Chapter 6

Zian endured the pain from the wounds that riddled her body and took off her phoenix coronet. She limped slowly toward the horses and knelt before the Prince of Liang. She lifted her chin defiantly and said, “Your Highness, Prince of Liang, it’s not my intention to humiliate you on purpose. I have to break our engagement because I’m left with no other choice. My father and the Crown Prince forced me by beating me with wooden sticks before they falsely accused my mother of adultery. They forced me to marry you by threatening to divorce my mother, Your Highness. This will allow my younger sister, Xia Wan’er, to marry the Crown Prince. I won’t allow you to be manipulated like this. For this reason, I choose to publicly break off our engagement today. I’m willing to accept the punishment from you and Her Majesty, the Empress!”

When the Prince of Liang saw Zian slowly limping over, his anger was at its boiling point. His dark eyes were narrowed as he stared at Prime Minister Xia. He said coldly, “Good! Very good! I finally understand your plans, Prime Minister.”

Murong Qian did not expect that Xia Zian would refuse to get on the bridal sedan in front of the imperial princes, court ministers, and civil and military ministers. She had even exposed everything that had happened yesterday. He was extremely furious. He stepped forward and kicked Zian down. “What nonsense are you spewing, you slut?”

A bitter and embarrassed expression could be seen on Prime Minister Xia’s face. “As the daughter of a concubine, you’re the one who tried every means possible to marry His Highness. Initially, I didn’t agree to it, but you kept insisting that you want to marry the Prince of Liang and become his Princess Consort. Yet, now you’re making a fuss. Who taught you this? Is it your mother? Does she still long for you to marry the Crown Prince so that she can rise through the ranks? I’ve told you before, you must not be greedy. To receive the Prince of Liang’s care is a fortune cultivated from three lifetimes!”

When the crowd heard this, they turned to look at Xia Zian suspiciously.

Although the Prime Minister was not exactly an upright man, a father could not possibly force and threaten his own daughter, right? Was there something going on behind the scenes? When they thought of Xia Zian’s mother, Yuan Shi, they remembered that she was once an ambitious woman. Could it be that Yuan Shi really wanted her daughter to marry the Crown Prince so that she would have a high position in the future?

One was an elite official, and the other was a woman of the harem and a young girl. Based on moral standing, it was only obvious that everyone would believe the Prime Minister.

Zian saw the disdainful stares from the crowd, but her expression remained unchanged. She pulled out a letter of divorce from her sleeves. “This letter of divorce was left by my father last night. My father told me that if I obediently get into the bridal sedan, he’ll destroy the letter of divorce. If I refuse, he’ll divorce my mother and announce her crime for everyone to know.”

The Prince of Liang raised his hand, and a servant stepped forward and took the letter of divorce from Xi Zian before passing it to the Prince of Liang.

The Prince of Liang skimmed through the letter and waved his hand casually. The letter of divorce fluttered to the ground. Anyone with sharp eyes saw the content of the letter.

The crowd gasped. Every word in that letter was cruelly written. It seemed like Xia Zian was telling the truth.

Prime Minister Xia’s face changed from green to white. Never in his wildest dreams would he expect that Xia Zian would show this letter of divorce to everyone. He had left the letter of divorce with her yesterday in order to pressure her into behaving like a good girl. However, that letter had now been turned into evidence.

The Prince of Liang stared at Xia Zian emotionlessly, “The Empress will, naturally, deal with your refusal to get into the bridal sedan and breaking off our engagement. Wait for it.”

After that, the Prince of Liang glanced at Murong Qiao indifferently. “Crown Prince, as your older brother, I graciously accept this courtesy from you and the Prime Minister. I’ll remember this!”

Murong Qiao and the Prime Minister’s expressions changed immediately.

...

A man dressed in a fine and embroidered robe stood on a balcony across the road from the Prime Minister’s mansion. He looked grim. His brows were as sharp as cold blades, and his eyes were as deep as the ocean. He stood tall against the wind, emitting a stern and noble air aura. He was like a god looking down on everyone.

A guard dressed in black and carrying a sword asked, “Should we go down and help the Prince of Liang, Your Royal Highness? I fear that he might die of rage from this humiliation.”

The man slowly shook his head as the corners of his lips curled into an icy smile. “Let’s just watch the show. I don’t want to cause a bigger scene!”

There were not many people who dared to offend the Crown Prince. This little girl had courage. Unfortunately, those with courage usually ended with a horrific death.