TRBDM -Chapter 77 The Imperial Edict for Divorce

After the servant left, Xie Lan thought it over again and still felt uneasy.

After all, she was the second young lady of the Mingde Marquis Manor. If something truly happened to her, the consequences would be unimaginable.

He said to Xie Yu, “Fourth Brother, go back to the Lan Courtyard first. I’ll go see Mother.”

Xie Yu obediently nodded.

Xie Lan went to Anhe Courtyard and explained the entire matter to Wei Zhaorong.

Earlier that day, Xie Wanyi had spoken disrespectfully to Xie Wanrou. Wei Zhaorong had already learned of it from Dou Shuyao.

As for her visit to the old marquis’s grave, Wei Zhaorong was fully aware of that as well.

“I understand,” Wei Zhaorong said to Xie Lan. “You don’t need to concern yourself with this matter. Go do what you should be doing.”

Xie Lan had never intended to involve himself in Xie Wanyi’s affairs anyway. By informing his mother, he had fulfilled his responsibility.

After Xie Lan left, Wei Zhaorong looked over the account books for a while, then had Nanny Qi remove her hair ornaments.

From beginning to end, she did not mention Xie Wanyi’s name again.

Nanny Qi now clearly understood her mistress’s thoughts and would no longer foolishly speak up on behalf of the Second Young Lady.

Once the lights in Anhe Courtyard were extinguished, Wei Zhaorong reminded Nanny Qi to take out her official noble consort attire the next day—she would be entering the palace.

“Yes, Madam.”

Nanny Qi gently closed the door and instructed the maids to prepare the ceremonial robes.

Still uneasy, she sent someone to keep watch at Linshui Courtyard and report immediately if there was any movement.

About an hour later, a maid came to report, “Nanny Qi, the Second Young Lady has returned.”

Only then did Nanny Qi finally feel at ease.

The Second Young Lady had been pampered all her life; she would not endure long at a gravesite. The moment someone offered her a way out, she would seize it without hesitation. Truly standing guard at the tomb would be no different from taking her life.

The next morning, Wei Zhaorong rose early, dressed in her official noble attire, and boarded a carriage bound for the imperial palace.

This time, upon entering the palace, she clearly sensed the tense atmosphere.

The eunuchs and palace maids all kept their heads lowered, hardly daring to breathe.

Wei Zhaorong unconsciously tensed as well.

The Emperor had taken action against Lei Lieshan. The Third Prince understood it as a warning directed at himself, and in court, memorials urging the abolition of the Crown Prince had grown increasingly frequent.

For this, the Emperor had flown into a great rage, leaving everyone in the palace feeling insecure.

Wei Zhaorong lowered her head and quietly waited outside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

This time, she waited until afternoon. Her legs were already numb from standing when the Emperor finally summoned her.

Wei Zhaorong immediately straightened her immaculate robes and entered the grand hall with slight apprehension.

She had just finished kneeling and paying her respects when the Emperor said in a heavy voice, “You have come to request an imperial decree for divorce.”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, this subject’s wife has indeed entered the palace for this very matter.”

A faint trace of anger lingered on the Emperor’s face, yet his words startled Wei Zhaorong:

“In consideration of your timely exposure of Lei Lieshan’s crimes, which counts as a merit, I grant the divorce.”

Wei Zhaorong hurriedly kowtowed in gratitude. “Your Majesty is wise. I thank the Emperor for his boundless grace.”

The Emperor immediately drafted the imperial edict in his own hand. The chief eunuch carefully received it and passed it to Wei Zhaorong.

Her hands trembled slightly as she respectfully accepted the edict and once more kowtowed in thanks.

“You may withdraw.”

Burdened with countless state affairs, the Emperor dismissed her. Having received the decree, Wei Zhaorong promptly withdrew from the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

With her goal accomplished today, a faint smile finally appeared on Wei Zhaorong’s face.

As she stepped out of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, a grand procession approached from the opposite direction. Leading the group was none other than the Third Prince, whose power was currently at its zenith.

The Third Prince, Zhao Jingyan, was the only son of the favored imperial consort. Backed by the strength of his maternal clan, none of the other princes in the palace—aside from the Crown Prince—were his match.

Within the palace, he was notoriously arrogant. When he looked at others, he did so from on high, his eyes filled with undisguised contempt.

Wei Zhaorong dared not provoke him and stepped aside to wait for his entourage to pass.

To her surprise, Zhao Jingyan suddenly halted. Casting her a sidelong glance, he asked, “Who is she?”

“Reporting to Your Highness, she is the Old Madam of the Mingde Marquis Manor—Wei Zhaorong.”

“Oh—so it’s her!” Zhao Jingyan drawled. “Lei Lieshan married the legitimate eldest daughter of the Mingde Marquis Manor. A perfect match—truly a pair of fine talents and beauties. Yet someone, harboring ill intentions, would rather abandon the title of General’s wife to become a discarded woman instead. Utterly foolish.”

Clutching the imperial edict in her hand, Wei Zhaorong’s brows furrowed deeply. “Your Highness, His Majesty has already decreed that my Rou’er and Lei Lieshan shall divorce. She is not a discarded wife.”

Zhao Jingyan narrowed his eyes. “Father actually agreed to their divorce? Heh. Old Madam of the Marquis Manor, you have quite the means. I underestimated you.”

Wei Zhaorong lifted her head to look at him. Dressed in embroidered imperial robes, Zhao Jingyan’s thin-lidded eyes were half-lowered as he regarded her like a heap of refuse. He placed no one in his sights.

He was waiting for the Emperor’s death. Once the Emperor passed, he would be able to eliminate the Crown Prince as a matter of course and ascend the throne himself.

But only Wei Zhaorong knew how miserably Zhao Jingyan would ultimately end—imprisoned under charges of treason and rebellion.

The true future sovereign was someone no one had anticipated.

For now, the Third Prince and the Emperor were locked in a delicate balance. However domineering Zhao Jingyan might be, he still did not dare defy an imperial decree.

The day that balance shattered—when the Emperor could no longer restrain him—turmoil would erupt at once.

Whether the Marquis Manor could remain wise and preserve itself would depend on utmost caution.

“Your Highness overestimates this humble woman,” Wei Zhaorong replied mildly. “I am but an old woman of the inner quarters who has seen little of the world. I only wish to have my children and grandchildren around my knees and spend my remaining years in peace. I shamelessly relied on the military merits the old marquis established in his time to beg for this edict of divorce. His Majesty, in his benevolence, could not bear to refuse. I am endlessly grateful.”

She lowered herself deliberately, avoiding a direct clash with Zhao Jingyan—using softness to overcome hardness, deflecting great force with minimal effort.

Zhao Jingyan studied her without expression. The smile on Wei Zhaorong’s face never faltered—neither fawning nor disrespectful, but impeccably courteous.

After a long moment, Zhao Jingyan finally looked away. “Old Madam, proceed carefully. At your age, you should remain peacefully in your inner courtyard. The roads outside are not easy to walk—be careful not to break your old bones.”

“Thank you for Your Highness’s guidance. I shall remember it.”

Once the Third Prince and his entourage departed, Wei Zhaorong realized her back was soaked through.

The Third Prince carried even greater oppressive force than the Emperor.

The Emperor, having reigned for many years, understood the art of balance in governance. But the Third Prince was young and impetuous, ruthless in his methods, advocating harsh rule. Countless unjust souls had perished at his hands.

Fortunately, his wings were not yet fully grown, and with the Emperor still in power, he had no choice but to restrain himself.

Wei Zhaorong looked up at the imposing palace walls and grand halls. They felt grim and sinister, sending a chill through her body.

Nanny Qi noticed her discomfort and supported her. “Madam, let us leave the palace.”

“Mm.”

Only after their carriage had traveled far from the palace did the oppressive chill around Wei Zhaorong finally dissipate.

Upon the golden throne, daggers hid behind smiles. Within palace walls, every step was fraught with killing intent.

Terrifying.

Yet as one entangled in the game, one could only advance cautiously, seeking a path to survival within narrow seams.

Upon returning to the Minghe Marquis Manor, Wei Zhaorong adjusted her expression before stepping down from the carriage, doing her best not to let anyone see the humiliation and submission she had endured in the palace.

“Call Rou’er here.”

Not long after, Xie Wanrou arrived.