Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?

Lou Yingxiong was still in a daze, staring blankly at the item thrown into the cell. It seemed to be a cloth bundle. He hurried over to pick it up, opened it, and his face changed instantly.

Inside the cloth bundle was a golden hairpin.

This golden hairpin was not unfamiliar to him; in fact, he was very familiar with it because it was his daughter Lou Chan Yue’s favorite piece of jewelry. He had given it to her the year she came of age. Lou Chan Yue cherished it and wore it constantly. Even after marrying into the Crown Prince Mansion as a concubine and acquiring many more beautiful ornaments, she still wore this golden hairpin and took pride in it.

But now, this golden hairpin had left his daughter’s possession, been discarded into the cell, and was delivered into his hands.

The cell was cold and damp, so much so that Lou Yingxiong could still feel the warmth of his daughter lingering on the golden hairpin, making him shiver uncontrollably. He suddenly recalled the day his daughter got married when she insisted that he personally place the golden hairpin in her hair, and he watched his reflection smile kindly in the copper mirror, saying, "Father, don’t worry. Even though I am just a concubine, I will not disappoint you."

He thought the same.

His daughter could not merely be a concubine.

So when they encountered the opportunity at the Hot Spring Palace, they gambled everything on it, only to find that the Crown Princess Consort unexpectedly obstructed them, secretly suppressing their efforts. The thought that this woman, who already held the title of legitimate wife, could not tolerate others, that if the Crown Prince should truly ascend the throne someday and she were to become Empress, with her disposition and Yu Dingxing’s cunning ruthlessness, would they tolerate Chan Yue and him?

Out of revenge, and even more out of planning for the future, father and daughter made a desperate gamble, deploying a squad of the Death Guards they had secretly trained outside the city to ambush Pei Xingyuan. Ever since the Emperor ordered Su Qinglan’s release, the case could no longer be investigated further. Lou Yingxiong had initially lost hope in earning merit from this case, and only they knew the true truth, though he couldn’t understand why Pei Xingyuan never spoke up after his capture, keeping him alive was a potential threat.

So, they took action.

The most important thing was, it was clear to everyone that the Crown Princess Consort’s previous actions were intentionally making things difficult for them. If the interception of Pei Xingyuan occurred, it would only increase suspicion toward the Crown Princess Consort and her father. The best outcome would be for the Emperor to take action against them.

Even if the Emperor didn’t act, once a rift developed between the Crown Prince and the Yu Family father and daughter, their Lou Family would have hope.

Yet, they hadn’t expected things to fall apart, even more so that Lv Qianfeng discovered their hideout, unearthing them completely. Now—

Looking at the golden hairpin in his hand, Lou Yingxiong felt as if his heart was being twisted by a knife. He gently rubbed his fingers over the cold texture of the hairpin, and a chill suddenly arose from the depths of his heart.

This incident unfolded, causing their previous plans to come to naught, and the Crown Prince would likely not easily spare him and Chan Yue.

And now, the meaning of sending this golden hairpin—

Lou Yingxiong’s eyes gradually turned red. Lowering his head to look at the golden hairpin in his hand, he suddenly burst into laughter, "Haha, hahahaha..."

The wild and desperate laughter raged for a moment in the cold, dark dungeon, and then quickly subsided.

The night grew even darker.

In such a dense night, Shang Ruyi did not sleep well, so when people outside started moving about and working in the morning, she awoke. Upon waking, she heard distinct and clear breathing beside her. She opened her eyes and turned her head, and sure enough, in the dim light, Yu Wenye’s cold and astute eyes were open, seemingly staring at the ornate canopy above, or perhaps seeing something else through it, with a sharp glint in his eyes.

She said, "You’re awake."

Last night, the two of them went to bed early but lay there recounting everything that had happened during the day, estimating when Yu Wenquan might finally declare Yu Wenye to lead troops to Cijian to attack Luoyang.

By the end, it was already past midnight, fatigue creeping in. Shang Ruyi, while responding to Yu Wenye’s words, slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep, not knowing when he fell asleep, but it must have been very late.

Yet, unexpectedly, he woke up so early.

Upon hearing her voice, Yu Wenye also turned his head, looking at Shang Ruyi’s somewhat messy hair, he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear, then said, "Why are you awake too? Didn’t sleep well?"

Shang Ruyi didn’t speak, propped herself up to look outside. The window was tightly closed, obscuring the view outside. Judging from the light filtering through the window, it was still early, likely not yet 7 AM.

So she lay back in bed, softly saying, "I don’t know what decision Father will make today."

"..."

"Will he let you lead the troops?"

Yu Wenye laughed, "Are you dreaming about this too?"

Shang Ruyi also smiled slightly.

Since the incident at the Hot Spring Palace, the atmosphere at Qianqiu Palace had been stifling and heavy. Even with Little Yuanzi by her side to lift her spirits, the weight of this heavy heartstone had been pressing down, suffocating her until Pei Xingyuan was ’intercepted,’ offering some relief.

At the very least, Pei Xingyuan’s life was spared, and the Pei Family was temporarily safe.

And yesterday’s truth being revealed brought some more relief.

As matters reached the most critical point, the final step was to see if Yu Wenquan would compromise and allow Yu Wenye to return to the battlefield—although there seemed to be no other choice before him, until the Emperor spoke, they couldn’t relax for a single day.

Yu Wenye said, "Don’t worry too much, everything will eventually fall into place."

Having said that, he sat up, dressing himself as he said, "I’ll go practice swordplay for a bit, you didn’t sleep well, rest a bit more."

Shang Ruyi also sat up, was about to shake her head, saying she couldn’t sleep anymore, when she suddenly heard a series of urgent and disorderly footsteps outside, distinct from the earlier sounds of people moving about, appearing anxious yet cautious. Both of them felt something, exchanged glances, and then heard another set of footsteps approaching, with a soft voice in the outer hall, saying, "Your Highness, Your Highness..."

It was Chang Wan’s voice.

Yu Wenye gestured for Shang Ruyi to stay still, donned a robe, and stepped out of the bedchamber. Shang Ruyi sat on the bed, holding her breath, listening to the voices outside, seemingly the voice of a little eunuch who served at Liangyi Hall.

After whispering a few words, the footsteps retreated.

Soon after, Yu Wenye returned, furrowing his brow, his expression grave as he slowly walked back inside.

Shang Ruyi hurriedly asked, "What happened?"

Yu Wenye walked back to the bedside, sat down, and after a moment of silence, he looked up at her and gently said, "Lou Yingxiong hanged himself in the dungeon."

"What?!"