Even the crown prince is getting a marriage of convenience? Why are you in such a hurry to stop bein

Lin Wan'er was both ashamed and annoyed. She glanced at Jiang Heng with a wronged look, but he subtly avoided her gaze.

Lin Wan'er felt a pang of sorrow and desolation in her heart. She turned and glared angrily at Jiang Yun.

"Fifth Prince, you need evidence to support your claims. I merely bumped into the Third Prince by chance and chatted casually. How did it become such a vague and unclear story in your mouth, with you even saying we were hugging and embracing?"

She and Jiang Heng were deeply in love, but the moment she heard the noise, she immediately pushed him away. Jiang Yun's words were clearly meant to ruin their reputation.

It's absolutely hateful!

A look of annoyance also appeared on Jiang Yun's face.

"That's right, Fifth Brother, don't you know how important a clean reputation is to women? How can you speak such nonsense here? Are you trying to frame me or to cause trouble for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and the Minister's mansion? Don't worry, I will definitely report this to Father Emperor and seek justice."

The two of them kept talking back and forth, which made the smile on Jiang Yun's face fade.

These two shameless scoundrels, having been caught having an affair, are now trying to shift the blame onto others.

Ha, he wouldn't be Jiang Yun if he didn't skin those two alive.

He was startled, his face showing disbelief. He then slowly retreated to the doorway and, under everyone's gaze, bowed deeply to the two of them, his voice heavy with sorrow.

"Your Majesty, Madam Xiao, I know I was presumptuous today and ruined your good time. But even if you want to shirk responsibility, you can't put all the blame on me."

"If you don't want people to know, then don't do it in the first place. So many eyes just now saw what happened, how can you still try to distort the truth and shift the blame? To be frank, if Your Majesty wants to file a complaint, then go ahead. I am upright and honest, and I am not afraid of confrontation. If Your Majesty does then disregard human ethics and propriety, and then shift the blame, I wonder if you will feel any shame in your heart for doing these things?"

These words were frank, impassioned, upright, and unyielding, immediately captivating the attention of the teahouse patrons, who began to whisper among themselves.

"That's right, turning the tables on someone is utterly shameless. A man and a woman alone together, if they weren't having an affair, why would they hide in a private teahouse room to meet in secret? Besides, this woman is already married. Isn't this just making her husband's family a cuckold?"

"Alas, it's pitiful to say that Madam Xiao and Prince Kang were childhood sweethearts who developed feelings for each other and could have been a perfect couple. But then an imperial decree was issued, and Madam Xiao was married off to the Xiao family. Lovers separated are naturally heartbroken, and it's not surprising that they're still secretly having an affair. However, it's not a good look for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

"Pah! You actually pity this adulterous couple? Yesterday was the Xiao family's wedding, and today that woman sneaked out to meet her lover. If I were Prince Xiao, I would be lucky if I didn't draw my sword and kill her. This kind of promiscuous woman should be dragged out and drowned in a pig cage."

……

Their back-and-forth banter made Jiang Heng and Lin Wan'er's expressions quite interesting. Some lamented that Xiao Lie was inhumane for meddling in other people's marriages and causing such a disastrous outcome, while many more condemned the two for their treacherous collusion.

"Hmph, on the third day of her marriage, she couldn't bear the loneliness and ran out to meet her lover in secret. I doubt that Madam Xiao was exactly pure even when she was in her boudoir. These two probably had something going on all along..."

Some people joked, "So even nobles are no different from lowlifes; they all like to steal other men's wives."

"Maybe it's someone else's woman who smells better?"

The despicable and shameless words immediately attracted many people who chuckled silently. Their gazes toward Lin Wan'er and Jiang Heng became more meaningful.

Lin Wan'er was filled with shame and indignation. She covered her face with her sleeve and hid silently behind him, while Jiang Heng's face turned pale and his eyes were almost spitting fire. He stared at Jiang Yun, wishing he could tear him to pieces on the spot.

He forcefully waved his sleeve, suppressing his anger as he sneered.

"Alright, alright, I wasn't careful enough today, and that's why I suffered in silence. But Fifth Brother, you also need to be careful. You've done too many wrong things; be careful you don't get ambushed on the street one day without even knowing it."

Jiang Yun frowned slightly, looking even more heartbroken.

"Brother, you have acted improperly yourself, so why do you pin the blame on me and say such threatening things? You have ruined our brotherly relationship for nothing. If Father finds out about this, he will be even more heartbroken and disappointed."

Mentioning the emperor, Jiang Heng's face stiffened. He glared at the young man and stormed off. Lin Wan'er hurriedly chased after him, only to find that Jiang Heng had left directly in a carriage, without even glancing at her.

Lin Wan'er bit her lip, her face flushed, and waited for everyone's probing gazes before her maidservant hurriedly took her hand and left.

Meanwhile, in a secluded private room on the second floor of the teahouse, Xiao Lie, who had witnessed the entire event, smiled slightly, looking refreshed.

He took a sip of tea and instructed, "Sixteen, make a big scene about today's events, the bigger the fuss, the better, so that the whole city knows about it."

Lin Wan'er was, after all, a royal spy, and he didn't feel at ease keeping such a person by his side. However, Lin Wan'er was someone the original owner had gone to great lengths to marry, so he couldn't neglect her. He also felt that dealing with this woman openly and honestly was a bit troublesome. Who knew that these two would offer him a solution on their own?

If this matter were to reach the ears of the person on the dragon throne, he would probably be so angry that he would smash the memorials.

Xiao Lie rose leisurely.

"Sixteen, settle the bill and head back to the mansion. Now it's our turn to take the stage."

Within half a day, the news had spread like wildfire throughout the streets and alleys. Upon hearing the "sudden bad news," Xiao Lie returned to his residence and slapped Lin Wan'er across the face, causing the servants to tremble in fear and kneel down in unison, not daring to breathe.

Lin Wan'er covered her face in disbelief.

"Xiao Lie, how dare you hit me?"

"So what if I hit you? Your scandalous affair with Jiang Heng is known to everyone. Giving you only one slap is already letting you off easy."

He turned and swept his gaze across the group of servants, his eyes cold.

"And you too, if I find out that any of you are betraying us and doing anything detrimental to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, I will not let you off easily."

The servants immediately kowtowed.

"Your Highness, please calm your anger. I dare not."

Simply giving a warning won't deter those with ulterior motives.

Xiao Lie then summoned the steward and ordered him to thoroughly investigate Lin Wan'er's courtyard and even the servants throughout the entire mansion to see who had acted suspiciously yesterday and had delivered a message for Lin Wan'er.

"Not just the messenger, but anyone whose behavior is suspicious, find them and give them ten strokes of the cane. If they don't confess, keep beating them until they do."

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately cried out that they were innocent, fearing that trouble would fall on their heads. But the steward didn't care about any of that. He directly ordered the servants to take the maids and servants away. He wanted to interrogate them one by one, and he didn't even spare Lin Wan'er's dowry maids.

"Young Master, we really didn't do anything! Miss, please, please say something for us!"

Cries for mercy and sobs rose and fell, and Lin Wan'er's face turned pale as she watched these people being dragged away one by one.