After being reborn, the aloof prime minister was once again forced by a tyrant.

Shen Hanzhou's face changed visibly from bright red to deathly pale, then to ashen, finally settling on a look that resembled someone struck by lightning and run over three times by horses.

He whirled around, glaring at the man in the wedding dress before him. His lips trembled for a long time before he finally managed to choke out, "Then why haven't you said a word? For over two months! I've talked to you every day, and you haven't replied to a single word! Why did you pretend to be mute to deceive me!"

Ah Yue spoke again, this time faster, with obvious urgency.

Shen Hanzhou couldn't understand a single word, and could only watch the complex emotions surging in his light golden eyes. Frustrated, he scratched his head and turned to the person in the main seat, shouting, "What did he say again?!"

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow after hearing this.

"He said he never said he was mute. He was poisoned by the Xirong's throat-locking sand, which prevents the poisoned from speaking. When you rescued him, the poison had not yet been cleared, and he could not speak. The poison was only cured three days ago, and he was just able to speak."

"Then why doesn't he speak the Northern Shuo language!"

Xiao Jingyuan: "He said he didn't know the Northern Shuo language at first, but after spending two months with you, he managed to learn some. Now he's too nervous and has forgotten it all."

Xie Qinglan suddenly spoke, her voice filled with barely suppressed laughter: "He also said that he didn't lie to you on purpose. Every time you called him 'Miss Yue,' he shook his head."

Shen Hanzhou: "I fucking thought he was shy!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the "Miss A-Yue" suddenly gripped the hem of her wedding dress tightly, her brows furrowing into a knot. As if gathering all her strength to utter the words, Bei Shuo spoke haltingly, squeezing out each word one by one: "I, I am called... Wanyan Lie. You, you call me... A-Yue... that's fine too."

Xiao Jingyuan raised an eyebrow slightly. Wanyan Lie, the third prince of the Western Rong. Back when he fought against the Western Rong, this third prince was the most favored by the Western Rong king. He was both scholarly and martial, a rare tough guy in the Western Rong royal family who could lead troops into battle. He had long known about the internal strife in the Western Rong, but he never expected that this third prince would end up on the border of Northern Shuo, and even be taken in by Shen Hanzhou as a woman.

"Ah, you liar! You could speak three days ago, why didn't you say anything?!"

Wanyan Lie's Adam's apple bobbed, his face flushed slightly, and he gripped the torn sleeve even tighter, enunciating each word with extra force, yet still speaking haltingly: "I...I was very...happy to see you. You...you bought...a wedding dress. I...I didn't want...you...to be sad. So...I...didn't dare, didn't dare to say it."

"You! You've made me lose face so badly today!"

The guests could no longer contain themselves.

The bearded lieutenant at the military table was the first to lose his composure, spitting a mouthful of wine all over his comrade's face. Far from being angry, his comrade laughed so hard he pounded the table, the bowls and chopsticks clattering loudly. Han Zheng covered his face with his one arm, his shoulders shaking like a leaf, suppressed laughter escaping his throat. Even the usually stern Zhang Jian turned his face away, his shoulders twitching suspiciously.

The civil officials' seats were in uproar. Several old ministers laughed so hard their beards trembled, and the vice minister of the Ministry of Rites leaned on the edge of the table, unable to straighten up, muttering, "This is an insult to literature, an insult to literature..." Even the old master of ceremonies, who had a stern face, covered his face with the proclamation, his eyes curving into crescents.

Gao An laughed so hard he slid down the steps and landed on his bottom, wiping away tears as he said, "General Shen... I've lived this long, and this is the first time I've ever seen a groom not even know if the bride is a man or a woman before the wedding ceremony..."

Xie Qinglan covered his lips with his sleeve, his shoulders trembling slightly. He turned to look at Xiao Jingyuan, meeting Xiao Jingyuan's gaze. Xiao Jingyuan held his wine glass, the smile on his lips barely concealed.

"Your Majesty." Xie Qinglan lowered her hand, trying to maintain her usual aloofness, but the smile at the corner of her eyes could not be hidden. "General Shen's wedding is indeed the most unique one I have ever seen."

Zhang Jian suppressed a laugh, her tone tinged with genuine confusion: "General Shen, this man is half a head taller than you, his hands are bigger, his Adam's apple is more prominent, his shoulders are broader, and he walks with a more steady gait. You're with him every day, how could you not have noticed? Now that the marriage is settled—"

"He's handsome!" Shen Hanzhou blurted out, his face instantly turning bright red. "No—I mean—the Gobi Desert is so cold, he's wrapped in a thick cloak every day, who can see his figure clearly! His eyelashes are so long, his eyes are so big, his face is so small—look for yourself! With such a handsome face, who wouldn't mistake him!"

As he spoke, he reached out and pinched Wanyan Lie's chin, turning his face towards Zhang Jian: "Look! Tell me! Isn't this face prettier than a girl's!"

Wanyan Lie didn't struggle as his chin was pinched, but just sighed helplessly, his light golden eyes full of indulgence.

Shen Hanzhou abruptly released his grip, his eyes reddening, whether from anger or embarrassment, it was hard to tell: "What's the point of a man being so handsome! Are you trying to ruin people?!"

Wanyan Lie blinked, thought for a long time, and finally managed to utter a few words: "Born of my father and mother."

"You dare to talk back!" Shen Hanzhou was so angry that he was furious. He grabbed Wanyan Lie's collar, but then realized that he had to look up to see his face. His arrogance instantly diminished.

He silently released his grip, and subconsciously smoothed out the wrinkles on Wanyan Lie's clothes. Then he took two steps back, as if his soul had been ripped away.

"It's all your fault for lying to me! This wedding is null and void!"

"It's...it's true." Wanyan Lie looked down at the red silk flower that had been thrown to the ground, then looked up at him, his tone stammering but carrying an undeniable certainty.

"It doesn't count!"

"作, 作数".

"That doesn't count! I don't like men!"

Wanyan Lie took a half step forward, his light golden eyes fixed on him, his speech even slower, each word carefully considered before he dared to utter it: "You...you said before...you liked...liked A-Yue. You...you told me every day...A-Yue, A-Yue was the most beautiful. A-Yue...the softest. A-Yue...was...your...heart, your darling. Now...A-Yue is...a man. You...you don't like him anymore?"

Shen Hanzhou was stared at by those light golden eyes. The sweet nothings they usually whispered in private now seemed to be read aloud in public, each word striking the softest spot in his heart. His face flushed like a boiled shrimp, his tongue tied in knots, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "That...that's different! You...you—"

"W-where...is it different?" Wanyan Lie took another step forward, reducing the distance between them to less than a foot. He lowered his head, looking intently and stubbornly into Shen Hanzhou's eyes. "Face...face...it's still...this face. Person...it's still...this person. Heart...it's still...this heart."

He grasped Shen Hanzhou's hand and pressed it against his own heart. Through the thick red wedding dress, his heartbeat was steady and strong, each beat sending a shiver down Shen Hanzhou's spine.

"You...you think I'm...a man. Does that mean I'm...not Ah Yue anymore?"

Shen Hanzhou's fingers twitched involuntarily, but he didn't pull them away. He lowered his head, his ears turning bright red, opened his mouth, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down several times, but ultimately said nothing.

The guests burst into laughter. The military officers slapped the table, laughing so hard they were doubled over; several burly men were practically sprawled on the table, unable to straighten up. Someone whistled loudly, "General Shen! This beauty is half a head taller than you! How could you have mistaken her for a girl? Were your eyes on the soles of your feet?!"

"************!" Shen Hanzhou cursed angrily as he turned back, then glared at Wanyan Lie, "Even if the wedding goes through, I'm still divorcing you!"

"Northern...Northern Shuo...laws." Wanyan Lie frowned, as if trying hard to recall something, and after a long while, he said intermittently, "Divorce...divorce...is a crime...one of the seven grounds for divorce. I...I didn't...didn't commit that."

"I'll write a divorce letter!"

"I... disagree, I agree."

"Why don't you agree! I'll go write a divorce decree right now and divorce you, my male wife!"

As Shen Hanzhou turned to rush into the study, before he could even take a step, a strong arm grabbed his waist.

"What are you doing! Let go! I'm warning you—ah!"

Wanyan Lie swiftly hoisted Shen Hanzhou onto his shoulder, his movements clean and efficient. With one hand firmly supporting Shen Hanzhou's lower back and the other pressing down on his kicking legs, he walked calmly toward the bridal chamber. The hem of his bright red wedding dress trailed on the ground, leaving a long red mark that blended with the red silk along the corridor.

"Put me down! You liar! You mute! You—"

Wanyan Lie raised his hand and gently patted his buttocks. The force was light, but the sound was crisp and clear.

Shen Hanzhou's cursing stopped abruptly. He leaned on Wanyan Lie's broad shoulder, his face flushed crimson, his lips trembling for a long time before he finally managed to choke out a furious roar: "You actually spanked me! I'll fight you to the death!"

He struggled even more fiercely, pounding his fists on Wanyan Lie's back and kicking wildly with his legs. But Wanyan Lie remained unmoved, his steps steady, and his breathing not even faltering.

The guests completely lost control. The military officers laughed so hard they slid off their chairs; one choked on his wine, tears streaming down his face, yet he still wouldn't stop banging on the table. The civil officials were slightly more reserved, but they also covered their mouths with their sleeves and stifled their laughter. Only a few old-fashioned men blushed and muttered, "What kind of behavior is this?" Even Gao An huddled in a corner, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

"Let me go! I said I won't marry you, and that means it! Put me down! Help! Your Majesty—Your Majesty, help me!"

As Xiao Jingyuan watched Wanyan Lie carry Shen Hanzhou and disappear into the end of the corridor, listening to the increasingly distant, pig-like screams, he couldn't help but stand up to stop them. But as soon as he took a step, his sleeve was gently tugged.

He turned around.

Xie Qinglan sat upright in his seat, holding a teacup in one hand, while the fingertips of his other hand gently hooked around Xiao Jingyuan's sleeve. His handsome face remained expressionless, but Xiao Jingyuan clearly saw that the corners of his lips curved slightly.

"In my opinion," Xie Qinglan's voice was clear and cool, with a hint of barely concealed amusement, "General Shen seems to be enjoying it quite a bit."

Xiao Jingyuan frowned, his face full of genuine confusion: "He was shouting like that, how was he enjoying it?"

Xie Qinglan turned her face away, a faint blush rising at the base of her ears, and did not reply.

"Qinglan?"

"...Your Majesty, please return to the palace."

Xie Qinglan abruptly pulled her hand away from his sleeve, stood up, and left. The hem of her moon-white robe swept across the corner of the table, stirring up a slightly cool breeze, and her steps quickened a bit more than usual.

Xiao Jingyuan stood there, watching his hurried departure, then turned to look at the empty corridor, his brows furrowing even more.