My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 171

When Xie Jinghan left the side hall, it was already dusk.

He watched the sun set and realized that he and Wen Shuyao had been talking for a full two hours.

As soon as they stepped out of the side hall, the Empress stood to the side with a smile.

"How did you say it?" the Empress asked with a smile. "This is the first time I've seen you in such a hurry, and the first time I've seen you rush here just to apologize to someone."

“When you argued with your elder brother before, I never saw you lower your head.”

Every word the Empress spoke was full of profound meaning, and Xie Jinghan's ears turned bright red upon hearing it.

He covered his mouth and coughed lightly: "Sister-in-law, please stop teasing me."

The more they react this way, the more it proves their guess is correct.

The Empress laughed so hard her eyes disappeared; she was very happy to see this happen.

"I see that Shu Yao hasn't quite figured it out yet." The Empress patted Xie Jinghan on the shoulder. "You'd better work harder. A woman as good as Shu Yao will only attract more men in the future."

The Dali Kingdom has a lax system for managing marriage, and it is common for men and women to remarry. Even a princess can divorce and remarry.

Xie Jinghan heard all the Empress's words of advice.

His face turned slightly cold, and he said in a chilling voice, "Your Majesty need not worry, this will never happen."

With him around, he would never allow any other man to get close to Wen Shuyao.

Seeing Xie Jinghan's icy expression, the Empress couldn't help but recall Xie Jinghan's appearance when he was a child. He had the same expression, as if he was worried that his most beloved thing would be taken away.

“There are few men in this world as devoted as you, and in terms of status, those younger than you are not as noble as you, and those with a more noble status than you… are only your imperial brother.”

“I really don’t need to worry.” The Empress smiled and shook her head. “If Shu Yao doesn’t like you, she naturally won’t like anyone else either.”

Despite this, Xie Jinghan's expression remained extremely cold.

"There's absolutely no way that's possible." Xie Jinghan said this and turned to leave.

The Empress found his retreating figure rather strange.

After realizing the direction he had gone, she called out, "What are you doing?"

Xie Jinghan was heading to Consort Zhang's palace.

Xie Jinghan paused for a moment, then said without turning his head, "I'm going to find someone to settle accounts with. Don't stop me, sister-in-law."

Upon hearing this, the Empress sighed helplessly: "Alright, alright, but you should restrain yourself. After all, this is the palace, and she is your brother's most favored concubine."

“But in Your Majesty’s heart, no one can surpass you. Consort Zhang is nothing more than that.” Xie Jinghan seemed to have thought of something, and his tone was icy. “Once Your Majesty knows her true colors, I’m afraid Your Majesty will deal with her personally without me having to lift a finger.”

But now is not the time.

Xie Jinghan was much calmer than before. After calming down, he decided to keep Consort Zhang and let the emperor know the secret when the time was right.

As the saying goes, "to catch someone in the act of adultery, you must catch them in the act."

The emperor should witness that scene with his own eyes before he will give up.

Xie Jinghan left after he finished speaking.

The Empress was extremely worried when she saw his retreating figure.

"Go and follow them quickly," she said to the woman in green. "At this critical juncture, we can't afford to let the censors find fault with us again."

The fact that the Northern Di princess had taken the initiative to propose marriage had already caused a stir in the capital. If Xie Jinghan were to be impeached by the censor, it was likely that...

Thinking of this, she rubbed her furrowed brows: "If he makes too much of a commotion, we'll stop him. As for His Majesty... I'll go and talk to him."

Seeing the Empress's worried expression, the woman in green whispered, "You don't need to worry, the Prince surely has a plan in mind."

Before the Empress could speak, the woman in green continued, "Over the years, have you ever seen the Prince act impulsively?"

"That's not true..."

"Then Your Highness, please rest assured. Although the Prince intends to settle accounts with Consort Zhang, he will certainly not cross His Majesty's bottom line."

"Moreover……"

The man in green gave a cold laugh as he said this.

"As Your Highness said, in His Majesty's heart, you are still the most important person. Consort Zhang... is just a pastime for His Majesty in his spare time."

The words of the woman in green brought the Empress a slight sense of relief.

"Very well." The Empress nodded. "Then I'll leave this matter to you."

……

Consort Zhang was inside the palace, her chest heaving with anger.

She, a noble consort and the emperor's most beloved concubine, was confined to her quarters by the empress's casual remark.

Now, even when she tries to send a message out, she is stopped. She can't even get a glimpse of the emperor.

"What did the guards at the gate say?" Consort Zhang caught a glimpse of her personal maid entering and immediately asked, "Are all the gifts sent..."

"The guards refuse to accept it," the old woman said with difficulty. "They are completely unyielding and won't let me out at all."

"Not only servants, but everyone in the palace is not allowed to go out. Our daily meals are delivered by people sent by the Empress."

"Outrageous!" Consort Zhang slammed her hand on the table angrily. "How dare she treat me like this! When I see His Majesty, I will make her pay!"

The old woman gave a bitter smile to herself. If only it were that simple.

Over the years, although Consort Zhang was favored, she had no real power, and the harem was still under the control of the Empress.

Sometimes... sometimes she felt that Consort Zhang was nothing more than a caged bird kept by the emperor. When he was happy, he would give her some benefits, but when he was unhappy... just like now—she was at his mercy.

Having the emperor's favor but lacking power is like being in a situation where you can't even send a message to the emperor, just like now.

The old woman had many worries on her mind, but she couldn't tell Consort Zhang directly.

Consort Zhang was still furious, muttering to herself that she would teach the Empress a lesson.

Just then, a palace maid ran in, her face pale.

"King Jing...King Jing has arrived!"

The palace maid unconsciously swallowed as she spoke, her fear written all over her face.

Consort Zhang was in a fit of anger when she heard this, but she suddenly stood up, a look of joy in her eyes: "He's here? He's come to see me?"

"Your Highness!" the nanny called out loudly, "Prince Jing has come, probably because of today's welcoming banquet!"

The old woman's words pulled Consort Zhang out of her joy.

Consort Zhang's body stiffened inch by inch, and she gripped the armrest tightly: "Is he here to settle scores with me?"

Although unwilling to shatter Consort Zhang's hopes at this moment, the nanny nodded nonetheless: "Your Highness, you must remain clear-headed! Prince Jing... he's not easy to deal with!"

Upon hearing this, Consort Zhang slowly straightened up.

A cold smile played on her lips, and a sinister glint was faintly visible beneath her exquisite makeup.

"I'd like to see how she'll settle accounts with me. Does she think she can kill me?"

Consort Zhang laughed loudly and walked out of the bedchamber with her head held high.

Xie Jinghan!

She kept that name in her heart, with resentment and longing.