Your Highness, your wife has had her virginity mark applied and married someone else.

Shen Mingshu fell back in pain, clutching her forehead, and recognized who it was.

"Wei Ziye!"

She stood up angrily, pointing her finger at Wei Ziye and cursing, "Are you fucking crazy! Climbing over my wall in the middle of the night, were you so pent up you went to a brothel to vent your frustrations! You pervert! You filthy lecher!"

Wei Ziye was stunned by her scolding and didn't react for a long time.

After Shen Mingshu had finished her tirade, she got out of bed, pointed at him, and continued to berate him until he retreated step by step toward the door.

"Shameless scoundrel! You're all talk and no action, always eyeing your brother's wife. Your skin is thicker than a city wall; even the sharpest pig-scraping knife would rust through you!"

At the critical moment, Shen Mingshu suddenly ripped the tablecloth and slammed it down on him!

He ran quickly towards the door, crying for help: "Help! Thief! Ah! Waaah!"

Wei Ziye gripped the tablecloth with one hand and covered her mouth with the other, gritting his teeth as he whispered in her ear, "Three years apart, and you've got quite a few dirty tricks up your sleeve, huh?"

"Waaaaah—"

Shen Mingshu was dragged further and further away from the door, and finally thrown back onto the bed.

She rolled over and immediately pulled a dagger from under her pillow, pointing it defensively at Wei Ziye.

"Breaking into a woman's private quarters in the middle of the night, what did I say wrong? Where are the guards? Did you kill them all?"

Seeing that her dagger was inlaid with precious stones and jade, Wei Ziye frowned in disdain: "So you just used your greed for wealth to get money from Wei Yuan to hire someone to kill someone?"

"What nonsense are you spouting!" Shen Mingshu was like a wolf cub at this moment, baring her teeth with every word: "I'm an honest, law-abiding citizen, why would I hire a thug or kill anyone!"

Seeing that Shen Mingshu wouldn't admit it, Wei Ziye narrowed his eyes and casually threw the tablecloth that Shen Mingshu had brought back to her!

With her view obstructed, Shen Mingshu had just used her dagger to cut open the tablecloth when the dagger inexplicably disappeared from her hand.

"you--!"

Without giving Shen Mingshu a chance to escape, Wei Ziye pounced on the bed, pinning the unruly woman beneath him and locking her struggling wrists tightly.

"An eye for an eye, Shen Mingshu, your revenge is always so mindless!"

Wei Ziye stared at the ruthless glint in Shen Mingshu's eyes, "It is precisely this ignorance that will always lead to the innocent being harmed!"

Shen Mingshu thought Wei Ziye was referring to the matter of ruining the Wei family banquet, and struggled in protest.

"Your Wei family stole my husband, and I ruined your banquet and you call that innocent? Wei Ziye, you're really lenient with yourself but harsh with others!"

"The person you hired to gossip is dead!"

A furious shout completely halted Shen Mingshu's struggles. "What did you say?"

Wei Ziye looked at the redness in Shen Mingshu's eyes: "Four families, not a single one survived, their bodies left to rot in the wilderness, with no one even to collect them."

Are you satisfied now?

"..."

For a moment, something inside her collapsed. Shen Mingshu stared blankly at Wei Ziye, her eyes trembling helplessly, and even her breathing trembled.

"I...I didn't—" Before he could even say the word "intentionally," the door was kicked open violently!

"The four thieves committed suicide to atone for their sins! The Jingzhao Prefecture has already closed the case. My elder brother came here to intimidate Ming Shu; could it be that he wants to use her to vent his anger on Shen Yangjue?"

Wei Yuan's sudden intrusion interrupted Shen Mingshu's panic.

In the blink of an eye, tears welled up and streamed down her face. Realizing that Wei Ziye was setting her up, Shen Mingshu angrily pushed Wei Ziye away, hurriedly straightened her clothes, and rushed into Wei Yuan's arms.

She looked exactly like a respectable woman about to be violated.

"Ah Yuan!" Shen Mingshu cried, helplessly hugging Wei Yuan tightly. "Thank goodness, thank goodness you came."

Wei Yuan was suddenly embraced, his cold expression now showing surprise and unease: "Ming Shu, I—"

Her fragrant fingertips gently touched his thin lips. Shen Mingshu looked up at him earnestly and said, "I understand."

Shen Mingshu was not a kind person; she believed that the compensation she gave was equal to what was offered.

Those who take her money will face corresponding dangers.

Wei Yuan was eager to help her clean up the mess, but he also gave her family a way to survive.

How things will develop next depends entirely on what the masked man wants to do with her clothes.

Wei Yuan's eyes gleamed, and the coldness instantly melted away. He hugged Shen Mingshu tightly, gazing at the silent Wei Ziye from afar.

"Big brother, Ming Shu and I need to rest."

"I will ask my grandmother to help me get justice for what happened tonight."

"..."

Shen Mingshu had never seen Wei Ziye so humiliated. Watching his silent departure, Shen Mingshu felt uneasy.

"Ah Yuan, is your cousin very disappointed?"

Shen Mingshu nestled in Wei Yuan's arms, clutching his clothes nervously: "Regarding the incident of the crowd cursing at the gate, I went to the yamen to inquire about the follow-up investigation, and the yamen said that my cousin had already suppressed the case."

"If he doesn't catch me to apologize to Shen Yangjue now, he'll definitely think of another way. Or else—"

The sense of security emanating from Wei Yuan gave Shen Mingshu a fleeting moment of greed: "How about I dress up as a man and become your page?"

"Cough cough—" Wei Yuan choked on his own saliva and suddenly coughed violently.

Shen Mingshu hurriedly went to pour him water.

She cupped her face in her hands, her almond-shaped eyes fixed intently on him as he drank water, and suddenly began to praise him.

"My husband is truly handsome beyond compare today."

"Ahem! Ming Shu—" Wei Yuan's ears turned red, and he felt a little embarrassed by Shen Ming Shu's praise: "Don't flatter me..."

"You only praised me once, and these are all Ming Shu's sincere words."

With a sweet smile, Shen Mingshu sat in Wei Yuan's lap, wrapped her arms around his neck, and unusually showed great affection for him.

"The young master is unparalleled in the world, and my husband is the most capable, kindest, most responsible, and most righteous among them! He is neither arrogant nor impatient, and also—"

"Alright, Ming Shu."

Wei Yuan helplessly covered Shen Mingshu's mouth and pretended to be serious as he spoke about serious business.

"Don't think that just because you've acted like this, I won't be angry at your audacity."

"Do you realize how dangerous your actions today are!"

Wei Yuan is three years younger than Wei Ziye and one year younger than Shen Mingshu, although he always tries to show his mature side and protect Shen Mingshu.

But he still has a naive and inexperienced air about him.

He thought that the suicide of the four thieves would allow the Jingzhao Prefecture to close the case and completely resolve the matter, but a little investigation like Wei Ziye's would reveal that their relatives had already left.

When it comes to decisions concerning the whole family, it's impossible for relatives to be completely unaware. Human nature is hard to look at directly; with a little pressure, they can reveal everything, regardless of how much mercy you showed them in the past.

Therefore, the real key lies in concealing one's identity.

Shen Mingshu disguised herself as a member of the Wei family to conceal her identity, but she didn't know how the masked man recognized her. So far, the other party had not made any move, so she didn't need to tell Wei Yuan and cause him worry.

They had no choice but to honestly admit their mistake.

"My husband is right. I know I was wrong. If I hadn't been so angry with Wei Ziye for protecting Shen Yangjue, I wouldn't have acted so rashly and almost dragged you down with me. Please forgive me, my husband?"

She kept calling him "husband," which made Wei Yuan desperately suppress his smile: "Remember to tell your husband what you want to do next time."

Shen Mingshu smiled and kissed him on the cheek: "But Mingshu has something she wants to do right now, doesn't she?"

"Would it be alright for Ming Shu to go to the academy and become A Yuan's page?"

"..."