"What did you say?"
Su Ning listened to the person in front of her almost scream, her face changing color in an instant, and kindly repeated, "I want you to publish a divorce declaration with him in the newspaper."
Divorce, really?
Consort Shu had seen and heard this word in the newspapers before. It was always those progressive, modern thinkers who felt they could no longer tolerate their arranged marriages and chose to part ways amicably with their wives.
She despised such things.
Those wives were abandoned for no reason. Yes, it sounded nice to call it a divorce... but how was it any different from being cast aside?
They would still be looked down upon by the world.
It was even more humiliating!
But now, Su Ning wanted her—a woman, an emperor's woman—to take the initiative to publish a divorce declaration with the emperor. Her first thought was that Su Ning had gone mad. This was absolutely impossible.
And yet... her heart was pounding wildly.
"What is impossible about it?" Su Ning's expression faded. Her unsmiling face seemed covered in frost, always exuding an air of impatience and indifference that made anyone facing her subconsciously want to obey.
Consort Shu was no exception right now.
She stammered:
"I can't possibly divorce him. He is the emperor. Since ancient times, there have only been emperors discarding consorts; there has never been a consort who actively left an emperor."
Who said there hadn't been?
Su Ning could think of a few off the top of her head. Although they were special circumstances, she couldn't be bothered to waste her breath explaining so much. She interrupted Consort Shu, who still wanted to speak, and said coldly:
"Otherwise, why would I have kidnapped you?"
This meant that if negotiations failed, force would be used.
"You..."
Consort Shu was dumbfounded.
Seeing that Su Ning's expression didn't look like a joke, she finally understood why everyone said she was not a good person. She really wasn't...
"I will die."
"You won't." Su Ning was somewhat surprised to see her accept the premise so quickly and jump straight to the consequences. She curled her lips into a satisfied smile, softened her voice, and said with certainty:
"Nothing will happen to you. You will even be able to get rid of a husband you don't like and a lonely life. After it's done, I will also give you a sum of money. If you are willing, perhaps even a job?"
I never wanted to get rid of His Majesty.
Consort Shu reflexively wanted to retort, but for some reason, when the words reached her lips, she couldn't spit out those few simple words no matter what.
Time passed by, minute by minute, second by second.
Su Ning was very patient.
Finally, she waited until a voice as soft as a mosquito's, which would have been completely ignored if she hadn't listened carefully:
"You must guarantee my safety."
"Of course."
...
The night was thick.
The editor-in-chief of the Daily had just finished his work and was preparing to go to sleep. He had been extremely busy lately. The local and central governments were about to clash, and both wanted to gain the upper hand in public opinion.
And so, the newspaper suffered.
Like the filling in a sandwich biscuit, after taking anger from one side, they had to take it from the other.
Life was hard.
The previous days had been much easier. The assassination of Miss Su had been highly popular, and those bosses and big shots interested in the fertilizer plant had been more generous than the last.
He wondered how Miss Su was doing now.
While taking off his coat, the editor-in-chief worried about this former major client. Her reputation wasn't great, but the newspaper industry really liked her.
First of all, since she came to Beiping, starting from that funeral, how much hot news had she created?
The common people all scolded her.
But they all loved to read about it, generating sales.
Secondly, Su Ning was rich and generous.
Thirdly, she was rich and generous...
Just then, a strange noise suddenly came from the window. He frowned and looked over, thinking it was a mouse or something else, until it sounded rhythmically several times in a row.
The editor-in-chief's heart skipped a beat:
"May I ask which hero of the underworld is here?" He paused, forcing himself to be brave. "I am acquainted with Inspector Li of the police station. I advise you not to do anything foolish."
"I have a hundred dollars here..."
"A hundred dollars is too little!"
Hearing this, the editor-in-chief was so frightened his hands shook. He was just about to knock a vase or something onto the floor to make a noise when he heard that eerie voice say another sentence:
"I have a piece of big news in my hands. This news will not only double your sales but also solve the newspaper's dilemma—it's tiring trying to please both sides, isn't it?"
The voice carried a hint of a smile.
Ordinary newspapers already had their own stances, desperately waving flags and shouting for their respective factions. This newspaper, however, was an anomaly.
It had high sales but didn't take sides.
Wasn't that uncomfortable?
"What news? Reveal a little first. If it's not worth a big price, the newspaper can't do a losing business." The editor-in-chief, who had been trembling just a moment ago, immediately became professional.
"Consort Shu is currently in Beiping."
Consort Shu? The editor-in-chief thought for a few seconds before reacting, and then found it a bit funny. The last emperor was no longer worth anything; who cared where a Consort Shu was? If she were eloping, it might have some value.
Hmm, two hundred dollars, about right.
"She wants a divorce!"
Earth-shattering! The editor-in-chief pounced to the window almost like a starving tiger pouncing on its prey, excitedly lowering his voice: "Are you sure? How is that possible? How is that possible!"
"It's true."
The voice remained calm. "If you don't believe it, you can go and inquire first if the Jingyuan estate in Tianjin is looking for someone. The person they are looking for is Consort Shu. Once you confirm it, we will make the deal."
It added:
"I want a thousand dollars."
Then, there was no more sound. The editor-in-chief could no longer sleep. He sat on pins and needles. If this matter were true, let alone a huge increase in sales, it might even cause a paper shortage in the city due to overwhelming demand.
As for the trouble of being pulled by both sides to take a stand, that would also be easily solved.
This big news.
It would be enough to shock the entire journalism world. Everyone would come to gossip about this.
The editor-in-chief mobilized all his contacts and confirmed that Jingyuan was indeed looking for someone. A certain acquaintance even talked about the bloody incident in front of the last emperor's door not long ago, where the Japanese man Yamaguchi died a tragic death.
The more he listened, the more he felt something was off.
But he didn't overthink it.
In the dead of night, a figure bent over, struggling to drag a bag, constantly looking out. Not seeing anyone for a long time, just as he was feeling anxious and uneasy—
"You are very punctual."
"Who is it?"
The editor-in-chief almost jumped up in fright. He looked left and right, but there was not a single ghost of a shadow. The voice just now seemed to appear out of thin air.
"No need to look, I won't show myself." The voice, indistinguishable as male or female, chuckled lightly, sounding particularly terrifying in the dark of night. "But rest assured, I have no interest in double-crossing you."
"Money in one hand, news in the other."
Soon.
Under the voice's instructions, the editor-in-chief placed the money in a hidden location.
A minute later.
"You are very trustworthy, and there's even an extra ten dollars." The voice sounded very cheerful. The editor-in-chief wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He had paid this ten dollars out of his own pocket, afraid that he would be killed if the money was short.
He cherished his own little life.
"I won't dawdle anymore."
The sound of a pebble dropping echoed behind the editor-in-chief. On the ground lay a thick letter. The signature on the cover clearly bore the name of Consort Shu, written in elegant handwriting.
His eyes widened, and his heart beat like a drum.
"Consort Shu truly wants a divorce, but she dares not step forward rashly. This is a letter in her own handwriting, accompanied by photographs, which will be enough to convince readers that the divorce is of her own free will."
"After it is published in the newspaper, if necessary, she will accept interviews."
"Our newspaper can do the interview!"
The editor-in-chief said excitedly.
"Well, that depends on how your reporting turns out." The voice gradually faded, as if its owner was slowly walking away. The editor-in-chief, pretending to be casual, asked in a low voice if he was one of Consort Shu's people.
A lover? Or family?
Without an intimate relationship, why would he run around for Consort Shu and protect her so strictly?
Neither.
He was the enemy of her husband.
"You don't need to guess my relationship with Consort Shu." The voice paused, seemingly organizing its words, and quickly added, "Think about it differently. Maybe I have a grudge against her husband and am using her to take revenge?"
After saying that, the voice completely disappeared.
Leaving the editor-in-chief stunned in place.
A grudge against the Last Emperor?
A sudden flash of inspiration hit him, and previously ignored clues and information linked together.
The list of masterminds behind the assassination of Miss Su revealed by Lin Sen included the Last Emperor and Japanese forces. That Yamaguchi was shot to death along with his car at the gate of Jingyuan—a familiar scene, a familiar event.
Only Yamaguchi died very thoroughly.
As for the Last Emperor.
Once the news of Consort Shu wanting a divorce was published, one could imagine how much ridicule he would face.
His reputation would be ruined.
The editor-in-chief's pupils shook violently.
A question suddenly popped into his mind: Was Miss Su... really unconscious from severe injuries, or even dead?
…………
The newspaper office.
An editor, called up to work at past four in the morning, was bleary-eyed and full of resentment. "What news is so urgent? Is the army about to attack Beiping?"
"No."
His colleague's eyes darted around. "But it's even more explosive than that. Just look at it, you'll know once you read it."
If it wasn't war, what other news could be so explosive?
Su Ning declaring death?
Three seconds later.
"What, Consort Shu wants to divorce... that person!" He opened his eyes wide, no longer feeling sleepy at all. His colleagues were not surprised, as they had reacted the exact same way earlier.
Surrounding this explosive news.
Article after article, analysis after analysis were produced. The editor-in-chief painstakingly selected the best ones to send to the printing press, keeping the rest for the next few days.
Simply because they were all written so well.
The printing press rushed to start working, and sheets of brand-new newspapers smelling of ink were printed out, gradually distributed to the newsboys on the streets.
About to be unveiled to the world.
