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

Hua Niansan frowned and winked at him.

Wei Wujiu then bowed and said, "...Your subject accepts the imperial decree and expresses his gratitude."

Hua Ershisan finally breathed a sigh of relief and quickly gestured to the two eunuchs to carefully help Wei Wujiu up. He also stepped forward with concern, saying, "Look at the cold ground, are your legs still nimble? Don't take advantage of your skills and squander your health!"

Hua Ershisan tried hard to brush away the ice shards from Wei Wujiu's body, but he couldn't get rid of them no matter what he did. He felt even more sorry for him: "You already had an old ailment, and now that you've caught a chill, it's no wonder you're getting sick!"

Hua Ershisan wanted to summon the imperial physician again, but Wei Wujiu stopped him, saying thoughtfully, "Father, how could this matter... involve Lin Wantang?"

"Sigh, this isn't the work of a jack-of-all-trades..."

Hua Ershisan almost let slip the secret, but it was too late to take it back. His expression was slightly embarrassed, and he said angrily, "You're blaming me for being talkative? Well, many people have said that you can't stick mutton to a dog, and it won't work if it's not your own flesh and blood. How could I be so confused?"

Wei Wujiu frowned even more, stopping Hua Niansan, who was about to storm off in a huff: "Godfather, you know perfectly well that's not what I meant."

Hua Niansan was taken aback. Didn't he know that Wei Wujiu was not good with words, but he was still very respectful and filial to him?

Hua Niansan shook his head helplessly: "Never mind, don't blame your godfather for being nosy. He's just worried about Lin Wantang. She's not an ordinary young lady from a prominent family; she's Lin Rucong's daughter."

As Hua Ershisan leaned closer to Wei Wujiu and whispered the last sentence, she added, "She's not a concubine's daughter born to a maid or servant; she's a legitimate daughter. According to her family's rank in the previous dynasty, she's a member of the imperial family, no less than you!"

If this were the previous dynasty, Lin Rucong would have been a prince of the highest rank, the Marquis of Pingjin, who was granted the title of "Iron-Cap Prince" by the emperor. He had rendered meritorious service in supporting the emperor and was highly respected by him. Although he had no kinship with the royal family, the Lin family had produced two empresses and seven generals.

"The glory of her family can't be described in a few words, nor is it exaggerated by storytellers and opera singers. It was earned through generations of bloodshed on the battlefield and remonstrances to the court. A daughter from such a family would rather give up a position as a concubine to the Crown Prince than marry someone like you..."

Hua Ershisan himself was a eunuch, so he couldn't very well use those two words to describe Wei Wujiu. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Is it wrong for me to be worried? Is it wrong for me to want to test her more?"

Having said all that, what more could Wei Wujiu say?

He gasped, then lowered his head somewhat awkwardly, saying, "Father is not wrong; it was I who was presumptuous."

"The wind is cold and the dew is heavy. Father, you have worked hard for me for a long time. You should go back and rest early." Wei Wujiu bowed and was about to leave when Hua Niansan grabbed his hand.

Hua Ershisan dismissed two trusted palace servants and, while helping Wei Wujiu put on his cloak, whispered, "Don't blame your adoptive father for being suspicious, but no matter what, you must never let her know your true identity. Remember that."

The cold wind howled, its faint sound almost scattering with the wind.

Yet his words, though sincere, conveyed a sense of solemnity and resolve.

Without thinking, Wei Wujiu nodded slightly, then helped Hua Niansan up and handed her over to two palace maids to attend to. He watched Hua Niansan leave with the palace maids before Wei Wujiu could no longer bear it and staggered, almost falling over again.

He had been kneeling for several hours, and his legs were so sore and numb that he had lost all feeling. When he suddenly stood up, the blood flowing through his body felt like needles pricking him, causing him unbearable pain.

Wei Wujiu's court robes were already soaked through with frost and dew, and an indescribable chill enveloped his body, making him feel as stiff as a stone, and the discomfort was even more indescribable.

Another palace servant tried to come forward to serve him, but he refused with one hand. He barely managed to steady himself and stood there for a long time until his blood had just mixed and the piercing pain gradually subsided before he stepped outside.

He exuded a cold aura, his face displeased, and strode leisurely for a long time, seemingly unmoved by the constant salutes of the guards on duty around him.

Until he stepped out of the palace gates and saw Lin Wantang waiting outside.

"How did you get here?"

Wei Wujiu spoke, his voice still icy cold.

After paying his respects at Chengqian Palace, Lin Wantang stayed outside the palace. Instead of seeking warmth in the carriage, he wore a snow-white fox fur coat and forgot to change the charcoal in his hand warmer, pacing back and forth nearby.

She didn't know how Wei Wujiu dealt with the robbery of tribute and the theft of the luminous pearl in his previous life, nor did she know what Shen Huai'an was trying to do. Lin Wantang only regretted that she hadn't paid any attention to Wei Wujiu in her previous life.

In this life, the two are husband and wife in name only. In addition to taking care of each other, they also need to find ways to weather the storm together.

Lin Wantang originally only wanted to use her memories from her previous life to help Wei Wujiu find the Night Pearl in the end. She pretended to be concerned to make him believe her more. However, she did not expect that during the long wait, she felt the cold wind and heard Ye Ying mention that this matter was related to her father, Lin Rucong.

Only then did she realize that Wei Wujiu would rather offend the emperor and kneel outside the palace than reveal her father's identity. This protection, regardless of whether he had any other motives, had touched her heart.

As she watched him walk out of the palace gate, she couldn't contain herself and rushed over to embrace him.

"Commander, I know everything..."

Lin Wantang, who had been silent and cold for a long time, spoke with a hoarse and strained voice.

Despite the few simple words, Wei Wujiu seemed to have read a deeper meaning. He hesitated for a moment, then glanced at Ye Ying standing beside the carriage out of the corner of his eye.

Night Hawk knew he had spoken out of turn, and hurriedly lowered his head in remorse.

"It's not Night Hawk's fault, the Commander shouldn't have kept it from me." Lin Wantang also noticed his gaze, and after saying that, she quickly moved away to avoid him: "Let's not talk about this now, Commander, please get into the carriage first."

Wei Wujiu didn't say anything, but strode into the carriage with his long legs. He then reached out and pulled Lin Wantang in. As the windproof curtain fell, Ye Ying hurriedly signaled the coachman to drive the horse back to the mansion.

Inside the carriage, Lin Wantang busied herself adding charcoal to the hand warmer. As she handed it to Wei Wujiu, she also quickly unscrewed a pot of hot wine: "Commander, have a couple of sips to warm yourself up."

Wei Wujiu was also looking forward to drinking, so he nodded without saying a word, took the drink, and tilted his head back to drink a few mouthfuls.

The strong liquor went down his throat, and while it was spicy, it also dispelled the coldness that had accumulated in his body, which really relieved his numb and frozen body quite a bit. He let out a long breath and then used the liquor flask to wipe the liquor from his lips: "You don't need to get involved in this mess."

Lin Wantang was about to help him change his cloak when she heard this, she paused, and looked up at him: "What does the Commander mean?"

"I'll handle the investigation, and the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will also be responsible for recovering the Night-Shining Pearl. Your father was framed and falsely accused, and I will investigate and clear his name. None of this has anything to do with you."