The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 441 Those two are outrageous!
On the way to meet Emperor Yingqian, I passed by the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Yu Tingwan stopped and glanced at it a few times.

Only a few broken walls and ruins remained after the fire.

The Hall of Mental Cultivation was much larger than the Yu family mansion, but it was burned for several days and nights and turned into ruins.

"Young lady."

When her father-in-law urged her on, she whispered, "These days, I feel apprehensive every time I pass by here."

The fire that night was truly bizarre.

He was trying to curry favor.

"His Majesty rarely sees anyone in the inner palace except for his ministers and the Empress Dowager. He is injured and occasionally suffers from headaches. His desire to see you, Madam, shows how fortunate you are."

Do you want this good fortune?

Yu Tingwan smiled but remained silent.

Headache. It wasn't the newly buried witchcraft that was working. It was the poison powder Wei Zhao scattered that was causing the headache.

After Eunuch Tu died, the position of Grand Eunuch became vacant, and the only people who served Emperor Yingqian were the imperial physicians and the shadowy figure.

The eunuch who led the way only escorted Yu Tingwan to the palace gate.

This place is heavily guarded; it would be an exaggeration to say it's an impregnable fortress, with imperial guards patrolling everywhere.

The guards, with stern faces, let them pass but stopped Tan Jiang and Shunzi.

Tan Jiang and Shunzi were worried.

Shunzi was very good at handling things; he slipped a bag of silver, quite heavy, into the hand of the nearest guard.

"Gentlemen, let's share and buy some wine."

"Before the lady left, the general sent us to serve her closely."

"Could you do me a favor? It's just that Madam is not familiar with the rules of the palace. If there isn't a servant by her side to remind her, she's afraid that she might offend His Majesty by being impolite."

The emperor's status was so noble that not just anyone could see his face.
However, special circumstances require special handling.

When Eunuch Tu was still alive, some female members of the imperial family were timid when they first entered the palace and were brought in for questioning. The accompanying matrons were all older women, specially assigned from the side of their elders, and were the most composed. Eunuch Tu would often decide, depending on the situation, whether or not the accompanying matrons could go in with them.

The guards exchanged glances, unsure of what to do. They instinctively looked at the eunuch.

Even my father-in-law wouldn't dare.

He was rarely allowed into the palace; he was merely a messenger.

Just then, a guard who had always been inconspicuous came over, took the money, and threw it back into Shunzi's hand.

"His Majesty only asked you a few ordinary questions when he met with you, Madam. You need not be so reserved. His Majesty will not find fault with you. Please come in."

He walked silently, his breath shallow, his voice deep and resonant, clearly not that of an ordinary guard.

Yu Tingwan was not surprised.

Shunzi and Tanjiang were men assigned to him by Wei Zhao. Regardless of their martial arts skills, they were Wei Zhao's men in the eyes of the emperor.

He wanted to get information out of them; there was no way he would let them in.

Yu Tingwan told the two to wait outside before carrying them into the hall.

Seeing her disappear, Tan Jiang's face turned pale. He felt that his wife would suffer a loss and was looking for an opportunity to send out the message.

But before she could make a move, Shunzi stopped her.

Shunzi gave her a wink, telling her to calm down.

A moment later, someone hurried over.

It was Gu Fuju, who stayed in the palace to discuss the reconstruction of the Hall of Mental Cultivation with the court officials.

Upon seeing him, the eunuch hurriedly went to greet him: "Grand Tutor, what brings you here? Is there something important to report?"

Gu Fuju's eyes were deep and his gaze fell on the door that was left half-open.

He said, "Take my daughter out of the palace."

"This……"

The father-in-law hesitated, saying, "Young lady, please go in."

"We don't know when we'll be out. Why don't you go sit in the side hall?"

"No need."

Gu Fuju said calmly, "I will wait here."

The strong medicinal aroma mixed with the wisps of smoke from the incense burner wafted over, the smell was pungent and not pleasant.

The vermilion gates were gilded, and the dragon-draped curtains hung low.

Someone knelt to offer a soup bowl. Hearing footsteps, Emperor Yingqian, who was half-sitting on the couch, raised his hand to push it away. The Buddhist beads on his wrist touched the rim of the gilded bowl and made a tinkling sound.

He narrowed his eyes, smiling as he watched the young woman approach, and then approach again, bowing.

"May Your Majesty be well."

"No need to be polite."

"Someone, bring a seat to Guizhi's wife."

“The Cining Palace is quite a distance from here, and it’s raining. You must be tired from walking here.” After saying this, he spoke like a kind elder, without any scrutiny in his eyes and with gentle words.

Why don't you look up at me?

Yu Tingwan held her breath and whispered in a barely audible voice, "I dare not."

Seeing that she was so scared that she didn't dare to breathe, Emperor Yingqian felt even more that she was just a pretentious fool.

The reason they dared to act that way in the Cining Palace was simply because it was the Empress Dowager's territory.

Everyone knows that the Empress Dowager favors anyone related to He Xuran and her brother from Jiashan.

"I am the same age as your father-in-law. I treated him like a brother when he was alive. Our bond was beyond words. Just treat me as an elder. What's there to be afraid of?"

If others heard this, they would probably be extremely excited and kneel down to express their gratitude.

But the nonsense was disgusting to Yu Tingwan.

She looked up, feigning surprise: "Is it okay?"

As long as you don't say sweet nothings, it's not dry at all!

Emperor Yingqian had injuries on his face and a lot of his hair was burned. He was also getting old, and although he paid great attention to health, Yu Tingwan thought he looked really ugly at this moment.

If Wei Zhao were like this, she would be heartbroken.

It could be in response to Emperor Qian...

How did he survive?

Emperor Yingqian nodded: "A ruler does not speak in jest."

A smile appeared on her face.

But then, as if remembering something, he nervously fidgeted with his fingers.

"I'm not afraid of His Majesty, but I'm afraid you'll blame me."

Emperor Yingqian followed her words: "Then tell me, what have you done that you fear I will blame?"

Seeing that he was asking a question he already knew the answer to, Yu Tingwan pretended not to know.

Her eyes darted around, unable to conceal her thoughts, and she even glanced cautiously at Emperor Yingqian.

"that is……"

"This humble woman has just offended the Fifth Prince's Consort and Consort Li."

After Yu Tingwan finished speaking, she quickly added something.

"However, it is not my fault, but those two noble ladies are too outrageous."

Emperor Yingqian: ...

To say something like that about his concubines and daughters-in-law in front of him is something no normal person would do.

He didn't interrupt, gesturing for Yu Tingwan to continue.

How could Yu Tingwan possibly be polite?
She sat down, her hands resting on her knees. Her posture wasn't exactly elegant, but it was still fairly proper.

"It's their conduct that's problematic."

"I just casually started arguing with them. I'm in the right."

Emperor Ying Qian raised an eyebrow.

The descendants of the Duke of Shunguo's family throughout the generations have all been outstanding, surpassing the Ying family in every way.

How many of his ancestors, including his father, grandfather, and others, didn't hate him?

But that's still not enough.

The daughter-in-law of the Wei family was also exceptionally outstanding, and she was no less remarkable even if she were to enter the palace and become empress.

How many noble ladies from prominent families wouldn't want to marry into the Wei family? And how many of those who became wives of the Wei family did so because their families begged them to marry them?
Unfortunately, the royal family had to rely on the power of the Wei family and dared not covet it.

How not to hate?

As his grandfather lay dying, he knelt by his bedside and heard him call out the name of Lady Wei as he closed his eyes. Only then did he learn of his grandfather's unknown affection.

The emperor was focused on weakening the power of the Wei family and never indulged in romantic feelings.

What about him?

We followed in the footsteps of our grandfather.

But he dealt with Wei Fengxing.

Unfortunately, he also had reservations and couldn't force Ning Suchan to submit to him.

The smile in Emperor Yingqian's eyes grew wider and wider.

See, nothing is unbreakable.

Yu Tingwan, the new bride of the Wei family, was simply incomparable to every previous matriarch of the Wei family.

She's far from it; she doesn't even have a modicum of shrewdness.

The Shunguo Duke's Mansion is also bound to fall into ruin.

Consort Li was merely a tool for bearing children for Emperor Yingqian, not worth mentioning: "Are you saying that the fifth prince's wife is no good?"

Yu Tingwan agreed: "I really couldn't find any good points in her. She didn't say it just now, but I could tell she was quite unconvinced."