Taking her into his tent, he incurred the wrath of a powerful and mad minister, from which he could

The man's figure completely disappeared from sight.

Mingyi's legs went weak, and she collapsed heavily back onto the couch as if all her strength had left her. Her back was already soaked with cold sweat without her realizing it.

She raised her hand to touch her neck, the touch of his palm still lingering on her skin.

In a daze, I felt that hand was still gripping my neck, not loosening its grip even slightly.

Difficulty breathing.

Seeing that her face was pale, A-Qing quickly stepped forward and bent down to ask with concern, "Miss, are you alright?"

Mingyi snapped out of her daze, glanced at Aqing, but remained silent with a pale face, her eyes lowered.

"Why are you doing this, young lady?"

Ah Qing could tell that Ming Yi was terrified; she didn't have the courage to do it again.

A-Qing frowned and whispered, "Miss really shouldn't have talked back to Second Master like that. I was standing there, my heart was in my throat!"

"Fortunately, the Second Master was in a good mood today and, out of pity for your health, did not punish you seriously. You must never act so impulsively again."

Mingyi responded weakly.

Ah Qing felt a little relieved after hearing what she said, and turned to the table to make tea.

At this moment, Ah Qing and the servants inside the house were unaware that today was just the beginning, and that such nerve-wracking scenes would be repeated countless times in the future.

"Young lady, have a cup of tea to calm your nerves."

Mingyi took the teacup from Aqing, took a sip, and it took her a while to recover.

Then I couldn't help but wonder, what did Zong Xian go about?

Mingyi soon learned that Zongxian had gone to the old lady to ask for a formal title for her.

...

"What did you say? You want to take her as a concubine first?"

Madam Zong looked bewildered.

Zong Xian said solemnly, "Yes, I would like to take Ji Mingyi as a concubine first."

Madam Zong was puzzled and frowned as she advised, "Your engagement with Princess Jianing has just been finalized, so the wedding date shouldn't be too far off. At most, the princess will enter the family next March."

The General of the Northern Garrison had just returned to the capital when the Emperor's decree for the marriage was issued that very day. The matter was settled so quickly that the entire court was caught off guard.

His marriage to the princess is now a done deal, and the news will soon spread throughout the capital.

March is an auspicious month for marriage, an excellent time, and Madam Zong had already chosen it long ago.

Zong Xian remained expressionless: "We'll have to take her in sooner or later, so there's no problem with taking her in earlier. I just don't want to wait any longer."

Madam Zong looked disapproving and wanted to persuade her further: "You're so eager to promote Ji Mingyi, I'm worried that the Zhenbei General's Mansion will resent you if they find out. Besides, that girl is right under your nose now, with you every day. What's the rush? She's not going to run away, is she?"

Now that Xie Huaiyu doesn't want her anymore, wouldn't it be foolish for her to want to leave the Zong family mansion, this haven of wealth and luxury?

Therefore, Madam Zong had complete confidence in Ji Mingyi.

But Zongxian was worried.

Although she behaved exceptionally well-behaved after returning to the manor, and he didn't think she wanted to run away, he still felt inexplicably uneasy.

Especially her expression of wanting to die when she confronted him just now amplified his unease.

So he thought, perhaps he should give her a title to bind her to his name and completely imprint her with his mark.

Only then can he be completely at ease.

He remained calm and spoke matter-of-factly: "My marriage to the princess was bestowed by the Emperor. Even if they have any complaints, they cannot annul the engagement."

Madam Zong choked.

Zong Xian was right; his marriage to Princess Jianing was a political alliance orchestrated by the emperor.

Regardless of which party initiates the annulment of the engagement, it is tantamount to openly defying the emperor's will and opposing the Son of Heaven.

Even though the General of the North loved his daughter dearly and held the power of 300,000 troops, he would never dare to disobey the emperor's orders. Even if they were displeased, they could only suppress their anger.

Therefore, Zong Xian was fearless and did not care about the General's Mansion's thoughts at all.

No one can stop him from doing what he wants or getting what he desires.

Having lived most of her life, Madam Zong could see right through him. Zong Xian didn't simply want to take a concubine; he was clearly captivated by that girl.

Knowing she couldn't persuade him otherwise, she had no choice but to relent: "Fine, if you insist on taking her as your wife, I won't stop you. But have you considered the consequences?"

"Princess Jianing is not yet married into the family, and you are taking a concubine first. It is not a big deal if this gets out and it damages the princess's reputation, but I am afraid that your political enemies will impeach you, saying that you disrespect the royal marriage and are disrespectful to the emperor."

This is the most troublesome part. Princess Jianing is a member of the royal family, and her dignity is of paramount importance.

Zong Xian had already made up his mind on his way to Yongshou Hall. He raised his eyes and said calmly, "I will not let her enter the mansion as an ordinary concubine."

Madam Zong was taken aback: "What are your plans?"

"Put her under my sister-in-law's name, recognize her as my sworn sister, and consider her someone my sister-in-law has promoted. In this way, she won't be considered to have entered my room directly, which is acceptable in terms of etiquette, and no one else can find too much fault with her."

Madam Zong paused for a moment, carefully weighing the pros and cons.

Registered under Liu's name, and recognized as sworn sisters, it was only said to outsiders that Liu pitied Ji Mingyi's loneliness and took him into the mansion to take care of him, and that Liu was in charge of promoting him, rather than that he was impatient to take a concubine.

This avoided offending the princess, and for the time being, the censors and officials in the court could not find any solid grounds to attack.

It is indeed a safe and roundabout approach.

Madam Zong's eyes held a complex expression: "You've gone to such lengths to pave the way; you truly value that girl. Tell your mother, have you fallen for her?"

Zong Xian did not answer directly. He stood up, cupped his hands, and said, "Please ask Mother to write a letter for me and send it to my sister-in-law. This matter should be handled as soon as possible."

Madam Zong pointed at him and said with a helpless smile, "You, you can't even wait a moment?"

...

Not long ago, a member of the Liu family passed away, so Liu took her young son back to her hometown in Chaozhou to handle the funeral arrangements. She won't be able to return for a while.

Zong Xian's anxiety was useless.

Madam Zong then instructed the head maid to write a letter in her name and send it by fast horse to Chaozhou to explain to Madam Liu the matter of recognizing her as a sworn sister and to obtain her consent first.

After finishing his business there, Zong Xian returned to Songhe Garden.

The servants had just prepared the herbal medicine and brought it over.

Mingyi couldn't stand the smell and knew it must taste terrible; her face was full of resistance.

But when she saw that Zong Xian had returned, she was terrified of him, so she picked up the bowl of medicine and gulped it down.

His face was contorted with bitterness; he didn't want to say a single word.

Zong Xian then took out a candied fruit and handed it to her.

Mingyi glanced at him but didn't answer.

Zong Xian raised an eyebrow: "You refuse to take it, are you waiting for me to feed you myself?"

Who knows what kind of feeding method he uses?

Mingyi quickly reached out and grabbed it, stuffing it into her mouth and chewing it until her cheeks were bulging. Zongxian looked at her and thought she was kind of cute.

He lifted his shirt and sat down directly beside her.

Mingyi instinctively tried to stand up, but he noticed in advance and placed his hand on her shoulder.

Mingyi immediately froze, too afraid to move.

Like a startled quail.

"Where to?" Zong Xian asked.

Mingyi wanted to say she should go back, but when she met his indifferent eyes, she fearfully changed her mind and said weakly, "There's more space over there, I'll sit there..."

Zong Xian narrowed his eyes slightly, his tone languid yet imposing: "You used to be able to sit directly on my lap, why are you pretending to be so reserved now?"

Is she just pretending to be reserved?

Mingyi had nothing to say, so she simply changed the subject.

"Did you go to Yongshou Hall to see the old lady just now, sir?"

Zong Xian hummed in agreement, his fingers casually playing with a strand of her hair.

He is quite composed.

Mingyi was a little curious and a little uneasy, and couldn't help but ask, "What did the master say to the old lady?"