Listening to her daughter's heartfelt words, the pregnant Lady Hou went on a killing spree.

Marquis Anshun quickly withdrew his hand, which was halfway raised.

The two turned around and saw Prince Xiao and his wife standing not far away.

Ji Chunjiao was startled, a hint of panic flashing across her face, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Second brother, second sister-in-law, what brings you here?"

"I went hunting in the Western Hills, and Lin wanted to come to the hot spring resort to soak in the hot springs, so I decided to take her there as well."

"Sister-in-law, what's going on here?"

After speaking, he nodded to Marquis Anshun, who was standing to the side, as a greeting.

"My sister is not feeling well and can't take care of the two children. You all know what kind of situation the Marquis of Anshun's mansion is in right now."

My brother-in-law knows I have a good relationship with the child, so he asked me to help take care of him, and of course I agreed.

Ji Chunjiao's words sounded reasonable, but Lin Shi, standing to the side, spoke in a sarcastic tone.

"I didn't expect that the children of the Marquis of Anshun had a bad relationship with their stepmother, but got along very well with her sister."

Ji Chunjiao touched the corners of her eyes with a handkerchief, and her eyes immediately turned red, like a rabbit's eyes.

The two men standing nearby felt a pang of heartache at the sight.

"If you can't speak, then speak less. Nobody will think you're mute."

Ms. Lin felt wronged.

"Young Master, am I not telling the truth?"

"Alright, alright, aren't you going to the hot spring resort? Hurry up and go, I can't be bothered to argue with you."

After saying that, he turned to look at Ji Chunjiao.

"Sister-in-law, are you going back to the manor?"

"I was just about to go back."

"Then I'll see you off. The mountain road is difficult to travel. If anything happens to you, how can I face my deceased elder brother?"

Madam Lin was furious. Was the young master blind? Couldn't he see that something was definitely wrong with the way Madam Ji and Marquis Anshun acted just now?

"This... I hope my second sister-in-law won't mind?"

Ji Chunjiao looked at Lin Shi, whose chest heaved with anger.

"Don't worry, the Lin family is very generous. Let's go."

Ji Chunjiao glanced at Lin Shi triumphantly, then turned and got into the carriage.

Lin tugged at Xiao Yang's sleeve.

"Young Master, aren't you going hunting with your friends in the Western Hills? If you go any later, you'll be too late."

"It's alright. I'll have my servant tell them later that I'll take my sister-in-law back first before I go."

"You go first, I'll take your sister-in-law home."

Lin watched helplessly as the young master escorted Ji away on horseback. By the time she came to her senses, Marquis Anshun and his two children had also returned to the estate.

Lin stamped her foot, and Wang, the old nanny next to her, came over.

"Princess Consort, shall we go to the hot spring resort now?"

"Where are you going? Go back home!"

Once the carriage had gone some distance, Xiao Yang dismounted and climbed into the carriage.

The maidservant who served Ji Chunjiao was already used to it and sat on the edge of the carriage after getting out.

Ji Chunjiao's eyes were red, and Xiao Yang quickly pulled her into his arms to comfort her.

"Don't be angry. That's just Lin's personality. Getting angry with her will only cause you stress and harm your health, and no one can take your place."

Ji Chunjiao clenched her small fists and punched Xiao Yang's chest repeatedly, her blows striking right into Xiao Yang's heart.

"It's all your fault. If you had mentioned the matter of taking on two wives to the Princess earlier, I would be your rightful woman now. Would Lin still dare to bully me?"

Xiao Yang held Ji Chunjiao's hand and placed it on his chest.

"Blame me, blame me."

More than a year after his elder brother passed away, he started an affair with Ji Chunjiao.

It's not that he lacks self-control; he even slept with his elder brother's woman. It's just that this woman was too alluring for him to resist.

Don't be fooled by her serious demeanor in public; she can be incredibly uninhibited in bed.

Xiao Yang had never imagined that Ji Chunjiao and Marquis Anshun would have anything going on. He had already promised Ji Chunjiao that he would discuss the matter of choosing two wives with his father and mother.

How could Ji Chunjiao possibly reject him, the heir of the Qingyang Prince's Mansion, and instead fall in love with the Marquis of Anshun?

Men all share a common flaw: they absolutely refuse to admit that they are inferior to others.

"When will you bring this up with your mother?"

"Sister-in-law, you can't blame me. If I had brought it up earlier, Mother would definitely have agreed."

But now everyone in the capital is saying that you are a concubine's daughter of the Ji family, and I'm afraid my mother won't approve."

A tear fell onto Xiao Yang's hand, as if it had burned his heart. He quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe away the beauty's tears.

"You're just trying to comfort me. If you wanted to marry me, you would have said so long ago. Why did you wait until now?"

"I was thinking of waiting until the three-year mourning period for my eldest brother was over before bringing it up, so that my mother could accept it more easily. I never expected that your family would cause trouble. It was my oversight."

"If you don't tell my mother that I'm going to marry someone else, you'll never see me again in your life."

"Oh my goodness, you're practically tearing my heart out!"

Don't worry, I'll marry you even if it means getting a beating from my mother.

When a man is trying to coax a woman, he can say anything, and as they talk, their eyes start to exchange glances.

Sensing something amiss inside the carriage, Qiu Ping, Ji Chunjiao's trusted maid, quietly instructed the coachman to stop the carriage by the roadside.

It was the dead of winter, and it was rare to encounter anyone on the way up and down the mountain.

However, just in case, Qiu Ping still sent two guards to watch the entrances and exits of the mountain, so that they could be notified immediately if anything happened.

The guard responsible for checking the downhill road suddenly suffered from severe abdominal pain as soon as he reached the intersection, clutching his stomach and crawling into the bushes nearby.

Lin returned to the city in a carriage, feeling very depressed.

She couldn't understand why the young master trusted that vile woman Ji so much, but didn't trust her.

The voice of Granny Wang, offering words of comfort, came from the side.

"The young master is a good man. When the eldest master was still alive, the two brothers had the best relationship. It is only right that he takes care of Ji Shi on behalf of the eldest master. The young master's wife should try to be more understanding."

As the carriage passed the intersection, the driver's voice could be heard from ahead.

"Your Highness, the First Madam's carriage is parked by the roadside; something must have happened."

Lin lifted the carriage curtain and looked outside. In the distance, she could see the carriage parked by the roadside. The prince's horse was still there, but the prince was nowhere to be seen.

"Let's go up and take a look first."

Fearing she might disturb her master's enjoyment, Qiu Ping had the coachman and several guards move to a short distance away. At this time, there was no one around the carriage, and since she was sitting on the edge of the carriage, she couldn't see the carriage that Lin Shi and the others had gotten off at all.

As the carriage drew closer, Lin suddenly realized something was wrong.

The carriage was swaying rhythmically when suddenly he realized something and his face turned pale.

Granny Wang, standing to the side, looked worried.

"Quietly bring the carriage to a stop."

When the carriage stopped, Granny Wang helped Lin Shi down from the carriage, and Lin Shi, holding up her skirt, stumbled and ran towards the carriage.

When Qiu Ping got closer and saw the Lin family, she panicked.

"Princess Consort! What brings you here!"

A cry of alarm startled the two people in the carriage. Lin Shi didn't care and rushed forward to throw Qiu Ping to the ground. She then climbed onto the carriage herself using both her hands and feet.

Lift the carriage curtain to see what was inside.

"what!"

A scream pierced the air, followed by Lin's hysterical voice.

"I'm going to kill you all!"