Consort Zhuang doesn't want palace intrigue; she just wants to raise her child and live a caref

"Has there been any news from Tingyu?" Su Nuannuan asked casually, leaning against the headboard.

Knowing that Chen Fangyi had safely left the palace, he felt slightly relieved, but he was still very concerned about the follow-up matters.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, the situation is still unclear, and the two sides are at a stalemate. In my opinion, there may be no new progress until news of Consort Chen's death reaches the other side." Tingfeng answered respectfully, bowing his head slightly and not daring to look Su Nuannuan in the eye.

"Hmm... In that case, let's pass on this message quickly, lest things get complicated and things get worse." Su Nuannuan sat up slightly, her delicate eyebrows furrowed, and her tone became serious.

"Yes, Master. I will do it as soon as possible, please rest assured." Tingfeng replied hurriedly, then bowed to Su Nuannuan and turned to leave in a hurry.

After Tingfeng left, Su Nuannuan glanced out the window, estimated the time, sighed softly, and slowly lay back down, closing her eyes to try and fall asleep. However, despite her exhaustion, her mind kept racing, making it difficult to drift off.

After an unknown amount of time, Su Nuannuan suddenly opened her eyes and sat up in bed. It turned out that after much deliberation, she had finally realized a huge flaw in her previous plan—she shouldn't have let Tingyu, as a member of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, handle Chen Fangyi's mother's divorce.

But things had come to this, and in this day and age there were no convenient instant messaging tools like those of modern times. She couldn't contact Tingyu in time to change her strategy, and all she could do now was wait for Tingyu to handle it herself. Thinking of this, Su Nuannuan couldn't help but feel anxious and uneasy, and her mood grew increasingly heavy.

Now let's talk about Tingyu.

After a long and arduous journey, Tingyu finally arrived in Qingzhou. However, the meticulous Tingyu knew that the mission was arduous and fraught with uncertainty, so he did not reveal his noble status as a member of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. Instead, he cleverly disguised himself as a wealthy merchant from the capital. Not only that, he even meticulously altered his appearance, completely changing his original facial features, making it difficult for anyone to discover his true identity.

Once all the preliminary preparations were complete, Tingyu should have been eager to go to the Chen residence, but unexpectedly, he went to a villa outside the city instead of the nearby one to pay his respects to Madam Chen.

It turns out that Tingyu came here with a clear and important purpose—first, to quietly transfer the properties under Madam Chen's name out. After this crucial step is completed, she will then step into the Chen family mansion with a completely new identity to discuss divorce matters.

After meeting Madam Chen and explaining her purpose, Tingyu, with her exceptional wisdom and eloquence, successfully took the first step in her plan. The entire process went exceptionally smoothly, as if everything was under her control.

Just when everyone thought things would fall into place, the second step of the divorce negotiations unexpectedly stalled.

The crux of the problem lies in Prefect Chen's resolute refusal to agree to a divorce. This normally dignified official now displays a shameless demeanor, repeatedly uttering phrases like "I was born a member of the Chen family, and I will die a ghost of the Chen family" to shirk responsibility. In reality, his true concern is not the so-called marital bond, but rather that if the divorce becomes a reality, he will instantly become a penniless pauper.

After all, how could he possibly support his several concubines and his infant sons with such a meager salary?

Therefore, Tingyu stopped what she was about to do and instead began to quietly wait for news from the capital.

Not long after, shocking news spread like wildfire back to the Chen residence—Consort Chen had been banished to the Cold Palace for offending the Emperor! This news struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly causing a huge uproar in the Chen residence.

When Prefect Chen heard this news, he was furious and flew into a rage. He paced back and forth in his hall, cursing incessantly, "What a useless piece of trash! Utterly worthless!" His angry voice seemed to pierce the roof and reach the heavens.

However, the matter did not end there. Just as everyone was still reeling from the shock of Consort Chen being banished to the Cold Palace, another even more horrifying piece of news arrived—Consort Chen had tragically been burned alive in a raging fire in the Cold Palace! Upon hearing this devastating news, Prefect Chen, who had been furious, seemed to have all his strength drained away instantly, and he immediately became listless, no longer the arrogant and domineering man he had been before.

That night, Prefect Chen sat alone in his study all night. Countless thoughts churned and intertwined in his mind, causing him great torment. Finally, at the break of dawn, as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room through the window, Prefect Chen made a difficult decision.

The next morning, just as dawn broke, Prefect Chen impatiently ordered his servants to bring his wife to his study. After she arrived in a hurry, he said with a solemn expression, "This Prefect agrees to the divorce. However, there are conditions for the divorce: your dowry must be retained."

Upon hearing her husband make such an unreasonable request, Madam Chen was first slightly taken aback, then couldn't help but chuckle softly. The laughter carried a hint of helplessness and mockery.

"What are you laughing at?" Upon seeing this, Prefect Chen frowned and asked angrily.

Madam Chen stopped laughing, raised her head and looked directly at Prefect Chen, a faint smile still on her lips: "What are you laughing at? Of course I'm laughing at you, sir, for not knowing the cost of firewood and rice when you're not in charge of the household. Do you really think that keeping a concubine is as simple as buying a cabbage? Not to mention the daily expenses, the cost of taking a concubine alone is not a small amount."

You have the nerve to keep asking me to leave my dowry to you, but do you know that over the years, in order to make a living for our Chen family, my dowry has already been almost completely depleted!

"The amount of silver in the household accounts now is our entire fortune; not a penny more." With that, she gently shook her head, a hint of weariness and disappointment in her eyes.

"Impossible! You brought so much dowry back then, how could it all be gone so quickly?" Prefect Chen was clearly unable to accept this fact. He stood up abruptly, staring at Madam Chen with wide eyes and questioning her.

Madam Chen sneered and retorted without backing down, "How is it impossible? Sir, don't forget that although your precious son is being raised in my name, he not only idles away his days and is good for nothing, but he has also developed a gambling addiction and frequents brothels. To cover his bottomless debts, my dowry has been gradually depleted, hasn't it?"

"How...how did you raise your son? How could you let him run wild like this, to the point that he's fallen to such a state!" Upon hearing that his son had been raised into a spoiled brat, Prefect Chen flew into a rage and roared at Madam Chen.