Chapter 210.1

Emperor Jin’an paced back and forth in the palace hall, while the eunuchs serving before him lowered their heads, seemingly wishing they could bury their heads in the ground.

His Majesty had always been composed, so this was the first time those below had seen him so angry.

Of course, his anger was not solely due to this incident; it was the accumulation of recent matters. After ascending to the throne, he realized how difficult it was to be an emperor. Every family matter, state affair, and worldly concern had to be addressed by him. Moreover, beneath him were a group of troublesome courtiers.

He thought about the unrelenting An Wang and Hui Wang, who were involved to varying degrees in several recent incidents. He also recalled the ministers who frequently visited the Qianqing Palace, and his brow furrowed. Suddenly, he walked out of the main hall, with his various attending eunuchs following closely behind.

Emperor Jin’an returned to his private chambers. At this moment, Yaoniang had just learned about the earlier incident where Lu Wang and Qing Wang got into a fight and were rebuked by His Majesty.

As soon as she finished listening to the news, she saw him enter with a grim expression, and she quickly went up to greet him.

Without speaking, she followed him closely. When he sat on the bed, she moved to help him remove his shoes, but he grabbed her hand. It was then that she remembered she was pregnant and smiled at him apologetically.

Xiao Shunzi came forward to assist Emperor Jin’an in removing his shoes, but Yaoniang noticed that he seemed uncomfortable. She grabbed a soft pillow and placed it behind his waist to allow him to lean back comfortably. Then she ordered everyone else to leave.

After drinking a cup of tea, Emperor Jin’an reached for the soft pillow around his waist and semi-reclined on the bed.

His brows were half-furrowed, and Yaoniang didn’t dare to ask too many questions. She moved closer and gently pressed her fingers against his temples. Seeing that he didn’t refuse, she continued to gently massage his head.

“Don’t be angry; don’t let anger harm your health.”

“Both of them are so unruly!”

Upon hearing this, Yaoniang immediately concluded that he wasn’t really angry at Lu Wang and Qing Wang, which relieved her. It seemed that those two didn’t cause any significant trouble.

She had also come to realize that, to Emperor Jin’an, Qing Wang and Lu Wang were like two mischievous younger brothers. But this also showed that these two had some standing in his heart; for example, he wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow if it had been the other princes like An Wang and Wu Wang who had kicked up a fuss.

“They probably just had a momentary heated argument. Besides, what were they fighting about?”

“Old sixth is always arousing people’s anger!”

So, it was Lu Wang who started it.

“Is seventh brother-in-law seriously injured? Should we have the imperial physician take a look?”

“He won’t die! Leave them alone, let me rest for a while.”

Emperor Jin’an closed his eyes, and soon his breathing became steady.

Yaoniang continued to massage his head, observing the still furrowed brow as he slept, and couldn’t help but sigh.

Recently, Emperor Jin’an was indeed burdened with fatigue, barely getting two or three hours of sleep each day.

*

The man was introduced to Xiao Jiarou by Second Young Master Xiao.

Second Young Master Xiao had been proactive and started planning for his sister as soon as she returned from Qing Wang Manor.

The man was a colleague of his and a widower, whose wife had passed away many years ago without leaving any children behind. In the recent reshuffle of the capital’s three garrisons, he had just been promoted to a seventh-rank official. Although his official rank was not very high, Second Young Master Xiao had known him for many years and was trustworthy in terms of character, personality, and appearance.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

The matter had only been discussed between Second Young Master Xiao and Xiao Jiarou, and no action had been taken yet. If Xiao Jiarou refused here, discussing it with the man’s side would be of no use and might damage their long-standing relationship.

However, Second Young Master Xiao had also been inquiring of the other party’s thoughts and found that he didn’t mind marrying a divorced woman.

Second Young Master Xiao seemed to have a high regard for this man named Jiang Chao and spoke many good words about him to Xiao Jiarou. He even wanted her to meet him, but Xiao Jiarou had been reluctant to agree.

On this day, Second Young Master Xiao brought up the matter with her again when Qing Wang suddenly arrived at their house.

In fact, Qing Wang had wanted to come earlier, but he couldn’t bear to face the other party, so he had been delaying it for a few days. Nevertheless, he had not been idle during these days. He had his men investigate Jiang Chao.

Qing Wang knew Jiang Chao. He was a seventh-rank official serving in the capital’s three garrisons. Hardworking and brave, he had earned his current position through his own efforts. But due to his personal bias, Qing Wang looked down on him for his dark complexion and widower status in his heart.

The Xiao Family didn’t have Xiao Jiarou directly meet Qing Wang. It was handled by Master Xiao.

“I wonder what brings Your Highness Qing Wang here?”

Qing Wang felt embarrassed, but even his awkwardness couldn’t compare to the anxiety caused by Xiao Jiarou wanting to remarry. He didn’t try to hide it: “Father-in-law, I came to seek Jiarou’s forgiveness and ask her to come back with me.”

Master Xiao sneered slightly and said, “Qing Wang, if I’m not mistaken, my daughter has already divorced you, right?”

Qing Wang couldn’t help looking awkward. In fact, his injuries hadn’t completely healed yet, with some bruising still visible, but he couldn’t wait any longer, which is why he hurriedly came to the Xiao Family.

“Those things were my fault in the past, and this son-in-law really can’t bring myself to beg for forgiveness. But this son-in-law still hopes father-in-law can consider the fact that we were once husband and wife and let me see her. Actually, this son-in-law didn’t want to divorce her at first, but this son-in-law did commit a big mistake and was afraid of affecting her future, so this son-in-law had no choice but to write her a divorce letter…”