Wenhua Hall was deathly still. All the Palace Attendants held their tongues, and the scent of sinking agarwood hung heavy in the air.
The disheveled Qiuci Dancers and the Saintesses from various sects hid beneath the silk quilts, daring not to make another move.
The fine wine in the golden cups had long been spilled, staining the carpet a deep crimson.
Lady Xingyan, however, was perfectly calm. She looked at Xia Wuyang without flinching. "According to the rules of the Great Xia Royal Family, if a Prince or Princess passes away, their spouses and concubines must mourn for them, unable to take a single step out of White Jade City."
"But Your Highness should know, the Astrology Zhao Family currently relies entirely on me to stay afloat. If I am trapped in White Jade City, the Astrology Zhao Family will not be far from ruin. I implore Your Highness to grant my request."
Pushing his Soul Capturing Technique to its limits, he faintly glimpsed some of Lady Xingyan’s thoughts. She wasn’t lying; she was indeed requesting a divorce for the sake of the Astrology Zhao Family.
As for the Manor Master of Wanjian Manor, the man was indeed interested in her, but Lady Xingyan had not yet accepted him. She was merely using him to develop the Astrology Zhao Family.
But whether they would get together in the future, no one could say.
BANG...
Even so, Xia Wuyang couldn’t just let Lady Xingyan leave so easily. It would go against his established personality and behavior.
He slammed his hand on the nearby table, the force of it toppling the teacups and sending tea splashing across the floor.
Xia Wuyang laughed in fury, his murky eyes locked on Lady Xingyan. "Zhao Xingchen, do you have any idea what you’re saying? Or do you think I’m about to die, so you want to break free as quickly as possible before I do and regain your freedom?"
Lady Xingyan said nothing, but the expression on her face clearly gave him his answer. That was exactly what she thought.
"Insolent!"
Xia Wuyang roared, his chest heaving violently as if he were thoroughly enraged.
Seeing this, Lady Xingyan had someone present a series of brocade boxes. Inside were bottles of Middle Level and High Level nourishing elixirs, and even a bottle of Celestial Water Essence. "If Your Highness agrees, these fifty bottles of Middle Level Dragon and Tiger Elixir, fifty bottles of High Level Dragon and Tiger Elixir, and one bottle of Celestial Water Essence are all yours. It will be enough for Your Highness to properly enjoy the beauties of all races."
’Just a few trinkets to buy your freedom.’ Xia Wuyang’s pupils constricted. He feigned a greedy stare at the bottle of Celestial Water Essence, his Adam’s apple bobbing as if he were genuinely tempted.
Seeing this, a cold smirk flashed across Lady Xingyan’s face, though her tone softened. "Your Highness, you no longer care about us concubines anyway. These Elixirs and Miracle Treasures, however, can help you last much longer and enjoy the rest of your life. All I ask for is a single Divorce Certificate."
Xia Wuyang fell silent for a moment before slowly reaching out to stroke the bottle of Celestial Water Essence. "You want to leave? Fine. But this isn’t enough. Not nearly enough!"
"Then how much do you want?" Lady Xingyan’s brows furrowed.
Xia Wuyang let out a low laugh. "Five hundred bottles of Middle Level Dragon and Tiger Elixir, five hundred bottles of High Level Dragon and Tiger Elixir, and ten bottles of Celestial Water Essence."
"Impossible! Even if I sold off the entire Astrology Zhao Family, I wouldn’t have that many treasures." Lady Xingyan’s expression changed, and she shot to her feet.
Xia Wuyang’s face turned cold. "Don’t you have plenty of allies? You can ask them for help. Everyone knows the Astrology Zhao Family is as rich as a nation thanks to its astrology, with a network that spans the entire Jianghu. I even helped you build much of that network. Are you telling me you can’t get these Elixirs?"
"A Thousand Bottle Dragon and Tiger Elixir is no problem, but Celestial Water Essence is a Miracle Treasure, found only by chance. Even if I give it my all, I can only get three portions. I beg Your Highness for some leeway," Lady Xingyan said helplessly.
Xia Wuyang feigned hesitation. He pushed his Soul Capturing Technique to its limit, confirming that Lady Xingyan was telling the truth. "In that case, add another five hundred bottles of Dragon and Tiger Elixir, or the deal is off."
"This... this... I Promise you!" Lady Xingyan hesitated for a moment before finally agreeing. "I will go prepare the remaining Elixirs and Miracle Treasures now. They will be ready within a month at most. I trust Your Highness will have the Divorce Certificate ready."
A complex expression appeared on Xia Wuyang’s face. He looked at Lady Xingyan and said faintly, "Xingchen, are you sure you’ve made the right choice?"
"Your Highness may have no scruples, but I still have the Astrology Zhao Family. I cannot be as carefree as you." Lady Xingyan didn’t look back, her voice cold as she spoke, and soon she disappeared from Wenhua Hall.
Once Lady Xingyan’s figure had vanished, Xia Wuyang feigned a crazed leap towards the Qiuci Dancers and the various Saintesses. "Pay her no mind! My beauties, let’s continue drinking and making merry! HAHAHAHA..."
Hearing this, the many Palace Attendants all wore strange expressions, unsure of what to say.
Only after they had left Wenhua Hall did they begin to whisper among themselves.
"The elder Crown Prince must be mad. Lady Xingyan humiliated him like that, yet he still agreed to the divorce. If word of this gets out, the elder Crown Prince will lose what little dignity he has left."
"Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and Celestial Water Essence are precious, but they’re nothing compared to one’s legacy. The elder Crown Prince is willing to throw away all his pride just to enjoy his final days."
"They say the reason Lady Xingyan is unwilling to be a widow and insists on a divorce before the elder Crown Prince dies is so she can marry her childhood sweetheart, the Manor Master of Wanjian Manor. I wonder if it’s true."
"Be careful what you say. If that gets out, the elder Crown Prince will truly have no face left to show anyone, and we of the Eastern Palace won’t be able to show our faces outside either."
...
Despite these words, the eunuchs, Palace Maids, and Guards... each of whom had long-established connections to the outside world, quickly spread the news.
Soon, everyone inside and outside the Imperial Palace knew that Lady Xingyan had requested a divorce, and that the muddled elder Crown Prince had actually agreed in exchange for Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and Celestial Water Essence.
For a time, sounds of ridicule were endless. Even many of the Princes and Princesses felt ashamed, and high within the Ninefold Palace, Emperor Xia couldn’t help but smash his wine cup.
Then, another piece of news spread, leaving the Eastern Palace in stunned silence.
It was that after taking several Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and some Celestial Water Essence, the elder Crown Prince, whose health had greatly improved, had another batch of stunning beauties from the Fox Race sent in from the outside. He even declared publicly that the thousand-plus Dragon and Tiger Elixirs shouldn’t be wasted and that he had to consume them all before he died.
What was so great about one Lady Xingyan? How could she compare to stunning beauties of all races? With these Dragon and Tiger Elixirs and Celestial Water Essence, he could enjoy hundreds more exquisite women. The trade was more than worth it.
Many of the concubines in the Eastern Palace also felt the elder Crown Prince had gone too far, to say nothing of the people outside. Cries of condemnation were incessant, with many people saying the elder Crown Prince had sold his wife for pleasure.
However, they seemed to have forgotten that it was Lady Xingyan who had proposed the divorce, not Xia Wuyang.
Xia Wuyang had merely taken the opportunity to go with the flow, sending away someone who had long since stopped caring for him and acquiring the Elixirs and Miracle Treasures he needed most right now.
With so many nourishing elixirs and so much Celestial Water Essence, his Cultivation Realm was bound to advance by leaps and bounds, allowing him to reach a point where he could silence everyone as soon as possible.