turned his back, furious. "Stop talking nonsense."

Princess Shu clutched her cheek as cold tears streamed down her face. She felt a pain that cut straight to her soul.

Princess Shu had always thought her husband was even-tempered, which was why he indulged her so. She never imagined it was simply because she hadn’t yet crossed his line.

She had merely suggested the Emperor send the Ninth Prince to Youzhou to gain experience, and he had immediately ripped off his mask of pretense and struck her.

"I’ll give you one chance. Don’t make me angry again. Tomorrow, you will come with me to see the Emperor and plead for the Ninth Prince."

"I will not," Princess Shu sneered.

No matter what, she was determined to have Princess Consort Qi’s child sent away!

King Shu spun around, glaring. "Don’t you forget, you are the Ninth Prince’s aunt! How can you live with yourself after getting him sent to Youzhou?"

Leaning on the table for support, Princess Shu slowly got to her feet. A swollen, red welt was already rising on her pale cheek.

Her voice was firm and icy. "I am Ling Wei’s aunt, and his alone. To put it plainly, the Ninth Prince is merely the son of one of the Concubines, not of legitimate birth. He has no claim on me whatsoever."

"You—!" King Shu was now truly enraged. Veins bulged on his forehead and his eyes turned crimson, as if he might strangle Princess Shu in the very next second.

"All these years, you’ve remained barren, yet you are this jealous and malicious. I should have divorced you long ago!" King Shu was utterly incandescent with rage.

He flung his sleeves, violently kicked the door open, and stormed out, leaving Princess Shu alone to wipe away her tears with a bitter smile. But the anguish in her heart was impossible to wipe away.

*

A few days later, the Emperor, true to his word, sent the Ninth Prince to Youzhou.

It was said that Princess Consort Qi knelt until her knees were raw, but still failed to move the Emperor to leniency.

King Shu also pleaded on the prince’s behalf multiple times, but eventually only succeeded in annoying the Emperor, who grew tired of his pestering.

Not long after the Ninth Prince’s departure.

「One day,」 Shen Ningning was just leaving the National Academy when she saw her personal guard hurrying toward her.

"Princess! The man you rescued has escaped!"