Why My Domineering Prince Regretted Filing for Divorce?

Upon hearing the mention of Jiangdu Palace, Eunuch Yu’s grip on the horsetail whisk tightened.

But Yu Wenquan himself paused, waved his hand after a moment of silence, and said, "It’s nothing, you may leave. I want to rest."

"Yes."

Eunuch Yu turned to extinguish the last candle stand. As the entire Liangyi Hall plunged into darkness, he slowly exited the hall. The moment he shut the hall door, he let out a long sigh, feeling his back damp and cold with sweat.

In fact, when that dancer named Sun Xianyue appeared during the night banquet at Bai Fu Hall, he had already broken out in a cold sweat.

Because her dance moves were too much like those of Chu Yang!

In that instant, Eunuch Yu almost lost himself in reverie, thinking the passage of time had taken him back to the side of the handsome, otherworldly yet arrogant Emperor who regarded the populace as mere ants. However, having weathered many storms in his life, he quickly regained his composure after the initial shock, followed immediately by doubt—

Why has such a dancer appeared?

More importantly, this time the song and dance of the Bai Fu Hall night banquet were organized by Han Shanggong, as instructed by Yu Wenquan.

Since the issue with the hawthorn cake, Eunuch Yu had taken away some of Han Shanggong’s authority, causing the Emperor to neglect her for a while. Yet, being an old acquaintance from their time at the imperial concubine’s residence, coupled with Duke Shenwu’s death, Yu Wenquan, a man who values old ties, would cherish those connected to Dong Bizheng even more, rather than paying less attention just because of his death.

Therefore, not long after, Dong Yue was promoted to Minister of War, and this time the night banquet was also organized by Han Shanggong.

But the incident at the night banquet immediately made Eunuch Yu feel that things were not simple.

Especially when, like him, Princess Qin seemed distracted upon seeing Sun Xianyue’s dance, and later was deliberately brought to everyone’s attention by the Crown Princess Consort. The Emperor’s recent inquiry about Jiangdu Palace was clearly influenced by the Crown Princess Consort’s words.

Eunuch Yu turned his head, looking at the heavy, suffocating darkness of the night before him.

He sighed deeply once more and slowly walked away.

This weighty night felt to Shang Ruyi like a heavy stone pressing down on her heart. Even after freshening up and lying in bed, she found it hard to fall asleep.

Yesterday, by Wangyun Pavilion, the lively figure she had seen must have been Sun Xianyue practicing there. At the time, she was so shocked that she thought seeing Sun Xianyue’s sword dance seemed familiar because she had been thinking of Chu Yang after recalling Chu Ruoyan. Thus, she left Wangyun Pavilion without lingering.

Yet, she did not expect to see it again tonight.

Upon further reflection, their sword dances were indeed different. Sun Xianyue’s sword dance emphasized strength, while Chu Yang’s was more light and effortless. Nonetheless, not having seen sword dances for so long, and with Sun Xianyue’s ethereal attire, she couldn’t help but recall everything from the past and felt somewhat absent-minded.

Then—

Could it be that the Crown Princess Consort did it on purpose?

But what was her intention? Was it to humiliate her, just like during the Battle of Taiyuan, by reminding everyone of her dance performance for the Turkic envoy? Or did she intend to dredge up the old affair between her and Chu Yang?

If that were so, she wouldn’t have stopped with just a few words at the night banquet; she managed to retreat tactfully.

Did they have other intentions?

As Shang Ruyi pondered, the image of Sun Xianyue kept resurfacing in her mind, gradually merging into another proud yet carefree figure. In anguish, Shang Ruyi shut her eyes, trying to cast the figure from her mind, her memories, yet to no avail.

It seemed as if it wasn’t just in her mind or memories, but intricately engraved into her very life...

Struggling with her memories, Shang Ruyi was unable to sleep well that night, and when she got up the next morning, she was completely weary, her body languid.

While combing her hair, Tushere commented with concern, "Princess hasn’t slept well."

Shang Ruyi looked at her reflection in the copper mirror and said nothing.

Tushere immediately added, "But there is nothing today. Princess can nap a bit later."

Shang Ruyi did not speak. In reality, she knew that lying down didn’t guarantee sleep. Even if she had managed to doze off last night, her restless dreams disturbed her, making it less restful than quietly sitting for a while.

So after washing up and having breakfast, she sat quietly by the window. After a while, she asked for writing tools to write.

Writing still provided her some tranquility.

But she had barely written a few lines when she heard voices outside. Shang Ruyi put down her brush, just about to ask what was going on, when she saw Tushere leading in a few little eunuchs carrying incense braziers and a small jar.

The leading little eunuch bowed to Shang Ruyi and said, "Greetings, Princess Qin. We’ve come to Qianqiu Palace today to deal with termites."

Shang Ruyi nodded and asked, "How will you do it?"

The little eunuch held the jar and said, "This is bamboo vinegar. We use it to pour on the places where termites nest and steam it in various parts of the palace to drive them away. We’ve already used it in Liangyi Hall and the harem this morning."

"Does it work?"

"Rest assured, Princess. Termites are very afraid of this stuff."

To one side, Tushere said, "You must be thorough. Our Princess has many calligraphies and paintings. If you leave termites and they cause damage, you’ll be responsible!"

The little eunuchs could only smile awkwardly and plead for understanding. Shang Ruyi glanced reproachfully at her and said, "That’s enough. Why say such things? Take them to work."

Tushere nodded and was about to lead the little eunuchs away.

The leading little eunuch then said, "Princess, the smell of bamboo vinegar is strong and unpleasant. It’s not good for people to stay here. You’d better take the young master and avoid it; the sun is nice outside."

Hearing this, Shang Ruyi asked Tushere to pack her papers and brushes, and also had Nanny Feng bring out Little Yuanzi.

Once they stepped out of Qianqiu Palace, they indeed saw the little eunuchs with white cloths covering their faces, boiling bamboo vinegar to pour into the incense braziers. Billowing white smoke rose from the braziers, quickly filling the entire hall. The pungent acidic smell wafted over, causing Shang Ruyi to sneeze several times. Turning her head, she saw Little Yuanzi’s eyes red, about to cry in Nanny Feng’s arms.

So they dared not linger and hurried away.

Looking back, they could see Qianqiu Palace shrouded in smoke from afar...