This celebratory banquet had originally been prepared for Prince Jun of Xia, Yin Zhan. However, in the end, it was Yin Zhan who lost face and failed to obtain what he wanted. Although Emperor Hongxiao bestowed many gold, silver, and jewels, upon reflection, many years ago, General Zhaode had already filled his storehouses with gold and silver rewards earned through illustrious military achievements.

What everyone at the banquet eagerly discussed was still the betrothal between Jiang Li and Ji Heng. In truth, both Yin Zhili and Ji Heng seemed like good choices. They were similar in age—Yin Zhili gentle and refined as jade, Ji Heng handsome and strikingly beautiful. One was the heir of a prince, the other a Duke. However, in comparison, Yin Zhili appeared far more approachable than Ji Heng, and his temperament was milder. That Duke of Su was known for his unpredictable moods and killing without blinking an eye. Although Second Miss Jiang appeared to be marrying into glory and splendor, it might not actually be better than marrying into the Yin family. Thinking this way, the womenfolk’s jealousy and envy of Jiang Li dissipated somewhat, replaced instead by some sympathy—though naturally, there were also those who gloated over her misfortune. Jiang Li observed all this but said nothing. Throughout this entire day, from beginning to end, she had maintained complete composure. Even when Emperor Hongxiao granted the marriage, she showed not the slightest loss of composure.

And so it continued until the celebratory banquet concluded.

When it ended, everyone prepared to leave the palace. Many colleagues congratulated and gave their good wishes to Jiang Yuanbai. Jiang Yuanbai felt bitter in his heart but could only smile and accept their words. Jiang Li stood to one side, her gaze falling upon Ji Heng. He stood up very slowly, as if he didn’t feel that today he had stirred up such a significant matter. His eyes met Jiang Li’s from afar. Seeing Jiang Li looking at him, he raised his lips in a smile that was truly dazzling to behold.

To dare act so obviously at this moment, not fearing that people would notice something amiss—Jiang Li thought to herself, quickly lowering her head and avoiding Ji Heng’s gaze, pretending to be indifferent. Yet she didn’t know that all this was observed by two people.

One was Yin Zhili, the other Yin Zhiqing. These two siblings had respectively taken an interest in Jiang Li and Ji Heng, so naturally they were watching the other party’s every move. At this moment, watching Jiang Li and Ji Heng’s eye contact with their own eyes, they clearly didn’t seem “unfamiliar” at all. Yin Zhiqing stood there in a daze, nearly unable to hold back her tears. Yin Zhili wasn’t as visibly distraught as Yin Zhiqing, but a flash of dejection still passed through his eyes.

She had known all along. Ji Heng’s request for a marriage decree—she must have been full of joy in accepting it. A dull ache rose in Yin Zhili’s heart, not sharp, but extremely uncomfortable. He recalled how each time he went to the Jiang residence to see Jiang Li, she would smile at him too. At that time, he thought that at least Jiang Li didn’t dislike him. But seeing the way Jiang Li looked at Ji Heng, he understood what it looked like when Jiang Li truly liked someone.

It was absolutely nothing like when she faced him.

Yin Zhan walked past the two siblings, his face still bearing a hearty smile. “Let’s go!” he said.

Only then did Yin Zhili react. He composed his emotions, pretending nothing had happened. Madam Yin also took Yin Zhiqing’s hand and said softly, “Zhiqing, let’s go.”

The family departed just like that.

On the other side, Jiang Yuanbai finally managed to deflect the congratulations from a pile of colleagues. By the time Jiang Li left, Ji Heng had already vanished without a trace. She didn’t take this matter to heart either, and returned to the residence together with Jiang Yuanbai’s party.

On the way back to the residence, Jiang Li still shared a carriage with the brothers Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou. Jiang Jingrui examined Jiang Li’s expression. He seemed to have a belly full of questions he wanted to ask, tried hard to restrain himself, but in the end couldn’t hold back. He said to Jiang Li, “You’ve been granted a marriage, yet you don’t seem to care at all?”

“Then how should I act?” Jiang Li asked curiously.

“At least… you should show a little surprise,” Jiang Jingrui muttered. “Moreover, going from the heir of Prince Jun to the Duke of Su—how can you not be afraid at all?”

“Why should I be afraid?”

Jiang Jingrui seemed shocked by Jiang Li’s matter-of-fact questioning. He asked, “Haven’t you heard the rumors about the Duke of Su?”

“I have,” Jiang Li said. “Perhaps they’re all hearsay. Previously, didn’t the entire capital of Yanjing say that I murdered my mother and killed my enemy? Yet what was the truth—no one knew. Perhaps the Duke of Su has experiences similar to mine, merely outsiders spreading false rumors.”

Jiang Jingrui and Jiang Jingyou were both stunned. Seeing their unusual expressions, Jiang Li asked, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re really strange. Usually, we haven’t seen you defend other people like this,” Jiang Jingrui said. “When Grandmother wanted you to spend more time with the heir of Prince Jun, you weren’t willing. Now suddenly you’ve been granted a marriage to a stranger, yet you don’t resist at all and even speak up for him. Jiang Li,” Jiang Jingrui said, “could it be that you think the Duke of Su is good-looking, so you treat him better than the heir of Prince Jun? But the heir of Prince Jun isn’t bad-looking either.”

Jiang Li said irritably, “Nonsense.”

“Ah,” Jiang Jingrui suddenly sighed again. “Now it’s too late to say anything. The imperial decree has been issued. Even if we know the Duke of Su has a bad temperament, there’s no way to break off the engagement now. Originally, we thought it would be the heir of Prince Jun…” His face was full of regret.

The Jiang family members seemed to universally believe that Yin Zhili was a better choice than Ji Heng. However, after tonight’s actions by Emperor Hongxiao, Jiang Yuanbai and Jiang Yuanping probably wouldn’t think the same way as before. Jiang Jingrui still didn’t understand the complex situation at court, but the other Jiang family members weren’t foolish.

Jiang Li guessed that after returning to the Jiang residence, Jiang Yuanbai would want to have a “heart-to-heart talk” with her.

Indeed, when the carriage arrived at the gates of the Jiang residence, Jiang Li wanted to return to her courtyard. She had only walked a few steps when Jiang Yuanbai called out to her. He said, “Xiao Li, come with me for a moment.”

Bai Xue and Tong’er looked at Jiang Li with concern. Jiang Li gave them a reassuring look, then followed Jiang Yuanbai to the study.

As soon as the door closed, Jiang Yuanbai turned and said, “Tonight, when the Duke of Su requested the marriage decree—did you know about this in advance?”

Jiang Li said, “No.”

She had no choice but to lie about this matter. If she admitted it, Jiang Yuanbai would only think that her previous warning about problems with the Yin family was motivated by personal interest.

Jiang Yuanbai looked at her suspiciously.

“I truly didn’t know about this marriage decree, and I didn’t even know that Prince Jun of Xia would request such a marriage decree from the Emperor. However, there is one thing I knew—the Jiang family and the Yin family absolutely cannot become too close. As soon as there’s any sign of this, someone will definitely jump out to obstruct it. I didn’t expect that person would be the Duke of Su.”

Jiang Yuanbai was half-believing, half-doubting. He said, “Are you telling the truth?”

“If Father doesn’t believe me, then I have no need to continue speaking.” Jiang Li’s attitude was frank, which actually made Jiang Yuanbai feel he was being too calculating. Looking at the daughter before him, his heart filled with some emotion. Jiang Li was a young maiden—what young maiden spent all day worrying about court politics? There were young ladies who became pawns sacrificed for their families, but the daughters of the Prime Minister’s household should have been pampered and cherished, not troubled by such trivial matters.

“Why would the Duke of Su request to marry you?” Jiang Yuanbai said. “Before this, in Huangzhou as well, he saved you… Have you two… been in contact all along?”

“The matter in Huangzhou was a coincidence. Between the Duke of Su and myself, it’s not as Father imagines. As for why the Duke of Su would request to marry me, I suspect he knew long ago about Prince Jun of Xia’s intention to form a marriage alliance with the Jiang family. He simply struck first.”

“So you’re saying he values you, which is why he would compete with the Yin family for you,” Jiang Yuanbai said.

“Father really overestimates me too much,” Jiang Li smiled slightly. “Whether it’s the Yin family or the Duke’s mansion, neither would overturn the big picture for the sake of one daughter. I believe the Duke of Su requested to marry me not because he values me, but simply because he didn’t want the Jiang and Yin families to form a marriage alliance. Father, don’t forget—the Duke of Su is loyal to His Majesty. In this marriage decree, His Majesty’s attitude is also intriguing. It seems His Majesty would rather have me marry into the Duke’s mansion than marry into the Yin family. What does this indicate?”

Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li. The words he was thinking in his heart were truly difficult to speak aloud. In fact, he had already guessed that possibility, but was unwilling to believe it. If he said it out loud, it would prove that he had misjudged the situation before, that he had made the wrong choice, and that he might have to pay the price for his previous choice in the future.

“His Majesty suspects Prince Jun of Xia and doesn’t trust him. Prince Jun of Xia holds military power, and Father is the head of all civil officials. How do we know Prince Jun of Xia won’t be the next Prince Cheng? Prince Cheng failed to win over the Jiang family—if Prince Jun of Xia succeeded, how could His Majesty feel at ease? In comparison, the Duke of Su has neither military power nor divided loyalties. Of course, the Duke of Su is the superior choice. I suspect that perhaps even this marriage decree wasn’t actually proposed by the Duke of Su himself. It was His Majesty’s idea, and the Duke of Su simply carried it out.”

Jiang Li’s words mixed truth with fiction, but sounded more believable than something entirely true or entirely false. Jiang Yuanbai felt the same way. He recalled Emperor Hongxiao’s reaction at the banquet. Although the young Emperor was growing up day by day and becoming increasingly unfamiliar, at that moment, he could still sense that Emperor Hongxiao was observing.

Emperor Hongxiao truly didn’t trust Yin Zhan. On this point, Jiang Li wasn’t lying.

“What exactly did Prince Jun of Xia do…” Jiang Yuanbai murmured. “If His Majesty didn’t trust him, he wouldn’t have summoned him back to the capital in the first place.”

“Prince Cheng’s uprising was imminent, so naturally Prince Jun of Xia had to come out and establish merit,” Jiang Li answered. “Has Father considered that perhaps even without this matter with Prince Cheng, Prince Jun of Xia would have returned to the capital one day? His Majesty simply went with the flow. It’s like closing the door to beat the dog—first placing Prince Jun of Xia under his watchful eye. If he wants to make a move, it will also be easier to observe.”

Jiang Yuanbai frowned and stared at Jiang Li. He felt that Jiang Li knew more than just this. Her attitude toward the Yin family had been avoidant from the start, as if she knew from the beginning that the Yin family was trouble. But Jiang Li was a daughter from the inner chambers—how did she know so much? In all of Yanjing capital, aside from the Jiang family, the only official family she knew was Ye Shijie. But even he didn’t know these things, so how could Ye Shijie possibly know? Could it be… Ji Heng?

Jiang Yuanbai felt another headache coming on. Jiang Li insisted that she had no relationship with Ji Heng, but Jiang Yuanbai’s intuition told him otherwise. However, this daughter’s lips were sealed tight. He couldn’t force Jiang Li to tell the truth, so he could only helplessly worry in vain.

“Father,” Jiang Li asked, “back then, why did the Late Emperor transfer Prince Jun of Xia to the northwest, to Yunzhong?”

This matter was something Jiang Li couldn’t investigate no matter what. When she asked Ji Heng and Old General Ji, they both told her not to get involved. So Jiang Li thought perhaps Jiang Yuanbai might know some clues.

Jiang Yuanbai shook his head. “When the Late Emperor made that decision, I wasn’t yet the Chief Grand Secretary. I don’t know the inside details. But after all these years, there haven’t been any rumors circulating either. This shows that very few people know about this matter. The Late Emperor didn’t tell others.”

His words only made Jiang Li more suspicious. For no reason at all, why would the Late Emperor suddenly issue a transfer order? Before this, she had heard that the Late Emperor and Prince Jun of Xia had an extremely good relationship. Although they were half-brothers, they were closer than blood brothers. Something must have caused a rift between them, but this matter probably wasn’t serious enough for the Late Emperor to directly kill Prince Jun of Xia. So he left a thread of survival, which led to the current chaotic situation.

Jiang Li’s words seemed to remind Jiang Yuanbai as well. He stopped asking other questions and became lost in thought.

Jiang Li waited for a long time. When Jiang Yuanbai still didn’t say anything else, after a while, Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Li and said, “Forget it. You go back first. I’ll slowly inquire more clearly about these matters.”

Jiang Li nodded. Just as she was about to leave, she was suddenly called back by Jiang Yuanbai.

He said, “Xiao Li… His Majesty’s marriage decree cannot be changed. You’re marrying the Duke of Su… Ji Heng—this person has a bad reputation outside. They say he’s unpredictable. If you marry into his household, perhaps it won’t be as glorious as it appears on the surface… Are you willing?”

“Father, what’s most important isn’t whether I’m willing or not, but that things have already reached a point of no return,” Jiang Li turned around and said coolly. “Back when Father hoped I could marry Yin Zhili, you never cared whether I was willing or not, even when I expressed my resistance.”

Jiang Yuanbai moved his lips, but Jiang Li’s words left him speechless.

“The Duke of Su Ji Heng merely has worse rumors, that’s all. The Yin family, on the other hand, has everyone’s praise, yet they’re specifically guarded against by His Majesty. That’s what will drag the Jiang family into an irredeemable abyss. Since I’m already a member of the Jiang family, I cannot escape the destiny of being caught up in all this. Since that’s the case, I might as well find someone who seems to have the greatest chance of winning. From the matter with Prince Cheng, Father should be able to see that His Majesty is no ordinary person. I believe His Majesty is the strongest—surpassing Prince Jun of Xia.”

After saying these words, she bowed to Jiang Yuanbai, withdrew from the study, and left without looking back.

…

At the Ye residence, when the news arrived, Xue Huaiyuan was discussing literature with Ye Shijie. The old man and the young man got along even more harmoniously than an actual father and son. Ye Shijie was intelligent and eager to learn, and greatly admired Xue Huaiyuan’s knowledge and broad-mindedness. Whenever he encountered difficult problems, he would go ask Xue Huaiyuan. Xue Huaiyuan never kept anything to himself. He also greatly appreciated the upright spirit in Ye Shijie and taught him everything he knew without reservation.

In comparison, Xue Zhao wasn’t as interested in those books as Ye Shijie. Although he was no longer as mobile as before, his lively nature was still exactly the same as in the past. What he liked most was staying with Ye Mingyu. When Ye Mingyu practiced martial arts in the courtyard, Xue Zhao would watch with envy written all over his face. Ye Mingyu also knew that Xue Zhao had the makings of a martial artist, but unfortunately had been crippled by Princess Yongning. So he took all the weapons that could be used while sitting in a wheelchair and let Xue Zhao try them one by one. He even attempted to teach Xue Zhao how to use a whip from a wheelchair. If one mastered whip techniques well, one wouldn’t be completely passive.

The people at the Ye residence found it very strange. Real uncles and nephews weren’t seen being so affectionate, and real fathers and sons weren’t seen being so considerate. Yet unexpectedly, with a different companion, they were perfectly compatible.

This day was the same. Late at night, Xue Zhao pushed his wheelchair and made several turns in Ye Mingyu’s room. Ye Mingyu had several large chests of treasures—all things he had bought when he previously traveled with merchant caravans for trade. They weren’t particularly valuable items, but they were all quite unusual. He was very generous in letting Xue Zhao pick whatever he liked to take back. Xue Zhao looked left and right, marveling while also full of longing for Ye Mingyu’s carefree lifestyle.

While the two were talking, Ah Shun came in from outside. “Master… Master…”

“What’s the matter that you’re running so breathlessly?” Ye Mingyu glanced at him. “Did the sky fall?”

“It’s not that the sky fell,” Ah Shun stamped his feet anxiously. He knew how much his master treasured his niece. “It’s Miss Biao—Miss Biao had an incident!”

“A Li?” Ye Mingyu’s eyes widened. “What happened to A Li?”

Xue Zhao sat to one side. At first, when he heard “Miss Biao,” he hadn’t reacted yet. After all, he still wasn’t quite used to Jiang Li becoming the Ye family’s cousin. But when he heard Ye Mingyu call “A Li,” he knew it was Jiang Li who had an incident. He immediately became anxious as well, nearly wanting to stand up. However, his legs were powerless, so he could only stare intently at Ah Shun.

Ye Mingyu was also startled by Xue Zhao’s reaction. He thought to himself, could it be that this boy Xue Zhao also likes Jiang Li? Although Xue Zhao was a good person, but… not being able to stand up was still a regret. However, Ye Mingyu quickly mentally slapped himself. Even if Xue Zhao liked Jiang Li, that didn’t mean Jiang Li liked Xue Zhao. With Jiang Li’s high standards, entering her good graces was as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Ah Shun stammered, “Everyone outside is saying that today at the palace banquet celebrating General Zhaode’s achievements, His Majesty granted a marriage for Miss Biao, betrothing her to the Duke of Su!”

“What?” Ye Mingyu dug at his ear, nearly thinking he had heard wrong. He said, “A Li was betrothed to the Duke of Su?”

What was going on? They were celebrating Yin Zhan’s achievements, yet in the end, a marriage was decreed for Jiang Li. Was the Emperor confused, or could he simply not distinguish one person from another? How could he so randomly arrange marriages?

Xue Zhao, after his initial shock, quickly thought of Ji Heng. Back then, when he asked Ji Heng what his relationship with Jiang Li was, Ji Heng had said he would soon have the relationship of being his brother-in-law. At the time, Xue Zhao thought this lord’s words were far too arrogant. He didn’t expect it to become reality today. He really had become his brother-in-law, and it was even a marriage granted by the Emperor. This… probably wasn’t a coincidence!

Ah Shun continued, “I heard that originally, General Zhaode was going to use his military achievements to request His Majesty to grant a marriage between Miss Biao and the heir of Prince Jun. But His Majesty said that General Zhaode was a step too late. Someone had already requested a marriage decree, and the Emperor had already drafted the edict. That person was the Duke of Su.”

“I…” Ye Mingyu held back until his face turned red, finally managing to say, “Damn it! How could it be the Duke of Su?!”

How could it be the Duke of Su?

He had known all along that Jiang Li and the Duke of Su Ji Heng seemed to have an unusual relationship. It wasn’t that Ye Mingyu was being overly suspicious—it was really because Ji Heng had helped Jiang Li several times. Even Ye Mingyu knew about it. For no reason at all, why would Ji Heng help Jiang Li? He must have had ulterior motives. Moreover, Ji Heng himself was extremely handsome. Young maidens could easily be swayed by appearances. What Ye Mingyu worried about most was that Jiang Li would be captivated by Ji Heng. That Duke of Su’s reputation—he knew about it. He absolutely wasn’t someone easy to control. No matter how capable Jiang Li was, she was still only sixteen years old. How could she manage such a man? It would be better to have Yin Zhili, who at least seemed like an upright gentleman and wouldn’t do anything incomprehensible.

But the imperial edict had already been issued. It was too late to say anything now. Ye Mingyu was also full of helplessness, not knowing what to do. The person beside him, Xue Zhao, sat in a daze for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something. He pushed his wheelchair toward the door, saying, “I’m going to see Father!”

“See Father?” Ye Mingyu was puzzled. Before he could say, “Why see your father at this time,” Xue Zhao had already pushed his wheelchair and vanished.

Ye Mingyu chased after him, only to see Ye Shijie coming out from Xue Huaiyuan’s room next door. Seeing Ye Mingyu, he quickly stepped forward. “Third Uncle, what they’re saying—is it true…”

“It’s true.” Ye Mingyu looked at him. Ye Shijie frowned and moved his lips, but said nothing. Ye Mingyu knowingly patted his shoulder. “Shijie… your cousin… you’d better forget about her.”

On the other side, Xue Zhao pushed his wheelchair into the room. Xue Huaiyuan also looked somewhat unable to process what had happened. Seeing him like this, Xue Zhao knew that Xue Huaiyuan had also learned of this matter. He closed the door behind him, pushed his wheelchair before Xue Huaiyuan, and tentatively said, “Father?”

Xue Huaiyuan’s gaze slowly moved to him.

“Did you hear about Sister being granted a marriage?” Xue Zhao asked.

Xue Huaiyuan was silent. He didn’t appear as shocked as Ye Mingyu, but that didn’t mean his heart was completely calm. After a long while, he finally said, “After learning that A Li had become a young lady of the Jiang family, I’ve been worrying about one thing. I feared that afterward, her marriage would no longer be under my control, nor under her control, and in the end, she would marry the wrong person. But I had also prepared myself—if that day truly came, I would take you siblings and leave Yanjing. The world is vast—there’s always a place to hide. At worst, we could live under assumed names for the rest of our lives, and still live comfortably.”

Xue Zhao quietly listened as Xue Huaiyuan continued.

“But I didn’t expect that in this matter, I would be even more useless than I imagined. Your sister received an imperial decree. Under heaven, all land belongs to the Emperor. If they truly pursue the matter, even if we fled to the ends of the earth, it would be useless. Ah Zhao,” Xue Huaiyuan asked, “what should we do?”

This old man, a year ago, had still been a resolute middle-aged man who acted fairly and decisively. Xue Zhao had never seen him weak before. But after going through so many things, after experiencing such tremendous upheavals in the mortal world, although he still smiled, he ultimately couldn’t withstand the tribulations.

He cherished his daughter and didn’t want her to suffer, yet he had no other solution. Was there anything more helpless in the world than this?

“Father, you’re overthinking this.” Xue Zhao’s heart also couldn’t help but ache. He said, “You’ve forgotten what kind of person Sister is. If she doesn’t want to marry someone, she won’t marry them no matter what. Moreover, after the matter with Shen Yurun, she’ll only be more cautious about this.”

Xue Huaiyuan frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Father, do you know who Sister is marrying?”

“It’s the Duke of Su. I’ve heard rumors about him. However, when I left the capital all those years ago, he didn’t exist yet. General Jinwu was a rare hero—what a pity. I hear that Ji Heng is unpredictable, kills like cutting grass, and does everything according to his whims. How could I dare entrust A Li to him?” Xue Huaiyuan let out a long sigh.

“Father, back then, didn’t our whole family think Shen Yurun was good? Even I thought he was powerless and certainly couldn’t do anything outrageous. But what happened in the end? How did that person treat Sister, treat our Xue family? People who are the same inside and out are truly too rare these days, Father.”

Xue Huaiyuan wasn’t a fool. With Xue Zhao speaking this way, he immediately realized something. Looking at Xue Zhao, he said, “What? Do you know something about Ji Heng?”

“Do you remember Sister’s ‘friend’? The one who rescued me from the private prison at Princess Yongning’s residence—that was the Duke of Su, Ji Heng.”

Xue Huaiyuan was greatly shocked. “How could that be?”

“Not only that. As far as I know, when Sister returned to Xiangyang and Tongxiang and got involved in Feng Yutang’s case, it was also Ji Heng who helped from behind the scenes. Doctor Situ was also sent by Ji Heng to treat Father’s illness. When Prince Cheng previously abducted Sister to Huangzhou, she was also rescued by Ji Heng. Most importantly, how did I reunite with Sister? It was because one day Sister went to the Duke’s mansion, saw me at the Duke’s mansion, and we were able to recognize each other. But Father, you must think about this—why would Sister go to the Duke’s mansion? This shows that she and the Duke of Su are at least not mere acquaintances. They have a close relationship.”

This was the first time Xue Huaiyuan heard these things. His expression was one of astonishment. Xue Zhao had hinted before that Jiang Li had a “friend.” Although Xue Huaiyuan was curious, since Jiang Li was unwilling to say more, he didn’t press the matter. Now it seemed that the “friend” who had such a deep connection with Jiang Li was actually the Duke of Su, Ji Heng.

“Why… why would he do these things?” Xue Huaiyuan asked.

“Father, regardless of his purpose, he helped us. We can’t be ungrateful and turn around to curse him as a demon. Outsiders spread rumors about how ruthless he is, but in my view, he’s a lifesaving benefactor.”

Xue Huaiyuan was silent. He had never met Ji Heng and couldn’t quite determine whether Xue Zhao’s words were true.

“That day when I saw Sister at the Duke’s mansion, when Sister acknowledged me as her brother, she didn’t avoid the Duke of Su,” Xue Zhao said. “This also shows that Sister trusts Ji Heng very much—enough to entrust him with her true identity. I believe that after the matter with Shen Yurun, Sister wouldn’t easily trust anyone. So Ji Heng must have passed her test and been deemed trustworthy by Sister.”

“A Li truly didn’t avoid Ji Heng?”

“It’s true. So I think that although this marriage decree may not seem like a good thing in the eyes of the world, for Sister, it may not necessarily be a bad thing. Even looking at the Duke of Su—someone who others describe as cold-blooded and ruthless—he doesn’t fear trouble and has done so many things for Sister. How could this not show his feelings? Perhaps…” Xue Zhao paused before continuing, “When the Duke of Su requested this marriage decree, Sister knew about it too.”

Author’s Note: Husband-protecting maniac A Li~