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

Yong'an, accompanied by a large entourage, stormed into the gates of Chentingxuan Palace.

Lin Wantang thought they were coming to confront her and sighed helplessly, but then she heard Yong'an shout, "Wei Wujiu! Don't think you can get away with this by hiding! Come out here!"

"I don't believe what they're saying! Sister Wan Tang is perfectly fine, well-educated and reasonable, a model among daughters of noble families. If you hadn't gone too far, how could she have argued with you? And how could she have hurt herself by causing trouble?"

"Absolutely not! You must have bullied her and forced her into this situation!"

Yong'an was furious and shouted loudly and clearly.

Lin Wantang was stunned when she heard this. She didn't expect that Yong'an had completely switched sides to her. Was this still the same Princess Yong'an who had been so deeply in love with Wei Wujiu not long ago and had even caused a scene at the palace?

In reality, Yong'an did indeed like Wei Wujiu very much. She didn't know why, but the affection she had for him when they were young was deeply rooted in her heart.

But this feeling, aside from her admiration for Wei Wujiu's appearance, was also based on her admiration for him as a person. Wei Wujiu would never lay a hand on a woman under any circumstances.

Even when the Eastern Depot arrested female prisoners involved in the case, he would have Zhang Qian find two tough old women to interrogate and torture them.

Although everything remained the same, at least the female prisoners were not subjected to excessive humiliation because of the fact that he treated his prisoners in this way, which shows that he respected women very much in his heart.

But now, Yong'an doesn't believe those rumors at all. She had repeatedly asked Lin Wantang why she had argued and quarreled with Wei Wujiu, but Lin Wantang refused to say anything. She must have suffered a great injustice and is now injured.

Yong'an dared not even imagine, could it be that Wei Wujiu... hit Lin Wantang?

She may not like this kind of Wujiu brother, but she will resolutely not tolerate him and will definitely stand up for Lin Wantang!

"Come out! Wei Wujiu! You dare refuse to see me, the princess? This is outrageous! You've gone too far!"

Yong'an was furious, her face flushed and her breath ragged. Ignoring her maid's attempts to stop her, she paced back and forth outside the palace gates. Seeing Jiang Fulu rush out, she was even more annoyed. "You old fool! Shut up! Go tell your master to get out here and see me!"

Lin Wantang was inside, holding her forehead with one hand. She wanted to ignore it to avoid spreading false information, but Yong'an was making too much noise, so she couldn't do anything about it. As soon as Jiang Fulu invited Yong'an in, she quickly pulled Yong'an into the study.

After some explanation, Lin Wantang repeatedly assured that she was not injured, but that the injury to her left hand was a bit too severe, and that she was using this as an excuse to be lazy, which was why she didn't want to go out.

It was only with great difficulty that Yong'an finally believed her, and their feelings for each other deepened as a result. Lin Wantang had some food prepared and chatted with Yong'an, sharing intimate thoughts.

The next few days passed uneventfully, and before we knew it, it was New Year's Eve.

The palace was busy that day, but dared not fully display the festive atmosphere of the New Year. The emperor was still ill, and the empress advocated keeping everything simple, suggesting that a banquet for the imperial relatives be held in the Qianqing Palace.

Those attending the banquet were all members of the royal family, along with more than a dozen ministers trusted by the emperor. Wei Wujiu was among them, so Lin Wantang could no longer feign illness and went with Yong'an early in the morning.

"Brother Wujiu said he told me to take good care of you. You have a sensitive stomach, so I can't let you eat anything you shouldn't," Yong'an said, sitting in the warm sedan chair, her face beaming with smiles. "Looking at it this way, he really cares about you, which makes sense."

Lin Wantang smiled and agreed, but she knew in her heart that it wasn't that she had a bad stomach, but that Wei Wujiu was worried that someone was plotting against her.

"Hey, have you heard? The Crown Prince has been punished and sent to guard the Imperial Ancestral Temple. Many people in the court have pleaded for him, but he's really behaved this time. I heard he's abstaining from meat and sex, and he's doing everything himself while he obediently accepts the punishment."

Yong'an said, then curled his lip as if he didn't believe it: "But why do I have a feeling he's up to something? Maybe he's going to use someone this time. Oh, right!"

Yong'an still harbored resentment towards Shen Huai'an for using her, but then her expression changed as she thought of something. She took Lin Wantang's arm and said, "There's another interesting thing. The Empress has been pleading for the Crown Prince openly and secretly these days, which is natural, after all, they are mother and son. But Consort Yu, who is about to give birth, actually... went to the Emperor to plead for the Crown Prince!"

Lin Wantang was also puzzled: "Huh? What... what's going on?"

"Isn't it strange? Consort Yu's father was just a prefect in Fujian. He had no relation to the Empress's family, nor any connection with the Crown Prince. The Emperor was shocked that she would take the initiative to mediate. Of course, he was also angry. The harem is not allowed to interfere in politics. After being reprimanded, he sent her back to the palace to prepare for childbirth."

Yong'an found it amusing, but Lin Wantang felt that something was amiss.

But after much thought, once they entered Chengqian Palace and went through a series of formalities, Lin Wantang and Yong'an sat down together. Then, she glanced casually at the heavily pregnant Consort Xiaoyu among the concubines and was suddenly shocked!

Lin Wantang squinted and looked carefully from afar...

Consort Xiaoyu has an incredibly graceful face, strikingly beautiful like a girl from a humble family. But if her eyes are covered by a white veil, her nose, mouth, and even her entire profile... are almost seven-tenths similar to Jiang Sijiu!

What about Jiang Sijiu's sister?

Lin Wantang had never met Jiang Nianqi, but she heard from Jiang Sijiu that her sister was extremely beautiful, which made her the target of many malicious people's covetousness. As a result, Jiang Nianqi stayed at home all day and made a living by embroidery.

Most importantly, Jiang Nianqi is also pregnant. Counting the days, she is about to give birth, just like Xiao Yupin. Jiang Sijiu had no idea who the father of her sister's child was. Moreover, Lin Qinglian had taken Jiang Nianqi's child in her previous life and lied that it was her own.

Lin Wantang could never understand the reason. There were many women in the capital, and many of them were helpless and weak. Why did Lin Qinglian insist on taking away Jiang Nianqi's birthplace from the previous life?

And then there was the amusing story Yong'an had told us earlier: Consort Yu suddenly had the idea to plead for Shen Huai'an...

If these factors were combined, Lin Wantang made a bold assumption: Could it be that... Shen Huai'an and Consort Xiaoyu had an affair? Was Jiang Nianqi humiliated by Shen Huai'an because of their striking resemblance?

No, there are some things here that don't make sense.

Lin Wantang lowered her eyes and pondered quietly. No matter which one it was, as long as she could confirm it and find a handle, it would be easy to bring down Shen Huai'an and depose him from his position as crown prince.

"Is what you said true? Daoist Qingchenzi has entered the palace? And he's still outside the hall?" The Empress asked the reporting maid with surprise, her voice startling Lin Wantang, who was lost in thought.

As the Empress instructed her maid to hurry and invite her, soon a woman dressed in a white robe, holding a whisk, who was not tall but slender and graceful, walked gracefully into the hall.

"This humble Taoist priest, Qingchenzi, greets Your Majesty the Empress."

Lin Wantang recognized the other person's face among the crowd and was stunned for a moment. Qing Chenzi was actually... Liu Yuniang, whom she had met in Ding County!