Demoting my wife to a concubine? After being reborn, I turned around and married into the imperial f

Chu Xunzhen's expression was grim.

She had known for a long time that Nangong You was not a good person, but she was still shocked by his shamelessness today.

This person clearly sent men to the Ninth Prince's mansion to kidnap her, but now he's turning around and blaming her.

Nangong Yue suddenly spoke up: "Father, if you're determined to frame someone, you can always find a pretext. My third brother says I harmed him. Do you have any evidence?"

Nangong You was wrapped up like a mummy, with only his head showing.

His head slammed against the couch, making a loud thud: "Father, my Ninth Prince swaggered into my palace, beat me like this, and then left. All the guards in the palace can testify to this. I beg you, Father, to investigate and do justice for me!"

Nangong Yue remained standing in the same spot, her expression calm.

The emperor's gaze fell on Nangong Yue, and he asked, "Why did you suddenly go to your third brother's residence?"

"Your Majesty, my third brother sent men into the Ninth Prince's residence and abducted my princess. I was worried that she would be hurt, so I forced my way into the Third Prince's residence. As for why my third brother was injured like this, I truly do not know."

Nangong You was furious: "Royal brother, Father is here, how dare you lie? It was clearly you who deliberately sent someone to send the Princess Consort to the Third Prince's residence, and used that as an excuse to deliberately come and humiliate me."

Nangong Yue remained composed, looking at the Emperor and saying, "Father, how could I possibly do anything to damage the Princess's reputation? Besides, everyone knows that my third brother has a penchant for other men's wives."

The emperor's eyes flashed with anger. He slammed his hand on the table and said, "Nangong Yue's disrespect for his elder brother is a fact; he shall be punished with twenty strokes of the cane. As for Nangong You, the guards of the Prince's residence failed in their duty, allowing thieves to enter and harm the Prince. They shall all be executed."

Chu Xunzhen's gaze darkened.

This blatant favoritism was practically written all over the emperor's face.

On the surface, the emperor treated Nangong Yue very well, but in reality, he showed extreme favoritism towards Nangong You.

With a bang.

Chu Xunzhen knelt on the ground and said coldly, "Father, your daughter-in-law was kidnapped. The Ninth Prince came to rescue her, but he was to be punished with a beating. Your daughter-in-law is not satisfied. Your daughter-in-law has evidence to prove that it was the Third Prince who kidnapped her."

After the words were spoken, the emperor fell silent.

After a long pause, his expression darkened, and he asked, "What evidence is it?"

"The Third Prince abducted my daughter-in-law and dismantled the mechanism of her bracelet. A search of the Third Prince's mansion will surely find the silver needle that caused the mechanism in my bracelet. Furthermore, Luo Xing, a member of the Gu sect, works for the Third Prince and intends to use Gu poison to harm my daughter-in-law. There are still traces of Gu poison in the Third Prince's courtyard. All of this proves that the Third Prince abducted my daughter-in-law."

The emperor's gaze suddenly fell on Nangong You.

Chu Xunzhen knew that Nangong You had touched the emperor's sore spot.

His audacity in recruiting members of the Gu Sect to work for him had already displeased the emperor.

The Gu Sect serves the emperor, not any particular prince or princess.

"The Third Prince, Nangong You, deceived his superiors and concealed the truth. He should have been punished with a beating, but considering that he is covered in injuries, he is ordered to be confined to the Third Prince's residence for six months, and his salary will be halved. The Ninth Prince, Nangong Yue, should have respected his elder brother, but he forcibly entered his brother's residence. Considering that he is unwell, his punishment will be lighter. The punishment will be changed from a beating to a three-month salary deduction."

After the emperor finished speaking, he glanced at Nangong You with disappointment, waved his hand, and dismissed everyone.

Nangong You was carried out of the Imperial Study.

Nangong Yue pulled Chu Xunzhen along as they walked out of the Imperial Study.

He looked at Chu Xunzhen with a smile in his eyes and said, "Your Highness, what virtue or ability do I possess to deserve your marriage?"

"Your Highness is too kind." With that, the two took hands and headed towards Shou Kang Palace.

Shou Kang Palace.

Chu Xunzhen and Nangong Yue requested an audience with the Empress Dowager.

The attending nanny came out from the inner room and apologized to Chu Xunzhen and Nangong Yue, saying, "The Empress Dowager is not feeling well. She just took the medicine prescribed by the imperial physician and has already rested."

"Then please tell the Empress Dowager that your grandson and granddaughter-in-law will come to visit again next time."

"Yes, respectfully seeing off the Ninth Prince and Ninth Princess."

Chu Xunzhen and Nangong Yue left Shou Kang Palace and had only reached the North Gate when they saw the Third Prince's carriage.

Nangong You's eyes blazed with fury as he stared intently at Nangong Yue, a cold smile playing on his lips: "Royal brother, take good care of your wife, and next time I will surely get what I want."

Nangong Yue's eyes flashed, and a murderous aura rose within her.

He placed his right hand on the sword at his waist, ready to draw it and kill someone.

Nangong You panicked, got into the carriage, and shouted, "Quick! Back to the Prince's Mansion!"

The carriage sped away.

Chu Xunzhen pressed down on Nangong Yue's hand and gently shook her head at him.

A dark glint flashed in Nangong Yue's eyes.

Nangong You coveted his wife; if he doesn't die today, he will die someday.

Back at the Ninth Prince's residence, Nangong Yue summoned Anshun and asked, "What happened? The Ninth Prince's residence, with its supposedly ineffective guards, allowed the Third Prince's residence to kidnap the Princess?"

An Shun knelt on the ground in fright and said, "Your Highness, I have found out that someone poisoned the well, and all the guards in the manor drank the well water. Except for a very few people, who did not drink it, they were also knocked out by the Third Prince's men. I failed in my duty to guard the well and am willing to die to atone for my sins."

Nangong Yue's gaze turned cold, and she was about to grant his request, but Chu Xunzhen shook her head at him: "Your Excellency has always been loyal. Now that you have made a mistake, why not atone for it by finding Luo Xing for me?"

Anshun knelt on the ground and nodded vigorously, saying, "Thank you, Your Highness, thank you, Your Highness. I will go and make the arrangements immediately."

Watching Anshun's retreating figure, Nangong Yue said with some dissatisfaction, "Sister, Anshun has neglected her duty. If I hadn't found you yesterday, you would probably have been injured. How can I forgive you?"

Before Chu Xunzhen could say anything more, the gatekeeper suddenly announced, "Gu Changfeng of the Marquis of Zhongyi's residence requests an audience with the Ninth Prince's Consort."

The courtyard fell silent instantly.

Nangong Yue's gaze fell on Chu Xunzhen, and she asked, "Sister, do you want to see him?"

Hearing the drawn-out, lingering tone, Chu Xunzhen could hardly bear it.

This person speaks so vividly, and why does he draw out the last syllable? It's so alluring.

"See."

As Chu Xunzhen finished speaking, Nangong Yue looked aggrieved, like a wronged little wife.

"I just want to know, what does he want with me? Your Highness, would you like to come with me?"

Upon hearing this, the aggrieved look in Nangong Yue's eyes vanished completely, and she even curled up the corners of her lips.

Ankang was greatly shocked when he saw the prince like this.

His memory is still stuck in the past.

He was only sent abroad for a short time and has only been back for a short time. How come the prince seems like a completely different person?

No wonder people say that a man changes once he gets married.

Chu Xunzhen looked at Nangong Yue, feeling a mix of emotions.

He clearly didn't want her to see him, yet he still asked for her opinion. She really liked that feeling of being respected.

The two walked together to the front hall.

Chu Xunzhen looked up and saw Gu Changfeng, tall and elegant, standing to the side admiring the calligraphy and paintings.

He seemed to hear footsteps, turned around, and saw Chu Xunzhen.

A smile spread across his eyes, but when his gaze fell upon Nangong Yue behind Chu Xunzhen, the smile froze.

"Lord Gu, what brings you to see me, the Princess Consort?"

As Chu Xunzhen finished speaking, Gu Changfeng's gaze darkened, and he said, "I had my reasons for what happened yesterday. I hope you won't blame me."

Chu Xunzhen looked surprised and waved her hand, saying, "Lord Gu, there's no need to say more. We're just nodding acquaintances. I understand your actions, so why blame me?"

Gu Changfeng felt a pang of pain in his heart upon hearing this, but the thought that Chu Xunzhen might have said this on purpose because Nangong Yue was there made him feel much better.

"Ninth Princess Consort, the injuries on the Third Prince were inflicted by me. How dare he treat you like this! I will never let him get away with this."

After Gu Changfeng finished speaking, he stared at Chu Xunzhen, waiting for her to be moved.

But to everyone's surprise, Chu Xunzhen showed no surprise or gratitude; instead, she revealed a hint of disgust.

Nangong Yue's anxiety subsided.

He knew that his sister was now his. Whenever he thought about his past life, he always had a feeling of unreality.

In her past life, she was so good to Gu Changfeng that he almost wanted to kill him several times. But he couldn't. He didn't want her to work so hard alone to support the Marquis's mansion. So he could only secretly cooperate with her to make Gu Changfeng's career progress more smoothly.

If Gu Changfeng succeeds, he will definitely treat her even better.

Finally, he realized he had made a mistake. He learned that Gu Changfeng favored his concubine over his wife.

His sister treated him so well, and this was how he repaid her?

In this life, he took the initiative, preventing Gu Changfeng from having any chance of touching his sister. Now, however, he still comes to pester her relentlessly.

Gu Changfeng noticed Nangong Yue's gaze, but he was not afraid.

Seeing Gu Changfeng's fearless demeanor, Chu Xunzhen said, "Lord Gu, how dare you harm the Third Prince? Now the Third Prince believes that we deliberately injured him and has already reported it to His Majesty. I presume Lord Gu is aware of this as well? If Lord Gu truly wishes to help us, then he should personally go to His Majesty to apologize and say that you personally struck the Third Prince, and that it has nothing to do with my Ninth Prince's Mansion."

Gu Changfeng's expression was quite interesting.

"Chu Xunzhen, how could you say such a thing? If I were to plead guilty to His Majesty, how could I possibly live? Even my Marquis of Zhongyi's mansion would be implicated."

Chu Xunzhen's gaze was indifferent as she said, "So what? Didn't Lord Gu want to stand up for me? I've already said that your self-righteous intervention has harmed me and the Prince. Now that I've shown you a path that can truly help me, you're unwilling. Did Lord Gu come here today to ask me for gratitude? I only think that you deliberately beat the Third Prince, causing him to sue me and the Prince."

Gu Changfeng panicked, raised his right hand, and swore to the heavens: "When I beat up the Third Prince before, it was because I genuinely wanted to stand up for the Princess. I did not conspire with the Third Prince to harm you. If what I said is false, may I die a horrible death."

Chu Xunzhen smiled in surprise: "Lord Gu is truly interesting. If there's nothing else, please leave. This princess and the prince are still busy."

Gu Changfeng clenched his fists, his gaze turning cold: "Chu Xunzhen, from today onwards, you can no longer sleep in the same room as Nangong Yue."

As soon as Gu Changfeng finished speaking, Qingsong, who was waiting behind him, widened his eyes.

The adult didn't want to live, but Qingsong did.

How could a mere guard like him possibly listen to such words?

Nangong Yue's gaze was icy as she said, "Lord Gu, how dare you interfere in my private affairs?"

His murderous gaze and cold tone instilled a sense of fear in Gu Changfeng.

But he couldn't take it anymore.

Chu Xun truly belongs to him.

How could he allow so many people to lay their hands on her?

"Chu Xunzhen, I'm here today to warn you. If you don't sleep in a separate room from the Ninth Prince tonight, you'd better wait and see."

With that, he turned and left.

Nangong Yue spoke up: "Stop!"

Ankang immediately led his men to surround him.

"Take Lord Gu away and teach him a lesson about the difference between a master and a subject."

Gu Changfeng was taken away by the guards. He struggled and looked at Chu Xunzhen, saying, "Chu Xunzhen, why aren't you telling them to let me go? If you don't let them let me leave, you'll regret it."

Chu Xunzhen raised an eyebrow: "What I regret most is that I was engaged to you. Even though the engagement has been broken off, the thought of being betrothed to you makes me want to vomit."

Qingsong stood there, so frightened that he squatted down on the ground, covering his head with his hands.

He's gone mad! He's absolutely mad! Has Gu Changfeng gone insane? How dare he tell the princess not to sleep with him in front of the prince?

Just then, Chu Xunzhen looked over.

"Are you the pine tree?"