Chapter 11: The Prince is a Woman 11

Ye Ji never expected that the person he had cast out of his mind would reappear in his sight so quickly.

To forget such a person, he had kept himself busy from the moment he woke up until he rested every single day, believing that with enough time, he could completely erase Ning Zhen—the person who had such a profound impact on his emotions—from his memory.

This time, the other party had appeared before him proactively. He had no desire to see her, but he could not refuse the reason she gave for seeking an audience.

None of the people below were composed except for A-Zhen; most had trembling legs, and had they not been exerting every effort to control themselves, they likely would have collapsed into heaps.

This matter was far too significant, involving a third-rank official of the imperial court. The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices had actually disguised himself as a bandit. Disguising himself as a bandit was one thing, but he had actually been caught; being caught was one thing, but the result was that he had committed an unspeakable act—the purpose of his banditry was to humiliate his own daughter-in-law.

What left everyone speechless was that this was a joint effort between father and son.

To make matters even more absurd, in an attempt to cover up the crime, Li Bian had directly stabbed his own father to death.

Sensing the chill from above, the people in the hall assumed the young Emperor was enraged; they didn't even dare to breathe too heavily, their backs soaked in sweat.

Ye Ji was angry, but it had not reached the point of being uncontrollable.

Li Junchang's matter was easy to handle; the Li family could be dealt with as necessary, and losing one Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices would not cause much impact. Over the years, he had purged the ranks from top to bottom; even greater matters had occurred, so this was nothing. Currently, Northern Xia was brimming with talent, and a capable individual could be promoted immediately to fill the position.

What vexed him was that his previous self-restraint had been in vain!

To make matters worse, the person below knew nothing of this, leaving him to suffer in both body and mind.

He could only blame the filthy conduct of the father and son, Li Bianxing and Li Bian, for disguising themselves as bandits to humiliate a daughter-in-law and wife. Such depravity was beyond belief.

Those filthy creatures deserved to be hacked to pieces and fed to the dogs!

"Consort Ning, what is your request?" Ye Ji cast a cold glance at Li Bianxing, who lay on the ground like a dead dog, and then inadvertently glanced at Ning Yuwan, who was standing primly by A-Zhen's side with her head bowed. To be able to stand here after such a massive incident showed commendable courage.

She truly was Ning Zhen's biological sister.

Since the Li family was about to be dealt with, he certainly had to ensure Ning Yuwan, the victim, was cleared of any involvement, which was why he asked.

Ye Ji's expression was solemn and serious; he was not taking sides. 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 she had been so timely no longer mattered.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Li Bianxing committed patricide and harmed his wife, failing in his duties as a husband and son. His conduct is vile and his character is depraved. My seventh sister cannot accept such a husband. Today, she has written a letter of divorce; from this day forward, they shall go their separate ways," A-Zhen finished. Noticing a slight movement from Ning Yuwan beside her, she gently supported her.

Ning Yuwan steadied herself and bowed to the person above. "This humble woman implores Your Majesty to grant her wish."

Originally, A-Zhen had suggested writing a letter of repudiation—it was better to cast him out. But Ning Yuwan insisted on a letter of divorce, treating it as a way to repay the tenderness 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 committing such a grave offense, whether they could sever ties completely required the Emperor's consent.

Ning Yuwan was somewhat apprehensive. The oppressive environment she had grown up in made her somewhat lacking in confidence toward this Emperor; after all, he was also a man, and how many men could truly understand the suffering of a woman?

A-Zhen had said the Emperor was a wise ruler; she only dared to stand here because she believed in A-Zhen.

Glancing at A-Zhen, Ye Ji was almost amused by her audacity. It turned out she had come to him again to get a divorce letter; in his eyes, a letter of divorce was no different from a letter of repudiation.

This woman had already divorced two brothers-in-law. Once this news spread, he wondered what the remaining sons-in-law of the Ning Prince's Mansion would think.

They probably wouldn't sleep well at night.

He suddenly had a premonition that anyone who was disobedient might end up being divorced by Ning Zhen. The thought brought him a flicker of amusement.

Ye Ji let out a short, dry laugh, making the hall even quieter.

Li Bianxing's heart, however, became slightly more active. Did the Emperor also think Ning Zhen's actions were a bit excessive? Ning Yuwan was his wife; even if the Li family was doomed, she shouldn't be allowed to run away.

When he had stabbed his father's heart without hesitation, wasn't it because he believed the two families were one? He thought that once he did this, Ning Zhen would have to keep the matter secret for Ning Yuwan's sake. As long as he held this secret over her, how could he, as her husband, not treat her well?

He had not expected Ning Zhen to want to make a massive scene, nor had he expected Ning Yuwan to agree to expose everything, preferring to risk public scrutiny to bring disgrace upon the Li family.

How had he not known before that Ning Yuwan was such a hard-hearted person? To think he had treated her with such tenderness.

"Granted," Ye Ji said.

The person below was so sincere that even without looking up at him, he could feel her waiting for his approval.

Bowing for so long was tiring; it was better to resolve this matter quickly.

Ye Ji's expression darkened. He took a silent breath, but found himself unconsciously affected; many times, he simply could not control himself. Fortunately, she was only here to handle a family matter; if it were to affect state affairs, he would truly have to find a way to prevent it.

Ye Ji looked deeply at the person below, hoping she would be more compliant and not harbor any intentions to harm Northern Xia.

He would endure everything else.

The stability of Northern Xia was his bottom line.

"Thank you, Your Majesty." A-Zhen raised her head and met Ye Ji's complex gaze. She did not take his wariness or vigilance to heart.

Since he remembered nothing, it was only natural for him to be defensive.

In reality, by maintaining such an attitude toward her, he had already been significantly influenced. In time, he would understand that she had no intention of harming Northern Xia, and he would no longer need to dwell on these things.

Ning Yuwan bowed in thanks as well.

Under A-Zhen's encouraging gaze, she took out the divorce letter she had prepared from her sleeve, walked two steps toward Li Bianxing, placed it beside him, and whispered, "From now on, we have nothing to do with one another," before quickly returning to A-Zhen's side.

The incident of the Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices disguising himself as a bandit to persecute his daughter-in-law implicated the entire Li family, but only Li Bianxing lost his head. Even if it was proven that Li Junchang's banditry was not for rebellion or robbery, the impact was still quite bad; the future and reputation of three generations of the Li family were utterly destroyed. 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 rumors outside and spent her recent days recuperating in the Ning Prince's Mansion.

The courtyard A-Zhen arranged for Ning Yuwan was based entirely on the preferences A-Zhen remembered from the client and those she had inquired about; the girl liked it very much.

The psychological shadow left by the Li Bianxing incident was still large, and she had been quite despondent lately.

Noticing that Ning Yuwan frequently frowned and stared blankly, A-Zhen decided things could not continue this way; constant brooding would lead to illness. Thus, she decisively assigned Ning Yuwan a task.

Once a person is busy, there is no time to overthink; A-Zhen had experience with this.

Ning Yuwan was somewhat bewildered. What? She was to go out and inspect all the shops in Northern Xia? Could she really do that?

(End of Chapter)