As the Prime Minister, Minister Xiao had more considerations.

He had gone to great lengths to befriend Prince Yu, harboring some unspeakable thoughts. After all, Prince Yu held significant military power, and despite his mother's humble background, he had a good chance of ascending to the throne.

But if what his daughter said was true, he would have to think carefully, as the crown prince couldn't have such hidden flaws. His earlier anger was mostly because Prince Yu had rejected his daughter, fearing that the Xiao family would miss out on the immense wealth and honor. Now, he wasn't as furious as before.

"What you did was ultimately wrong. Even if Prince Yu doesn't pursue the matter, I can't let you off without punishment," Minister Xiao said, somewhat more calmly. "You will stay at home for the next six months, copying the precepts for women to cultivate your character. Don't go out and embarrass yourself."

Madam Xiao, however, was not satisfied. "This is too lenient. If ordinary families cannot tolerate such matters, our Prime Minister's manor must set an example with severe punishment. If we don't give an appropriate penalty, I'm afraid it will ruin the reputation of our Xiao family and affect the marriages of the younger girls. Please think carefully!"

Jiang Yuchao calmly echoed Madam Xiao's words, "Father, Madam is right. The reputation of our Xiao family is important. I know you love me, but I also care about my younger sisters and can't let them be affected by me. I volunteer to go to the women's monastery in the city to cultivate myself. Your daughter knows her mistake and will diligently improve herself, never bringing shame to the Xiao family again."

Madam Xiao: "..." Although things went according to her wishes, why did she feel so unhappy?

She forced a smile and said, "Yes, it seems Jinyue truly realizes her mistake. Since she is willing, the head of the family should agree."

And so, the matter was settled. Soon after entering the Prime Minister's manor, Jiang Yuchao, accompanied by her serving maids and a large dowry, changed course to the largest women's monastery in the city.

The maids started crying in the carriage again. Their mistress was going to live in the cold and quiet women's monastery. What would happen in the future? Would she have to stay there for the rest of her life? For a young woman, this was a terrible fate.

"If you want to cry, go to the carriage behind. It's too noisy," Jiang Yuchao said, and no maid dared to cry anymore.

She closed her eyes and silently let out a sigh of relief. The current situation was the best. After all, she wasn't the real Xiao Jinyue and couldn't pretend to be a harmless little rabbit being bullied. It was better to stay away from those who knew Xiao Jinyue. Staying in the women's monastery, where no one knew her, was perfect.

It also gave her a buffer period.

To give face to the Prime Minister's manor, Xiao Jinyue's dowry was generous. Zhao Huang, the domineering male chauvinist in the original story, disdained such a dowry. Now it was good. Jiang Yuchao had a substantial dowry in her hands, enough for this lifetime, at least not having to worry about money.

The largest women's monastery in Luodu was in the west of the city, named Mingyue Monastery, which had a certain affinity with the original Xiao Jinyue's name. She brought a large amount of incense money to stay in the monastery, and with her identity, the female Taoists in the monastery naturally welcomed her. Even though they were people outside the world, they were still mortal beings and couldn't escape the mundane object of money.

Thus, in Mingyue Monastery, Jiang Yuchao had an independent courtyard with flowers, grass, and pine trees, making for a very nice scenery. Although the rooms in the monastery didn't have the carved beams and painted rafters of Prince Yu's manor and the Prime Minister's manor, Jiang Yuchao was more accustomed to such simplicity. She had the servants arrange the furniture and furnishings, and with a little tidying up inside and outside the courtyard, it became an excellent residence.

She was hiding in this monastery for peace and quiet, but the entire Luodu became lively because of her.

Prince Yu was such a handsome and noble man, and countless unmarried young ladies in Luodu wanted to enter his mansion. Now that such a big event had occurred, how could people not gossip? Although Prince Yu didn't directly announce why Princess Xiao Jinyue was divorced, there were no walls that didn't let wind through, and with someone fanning the flames behind the scenes, the news of Princess Xiao Jinyue having an affair with a guard quickly spread throughout Luodu.

If it were only this, it would be fine. People would only criticize and despise Xiao Jinyue for not being a virtuous wife. But somehow, rumors spread that the reason Xiao Jinyue had an affair with a guard was that Prince Yu had a physical condition and couldn't perform in bed.

The rumors sounded quite convincing. Now it was lively. Whether it was the princess committing adultery or the prince being impotent, both were gossip that people found interesting. In a short time, even the emperor in the nine-layered palace learned of this news.

As for Prince Yu, he was annoyed by Xiao Jinyue's crying and had previously left a divorce letter for her, sending two young eunuchs to inform the Prime Minister's manor of the matter. Then he went to the military camp outside the city to train soldiers and hadn't returned to the city, so he was actually the last to know about this.

It was only when the emperor couldn't help but summon his son to the palace and discreetly inquired about the matter that Prince Yu learned of the recent rumors in the city.

The emperor said, "If you have a physical condition, you mustn't conceal the illness and refuse treatment. Let the imperial physicians treat you well, and it will surely be cured."

Prince Yu, who was suspected by his own father of having sexual dysfunction, gritted his teeth and replied in a stern voice, "Your son is perfectly fine and has no illness."

Seeing him so angry, the emperor suspected that he was embarrassed and didn't quite believe he was really fine, thinking he was just being stubborn. So he said, "Since you're fine, let the imperial physicians take your pulse to put your own mind at ease."

Of course, Prince Yu could see that he didn't believe him, but what could he do? He couldn't prove to his father on the spot that he was capable.

This matter was the same as saying his wife had cheated on him. There was no way to prove it. The most disgusting part was that he couldn't possibly go around explaining to people that he had no physical issues.

Prince Yu entered the palace and returned to his mansion with a face full of frustration. He strode into the mansion, heading straight for his wife's residence, intending to question her about why such rumors had spread. The rumors about his ability and the rumors about the princess had spread at the same time. He refused to believe the princess had nothing to do with it.

However, as he strode into the former princess's courtyard, Prince Yu found that there wasn't even half a person in the yard, and the beds, cabinets, and other items in the room had been cleared out.

"Where is the princess?" Prince Yu asked the head servant who had hurriedly followed him in a cold voice.

The head servant wiped the sweat from his forehead. "The princess... the former princess left with the divorce letter several days ago."

Prince Yu was so furious that he forgot about this matter until now. He thought that Xiao Jinyue would be clingy and unwilling to leave, but unexpectedly, she actually left just like that.

"Go to the Prime Minister's manor!" Prince Yu rushed out of the prince's manor like a gust of wind, angrily heading to the Prime Minister's manor to make a scene, ready to vent his anger on someone.

The result—

"My daughter is not in the mansion," Prime Minister Xiao said.

Prince Yu's face darkened. "Prime Minister Xiao, are you brushing me off?"

Prime Minister Xiao was also displeased with his attitude, but still maintained a kind expression. "Prince Yu is overthinking. My daughter feels too ashamed to face anyone and is currently in the nunnery cultivating her mind and character. Everyone in the mansion knows about this. May I ask why Prince Yu is looking for my daughter?"

Prince Yu snorted. "I'm here to ask her why she slandered me."

Prime Minister Xiao was shocked. "What do you mean by this, Prince Yu? My daughter has always been introverted and timid. How could she falsely accuse others out of nowhere?"

Seeing Prince Yu so agitated and hearing that he even brought an imperial physician back from the palace, it was very likely that the rumors about his impotence were true. Prime Minister Xiao thought, Prince Yu looks tall and impressive, but unexpectedly, he's just a paper tiger. Tsk tsk, truly can't judge a book by its cover.

Prince Yu had calmed down a bit by now and also recalled Xiao Jinyue's usual demeanor - weak and easily bullied. She indeed didn't seem like someone who would spread such rumors. With his paranoid personality, he now suspected that it was his few brothers vying for favor and power who orchestrated this. The more he thought about it, the more he felt it was the case.

It must be those brothers using Xiao Jinyue's matter to slander him! Damn it!

He got up and left, not wanting to see Xiao Jinyue's face that was always crying nonstop. He directly returned to his manor. Consort Li had waited for him for a long time and now came to seek an audience with her face covered. It had been several days, but her face was still a bit red.

Hearing her sobbing and recounting her grievances, Prince Yu had no patience to listen to the end at all. He hated women crying and making a fuss the most. However, he cast a suspicious gaze at Consort Li. "You've always been at odds with that Xiao Jinyue. Did you spread the rumors about her having an affair?"

Consort Li suddenly stiffened, her lowered eyes showing some fear. She had indeed added fuel to the fire, but later things got out of control with rumors spreading everywhere that Prince Yu was impotent. She didn't dare to get involved anymore and was now full of regret.

"I... I didn't... Ah—!"

Prince Yu kicked her with one foot, sending her tumbling to the ground. He said in a deep angry voice, "Scram!"

...

"Sigh, have you all heard? Our third brother is rumored to be impotent." A young man wearing luxurious purple robes sat on the upper floor of a tavern, fanning himself with a smile.

A kind-looking man said, "Sixth Brother, this is just a rumor. It might be a misunderstanding."

"What misunderstanding? I think it's most likely true. Otherwise, why would his princess consort cheat on him? It's because he can't satisfy his own woman, causing them to seek other men. Besides, look at his mansion over the years, indeed no one has given birth to even half a child." The man wearing a gold crown drank a cup of wine, his face full of mockery.

If there were baseless rumors saying that Prince Yu was impotent, most people wouldn't believe it. But with the earlier matter of Prince Yu's princess consort, it became quite credible.

After all, with Prince Yu's looks and physique, he was the dream lover of many women. Yet his princess consort Xiao Jinyue had an ordinary appearance and was infatuated with Prince Yu, insisting on marrying him back then, causing quite a stir. If not for disharmony in the bedchamber, how could it come to this?

Therefore, most people in the city believed it.

The kind-looking Fourth Prince also stopped talking and picked up his teacup to drink tea. These few princes gathered together, appearing harmonious on the surface, but each harboring their own thoughts underneath, all speculating whether the others had a hand in this matter.

At this moment, the youth who had been sitting by the window and not speaking suddenly stood up and waved towards the street below, shouting, "Brother Yu!"

The other three also looked out the window and saw a man leading a group of attendants riding a horse. Hearing the voice, he stopped the horse and looked up.

The man on the horse was wearing an extravagantly embroidered robe, very flashy. If not for his truly handsome face that could pull off this attire, he would likely become a laughingstock. In the entire Luodu, besides him, no one else could wear these clothes with such an effect.

"Brother Yu, come up and drink with us!" The Seventh Prince by the window enthusiastically invited. The kind-hearted Fourth Prince also walked over and called out, "Zhuoyu, come up and have a drink with us."

The man on the horse shook his head. "A new batch of fabric arrived today. I'm hurrying to make new clothes. Next time." With that, he cupped his hands and rode away.

This person was named Xi Zhuoyu, the only son of the eldest princess. The emperor doted on this nephew who lost his mother at a young age and whose father, General Xi, had always been guarding the border. From a young age, he was raised in the palace together with the princes. The emperor even favored him more than his own sons.

When the elder princes were conferred titles a few years ago, he was also conferred the title of Prince Yuling, even higher than his father's rank, a unique honor in the entire Great Wei.

This young Prince Yuling, also known as the most beautiful man in Luodu, had two quirks.

One was his love for new clothes, the more intricate the patterns, the more he liked them. His aesthetic seemed different from others.

The second was his fondness for keeping dogs. It was said that there were more dogs than servants in Prince Yuling Manor, especially a few fierce guard dogs that ordinary people didn't dare to approach.

Author's note:

Jiang Yuchao: Do I need a reason to mess with you?