The Crown Prince returned to the Eastern Palace in a daze, constantly muttering, “What should I do, what should I do?”

Everyone in the Eastern Palace sensed that something was wrong and kept their distance from the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince walked into the Crown Princess’s room.

Sitting in a chair, the Crown Princess glanced at him without moving. Her pale face had regained its composure during the Crown Prince’s absence.

This calmness had nothing to do with peace of mind, but rather despair at the irony of fate.

Heaven had paired her with such a man, and she could only accept her fate.

How much better it would be if this man weren’t the Crown Prince. Even if her family objected, she would divorce him and escape this quagmire.

As the Crown Princess thought about these things, she saw the Crown Prince approach and said flatly, “Your Highness has returned. Have some tea.”

As if triggered, the Crown Prince suddenly knocked the teacup to the ground, crying out in despair, “What’s the point of drinking tea? I might not be the Crown Prince for much longer!”

The Crown Princess stared at the broken porcelain on the floor without a word.

At this moment, the Crown Prince found the Crown Princess more reliable than those chatty palace maids. He grabbed her wrist and asked, “Do you think Father will charge me with deceiving the emperor?”

The Crown Princess gently pulled away and calmly said, “Father is both Your Highness’s sovereign and father. I believe that if Your Highness sincerely apologizes to Father, he will gradually calm down.”

She dared not add fuel to the fire.

This man was so foolish; who knew what stupid things he might do in desperation?

“Really?” The Crown Prince seemed to grasp at a lifeline, asking eagerly.

“Father is a merciful parent.”

The Crown Prince opened and closed his mouth. “But… but I just caused trouble and deceived Father…”

Even the most merciful person could become furious. This time, he seemed to have truly angered his father.

“Then Your Highness should let Father see your determination to repent.”

The Crown Princess’s calm voice somewhat soothed the Crown Prince’s near-breakdown emotions. He asked pitifully, “How can I show Father my determination to repent?”

Looking at this bewildered man, the Crown Princess felt only sorrow.

“Tell me, how can I show Father?”

The Crown Princess sighed lightly. “It’s not about showing Father. If Your Highness truly repents and stops doing foolish things, focusing on the country and its people, Father will naturally see it.”

Seeing the Crown Prince still looking confused, the Crown Princess spoke directly, “Falsehoods can’t become truth. Your Highness’s pretense of amnesia was ultimately exposed. Don’t you understand yet?”

The Crown Prince’s face turned red. “I didn’t do it on purpose!”

It was a flash of inspiration, a moment of enlightenment. How could that be called intentional?

The Crown Princess pressed her lips together without speaking.

The Crown Prince sat down heavily, his tone dejected. “Forget it. I’ve already angered Father. I hope what you said will work…”

Yu Jin returned to the Yan Prince’s mansion and shared the good news of the Crown Prince’s exposure with Jiang Si.

“Erniu performed a great service today. It wasn’t for nothing that we raised him so big.”

Erniu gave Yu Jin an indignant look.

Don’t think it didn’t understand. Raise it big just to give it away!

Besides, it had grown big by its merit of eating more meat.

Jiang Si rubbed Erniu’s head and smiled, “Ajin, how did you offend Erniu? It looks like it wants to bite you at any moment.”

Yu Jin glared, “It wouldn’t dare!”

Erniu’s bad habit of biting people’s bottoms should be corrected anyway. If it dared to bite him like that, he would stew it and eat its meat.

Erniu sensed Yu Jin’s murderous intent and quickly whined pitifully to Jiang Si.

So Jiang Si glared at Yu Jin, “Stop scaring Erniu. Without Erniu today, who knows when the Crown Prince’s pretense would have been exposed.”

Erniu glanced smugly at Yu Jin and walked away, wagging its tail.

Yu Jin slapped the table, “This dog is getting more and more out of control.”

Saying this, he looked at Jiang Si with distress.

Jiang Si laughed, “Are you angry at Erniu?”

Yu Jin asked seriously, “Asi, has my position in your heart dropped again?”

“Hm?”

“Ahuan first, Father-in-law second, Jiang Zhan third, Erniu fourth, and me fifth?”

Erniu, who had walked to the doorway, twitched its ears.

It was only ranked fourth?

Hmph, except for the little mistress, it would bite everyone ranked above it in the future!

The enraged Erniu walked away fiercely.

Jiang Si raised her hand and patted Yu Jin, chiding, “Can you stop joking around?”

What kind of ridiculous ranking was that even dragging her father and second brother into it?

Seeing Jiang Si avoid answering, Yu Jin’s heart sank a bit.

He had guessed correctly!

Jiang Si held her forehead and said helplessly, “You’re first.”

“Really?” Yu Jin was quite surprised by Jiang Si’s answer.

Jiang Si glared at him. “Of course it’s true. Ahuan, Father, Second Brother, and even Erniu are all my family, but you’re not.”

“Then what am I?” Yu Jin asked with a smile.

Jiang Si blinked and said playfully, “My beloved.”

Yu Jin’s heart immediately blossomed with joy, and he planted a fierce kiss on Jiang Si’s rosy lips.

Jiang Si quickly dodged, “It’s broad daylight. Ahuan will be coming to find me soon.”

Yu Jin’s strong arms held her tight. “If she comes, the maids will report it. Don’t worry about it…”

He reached out, gently and skillfully undoing her dress.

Much later, Jiang Si blushed as she tidied the bedding.

That rascal Ajin, behaving so wildly in broad daylight. It would be embarrassing if the maids and old women noticed.

Yu Jin didn’t care about what the maids and old women thought. He pulled Jiang Si close and whispered in her ear, “How did your beloved perform?”

The hot breath on her delicate cheek made Jiang Si blush even more.

Yu Jin smiled with satisfaction, thinking that he wanted to be Asi’s beloved forever, living in her heart for all lifetimes.

“What are you thinking about?” Jiang Si asked, looking up from Yu Jin’s embrace.

Yu Jin said softly, “I’m wondering if people have next lives.”

“There must be,” Jiang Si said without hesitation.

“You’re so sure?”

“I believe there will be.”

In Jiang Si’s view, since people could be reborn, there must naturally be next lives.

“Then I believe it too,” Yu Jin said.

Outside, the courtyard grass was lush green. Inside, the romance was boundless. Even the autumn sun seemed brighter.

On such a good day, spreading gossip seemed even more convenient. Soon, those with keen ears learned about the Crown Prince’s fake amnesia, such as the Prince and Princess of Qi.

“I never thought the Crown Prince would be so bold as to pretend to have amnesia to deceive Father. My Lord, this could be considered deceiving the emperor. Father, he—”

“It’s not enough,” the Prince of Qi interrupted his wife’s words.

“My Lord, this isn’t enough?”

The Prince of Qi shook his head. “Father is still hesitating. The Crown Prince’s scandal at the Treasure Pavilion plus pretending to have amnesia is still not enough for him to make a decision.”

He wondered if adding the Qianhe County incident would be enough.

Whether it was enough or not, the Prince of Qi couldn’t be certain. After all, human hearts were hard to fathom, especially the emperor’s. But one thing was certain: now was the best time to reveal the Qianhe County incident.

The Prince of Qi was a person who didn’t hesitate once he made up his mind. He quickly made arrangements in secret, waiting for another spectacle to unfold.