diskusbooks Chapter 873 [Splendid Heart 12]
Chapter 873 [Splendid Heart 12]
"I know him too?" Xu Lingyi frowned slightly and asked in confusion.
Youyou nodded gently and replied with a smile: "It's Xia Yi, the young master of the Xia Guogong Mansion! My aunt told me that this young master Xia has not married or taken in concubines, and has always been chaste. Besides, the Duke's Mansion does not need the young master Xia to inherit the family business. As for me, I just want to find someone who can accompany me and enjoy the mountains and rivers. I don't want to be trapped in that deep mansion for the rest of my life, accompanied by tedious affairs all day long. So it seems that Xia Yi meets my requirements right now. Even my parents are quite satisfied with him."
Hearing this, Xu Lingyi couldn't help but shake his head and reminded him seriously: "You haven't even seen Young Master Xia yet, how can you so easily conclude that he is the right match? You know, there are a lot of liars these days."
However, Youyou was not moved at all, and still responded firmly: "I naturally believe in my aunt and others' judgment of people! From ancient times to the present, isn't it always about what parents' orders and matchmaker's words are?"
Seeing this, Xu Lingyi sneered and asked, "Oh, really? Didn't my cousin always say that she wanted to find someone she truly loved and was attracted to? How come she is willing to choose a husband so casually now?"
Youyou blushed a little, and after a moment's hesitation, she explained, "My mother told me to get to know Young Master Xia first. If both of us are satisfied, we can make an engagement, and then we can get married officially when the time is right."
Xu Lingyi felt as if his heart was blocked by something, and he felt very uncomfortable. He knew that he had no right to ask Youyou to give up Xia Yi, and although he was extremely reluctant, he could only sigh helplessly.
"You... should think it over carefully." Xu Lingyi said slowly, suppressing the bitterness in his heart. Before he finished speaking, he turned around, not looking at Youyou again, and hurried away, as if there were some terrible pursuers behind him.
Looking at Xu Lingyi's receding figure, Youyou couldn't help but frown slightly. For some reason, she always felt that Xu Lingyi seemed to be running away at this moment, and his hurried departure seemed a little embarrassed and panicked.
Xu Lingyi walked quickly all the way and soon returned to the door of the Xu Mansion where he rented. As soon as he entered the door, Qingfeng, who was waiting there, came to greet him. Qingfeng looked at his master's gloomy face and slightly flustered steps, and was startled in his heart. He hurriedly asked: "Master, what's wrong with you? What happened?"
Xu Lingyi took a deep breath and tried to calm his agitated mood. After a while, he finally regained some composure and said to Qingfeng expressionlessly, "Nothing, but we need to leave for the capital tomorrow." After that, he walked towards the study room.
Seeing this, although Qingfeng still had doubts in his heart, he did not dare to ask any more questions and could only respond respectfully: "Yes, master. I will prepare my luggage right away." After saying this, he turned around and hurriedly arranged the relevant matters.
The next day, Xu Lingyi rode his horse to the Qiao family's old house again. He did not go in, but just took a deep look. Qingfeng asked, "Master, don't you want to go in and take a look?"
"No, let's go." Xu Lingyi said expressionlessly, his voice low and firm. Before he finished speaking, he skillfully climbed onto the horse, his movements as natural and free as flowing water. Seeing this, the person next to him also quickly jumped onto the back of another horse. The two of them clamped their legs around the horse's belly, and the horse neighed loudly, raised its four hooves and galloped away like an arrow, leaving only billowing dust in the air.
On the other side, Youyou was chatting with Xiuli. Suddenly, Xiuli seemed to remember something important and said to Youyou in a low voice, "Miss, I just heard that Lord Xu stayed at the door for a long time and then left on horseback."
When Youyou heard this, her body trembled slightly, and a hint of surprise flashed in her beautiful eyes, but she quickly came to her senses and her face returned to her usual calm expression, as if the news had not caused any waves in her heart. However, only she herself knew that ripples had already appeared in her heart.
Xiu Li had been observing You You's reaction, and seeing her so calm, she couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. But she knew her young lady's temperament very well, and since she didn't want to talk more, she couldn't ask any more questions, so she could only shake her head helplessly and put the matter aside for the time being.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, Xu Lingyi and his companions have returned to the capital. Surprisingly, Xu Lingyi did not rush back to Yongping Marquis Mansion, but ran straight to the palace. After entering the palace, Xu Lingyi had a smooth journey and soon arrived at the emperor.
After seeing the emperor, Xu Lingyi bowed respectfully, then stood up and took out a tightly wrapped brocade box from his arms, presented it to the emperor with both hands, and said: "Your Majesty, I have collected some evidence of corrupt officials during my trip. Please take a look."
The emperor took the brocade box, opened it gently, and his face instantly became gloomy. It was filled with various documents, account books, witness statements and other solid evidence, each of which was enough to severely punish those corrupt officials.
The emperor became more and more angry as he watched. He could not help but slam the table and stood up, shouting: "This bunch of damn corrupt officials! I have not yet passed away, but they dare to covet my throne so blatantly. It is simply lawless! Marquis Yongping, you have done a great job. If you had not stepped forward this time, I am afraid I would still be kept in the dark! I will remember this contribution and will reward you handsomely in the future."
Facing the emperor's praise, Xu Lingyi quickly knelt down again to express his gratitude, saying, "It is my duty and my great honor to help Your Majesty solve his problems. As long as Your Majesty is healthy and the country is stable, I will go through fire and water for you."
The emperor nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "You have made such a great contribution this time, I will naturally not treat you unfairly. Tell me, Marquis Yongping, is there anything you want? Whether it is gold, silver, treasures or high positions and generous salaries, as long as it is within my power, I will definitely meet your requirements."
After a brief thought, Xu Lingyi slowly raised his head, looked at the emperor with a firm gaze and replied: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I have no other requests. Being able to perform my duties loyally and serve the country is my greatest wish in this life."
"Tell me, I can promise you anything, as long as I can do it. If you miss this chance, you will never have it again!" The emperor narrowed his eyes slightly, looked at the person kneeling below, and said calmly.
Xu Lingyi, who was kneeling on the ground, took a deep breath, raised his head and looked directly at the emperor, and said sincerely: "Your Majesty, I dare to ask your Majesty to agree to one thing. I want to divorce Luo. Since the day after the wedding, I left home and have not returned until now. There is no real marriage between me and Luo, and we have not even consummated the marriage. At the beginning, this marriage was decided by my parents and the matchmaker, and there is no love between me and Luo. Therefore, I beg the emperor to grant me the divorce. At the same time, in order to make up for the harm I have caused to Luo, I am willing to use all the merits I have made this time in exchange for Luo's position as the county lord, so that Luo can marry freely in the future and find a husband of her dreams."
Hearing this, the emperor could not help but show surprise on his face. He frowned and looked at Xu Lingyi in disbelief, and said in a deep voice: "Marquis Yongping, do you know what you are talking about? Luo is your first wife. Isn't it too unkind for you to act like this?"
Xu Lingyi kowtowed and apologized, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I know that I am guilty of this, but I had no choice. I was injured in an accident before, which caused serious damage to my body. I am afraid that I will not be able to have children. I really don't want to delay Luo's happiness for my own sake, so I risked my life to ask Your Majesty for a divorce."
The emperor was silent for a moment, then said slowly: "In that case, I will ask the imperial physician to take a look at you. Maybe there is a way to treat you."
However, Xu Lingyi shook his head and answered firmly: "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but I know my physical condition best, so there is no need to bother the imperial physician. I hope Your Majesty can fulfill my wish, approve my divorce from Luo, and grant her the title of county lady."
"In that case, I will decree that you and Luo Shi divorce." The emperor sat on the dragon throne, narrowed his eyes slightly, and said majestically: "Considering Luo Shi's dedication to the Marquis' Mansion over the years, I will grant her the title of county lady and the title of Jialuo. I hope she can have a stable life in the future."
When Xu Lingyi heard this, he quickly knelt down and kowtowed to express his gratitude, saying, "I would like to thank the emperor for his great grace and for helping me." His voice was steady and firm, but his heart was filled with mixed feelings.
The emperor nodded, and then began to write the imperial edict. After a while, two golden imperial edicts were completed. The emperor handed them to Eunuch Chen who had been waiting for a long time, and ordered: "Eunuch Chen, you will immediately go to the Yongping Marquis' Mansion with Xu Aiqing and read these two edicts in public."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Eunuch Chen took the imperial edict respectfully, then turned and walked to Xu Lingyi's side.
After Xu Lingyi bowed to the emperor again and thanked him, he left the palace with Eunuch Chen. The two of them were silent along the way, each with their own thoughts. Soon, they arrived at the gate of Yongping Marquis's Mansion.
At this time, everyone in the mansion had already received the news and was gathered together waiting. When they saw Xu Lingyi and Eunuch Chen walk in, everyone couldn't help but straighten their backs and look nervous.
Eunuch Chen cleared his throat, unfolded the imperial edict in his hand, and read aloud: "The Emperor of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven decrees... Now, Xu Lingyi, the Marquis of Yongping, and his wife Luo are allowed to divorce, and Luo is granted the title of County Princess and the title of Jialuo... I decree this!"
As Eunuch Chen finished speaking, the entire mansion fell into a dead silence. Luo Yuanniang stood there blankly, her face full of disbelief, as if she couldn't believe what she heard. Suddenly, her eyes went dark and her body fell straight backwards. Fortunately, the maid next to her was quick to support her in time to prevent her from falling to the ground.
Everyone present was shocked and began to discuss the matter. Except for Xu Lingyi who knew about it beforehand, everyone else was puzzled by the emperor's decree.