Mo Lingxi opened his mouth, wanting to refuse the marriage alliance again, but the words caught in his throat. Just as Tao Lengshuang and Zicheng had said, he couldn't put Tao Lengshuang in a fiery situation.
Zicheng sighed and softened his tone, "We don't know the situation of Princess Nanning yet. There's no point in saying more now. Why don't we wait until Princess Nanning arrives?"
Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi knew this, and neither of them was in a good mood. They had no energy to deal with Zicheng.
Zicheng also noticed this and said, "Xiao Feng should be finishing class soon. Take Xiao Feng back, and talk things out. Don't hide anything from each other."
Tao Lengshuang glanced at Mo Lingxi. After he said it was fine, they went to pick up Xiao Feng from class, and then the family took a carriage back to their residence.
In the carriage.
Xiao Feng keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere between his parents. He looked left and right and asked, "Mother, did Father make you angry?"
Before Tao Lengshuang could answer, he said in a milky voice, "Then we don't want Father anymore. Xiao Feng will earn money to support Mother, and we'll move out and live our own lives."
Tao Lengshuang saw Mo Lingxi's darkened expression and patted Xiao Feng's head. "It's not that your Father made me angry, but we've encountered a difficult problem. It will be fine once the problem is solved."
Xiao Feng didn't quite understand. In his opinion, his parents had just argued, and it was Father who had angered Mother.
He looked at Mo Lingxi with an expression that said, "Father, you don't know how to cherish." He shook his head like a little adult, but he snuggled closer to Tao Lengshuang. He wanted to be with his mother.
Mo Lingxi's mouth was bitter. Who would have thought such a thing would happen?
When the family returned to the residence, they saw Madam Sheng waiting for them at the courtyard entrance.
"What's wrong?" Madam Sheng asked with concern, noticing the unusual expressions on Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi's faces.
Tao Lengshuang had a servant take Xiao Feng back to wash up before telling Madam Sheng about Mo Lingxi's impending marriage alliance. "The Northern Yuan Dynasty has offered ten thousand catties of grain, which our Eastern Jin Dynasty cannot refuse. Besides, trading a prince for ten thousand catties of grain is a good deal."
Madam Sheng never expected such a thing to happen. She looked at Mo Lingxi with hidden anger. "What is Prince Mingrui thinking?"
Mo Lingxi replied without hesitation, "I am unwilling to enter into a marriage alliance. I already refused it in the palace, but... if I truly don't, then Tao Lengshuang will be put in a difficult position."
Madam Sheng sighed. "Indeed. With so many disaster victims in our Eastern Jin Dynasty needing aid, if we abandon this marriage alliance, not only will Lengshuang be cursed by everyone, but the royal family will also face a crisis."
"This way, other countries will have an excuse to send troops."
This was the real reason the Northern Yuan Dynasty used ten thousand catties of grain for the marriage alliance. The Northern Yuan Dynasty knew very well that the Eastern Jin Dynasty could not refuse, nor would they dare to refuse.
"Alright, there's no point discussing this further. Let's wait until Princess Nanning arrives," Tao Lengshuang said with some annoyance.
Seeing this, Madam Sheng asked Tao Lengshuang and Mo Lingxi to have a good talk, while she went to accompany Xiao Feng.
Mo Lingxi took Tao Lengshuang's hand and looked directly at her. "Are you really willing to divorce?"
The bitterness on Tao Lengshuang's lips spread. She sighed. "What can I do if I don't divorce? Ask to be a concubine? I can't do that."
"I wouldn't let you be a concubine either." Mo Lingxi knew very well that this was not an easy problem to solve. "I just want your attitude. Tell me, do you want to divorce? If you don't, I will find a way to solve this matter."
Tao Lengshuang's expression was a little desolate. "What solution can you find? Mo Lingxi, you know better than I do that the only solution to this is for us to divorce."
"Even if the Northern Yuan Dynasty doesn't propose a marriage alliance this time, what about next time, and the time after that? There are other countries too. If they also want a marriage alliance, what will you choose? Do you really not care about these disaster victims and let me be put on the fire?"
Mo Lingxi was speechless. He could only sigh. Every word Tao Lengshuang spoke was true. For other countries, they did not want the Eastern Jin Dynasty to recover, so they would try every means to disrupt the Eastern Jin Dynasty.
A marriage alliance was the most peaceful step.
Tao Lengshuang's excessive calmness: "The moment I learned about the marriage alliance, I had thought through everything..."
"It's you who has always wanted to divorce me. You haven't thought it through," Mo Lingxi interrupted her, with a hint of displeasure. "You've never given up the idea of divorcing. You want to take Xiao Feng away from me and live the life you want."
Tao Lengshuang did not deny it. "I've told you many times that I'm not suited for this kind of life. This timing is just right. Mo Lingxi, for my sake and for the disaster victims, let go."
Mo Lingxi gripped her hand a little tighter, his eyes fierce. "You're dreaming! I will never let go. You have my son, and you still want me to let go."
Tao Lengshuang looked at him for a while and then said, "Can you really not care about me and the disaster victims?"
Seeing Mo Lingxi fall silent, she added, "You can't truly not care, and I can't, for my own selfish reasons, disregard millions of disaster victims, disregard my own and Xiao Feng's safety, and choose to be with you."
Mo Lingxi knew this very well, but the clearer he understood, the harder it was for him to let go.
He rested his head on Tao Lengshuang's lap, his voice tinged with a bit of bitterness. "Tao Lengshuang, why do people always wish us ill?"
"I just want to live a peaceful life with you. These people refuse to leave us alone and insist on breaking us apart."
Tao Lengshuang gently patted his head and said softly, "Because of profit. Everyone in this world is for fame and profit. No one can escape the word 'profit'."
"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's talk when Princess Nanning arrives. There's no point in us talking any more now."
Mo Lingxi hugged her waist. "Let's think of a way to get the Northern Yuan Dynasty to give us grain but not propose a marriage alliance, okay?"
Tao Lengshuang heard this and thought of the grain in her spatial medicine garden again. She pursed her lips tightly. "How do you think we can get the Northern Yuan Dynasty to give us grain without a marriage alliance? That's ten thousand catties of grain."
With this ten thousand catties of grain, they could help the disaster victims through the difficult times, and perhaps even survive until the next harvest.
Mo Lingxi sat up straight, his eyes becoming firmer. "I will find a way. Until then, please don't give up, okay?"
Tao Lengshuang stared at him blankly for a long time, her mind in a mess. "I'll think about this again. Give me some time to think. I may not consider myself, but I have to consider Xiao Feng. I don't want him to experience those terrible and unfortunate things."
Mo Lingxi reluctantly agreed. He understood Tao Lengshuang's thoughts, and precisely because he understood, he was reluctant to make things difficult for her.
"What if the Northern Yuan Dynasty backs down when they see how difficult things are?" he suddenly said.