And besides, from the moment she took over this body, she had said that she would help the original owner reclaim her debts bit by bit.
"What's going on? Is this Miss Zi San telling the truth? The Crown Prince was divorced?"
"Such explosive news, how come there wasn't a single word about it before?"
"If you were divorced, especially by your wife, would you announce it to the world?"
"A woman divorcing a man? And the one being divorced is the current Crown Prince, isn't that too humiliating?"
"Could it be that the Crown Prince and Miss Zi Er had an affair, and when the third sister discovered it, that's why he was divorced?"
...
The topic had once again veered off course.
A certain Crown Prince's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and he cursed Zi Jinling to death in his heart.
"Idiot, it was enough of an honor for you to sit beside me, yet you insisted on going up to the stage to save face. Now, you haven't gained any face, and you've dragged me down with you."
A woman divorcing a man, an act considered a grave insult on the Tianyuan Continent, had happened to him, which was inherently humiliating.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have remained silent about it and ordered Zi Jinling not to spread the word.
Now, because of Zi Jinling, this matter had been brought up by Zi Linling, and in such an explosive manner. Su Dan Novel Network
If this news reached his father, Emperor Ye Moyuan, his future would be in jeopardy.
At that time, his position as Crown Prince might even be shaky, how could Ye Yuanhao not be furious?
"Zi Linling, what nonsense are you spouting?"
Zi Linling sneered, "Nonsense? Ye the Great Scumbag, are you sure I'm spouting nonsense?"
The scumbag was rendered speechless.
To deny it? He dared not.
The marriage contract between him and Zi Linling indeed no longer existed.
Therefore, to deny it would be to go against the will of heaven, and he might face immediate divine punishment.
But to not deny it would be to tacitly admit it.
The engagement back then was personally decreed by his father, Emperor Ye Moyuan. Now that he was divorced, Ye Moyuan would surely be furious.
Serving a monarch is like accompanying a tiger; even as the Crown Prince, he could not withstand the Emperor's wrath.
Zi Linling looked at Zi Jinling on the stage with a half-smile and said, "What do you say, Second Sister?"
The words "Second Sister" were laced with heavy sarcasm.
The white lotus, her intentions exposed, looked at the Crown Prince with bashful eyes.
The affection that flowed from her was evident to any discerning eye.
Now, questioned by Zi Linling, she stammered incoherently.
"I... you..."
The situation was now crystal clear.
Suddenly, Zi Jinling, her eyes welling up with tears, said, "Sister, I was wrong. Although Crown Prince Gege and I are deeply in love, I shouldn't have gotten carried away with Crown Prince Gege without your consent. I apologize to you, please don't humiliate Crown Prince Gege anymore!"
Her tearful appearance made Ye Yuanhao, who had been somewhat resentful of her moments ago, instantly feel immense pity.
After all, she was the woman he loved. No matter how angry Ye Yuanhao was, he couldn't help but feel tender towards her.
Zi Jinling's words were cleverly crafted.
While she appeared to be admitting fault, her words implicitly accused Zi Linling of cruelly separating them and breaking up their happy union.
However, she forgot that Zi Linling and Ye Yuanhao had been betrothed since birth, making her the interloper.
Zi Linling sneered.
She truly knew how to twist the truth!
But would she bear the blame for breaking up a happy couple?
Of course not!
"Oh? Second Sister, you seem to be deeply devoted to the Crown Prince!"
Zi Linling's sarcastic gaze swept over the pair of adulterous lovers, and she continued, "It's a pity, if I had known you were so in love earlier, I would have asked the Emperor to revoke the decree. How could I bear to see you sneaking around?"
"Besides, I had no choice! When the Emperor bestowed the marriage, I was still in swaddling clothes. Even if I wanted to object, I couldn't!"
As soon as she uttered these words, the way the crowd looked at Zi Jinling and Ye Yuanhao changed dramatically.
The Tianyuan Continent did not object to a man having multiple wives and concubines, but only if it was with the approval of the primary wife.
However, for someone like Ye Yuanhao, who was entangled with another woman before his Crown Princess even set foot in his household, it was unacceptable even in ordinary families, let alone the royal family, which placed great importance on reputation.
Moreover, the woman he was entangled with was his betrothed's sister. Even if he was the heir to the throne, he would inevitably be looked down upon.
"This Crown Prince is too reckless. To be involved with his consort's elder sister before marriage, isn't that a humiliation to the Crown Princess?"
"Exactly! He deserves to be divorced by the Crown Princess!"
"And that second Miss Zi, to actually seduce her sister's fiancé, is utterly shameless!"
"And she has the nerve to cry? Knowing that the Crown Prince and Miss Zi San were betrothed from birth, and she still got carried away with the Crown Prince, she's worse than the whores in the Hundred Flowers Pavilion!"
"The Crown Prince is truly blind, to reject such a beautiful woman like Miss Zi San and instead choose the shameless Miss Zi Er!"
"If this were an ordinary family, she would be drowned in a pig cage!"
...
Although the surrounding discussions were not loud, they were enough to reach the ears of every spiritual practitioner.
Any trace of pity Ye Yuanhao had for Zi Jinling vanished completely.
His face was utterly disgraced, trampled upon by the crowd, and even the royal family's reputation was affected.
Therefore, upon returning to the palace, he was severely reprimanded by Ye Moyuan.
If it weren't for his mother, the Empress, pleading for him, he would have been deposed as Crown Prince.
Zi Jinling, startled by the indignant murmurs of the crowd, dared not shed any more tears.
She looked pleadingly at Ye Yuanhao, hoping he would say something for her.
"Crown Prince Gege..."
Her grievance, plea, fear, unwillingness, and disappointment were all condensed into these four words.
But Ye Yuanhao acted as if he heard nothing. He was already in a precarious situation, how could he spare any thought for Zi Jinling's pitiful state?
Zi Linling sneered.
This was the true nature of Ye Yuanhao's scumbaggery.
As long as his own interests were not involved, he could be extremely doting towards Zi Jinling.
But the moment his own interests were at stake, he would undoubtedly abandon the person he held dear without hesitation.
What a pity that the original owner had poured her heart out in vain, only to meet her demise.
Thinking of the original owner, Zi Linling could only sigh.
Fortunately, she had already recovered some interest on her behalf.
"Rebellious daughter, get down from the stage!"
Zi Wenchang's face was ashen.
He truly couldn't understand why, on a day that was supposed to be glorious for him, he had lost face again and again.
His heart was filled with rage, but he dared not vent it on Ye Yuanhao, so he directed all his anger towards Zi Jinling.
"Rebellious daughter?"
Zi Jinling's gaze shifted from Ye Yuanhao to Zi Wenchang, and then from Zi Wenchang back to Ye Yuanhao.
Heartbreak!
Suffocating pain!
These two men, who claimed to love her, stood by and watched without a single one stepping forward for her.