After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Over the years, General Xie not only did not embezzle military pay, but also used his own salary to subsidize fallen soldiers. He didn't even mention it was his own money, letting the families of the fallen soldiers believe it was a pension from the imperial court, making them grateful to the court and the emperor.

The Northern Liang region, though vast and rich in resources, suffers from year after year of famine. Young Master Xie, foolish yet wealthy, is involved in drought relief in the north and flood control in the south. He's not using the Xie family's name, but rather the Ministry of Revenue's influence.

Whose Ministry of Revenue is this? It belongs to the imperial court!

Whose court is it? It belongs to the emperor and the Xiao family.

The Xie family contributed money and effort, but the emperor gained a good reputation. How could the emperor hold the Xie family accountable? The Xie family is finished. Where can he find such a foolish family?

Holding military power meant guarding the borders of Northern Liang; General Xie never used his army for personal gain. Despite being incredibly wealthy, he used all his earnings to subsidize the people and support the treasury, essentially making the Xie family money for the emperor. It would be foolish not to take advantage of such a situation, and the emperor certainly wasn't that stupid. To harm the Xie family was tantamount to harming the very foundation of the nation.

Xie Yu'an felt uneasy upon hearing this and cupped his hands, saying, "These are all things that the Xie family should do. It is His Majesty's ability to recognize and utilize talent. To speak disrespectfully, without His Majesty, there would be no peace and tranquility in Beiliang. If Beiliang were not peaceful, where would I, a commoner, go to do business or earn money? The Xie family's success today is entirely due to His Majesty's blessing."

"What a peaceful and prosperous future!" The emperor was pleased and patted Xie Yu'an on the shoulder: "From now on, we must use the name of the court for disaster relief, and we must also use the Xie family's name. You must let my people know that like father, like son. General Xie's son is no ordinary person, even if he doesn't go to the battlefield."

After saying that, she turned to Xie Chaoyun and said, "Lu Qing is stupid and foolish. As his wife, you should pay more attention to him and not let him be taken advantage of."

The emperor tapped the letter, implying that it was related to Lu Huai.

Xie Chaoyun knew perfectly well what was going on, but pretended not to understand and said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I have caused you worry! The letter was written to my father, but because of the urgent military situation at the border, I did not send it to avoid distracting him. My letters are kept in the study, and since they are not valuable, I did not take any precautions. I truly do not know how this letter ended up in Your Majesty's hands, or how it became like this."

"Letters are private matters and should be kept safe." The emperor's words had a hidden meaning: "I heard that Minister Lu brought someone with him when he returned to the capital this time."

Xie Chaoyun lowered her eyes. "She is the Marquis's cousin, and she has two children with her... Your Majesty, I would like to ask you for a favor."

The Emperor said, "You have made great contributions in suppressing the bandits at Luoxia Mountain, and you have also done a great service by saving the families of the six ministers. What kind of favor do you want me to give you?"

Xie Chaoyun loudly proclaimed, "I beg Your Majesty to issue a decree granting my wife permission to divorce the Marquis."

The emperor was taken aback: "Divorce? You want a divorce?"

She thought he would ask for an imperial decree to allow her daughter Lu Zhiyuan to inherit the title of Marquis, or for him to issue an imperial decree forbidding Lu Huai from marrying a woman who had been married twice. Unexpectedly, she asked for an imperial decree for a divorce.

Xie Chaoyun suppressed her grievances: "Your Majesty, although I long for a lifelong, monogamous relationship, I know that matters of the heart are beyond my control. If the Marquis were sincere, I would still arrange the betrothal and wedding for him, even if it was unfair. However, the Marquis does not trust me. Not only has he been keeping a mistress behind my back, but he has also brazenly brought my mother and her two children back to his residence under the guise of his cousin. What hurts me even more is that the mistress's daughter, Lu Jinyao, is actually two years older than my children."

The emperor's eyes held a complex expression: "Do you have any evidence?"

Xie Chaoyun smiled bitterly, letting tears slide down her cheeks: "The Lu family genealogy is the evidence! I only learned about it two days ago. The Lu family genealogy only lists Lu Jinyao, the daughter of the Marquis and his mistress, and not Lu Zhiyuan, the daughter of the Marquis and me."

Keeping a mistress and allowing her to bring her two children back to the capital is already outrageous. Having a concubine's daughter before having a legitimate daughter is unheard of. Although there are no explicit regulations in Northern Liang, such a thing wouldn't happen in ordinary families. Having a child out of wedlock indicates a corrupt family tradition. A concubine or maidservant becoming pregnant before the legal wife is born shows that the husband's family doesn't respect the wife's family and is blatantly slapping their in-laws in the face.

This Lu Huai is really going too far.

The emperor smashed his teacup and ordered a eunuch to summon Lu Huaizhao to the palace.

The Xie brothers were also furious, but because of the emperor's presence, they dared not retaliate and clenched their fists tightly.

"I know you've been wronged, and I will stand up for you. However, divorce is no small matter. Do you know what you will face in the future?" the Emperor advised. "You are the legitimate wife of the Marquis's household. No matter who the woman Lu Qing brings back is, she cannot shake your position. If you don't want to intervene, I can have the Empress stand up for you and find any reason to make that woman become a nun. The matter of the family genealogy is also easy to handle. We will remove Lu Jinyao's name and replace it with Yuan'er's. When Yuan'er comes of age, the Empress and I will personally attend. At that time, everyone will know that she is the legitimate daughter of the Marquis's household."

"Your Majesty, I thank you, but a gentleman should help others achieve their goals. Although I am not a gentleman, I did not wish to hinder the Marquis or make things difficult for him by forcibly separating them. Your Majesty does not know that the Marquis went to Weinan for Ji Wanwan. Such deep affection is truly touching, and I really should not have stood in the way. Ji Wanwan has already borne the Marquis two children, ensuring the continuation of the Marquis's line. A divorce at this time would be my way of giving an explanation to the Marquis's family and to the old Marquis. I earnestly hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

The emperor sighed: "Do you really want to divorce Lu Qing?"

Xie Chaoyun looked up, her tearful eyes resolute: "Yes! I have always been stubborn since I was a child. I cannot force myself to stay with someone who does not love me. I do not want to face the jealousy and strife in the inner quarters. Moreover, my ambition does not lie in the inner quarters. I want to take advantage of my ability to guard the frontier with my father and protect the country for the Emperor and the people of Beiliang."

Xie Chaoyun prostrated herself on the ground: "Your Majesty, I do not wish to waste my life, to live a life of ignominy."

The Emperor frowned: "You're willing to give up Lu Qing? I remember you married him because you were in love with him. Ten years of marriage, and you're just going to let it go like this?"

Admiration? Perhaps, after all, she met him when she was just beginning to experience love, and he was quite stunning. Ten years of marriage? Thinking about it carefully, they were truly together for no more than a year, and even that year was intertwined with the presence of Ji Wanwan and Lu Jinyao.

She married him because he publicly promised her a lifetime of monogamy. Now they are divorcing because he never kept that promise.

Xie Chaoyun smiled, like a ray of light falling from the clouds after a rainstorm, "This subject is willing!"

The emperor was somewhat dazed, the Xie Chaoyun before him overlapping with the carefree, always smiling, red-clad girl who rode a horse and brandished a spear ten years ago. He watched her get married, watched her take off her armor and put on brocade robes, and then watched her become a discarded wife.

In the eyes of the world, divorce still equates to being a woman abandoned by her husband's family, and even princesses are not exempt from this fate. A princess from a previous dynasty, because of her divorce, entered a royal temple, spending her days with only the company of ancient lamps and Buddhist scriptures. He truly did not want the girl in red in his memory to walk such a path.

Thinking of this, recalling the Xie family's contributions, and the court's reliance on the Xie family, he cleared his throat and said, "I grant your permission. You may return now. In a few days, the decree for divorce will be issued to the Marquis of Pingnan's residence. During this period, if you regret your decision, you may come to the palace to see me at any time."

Xie Chaoyun breathed a sigh of relief and bowed: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness!"