Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?

Yu Wenqian raised his eyelids to look at her: "You don’t want him to win?"

Yu Mingyue frowned tightly: "His greatest asset is his military achievements. Over the past ten-plus years, how many merits has he gained for the Yuwen Family? Even though they all count for the previous dynasty, in the Emperor’s eyes, his capability in battle is a fact set in stone!"

"..."

"In this way, he’ll always hold military power in his hands, which is our biggest obstacle!"

Yu Wenqian was silent for a moment, then said, "His ability in battle is indeed a fact."

"But—"

"In other matters, we can think of ways, but if he actually goes to the battlefield, then we should not have any other thoughts."

"..."

"Moreover, the battle for Luoyang is of great significance, and I don’t want my third brother to encounter any danger again."

Upon hearing this, Yu Mingyue realized that Yu Wenqian would not make an issue of this matter any further, and she could only let it go, but there was still a look of resentment on her face. Yu Wenqian gave her a glance and said: "If I am to become the Crown Prince, I must inherit the throne and rule the Dasheng Dynasty. But if the Kingdom is gone, what’s the point of me being the Crown Prince?"

"..."

Yu Mingyue remained silent for a long moment, then finally said, "I understand your point."

"..."

"I’m just afraid that everything we’re doing now is preparing someone else’s wedding dress."

Yu Wenqian was taken aback and raised his head to look at her again, a flicker of light passing through his eyes: "You mean—"

"Yuan Qian,"

Upon mentioning this name again, Yu Mingyue couldn’t help but grit her teeth, pronouncing the name with remarkable intensity, as though she wished to chew it to pieces. She said: "The Emperor gave such a significant name to that little brat, aren’t you at all worried, Your Highness?"

Hearing the words "little brat," Yu Wenqian furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly uncomfortable.

And Yu Mingyue continued: "He is his Imperial Grandson!"

"..."

"He once renamed Chengqing Hall to Chengqian Hall for you, everyone knows what that means; but now, he’s given his grandson the name Yuan Qian, don’t you understand what that means?"

Mentioning this, Yu Wenqian’s gaze dimmed slightly.

Indeed, he could feel that, in saying these words, Yu Mingyue harbored a degree of resentment—he is Yu Wenqian’s legitimate eldest son and the current Crown Prince of the Dasheng Dynasty. Normally, this Imperial Grandson should be born of the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Consort. If they had such a child, Yu Wenquan would certainly favor them even more, leaving King Qin and Princess Qin with no chance to rise again.

But now—

Yu Wenqian fell silent for a moment, then said: "It has come to this, there’s no use saying such things now."

Yu Mingyue also stayed silent for a while, but her eyes became even deeper, secretly whispering: "Not necessarily..."

|

The departure of the army naturally caused a commotion within Changan City, but once the event passed, however great the commotion was, it would gradually subside, and within a couple of days, the citizens of the city temporarily put aside the affairs of the frontlines and went about their own lives. The palace also returned to its usual tranquility.

Quieter still was Shang Ruyi.

Though Qianqiu Palace was only missing one person with the departure of Yu Wenye, Shang Ruyi’s heart felt truly empty. That afternoon, she sat alone by the window, staring blankly at the sky outside without a word, continuing the same way the next day. After two or three consecutive days like this, Tushere became a bit worried about her and often brought Little Yuanzi over.

Seeing her cooing son, Shang Ruyi finally seemed a bit more lively, playing with the child, who was full of energy and crawled all over the place like a restless little puppy, her mood significantly improved.

Tushere, standing to the side, said: "Princess, you mustn’t keep brooding like this. When Prince Qin left, he specifically instructed us not only to keep an eye on you to stop you from running around but also to ensure that you eat and sleep well."

As Shang Ruyi pulled her son, who was about to leap off the couch, back to her lap, she cast an annoyed glare at Tushere: "You always listen to him."

Tushere replied with a cheerful smile: "I listen to whoever is good to the Princess."

Shang Ruyi shook her head helplessly.

In fact, she was not the type of woman who could not live without her husband, and since their marriage wasn’t always about sticking together, she had often sent him off to war, enduring long separations. Yet this time, from pregnancy to childbirth, and until Yuanzi reached six or seven months old, Yu Wenye had been a rare constant by her side, and for the first time, they had experienced such an extended period of closeness, close enough for her to become accustomed to his presence.

Habit is indeed a terrifying thing.

Now that he was gone, not only was her side empty, but her heart was empty too, and she indeed felt a bit unaccustomed.

Seeing even Tushere saying such things, she suddenly felt that she was a bit too sentimental and unlike herself, her ears flushed, and she covered it up with a couple of coughs, saying: "You’re really talkative."

Tushere, despite being scolded, merely chuckled sweetly.

In the days that followed, Shang Ruyi was no longer as sombre as before and returned to her usual calm. She rose early to read books, accompanied Little Yuan Qian with his babbling, and when the weather was nice, she took him to the Inner Court for walks and relaxation. When nobles and ladies visited her at the palace, Shang Ruyi no longer avoided them as she used to but met with them all, conversing amicably, unaffected by Yu Wenye’s departure.

On this particular day, having found some rare leisure time, Shang Ruyi, after reading for a while, suddenly had the thought of taking out the map stored in the cabinet — the Luoyang City Defense Map that Yu Wenye had been scrutinizing every day before he left for battle.

Watching her move a few fruits around on it, Tushere laughed: "Does the Princess wish to march into battle?"

While peeling an orange in her hand, Shang Ruyi laughed: "I don’t have such skills."

"Then why does the Princess keep looking at this map? We can’t go there ourselves."

"I want to see which path Prince Qin will take."

"Isn’t he going to Cijian?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Shang Ruyi glanced up at her, smiling slightly.

Noting her smile seemed to hold a deeper meaning, Tushere blinked and was about to say something when Wo Xue walked in from outside.

These days, whether quietly reading in Qianqiu Palace or taking walks in the Inner Court, or chatting with visiting nobles and ladies, Shang Ruyi never forgot to send Wo Xue out — either to the Food Bureau for snacks or to deliver items to Lady Chu at Jinyu Garden, constantly keeping her busy, almost as if she were trying to exhaust her.

Luckily, having been trained in martial arts from a young age, Wo Xue had great stamina and didn’t mind the running back and forth all day.

At this moment, as she returned, barely catching her breath, she approached Shang Ruyi, saying: "Princess, I saw Lord Dong and several other lords go to Lizheng Hall for a meeting again."

"Oh?"