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

Lin Wantang remained unmoved and insisted on bowing: "Your Highness, I am not afraid of being wronged, but I do not wish for Yong'an shoes..."

"alright!"

An Yang interrupted, sighing and giving Lin Wantang a slightly dissatisfied look. He had already seen that she was intentionally biased towards Yong'an. She should have stopped while she was ahead. Why was she still nagging and being so petty?

"Lin Wantang, that's enough!" Yong'an seized the opportunity to sneer, "You say I, the princess, am calling a deer a horse, wrongly accusing and taking my anger out on you, and making baseless accusations? Do you really have the nerve to do that?"

Yong'an sneered as she lifted her foot, revealing the hem of her embroidered pale yellow shoes. "These shoes are embroidered with white rabbits, but look closely, these are the rabbits that Chang'e pounds medicine in the Moon Palace. What connection do they have with my aunt's attributes?"

"You are spouting nonsense and attempting to falsely accuse this princess; your crime is compounded!"

As Yong'an finished speaking, her slightly raised shoe was about to kick Lin Wantang, but An Yang stopped her and gently shook her head, indicating that she should not neglect manners and teaching methods.

But a few words had already angered her and insulted Lin Wantang. Gritting her teeth in grief and indignation, she simply stepped forward and pounced on the shoes that Yong'an had not yet taken back.

Yong'an was startled and subconsciously pulled his foot back. Lin Wantang then leaned back, as if Yong'an was being domineering and kicking her.

"I...I didn't..." Yong'an looked at Lin Wantang, who had fallen in the rain, and knew she had been tricked, but she still subconsciously argued back. Then she steadied herself and angrily rebuked, "Are you sick in the head?! Falsely accusing this princess isn't enough, you also want to..."

"Yong'an".

An Yang spoke up to stop him, then looked at Lin Wantang, cleared his throat, and was about to say something more serious when the eunuch Gao Xuan announced from behind, "The Eastern Depot's Director, Lord Wei, has arrived!"

Yong'an's eyebrows twitched; she hadn't expected Wei Wujiu to come and look at her on his own initiative.

Her heart pounded, and she turned around to see Wei Wujiu striding towards her with long legs, followed closely by only one attendant holding an umbrella.

He was still wearing his court robes, which revealed his broad shoulders, narrow waist, and upright and steady figure with every step.

The sky was dark, and the rain was pouring down, yet he remained completely dry. His cold and stern features were still as Yong'an remembered, but his expression was more composed than three years ago, and his aura was much more restrained, like the hidden edge of a cold sword.

Wei Wujiu stepped forward, lifted his long robe with one hand, and bowed to the Princess and Yong'an: "Your humble servant Wei Wujiu greets the Princess and the County Princess."

He was polite, but quickly stopped. He didn't care about An Yang and Yong An's expressions. He walked towards Lin Wantang, took off his cloak and cloak and put it on her, then bent down and picked her up in his arms.

"Is the maidservant outside able to walk by herself?"

Lin Wantang was stunned and hadn't understood what he meant when Wei Wujiu landed on her knees. His strong palm was slightly warm and he applied his internal force, touching her knees through her clothes. In a moment, it dispelled the soreness and cold pain caused by kneeling for a long time.

Then, Wei Wujiu put her down again, wrapped the black fur cloak draped over her tightly, and handed her the hand warmer that Ye Ying had prepared: "Go."

Lin Wantang hesitated for a moment, puzzled, but ultimately decided against saying anything due to the situation. She nodded cautiously and took her leave.

As she walked away, Wei Wujiu bowed once more, kneeling on one knee before Anyang and Yong'an: "Please forgive Lin Wantang's disrespectful behavior, Your Highness. Lin Wantang is the Emperor's betrothed, and I cannot stand idly by while she is humiliated in the palace."

An Yang chuckled. On her way to the capital, she had heard about Lin Wantang's abrupt break-up with her engagement, which almost made her a laughingstock, and her decision to marry Wei Wujiu. At the time, she thought it was just a funny story and believed that Wei Wujiu, who was cold-blooded and powerful, could not possibly be devoted to one person, and would certainly not let a mere Lin Wantang disrupt his plans.

But now, looking at it, Wei Wujiu actually came in the rain for her, and his words not only showed his favoritism towards Lin Wantang, but also seemed determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Governor Wei, what do you mean by this?" An Yang's voice deepened, and his expression turned somewhat displeased.

Yong'an frowned anxiously, trying to plead for Wei Wujiu, but was stopped by a look from Anyang. Wei Wujiu remained indifferent and said, "This humble subject dares not. This humble subject only hopes that the Princess will be discerning and treat everyone equally."

The meaning is quite clear.

As the aunt, An Yang can certainly be biased towards Yong An, but don't forget that Wei Wujiu is involved, so this is a matter between the emperor and his minister. If it is not handled properly, An Yang has to think carefully about the face of the royal family and the rift between the emperor and his minister.

An Yang glanced at Yong An, then sighed helplessly, "Never mind, never mind. I'm getting old, and my love for my children is overwhelming. Please forgive me, Lord Wei. As for Yong An..."

An Yang was not a foolish or unreasonable person. If this had happened to any other princess or noblewoman, she would certainly have been the first to not let it go easily. However, Yong'an had suffered hardships in the northern frontier. After much hesitation, she finally made a firm decision: "Yong'an is willful and unruly, spoiled and willful, and has wantonly humiliated noble ladies. She is also improperly dressed. She is hereby confined to her quarters for one month!"

Yong'an never dreamed that even after Lin Wantang left, Wei Wujiu could still use this as an excuse to get her aunt to punish her. She was momentarily dumbfounded, "Aunt... Aunt..."

"Shut up!" An Yang's reproachful gaze turned cold. "After the banquet today, Yong'an will be punished by kneeling for four hours to reflect on his actions!"

After An Yang finished speaking, he lost his desire to go into the palace for pleasure and left with the help of the old woman.

Yong'an was left stunned and unable to react. After a moment, she saw Wei Wujiu about to leave, and then she snapped out of her daze and hurried after him.

"Brother Wujiu!"

Yong'an quickly stopped him: "Why are you doing this? I'm trying to help you. You always said you treated me like a little sister. You have a disability and no romantic feelings, which means you'll never get married, doesn't it?"

"I've heard it all. It's Lin Wantang who's shameless. She was unhappy about becoming the Crown Prince's concubine, so she openly pursued you. The Emperor had no choice but to grant you the marriage to save face. You had no other option, I understand..."

"Princess."

Wei Wujiu interrupted calmly, cupping his fists in a salute and saying, "Your Majesty's decision to bestow this marriage is my good fortune. Lin Wantang is the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's family, of noble status, and naturally virtuous. She should not be given to a concubine. It is not that she broke off the engagement improperly, but that there are extenuating circumstances."

"Your humble servant is neither virtuous nor talented. To have found such a wonderful spouse in this life is more than I could ever ask for. I hope Your Highness will refrain from further dissent."

His words contained not a single word of criticism against Lin Wantang; on the contrary, he did not hesitate to belittle himself in order to defend her.

Yong'an was stunned, and after a long while, he kept shaking his head: "No, that's not how it is..."

"Your Majesty has just granted me the imperial decree that the wedding will take place on the eighth day of the third month of the following spring."

Wei Wujiu accepted the gift and straightened up, his indifferent voice still so faint and cold: "Princess, if there is nothing else, this humble subject will take his leave."