Forcing me to become a concubine? Remarrying the Ninth Prince, she'll be pregnant all over the

Chen Tingxuan.

In the quiet of the night, the sounds of chanting sutras and striking wooden fish drums filled the air.

The abbot of Huguo Temple, along with the monks, lit incense and offered prayers for the emperor, empress, and the entire palace.

Lin Wantang listened to the chanting of Buddhist scriptures all the way back. Upon returning, she went to her bedchamber, bathed and washed, and then looked at her left hand, which was still bleeding. Chunhen stepped forward and carefully removed the bandages wrapped around her hand, gently attending to her: "Madam, this injury seems to be quite serious."

"This servant will go and fetch the medicine right away. Is Madam feeling cold? Then this servant will get another incense burner."

Lin Wantang was only wearing a light-colored undergarment. The hall was warm and cozy, with a heated floor and incense burner. She didn't let Chunhen cause any trouble, but only had someone bring out the wound medicine from the medicine box.

Just as he was about to sprinkle the powder into his left palm, he heard a palace servant announce that Wei Wuji had returned.

She subconsciously handed the medicine bottle to Chunhen, then grabbed a clean cloth, quickly wrapped it around her left hand, and got up to go outside, just in time to meet Wei Wujiu striding in.

"Commander."

Lin Wantang gave a slight bow, "How have you been today? Have you had dinner tonight?"

Wei Wujiu didn't say a word, but glanced at her with his eyes lowered. His eyelids twitched and he caught sight of a cloth stained with blood on the corner of a table in the distance, which he hadn't had time to hide.

"Hand." His expression remained indifferent as he uttered the single word and extended his hand towards her.

Lin Wantang was taken aback, still trying to play dumb and get away with it, so she said, "What? Commander, there are so many people here. Do you want me to help you wash up?"

She smiled, placed her right hand in his palm, and was about to move with him to wash up, but Wei Wujiu's feet were rooted to the spot and he didn't budge.

He didn't say anything, but lowered his eyes and gazed at her intently.

This gaze was too indifferent, yet it only made people feel pressured.

Lin Wantang avoided his gaze, still struggling to force a smile as she said, "Governor, what does this mean? If we're not in a hurry to wash up, then how about we have the meal served?"

Wei Wujiu remained silent, a slight sigh escaping his lips.

Lin Wantang felt a tingling sensation on her scalp. Her left hand, which was clenched tightly, was aching from the wound on her palm, and it seemed to be bleeding again.

In the brief moment of confrontation, she had a premonition that she had been exposed, but surely Wei Wujiu wouldn't get this angry over something like that?

Lin Wantang was still struggling with her thoughts, completely unaware that Wei Wujiu was staring at her. He gradually narrowed his eyes, then suddenly stepped forward, grabbed the back of her head with one hand, and leaned down to kiss her lips.

A short kiss, yet utterly domineering.

Chunhen, Qiuying, and all the other maids serving by her side lowered their heads, not daring to look any further.

Before Lin Wantang could react in surprise, Wei Wujiu had already released her, but his thin fingertips still caressed her lips as he said in a low voice, "It's so soft, but why are you still being so stubborn?"

Lin Wantang was completely struck as if by lightning, and her anxious mind and body were thrown into chaos in an instant.

Wei Wujiu avoided his gaze, waved to Chunhen and the others, signaling them to leave. Chunhen hurriedly led the group out with bows, but then heard Wei Wujiu add, "Where's the medicine?"

Chunhen hesitated for a moment, but dared not hide any longer, and hurriedly presented the medicine bottle in her hand respectfully.

Wei Wujiu put away the medicine bottle with one hand, and after everyone left, he took Lin Wantang's left hand with his other hand. Looking at the haphazardly wrapped cloth, he slowly unwrapped it. The wound was a mess and was still bleeding.

His indifferent face finally showed a change, but he didn't say anything. He just pulled her to sit at the table, cleaned the wound, sprinkled on the medicine powder, and carefully re-bandaged it, circle by circle.

"Commander, are you still angry?"

Lin Wantang was uneasy, pursing her lips and carefully observing his expression. Perhaps it was the tacit understanding that came from spending so much time together, but she could vaguely guess his state of mind: "My hand is fine, really, it's just a small injury..."

"A minor injury?" Wei Wujiu's deep, mellow voice overwhelmed her. "That's true. Without this minor injury, how could you have staged this self-inflicted injury?"

Lin Wantang fell silent, completely speechless.

She shook her head helplessly and smiled bitterly, moving her newly bandaged left hand, and said, "Governor, I know you have people in the Eastern Palace, but you don't have to be so frank."

"Actually, I didn't mean to hide it from you. It was all... a coincidence."

Lin Wantang understood that Wei Wujiu already knew everything, but she didn't want to go into too much detail about her personal feelings for the previous dynasty and her resentment towards the emperor for poisoning him and Lin Rucong.

Repeatedly recounting Wei Wujiu's painful experiences is of no benefit.

"Tell me about it."

Wei Wujiu, however, lacked this awareness. After uttering a few words, he moved to wash his hands and then changed out of his court robes. When he saw Lin Wantang wanting to come and serve him, he waved his hand slightly and went behind the screen to change into casual clothes before stepping out gracefully.

"Why aren't you saying anything?" He urged Lin Wantang when he saw she was still silent, and poured two cups of tea, pushing one towards her.

Lin Wantang subconsciously reached out to pick it up, but accidentally aggravated the injury on her left hand, causing her to gasp in pain.

Seeing this, Wei Wujiu snorted: "Last night, seeing how wise and brave Madam was, I thought she was made of iron and didn't feel pain."

This sarcastic and mocking tone...

Lin Wantang's awkward smile couldn't be maintained any longer. She took a deep breath and decided not to try to salvage the situation: "Governor, I know I acted rashly and without consideration last night, but I did not leave any evidence."

"Should I praise you for doing a good job?"

Wei Wujiu retorted sharply, his deep voice turning colder: "You think you've gotten away with it undetected, but is that really the case? Or do you think Shen Huai'an is a complete idiot, and the emperor is senile and blind? The moment Shen Huai'an regains his senses after last night's incident, the first thing he'll know is that you poisoned him!"

"What about the Emperor? He's favored and protected the Crown Prince for so long. Would he listen to those imperial physicians' reports that couldn't find anything amiss? Would he suspect that Shen Huai'an is dissatisfied with his punishment and has changed his mind? Or would he suspect that something was done to Shen Huai'an? With a simple investigation, it wouldn't be hard to find out that you saw him last night!"

"This..." Lin Wantang hesitated. She wasn't afraid of Shen Huai'an's knowledge or thoughts; after all, the two of them had already broken off relations last night, but the Emperor...

"Suspicion is one thing, but without evidence, the Emperor cannot punish me without authorization, nor can he use torture to extract a confession, can he?"

Wei Wujiu was so angry he laughed. He stepped forward and lifted her chin with one hand: "Yes, you are the legitimate daughter of Grand Tutor Lin, with a prestigious family background. Even the Emperor can't do anything to you for the time being, but what about in private? Don't forget, you are still in the palace!"

If the emperor could openly show his concern for his ministers by poisoning the tea and then offering tea and wine to suppress the poison, thus restraining the ministers he feared, suspected, and wanted to control, why should he be afraid of a mere Lin Wantang?

Even if the emperor doesn't easily summon female relatives, what about the empress? They are husband and wife, and the empress can summon Lin Wantang at will under various pretexts, giving her countless opportunities to poison him.

Lin Wantang realized this, and a chill ran down her spine.