Volume One, Chapter 20: I Divorce You

No matter how much Chi Mei tried to persuade her, Yun Yi still decided to act according to her own way. After all, she was the only one who could control this body now, so Chi Mei’s advice remained just that—advice.

Before dawn had fully broken, she hurried to the prison. Her foremost duty was to protect Lu Wu’s safety before the noble families made their move.

But the scene before her eyes made her stagger back two steps. Lu Wu lay there covered with a white cloth, and beside her was a signed and sealed confession letter.

Not long ago, this woman who once loathed evil was now lifelessly sprawled on the cold ground.

She lifted a corner of the cloth, unwilling to give up, and cautiously checked for breath.

In the end, she had arrived too late!

Wang Tianhe, the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, quickly stepped forward to claim credit, his face full of obsequiousness. “Your Highness, the female assassin has confessed. This matter was entirely her doing and has nothing to do with you.”

“This case was handled with utmost dedication by your humble servant, which is why the assassin finally yielded.”

The assassin was already dead, yet he spoke as if he had done his utmost?

Yun Yi’s expression darkened progressively, sharp light flashing through her eyes as she shouted angrily, “Who allowed you to coerce a confession? Who permitted her death?”

Wang Tianhe was stunned. Wasn’t the assassin’s death supposed to be a good thing for the Princess? Why was she so furious?

He had hoped to gain favor with the Princess through this case but ended up making things worse.

He was at a loss, stammering, “Your humble servant… your humble servant…”

“It was permitted by me.” A low, gentle voice spoke.

Cui Xingze approached, walking step by step against the light. As he drew nearer, his face became clearer.

Though his features were so familiar, at this moment she felt a strange distance—he was no longer the clear and pure youth she remembered.

Upon seeing Cui Xingze, Wang Tianhe instinctively sighed in relief and silently left.

Yun Yi gave a cold smile. “In the end, you have changed.”

Cui Xingze’s eyes dimmed slightly, a bitter smile not reaching his gaze. “People change. Haven’t you, Princess, changed as well?”

Indeed, people change.

She and Cui Xingze were inevitably drifting further apart.

Yun Yi took a deep breath, said no more, and turned to leave.

---

Cui Xingze’s eyes flickered. “It’s too late. That group of laborers has already been relocated, and… the Qingshan Villa has been closed for maintenance. All witnesses and evidence are gone. It’s as if nothing ever happened. Your Highness, there’s no use in trying.”

The operation was incredibly swift.

Truly worthy of the Cui family!

Yun Yi curled her lips into a cold smile, clenching her fists. “To consolidate your family’s power, have you now ceased to even be human?”

A trace of sorrow flickered in her eyes.

Cui Xingze felt an inexplicable panic, as if something was slipping away.

He raised his eyes to meet her sharp gaze; in an instant, a cold chill surged through his heart.

“Your humble servant… it’s not for power. Everything I’ve done has been for Your Highness.”

He stepped closer, his eyes full of tenderness. “Patience brings success. We need not rush now; when the time is right, everything will fall into place naturally.”

“If we act rashly out of temper, we will only harm ourselves more than the enemy.”

“After all these years of building your influence, would you want it all destroyed because of this? I understand your pain, Your Highness, but for now, we must endure.”

“We?”

Did he mean the two of them by “we”?

But she and he would never be “we”!

Yun Yi looked intently at the man before her—his brows and eyes like a painted portrait, his demeanor cold and refined, truly a handsome face.

She lifted her lips, the curve crueler than ice and snow.

With a sharp slap, her palm left a bright red mark on his cheek.

She had used all her pent-up resentment in that one strike.

Cui Xingze’s skin was naturally fair and smooth like jade, making the handprint stand out starkly and painfully.

Yet his expression remained unchanged, his tone tinged with helplessness. “Why must Your Highness strike with her own hand?”

“My skin is thick and tough; don’t hurt yourself.”

He took her hand and saw her palm flushed red. A hint of pity flashed in his eyes.

He gently blew on her palm, treating it like a priceless treasure.

“You’re quite the actor. Who are you playing this false affection for?” Yun Yi snatched her hand away with disdainful laughter.

Her gaze was as sharp as knives, her tone utterly unkind. “Cui Xingze, you disgust me. Since you refuse a divorce, then I will dismiss you. From now on, our paths are separate.”

Cui Xingze’s eyes faltered. “You want to dismiss me? And go your separate ways? Yun Yi, do you have no heart? Can’t you feel that everything I’ve done was for you?”

His expression was complicated, his clear eyes churning with obscure emotions.

Yun Yi was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter. Such empty words!

How had she never noticed this man’s hypocrisy before?

How could she have ever fallen for such a scoundrel?

How could someone like him deserve to be her white moonlight?

“For me? Cui Xingze, ask yourself honestly—are you really doing it for me? Claiming to act for my good while opposing me—is that your way of caring? You are the height of hypocrisy.”

Her eyes held undisguised disdain and loathing, deeply wounding him.

Suddenly, sharp pain stabbed his chest as if a dagger had been plunged deep into his heart.

He closed his eyes, suppressing the bitterness, voice hoarse and trembling slightly. “Does the Princess think that only unquestioning obedience is true care? I only want to protect your safety. Is that wrong?”

Such clever excuses!

Yun Yi sneered. “I don’t need your protection. From now on, we are strangers. Take care of yourself.”

With that, she swept her sleeves and turned away.

Cui Xingze stood silently, eyes fixed on her retreating figure until she vanished without a trace.

After a long moment, a shadow flickered.

Zhui Feng saw him as if soulless, feeling uneasy.

“Master, the little princess has been returned to the Princess’s residence.”

Cui Xingze suddenly came back to himself. “Xuanxuan wasn’t awakened, right?”

Zhui Feng shook his head. “No. They drugged her. The little princess is sleeping deeply, completely unaware.”

“The defenses inside the Princess’s residence have been strengthened. But what about Chun Xia? The little princess depends on her greatly.”

Cui Xingze narrowed his eyes, a ruthless gleam flashing across his brows. “She dared to conspire with outsiders to kidnap my daughter—how do you think she should be dealt with? Do I really need to teach you?”

His gaze was cold and piercing, like a bloodthirsty demon.

Zhui Feng felt inexplicably intimidated. “Yes, I understand!”