After marrying the fierce god, her handsome young husband was pampered to the extreme.

Lin Nian looked up and glanced at the sky.

The man is probably about to finish his morning court session.

"We can discuss the punishment later. First, tell me, has the Prince's master arrived?"

Gui Shi said, "Although we haven't seen him yet, he always cherishes He Wan and would never let him travel alone, so he must have come along too."

Lin Nian then asked, "How skilled are the He family father and son in martial arts?"

Gui Shi thought for a moment and said truthfully, "It's very ordinary, not as good as Hua Yue."

"That's good." Lin Nian said, "Go and stop the prince from coming back to the palace for the next two weeks."

He thought for a moment, "Tell him not to show himself, to hide, and to wait for me to pick him up."

Although Gui Shi was somewhat confused, he still obeyed the order and carried it out.

Yin Cheng was equally bewildered; he was stopped by Gui Shi as soon as he stepped out of the palace gate.

After hearing Gui Shi's report, Yin Cheng asked curiously, "What is Your Majesty planning to do?"

Gui Shi replied honestly, "I don't know either."

He paused for a moment, then said, "He Wan is here."

Yin Cheng's expression instantly turned serious.

"My lord," Gui Shi said, "the king probably wants to... do something for you."

Yin Cheng's narrow eyes suddenly filled with danger as he looked at him coldly.

Gui Shi immediately knelt down, "Your subordinate knows his mistake."

Yin Cheng paced back and forth anxiously; he knew He Wan's situation better than anyone else.

He couldn't keep his affair with Tianji Manor a secret from Nian Nian forever.

Indeed, avoiding He Wan is the best solution.

However, running away won't solve the problem.

Besides, he's thick-skinned and doesn't care if he gets hit a little.

My little beauty is a delicate and sweet young master from a wealthy family. What if she gets bullied?

"No, I have to go back and check."

Gui Shi raised his voice and said, "Master! This is the first task that the King has assigned to me."

Yin Cheng paused, his heart filled with turmoil.

He knew exactly what his little beauty meant, but no man with a conscience would let his wife face danger alone.

Gui Shi added, "If Master refuses the King, the King will surely be very sad."

After hesitating for a moment, Yin Cheng finally decided to respect his wife's wishes.

"You all guard the King well and report He Wan's movements to me at any time."

"Your subordinate swears to protect the king with his life."

"If He Wan lays a hand on Niannian," Yin Cheng hardened his heart, "there's no need to show mercy."

He turned around and went back to the palace, his main principle being to listen to his wife.

The emperor was dozing in Bai Yuchen's arms when Xiao Anzi came to report that His Highness Prince Cheng had returned.

Bai Yuchen: "..."

This younger brother is like a stubborn plaster.

Xiao Anzi reported again: "His Highness Prince Cheng went to the side hall by himself, saying that he will stay in the palace for a while."

The emperor was slightly surprised. "Did you have a fight with your husband?"

Bai Yuchen said cautiously, "I'm afraid not. She asked me to take her husband's pulse earlier, and it doesn't seem like they had a fight."

The emperor was utterly puzzled. "If there was no quarrel, why are you staying in the palace?"

The emperor pondered for a moment, then summoned his secret guards, "Go and find out what happened at Prince Cheng's residence."

"Yes."

After the guards left, the emperor got up from his dragon bed. "I'm not going to sleep. I still need to talk to the people from the Ministry of Works about building the bridge today."

Bai Yuchen said, "Can't we take a day off? Prince Cheng is here anyway, can't we just let him go?"

"...What does he know about building bridges for the benefit of the people?" The emperor was very disgusted with his younger brother, "He's all height and no brains."

The brainless Prince Cheng's heart is only for his wife at home.

Or should we sneak back and take a look?

At Prince Cheng's residence, Lin Nian personally led He Wan to the South Garden. "Young Master He, I was blind to your greatness and neglected you. Please do not take offense."

He Wan snorted coldly, "Where is Yin Cheng? Tell him to come out and see me."

"His Highness has left the capital on business."

He Wan frowned. "What a coincidence? You're not kidding me, are you?"

"How could I lie to you?" Lin Nian stepped forward and took his hand affectionately. "Young Master He, since you are the prince's friend, you are naturally my friend as well."

He smiled faintly and said, "I would never lie to you."

He Wan broke free from his hand, looking utterly disgusted. "I don't know if Yin Cheng is blind to have married you."

Lin Nian wasn't angry. "Marrying a prince is my blessing."

He Wan punched a cotton ball, feeling frustrated but unable to vent her anger.

He said irritably, "Go get me some food."

"Yes, Young Master He."

After leaving Nanyuan, Lin Nian put away her smile and instructed Jingyi, "From today onwards, the entire manor shall fast and abstain from all meat."

Mirror Robe immediately understood, "Yes."

In the servants' quarters, Huayue gestured wildly as she recounted to everyone what Hewan had done.

"Once, Yanru sent a cavalry unit to launch a surprise attack. It just so happened that it was the prince's turn to be on duty. As a result, Hewan said that she had a stomachache and insisted that the prince serve her."

Hua Yue said angrily, "We missed the opportunity, and Caixia City was almost breached. The prince was severely punished that time, with a hundred lashes, and he was unconscious for three whole days."

Little Wine asked, "Why does Your Highness insist on taking care of him? Even if he is Master's child, it shouldn't delay the war!"

Hua Yue said, "You don't know, he always says, 'My father died saving you,' and the prince simply can't refuse!"

Yinzhu asked, "So, Master really did it to save the Prince...?"

Hua Yue nodded painfully.

Yinzhu said, "No wonder He Wan was so fearless."

The young servants looked at each other, then sighed in unison.

After a long silence, Xiao Jiu'er said, "His Highness must be in a lot of pain."

Yinzhu said, "But He Wan has gone too far! Can't Your Highness just be heartless and leave her alone?"

"The prince doesn't have much affection for them at all," Hua Yue said. "If it weren't for my master... my master is truly an exceptionally good person. In the Northern Territory, no one treats the prince better than him."

Xiao Jiu'er said, "Anyway, I've already decided to outwardly comply but inwardly defy him. The prince feels guilty towards He Wan, but I don't. I'm going to go to the storeroom and take out all the worst old stock for him to use."

Yinzhu gave a thumbs up.

In addition to the entire household observing a period of fasting, Lin Nian also ordered that all the gold and silver treasures in the treasury be sealed with a large "Lin" mark on them.

That night, He Wan rushed to the main building to question Lin Nian.

"Hey Lin, what do you mean by this?" He Wan threw a plate of boiled tofu at Lin Nian's feet.

The porcelain plate shattered with a crisp sound, and the tender white tofu, mixed with porcelain shards, broke all over the floor.

Xiao Fu burst into tears upon hearing the sound.

He Wan gritted her teeth and asked, "Why are you crying, you lowly slave!"

Xiao Fu ignored him and cried even louder.

Lin Nian looked hurt. "Young Master He, what are you doing?"

He Wan kicked away the tofu that had splashed at her feet and angrily said, "What kind of food did you give me? Even Yin Cheng wouldn't dare to treat me like this, how dare you?!"

Lin Nian was on the verge of tears, "I heard that Young Master He came from the northern border region where battles have raged for years, so I thought of accumulating good fortune for you and opened a Buddhist hall early on... How can you say I'm being negligent!"