After the divorce, I was adorned in a phoenix robe, while my ex-husband's entire family dug up

Lu Zhufeng, holding a box, approached slowly with a grim expression.

He had lost a lot of weight. His clothes, which usually fit him perfectly, now looked like a child wearing adult clothes, all loose and baggy.

His prominent cheekbones and bloodshot eyes added to his sinister and terrifying appearance.

"Regent, congratulations on your marriage."

He spoke through gritted teeth, enunciating each word clearly, and then opened the box.

After Pei Yi saw what was inside, he frowned slightly and covered Wei Zhaoning's eyes, but Wei Zhaoning had already seen it—it was a human head.

She couldn't care less about feeling nauseous; all she could sense was that the usually calm and collected Regent was suddenly less composed.

Wei Zhaoning said, "Husband, I don't want to see, let go."

Pei Yi slowly released his hand.

The first thing Wei Zhaoning saw was Lu Zhufeng smiling at her; the smile was eerie and insane.

Pei Yi chuckled, "Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson."

The Crown Prince pursed his lips. "Uncle, now that the gift has been delivered, I will not disturb you any longer. A moment of bliss on this night is worth a thousand pieces of gold, so please enjoy yourself, Uncle."

He smiled, waved, and turned to leave.

Lu Zhufeng smiled at Wei Zhaoning, "Ningning, goodbye."

Wei Zhaoning felt a chill run down his spine.

The light was dim, making it impossible to see Pei Yi's full appearance. One could only vaguely make out his hard jawline and the occasional sinister glint in his eyes.

Like a beast lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce on its prey at any moment.

He didn't look up, yet he seemed to see through everything, and an invisible sense of oppression spread from the shadows.

"Yun Ce," Pei Yi said coldly.

"Your subordinate is here."

"Play along with him." Pei Yi chuckled and shook his head, clearly not taking the Crown Prince's inexplicable interlude seriously.

After Yun Ce left, Pei Yi's eyes softened again. "Ningning, did I scare you?"

Wei Zhaoning: "What exactly are they trying to do?"

Pei Yi hesitated for a moment, then said, "They can't do anything."

"Let's not let anyone spoil our wedding night, okay?"

Pei Yi slept on a makeshift bed under Wei Zhaoning's bed.

Wei Zhaoning huddled on the bed, and the two remained silent for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts.

Thinking of Lu Zhufeng's eerie smile, Wei Zhaoning unconsciously shrank back even further.

She doesn't know how she finally fell asleep, but she had a nightmare.

She dreamt that in her past life she was locked in the woodshed, and heard Lu Zhufeng say coldly, "Sprinkle water on all the other buildings, just burn the woodshed, and pour more oil on it. Hurry up and burn it, don't delay dinner."

She dreamt again of Lu Zhufeng pressing down on her, his eyes bloodshot as he uttered those insane words.

And, that eerie smile from just now.

She had to admit that, subconsciously, she felt not only disappointment and contempt for Lu Zhufeng, but also fear towards him.

This person is relentless in achieving his goals, incompetent and cowardly, but he has one terrifying trait: ruthlessness.

They didn't even blink when they burned her to death.

Now he's hooked up with the crown prince and become a fugitive.

She felt uneasy. What she feared most was what Lu Zhufeng would do to ruin everything they had achieved today.

She spent so much effort, taking each step carefully, to get to where she is today and change her circumstances from her previous life.

Shen Shu and Li Changming divorced and things got better. She also got her wish and divorced Lu Zhufeng, getting away from that den of wolves.

But a series of events made her realize that things wouldn't be that simple, and her life wouldn't always be so stable.

She was afraid of returning to the state she had been in in her past life, afraid that all her hard work and planning would turn to ashes.

In a daze, she gradually calmed down, opened her eyes, and found herself being held by Pei Yi.

His chin rested against Wei Zhaoning's forehead, and Wei Zhaoning rested his strong arm on his head.

Wei Zhaoning's eyes widened, but Pei Yi was already asleep, breathing evenly. He was very calm when he was asleep, but unlike when he was awake, he had much less of a sense of oppression, making him seem more approachable.

She dared not speak, afraid of waking him, so she could only pretend she knew nothing and close her eyes.

She had to admit that the warm embrace calmed her down; no matter how scared she was, seeing the person in front of her brought her peace of mind.

The next day.

When Wei Zhaoning woke up, there was no one beside her.

She remembered sleeping in Pei Yi's arms last night, and she immediately became alert.

How should I face him now?

Another voice inside her said, "It's not like we haven't slept together before. If a guy likes you and treats you like a sister, isn't it normal to hug?"

Wei Zhaoning could only follow this thought and keep brainwashing herself.

At the same time, she felt ashamed of her own biased thinking. The other person didn't mean it that way, but she ended up feeling awkward. Wasn't that an offense to the other person?

"Your Highness, you're awake? The Prince sent someone to buy crab roe soup dumplings early this morning; they're still warm," Dongxu said.

Wei Zhaoning asked somewhat awkwardly, "Where is the Prince?"

"His Highness went out early this morning, I think he went to the palace. His Highness said not to disturb the Princess's sleep, so I didn't wake you."

Entering the palace?

The regent has an important position, so he doesn't actually need to attend the morning court every day. He rarely enters the palace unless there is something important. Could it be because of what happened yesterday?

She didn't want to think too much about it and just wait and see.

She popped a crab roe xiaolongbao into her mouth and asked, "How's Liuxiang doing?"

Dongxu sighed, "That girl really followed the wrong master; she suffered her whole life."

I was beaten up by Wei Jiaruo a few days ago, apparently because the Marquis called your name while he was asleep, and Liuxiang suffered as a result.

However, Liu Xiang said that Wei Jiaruo seemed to be in a good mood these past few days. She took the Marquis to see the Crown Prince, but other than that, she hasn't done anything else.

Wei Zhaoning nodded. She recalled that the head from last night was an unfamiliar face, not from the capital. Although it was unrecognizable, she could still tell that he had stubble on his lip, his eyebrows hadn't been shaved in a long time, and his skin was rough and somewhat dark. This person was a soldier.

What exactly is the grudge between the Crown Prince and the Regent?

"By the way, Your Highness, I heard from Yun Ce that the Seventh Princess went to Meishan."

Wei Zhaoning was pulled back to reality. "Meishan?"

That's not where Prince Rong studied, is it?

It looks like we'll have to deal with two at once.

"I've heard that Prince Rong and the Seventh Princess are alike, both very domineering. The Seventh Princess must have gone to Prince Rong to join forces against you... Sigh, what should I say to make the Seventh Princess believe me?"

Wei Zhaoning frowned. "Young Prince Rong, in which year did you go to Meishan?"

Dongxu's eyes lit up. "Oh! I heard Yun Ce mention this. He went to Meishan seven years ago, and he doesn't usually come back unless it's the New Year or something else."

I heard he's incredibly diligent, never slacking off for a single day, but if the Seventh Princess adds fuel to the fire with some exaggerated claims, the young Prince Rong will surely return.

Wei Zhaoning smiled and said, "I have a plan."

The Seventh Princess and Prince Rong have always been hostile towards her, which is extremely disadvantageous for her. The sooner she resolves this, the sooner she can have peace of mind.