Phoenix Reigns Over The Nine Heavens - Chapter 22

Madam Xiao’s heart ached as she watched him suffer. She couldn’t help but curse bitterly, “If it wasn’t for that little wretch Yun Zishu, why would you suffer so much?”

Cold sweat kept seeping out of Xiao Yunheng’s forehead. Hearing this, he wanted to tell her to stop scolding. If his father heard it, he would be furious again. He was in a weak state now and had no energy to listen to their constant quarrels.

But how could he not be resentful of Yun Zishu?

If it wasn’t for Yun Zishu, why would he have to endure such pain and torture? Why would his father and mother have become so estranged because of this? Why would Li Xue have to be sent to the Dark Shadow Pavilion?

Since she had married into the Xiao family, she ought to have prioritized the family’s interests. What grievances can’t be discussed behind closed doors? Why did she have to make such a public scene?

Xiao Yunheng was both angry and resentful, but he still had to think about how to win back Yun Zishu and make her return willingly. Otherwise, the Xiao family would have no way to explain themselves to the emperor.

Madam Xiao instructed the maid to serve Xiao Yunheng some water and then asked someone to prepare some liquid food for her son. Not long after, the physician from outside was invited in and began to treat Xiao Yunheng’s wounds and apply medicine.

The process of applying the medicine was, naturally, another ordeal for Xiao Yunheng.

Madam Xiao had been exhausted all morning and had spent the afternoon caring for her son. Her whole body was sore and ached, but before she could even sit down to eat properly, she heard the maid report, “Madam, Madam Li is asking to see you.”

Madam Xiao immediately felt a throbbing headache coming on.

“Madam?” The maid asked hesitantly, watching her cautiously. “Do you want to see her or not?”

That was her elder brother’s wife—how could she not see her?

Mrs. Xiao replied wearily, “Take her to the Yun Hall and serve her tea.”

“Yes.”

Madam Xiao drank a cup of tea and went to the Yun Hall.

“Shuxuan.” As soon as Mrs. Li saw her, she stood up, her face full of anxiety. “I heard that Li Xuan was subjected to torture in the Dark Shadow Pavilion? How can his pampered body bear it? Can you save him? Shuxuan, the master is now suspended at home, and Xuan’er and Xue’er can only rely on you…”

Madam Xiao frowned and looked at her helplessly. “Who came up with the idea of Li Xuan breaking into the princess’s mansion?”

“This…” Madam Li averted her eyes guiltily. “I… I just wanted to bring Xue’er back sooner and wanted to give that little bitch… the Ninth Princess a show of strength, who… who knew she…”

Who could have guessed that the previously meek Ninth Princess would suddenly become so formidable?

Mrs. Xiao was exhausted.

“Shuxuan.” Madam Li looked at her anxiously. “See if you can think of a way…”

“What can I do?” Madam Xiao’s face was full of frustration. “Yunheng is still seriously injured. The general is so angry that he repeatedly blamed me for failing to manage the family properly. It’s only in the last day or two that I’ve suddenly realized how much of a failure I am.”

Madam Li quickly said, “Any misunderstanding between you and your husband will be resolved in a few days. But each day Li Xuan and Li Xue stay in the Dark Shadow Pavilion, they will suffer another day of torment. I… I couldn’t sleep at all last night, and my heart felt like it was being roasted over a fire…”

Madam Xiao wanted to say something, but she was the one who had arranged for Li Xue to marry Yun Heng and had indulged Li Xue’s actions in the Xiao family. At this moment, she really couldn’t blame Madam Li.

“Sister-in-law, you should go back first.” She suppressed the gloom in her heart. “I’ll think of another way.”

“Then you must think about it carefully and get them released as soon as possible.” Madam Li was so anxious that she did not dare to urge too much. “Li Xuan and Li Xue are in your hands now.”

Madam Xiao hummed in agreement. “I will try to think of a solution quickly.”

Only then did Mrs. Li get up and leave, looking back every few steps.

Madam Xiao stood at the door and watched her leave. Her mind was in turmoil, and did not know what to do.

Just then, the steward came in a hurry: “Madam, the Emperor and the Crown Prince have arrived at the Ninth Princess’s Mansion. The general asks you to go to the princess’s mansion now.”

When Madam Xiao heard this, she was immediately shocked: “The Emperor has gone to the Ninth Princess’s residence?”

“Yes.”

Madam Xiao breathed a long sigh of relief. The Emperor had come in person, so it seemed that there was a chance to turn things around. Thinking this way, she quickly turned to change her clothes and led her maid to the Ninth Princess’s residence.

In the princess’s mansion, Yun Zishu led the people in the mansion to welcome the holy carriage: “I, your daughter, pay my respects to Father Emperor. Long live the Father Emperor; may he live for ten thousand years.”

“Rise.” Emperor Zhaoming, wearing a bright yellow dragon robe, walked in through the gate and took the initiative to take Yun Zishu’s hand, his face full of helplessness. “Zishu.”

Yun Zishu seemed to understand what he meant, and after a moment of silence, she said, “I’ve made Father Emperor worry.”

The emperor was choked. Looking at her sad and depressed expression, his words of reprimand died in his throat; he could only suppress his temper and say, “Zishu, you are a princess. Making a spectacle of domestic affairs will only invite ridicule.”

Yun Chen followed the emperor, his expression arrogant and silent.

Si Cang stood silently outside the door.

“Father, this is not a domestic matter.” Yun Zishu lowered her head, her profile looking pale and lonely. “Your daughter has already sent someone to deliver the letter of divorce to the Xiao family. From now on, I have severed all ties with them.”

“Nonsense!” The emperor frowned, his tone like that of a parent scolding a willful and ignorant child. “Since ancient times, when has there been a precedent for a woman to divorce her husband?”

Yun Zishu didn’t speak, her expression a little stubborn.

“Okay, let’s go inside and talk.” Emperor Zhaoming waved his hands. The guards who followed him stood solemnly outside the main gate as he and Yun Zishu walked to the main hall of the princess’s mansion, and the crown prince followed behind.

Si Cang, dressed in a black robe, followed them in. His hand resting on the long sword at his waist. His figure was tall and straight, and his aura was cold and intimidating.

“Zishu, if a woman is too rebellious, she will be ridiculed.” The emperor walked along the long corridor and said earnestly, “Besides, you don’t have your mother’s protection. If you fall out with the Xiao family, how will you establish yourself among the nobility in the future? They will look down on you. I am busy with government affairs, so I don’t have much time to protect you…”

“Father, you don’t need to worry about me. Since I have decided to divorce him, I have mentally prepared myself for the consequences.” Yun Zishu’s tone was calm. “I will not marry anyone else in this lifetime, nor do I wish to associate with those who look down on me.”

The issue wasn’t whether she would marry someone else—it was that she shouldn’t be divorcing her husband at all.

The Emperor Zhaoming was displeased inwardly, but on the surface, he maintained the appearance of a concerned father who was giving earnest advice: “Zishu, you are my daughter. I only hope you can have a good husband. A woman with the protection of a powerful husband will never be bullied.”

Zi Shu didn’t say anything, but she sneered in her heart.

A good husband?

A good husband who would put her to death?

At this moment, she truly admired her father, who could play the role of a loving father so realistically without changing his expression, as if all his schemes did not exist.

“General Xiao is a hero who protects the country, and Xiao Yunheng is also a stable and reliable person. The conflict was merely a misunderstanding—you must not take it too seriously. Which couple doesn’t quarrel? They make up after quarreling in bed.” The emperor held her hand, and walked into the main hall together. “I will order Xiao Yunheng to treat you well in the future. Henceforth, you must live in harmony as husband and wife in the future, and such incidents will never be allowed to happen again.”

Yun Chen chimed in from behind: “Father is right. It was just a misunderstanding.”

“It’s not a misunderstanding.” Yun Zishu’s eyes were red, as if she had suffered a great grievance and exploded, “Father doesn’t know what kind of life I lived in the Xiao family!”