Ye Ji did not expect that the person he had cast to the back of his mind would appear in his line of sight so soon.
To forget such a person, he had kept himself busy from the moment he woke until he rested, thinking that with enough time, he could completely erase Ning Zhen, who had such a significant impact on his emotions.
The other party had appeared before him of her own volition this time. He had not wanted to see her, but he could not refuse the reason she gave for requesting an audience.
Below him, everyone except A-Zhen was uneasy; most of their legs were trembling, and had they not been exerting extreme control, they likely would have collapsed into a heap.
This matter was simply too massive, involving a third-rank official of the imperial court. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments had actually disguised himself as a mountain bandit—and if that weren't enough, he had been caught. If being caught weren't enough, he had acted without a shred of humanity; the purpose of his disguise was to violate his own daughter-in-law.
What left everyone dumbfounded was that this was a joint effort between the father and son.
And then, an even more outrageous event occurred: Li Bianxing, in order to cover up the crime, had stabbed his own father to death.
Feeling the chill emanating from above, those in the hall assumed the young Emperor was furious; they dared not even breathe too heavily, their backs soaked with sweat.
Ye Ji was indeed angry, but it had not reached an unmanageable point.
Li Junchang’s affair was easy to handle; he would deal with the Li family as necessary. The loss of one Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments would not affect anything. Over the years, he had purged the ranks from top to bottom; greater events had occurred, so this was nothing. Beixia was currently teeming with talent, and he could immediately promote someone capable to fill the vacancy.
What frustrated him was that his previous restraint had been in vain!
Yet, the person below knew nothing of this, leaving only him to suffer the mental torment.
It was all the fault of that father and son, Li Junchang and Li Bianxing, for acting so filthily—disguising themselves as bandits to violate a daughter-in-law and wife. To think they could even conceive of such inhuman acts.
Filthy trash deserved to be hacked to pieces and fed to the dogs!
"Young Master Ning, what is your request?" Ye Ji cast a cold glance at Li Bianxing, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, then inadvertently swept his gaze over Ning Yuwan, who stood obediently beside A-Zhen with her head bowed. To be able to stand here after such a major incident, she possessed commendable courage.
She was worthy of being Ning Zhen’s own sister.
He was about to dispose of the Li family, and he certainly needed to extract Ning Yuwan, the victim, from the situation; that was why he had asked.
Ye Ji’s expression was stern and serious. He was not favoring anyone; everything that had happened and all the evidence indicated that Ning Yuwan was an innocent victim.
How Ning Zhen had discovered this matter, and why it was so timely, no longer mattered.
"Replying to Your Majesty, Li Bianxing murdered his father and harmed his wife. He is unworthy of being a husband or a son, his conduct is filthy, and his character is corrupt. My seventh sister cannot afford such a husband. Today, she has written a letter of separation; from this day forward, they shall go their separate ways." After A-Zhen finished speaking, she noticed some movement from Ning Yuwan beside her and gently steadied her.
Ning Yuwan stood firm and bowed to the person above: "This subject's daughter implores Your Majesty to grant this."
Originally, A-Zhen had suggested writing a letter of divorce—that would have been better. Ning Yuwan had insisted on a letter of separation, as if to repay the kindness Li Bianxing had once shown her, giving him one last shred of dignity, even if that dignity was useless to him.
With the Li family involved in such a grave matter, whether they could make a clean break required the Emperor's consent.
Ning Yuwan was somewhat apprehensive. The oppressive environment she had grown up in left her with little confidence in this Son of Heaven. After all, he was also a man; how many men could truly understand the suffering of a woman?
A-Zhen had said the Emperor was a wise ruler, and it was because she trusted A-Zhen that she dared to stand here.
Glancing at A-Zhen, Ye Ji was almost amused to the point of anger. So, she had come to him to get a letter of separation again. In his eyes, this letter of separation was no different from a letter of divorce.
She had already divorced two brothers-in-law; once this news spread, he wondered what the remaining husbands of the Ning Prince’s Mansion would think.
They probably wouldn't sleep well at night.
He suddenly had a premonition that any who were disobedient would likely be divorced by Ning Zhen, and the thought of that scene made him somewhat amused.
Ye Ji let out a soft scoff, and the hall became even quieter.
Li Bianxing’s heart, however, stirred slightly. Did the Emperor also feel that Ning Zhen’s actions were a bit excessive? Ning Yuwan was his, Li Bianxing’s, wife. Even if the Li family was in trouble, she shouldn't be running away.
When he had plunged the dagger into his father’s heart without hesitation, wasn't it because he felt the two families were one? He believed that as long as he did that, Ning Zhen would have to cover up the matter for Ning Yuwan’s sake. With that as leverage, couldn't he, as a husband, treat Ning Yuwan well?
He had not expected Ning Zhen to want to blow the matter up, nor had he expected Ning Yuwan to agree to expose it, willing to risk being the subject of gossip just to drag the Li family’s reputation through the mud.
How had he never known Ning Yuwan was so hard-hearted? It was a waste of all the gentleness he had shown her.
"Granted," Ye Ji said.
The person below was too sincere. Even though she didn't look up at him, he could feel that she was waiting for his consent.
Bowing for too long was tiring; it was better to resolve this matter quickly.
Ye Ji’s expression darkened, and he silently took a breath. He had been influenced again without realizing it; often, he simply couldn't control it. Fortunately, the other party was only here to handle family matters. If it affected national affairs, he would truly have to find a way to avoid her.
Ye Ji looked deeply at the person below, hoping she would be well-behaved and not harbor any intentions of harming Beixia.
He would endure the rest.
The stability of Beixia was his bottom line.
"Thank you, Your Majesty." A-Zhen looked up and met Ye Ji’s complex gaze. She paid no mind to the wariness and vigilance within it.
He remembered nothing, so it was only natural for him to be on guard.
In reality, by having such an attitude toward her, he had already been greatly affected. In time, he would understand that she had no intention of harming Beixia, and he would no longer need to struggle with these things.
Ning Yuwan followed suit and thanked him.
Under A-Zhen’s encouraging gaze, she took out the letter of separation she had prepared in her sleeve, walked two steps forward to place it beside Li Bianxing, whispered, "From now on, you and I have no connection," and then quickly returned to A-Zhen’s side.
The incident of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Entertainments disguising himself as a bandit to persecute his daughter-in-law implicated the entire Li family, though only Li Bianxing lost his head. Even though it was verified that Li Junchang’s disguise was not for the purpose of rebellion or robbing passersby, the impact was quite negative, and the future and reputation of three generations of the Li family were completely ruined. Unable to withstand the storms of the capital, the Li family soon moved away.
With A-Zhen protecting her, Ning Yuwan was not affected by the various outside discussions and had recently been recuperating quietly in the Ning Prince’s Mansion.
The courtyard A-Zhen had arranged for Ning Yuwan was based entirely on the memories of the original host and the preferences she had inquired about; the other party liked it very much.
The psychological trauma caused by the Li Bianxing incident was still significant, and she had been melancholy lately.
Noticing that Ning Yuwan was often lost in thought with a furrowed brow, A-Zhen decided that things could not go on like this; thinking too much all day long made one prone to illness. Thus, she decisively assigned Ning Yuwan a task.
Once a person was busy, they had no time to let their mind wander; she had experience with that.
Ning Yuwan was a bit bewildered. What? She wanted her to go out and audit all the shops in Beixia? Was she capable of that?
(End of chapter)