Chapter 220 -

Chapter 220: Chapter

Inside the quiet, candlelit study of the outer courtyard, Duke Xi stood by his heavy wooden desk, staring at a blank sheet of parchment.

Wenzhe stepped inside and kicked the door shut behind him. The thud echoed softly off the book-lined walls. He didn’t sit down. He stood in the center of the room, his broad shoulders stiff and his dark eyes burning into his father’s back.

"What are you planning to do, Father?" Wenzhe asked, his deep voice dangerously low. "Why were you giving away everyone’s future at dinner?"

Duke Xi hesitated. His hand hovered over the desk, trembling slightly before he slowly lowered it. He took a deep breath, avoiding his son’s piercing glare.

"I am going to announce my divorce from your mother soon," Duke Xi said quietly.

Wenzhe’s eyes widened in absolute shock.

Even though he had suspected his father was settling his affairs, hearing those words spoken aloud hit him like a heavy iron hammer to the chest. A dark, furious fire ignited in Wenzhe’s heart.

BANG!

Wenzhe slammed both palms onto the heavy wooden desk, leaning forward until he was right in front of his father.

"Have you lost your mind?!" Wenzhe shouted, his voice shaking the quiet study.

Duke Xi turned his head away, staring at the floorboards, unable to look his eldest son in the eye.

"You love Mother more than anything in this world!" Wenzhe demanded, his jaw tight as he glared at the old general. "Why the hell would you break your marriage with her?! What is wrong with you, Father?!"

Duke Xi stayed silent for a long, painful moment. The proud commander looked old, tired, and completely drained.

"If you want answers to your questions, you must wait," Duke Xi said softly, his tone completely flat. "With time, everything will be made clear. For now, take care of Yueqing properly. Ensure that you, your brothers, and your sisters stay healthy and well. That is all I wanted to discuss with you tonight."

"Father!" Wenzhe roared, his fists clenching until his knuckles turned pure white. "Does any of this have to do with the Empress?! What in the world are you two planning behind our backs?!"

He took a step closer, his eyes bloodshot with rage and frustration. "I am your firstborn son! I am a general of this empire! Why are you keeping me in the dark?!"

Duke Xi finally raised his head, his eyes cold and unwavering, though a deep sorrow hid beneath the surface.

"I do not want you involved," Duke Xi replied firmly, his voice leaving no room for argument. "This is my decision, and my decision alone. Leave now, Wenzhe."

Wenzhe stared at his father for a long, suffocating moment, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles in his face trembled with rage.

"Your decision alone?" Wenzhe rasped, his voice dropping into a dangerous, icy whisper. "You hide behind your duty and call it protection, but all you are doing is tearing this family apart in the dark. If you think I will stand by and watch you destroy yourself and destroy Mother, you are sorely mistaken."

He did not wait for a response. He turned on his heel, threw open the heavy study door, and strode out into the cold night air, slamming the door shut so hard the wooden frame rattled.

Back in her room, Yueqing sat in front of the vanity mirror, gently brushing her long dark hair. The soft rhythmic scraping of the wooden comb against her strands did nothing to calm the restless storm in her mind.

"Nine," Yueqing called out softly.

With a faint shimmer of light, Nine materialized into his human form. Dressed in his loose, flowing blue robe, he floated down and settled comfortably onto her bed, crossing his legs casually as he leaned back against the headboard.

Yueqing turned around in her seat, holding her hairbrush tightly in her lap.

"I’m worried about Wenzhe," she admitted, her eyebrows pulling together into a troubled frown. "What on earth are he and his father planning in that study right now? What did they even talk about? And why was the Duke acting so weird during dinner? He was acting like the world is coming to an end."

Nine sighed, resting his chin in his hand as he looked at her with a unusually serious expression.

"Host, the Duke is acting like that because he is settling his affairs," Nine explained quietly. "He is planning to annul his marriage with the Duchess soon."

Yueqing’s eyes widened in total shock. "Annul his marriage?! Why on earth would he do that?! Everyone knows he loves the Duchess more than anything!"

"Because of what is coming," Nine said, his voice dropping low. "The Empress and the Crown Prince are planning a full-scale rebellion to usurp the throne. Duke Xi is one of their main military assets. If they launch this rebellion, it means high treason against the Emperor."

Yueqing held her breath, her heart cold with realization.

"If the rebellion succeeds, the Crown Prince takes the throne, and everyone gets what they want," Nine continued plainly. "But if it fails... the Duke, his family, and every single person who assisted in the treason will face immediate execution and the wiping out of their entire lineage."

Nine looked straight into Yueqing’s pale face. "Duke Xi knows the risks. He refuses to let his family be dragged down to the execution block if he fails. By annulling his marriage and cutting legal ties with the Duchess and the children now, he is trying to protect them from being executed for his treason."

Yueqing dropped her hairbrush onto the vanity table with a loud clatter. She stood up abruptly, her hands shaking as pure anger and disbelief flared through her chest.

"Is he completely out of his mind?!" Yueqing hissed, her voice trembling as she paced back and forth across the soft carpet. "Why on earth is the Duke doing all this for the Empress?! What does she have against him that makes him do whatever she wants?! Can’t he just say no?!"

She paused, clutching her forehead in sheer frustration.

"Yes, he is related to her, but that doesn’t mean he has to follow her straight off a cliff!" Yueqing snapped, her eyes burning with anger and pity for Wenzhe and the rest of the family. "And that stupid Crown Prince! He is already the Crown Prince! Why on earth does he still want to start a rebellion and take the throne by force?! All he has to do is wait until the Emperor gets old and passes away, and the throne becomes his anyway! Why must he force a bloody rebellion right now?!"

Nine leaned back against the headboard, watching her pace with a somber look on his face.

"Host, royal politics don’t work on patience," Nine explained softly, shaking his head. "The Emperor doesn’t fully trust the Crown Prince, and he’s been favoring the other princes, especially Xiao Chen lately. The Crown Prince is terrified that if he just sits around waiting, the Emperor will strip him of his title and pass the throne to someone else. He wants to strike before the Emperor can replace him."

"And what about Duke Xi?!" Yueqing demanded, her chest heaving as tears of anger welled in her eyes. "He thinks he’s being a hero by cutting ties with the family, but has he even thought about how Wenzhe or the Duchess will feel?! He’s breaking their hearts and walking straight into a death trap!"

She thought about Wenzhe’s tense, silent figure at dinner, and the heavy burden he had been carrying on his broad shoulders all day. Her heart ached for him. He was trying so hard to protect his siblings, while his own father was preparing to plunge the entire family into ruin.

"I won’t let this happen," Yueqing whispered fiercely, her fists tightening at her sides. "I won’t let that foolish Duke ruin Wenzhe’s life or tear this family apart!"

Nine tilted his head, watching her intense expression with a mix of curiosity and concern. "And how exactly do you plan on doing that, Host? You are up against the Empress, the Crown Prince, and a veteran Duke who has already set his mind."

Yueqing turned to face him, her eyes burning with fierce determination.

"I am going to stop this rebellion," she said, her voice completely firm and unwavering. "I have to. I won’t let the Empress win, and I won’t let this family be destroyed."

She took a deep breath, her mind racing as the pieces of the puzzle clicked together.

"First, we have to find a way to knock some sense into the Duke and stop him from making such a massive mistake," Yueqing continued, pacing with renewed energy. "He thinks he’s sacrificing himself to save his family, but he’s just playing right into the Empress’s hands."

She stopped pacing and turned back to Nine, a sharp, strategic glint in her eyes.

"And second," Yueqing added, "Xiao Chen and Wenzhe have to work together. Whether they like it or not, whether their pride hurts or not, their rivalry ends now. Xiao Chen has the drive to change the court, and Wenzhe has the military strength to protect the empire. If those two stubborn blocks of wood combine their forces, the Crown Prince won’t stand a chance."

Nine let out a low whistle, a small smirk playing on his lips. "So... you’re really going to force a Prince and a General into a full-scale alliance to rewrite the fate of the entire kingdom?"

"Exactly," Yueqing declared, crossing her arms tightly. "They can thank me later. Right now, we have a rebellion to crush."