Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

The news of the Third Prince's arrest spread throughout the capital overnight.

Xiao Lie's gaze was grave. "He committed such a grave offense, and the Emperor only imprisoned him in the Imperial Clan Court?"

"The Emperor is spoiling the Third Prince too much."

If it were the Fifth Prince colluding with remnants of the previous dynasty, he would probably have been killed on the spot.

The image of the Fifth Prince flashed through Xiao Lie's mind, and he began to devise a plan.

The Fifth Prince had just been punished for his offense, and he must be furious to hear that the Third Prince's punishment was so lenient.

Xiao Lie went to see Princess Yuhua. "I remember you and the Fifth Prince's concubine were once close friends?"

"You want me to have her whisper sweet nothings in the Fifth Prince's ear?" Jiang Yueyao guessed his intentions before he could even state them. "She has no say in anything. Her father sent her over as a gift to form an alliance with the Fifth Prince."

"In the Fifth Prince's eyes, she was not even as good as the maidservant by his side."

Xiao Lie was somewhat surprised, "But rumors are circulating that the Fifth Prince dotes on this concubine, and even neglects the Fifth Prince's wife."

Jiang Yueyao snorted coldly, her tone full of sarcasm towards the Fifth Prince.

"The Fifth Prince did this simply to protect his wife." The Fifth Prince and his wife had been inseparable since childhood.

Only by presenting themselves in this way can they prevent anyone from threatening the Fifth Prince with his wife if they want to harm him in the future.

What a clever tactic of "shifting the blame eastward".

Xiao Lie still wanted Jiang Yueyao to pass on his message, just to try and see what would happen. "If the Fifth Prince takes action against the Third Prince this time and gains an advantage, wouldn't your concubine friend's status with the Fifth Prince be elevated a bit?"

After thinking it over, Jiang Yueyao realized that what Xiao Lie said wasn't entirely unreasonable.

"Okay, I'll go talk to her, but whether she's willing or not is beyond my control." Jiang Yueyao didn't want to force her.

Xiao Lie did not insist.

Soon after, Jiang Yueyao brought back good news.

"She told the Fifth Prince everything you told her to say." At this moment, the Fifth Prince's men were already making secret preparations.

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow slightly; in fact, his men were not idle either.

They had already compiled other evidence of the Third Prince's crimes and deliberately presented it to the Fifth Prince's retainers.

It wasn't until dusk that new news finally arrived from the palace.

It was Seventeen who personally brought it back. "Your Highness, the Third Prince is probably in deep trouble this time. After he was convicted, the Emperor ordered him to be imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court."

Once a prince enters the Imperial Clan Court, unless a general amnesty is granted, he will spend the rest of his life there.

During the reign of the late emperor, a prince committed a serious crime and was imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court.

The Imperial Clan Court was bitterly cold, and one could only bring one attendant with them; life there was austere and long.

Later, that prince didn't even last a year in the Imperial Clan Court before dying of depression.

"But we can't let our guard down." Xiao Lie thought again. Given the emperor's favoritism towards the third prince, he might miss his son so much that he might just find some excuse to release him.

He looked at Seventeen and said, "Tell that person in the palace that she needs to persuade the Emperor to abandon the idea of ​​making a prince the crown prince and to choose from among the imperial grandsons."

Seventeen accepted the order and was to return to the capital immediately.

It just so happened that Consort Yuan was summoned to serve the Emperor.

Yuan Ajiao raised her eyes and said, "Please rest assured, Your Highness. Although the Emperor has not favored me for some time, he will listen to anything I say casually."

She added, "The Emperor has been frequently changing the palace eunuchs and maids who serve him lately, and even the physicians and apprentices in the Imperial Medical Academy have been replaced quite a bit."

"When assigning duties to the people the Crown Prince has placed in various places, you must be extremely careful."

"One wrong move and your head will roll."

Seventeen, feeling anxious for their people, thanked Yuan Ajiao and went to discuss things with Xiao Lie first.

When he arrived, he saw Shen Qinglan wearing a moon-colored robe in Xiao Lie's room.

"Why are you here again?" Xiao Lie was somewhat surprised. Shouldn't Seventeen be in the capital overseeing the overall situation at this time?

Seventeen glanced at Shen Qinglan, then hesitated, as if he wanted to say something but couldn't.

"It's alright, there's no need to be on guard." There's no need to hide it from Shen Qinglan.

Since Xiao Lie had spoken, Seventeen reported: "The Emperor's paranoia is getting worse, and many palace servants, physicians, and medicine boys have been secretly executed."

"Should we call our people back first?"

Planting them was no easy task; they put in a lot of effort from start to finish.

Xiao Lie was in a dilemma, not wanting to see his eyeliner broken.

"We don't need to withdraw them all. We can just transfer them elsewhere, right?" Shen Qinglan suggested. "We can transfer them back after things have calmed down."

After careful consideration, Xiao Lie had no choice but to accept Shen Qinglan's suggestion.

After Seventeen left, he asked Shen Qinglan again, "Are you truly determined to divorce the Third Prince?"

"The Third Prince has just been imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court, and you immediately bring up divorce. Aren't you afraid the world will call you cold-blooded and heartless?"

Shen Qinglan smiled disdainfully, "What's there to be afraid of?"

"Being tied to him for life, that would truly be worse than death."

"They're just empty titles after death; I never care about them."

Otherwise, she wouldn't have continued to manage the Shen family's various businesses and run such a huge business.

Some people secretly criticized her, saying that after getting married, she didn't know what it meant to be a good wife and mother.

Xiao Lie realized he had asked the wrong question and apologized awkwardly, "I will help you with your divorce."

After discussing it, Shen Qinglan rushed back to the Kang Prince's Mansion just before dawn.

"Sixteen, how's the reaction to my arrangement for you to spread rumors among the people that the Third Prince's wife wants a divorce?" Xiao Lie was always concerned.

Chapter Sixteen states: "The people sympathize greatly with the Third Prince's wife and support her divorce."

"Even the fact that the Third Prince's wife went to the main hall to beg the Emperor to agree to a divorce became the talk of the town."

"Everyone is saying that if the Emperor doesn't allow a divorce, he might really drive the Third Prince's wife to her death."

It seems that the first step of their plan has been completed.

Xiao Lie immediately went to invite the elders of the Shen family clan over and arranged for them to go to the palace to weep.

This is certainly not enough.

Previously, he had contacted many seemingly neutral ministers in the court, but in reality, they have now sided with them.

Xiao Lie sent secret letters to each of them, asking them to submit a memorial to the emperor, requesting that he grant Shen Qinglan's request for a divorce.

"How is it?" Xiao Lie waited for several days, but still no good news came.

The emperor's delay in issuing the decree indicated that he had clearly grasped the situation.

Even with Yuan Ajiao whispering in his ear, the emperor remained determined to support the third prince to the throne.

He had to help the Third Prince retain the Shen family's influence.

"All this effort has been in vain; we'll have to come up with another idea." Shen Qinglan has helped him so much, and all she wants now is a divorce; he must help her achieve her wish.