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

"Do you still want to divorce the prince?" Abbess Jing'an asked, greatly surprised.

"Yes, the prince and I were never meant to be together," Liu Yuansheng sighed. "It's just that I haven't found an opportunity to ask him for a divorce yet."

"What if the prince doesn't agree to a divorce?" Abbess Jing'an asked.

"disagree?"

Liu Yuansheng had never really thought about this.

Would Xiao Jinghan refuse to divorce her? Probably not. After all, they were just a fake couple.

After the divorce, he'll have a bright future ahead of him, wouldn't that be great?

"He'll agree," Liu Yuansheng muttered to herself, though her tone carried a hint of guilt. "Divorce would be better for both of us."

"Alright, if you're determined to go your own way, I'm afraid no amount of saying more will change anything." Abbess Jing'an then asked, "So, after your divorce from the Crown Prince, do you still want to be with Jiang Zhihuan?"

Liu Yuansheng was taken aback. This time, she did not answer Master Jing'an's question.

"Sigh, think it over carefully. I'm afraid you'll make the wrong decision and regret it for the rest of your life."

The words "regret for life" made Liu Yuansheng's heart skip a beat for no apparent reason.

But she still didn't think much about it. She had decided to divorce Xiao Jinghan the day she married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

"I am determined to divorce my son. As for Jiang Zhihuan..." Liu Yuansheng paused, a pang of sorrow welling up in her heart, "As for his affairs, it's all up to fate."

"Alright then." Abbess Jing'an stood up.

"Master, what are you doing?"

Seeing that Abbess Jing'an had stood up, Liu Yuansheng quickly got up as well and helped her up.

"I'm going to get something, wait for me a moment." Abbess Jing'an slowly left, and after a short while, she came out of the inner room with a letter.

"Jiang Zhihuan gave this to me and asked me to pass it on to you. He said that after you have seen it here, you should burn it before leaving."

Liu Yuansheng shuddered upon hearing this.

"Is this a letter from Jiang Zhihuan?"

"Yes." Abbess Jing'an handed the letter to Liu Yuansheng. "Open it and take a look."

Liu Yuansheng was stunned for a moment, then took the letter with some skepticism.

The letter was thick. Liu Yuansheng nervously opened it, only to find a dried orchid falling out from inside.

She hurriedly picked up the orchid, held it in her hand and examined it repeatedly, a surge of warmth welling up in her heart.

A thin layer of mist quickly welled up in her eyes. She sniffed, opened the letter, and began to read it line by line.

Moonlight fell on the paper, illuminating each stroke clearly. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes casting soft shadows, her eyes filled with an unyielding tenderness. Sometimes she would softly murmur words, her lips moving slightly, her breath brushing the corner of the paper, causing it to curl up slightly.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Liu Yuansheng finally finished reading the letter, but he was stunned. It was as if his soul had been drawn away by the letter in his hand, and he sat blankly on the stool, lost in thought.

Master Jing'an looked at her with concern. "Yuansheng, what did the letter say?"

Why are you reacting like that?

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng's fingers trembled uncontrollably as she gripped the letter tightly in her hand.

The letter's contents were complex and nuanced, revealing both Jiang Zhihuan's intentions and his purpose.

Jiang Zhihuan said that he still misses her, but because of her current status, he has to distance himself from her, and he asked her to understand.

Jiang Zhihuan also said that if they wanted to be together again, they had to get rid of Xiao Jinghan. Otherwise, given Xiao Jinghan's vengeful nature, even if she divorced him, he wouldn't let them be together.

Liu Yuansheng had mixed feelings.

On the one hand, she was grateful that Jiang Zhihuan had not forgotten her and still cared about her.

He even guessed that she wanted to divorce Xiao Jinghan.

But she never expected that Jiang Zhihuan would ask her to help him get rid of Xiao Jinghan. The implication was clear: he wanted her to be an undercover agent and inside man by Xiao Jinghan's side.

Go help him get something.

Something that can bring down Xiao Jinghan.

Liu Yuansheng's heart clenched instantly, and she felt like she couldn't breathe.

Is this still the Jiang Zhihuan she knows?

In her memory, Jiang Zhihuan was gentle and refined, with a pure and simple heart. When did he become so eager for quick success and even unscrupulous?

He also asked her to lend him a hand, and she...

Liu Yuansheng couldn't continue thinking because her whole body had begun to tremble uncontrollably.

"Yuansheng, are you alright?"

Seeing Liu Yuansheng's agitated state, Abbess Jing'an couldn't help but ask, "What did this letter say?"

"Nothing." Liu Yuansheng raised her head. "Master, did Jiang Zhihuan say anything else to you?"

"No," said Abbess Jing'an. "However, he seemed rather gloomy, quite different from before. You should be careful when you're with him."

Liu Yuansheng's heart sank.

She looked down at the letter in her hand, picked it up, and slowly brought it closer to the burning candle.

-

The bright moon gently shrouds the Water Moon Temple, a pool of still water reflects fragments of the moon, and its clear light spreads across the mossy stone steps.

Xiao Jinghan sat casually on the stone steps, watching Master Jingxuan stand below with her head bowed, trembling as she recounted the story of how she bullied Liu Yuansheng.

"When she was ten years old, she went down the mountain to fetch water again and came back a little late. I scolded her. Later I found out that it was because the weather was cold and the lake was frozen. She had to use a big rock to break the ice to fetch water, which is why she came back late..."

"When she was eleven, I ordered her to sweep the withered lotus leaves throughout the entire nunnery. By dusk, she still hadn't finished, and I sternly reprimanded her for being lazy and negligent in front of all the young nuns. Only later did I learn that the moss by the pond was slippery, and she had sprained her ankle. Every step she took while bending over to sweep was excruciatingly painful, but she gritted her teeth and slowly finished, which is why it took so long..."

"One more time..."

Abbess Jingxuan paused mid-sentence, carefully observing Xiao Jinghan's expression, and asked, "Young Master, do you still want to hear more?"

Xiao Jinghan gave a cold, indifferent smile, the curve of his lips barely visible, but his eyes were as sharp as knives, and a chill emanated from him. His ambiguous smile was more terrifying than a furious roar.

"Go on, keep going, I'm really engrossed." He glanced at Ying'er beside him, then asked, "Have you memorized it all?"

With a piece of mung bean cake in her mouth and a charcoal pencil in her hand, Ying'er was writing furiously in a small notebook. "I've written it all down! Don't worry, Your Highness."

"Hmm, just write it down." Xiao Jinghan peeked into Ying'er's notebook and saw many circles drawn on it, some parts even being messy scribbles. He couldn't help but ask, "Is this how you write it down? Can you even understand it yourself?"

"Of course I can understand it!" Ying'er took a big bite of mung bean cake and said, "Oh dear, I don't know how to write that many words! It's already quite an achievement that I could memorize it like this!"

After saying that, she glared fiercely at Abbess Jingxuan and said, "That old nun is truly despicable! How dare she bully Miss like this! Young Master, you must avenge Miss!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the door to the dormitory creaked open, and Liu Yuansheng walked out dejectedly.

"Miss, you're out!"

Ying'er went up to Liu Yuansheng and said, "The young master and I are helping Miss with the accounts!"

Liu Yuansheng was in a daze when he heard Ying'er's voice. He frowned and said, "What accounts?"

"It's all because of Abbess Jingxuan bullying you!" Ying'er held up her little notebook and showed it to Liu Yuansheng. "Miss, look!"

Liu Yuansheng glanced at it; although the notebook was mostly filled with messy scribbles, she still understood it at a glance.

The painful memories were like a thorn stuck in her heart; she simply couldn't forget them.

It's impossible to forget.

She looked up at Abbess Jingxuan and said coldly, "Abbess Jing'an is so seriously ill, why don't you go and fetch a doctor for her?"

Upon hearing this, Jingxuan trembled nervously and said, "Jing'an said she just caught a cold and will be fine after resting indoors for a few days."

"Even if she caught a cold, someone should have come to check on her, let alone her..."

Liu Yuansheng's throat tightened, and he couldn't continue speaking, because Master Jing'an's condition was not a common cold, but rather a lung deficiency.

She deliberately concealed Master Jing'an's illness just now because she was afraid that she would overthink it.

"Master Jing'an is the abbess, after all. Are you just going to stand by and watch her suffer from illness without saying a word?"

Liu Yuansheng's gaze met hers directly. His usual gentle demeanor vanished, replaced by anger at Abbess Jingxuan. Even his voice was cold and hard.

Master Jingxuan pretended to be calm, put her hands together, and said Amitabha. "Your Highness, there is no need to worry. The physical body is just a shell. Colds and illnesses are all part of the cycle of life. Whether it is good or bad, it is all in the course of fate. There is no need to worry about it."

Liu Yuansheng: "You make it sound so easy, nun. What if you were the one lying in that hospital bed?"

Jingxuan's eyelids drooped, and she seemed unmoved by reason. "The body is merely a means of escaping this world. Illness and cold are common illusions. If the mind is free from worries, then there will be no illness to trouble you."

"Since the nun has transcended worldly desires and even disregarded life and death, why did she forcibly take the tonics I gave to Abbess Jing'an?"

"Amitabha Buddha, excellent, excellent!"

"This humble nun is devoted to Buddhism and acts with good intentions. The Crown Prince's wife makes baseless accusations and arbitrarily smears my reputation, which is contrary to the path of compassion. If there is no concrete evidence, I hope you will refrain from further fabricating accusations."

Liu Yuansheng was so angry she almost fell backward. "You! Cough cough cough..."

She choked on her breath and coughed violently. Xiao Jinghan, who had been watching Liu Yuansheng's outburst, immediately stepped forward and said, "Alright, alright, you're not even as good at arguing as your maid. Why are you arguing with an old nun?"

He put his arm around Liu Yuansheng and walked down the stone steps, asking Ying'er, "Have you remembered what we just said?"

Ying'er looked puzzled. "Do I have to remember this too?"

Xiao Jinghan laughed and said, "Remember that, and your crime will be compounded."

"A crime?" Abbess Jingxuan asked Xiao Jinghan, feigning composure. "What crime have I committed?"

Xiao Jinghan glanced at Abbess Jingxuan, "Someone will come and tell you what crimes you have committed."

He put his arm around Liu Yuansheng and walked to the gate of Shuiyue Nunnery, saying, "Shall we go back?"

Liu Yuansheng stopped and looked back at the quiet inner courtyard, but her heart was not at peace.

She doesn't really love this place; she just can't let go of the people here and some of the beautiful memories.

"Let's go." Liu Yuansheng took one last look at Master Jing'an's room and said in a hoarse voice, "I'll come to visit Master Jing'an again in a while."

After saying that, he turned around and stepped out of the gate of Shuiyue Nunnery.

-

Ying'er didn't finish all the food she bought, but Xiao Jinghan didn't cruelly leave her and the food she bought behind. Instead, he picked out a few items and gave them to Liu Yuansheng to eat.

Consider it a late-night snack.

Liu Yuansheng was preoccupied and couldn't eat much, but Xiao Jinghan had a good appetite and ate some of everything Ying'er recommended. In the end, he even praised Ying'er for her good appetite.

She was a perfect match for Xu Mang.

Ying'er was terrified when she heard this, thinking that Xiao Jinghan was going to betroth her to some servant boy. Fortunately, Xiao Jinghan mentioned it casually and then dozed off with his head tilted to the side, and didn't bring it up again.

They didn't even ask what Liu Yuansheng had said or done with Abbess Jing'an.

Why have I been so absent-minded since leaving Master Jing'an's quarters?

I didn't ask a single question.

Liu Yuansheng felt extremely awkward. Since Xiao Jinghan was asleep, she raised her eyes and stared intently at him.

He leaned against the soft cushion, fast asleep. His long legs were casually crossed, one hand rested on his side, and the other loosely placed on his abdomen. His brocade robe had slipped down slightly, revealing his clear and sharp shoulder line.

His long, thick eyelashes cast a soft shadow, his nose was high and straight, and his thin lips were slightly closed. Gone was his usual cold and imposing aura, leaving only a relaxed and languid soft profile. The light and shadow fell on his profile, making him so handsome that one dared not raise a voice to disturb him.

How can someone like that not be perfect?

But she didn't like it, because she already had someone else in her heart.

But she didn't intend to harm Xiao Jinghan, because she was grateful for his kindness.

But what if Xiao Jinghan really doesn't agree to the divorce, or retaliates against her because of the divorce, or even implicates Jiang Zhihuan because of her!

She had witnessed firsthand just how terrifying Xiao Jinghan's burdens were.

The more Liu Yuansheng thought about it, the more confused she became. So she simply closed her eyes and stopped thinking about it.

The night was as dark as ink spreading, and the moon's clear light spilled across the wilderness.

The ebony carriage rolled over the frost-covered official road, its wheels making a soft creaking sound that startled a few insects chirping by the roadside. The shadows of the trees on both sides receded into the distance, and the evening breeze, carrying the cool scent of grass and trees, lifted the corners of the carriage curtains. Specks of starlight fell on the gilded carriage, swaying gently with the swaying.

Just as Liu Yuansheng was about to fall asleep, the carriage stopped in front of an inn called Fenglai.

"Yes, we've arrived."

The man, who had been fast asleep, suddenly woke up. His reaction was so quick that one couldn't help but suspect he had been faking it. "Let's go, get off the bus."

Liu Yuansheng followed Xiao Jinghan off the carriage, still somewhat confused. She looked up at the signboard of Fenglai Inn and asked, puzzled, "How did we get here?"

Xiao Jinghan said, "It's already dark. Are you planning to sleep in the carriage?"

"Even if we rush back as fast as we can, it will be almost dawn by the time we get back. We'll be exhausted from the long journey."

Perhaps because he had rested well, Xiao Jinghan looked radiant and full of energy. His words were like drumsticks striking Liu Yuansheng's heart.

Liu Yuansheng did not speak.

Yawning incessantly, Ying'er said, "Miss, just listen to the young master. I think this inn is quite nice. Besides, I'm so sleepy."

"Alright then," Liu Yuansheng said, unable to bear seeing Ying'er suffer. "I will follow the young master's arrangements."