The princess was ordained by Heaven.

Chapter 352 Contact

Xu Ru returned home with a smile on her face.

Miao Rui, who usually ignored him, was quite surprised to see him like this.

Xu Ruchao smiled ingratiatingly at her: "Madam, I have something to discuss with you."

The minister, who was usually quite prestigious, now had gray hair and nervously observed his wife's expression, looking rather pitiful.

But Miao Rui was not soft-hearted.

She had suffered enough from this man called her husband in her life, so she knew very well that his current insecurity and weakness stemmed from past debts.

She suppressed her smile and said coldly, "Speak."

Xu Ru smiled wryly and pulled a piece of paper from his pocket.

Miao Rui stared at him warily for a moment, and seeing that he remained open and honest, she took the stack of papers from his hand.

Upon seeing the contents of the paper, Miao Rui's pupils dilated in shock: "A divorce agreement?"

“After deducting the portion used to supplement your dowry, the remaining property will be divided into four parts: one for you, one for your children and grandchildren, one for the family, and one for myself,” Xu Ru paused for a moment, then regained her composure. “Rui Rui, I know you resent me, and I know I owe you a great deal. These things may seem insignificant…”

His heartfelt words were cut short as Miao Rui quickly folded and put away the divorce papers.

After doing all this, she glanced at Xu Ru warily several times, as if afraid he might change his mind.

Xu Ru choked up.

He rubbed his temples and explained, "I'm about to leave the capital. You should stay here and retire. If... if you want to be with Jiang Weiguo, that's fine too."

He struggled to say the word "okay," but he finally managed to say it.

Miao Rui straightened her clothes: "Then that's none of your business."

She was eager to add her name to the divorce papers and then go through the proper channels with the authorities, so she left hastily after saying this.

Xu Ru watched her light and quick retreating figure and sighed deeply.

That's settled then, everyone's happy.

……

As January passed, the weather grew colder and colder.

Xu Ru's departure sparked some discussion, but did not garner much attention.

Whether it's the imperial court or the common people of the capital, there are always exciting events to watch, making it difficult for their attention to linger on any one person.

As planned, Qi Yongji reprimanded Cai Xin, and the Empress was also humiliated and ostracized by the other concubines.

Through this, the secret agents on the Dayong side officially made contact with the Queen of the He Kingdom.

Everyone knew that this secret operation would fall into the sight of everyone in the Brown Kingdom.

It took quite a bit of effort to select the right person.

Key figures like Yue Niang and Jiao Lian, who are connected to a host of hidden factions, are definitely not suitable. What Dayong needs is someone who has no apparent connection to them, either openly or secretly, but who can still easily pass on messages.

Therefore, this person needs to come into contact with a sufficient number of people every day.

The final choice was a manager from a brokerage firm—Zhu Xuan.

Zhu Xuan was once a palace maid in the palace of the Brown Kingdom. She climbed to a mediocre position, but when she reached a certain age, she resolutely chose to leave the palace. Several old concubines in the palace still remembered her past affection.

She owned an estate that produced fresh fruits and vegetables, and the produce from it was also sent to the palace, so she had very good relationships with the people in charge of purchasing for the palace.

Zheng Xun felt that this was also a talented person, and was quite reluctant to let such a talented person take this risk.

In the end, it was Cen Wan who persuaded her with a single sentence.

"Your Highness, only a talented person could withstand the pressure from all sides and complete the mission of delivering the message."

Zheng Xun thought about it for a long time, and finally had to reluctantly nod.

The matter was settled, and Zhu Xuan entered the palace on an ordinary day, under the watchful eyes of countless people.

Qi Yongji had discussed it with the Empress, so the Empress knew that this so-called message transmission was just a smokescreen.

She pursed her lips, making a hesitant expression as planned.

"Zhu Xuan, is this the 'important matter' you mentioned? I don't have time to waste on your nonsense."

"Your Majesty will know at a glance," the palace servants had all left the hall by this time. "This matter is kept secret, please forgive me, Your Majesty."

Cai Min looked at Zhu Xuan in confusion, just about to ask her what she meant, when she saw her stand up and begin to pace warily around the hall.

She not only walked around on the ground, but also climbed up a pillar to look, and quietly walked to the window and opened it to look.

Perhaps because she had never encountered someone who acted so unpredictably, she actually managed to catch one of her bodyguards.

When she opened the window, the guard was dangling his legs, preparing to climb the tree.

Zhu Xuan raised an eyebrow and grabbed the other person's leg: "Her Majesty the Empress told you to get lost!"

Cai Min: ...

She didn't say that at all!

The guards weren't unable to break free from her, but they were wary of the Empress she mentioned, so they could only stand there stiffly, nodding haphazardly.

Zhu Xuan added worriedly, "Don't eavesdrop!"

The guard, unable to contain himself any longer, said: "Understood!"

Zhu Xuan released him with satisfaction.

After gaining their freedom, the guards quickly fled into the distance and vowed to train their speed diligently from now on.

Zhu Xuan closed the window with satisfaction and knelt back in the same spot.

Cai Min was in a daze.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she probably would have thought that Zhu Xuan had never left at all.

She snapped out of her daze, her tone somewhat complicated: "You certainly have guts."

"That's because I know Her Majesty the Empress is not a narrow-minded person. Besides, I am powerful enough to save my life."

The Empress chuckled: "Not only are you bold, but you're also quick-witted and clever."

Zhu Xuan smiled brightly: "Thank you for your kind words, Your Majesty."

Cai Min smiled as she opened the paper that Zhu Xuan had just handed her, but what she saw shocked her even more.

There were two colors of writing on the paper. The black writing contained exactly what she had in mind, while the blue writing revealed the true purpose of Dayong.

The Great Yong Dynasty actually wants to bypass Cai Xin and cooperate with her?!

She suddenly realized why the task of contacting Dayong had fallen to her; Dayong must have put in a lot of effort behind the scenes!

She quickly crumpled the paper, trying to find a source of fire to destroy it.

But Zhu Xuan stopped her: "Your Majesty, there's no need to be nervous. The blue text will disappear soon."

Her voice was extremely low, almost a whisper, but Cai Min was tense and "heard" every word she said.

"Is this to prevent me from reporting you?"

"Your Majesty misunderstands. We are not guarding against you, but rather..."

Zhu Xuan glanced outside halfway through her sentence.

Taking this opportunity, she also calmed her wildly beating heart.

In reality, Zhu Xuan was not as calm as she appeared on the surface. However, she was inferior in status and power. If she were to lose even in terms of momentum, she would have no chance to negotiate at all.

Cai Min scoffed, "That sounds nice."

The bamboo rustled, but he smiled and remained silent.

To be honest, she wasn't happy about it.

Cai Min took a sip of tea: "Zhu Xuan, you are even bolder than I thought. But I am the Empress, second only to the Emperor! Why should I give up the glory that is within my grasp and instead wade into the muddy waters of Dayong? I am not stupid!"