Three days later, Rong Yue entered the palace to meet Emperor An and presented her request to leave the Prince Cheng's residence.
Naturally, Emperor An did not agree.
“I know that your affair with Prince Cheng is unrelated to you. Even if Prince Cheng is punished for his treason, it will not implicate you,” he said.
Rong Yue knelt on the ground, raising her eyes. “Your Majesty, what I want is not to be free from involvement. I was blind back then, deceived by Xie Tianyu. Despite my father's opposition, I insisted on marrying him. Xie Tianyu used every means to deceive me for years, and as a result, both I and the Rong family became the laughing stock of the capital. Now, I just want nothing more to do with him.”
She was the princess, yet she did not call herself a wife, clearly determined to sever ties with the royal family.
Feng, the palace eunuch, noticed the Emperor's expression darkening and quickly stepped forward to speak gently, “Princess, those matters happened many years ago. The situation between you and Prince Cheng is no longer relevant. He is now imprisoned, and after the rebellion case is resolved, there will be no consequences for you. Even if you stay in Prince Cheng's residence, you will never have to see him again.”
“Your servant knows you have suffered, but the royal family has never allowed divorces. Your marriage to Prince Cheng was granted by the late Emperor himself. If you divorce him, what will others think of the late Emperor?”
“By staying in Prince Cheng’s residence, your status remains noble, and His Majesty will not harbor any resentment toward you because of Prince Cheng's actions. The royal family will continue to care for you, which is good for both you and Princess Yiyang, isn’t it?”
The eunuch’s insinuation was quite obvious.
The Princess was now middle-aged, had no children, and the Rong family was in decline. If she stayed in Prince Cheng's residence, she would still enjoy the royal family’s protection and the status of being a princess. Leaving Prince Cheng's residence would mean losing all that.
Emperor An spoke up, “I can promise you that no matter how Prince Cheng’s fate turns out, you will receive the same treatment as any other royal wife. The wealth of Prince Cheng’s residence will still belong to you. In the future, you may adopt a son. Though he cannot join the royal family’s family register, he will inherit the Prince’s estate.”
This was already a very generous offer.
However, upon hearing this, Rong Yue remained unmoved. “I refuse.”
“Rong Yue!” Emperor An’s gaze turned cold.
But Rong Yue stood tall, looking at the Emperor without fear. “The late Emperor’s marriage arrangement was made when I was deceived by Xie Tianyu. He was the one who betrayed the Emperor first, unfaithful and unfilial. Xie Tianyu schemed against me, exchanged children, and tried to harm me. He is the one who lacks morality and justice.”
“My father once taught me that the essence of being human lies in understanding righteousness, honor, shame, filial piety, loyalty, and trust. If not for these virtues, what makes us different from animals?”
“The Rong family will never tie itself to a person who is unfaithful and unfilial. What I want is not a divorce but a complete break. Even a slight association with Xie Tianyu disgusts me!”
“You’re being unreasonable!” Emperor An slammed his hand down on the table beside him, his face filled with anger.
Xie Tianyu was a beast, but what about the rest of the royal family?!
Moreover, a complete break was not the same as a divorce. This would be as though Rong Yue was "casting off" Xie Tianyu, which, even though Emperor An loathed Xie Tianyu for his actions, he was still a royal, with royal blood running through his veins. Rong Yue’s actions would be an insult to the royal family’s dignity.
“Rong Yue, stop causing trouble. A complete break is impossible. If you continue with this nonsense, don’t blame me for not considering the late Tutor’s favor.”
Rong Yue raised her head and gazed at the Emperor. “Your Majesty, you truly won’t agree?”
“Absolutely impossible!”
Emperor An’s tone became impatient, his expression darkening as he pointed toward the door. “Leave!”
Rong Yue stared at the Emperor for a moment, then spoke. “Fine, I will leave. But once I exit the palace gates, I will make sure my grievances are heard.”
“I will go to the Jingzhao Mansion tomorrow. If they don’t listen, I’ll go to the Dali Temple, to the Censorate. If they still won’t listen, I’ll strike the imperial drum. I have been deceived for nearly twenty years, my child was harmed, and I barely managed to escape with my life. I refuse to believe there is no place in this world to seek justice!”
“Rong Yue!!!”
Emperor An, already in a foul mood, had been holding in his anger during the conversation. Now, when this woman repeatedly defied him, his frustration boiled over, and his voice turned cold. “Are you threatening me?!”
“I would not dare,” she answered.
“I see you have no qualms about daring!” Emperor An shouted angrily.
He swept his hand across the table, knocking cups and plates to the ground. The sound made the palace servants kneel in fear.
“Your Majesty, please calm down!”
Emperor An didn’t even look at the servants. He glared at Rong Yue with a dark expression. “If not for the fact that the Rong family only has you left, do you think you would be standing here calmly?”
His anger surged, and his eyes turned sharp.
“You want to break from Xie Tianyu, that’s impossible. The little favor left by Rong Qian’an will not protect you from repeatedly challenging me!”
When Rong Yue tried to speak again, Emperor An coldly interrupted, “Rong Qian’an taught you to be proud, but did he ever teach you what it means to respect the hierarchy between ruler and subject? Or do you want me to send you to join Xie Tianyu?”
The matter of deceiving her had nothing to do with Emperor An, and he didn’t care about Xie Tianyu's actions. But Rong Yue’s repeated defiance made him furious.
Rong Yue seemed to feel the murderous intent in his words. She bit her lip, her back gradually sagging. Her stubbornness began to fade, and her eyes turned red.
“Then Your Majesty tells me, after nearly twenty years of suffering, I must just endure it in silence?”
Once the proud young woman, she had married the wrong man, taken the wrong path, and had become a subject of ridicule. All her former glory had turned into gossip and slander, wearing her down.
Her voice trembled. “He deceived me for so many years, pretending to love me while secretly sleeping with others. He made me raise someone else’s child for nearly twenty years. My sincerity turned into a huge joke.”
“If he were anyone else, I would have torn him into pieces, burned down the royal residence, and buried him with me. I would rather die than let anyone insult me or the Rong family.”
“But he is of royal blood, and his life or death is for Your Majesty to decide. I cannot even seek to die with him.”
Rong Yue, undeniably beautiful, once radiated like the sun in her youth, but now her shoulders were hunched with sadness. All her former brilliance faded, and despite not crying loudly, her hoarse voice stilled the Emperor’s fury.
“I know I should not argue with Your Majesty. The thunder and rain are Your Majesty's grace, but to make me bear the title of Princess Cheng and be Xie Tianyu’s wife until my death, I would rather die here in the palace than have others think I am vain and ruined the Rong family’s good name.”
She bowed her head to Emperor An and then turned, resolutely heading toward the side, where Feng the eunuch was.
The palace echoed with a cry of alarm. Feng the eunuch quickly blocked the table, but Rong Yue crashed into him, causing him to stagger, his back hitting the table hard, knocking the documents onto the ground.
Emperor An was shocked. “Rong Yue!!”
“If Your Majesty does not allow me to leave, then grant me death,” Rong Yue said, turning to continue her way.
Feng the eunuch frantically knelt, holding her leg. “Ah, Your Highness, please don’t… please say what you need to say…”
Emperor An rose from his seat. “Rong Yue, are you mad?”
“I am mad,” she replied, her voice hoarse and eyes red. “I shouldn’t be like this. It’s my fault for being blind and deaf, but Your Majesty, do you know that when Xie Tianyu wanted to kill me, I was already four months pregnant with a boy?”
“He knew I had a child… He knew…”
The Emperor’s expression changed as he looked at Rong Yue. After a long silence, he finally relented. “A complete break is impossible, but I will allow you to divorce Xie Tianyu.”
“I…”
“Rong Yue, I have already made a concession,” Emperor An said, his gaze cold. “Allowing you to divorce him is already a special case. If you insist on a complete break, not only I, but even the royal family will never agree.”
The royal family also cares about its face.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 234 (100+ extra chapters) here
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