After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

Liu Yuansheng held a bowl of bird's nest porridge and didn't say anything.

Seeing Liu Yuansheng's uneasy expression, Xiao Jinghan placed a piece of cloud cake on her plate and said to Ying'er, "Does bringing them back to the Su family mean accepting them? Can't you have other motives?"

"Something else on your mind?" Ying'er asked, tilting her head. "What are you after?"

"You'll have to ask Su Rong and the others. I'm not a mind reader, how would I know what they're thinking?"

Xiao Jinghan put down his chopsticks, waved his hand, and said, "Alright, get out of here. Tell the people below not to come to Chenxiang Courtyard unless it's absolutely necessary."

Ying'er glanced at Liu Yuansheng, who had barely eaten any porridge, and said, "Yes."

After Ying'er left, Xiao Jinghan immediately came to his senses, took the bowl of porridge from Liu Yuansheng's hand, and asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"It can't be that you're worrying about Su Tinglan and her daughter, or your father, can it?"

Liu Yuansheng's gaze followed Xiao Jinghan's slender hands, and then she was slightly taken aback after hearing Xiao Jinghan's words clearly.

She was certainly not worried about Su Tinglan and Liu Nianxi.

But she couldn't quite put her finger on what was troubling her.

However, now seems to be the best time to propose a divorce to Xiao Jinghan.

In fact, last night, when she couldn't sleep, she had said countless times in her heart that she wanted to divorce Xiao Jinghan.

But after waking up, he inexplicably couldn't say it.

She didn't know what was wrong with her either.

"You seem to have something on your mind," Xiao Jinghan guessed again. "If it's not because of Su Tinglan and the others, then it's probably because of Jiang Zhihuan."

Liu Yuansheng's heart skipped a beat.

She looked up, her eyes filled with tension and wariness as she stared at Xiao Jinghan. Xiao Jinghan smiled. "Don't look at me like that. I don't intend to do anything to you. However, I'm curious to know what your plans are?"

Liu Yuansheng's eyes flickered.

"Your Highness, what about you? What are your thoughts?" Liu Yuansheng asked tentatively. "You already know everything, and you understand that I was tricked by Su Tinglan, which led to what happened at the Princess's residence. So what about our..."

"Knock knock knock".

Before Liu Yuansheng could finish speaking, Ying'er knocked on the door from outside, "Young Master, Miss."

Xiao Jinghan was listening intently when he was suddenly interrupted, which made him extremely annoyed. "Didn't I say to close the courtyard gate and not allow anyone to disturb us?"

"Yes, I know," Ying'er said anxiously from outside. "The eldest young mistress sent someone to say that Lord Sun's residence has come to annul the engagement. The fourth young master is making a huge fuss about it and won't listen to anyone. He's even threatening to jump into the lake and commit suicide!"

"Jump into the lake?" Xiao Jinghan paused for a moment, then snorted coldly, "Let him jump!"

"Send someone to tell the eldest young mistress to give the place to the fourth young master. No one is allowed to stop him. Let him jump! The lake is so deep, he'll surely drown!"

"Huh?" Ying'er asked from outside the door, "Are you really going to drown Fourth Young Master?"

"Flood!"

"Your Highness!" Liu Yuansheng couldn't stand it any longer. "Let's go check it out. What if something really happened?"

Seeing that Liu Yuansheng had become more lively, Xiao Jinghan's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Alright, then I'll go with you to see. If that kid is putting on an act for me, I'll have someone throw him into the lake to feed the fish."

Only Xiao Jinghan could probably utter such outrageous words. Liu Yuansheng shook her head, got up, and left Chenxiang Courtyard.

From afar, Liu Yuansheng could see that the lakeside was surrounded by people.

Xie Qinghe and a group of people surrounded Xiao Jingzhuo, afraid that he would jump again. Xiao Jingzhuo sat cross-legged on the ground, crying, "Sister-in-law, why did you save me? You might as well let me die. Zhiyao doesn't want me anymore, what's the point of me living?"

Xie Qinghe leaned against her maid, panting heavily. She was drenched in sweat from trying to save Xiao Jingzhuo, and hearing his words, she was furious. "Fourth brother, you're nineteen years old! You're an adult! How can you be so immature, threatening suicide over an unmarried affair! That Miss Sun doesn't want you, but there's Miss Wang, Miss Zhang—there are plenty of beautiful young ladies from prominent families in the capital! Why are you so fixated on one?"

"I love Zhiyao, and no matter how good other women are, they have nothing to do with me!" Xiao Jingzhuo said through tears. "I had already prepared the thousand golden koi fish I promised to give her, but in the end, she said she didn't want me anymore..."

As Xiao Jingzhuo became more and more heartbroken, he covered his face and cried incessantly.

Xie Qinghe tried everything to persuade Xiao Jingzhuo, but to no avail. She gave up and simply stood by, watching Xiao Jingzhuo cry. As Xiao Jingzhuo nearly fainted from crying, Xiao Jinghan pushed through the crowd and walked in, saying, "Let me see what this shameful thing is doing!"

The crowd parted to make room for Xiao Jinghan. Xiao Jinghan looked down at Xiao Jingzhuo, who was soaking wet and looked aggrieved, and chuckled, "Jumped into the lake, you've grown up. How come you crawled out of the lake again? What, regretting it? Don't want to die anymore?"

Xiao Jinghan spoke in a lukewarm tone, leaving Xiao Jingzhu stunned. "Third brother, you don't need to try to persuade me! My heart died along with my marriage."

"Who said I came here to advise you?" Xiao Jinghan said. "I'm here to help you achieve your wish."

He ordered, "Come, tie a few stones to the fourth young master's legs and throw him into the lake."

At the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Xiao Jinghan's words were law, like imperial edicts. Upon hearing his command, servants immediately brought over several large stones to tie to Xiao Jingzhuo's legs.

Such a scene genuinely frightened Xiao Jingzhuo, who was threatening to jump into the lake to commit suicide.

He was just upset and throwing a tantrum; he didn't really want to die. But judging from his brother's attitude, it seemed like he really wanted to kill him.

Knowing that his brother was always ruthless and had easily dealt with his eldest brother and Yuan Min, he immediately cowered, "Third brother, third brother, what are you doing? Don't tie stones to me!"

"Third Brother, I was wrong, Third Brother. I won't try to kill myself anymore, okay?"

"No good," Xiao Jinghan said. "A true man keeps his word. If he says he will jump into the lake and die, then he must jump into the lake and die."

"Come on, tie our fourth young master up tighter."

The servants dared not be careless and tied Xiao Jingzhuo up tightly. Just as they were about to lift him up and throw him into the lake, Liu Yuansheng rushed over, asking, "What are you doing?"

Upon seeing Liu Yuansheng, Xiao Jingzhuo immediately cried for help, "Third sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, please save me!"

"My third brother wants to drown me in the lake!"

Xiao Jingzhuo cried out pitifully, but Liu Yuansheng was horrified. "You want to drown your fourth brother in the lake?"

Xiao Jinghan remained noncommittal, his smile ambiguous, leaving everyone guessing what he was thinking. Xie Qinghe, standing to the side, understood perfectly. She nudged Liu Yuansheng with her elbow and said, "It's fake. Third Brother is just trying to scare Fourth Brother. Don't worry."

Liu Yuansheng also felt that Xiao Jinghan would never drown his own younger brother, "Quickly release the Fourth Young Master."

"Immediately, right now."

She said with a hint of annoyance.

Since entering the manor, this was the first time Liu Yuansheng had issued an order in the capacity of a master. The servants were at a loss and all looked at Xiao Jinghan.

Xiao Jinghan smiled faintly, "Why are you looking at me? Didn't you hear Madam ordering you to release them?"

The servants hurriedly untied Xiao Jingzhuo.

Xiao Jingzhuo felt as if he had been granted a pardon. He got up and thanked Liu Yuansheng, "Thank you, Third Sister-in-law, for saving me. Thank you, Eldest Sister-in-law, and also, Third Brother..."

Xiao Jinghan chuckled, "Not jumping into the lake anymore?"

"No, no," Xiao Jingzhuo said. "I'll think of another way."

"That means if you encounter difficulties, you should find a way to solve them. Even if you jump into the lake, you still won't be able to marry Miss Sun."

Xie Qinghe said, "In my opinion, why don't you take your sincerity and go to Miss Sun's house to see where the problem lies and find a way to win Miss Sun back?"

"A knot in the heart?" Xiao Jingzhu shook his head with a wry smile. "I do know where the knot is, but it's just too difficult to untie."

One sentence left Xie Qinghe speechless.

The same problem that Xiao Jingzhuo mentioned also troubled her, but she was much stronger than Xiao Jingzhuo. Even without Xiao Jingting, she still had the status and prestige of the eldest young mistress of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"In the end, it's nothing more than family matters. Miss Sun is just having trouble thinking things through. Once we sort things out in our family, she'll have peace and quiet after marrying into the family," Xie Qinghe said indifferently. "How about this, your third sister-in-law and I will go and talk to her on your behalf. Women have more to talk about, and we'll try to persuade her."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jingzhuo's eyes immediately lit up. "Really?"

"Eldest sister-in-law, third sister-in-law, is it alright?"

After speaking, Xiao Jingzhuo looked at Liu Yuansheng with anticipation.

Meeting Xiao Jingzhuo's gaze, even though Liu Yuansheng hesitated, she was too embarrassed to refuse him, "Of course I'm willing."

"That's wonderful!" Xiao Jingzhuo exclaimed eagerly. "When are you two sisters-in-law going?"

Liu Yuansheng and Xie Qinghe exchanged a glance.

Xie Qinghe: "Let's go back and change our clothes, then we'll go right away." She shook her head helplessly after saying that. "There's just no way to deal with this kid. Yuansheng, for our little brother's sake, let's go."

Liu Yuansheng: "Okay."

After a quick dressing, Liu Yuansheng followed Xie Qinghe out.

It was as if some unseen force was controlling her; whenever she had the thought of mentioning divorce to Xiao Jinghan, something would immediately happen, forcing her to temporarily abandon the idea of ​​divorce.

Although there was no rush, Liu Yuansheng felt that it was best to deal with this matter quickly, even if she wanted to, she couldn't rush it.

After helping Xiao Jingzhuo just once, she was determined to ask Xiao Jinghan for a divorce afterwards.

Thinking this way, Liu Yuansheng became more determined to help Xiao Jingzhuo persuade Sun Zhiyao to come back.

The carriage was spacious and stable. Liu Yuansheng and Xie Qinghe sat side by side, chatting casually.

Liu Yuansheng wasn't a talkative person, but she had recently resolved a lot of unpleasant matters and was in a pretty good mood, which made her more interested in chatting with Xie Qinghe. Moreover, Xie Qinghe had caused some unpleasantness recently, and she was worried that Xie Qinghe was feeling depressed, so she wanted to comfort her.

But Xie Qinghe didn't seem to need any comforting at all. She was full of energy and high spirits. As the two talked, Xie Qinghe even began to comfort Liu Yuansheng, "I've heard about what happened in your family. How should I put it? As the saying goes, every family has its own troubles. Who could have imagined that your stepmother would be that kind of person?"

"To be honest, it's your father's fault. He didn't love his own daughter, but insisted on loving the one he raised outside. Now look what's happened, his adopted daughter has become his stepmother's biological daughter. He's really been raising someone else's child for over ten years."

"Rumors spread so fast in the capital! It hasn't even been two nights, and everyone already knows about it. But at least the matter at the Princess's residence has been clarified, and no one is gossiping about you anymore! Sigh, we women are trapped by the word 'virginity' our whole lives. But what does it matter? Once you understand it, all the rumors and gossip don't matter anymore."

Liu Yuansheng listened silently to Xie Qinghe's words, vaguely feeling that part of what she said was meant for herself, and there was something strange about it, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.

Seeing her hesitate, Xie Qinghe looked up, smiled, and squeezed her hand, saying, "You've weathered it all now. The troubles with your family are over, your reputation has improved, and you're on good terms with your third brother. You're only missing a child to complete your life, unlike me..."

"Sister-in-law." Liu Yuansheng looked at Xie Qinghe, who had a bitter smile on her face, and felt a pang of sadness in her heart. "Sister-in-law, you..."

"Alright, you don't need to try to persuade me."

Before Liu Yuansheng could speak, Xie Qinghe tightened her grip on her hand and said, "I understand what you want to say. Don't worry, I'm okay with it."

As soon as she finished speaking, the carriage stopped outside the Sun residence. Xie Qinghe said, "We've arrived so quickly." She helped Liu Yuansheng to her feet. "Let's go see Miss Sun."

Liu Yuansheng nodded and followed Xie Qinghe into the Sun residence.

The two women split up into two groups: one went to visit Sun Zhiyao's mother, and the other was responsible for persuading Sun Zhiyao.

Before Xie Qinghe arrived, she had already found out that Sun Zhiyao had broken off her engagement with Xiao Jingzhuo mainly because she listened to her mother's advice. Therefore, Xie Qinghe decided to confront Sun Zhiyao's mother head-on and entrusted the task of persuading Sun Zhiyao to Liu Yuansheng.

Because of Sun Zhiyao's speaking up for her outside the Consort's Palace and scolding Liu Nianxi, Liu Yuansheng had always had a good impression of Sun Zhiyao. Moreover, since she was Xiao Jingzhuo's sweetheart, Liu Yuansheng naturally valued her highly.

Therefore, she specially selected several carefully prepared gifts and presented them to Sun Zhiyao as soon as she saw her. However, Sun Zhiyao did not even glance at them and said, "Third Young Madam, these are not what I want."

Although Sun Zhiyao rejected him, Liu Yuansheng was not angry at all, and was not surprised at all. After all, Sun Zhiyao came from a noble family and had been pampered since childhood. Why would she care about such material things?

Even though the gifts she chose were all quite exquisite.

Liu Yuansheng then had Ying'er put away the gifts she had brought, and then asked Sun Zhiyao, "What does Miss Sun like?"

"I can't really explain it either." Sun Zhiyao sat quietly opposite Liu Yuansheng, a smile playing on her lips. "It's probably just a feeling. Unfortunately, the only person in my life who has ever given me this feeling already has someone else in their heart."

"Really?" Liu Yuansheng's mind raced as she tried to keep up with Sun Zhiyao's thoughts.

But when she understood what Sun Zhiyao meant, she was frightened by her thoughts.

She said she had someone she liked, but her crush had someone else in his heart, so it was clear that the person she was talking about couldn't be Xiao Jingzhuo.

In the end, is it all just a case of Xiao Jingzhuo trying to force himself on her? And if Sun Zhiyao really marries Xiao Jingzhuo while she still has someone else in her heart, can the two of them be happy?

The more Liu Yuansheng thought about it, the more suspicious she became. She couldn't help but pick up her teacup and take a sip absentmindedly. Sun Zhiyao noticed this and refilled Liu Yuansheng's teacup. Then, with a half-smile, she said, "Don't worry, Third Young Madam. Ever since I learned that he had someone else in his heart, and that their love was stronger than gold, I haven't had any inappropriate thoughts. Besides, I know that Jingzhuo is truly sincere towards me."

"Then you..." Liu Yuansheng was even more puzzled.

"I just wanted to help him out," Sun Zhiyao said. "He's a very talented man. Before, I was wondering what kind of woman he couldn't forget would be like, but after meeting her in person, I realized that I couldn't possibly beat her."

"Although I was somewhat unconvinced, a woman's beauty is always the most captivating thing for a man's heart."

As Sun Zhiyao spoke, her gaze lingered intently on Liu Yuansheng's face.

Liu Yuansheng's heart tightened; she vaguely guessed what was going on.

Then Sun Zhiyao asked, "Doesn't the Third Young Mistress want to know who that woman is?"

Liu Yuansheng felt increasingly nervous.

Just as she was wondering whether she should find an excuse to leave to avoid causing any trouble, Sun Zhiyao waved her hand, dismissing the maids and servants, and then said to the direction of the covered corridor, "Sir, please come out."

Liu Yuansheng's heart trembled. She turned her head and looked over, only to see Jiang Zhihuan, dressed as a scholar, walking out from behind the covered corridor and slowly approaching them.

My trembling heart ached with each step Jiang Zhihuan took as he drew closer.

Her throat tightened suddenly, and her fingertips unconsciously tightened the plain sash around her waist, making even her fingertips feel cool. Her gaze was fixed on his handsome figure, and her ears burned uncontrollably. A thousand words were stuck in her chest, but she couldn't utter a single one, and just stood there, stunned.

When Jiang Zhihuan came to her side and stood less than half a foot away, she finally realized what was happening and asked, "What are you doing here?"

Then he looked at Sun Zhiyao.

For an unmarried young lady to bring a man into the mansion and hide him away is simply intolerable to society, yet Sun Zhiyao did just that. "Third Young Madam, please don't misunderstand. I only sent someone to bring Mr. Jiang over after I learned that you and the Eldest Young Madam were about to enter the mansion."

She glanced at Jiang Zhihuan beside her and said very respectfully, "Don't worry, the reason I risked bringing Mr. Jiang here is because after learning about your story, I felt very sorry for your plight and wanted to help you. After all, there are many people in the capital, and Prince Xiao is such a person. Even if you two stay in the capital, you can't meet even if you want to, and you can't say what you want to say to each other. Why don't you take this opportunity to say what you want to say clearly?"

After saying that, she bowed slightly to Liu Yuansheng and Jiang Zhihuan and left silently.

Only Liu Yuansheng and Jiang Zhihuan remained in the large courtyard.

Liu Yuansheng couldn't even breathe normally. She stared blankly at Jiang Zhihuan, thinking about what Master Jing'an had told her before and the contents of Jiang Zhihuan's letter, and said incredulously, "What's going on? Can anyone tell me what's going on?"

Liu Yuansheng subconsciously looked at Ying'er because she was inexplicably afraid. Seeing this, Jiang Zhihuan quickly comforted her, saying, "Yuansheng, don't be afraid. I've come to see you because I have a few words I want to say to you in person."

Liu Yuansheng nodded. Indeed, she also had many things she wanted to say to Jiang Zhihuan and many questions she wanted to ask him.

Jiang Zhihuan: "I know you don't trust me much right now and have many questions about me. But Yuansheng, you have to believe me, I have never given up on you or our relationship. For our future, you have to help me."

"No, no." Liu Yuansheng shook her head, wanting only to get to the bottom of things. "Tell me first, why did you leave without saying goodbye? Do you know how hard it was for me to find you after you left?"

"I'm sorry, I was wrong back then." Recalling the past, Jiang Zhihuan lowered his head and said with a repentant look, "As you know, I came from a poor family and failed the imperial examinations repeatedly. I was so desperate that I had thoughts of suicide."

"Later, I met you. For you, I decided to give it my all again, but I didn't know how it would end, and I dared not promise you a future. So I left without saying goodbye, thinking that the day I passed the imperial examination would be the day I would marry you with a grand wedding procession."

"But Heaven is blind. I finally achieved fame and success, but after returning to the capital, I received the news that you had married Xiao Jinghan."

"I suspect that Xiao Jinghan was attracted by your appearance and forced you to marry him. After a thorough investigation, I found out that Su Tinglan had schemed against you. I want to take you away, but as you probably know, Xiao Jinghan's power is immense. I'm not confident in my ability to handle it, so I can only lie low for now and wait for the right opportunity."

At this point, Jiang Zhihuan let out a deep breath and said, "Yuansheng, every day since I returned to the capital has felt like an eternity. Every time I see you and see your aggrieved and reluctant eyes, my heart aches, and I can't sleep. I know you're sad, but how have I felt any better? I desperately want to take you away, but are you still willing to come with me?"

Liu Yuansheng's vision went black.

Listening to Jiang Zhihuan's heartfelt confession, she felt as if her heart had been ripped out. "So, it really was you who killed Cao Tong and his son?"

"Shouldn't they be dead?" Jiang Zhihuan said coldly when Liu Yuansheng asked about Cao Tong's family. "They treated you like that, they should have died long ago! Everyone who bullied you should be punished!"

Even so, Liu Yuansheng still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

She wouldn't have thought much of it if Xiao Jinghan did the same thing, because that's just the kind of person he is. But Jiang Zhihuan is different. In her heart, Jiang Zhihuan is clean, compassionate, and kind. When did he start to become unscrupulous and ruthless?

Is this still the Jiang Zhihuan she knows?

However, when she looked into his eyes, her heart was still filled with excitement, and those sweet moments from the past enveloped her once again.

That was the warmth she cherished dearly.

"My marriage to Prince Xiao was truly a twist of fate," Liu Yuansheng said, her voice choked with emotion. "I've always wanted to divorce him, and once we successfully divorce, we..."

"Yuan Sheng, you can't divorce him yet."

Before Liu Yuansheng could finish speaking, Jiang Zhihuan interrupted.

Liu Yuansheng was taken aback. "Why?"

"Because I need your help." Jiang Zhihuan stepped forward, his gaze fixed intently on Liu Yuansheng. "Given Xiao Jinghan's personality, he will never let you go. Even if he does, he will find a way to destroy you. Besides, I don't think he has any feelings for you. So how could he willingly agree to a divorce?"