Chapter 424: "A Divorce Letter For Mother"
Due to Ye Ling Yue's special status now, the jailers no longer dared to chain her anymore.
"And here I was wondering who it might be. Uncle Feng Hang, are you trying to turn yourself into a wife seeking statue?" Upon noticing how helpless looking the poor man was standing outside the dungeon's door, she teases him for the fun of it.
In response, Nie Feng Hang could only issue out a long deep sigh: "Your mother wouldn't let me visit her."
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He knows this was his beloved's way of not dragging him down with her. After all, it would mean the end of his career if word spread that he got involved with a married woman.
Not missing the strange reaction from the general, Ling Yue immediately inquired about the details. Sure enough, she was quickly infuriated by the insults thrown their way during her absence. Of course, the detail about Zhu Ge Rou attempting to slap her mother and of how Hong Fang still holds the divorce letter remains the main topic of their conversation.
"Uncle Hong Fang, I fear both of you've been fooled on this. That letter must be a fake. Back then Hong Fang couldn't wait to see me and my mother die out in the wild. Why would he keep something that could come back and bite him in the future? If I'm not wrong, it's likely their scheme to control me and my mother using that fake divorce letter now that we are of some value. But then again, they did remind me of something great. Hoho, a divorce letter eh?" Because of how angry she was inside, the girl ended up laughing maniacally instead to express herself.
As for the man here, Nie Feng Hang didn't even know how to respond. His head was left spinning, unable to comprehend what the lass was implying.
First spending a little while to appease his future stepfather, promising she will help persuade her mother, Ling Yue then went ahead to enter the dungeon of her own accord.
This translation is only hosted on bcatranslation
That night no sleep could be had for those involved, especially in Ling Yue's case. However, the following next morning that deep meaningful smile on her face could not be dismissed at all. She can't force the king to take Hong Fang's life in this matter but that doesn't mean she can't take half of it!
On this day, the early Court meeting had only just convened when they were interrupted by an urgent message from the Northwest. According to the messenger's report, many towns and villages are under assault by the strange plague and are in need of dire relief.
The officials were all useless here with no solutions in place. Frustrated, the king angrily dismissed the crowd and went by himself to visit his son Xia Hou Qi. Finding the boy's condition looking better as Ling Yue described, this ruler finally knew what must be done.
"Ridiculous, how can a woman divorce their husband? Even back then Lord Fang had to follow the 'Seven Articles' before he can divorce your mother. Now you want to ignore all that and have me permit her to divorce your father Lord Fang?" The king was prepared to accept anything at the time but never something this outlandish. It went against every norm in this world!
In truth, no man can accept such an insult. It would be better to outright kill Hong Fang than to be divorced by a woman.
"A saint once said a man can divorce their wife if she breaks the 'Seven Articles', but the saint also mentioned the 'three can nots'. Hong Fang knew my mother had become estranged with her family as a result of their marriage, leaving her homeless without a place to return. For rich or for poor, a marriage means commitment to the end. And what he do? He abandoned us for wealth and power. Of the 'three can nots', he already broke two of them. Your Majesty, why can't my mother divorce him?" Ling Yue was firm in her case, leaving the king with no room to wiggle.
"Besides, a simple divorce letter will only make him lose some face. Compared to how I and my mother nearly lost our lives on the street years ago, how can it even be a comparison? Or is Your Majesty implying that the face of a single man is more important than ones life? For the well-being of all, I implore you to choose the right path."
Her meaning cannot be anymore clear from those threatening words: If you don't give in then I won't help. If anything I can just go back to the dungeon and sit on it until a hole is burned into the ground.
"I cannot promise you this. Ye Ling Yue, I'm warning you now. You are a denizen of my kingdom, don't think for a second that I wouldn't dare to execute you." The king became enraged by the girl's stubbornness.
But just when the man wanted to lash out, Eunuch Liu had suddenly barged into their meeting. Based on the elder's frantic appearance, its obvious he's quite urgent: "Majesty, North Qing has sent a special envoy here and is seeking your immediate attention!"
Why would North Qing send an envoy now of all times?
As confused as this was for the king, he didn't dare to neglect the matter either. First ordering the girl away, he immediately retreated to the back in preparation for receiving the special envoy.
Unbeknownst to the king, when Ling Yue was departing from the hall, she had accidently crossed paths with a certain man that had a super sharp pair of eyes.
"Excuse me Miss, are you Princess Yue?" The man seems quite intrigued by her existence.
Perplexed by the question, Ling Yue instinctively turns around to face the man only to be flustered by the following message.
"My name is Cong Lu, a Second Rank Royal Guard of North Qing. His Highness Prince Feng has tasked me with greeting your ladyship. I am supposed to convey that he is doing well and misses you a lot. He also said he wants to hold you in his arms every single night since leaving."
But before the girl could reply or ask for more details, the royal guard had already entered the study room, leaving only her in the open.
Feng Shen misses me? Blushing right up to her ears, Ling Yue never expected someone like Feng Shen to be so brave as to have someone else pass on such a intimate message, Oh how embarrassing. He will pay for this when I see him.
Meanwhile at the same time over in the room, Cong Lu was currently gazing down at the king like he's the one in charge.
"Captain Cong, what sort of business brought you over to Da Xia? It can't be that there's a message for me?"
He was no stranger to this second rank royal guard. Take Feng Shen's case for example. When the boy was brought over to Da Xia, it was precisely this Cong Lu who escorted the boy.
"King Xia, our nation have already heard of the situation plaguing Da Xia. Because of how frequent refugees are crossing into North Qing's border, it has now become a national issue on our end also. I am here to ask King Xia this question on behalf of my nation's ruler: when will the situation be resolved? If there is no solution or timeframe in place, North Qing would gladly send troops over to help quell the unrest and manage the Northwestern Plains." Captain Cong Lu's tone was very arrogant and disdainful there.
As harsh and eerie as this was for the king, he can never show his outrage, not now anyways. In fact, his entire body was drenched in cold sweat at the moment.
What help manage the Northwestern Plains? More like invade Da Xia's border and take it for themselves!
For many decades, the borders along the Northwest have always been strife with dispute. If not for Da Xia producing several heroes like Lan Ying Wu and Nie Feng Hang in recent years to oversee the nation's border, it would've continued to be a lawless land like decades before then.
To make matters worse, the king can't even rely on the two most outstanding general in his ranks for the matter right now. One was pretending to be sick and refused to come to Court, the other was making a ruckus day in and day out about becoming a eunuch....
The king never felt so stressed and frustrated in his entire life!