Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?

Chapter 1040 - 759: Unbearable

In the blink of an eye, it was the next morning.When Shang Ruyi woke up, the sky was not yet fully bright. Yu Wenye had just finished practicing his sword in the courtyard and was wiping his sweat as he returned. At this moment, Shang Ruyi also got up, and Tushere and the others immediately brought hot towels. After both of them finished washing up, they sat together to have breakfast.

Usually, Yu Wenye ate quickly, probably because of his military background. He rarely spent time chewing slowly, especially when he had to attend court or handle matters. Often, Shang Ruyi had barely sipped her porridge, and he was already finished eating.

But today, he ate slowly.

After eating, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he rinsed his mouth, sat with Shang Ruyi by the couch to drink tea and rest, showing no intention of leaving.

Shang Ruyi asked, "Aren’t you going out today?"

Yu Wenye shook his head, "There’s no early court today, and—"

As he spoke, he glanced outside. Although no one had come from Qianqiu Palace with a summons, both of them were sure Aunt Hui would find a way to let His Majesty the Emperor know about the little palace maid Jian Chun’s death. And since the Emperor had just ascended the throne, there would surely be inquiries given a death in the palace.

So, Yu Wenye stayed in Qianqiu Palace to prepare for dealing with this matter.

However, Shang Ruyi couldn’t help but frown slightly and softly said, "I’ll take care of this myself."

From a young age, whether it was her early deceased parents or her loving aunt and cousin, they all conveyed one message in their words and actions: A woman cannot idle away. Even if she can’t go to the battlefield, being born as a human means taking responsibility.

Moreover, she was now Princess Qin.

Yu Wenye had to attend court, train soldiers, manage relationships with ministers, and consider when to deploy troops or fight to the death with Eastern Capital. As Princess Qin, her role was to clear his concerns so he could focus on his duties.

Chu Ruoyan’s matters, as well as Aunt Hui’s and Yu Mingyue’s actions, were for her to handle.

Furthermore, if Yu Wenquan wanted to intervene, the worst result would be a "conflict" between her and Chu Ruoyan; but if Yu Wenye got involved, it would potentially influence Yu Wenquan’s view of Yu Wenye.

After all, if one couldn’t manage a small household, how could they govern a larger state?

So, she did not want Yu Wenye to get involved in such matters.

Hearing her say this, Yu Wenye pressed his lips together, though still suppressing a faint smile. He covered his mouth, coughed a couple of times, cleared his throat, and said, "Do you really think I want to deal with these things?"

"Then—"

"It’s because you’re pregnant that I’m keeping you company."

"..."

"After you have the child, I won’t bother with these matters. You’ll have to handle them yourself."

Shang Ruyi pouted.

Being pregnant didn’t mean she became foolish. She believed she could handle whatever came her way, both in the past and now. Clearly, Yu Wenye’s words underestimated her.

Just as she was about to retort, they heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, they saw Chang Wan leading Eunuch Yu and two little eunuchs inside. Seeing them, Eunuch Yu immediately stepped forward to salute, "Apologies for disturbing Prince Qin and the Princess."

Yu Wenye asked, "Eunuch, has my father given any instructions?"

Eunuch Yu replied, "Yes. His Majesty has summoned Prince Qin and the Princess to Liangyi Hall for an audience."

Finally, it came.

Prepared for this moment, neither showed too much surprise. Still, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and both of them adjusted their clothing before following Eunuch Yu out of Qianqiu Palace.

Soon, they arrived at Liangyi Hall.

Today, with no court session, Yu Wenquan had some rare leisure, but upon entering Liangyi Hall, he still smelled a faint scent of ink in the cool air. On a table in the hall, there were stacks of documents, indicating that Yu Wenquan had been reviewing and reading them early in the morning.

But now, his writing tools were set aside, and his hands rested on the edge of the table.

On one side of the hall, Aunt Hui and the two little palace maids from Bai Fu Hall stood waiting.

The two immediately stepped forward to salute. Although Yu Wenquan’s expression wasn’t very pleasant, he gently said upon seeing Shang Ruyi, "Ruyi, I’ve told you before there’s no need for kneeling and bowing. You’re pregnant and should take care of yourself."

Shang Ruyi respectfully said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."

Yu Wenquan nodded. His gaze turned stern again as he looked at them, "You should know why I summoned you here today."

Shang Ruyi deliberately turned her head to glance at Aunt Hui, then said, "Your child understands. It’s about the dry well behind Bai Fu Hall, the corpse of Jian Chun."

Aunt Hui hurriedly smiled and said, "Your Majesty, this matter should have been handled by me after investigating thoroughly; but I failed to handle it properly, causing Your Majesty to become aware of it and take time amidst your busy schedule to inquire about it. It is all my fault."

Shang Ruyi and Yu Wenye exchanged a glance but said nothing.

This was something they could foresee.

A little palace maid died in the palace; usually, there is no need to report it to Yu Wenquan. However, Aunt Hui wanted to bring the matter to the Emperor’s attention, and there are countless ways to let the Emperor "unknowingly" become aware of it. She would just bear the charge of "improper handling."

Indeed, Yu Wenquan waved his hand lightly.

He looked at Yu Wenye and said, "I’ve heard that the deceased Jian Chun was a palace maid from Jinyu Garden. I should ask her master, but—upon reflection, I thought it better to clarify with the two of you first and then decide. What is the matter with Jian Chun’s death?"

He finished speaking and then glanced at Shang Ruyi, "Do you, do you know?"

Without waiting for Yu Wenye to speak, Shang Ruyi immediately stepped forward, bowed her head, and said, "Father, I know about this matter."

"Oh? When did you find out?"

"It was yesterday, after the palace attendants pulled the corpse from the dry well at Bai Fu Hall."

After speaking, she deliberately turned her head to look at Aunt Hui again, "I specifically sent Wo Xue to investigate, Aunt Hui should have met her then."

Aunt Hui smiled and said, "Yes."

Yu Wenquan said, "Then, do you know why this palace maid was in the dry well behind Bai Fu Hall?"

Shang Ruyi calmly said, "Before this, I had never seen this Jian Chun, so I’m not aware of the cause of her death. But I heard from Wo Xue that when Aunt Hui saw the corpse yesterday, she told her that Jian Chun went to the back of Bai Fu Hall to slack off and play, and accidentally fell into the well and died."

Saying this, she looked at the two palace maids standing behind Aunt Hui: "You heard this yesterday, didn’t you?"

The two palace maids were the ones who initially discovered the corpse; they were indeed nearby yesterday, although frightened out of their wits, due to the matter involving a death, especially with Aunt Hui being the investigator, they listened carefully.

At this moment, upon Princess Qin’s inquiry, the two dared not slack off, nodding quickly like a pestle, "Yes, yes."

Aunt Hui’s face suddenly darkened.

She said those words yesterday to provoke Wo Xue into acting against her, or to scare Wo Xue into reporting to Shang Ruyi, causing them to lose calm and escalate the matter, conveniently blowing it up; but unexpectedly, not only Princess Qin but even the little palace maid Wo Xue remained unflustered despite several tests and provocations. Now, Shang Ruyi uses her words from yesterday to attempt to cover up the matter.

How can this be allowed?

Thinking of this, Aunt Hui forced a smile and said, "Yesterday, I was merely speculating."

Continuing, she said, "Ever since Your Majesty ascended the throne, you’ve been kind-hearted and benevolent to all in the palace. I believe these palace maids should be grateful and wouldn’t cause any—unsavory matters."

She emphasized the word "unsavory."

Yu Wenquan’s brows furrowed slightly.

Indeed, since ascending the throne, his reign has been externally tight and internally loose; after all, it’s a time of chaos, with smoke and signals everywhere, warlords divided, requiring the utmost effort to fend off external enemies, whether it was the Eastward campaign to Fufeng led by Xue Xian’s army or the subsequent occupation of Dragon Raising Land in Taiyuan by Wang Shaoji and the Turkic allied forces. Internally, especially within the palace, due to the previous oppressive rule of Chu Yang, even the palace attendants in Daxing Palace were as frightened as startled birds. He must make them know that he is different from Chu Yang, and won’t treat the palace’s people harshly, to foster confidence in this newborn Dynasty.

Even when facing plagues, his governance followed this approach.

Yet unexpectedly, he encountered this situation.

Moreover, the deceased isn’t anyone else but a palace maid serving Prince Qin’s Concubine in Jinyu Garden, someone close to the Princess of the previous dynasty, which is why he summoned Yu Wenye and Shang Ruyi instead of directly approaching Chu Ruoyan.

He absolutely does not allow such "unsavory" matters to emerge within the palace.

Upon hearing the biting word "unsavory" from Aunt Hui’s mouth, Yu Wenye’s brow furrowed slightly, "Aunt Hui is overestimating the situation. If this little palace maid truly died from accidentally falling into the dry well, it was due to her own carelessness. Father is kind-hearted, not willing to punish. Even I wouldn’t impose severe penalties. It’s merely handing the corpse back to her family, providing a few pieces of silver for burial. Why say ’unsavory’?"

Aunt Hui hastily smiled and said, "Forgive me, Prince Qin, my words might have been too harsh. But—if that palace maid truly died from accidentally falling into the dry well, unexpectedly, and not due to any malfeasance, I certainly wouldn’t dare say such words."

"..."

"Unfortunately—"

Yu Wenye’s gaze pierced her, "Unfortunately, what?"

Aunt Hui said, "Unfortunately, I had the forensic doctor examine the palace maid’s corpse; it appears she did not die from an accident."