Xiangzhou Arc: Transmigration of the Soul to an Otherworld Chapter 20: Good News Should Always Be Shared in Full

Shen Jianzhou was momentarily dazed as he watched Ye Qiaoqiao laughing so unrestrainedly. Her eyebrows were curved like crescent moons, her eyes sparkled with a lively, spirited light, and the way her lips turned up in a smile brought a flush to her cheeks, making her look extraordinarily bright and moving.

This scene felt somehow familiar.

Yet, no matter how hard he tried, Shen Jianzhou could not recall the person with the flower-like smile hidden deep within his memories.

Noticing the Crown Prince suddenly staring at her with profound intensity, Ye Qiaoqiao felt a bit awkward. She waved a hand before his eyes and teased, "Your Highness, what is the matter?"

Shen Jianzhou snapped back to reality. He gave a light cough to hide his lapse in composure.

"It is nothing," he said softly.

"Since there is nothing else, Hanxiang and I shall take our leave." With a smile, Ye Qiaoqiao took Hanxiang’s hand and turned away with a light step.

Watching her retreating figure, Shen Jianzhou’s thin lips parted slightly: "Ye Qiaoqiao."

Ye Qiaoqiao looked back, wondering if he had something else to say. With a hint of confusion in her eyes, she asked, "Yes?"

She only heard Shen Jianzhou say calmly, "See you in three days."

Ye Qiaoqiao let out a sigh of relief; it was nothing serious. "Very well," she agreed.

Without further ado, she pulled Hanxiang along and hurried toward the Chen family estate as if fleeing a famine.

Seeing that the two had left, Zuo Wenshan bowed respectfully toward Shen Jianzhou and whispered, "Reporting to Your Highness, this woman truly has some skill to be able to identify the ailment currently afflicting you."

"Indeed. She must be the woman prophesied by the Astronomical Bureau who can assist me," Shen Jianzhou mused.

"The officials of the Astronomical Bureau said there is dark energy lingering around you, and that this Ye Qiaoqiao can help you break the deadlock. However, regarding the goal of grand unification, I believe she is not the one to help you achieve it; it must be someone else," Zuo Wenshan said skeptically.

He simply could not believe that someone with mere fortune-telling abilities could assist the Crown Prince in realizing his grand ambition of unifying the four kingdoms.

Shen Jianzhou raised an eyebrow, paced slowly with his hands behind his back, and countered, "Why do you say that?"

"Because the current situation in the world is complex and intertwined. To unify the four kingdoms, one must be a master of military strategy and formation. Ye Qiaoqiao only knows how to tell fortunes; how can she help Your Highness achieve such a feat? I do not mean to belittle her, but waging war is no child's play," Zuo Wenshan said, keeping his head bowed.

Above all, the four kingdoms were currently living in peace.

Shen Jianzhou’s eyes narrowed slightly as he listened to Zuo Wenshan, falling into deep thought.

It was true; waging war was certainly no child's play.

But she was the first person in this world who had offered to help him break his current impasse.

He replied, "I know. While I am not certain if she is the woman destined to help me achieve unification, the fact that she can resolve the trouble I am facing is already extraordinary."

Having said this, his figure flickered and vanished from outside the courtroom. Zuo Wenshan sighed and followed closely behind his master.

On the way back to the Chen family estate, Ye Qiaoqiao let Hanxiang go inside first while she turned toward her maiden home. Having just gotten divorced, she had to share the good news—that she was now single and free to remarry—with her mother and father, and celebrate the occasion.

Happiness is best when shared.

With this thought, she soon arrived at the Ye residence.

Seeing her daughter arrive unannounced, Madam Ye didn't look tearful as she had last time; instead, she looked pleasantly surprised. "Qiao'er, what brings you here today?"

"Mother, the matter is settled," Ye Qiaoqiao said with a smile, happily hugging her mother’s arm.

Assuming her daughter had simply earned some money, Madam Ye pretended to scold her. "You child, if you run out of funds, just tell me. You don't have to work so hard."

???

Ye Qiaoqiao was stunned.

Had her mother misunderstood? She meant to tell her that she was divorced!

She took her mother’s hand again and said affectionately, "Mother, it’s not what you think. I came to tell you something much more important: the magistrate has granted me a divorce from Chen Bailei!"

"Is this true?" Madam Ye was shocked. She had never expected her Qiao'er to escape so quickly.

Seeing her mother’s reaction, Ye Qiaoqiao recounted how she had confronted Chen Bailei in court with clear logic, exposed his misdeeds, and presented evidence such as the ledger and the list of her dowry from three years ago.

"Good, good. My Qiao'er has truly grown up; you handled everything so logically and systematically," Madam Ye said, stroking Ye Qiaoqiao’s hand repeatedly, filled with relief.

Thinking of the Crown Prince’s verdict, Ye Qiaoqiao added, "The matter was handled so quickly because a noble person helped me."

"Which noble person?" Ye Jinglan asked as he approached. He had heard some commotion outside earlier, and after ensuring his wife and children were settled, he had come out to see what was happening. He hadn't expected it to be his sister.

He had heard their conversation word for word.

Ye Qiaoqiao remembered that when she first arrived in this body and met Shen Jianzhou and his guards, they had used silver needles to threaten her; they clearly did not want their identities exposed. Furthermore, no onlookers were allowed during the hearing. It was clear the Crown Prince did not wish for his identity to draw attention.

She whispered to Ye Jinglan, "I'm telling you this in secret, but you must not tell anyone else."

"I won't," Ye Jinglan promised, though he was burning with curiosity.

Ye Qiaoqiao then said, "It was the Crown Prince."

"What?" Ye Jinglan was stunned.

He had never expected the Crown Prince to visit Xiangzhou, let alone how Qiaoqiao could have obtained his help. He was incredibly curious, but remembering her request for secrecy, he dared not ask further.

Seeing the two whispering, Madam Ye didn't interrupt. She held Ye Qiaoqiao's hand and said, "Since it is settled, that is good. You can come and live at home whenever you like."

"No, Mother, have you forgotten? That estate was part of my dowry. I am going to take down the 'Chen Family Estate' plaque," Ye Qiaoqiao said firmly.

It was her own property; why should it bear someone else's surname?

Seeing her daughter's determination, Madam Ye gave her full support: "Very well, then do as you wish."

Ye Jinglan, however, remained curious about how his sister had managed the divorce. Being a man of great learning, he couldn't fathom the legal logic, so he asked, "How did you manage to get the divorce?"

"Don't ask. I originally wanted to 'divorce the husband,' but that would have incurred twenty strokes of the cane. When Chen Bailei saw I was willing to face the punishment, he refused to return the money he had stolen and mocked me. In my anger, I decided to file for divorce based on the fact that we had no true marital relations in our three years of marriage."

"But luckily, it became a turning point, and everyone saw how shameless Chen Bailei truly was."