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

A hint of reluctance appeared on his face, but he still said firmly, "At worst, I'll just divorce Lin Wan'er and let her be with the Third Prince."

Lin Yue, "???"

The following day, Xiao Lie presented a token and voluntarily entered the palace.

The emperor bestowed a special banquet upon him, and he looked at him, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"I heard you came here today specifically because of Lin Wan'er and Jiang Heng?"

Xiao Lie feigned grievance but still tried to maintain his composure, bowing and saying...

"Your Majesty, Wan'er and the Third Prince had a deep affection for each other, but I separated them. Now, this is the result of my own mistakes, and I am reaping what I sowed."

"Your Majesty, I dare not put you in a difficult position."

The emperor opened his mouth, becoming increasingly conflicted, frowning, and couldn't help but press for an answer.

"Besides this, don't you have anything else to say?"

Xiao Lie opened his eyes wide in bewilderment, becoming increasingly fearful and uneasy.

"Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this matter? Please forgive my ignorance, I cannot understand Your Majesty's intentions. Please speak frankly."

How can such words be spoken directly? If word gets out that he is suspicious of meritorious officials, it will damage his wisdom.

He is a wise ruler, and it is only right that these subjects perceive his will and take the initiative to express their opinions.

Not getting the answer he wanted, the emperor's face immediately turned cold. He waved his hand, a hint of impatience in his expression.

"This matter is the Third Prince's fault. Don't worry, even if he is my son, I will not favor him."

"By imperial decree, the Third Prince, Prince Kang, shall be deducted his salary for one year and given ten strokes of the cane. He shall spend the next month in confinement within his palace to reflect on his mistakes and shall not leave without my decree."

The eunuch acknowledged the order and immediately withdrew to prepare the imperial edict.

The emperor then looked at Xiao Lie, feigning gentleness, "As for you and Wan'er... since you love her so deeply, how could I separate you for the sake of my own son? Rest assured, as long as I live, Lin Wan'er will always be the heir apparent of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion."

A cold glint flashed in the young man's eyes.

Things have escalated to this point, and this damned emperor still can't bear to recall Lin Wan'er. He really hasn't given up on his ambitions for the Xiao family. He could only purse his lips and express his gratitude.

To show his great favor, the emperor bestowed upon him a series of treasures. Xiao Lie arrived empty-handed but left laden with gifts.

The chief eunuch escorted Xiao Lie to the palace gate, his face beaming with smiles, and said in a high-pitched voice.

"His Majesty truly values ​​Prince Xiao highly. Such kindness should be appreciated by the prince himself."

Xiao Lie looked terrified and repeatedly agreed, "Yes, yes, yes, Your Majesty. Your Majesty, I will definitely love Lin Wan'er and live happily ever after for generations, revitalize the Duke's Mansion, and live up to Your Majesty's expectations."

After Xiao Lie left, the chief eunuch returned to the imperial study to report. Upon hearing this, the emperor couldn't help but turn cold and slammed the memorial onto the table.

"Ha, he still wants to prosper for generations and revitalize the Duke's mansion. Is it because his current honor is not enough? He has already set his sights on the dragon throne beneath me."

The head eunuch was so frightened that he dared not breathe; he held his breath and remained silent.

The emperor merely waved wearily, dismissing him. He had seen through Xiao Lie. This Xiao Lie was a good-for-nothing, ignorant and incompetent, unable to even understand what was being said; he was truly a mediocre talent.

Even if the entire Duke's mansion were handed over to him safely, he wouldn't be able to protect it. Thinking of this, the emperor's anger dissipated somewhat. Oh well, let Lin Wan'er handle this matter. A honey trap is always better than his indirect approach.

Upon hearing the imperial edict, the Kang Prince's residence was thrown into chaos. Jiang Heng clenched his fists tightly, knelt down with a grim face, and said, "Your subject accepts the decree."

After saying that, he froze, letting the guards tie him to the bench and lay down on it, board by board.

Ten strokes of the cane wouldn't be a big deal for someone as strong and healthy as him, but for someone of princely status, it was a tremendous humiliation, especially being carried out in front of so many servants, it was like trampling his face into the mud.

"...three, four, five..."

He counted loudly, his heart filled with resentment, his eyes reddening with humiliation. Thinking of the root cause, he felt an even stronger urge to tear Xiao Lie to pieces. If it weren't for this纨绔子弟 (a spoiled, dissolute young man) interfering, how could he and Wan'er have faced so many obstacles, and how could he have suffered this humiliation today?

It's all because of this... Damn Xiao Lie.

However, as the gifts flowed into the Duke's mansion, no one was envious; instead, they felt a pang of pity.

They've made such a huge scandal, yet the emperor still managed to appease them with rewards. It's incredibly frustrating, but what can you do when one is the daughter of a high-ranking official and the other is a prince?

"Alas, in the end, it's because His Majesty is unwilling to punish, so he can only use these things to silence people."

"If I were Xiao Lie, I would risk losing these things and incurring the Emperor's wrath to ensure that His Majesty severely punishes this adulterous couple. Unfortunately..."

Suddenly, the Duke's Mansion, which was once despised, saw its reputation improve like never before.

Taking advantage of the situation, Lin Yue brought a pile of gifts and came to the Duke's mansion again to apologize.

Xiao Lie was drunk and pretended to be depressed.

"Hiccup... Lord Lin, there's no need to say more. I understand. This is His Majesty's decree, and we, as his subjects, can only obey. Don't worry, Lord Lin, I won't... I won't do anything rash. I'm just suffering in my heart..."

"I've been so good to Wan'er, why would she do something like this..."

Having said that, he picked up the wine jar and gulped it down, clearly drunk and disoriented. Lin Yue, not wanting to probe any further, could only bow to Xiao Lie and turn to walk towards Lin Wan'er's headmistress.

Lin Wan'er's face was deathly pale, she trembled like a leaf, and spoke in a shaky voice.

"Father, Father, what brings you here?"

"Of course I came to see what a good deed you've done!"

Before she could finish speaking, a palm struck down, knocking Lin Wan'er's head to the side. Lin Wan'er covered her face, her eyes blurry with tears, and dared not argue. She could only bite her lip and sob.

"You still have the nerve to cry? His Majesty entrusted you with such a crucial task, and instead of seizing the opportunity, you were thinking of seduce the Third Prince, leaving His Majesty and your father to clean up your mess. Do you know how close you came to ruining this important matter?"

Lin Yue's eyes hardened, and he lowered his voice.

"You'd better behave yourself these days and try to win back Xiao Lie's heart. If you cause any more trouble, don't blame your father for being ruthless."

Lin Wan'er's body went limp, and she collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face.

Watching Lin Yue's heartless departure, she couldn't help but speak.

"Father, you only care about His Majesty's decrees; have you ever thought of your daughter?"

They sacrificed her to accomplish this task, but did they ever ask for her opinion?

They had no idea that Xiao Lie, that beast, had actually...

Lin Wan'er found it difficult to speak and could only sob in pain. Lin Yue paused, but still left without looking back.

The following day, Gu Mingheng and Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, but finally sent out invitations to Xiao Lie to meet at a teahouse.

Inside the private room, the two men cracked sunflower seeds, staring at each other, seemingly wanting to say something but holding back.

"Hey... bro, how have you been these past few days?"

Xiao Lie gave him a listless glare.

"What kind of nonsense is that?"

Asking a man who's just been cuckolded, and expecting the answer to be bad...?