At first, he didn't understand why Shen Yijia was asking those strange questions, but now, he finally understood.
She must have experienced those things in the Shen family!
It seemed that it was indeed better not to go back.
He stopped trying to persuade her. He simply said, "There's still one night left. You can consider it carefully. If… if you still decide not to return to the Shen family, then you'll be my official wife in the future!"
As usual, Shen Yijia automatically ignored the first half of the sentence and only heard the words, "You're my wife."
Her eyes sparkled. Good-looking people were indeed different. When these words came out of Song Jingchen's mouth, Shen Yijia found them especially pleasant to the ear.
She wasn't going to consider any other option. Raising her hand, she set the so-called divorce letter on fire.
Song Jingchen didn't even have time to stop her.
Shen Yijia rushed back to her room.
Thinking about her future, she looked for Bi Tao and asked for the things she brought from the Shen estate.
After taking a look, she realized that they were all useless junk. The only notable item was a small wooden box left behind by the original host's mother. In it were a few pieces of jewelry and more than a hundred taels of silver that the original host had saved over the years.
She sulked for a while.
Then, she went back to her room and rummaged around until midnight.
In the Imperial Palace.
Emperor Chong'an was sitting in Yangxin Hall and reviewing memorials when he suddenly raised his head and glanced at Eunuch Li.
Eunuch Li was shocked and hurriedly knelt down.
It was not until Eunuch Li's forehead was covered in a layer of sweat that the emperor slowly said, "I heard that when Father was alive, he once issued a secret decree to Old Master Song. I remember that Father's eunuch, Eunuch Song, is from your hometown, right? Have you ever heard him mention anything?"
"Your Majesty, I didn't hear Eunuch Song mention anything about a secret decree…" He paused and continued trembling, "The rumors might not be credible…"
Emperor Chong'an looked away and stopped mentioning the secret decree.
He changed the topic and said, "Arrange for a team to escort them tomorrow."
"Majesty is merciful!"
"Alright, stop trying to flatter me." Emperor Chong'an waved his hand to get Eunuch Li to stand up. He continued reading the memorial.
He added casually, "After all, it's a long journey to the Min Continent. There will definitely be bandits along the way. They're old, young, and disabled. If they encounter any bandits, they won't be able to deal with them…"
Eunuch Li's heart skipped a beat, but he smiled along and said, "Your Majesty is so thoughtful."
Emperor Chong'an ignored Eunuch Li's flattery and continued to ask, "Has the disinherited prince been well-behaved these few days?"
"I heard from my subordinates that at first, he was still clamoring to see His Majesty. However, these few days, he's become quiet. He simply drinks in the Eastern Palace all day. The Second Prince went to visit once and came out after less than ten minutes," Eunuch Li replied respectfully.
The Second Prince, Shangguan Yu, could be said to be the least competitive among the princes.
His biological mother was only a palace maid, but she became pregnant when the emperor took a fancy to her one night.
She was conferred the title of Concubine Li and looked like a person with great fortune. Unfortunately, she was unlucky and didn't survive the childbirth.
Shangguan Yu was then placed in the care of the Empress, who was childless back then.
When Shangguan Yu was three years old, the Empress gave birth to a legitimate son, and the two princes grew up together.
Although they were not born from the same mother, the two of them had always been close. They were not much different from the Eldest and Fourth Princes who were born from imperial concubines.