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

As the crowd was still knocking on the door, they suddenly saw the Kang Prince's mansion wide open.

Sixteen lifted the sedan curtain and whispered a reminder, which immediately jolted Xiao Lie awake from his drowsy state.

He lifted the curtain, and the woman in green bowed slightly to him with a smile on her face.

Xiao Lie couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Strange, how can she laugh about something like this?"

At the same time, she secretly cursed the Prince of Kang for being dishonest, pushing a weak woman forward when he couldn't handle the situation himself, which made it difficult for him to take action.

Xiao Lie sat up straight, stepped out of the sedan chair, and coughed twice.

"The princess has appeared, but what instructions did the prince give?"

"Could it be that he has already prepared the money?"

Shen Qinglan shook her head slightly and said softly, "There is no silver. If the young master wants it, all we have now is an IOU."

Wait a minute... an IOU?

"What did you just say, an IOU?"

Shen Qinglan looked at her innocently, "If I told you that the Kang Prince's mansion was penniless and that Your Highness should leave, would you be willing?"

"Of course not..."

"But the Kang Prince's Mansion can't spare that much silver in a short time. After thinking it over, this is the only way."

Shen Qinglan spoke so casually that even Xiao Lie felt a little strange.

He knew perfectly well that Prince Kang had suffered a loss he couldn't speak of. He came to make trouble for two reasons: to add insult to injury and to expose his own unreliable image. He didn't actually expect to get the silver. Of course, it would be best if he could get a portion of it, but he also knew that this was unlikely.

So when he heard the woman agree so casually, Xiao Lie picked at his ear, even wondering if he had misheard.

"Is what the Princess Consort said true? Or are you trying to deceive me again?"

"Deceive?" Shen Qinglan shook her head with a smile. "It's more like I've deceived the young master, but hasn't it always been the prince who's deceiving him?"

Ok?

Xiao Lie vaguely sensed a different meaning in those words, and his suspicion deepened. He leaned closer and asked in a low voice.

"You keep asking, what exactly did Prince Kang tell you?"

Shen Qinglan repeated her words and slowly replied, "I am foolish and have no brilliant plan. Since Your Highness insists on pushing me out to handle this matter, then I can only use the most foolish method to deal with it."

On the surface, it was her modesty, but in reality, she was quitting.

The Kang Prince and his mother never treated her well, always finding fault with her. Since that was the case, why should she care? Anyway, no matter how bad the Kang Prince's finances were, it was none of her business; she had her own dowry to rely on.

After listening, Xiao Lie clapped his hands and smiled, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

This Princess Kang... she really is a remarkable person.

They may look like a soft, yielding bun, but they're actually cunning and sharp-tongued. They'll stab you when pushed to the limit.

"Since that's the case, then I, the Crown Prince, will give the Princess Consort this face, and we'll write an IOU."

The butler, who was standing nearby, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan and whispered his advice.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, this is no small sum of money! How can you agree to this so easily?"

Shen Qinglan didn't even look up before signing his name on the IOU and stamping it with the official seal of the Kang Prince's mansion's treasury.

She spoke calmly, "Then what should we do? Since Your Highness has asked me to handle this matter, I cannot ignore it. Since the steward feels this method is inappropriate, why not suggest a better one for Wei Pi to consider?"

The butler choked immediately, his face turning blue and red, unable to utter another word.

Shen Qinglan handed one of the processed IOUs to Xiao Lie and the other to the butler.

"Please trouble you to make this trip and deliver it to the Prince."

The butler stared in shock, "This...this...how can this be?"

Isn't doing this deliberately provoking the prince's wrath? If the prince gets furious and scolds him, that's already good enough. If he's unlucky, he might even get a few lashes. How could an old man like him bear that?

The steward stammered, looking troubled, "Your Highness, this...isn't this putting this servant in a difficult position?"

Shen Qinglan's face turned cold, and she slammed the pen on the ground.

"What's wrong? Is it that I, the princess consort, can't command you within the palace?"

The steward was startled and immediately apologized, "Your Majesty, please calm your anger, this servant dares not."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's do as I say."

The butler was terrified and covered in sweat. He could only walk shakily towards the hospital with a pale face. With each step, his legs were weak and his whole body was powerless, as if he would collapse at any moment.

Seeing the butler's appearance, Xiao Lie roughly guessed what had happened.

It's likely that this old man, relying on his status as a senior member of the Prince's household and a confidant of Prince Kang, has been constantly hindering Princess Shen Qinglan. She was displeased and intended to use this opportunity to vent her frustrations and punish him.

"However, King Kang won't be angry with you now that he sees your name."

Shen Qinglan sneered and raised her eyes indifferently.

"It was the prince who asked me to handle this matter. Now that I have handled it, he is dissatisfied. Isn't that putting me in a difficult position?"

"If Your Highness is truly dissatisfied, you may simply give me a divorce agreement, and we can sever all ties."

Xiao Lie's eyes widened in surprise.

This...this...Although the Great Xia Dynasty has an open social atmosphere, it has not yet reached the stage where married women can freely divorce and remarry.

Even if a woman gets a divorce, her reputation will still be damaged to some extent.

He never expected that Shen Qinglan, who used to be like a cowardly little rabbit who could only be bullied, would have such a tough side.

Shen Qinglan couldn't help but smile wryly, and bowed to Xiao Lie again, her voice complicated.

"When we met at the temple that day, the prince kindly advised me. After I returned home, I thought about it for a long time and sadly discovered that the truth was indeed so."

"The prince was powerless to resist the marriage, and because he hated me, he took his anger out on me. The virtuous concubine knew the truth, but instead of blaming or scolding her own son, she vented all her anger on me, saying that it was because I was useless."

"In the past, I was truly deceived by them, and I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself and be depressed. But after the prince pointed it out, I realized how absurd things were."

Shen Qinglan pursed her lips, a dark look appearing in her eyes.

"Just because I'm a woman, am I supposed to be humiliated like this?"

"Since they look down on me, I don't need to be a virtuous concubine. Let them do whatever they want. I can live a simple life in a remote corner, relying on my dowry."

Hearing her say this, Xiao Lie felt even more deeply, and couldn't help but feel more disgust and contempt for the Kang King and his mother.

Instead of reflecting on their own actions, these two bully someone else's girl. What kind of behavior is that?

They're just taking advantage of the fact that others are just subjects, not members of the royal family, so they don't dare to complain.

However, this was ultimately a matter concerning the Kang Prince's residence. Xiao Lie himself was already embroiled in trouble, so naturally he couldn't help. If he were to intervene, he might even drag the person in front of him down with him.