She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Chapter 111 The Vanished Divorce Agreement

Zhao Yi paused, respectfully agreed, and followed the Duke of Zhao out of the palace.

The grandfather and grandson boarded the carriage. Zhao Yi looked at the Duke of Zhao and saw that his expression was gloomy. It seemed that he had been looking like this ever since Emperor Jing'an mentioned Empress Yuanrong.

After a moment's thought, Zhao Yi finally asked, "Are you thinking about your aunt?"

Duke Zhao composed himself, his cloudy eyes fixed on Zhao Yi's face. After a long while, he sighed softly, "I was just thinking that since my deceased friend has been gone for many years, there's no need to prepare extravagant memorial services every year on the anniversary of his death. This would only make the living more grief-stricken."

Zhao Yi frowned slightly, but did not reply to the Duke of Zhao, because this was Emperor Jing'an's arrangement.

The Duke of Zhao realized he had lost his composure and joked to himself, "I'm getting old, and I'm prone to sentimentality."

Zhao Yi smiled and said, "You are still as vigorous as ever."

Duke Zhao waved his hand: "No, I can't take it anymore. When you get old, you have to accept it. In a year or two, I will retire and return to my hometown."

Zhao Yi gazed at the Duke of Zhao's graying hair, remembering that just two years ago it was a full head of black hair, but now it was almost completely white. His usually straight back was now slightly hunched.

After attending the morning court session and then discussing matters in the Imperial Study, he showed signs of fatigue in his eyes, as if he were lacking physical strength.

It was only at this moment that Zhao Yi realized that the Duke of Zhao was truly old.

He said in a low voice, "Grandfather, I want to get back the divorce papers that you have with you."

Duke Zhao asked with some surprise, "You want to take it back?" Then, as if remembering something, he frowned and said, "You and Madam Shen are not getting along?"

Zhao Yi was taken aback. Before he could speak, the Duke of Zhao said earnestly, "Yi'er, a man should not act rashly or impulsively. You have studied for so many years, you should know the way of a gentleman. If you would dismantle the path you previously laid out for the Shen family just because of a small problem between husband and wife, wouldn't that be too petty?"

Zhao Yi: "..."

“Grandfather, I only thought that since I was husband and wife with Shen, she should have the right to know anything I did for her. From the moment she entered the house, she considered me her husband. But I wrote this letter of divorce without her knowledge, which is far too disrespectful to her.”

Zhao Yi said helplessly, "I want to take back this divorce letter and destroy it. Even if my illness cannot be cured in the future, I should personally discuss with her whereabouts and arrangements."

Duke Zhao stared at Zhao Yi for a long time, and saw a hint of humanity in him.

At this moment, the Duke of Zhao felt that forcing Zhao Yi to marry was the best decision he had ever made.

Although Zhao Yi married Shen Qingtan by a twist of fate, it is undeniable that the two were a good match.

Duke Zhao said kindly, "The letter of divorce is in the study. Come with me to get it later."

Zhao Yi felt a little more at ease. He always believed that he felt secure only when he had control over things himself, otherwise things could easily go wrong.

The carriage stopped at the entrance of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, and Zhao Yi and the Duke of Zhao went to the study together.

Upon entering the front yard, Zhao Yi noticed that it was filled with books. He saw a servant using a feather duster to wipe the dust off the books.

"The books were a bit damp and infested with insects. I saw that the weather was nice today, so I had the servant bring them out to air them," Duke Zhao explained, stepping into the study. He took out a key, unlocked the drawer, and went to retrieve the letter of divorce.

Zhao Yi stood by the table and waited.

"Huh?" Duke Zhao rummaged through his drawers, his brows furrowed. "I clearly remember putting the divorce papers in the drawer. How could they be gone?"

Zhao Yi's expression changed: "Grandfather, please think carefully, is the divorce decree kept in the drawer?"

After pondering for a while, Duke Zhao suddenly remembered: "I initially put it in a drawer, but didn't you later marry the wrong bride? Then you asked me for a reply, so I wrote another one. It seems there was a problem with the military rations at the time, so I casually slipped it into a book and went out to deal with it."

He reached for a book on the right side of the desk, but found nothing. He then realized that the servant had taken all the books outside to air them out.

Zhao Yi saw that the Duke of Zhao's hand had stopped, and then he stared at the empty desk with a bitter and resentful expression.

A bad feeling suddenly arose in his heart.

"Grandfather, do you know which book it's in?"

Duke Zhao's expression stiffened, and he said awkwardly, "I'm getting old and forgetful..." He paused, then said as he walked out, "The servant moved out, he should know. I'll go ask someone."

Zhao Yi rubbed his temples, stepped out of the study, and heard the servant reply, "My lord, I am illiterate and do not know which books are on the desk."

His heart sank.

When Duke Zhao saw Zhao Yi come out, he said with some guilt, "Yi'er, shall I have the servant look for it in the book?"

Zhao Yi took a deep breath: "No need, I'll find it myself."

The fewer people who know about this, the better.

There are at least a hundred books drying outside.

Seeing that Zhao Yi was in poor health, Duke Zhao realized that the current situation was due to Zhao Yi's negligence, so he went with Zhao Yi to find the letter of divorce.

“Grandfather, please go and rest.” Zhao Yi stopped the Duke of Zhao, saying firmly, “It’s just looking up a letter in a book, it won’t tire me out.”

Seeing this, Duke Zhao had no choice but to stand aside and keep watch. If Zhao Yi felt unwell, he could stop him in time and then ask someone for help.

Zhao Yi glanced at the books that filled half the courtyard and flipped through them one by one under the sun.

Duke Zhao felt guilty, after all, he was the one who messed things up, so how could he sit and wait peacefully?

The grandfather and grandson searched for nearly half an hour, turning over everything, but couldn't find the divorce letter.

Duke Zhao felt a little panicked. If this letter fell into the hands of others and was used to make a big deal out of it, at the very least it would affect the relationship between the couple, and at worst it would make Shen Qingtan the center of attention.

It's certainly not a good topic.

Zhao Yi's face darkened, guessing that the divorce papers had fallen out during the moving process and had been picked up by someone...

Thinking of this, he couldn't calm down. Just as he was about to call someone to help him search, he heard Duke Zhao say happily, "Yi'er, I remember now, that letter was in the family precepts."

Zhao Yi frowned and said, "There are no family rules in the courtyard."

"Not here?" Duke Zhao's eyelids twitched. He immediately went into his study and searched everywhere, but still couldn't find the family precepts. He came out of the study, his face stern, and asked the servant, "Who moved the books in the study?"

The servant hurriedly said, "My lord, the master came to your study today and saw me moving books, so he took two of them."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yi immediately headed towards Jingde Hall.