The Double-Chapter 588 - 172 Commoner_2

All are astute individuals, and these matters go without saying amongst them. The imperial audience hall is teeming with countless cunning old foxes, who could more or less discern the clues at hand. They feared what Princess Yongning said was true, and so was what Eldest Young Master Li said. Eldest Young Master Li indeed had the heart of a beast despite his human face; a true bastard, while Princess Yongning had indeed secretly pledged herself to Lord Shen even before she became a part of the Li Family, all to avoid the public eye.

When it came to right and wrong, while everyone was shocked, they also treated it as a joke, enjoying the spectacle. Jiang Yuanbai stood quietly with a smile on his lips, as if he were watching a play, yet he recalled what Jiang Li had said to him about why they should marry Princess Yongning into the Li Family. Persuaded by Jiang Li back then and now seeing those words proven true, disaster struck the Li Family before even three months had passed. Princess Yongning and the Li Family had turned against each other, tearing each other’s faces apart. And as for Princess Yongning’s situation, that’s another story, but this time, Li Zhongnan had truly lost all dignity.

The worse the Li Family’s misfortune, the happier Jiang Yuanbai of the rival Jiang Family naturally was.

And all this chaos was because, during the birthday feast at Old General Jih’s estate, Jiang Li overheard a few words at the Duke Residence which completely altered the destinies of Li Xian and Princess Yongning. As these thoughts went through his mind, Jiang Yuanbai glanced towards Duke Su.

Jih Heng stood aside among the crowd, seemingly unaffected by the ruckus. He stood with a calm demeanor, watching with interest as if viewing actors perform on stage, and he merely an observer watching from the sidelines.

Jiang Yuanbai couldn’t help feeling puzzled; it seemed that Prince Cheng and the Right Chancellor were not aligned with Jih Heng. Otherwise, why would Jih Heng be watching so indifferently, as if without any plan in motion?

After all, Prince Cheng’s actions were imminent, and it was crucial to distinguish friends from foes carefully, lest there be trouble at this critical juncture.

In the chaos of the Golden Throne Hall, there was another who played the spectator, imperceptibly observing every move below. That was Emperor Hongxiao.

He didn’t stop Princess Yongning’s speech, nor did he interrupt Li Xian. Even towards Shen Yurong, whom he had favored greatly before, he offered no protection. He remained silent, simply watching these people tear each other apart, almost like a statue high and mighty, contempt in his gaze.

It wasn’t until Eunuch Su elongated his voice, signaling everyone to stop, that the crowd suddenly realized the emperor had been silent all this while, simply watching in silence.

What did this mean? Was it a sign of indifference? Everyone realized they couldn’t fathom what was on Emperor Hongxiao’s mind, even Prince Cheng was unsure. His power was growing day by day, but his wariness of his imperial brother increased in kind. His haste to act this year stemmed from this concern, fearing that waiting any longer would be too late.

This emperor was also growing at an astonishing pace.

The Golden Throne Hall had become quiet at some point, so silent one could hear a pin drop. And at the center of the whirlpool stood Shen Yurong, utterly disheveled, while Li Xian and Princess Yongning accused each other, leaving no dignity intact.

Emperor Hongxiao looked at Yongning and suddenly smiled.

This smile was inscrutable, puzzling all who saw it, and even Jiang Yuanbai, who had followed the emperor for many years, couldn’t help but shiver involuntarily.

"In that case," Emperor Hongxiao said, "If you wish for a divorce from Li Xian, I grant it."

...

The matter between Princess Yongning and Li Xian still got out. With so many civil and military officials in the Golden Throne Hall, it was impossible to keep it secret. Princess Yongning once said, only dead men can keep secrets. But she couldn’t make all those officials dead men. This dirty secret was bound to be exposed; overnight, the Li Family and Princess Yongning’s scandal, along with the always praised devoted Top Scholar Shen, became objects of everybody’s condemnation and disgust.

Princess Yongning got her divorce paper as she wished, but this document came at a great cost. She not only failed to exact her vengeance on Li Xian for the hatred of killing her son but also dragged herself down with him. Surprisingly, Li Xian also implicated Shen Yurong. Although Emperor Hongxiao’s attitude was intriguing, merely consenting to the divorce without further investigation—like whether Li Xian really did keep boys or if Princess Yongning truly had a secret predestined affinity with Shen Yurong—still, with no grounds at all, rumors were boiling as if they were true. Such realistically true matters naturally became ironclad fact.