After getting married, she spent every night alone in her room; when she asked for a divorce, he kne

Having received word of this, Xie Qinghe, who arrived with a group of servants, was equally shocked. "You, you two, you two are too..."

Xie Qinghe's tongue stammered, utterly at a loss for words. "Have you no manners at all! Don't you know any shame! The Crown Prince is still in the banquet hall, and you two dare to do this in the inner flower hall! You're not ashamed, but our Zhenguo Duke's Mansion is!"

After speaking, Xie Qinghe ordered the servants behind her, "Take those two out of here immediately! Surround the inner flower hall and don't let this matter leak out!"

As the eldest grandson's wife of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, Xie Qinghe was wholeheartedly devoted to the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. The more she looked at the two people who came to the inner flower hall to have an affair, the less she liked them. She rolled her eyes so hard they almost reached the top of her head.

Liu Nianxi covered her face and cried, utterly humiliated. Wang Hanxuan, however, remained calm. He swayed slightly, straightened his clothes, and said to Xie Qinghe, "Young Madam, this isn't my fault. I was drunk and came to the inner hall to rest by myself. She suddenly barged in, flirted with me, saying she liked me and wanted me to hug her. I kindly hugged her, and then she called me a pervert and started hitting me..."

"You're talking nonsense! When did I ever say I liked you?" Liu Nianxi wiped away her tears and said.

She spoke with absolute certainty, but Wang Hanxuan wasn't intimidated at all. He raised his hand above his head and said, "Do you dare swear to God that after you barged into my room, you didn't say you liked me or missed me?"

"I, I was..."

Liu Nianxi looked behind everyone and saw Xiao Jinghan, who was leisurely watching her. She shut her mouth tightly, filled with resentment.

Aunt Su is right, she shouldn't have continued to provoke Liu Yuansheng.

Liu Yuansheng is cursed, specifically to bring misfortune to her and Aunt Su. Every time she clashes with Liu Yuansheng, she is the one who suffers!

She had only exchanged a few words with Liu Yuansheng today, and Liu Yuansheng ordered her to be chased away. Of course, she was indignant. She put on the airs of the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion and lied that she needed to relieve herself. She held back her tears and went into the inner flower hall.

The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and she couldn't help but reveal her true feelings, saying those words. However, those were all her true feelings to Xiao Jinghan.

Unfortunately, Wang Hanxuan, who was sleeping here, overheard everything.

Wang Hanxuan had a shifty face, and she felt disgusted just looking at him. But he clung to her, hugging her and touching and kissing her, taking full advantage of her.

She was filled with remorse and disgust. Then she realized that all of this was thanks to Liu Yuansheng, and she wished she could rush up and strangle Liu Yuansheng!

Unfortunately, Liu Yuansheng was standing right next to Xiao Jinghan, surrounded by servants and guards from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion. She couldn't even say a word to Liu Yuansheng, let alone rush over and strangle her.

Liu Yuansheng is well protected, but what about her? Who will protect her?

Her second brother became a plaything for men, her father was busy with something all day long and didn't care about her at all, her eldest brother always favored Liu Yuansheng, and now, even Aunt Su refused to help her!

What should she do?

Liu Nianxi grew increasingly desperate, squatted on the ground, and burst into loud sobs. Wang Hanxuan, standing nearby, chuckled and said, "Alright, alright, stop crying. How about I marry you? Tell me, whose daughter are you? I'll have my father propose marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Nianxi cried even harder, "You're dreaming! I'd rather die than marry you!"

"You've given me your innocence, so if you don't marry me, who do you want to marry?" Wang Hanxuan said.

Liu Nianxi trembled and cried even harder.

"I don't care, I won't marry you! I'd rather die than marry you!"

She cried and wailed, making such a loud noise that it could be heard throughout the inner flower hall, and perhaps even inside the banquet hall.

Xie Qinghe, fearing she might disturb the Crown Prince and other distinguished guests, was about to order them to be taken away when Su Tinglan rushed in, calling out, "Nianxi!"

She squeezed through the crowd, glanced at Liu Nianxi, then at Wang Hanwen beside her, and suddenly collapsed to her knees. "Oh my god, how did it get like this?"

Wang Hanwen stared at Su Tinglan in surprise, "Aunt Su, what are you doing here? Could it be that she is...?"

"Is it Liu Nianxi?"

Wang Hanwen gasped for breath and almost knelt on the ground as well.

Su Tinglan closed her eyes in despair.

Fearing that Liu Nianxi would cause more trouble, she originally planned to take her away, but Liu Nianxi broke free from her hand and ran away while she was chatting with other officials' wives.

She searched everywhere for her but couldn't find her. Finally, a nanny told her that Liu Nianxi and the illegitimate son of the Minister of the Court of State Affairs had caused trouble in the inner hall, and that's how she found her.

When I can't find it, I'm anxious; when I do find it, I feel like I could die!

"Wang Hanxuan! Look at the mess you've made!" Su Tinglan knelt on the ground, pointing at Wang Hanxuan and cursing.

Wang Hanxuan looked panicked. "If I had known she was Liu Nianxi, I would never have touched her, even if you killed me! And why are you yelling at me? She was the one who pounced on me! Who knows if it was all planned by you and your mother beforehand! After all..."

After all, Su Tinglan had done this kind of thing before. However, Wang Hanxuan swallowed his words and didn't dare to say them aloud.

Enraged and losing all reason, Su Tinglan failed to grasp Wang Hanxuan's underlying message and retorted angrily, "I arranged this in advance? How could my daughter and I possibly be interested in a toad like you!" Su Tinglan looked at Liu Nianxi with feigned concern, "My daughter is stunningly beautiful, of noble birth comparable to a princess, and renowned for her talent. The sons of powerful officials in the court are all vying for her attention. She is so exceptionally talented, yet you don't even know your place! How dare you harbor such delusions!"

"You mean her?" Wang Hanxuan rolled his eyes. "I've never heard of this person before."

"you!"

"Shut up, all of you!" Xie Qinghe said sternly. "Go home and argue. This is the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, not a place for you to quarrel!"

"Furthermore, if you ask me, since things have already come to this point, instead of arguing pointlessly, the two families should sit down and get the wedding done, so as not to become the laughing stock of the entire capital."

"You, you!" Su Tinglan was so angry at Xie Qinghe that she trembled all over, but she couldn't refute her words.

After all, marrying Liu Nianxi to Wang Hanxuan is indeed the best way to resolve this matter.

After all, this was how she plotted to murder Liu Yuansheng.

She originally planned that as long as Wang Hanxuan forced Liu Yuansheng into marriage, Liu Yuansheng would inevitably marry Wang Hanxuan—this playboy who was disliked by Lord Wang, was ugly and sleazy, had no official rank, a bad reputation, and a philandering heart!

This was someone she had carefully chosen for Liu Yuansheng. After all, if someone was too incompetent, like a beggar on the street, they wouldn't be able to get into the Princess's mansion at all.

To her utter surprise, the cousin she had spent hundreds of taels of silver to bribe actually ruined Liu Nianxi's life!

Heaven is truly blind! Heaven has no eyes!

Su Tinglan knelt on the ground, crying even more bitterly than Liu Nianxi herself. The two nannies tried to lift her up several times but couldn't, which infuriated Xie Qinghe.

"Aunt Su, if you don't leave, I won't be polite!" Xie Qinghe said sharply.

The hall was in an uproar, while Liu Yuansheng and Xiao Jinghan stood outside, watching the farce with utter boredom.

This scene reminded Liu Yuansheng of how she had been tricked by Su Tinglan into sleeping in the same bed with Xiao Jinbei.

However, no one cried at the time. Xiao Jinghan was so cold and calm that Su Tinglan and the others dared not say a word. They just stared at her in disbelief until Xiao Jinghan straightened his clothes and left calmly.

Su Tinglan only started arguing with her after taking her back to the Prime Minister's residence. There was a lot of doubt about her, which was how she ended up sleeping with Xiao Jinghan.

That seemed to imply that someone else should be sleeping with her.

At the time, she was completely bewildered and didn't think much about it. Now, looking back, there must have been something else going on.

Just as he was deep in thought, Xiao Jinghan suddenly leaned over and asked, "Is this interesting?"

Liu Yuansheng was taken aback, then shook his head.

Xiao Jinghan smiled and then asked, "Did you hear what Su Tinglan called Liu Nianxi just now?"

"What?" Liu Yuansheng tilted her head to look at Xiao Jinghan. The noise inside was so loud that she couldn't hear what Xiao Jinghan was saying.

Xiao Jinghan had no choice but to lean close to Liu Yuansheng's ear and ask, "Did you hear what Su Tinglan called Liu Nianxi?"

The familiar scent of pine resin, accompanied by the aroma of wine, wafted over Liu Yuansheng's face. Liu Yuansheng turned her head slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Daughter."

Su Tinglan calls Liu Nianxi her daughter.

However, this is not surprising. Su Tinglan has always favored Liu Nianxi and raised her herself. She probably already considers Liu Nianxi as her own daughter.

"They are indeed as close as a biological mother and daughter." Although she didn't understand the purpose of Xiao Jinghan's question, Liu Yuansheng still answered seriously.

"Yes, we are very close," Xiao Jinghan said. "A concubine who has been elevated to the position of principal wife by the Prime Minister doesn't fawn over you, her own daughter, but instead consistently protects that fake heiress, Liu Nianxi. Don't you find that strange?"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yuansheng paused, staring at Xiao Jinghan, her mind racing.

"What are you trying to say?" she asked curiously. "Did you find out something?"

Xiao Jinghan smiled without saying a word, thinking that Jiang Yue had found out a lot recently, so much so that he had to put aside his search for Jin Gongzheng and instead focus on accompanying Liu Yuansheng to figure out the mystery surrounding her.

As a result, more and more mysteries surrounding her were solved, making it incredibly exciting!

"Take your time and look around," Xiao Jinghan said. "Anyway, it's quite lively."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a group of people strode aggressively toward them.

The person leading the group was none other than Liu Jingyuan, whom they hadn't seen in a long time. He approached the group with a dark expression and asked, "What happened?"

Liu Yuansheng stared at Liu Jingyuan in surprise. She had seen the banquet guest list, and Liu Jingyuan's name was not on it. Perhaps he came uninvited, and after searching everywhere for Liu Nianxi and Su Tinglan without success, he heard that the two of them were here, so he came looking for them.

Liu Yuansheng opened his mouth, wondering whether he should speak to Liu Jingyuan, when Liu Nianxi, who was kneeling on the ground and crying, cried out in surprise, "Father?"

She frantically covered her face with her sleeve, crying, "Father, don't come any closer, daughter, daughter..."

Upon hearing Liu Nianxi's voice, Liu Jingyuan strode confidently into the inner flower hall.

Upon seeing Liu Jingyuan arrive, Su Tinglan abruptly stopped crying, stood up, and said, "Master, what brings you here?"

Liu Jingyuan glanced at Liu Nianxi, who was hiding and crying, then at the dazed Wang Hanxuan. Recalling the rumors that someone had deliberately leaked in front of him, what else couldn't he guess?

"Fools!" Liu Jingyuan slapped Su Tinglan across the face. "I warned you not to cause trouble at the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, but you wouldn't listen! Now you've really gotten yourself into trouble!"

He strode up to Liu Nianxi, shook off her hand, and said, "What are you trying to hide? You've done something so shameful, are you afraid of people seeing?"

Liu Nianxi kept her head bowed deeply, "Father..."

"Don't call me 'Dad,' I don't have a daughter like you! You're not my daughter!"

Liu Nianxi was taken aback. "Father, please don't say that!"

After saying that, she started crying again.

Su Tinglan was heartbroken and, momentarily forgetting the pain of being slapped by Liu Jingyuan, shielded Liu Nianxi, saying, "Master, Nianxi has been bullied. It's one thing if you don't stand up for her, but how could you hit her in front of so many people!"

Liu Jingyuan, who was in a fit of anger, was startled, turned around abruptly, and stared at Wang Hanxuan.

Sensing danger, Wang Hanxuan was about to slip away when Liu Jingyuan suddenly spotted him. His legs went weak, and he stopped, saying, "Prime Minister, if there's nothing else, I'll be going..."

Liu Jingyuan was furious. "Where are you going?"

"You bullied my daughter, and you think you can just leave?"

Wang Hanxuan, who had just boasted that he wanted to marry Liu Nianxi, trembled with fear. "She took the initiative..."

"Shut up!" Liu Jingyuan shouted angrily. "If it weren't for the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion celebrating a wedding, I would have killed you right now!"

"Kill me? No, no, Your Excellency, if you kill me, my father will not let you off!" Wang Hanxuan said. "My father is the Right Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, and your wife is my maternal aunt. We are related by blood. You cannot kill me!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Jingyuan turned to look at Su Tinglan, but his gaze unexpectedly fell on Xiao Jinghan and Liu Yuansheng as he looked through the crowd.

His cloudy yet sharp eyes flickered, and he walked towards the two of them, saying, "Heh, you two are here too."

Liu Jingyuan walked through the crowd and stood in front of Liu Yuansheng, staring at her with a stern face.

Liu Yuansheng greeted Liu Jingyuan as if he were a stranger, but gave him a polite bow. Xiao Jinghan, on the other hand, greeted him warmly, "Father-in-law."

Liu Jingyuan glanced at Xiao Jinghan, then pointed at Liu Yuansheng and scolded, "As the older sister, your younger sister had an accident in your home, and you just stood by and did nothing?"

Liu Yuansheng remained expressionless, unmoved by Liu Jingyuan's reprimand.

Liu Jingyuan grew increasingly angry, gathering his strength in his dantian, about to give Liu Yuansheng a severe scolding, when Xiao Jinghan, standing beside her, suddenly said, "Where did Yuansheng stand idly by? Father-in-law, please don't slander her. Didn't we arrive in time to help?"

"Help? Help with what?" Liu Jingyuan said angrily.

Xiao Jinghan said, "My sister-in-law said that since the two of them have caused such a mess, the only way to end things is to get married. We were trying to persuade them before my father-in-law arrived."

Liu Jingyuan's face turned green after hearing this.

Xie Qinghe reacted quickly, immediately picking up where Xiao Jinghan left off, "Ah, right, right! Your Excellency, the master who chose the auspicious date for my third brother hasn't left yet. How about I introduce you to him?"

Liu Jingyuan was furious. "Get out of here!" he yelled, his back to Su Tinglan and Liu Nianxi. "Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough? Get back here right now!"