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

"Master, how is Wan'er? Have you seen her?"

Lin Yue had just taken a sip of cold tea and hadn't even warmed his chair when he heard his wife bombard him with questions.

He choked twice, feeling utterly helpless, and after a long while, he carefully considered his words before speaking.

"Is Wan'er not going to make it?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Lin was struck dumb.

"Lin Yue, you old dog, explain yourself! What happened to Wan'er? She was perfectly fine when she married into the Duke's mansion just a few months ago, how come she's already in such a state?"

"Is she sick or injured? Say something!"

Lin Yue was grabbed by the collar, coughing incessantly. He had no choice but to forcefully pull his wife's hand away, his face flushed.

He was anxious and impatient to speak.

"I didn't see Wan'er on this trip, but Prince Xiao gave me a few warnings during our conversation. I'm afraid the matter has been exposed. I don't know how Wan'er is doing now. You can't expect me to force my way into the Duke's mansion, can you?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Lin immediately wiped away her tears and began pushing, shoving, and hitting Lin Yue repeatedly.

"I told you long ago not to get involved in these things, not to get involved in these things, but you just wouldn't listen."

"You're just an old man, so why should my Wan'er be dragged down with you? Wan'er is unlucky to have been born into the Lin family and have such a vicious father like you."

Lin Yue was so embarrassed by Madam Lin's sharp words that his face flushed. He clenched his fists and retorted angrily, unwilling to be outdone.

"That's just womanly compassion. The capital is full of nobles and high-ranking officials. If I don't take risks, how can I stand out from the crowd and become superior? It's true that I used Wan'er, but wasn't that something she willingly did?"

"If she had acted more cleverly and accomplished the task, she would have been rewarded. Why did she keep dragging things out and end up like this? Ultimately, it's because you raised her too poorly. A girl can't really handle anything."

Upon hearing his words, Madam Lin's eyes widened suddenly, as if she couldn't believe that he would say such heartless things.

She lunged at him, attacking and biting, shouting angrily, "I really want to tear open this shell of yours and see what kind of demons and monsters live inside. How can your heart be so black, so incredibly black..."

"Oh, that's enough, you crazy woman! It's because of your teachings that Wan'er keeps doing such absurd things."

Madam Lin's attacks were fierce, and Lin Yue could only dodge. Several small cuts appeared on his face and neck. He felt that fighting with a woman was undignified, so he could only dodge while cursing and looking for an opportunity to escape.

"You heartless bastard, stop right there! If you're so capable, why are you running away?"

Lin Yue ignored him, lifted his clothes, and slipped away quickly with greased heels.

Once he was completely away from Madam Lin's resentment and rebuke, Lin Yue put down his robes and couldn't help but sigh deeply, his face full of sorrow.

He paced back and forth by the pond, forced to confront a reality.

That means this matter needs to be addressed.

"His Majesty's side... is not easy to deal with."

The next day, Lin Yue looked worried. After the court session ended, he entered the imperial study, lifted his robe, knelt down, and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty, I have failed you. I have failed to fulfill Your Majesty's wishes and have even allowed... that brat Xiao Lie to notice something amiss."

"Oh?" The emperor put down his jade pen, his eyes deep.

"What exactly happened?"

Lin Yue trembled, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and had no choice but to recount the events of yesterday in detail.

After listening, the emperor remained silent for a long time. Just when Lin Yue thought he was about to die, the emperor suddenly smiled, his voice cold and seemingly concealing a deep meaning.

"What a fine Xiao Lie! Like father, like son. The Xiao family is a valiant military family, and they certainly can't raise spineless pampered rich kids."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yue was so shocked that he dared not raise his head again, yet the emperor still had the patience to call him.

"Why do you act like this, my dear minister? You have done a great service by testing out Xiao Lie's true colors for me."

"No, no, I wouldn't dare."

The emperor's smiling voice suppressed a raging fire and a chilling sarcasm. If he truly believed the emperor's words on the surface, then all these years he had wasted in the officialdom.

The emperor chuckled, his expression unreadable.

"Since our young master doesn't like his wife, let's find someone else he likes."

……

"This humble servant greets Your Highness."

The woman in the green dress gave a gentle bow, a perfectly normal gesture, but when she did it, it was as delicate as a willow swaying in the breeze, adding an extra touch of charm.

"Raise your head."

The woman slightly raised her face, revealing an oval face, willow-leaf eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, a delicate nose, and cherry lips. Her face, while not quite breathtakingly beautiful, was certainly exquisitely beautiful.

Xiao Lie's gaze was deep, but he suddenly smiled.

"No wonder His Majesty bestowed you upon me; you are indeed a rare beauty."

The beauty was shy and timid, her rosy cheeks flushed with spring, as if she was a little embarrassed. Xiao Lie laughed even more heartily when he saw this and called her to come forward. Hearing this, Liu Yun'er mustered up her courage and rushed into his arms, her two white lotus-like arms hanging loosely over him, her voice sweet and reproachful, her eyes full of affection.

"From now on, I belong to the young master. You must treat me well. If you fail me, I will never speak to you again."

The young man's fingertips lightly brushed across her cheek, leaving a red mark, before he grabbed her slender waist and lifted her into the air.

Liu Yun'er let out a soft cry and was thrown onto the bed.

The room was bathed in the warmth of spring, with brocade quilts and warm curtains.

Liu Yun'er lay on the bed, exhausted and fast asleep, her face still flushed with lingering satisfaction. Xiao Lie, on the other hand, had already gotten out of bed and dressed. Having just finished a battle, his face was now utterly indifferent and calm.

On the surface, the dog emperor bestowed a concubine upon Marshal Xiao on the grounds of his merits, so that she could serve him and help the Xiao family prosper. But wasn't this just a pretext to send spies to his side?

He had barely finished dealing with one when the emperor sent another, clearly not wanting his Duke's mansion to have any peace.

Xiao Lie walked to the incense burner and casually stirred the incense ash a couple of times. The snow-white incense mist immediately became thicker, swirling and drifting into the incense tent, making the sleeping woman sleep even more soundly.

This fragrance has a hypnotic effect; when combined with a woman's sleep, she will feel as if she has just woken up from a dream from which she will find it difficult to wake up.

After finishing this, I strode out the door.

In the cubicle, Sixteen curtsied to him and reported all the information he had gathered.

"Your Highness, this girl's real name is Cui'er. She lost her mother and father when she was young and was adopted by her uncle. Later, her uncle could no longer support her and wanted to marry her off to a villager. However, she was unwilling to accept this and sold herself into a brothel, becoming a lowly person. Later, she was bought by a wealthy merchant from the capital and eventually came to our Duke's Mansion."

"My investigation also revealed that the wealthy merchant at the same time gathered many courtesans like Liu Yun'er, whose families were pitiful. He didn't touch these women, but kept them in his mansion, letting them play music, study classics and history. I suspect that this wealthy merchant was keeping female spies on the orders of some high-ranking officials."