The new emperor's first decree upon ascending the throne was to forcibly take his cousin as his

Ever since Ruan Xianrong learned of Ruan Zhaoyuan's rebirth, she knew he hated her to the core, and the two of them avoided each other whenever possible.

She knew he didn't mean it that way, but she still had to give him a thumbs up for what he said.

Madam Sun sighed, "I can't make this decision on my own; it depends on your father's opinion."

"Also, you should have discussed this with your mother beforehand. Bringing her back so suddenly today has almost stopped my heart."

"I understand, I'll definitely do it next time."

"You want a next time?" Mrs. Sun glared at her.

Under her mother's relentless questioning, she confessed everything she could.

As they left the main courtyard, Miaoyin remained silent, appearing preoccupied.

Ruan Zhaoyuan stepped forward and walked alongside her. "Sister, Lan Yue Lou has some new dishes recently. Shall we go and try them?"

"I don't want to go."

"Sister, you didn't want to go to the poetry gathering last time, and you don't want to go this time either. Is it because of Ruan Xianrong?"

Miaoyin paused, looking at her younger brother, whom she wasn't very familiar with but who was inexplicably very enthusiastic towards her.

"That's your sister, how could you call her by her name like that?"

Ruan Zhaoyuan's face turned cold. "She's not my sister. You're my only sister."

Miaoyin was stunned. She had heard from the servants at home that Ruan Zhaoyuan and Sister Ruan had the best relationship. How could she say such a thing?

Having said all that, Ruan Zhaoyuanye had nothing left to hide.

"Sister, I know what you want to say, but I don't like Ruan Xianrong, so you should stay away from her in the future."

"She's a very cunning, malicious, and hypocritical person. She's good at pretending, so be careful she doesn't try to trip you up or frame you."

"Also, you should persuade your mother to kick that person out as soon as possible. Such a vicious person should not be allowed to stay in the house."

When it came to Ruan Xianrong, Ruan Zhaoyuan had endless things to say, but he didn't notice Miaoyin's increasingly dark face.

She didn't understand why everyone would say bad things about Sister Ruan, who was such a good person.

People say she's vicious, but who has she ever harmed? She's clearly kinder than anyone else.

Thinking of this, the expression on his face as he looked at his younger brother changed from that of a warm spring day to that of the dead of winter.

"Stop talking."

Ruan Zhaoyuan didn't notice her expression and became more and more agitated as she spoke. She could talk for a whole day and night about her hatred for Ruan Xianrong.

Miaoyin, unable to bear it any longer, shouted, "I told you to shut up!"

Ruan Zhaoyuan froze, "Sister..."

"From now on, don't let me hear you say anything bad about Sister Ruan again, or you'll disown me as your sister."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Suddenly, she felt like crying. Sister Ruan loved this younger brother so much, but he slandered her behind her back like this. She felt so sorry for her.

If I had known, she wouldn't have come back. Anyway, Sister Ruan was getting married and was going to leave the capital. Wouldn't it have been better for her to go with her?

Enraged, she kicked a stone on the side of the road, and in pain, she clutched her foot and spun around in place.

On the other hand, Ruan Xianrong thought her father was the most difficult to deal with, but when the two of them came out of the study, her father was actually smiling.

They stopped expressing any objections and even showed more appreciation for Cheng Qing, the younger generation.

They even sat down and ate lunch at noon.

She only had a chance to sneak into the courtyard after Cheng Qing was taken away to rest.

"Did my dad really agree?"

Cheng Qing smiled and nodded, "Yes, I agree."

Ruan Xianrong, in a moment of agitation, leaned closer and asked, "What did you say? He wasn't taking his anger out on you, was he?"

Cheng Qing was startled by her sudden approach. "Don't worry, I'm fine. Your father was just testing my knowledge."

"Speaking of which, I should thank you."

"How so?"

Cheng Qing's heart skipped a beat, and he waved to her.

Ruan Xianrong, unsuspecting, moved even closer.

The girl's face was so close that he could brush past her cheek with just a slight turn of his head.

Her hair was smooth and silky, her eyelashes were long and thin, her nose was upturned, and even the fine downy hairs on her face were clearly visible.

He could hear his heart pounding uncontrollably, his heart racing. They weren't married, they shouldn't be this close, they should push each other away. Such intimacy was improper, but his body felt like it was nailed to the spot, completely still.

Such a wonderful woman will be his wife in the future; they will have children together, and she will call him "husband" when he returns home...

The more I thought about it, the more chaotic my already pounding heart became.

As if possessed, he reached out and pinched her cheek.

It feels soft and delicate to the touch, like the finest silk.

The two stopped in their tracks, and even a seasoned veteran like Ruan Xianrong couldn't help but blush.

My goodness, who can understand how destructive a handsome, shy boy can be when he makes intimate gestures to you unintentionally?

I blinked a few times, then quickly straightened up and took a deep breath.

Even in modern times, she had only ever seen pigs run, but never eaten pork.

He patted his pounding heart to barely suppress the heat on his face and secretly glanced back.

Cheng Qing's face was even redder than hers. He coughed lightly and quickly poured himself a cup of cold tea, his hands trembling.

Neither of them spoke again; at times like this, they tacitly avoided looking at each other.

*

The moon was high in the sky, and the night was deep.

Inside the Ministry of Justice prison, in the dark and damp passageways, screams rose and fell, seemingly trying to pierce the prison roof.

Zuo Yu, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, stepped out of the prison cell with blood stained on his sleeves.

Xie Chengyan glanced at them coldly, but a smile played on his lips, giving off a sinister and frightening aura.

"Did they confess?"

Zuo Yu bowed and said, "Your Highness, I confess."

"Has anyone from the Duke's mansion come?"

"Yes, but I have sent them all away as Your Highness instructed."

"These are the lifeblood of the Duke of Zhao's mansion. As long as they don't die, you can do whatever you want with them."

"Yes." Zuo Yu lowered his head, concealing the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes.

The prison was damp and stifling, filled with scions of wealthy families. They were all arguing about whether to confess or not, but they couldn't even withstand a single lash.

It's not easy to find so many charges; Your Highness has certainly gone to great lengths.

Outside the Ministry of Justice prison, the servants of the Duke of Zhao's mansion, unable to find anyone, had no choice but to slink away and hurriedly return to their residence to report the news.

In the dead of night, a sense of unease pervaded the Duke of Zhao's mansion.

The lights in the main courtyard stayed on all night, and the sighs and arguments inside made Zhao Xuelan uneasy.

In recent days, one of the brothers in the family has had an accident after another, and now only the younger brother, who is still in his swaddling clothes, remains, causing great anxiety.

A terrible thought popped into my head: the Crown Prince was avenging Ruan Xianrong.

It must be, it must be!

But if her family finds out that these brothers were implicated because of her, how will she face them in the future?

But if the Fifth Princess is involved, it will implicate the entire Zhao family.

Zhao Xuelan slumped in her chair. She really didn't mean it. The Fifth Princess clearly said she would only teach Ruan Xianrong a lesson, not that she would kill her.

She really didn't know; she really didn't intend to kill anyone.

But right now, who else can she turn to?