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

Chapter 170

"She acts with impunity in the harem because of the Emperor's favor towards her. But what if one day that favor vanishes..." Xie Jinghan's expression remained unchanged as he calmly asked, "Then what should she do?"

Si Qing knew that Xie Jinghan had already made up his mind.

“Since you have made your decision, I will naturally comply.” Si Qing cupped his hands and said, “However, this matter also concerns the Second Prince. Your Highness, you must be careful. The Second Prince’s maternal family is not easy to deal with.”

Xie Jinghan nodded slightly and headed towards the Empress's palace.

After dealing with the palace maid today, the Empress personally settled Wen Shuyao in the side hall.

Her expression was gentle, and her tone was even more tender when she spoke to Wen Shuyao: "After the Autumn Festival, I will have someone escort you out of the palace."

Just then, a woman in green strode in, her expression inscrutable. The first person she looked at upon entering was not the Empress, but Wen Shuyao: "Your Majesty, the Prince has arrived."

Green Robe was an old servant who had been by the Empress's side for a long time. She knew Xie Jinghan's temperament very well and knew that he never gave anyone a kind look except to the Emperor and Empress.

However, she noticed a hint of unease in Xie Jinghan's expression today.

Could it be because of what happened today?

When Green Robe saw Xie Jinghan's appearance, this was the first thought that popped into her mind.

Regardless of his thoughts, the man in green remained unmoved. After bowing to Xie Jinghan, he quickly came to report.

Seeing Wen Shuyao standing in the sunlight, even as a woman in green, one couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty.

No wonder... no wonder the prince, who is usually indifferent to women, is so special to Wen Shuyao.

Excitement gleamed in the green-clad woman's eyes as she exclaimed, "Judging from the prince's appearance, he's probably here to see the princess."

Upon hearing this, the empress, who was about to leave, withdrew her foot.

She smiled and said, "That's true. He must have heard that rumor when he came here today."

As she spoke, she glanced at Wen Shuyao with a smile and teased, "You've probably just come from the Taiji Hall and come here to apologize."

Wen Shuyao understood the meaning behind the Empress's words, and her face turned red.

She had always been indifferent to her relationship with Xie Jinghan.

However, in this side hall, everyone, including the Empress, was looking at her with the same eyes, giving her the illusion that Xie Jinghan was in love with her.

"Sister-in-law..." Wen Shuyao whispered sweetly, and only then did the Empress put away the expression on her face.

"Go see him first," the Queen said gently. "I still need to look around here to make sure I haven't missed anything."

In fact, the Empress had managed the harem for many years, and there was no need for her to personally inspect such a small side hall. Her actions were to leave space for the young lovers.

Wen Shuyao, without suspecting anything, followed the woman in green out of the room.

Xie Jinghan was already waiting inside the hall. When he saw Wen Shuyao, he involuntarily took a step forward.

Seeing this, the woman in green became even more certain of her guess.

She pulled Si Qing, who was still deep in thought, and quickly walked out of the main hall.

"Sister in green!" Si Qing cried out in pain as she was pulled. "Why are you like Granny Qi, always grabbing people like that?"

"If I hadn't pulled you away, you'd probably have been kicked by the prince." The woman in green rolled her eyes. "You've been by the prince's side for years, how come you don't even have this much sense?"

Upon hearing this, Si Qing was completely baffled. Green Robe stayed close to him, fearing that he might go in and disturb Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan.

Inside the hall, Wen Shuyao looked at Xie Jinghan, who had suddenly closed the distance between them, and a blush involuntarily crept onto her fair face.

Her gaze darted around: "Your Highness, you've come to see me..."

"What happened at today's welcoming banquet was my fault." Xie Jinghan lowered his head, his voice low and muffled. "I never expected that the Northern Di princess would resort to such despicable means."

Wen Shuyao was somewhat dazed upon hearing this: "Disgusting?"

Her gaze involuntarily fell on Xie Jinghan, scrutinizing his exposed skin several times before finding no trace of the marks she had imagined.

Could it be that Xie Jinghan's use of the term "despicable" was because the Northern Di princess's actions would sow discord between Xie Jinghan and the emperor?

At this moment, Xie Jinghan frowned, his handsome face slightly darkening: "Her actions are intended to sow discord between us as husband and wife."

夫妻感情？

Upon hearing Xie Jinghan's words, Wen Shuyao blinked and stood there stunned in astonishment.

Is there still any marital affection between her and Xie Jinghan?

But when she looked up again, she saw the unease in Xie Jinghan's deep eyes.

What is Xie Jinghan uneasy about?

Was he worried that... he might misunderstand?

That's why he said this was an attempt to drive a wedge between them...

Wen Shuyao felt her mind was in a mess, but Xie Jinghan was still looking at her with that deep gaze, which seemed to be stubborn, uneasy, or both.

Wen Shuyao's heart was in turmoil.

She took a step back, increasing the distance between herself and Xie Jinghan.

“Your Highness need not worry.” She considered for a moment and said in a low voice, “It’s just some rumors. Even if she is in love with Your Highness, I believe that with Your Highness’s character, you would never abandon me as your partner.”

Perhaps it was the word "partner" that served as a wake-up call for Xie Jinghan.

Xie Jinghan regained his composure.

He nodded slightly and said, "That's right, I will never abandon you."

However, the words he spoke with those deep, affectionate peach blossom eyes did not sound like he was agreeing with his business partner at all.

In a daze, Wen Shuyao felt that her situation corresponded to what Xie Jinghan had described as a married couple.

A moment later, she heard Xie Jinghan's voice again: "As for Consort Zhang... I will not let any of those who are trying to sow discord between us get away with it."

As he spoke, Wen Shuyao was still somewhat dazed.

At this moment, Wen Shuyao suddenly realized that, since when Xie Jinghan started talking to her, he no longer referred to himself as "this king".

When did her relationship with Xie Jinghan become so good that their social status could be ignored?

Wen Shuyao was filled with doubt, while Xie Jinghan reverted to the cold demeanor she remembered.

So she could only suppress her doubts and nod to Xie Jinghan: "Don't worry, no matter what rumors are circulating outside, I won't believe them unless they come from your mouth."

She trusted Xie Jinghan, not only because of his identity, but also because of his noble character—both in this life and the past.

Whether it was a misperception or not, Xie Jinghan seemed to breathe a sigh of relief after she finished speaking.

Wen Shuyao felt that she had gotten up too early today and was hallucinating.

"Then I'm relieved." Xie Jinghan said, suddenly striding forward.

Before Wen Shuyao could react, he reached out and gently patted her head.