After becoming pregnant, the cold-hearted nobles all went mad.

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Wei Chengrui suddenly laughed, "That's true, how could Miss Shen possibly understand the hardships of the soldiers on the front lines?"

"When thirsty, they drink muddy water; when hungry, they eat rats, insects, and anything else."

After he finished speaking, he saw the girl's deathly pale face as he had hoped.

Not only was he not satisfied, but the emptiness in his chest was torn even more severely.

Shen Lingyi's change in expression was not due to fear, but rather because she suddenly remembered that the boy in front of her, who looked like a demon, had once been a dashing and spirited young man.

If it weren't for her provocation, Wei Chengrui wouldn't have gone to the northern frontier.

Shen Lingyi felt a pang of guilt towards him, but it was too late to apologize now; everything was too late.

"Don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

Wei Chengrui tried to see any wavering on Shen Lingyi's face, but all he saw was that unchanging, beautiful face. Perhaps she was truly frightened, as she remained silent until now.

But the one who should be hated is clearly him; she went back on her word and abandoned him.

He had to get all of these debts back from Shen Lingyi.

"Prince Wei..."

When Shen Lingyi was pushed down onto the couch, she was completely dazed. Her hairpin fell to the ground, and her hair was disheveled like a thick layer of ink.

The glimpse of spring skin accidentally revealed by her clothes made her all the more captivating.

"Shh." Wei Chengrui pressed his lips to stop her from shouting, a wicked smile playing on his lips. Even though he was lying on the bed, he didn't look lewd at all.

"Shen Lingyi, tell me, have you ever regretted it?"

The dagger was pressed against Shen Lingyi's neck, and its coldness almost made her shiver.

After Wei Chengrui returned to the capital, Shen Lingyi overheard someone saying that he had become a madman.

The former Prince Huaizhen was at most a bit of a troublemaker, but now he's become more than just cold-blooded.

So he really wanted to kill her.

"I regret it." Shen Lingyi whispered to Wei Chengrui, her warm breath incredibly soothing, as she pressed her ear close to his.

The next second, Wei Chengrui suddenly stood up, his ears turning suspiciously red, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I underestimated Miss Shen's shamelessness."

He climbed out the window, and perhaps because his mind was disturbed, the fearsome god who had single-handedly fought his way through the northern frontier and struck fear into the hearts of the entire court actually tripped and fell.

Just then, Peony came over with the bathwater and saw Prince Wei coming out of her young mistress's room, and she was stunned for a moment.

A man and a woman alone together in the middle of the night...

"Miss!"

Peony rushed inside, looking at Shen Lingyi with concern, "This servant saw Prince Wei come out of his room, did anything happen?"

She still remembered how Wei Chengrui had set fire to the courtyard, almost trapping her and Shen Lingyi inside.

Shen Lingyi let her hair down and leaned lazily against the bed. The softness that she inadvertently revealed in her eyes made even the woman, Shaoyao, blush.

If she is like this, what about the Crown Prince Wei?

Seeing the maid's genuine worry, Shen Lingyi explained, "It's just a paper tiger; it can't harm your young lady."

Peony covered her mouth and chuckled. Thinking about it, it made sense. Her young lady could easily control those men.

On the other side, Wei Chengrui was still thinking about the fragrant words Shen Lingyi had whispered in his ear not long ago: "I regret not having taken Chengrui sooner... We are clearly the closest of people, and now you are going to marry another beautiful woman and enjoy pleasure with her every night, how can I let go?"

How could she be so reckless?

Qingyun rolled her eyes, listening to the person beside her grit their teeth in silent resentment for the umpteenth time: "She doesn't look like a proper young lady ready for marriage at all. And she's the second young lady of the General's Mansion? Is this the kind of thing they teach her in the manor?"

The attendant replied helplessly, "Well, the Second Miss wasn't wrong. His Majesty did intend to reward the Zhenbei Army."

Wei Chengrui's expression turned indifferent.

He was the one who brought the Zhenbei Army under his command, and he should have been granted the title of "Zhenbei" (meaning "Guardian of the North").

However, on his first day back at court, Wei Chengrui refused to be granted the title of king, shocking the entire court.

"Get married?" He subconsciously thought of the wedding dress, a sneer playing on his lips. "Shen Lingyi doesn't know, but you don't know your family's heir. How could I possibly get married? I'll just spend the rest of my life torturing each other."

"Young Master, try to look on the bright side." Qingyun sighed, looking distressed, unsure how to comfort him.

In his opinion, this couple has really gone through a lot of hardships.

Wei Chengrui's greatest wish was to marry Shen Lingyi, but who could have imagined that things would turn out this way?

But what he was more worried about was something else: "Young Master, you should stay away from Miss Shen from now on..."

"I was afraid you'd make a mistake again. You shouldn't have come looking for her this time. Luckily, no one noticed. If you had been caught, it would have been like handing her a handle for nothing."

"I know your master well."

Wei Chengrui frowned, mounted his horse, and disappeared down the street in no time.

The next day.

Jiang Wenhai personally escorted them out; a carriage was already waiting outside the mansion.

By all accounts, Shen Lingyi has stayed in Liangzhou long enough. With the prescriptions from the divine physician, the plague here has long been resolved, and she has earned the gratitude of the people.

Now that I've finished my business, it's time to return to Beijing.

"Take these. Yi'er is all grown up now and needs money for everything. As the mistress of the house, you can't just live off Shen Su's meager salary." Jiang Wenhai generously handed over a large pile of silver notes.

In fact, Shen Lingyi and her mother were not short of money at all.

If she didn't want to be low-key, she could have covered her room floor with gold, but then she wouldn't be able to sleep, and her eyes would hurt from the glare all day.

Jiang accepted the silver notes, glanced coldly at the person beside her, and said, "Please take good care of yourself, there's no need to see me off."

"With His Majesty's guards escorting us, this journey will be extremely safe."

Shen Tingjiao let out a sob, unable to lift her head in front of Jiang Wenhai, her eyes already swollen from crying: "I'm sorry, Grandfather, I know I was wrong, but I just didn't expect that guy to be so cunning..."

"My granddaughter hid in the woodshed all day without eating, but he still dragged her out and slapped me. She was almost raped."

Jiang gripped her handkerchief tightly, frowning as she said, "How dare Zhao Qu be so audacious?"

"You've had it tough too." Jiang Wenhai sighed. He hadn't originally intended to hold a grudge against Shen Tingjiao. It was only natural that the younger generation wouldn't want to die with an old man like him, but he was still somewhat disheartened.

"Forget it, let's not mention this again when we get back."

Seeing that Jiang Wenhai was no longer willing to pursue the matter, Shen Tingjiao breathed a sigh of relief, a smug look flashing in her eyes.

This scene happened to be observed by Shen Lingyi, who had been paying attention to her.

When the carriage arrived at the ferry, after boarding the boat, Shaoyao complained to her that Shen Tingjiao had pretended to be pitiful again.

Shen Lingyi flipped through the book in her hand. "Let her be. Dad isn't deaf or stupid; he can't let her get away with this."

"That's true." Peony nodded, feeling a sense of anticipation as she thought about returning to the capital soon.

Shen Lingyi has started reading books for the first time in the past two days, which has left her somewhat puzzled.

Peony asked cautiously, "Miss, are you really going to that damn academy?"