Chapter 396
Chu Ruoyan's heart skipped a beat as she saw the white-bearded and white-haired Liaokong walk in.
With a compassionate face, he chanted a Buddhist moniker, looking exactly like an enlightened monk. This frightened Nanny Zhou, who asked repeatedly, "Master, what do you mean by this? Is our Lady in any danger?"
Liaokong said nothing, fixing his gaze on Chu Ruoyan.
The latter let out a scoff. "The Master is joking with me. Nanny, you may step down first."
Nanny Zhou was half-doubtful but withdrew as instructed.
Liaokong came over and sat in front of her. A trace of solemnity entered his compassionate gaze. "Benefactor Yun, this old monk is not joking with you. Defying heaven and altering fate comes with a price, and you have already paid it at least twice."
Chu Ruoyan raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "That shouldn't be. My uncle, aunt, older female cousin, cousin-in-law... I've changed the fates of nearly four people just with them. How could I have only paid the price twice? Could it be that the Heavenly Dao is this merciful?"
Liaokong said solemnly, "It has nothing to do with them, but with your husband, Yan Zheng!"
Chu Ruoyan's smile vanished instantly. She listened as he enunciated every word: "Their fates involve a hundred people at most, which barely touches upon deep karma. But Benefactor Yan's fate implicates millions! The first time you saved him in the Fengtian Hall and nearly lost your life, that was the price! The second time, you and your husband stopped Princess Ansheng, prolonging the Xia Dynasty that was supposed to perish by several years. That time, you narrowly escaped death and lost all your seven emotions. Have you forgotten?"
Chu Ruoyan clenched her fingers and asked slowly, "Does the Master mean that I shouldn't have helped him?"
Liaokong did not answer.
She lowered her eyes. "If I didn't help him, does the Master know what would have happened to Yan Zheng?"
Liaokong closed his eyes and only spoke after a long while. "As for Benefactor Yan's fate, hasn't Benefactor Yun already glimpsed it in your dreams?"
"!!!"
Chu Ruoyan instantly looked up, her gaze shooting over like cold lightning.
Sure enough, this old monk knew everything!
"Since the Master knows everything, and knows how hard his life has been, why did you make that prophecy about him being a star of disaster back then, forcing him down a path of no return?!"
If it hadn't been for that prophecy, even if the Great General and his wife treated him coldly, the rest of the Yan family wouldn't have treated him like that!
Liaokong chanted a Buddhist moniker. "Amitabha. This old monk has said before, I merely spoke the truth according to the texts. Benefactor Yan was born under a lone star, the descent of the Star of Destruction. He is destined for a life of slaughter. This is his fate."
"So to push him onto such a path, the Master made that prophecy when he was just one year old?" Chu Ruoyan found it utterly ridiculous. She stared at him fixedly for a moment and suddenly asked, "Master Liaokong, I am very curious. Are you doing this to uphold your so-called heavenly mandate, or is it because we repeatedly broke out of the situations and didn't act according to your prophecy, which stirred up your anger and obsession?"
Liaokong's entire body trembled. For the first time, a crack seemed to appear on his compassionate face. "Do not speak nonsense!"
But the moment these words fell, it only proved further that he had indeed given rise to angry thoughts!
Chu Ruoyan's heart relaxed, and she watched him quietly.
She saw this divine monk, praised by the world, stand up and bring his palms together in a bow. "Amitabha. Benefactor Yun, this old monk has been taught a lesson."
"However, the Great Way of heaven and earth relies on the balance of all things. By forcefully altering fate without regard for yourself, Benefactor Yun will eventually lose what is most important to you. These are the words from the bottom of this old monk's heart. I hope Benefactor Yun will remember them well."
After saying this, he left without looking back, leaving Chu Ruoyan with her lips pressed tightly together.
The most important thing... what was it?
Her life?
But she was someone who had nearly died twice already; she didn't care about that!
"...My Lady, what did Master Liaokong just say to you?" Nanny Zhou walked in and asked with a nervous face.
Chu Ruoyan took a deep breath and said, "Nothing. He just said I would lose something, and that I should pay more attention."
"Ah? Is it that simple?"
Nanny Zhou couldn't quite believe it, but Chu Ruoyan didn't want to dwell on it any longer.
As long as the people she cared about around her were fine, as for everything else, she would let nature take its course.
At this moment, Xiao Chan ran in, crying and sniffling. "My Lady, My Lady!"
Chu Ruoyan raised her eyes and saw the little maid kneel before her, trembling as she offered up an item. "The son-in-law... he agreed to give our young lady a letter of divorce..."
Nanny Zhou hurriedly took it and looked. Astonishingly, it was a letter written in blood, with the opening words reading, "To my wife, Xue Ling"...
"My Lady, this...?" Nanny Zhou found it shocking just holding it. Chu Ruoyan couldn't bear it and looked away. "What did my cousin say?"
Xiao Chan sniffled. "Our young lady said... 'I kneel in gratitude for your grace.'"
Chu Ruoyan closed her eyes.
It was over. For her to say those words meant that there would be no more ties between them for the rest of their lives.
The Estate of the Earl of Nanping.
The wife of the Earl of Nanping was busy directing the servants. "Quick, move faster! The young madam is returning to the estate soon. Arrange everything according to her preferences, and don't make any mistakes!"
Old Madam Xie, sitting in the seat of honor, curled her lips. "Is there a need to be so grand?"
The Earl of Nanping hurriedly said, "Mother, you can't say that! You know that the two highest figures right now are Ling'er's cousins! Moreover, the imperial court is currently waiting to be rebuilt, and the Emperor intends to place the Cao family in important positions. They will be the most highly sought-after nobles in the future!"
Speaking of this, Old Madam Xie felt a pain in her liver from sheer anger.
Who could have imagined that the Cao family would have such good luck!
While the late Emperor was alive, they had smooth sailing for most of their lives. Right at the end, they were thrown into prison, but in the blink of an eye, their niece's husband ascended to the throne!
Their status rose with the tide, and now the people rushing to curry favor with them were about to trample their threshold flat!
"Anyway, no matter what, she is still a daughter-in-law of the Xie family. Don't give her too much face, or she'll ride on the heads of her elders in the future!"
The Earl of Nanping did not dare contradict his mother and simply agreed, but in his heart, he thought that if worse came to worst, he would just let his son and daughter-in-law move out to live in a separate estate.
After all, this daughter-in-law was different now; she was a relative of the royal family and had to be enshrined!
However, instead of waiting for her return, they saw their son come back looking absolutely devastated, all ten of his fingers bleeding.
"Zhou'er, what happened to your hands?"
The Earl of Nanping quickly went up to greet him, but Xie Zhizhou avoided him. "Grandmother, Father, Zhizhou is incompetent. I have already divorced the Xue woman..."
"What? Divorced? Didn't you coax her properly?" The Earl of Nanping grew anxious.
Old Madam Xie let out a cold snort from her nose. "What, does she dare to put on airs now? If she doesn't return to the Xie family, where does she want to go? Back to the Cao family to be a divorced woman?"
Xie Zhizhou lowered his head and remained silent. The Earl of Nanping hurriedly said, "Mother, how about we just bring her back first?"
Old Madam Xie glared at him. "Fine, for the sake of the Empress's golden face, this old woman will make a trip! We can slowly teach her the rules once she is back—"
Before she could finish, Xie Zhizhou interrupted, "Grandmother, there is no need to go."
Old Madam Xie was taken aback and listened as he said, "When the Xue woman left home, she was already pregnant. When I saw her this time, the child was gone."
Old Madam Xie's eyes suddenly widened. "What did you say? Say it again!"
Xie Zhizhou said expressionlessly, "She aborted the child."
Boom!
Like a bolt from the blue, Old Madam Xie was completely dumbfounded.
The Xie family was not prosperous in numbers, and she had always longed for this child. That was why she had sought out Liu Hui, wanting her to give birth to a great-grandson for the Xie family!
But why was it Xue Ling who got pregnant, and then aborted it? How did she dare?!
"Men, come here!! This old woman is going to the Cao family to ask her why she murdered my great-grandson!!"
Old Madam Xie forced herself to stand up with a sharp intake of breath. Xie Zhizhou curled his lips mockingly, but found he could not bring himself to smile. Take care, Grandmother. The Empress is with her.
After speaking, he went straight back to his room, leaving Old Madam Xie with her mouth wide open, panting heavily.
Mother, Mother? The Earl of Nanping hurriedly supported her.
However, he saw the old madam, who had been harsh and bitter her entire life, widen her eyes and suddenly vomit a mouthful of blood. My great-grandson! As her words fell, her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fell straight down, throwing the entire Earl's mansion into total chaos.
The next day, the official divorce papers were sent to the Ministry of Revenue.
Ji Yao was a shrewd man. Knowing the relationship between Madam Xue and the Empress, he immediately presented the divorce papers to the Emperor.
The new Emperor merely glanced at them before issuing a decree: the Earl of Nanping was stripped of his title for failing to strictly manage his household.
A censor thought this punishment was far too severe, as a divorce was a private family matter after all. But the new Emperor retorted, asking how a man could help a country prosper if his own family was not in harmony. This left the censor completely speechless, forcing him to retreat.
With this, everyone inside and outside the imperial court understood that the new Emperor was a man who highly valued domestic tranquility. For a time, those ministers who loved to frequent the pleasure districts all restrained themselves and stayed obediently at home.
In the Huguo Temple, after hearing the news, Chu Ruoyan only asked one question. What about Xie Zhizhou? The Emperor did not touch him, did he?
Meng Yang, who had come to deliver the message, simply replied, No. The Emperor said that after his divorce, he threw himself entirely into his official duties. Within two days, he completely redeployed the capital's defenses and properly arranged all the security matters for the upcoming coronation day. He is extremely useful.
Extremely useful? Chu Ruoyan's mouth twitched. It seemed the Emperor was just using Xie Zhizhou as a handy tool. But that was fine too; at least he would not be trapped in his grief and unable to move on.
Meng Yang held back a laugh and said, Yes. The Emperor said that since Commander Xie could not manage his family affairs well, he should at least put some effort into state affairs. And...
He paused, and Chu Ruoyan raised an eyebrow. And what?
Meng Yang lowered his head. And the Emperor asks when you will return. He... misses you.
First update, darlings. I need to take a little leave, boohoo~