In the Imperial Clan Court, Yu Jin was quite troubled.

Although he knew he would eventually be released, staying in such a place for even one more day was unbearable.

No steamed pork, no Er Niu, and most importantly, no wife!

A eunuch, led by a minor official, approached and smiled, “Greetings to Your Highness.”

Yu Jin lazily raised his eyes.

The face seemed familiar, probably one of the young eunuchs who followed Pan Hai.

Yu Jin gave a faint “Mm” in response.

The eunuch smiled and said, “Your Highness, I’ve been instructed by Eunuch Pan to escort you out.”

Yu Jin suddenly became alert, but his face remained impassive. “Escort me out?”

“Yes, His Majesty has ordered you to return to the Prince of Yan’s mansion. You don’t need to stay here anymore.”

The minor official beside them widened his eyes in surprise, looking back and forth between the eunuch and Yu Jin, feeling a sense of unreality.

Last night, he had been thinking that someone like the Prince of Yan would be confined for at least a year or so. How could he be released today?

The Prince of Yan was imprisoned for striking the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince was beaten, yet the punishment was so light.

The poor official didn’t know yet that the deposed Crown Prince was about to come for a short stay, and he was full of confusion.

Yu Jin stood up leisurely, dusted off non-existent dirt from his clothes, and nodded slightly. “Thank you for your trouble.”

Thinking of the deposed Crown Prince’s wailing and comparing it to the Prince of Yan’s composure, the eunuch shook his head inwardly.

No wonder the Crown Prince was deposed. The heir apparent didn’t have as much dignity as the Prince of Yan, who had grown up outside the palace.

To be honest, deposing such a Crown Prince might not be a bad thing…

The eunuch suddenly became alert, realizing his thoughts had wandered too far. He quickly refocused and smiled as he led the way for the Prince of Yan.

As Yu Jin passed by the minor official, he paused slightly and said calmly, “Thank you for your care these past few days.”

The minor official wiped away his sweat and hurriedly said, “Your Highness is too kind. If Your Highness comes again in the future—”

Seeing the eunuch’s shocked expression, the minor official suddenly stopped speaking and slapped himself. “Look at my loose tongue, talking nonsense when I’m nervous. Please forgive me, Your Highness…”

Yu Jin, who cared little for such an insignificant official, was only slightly displeased about not being provided with steamed pork. He merely nodded and strode forward.

The minor official hurriedly followed to see him off.

Not far ahead, they encountered a group of people, with the deposed Crown Prince in the middle.

The two parties met face-to-face.

Yu Jin looked at the deposed Crown Prince and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Second Brother, what’s this—”

The deposed Crown Prince was stunned for a moment, then suddenly rushed forward.

Yu Jin caught the deposed Crown Prince’s flailing hands and frowned. “Although Second Brother is the Crown Prince, you can’t just strike people without a word, can you?”

The deposed Crown Prince stared at him, breathing heavily.

Pan Hai reminded from the side, “Your Highness, Prince Jing is no longer the Crown Prince.”

“Prince Jing?” Yu Jin’s face showed timely surprise.

The deposed Crown Prince felt even more humiliated and angry, his eyes like daggers as he stared at Yu Jin.

Yu Jin became even more puzzled. “The Crown Prince has been deposed. Could it be related to me?”

Pan Hai’s mouth twitched.

This Prince of Yan dared to say anything.

“How could that be? Of course, this matter has nothing to do with Your Highness.”

Yu Jin glanced at the deposed Crown Prince and smiled. “That’s good. I thought I might have caused it. Second Brother looks like he wants to kill me.”

“Seventh Brother, you scoundrel, that day you hit me, and you said—” Meeting Yu Jin’s cold gaze, the deposed Crown Prince shivered for some reason and didn’t continue.

That day when he was beaten by Seventh Brother, he thought Seventh Brother was done for. He didn’t expect Seventh Brother to remain so arrogant, even saying when no one was paying attention: “Second Brother, don’t be so smug. The wheel of fortune turns. Today I’m staying in the Imperial Clan Court, but who knows, maybe one day Second Brother will be living here…”

At the time, he thought it was absurd, but he didn’t expect it to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

“Second Brother, we’re all educated people. It’s not good to keep threatening violence. Besides, you won’t be staying here long, so it’s better to stay calm.”

Pan Hai took the opportunity to advise the deposed Crown Prince: “Your Highness, the Prince of Yan has a point. You’d better go quickly. His Majesty is still angry, and if anything gets out—”

The deposed Crown Prince gritted his teeth, his face dark as he swept his sleeve and walked forward.

Pan Hai nodded slightly to Yu Jin and hurried to follow.

Yu Jin smiled, curving his lips, and asked the eunuch beside him as they walked: “Does the eunuch know why the Crown Prince was deposed?”

The eunuch hesitated for a moment, then said in a low voice: “Prince Jing ordered the Imperial Guard to assassinate Prince An on Mount Cuilo…”

Yu Jin’s first reaction was disbelief.

If a fool like the Crown Prince could think of using assassination to neatly solve his problems, he wouldn’t have been stupid enough to lose his position as Crown Prince.

There must be more to the story.

Of course, Yu Jin didn’t care whether there was more to it or not. For him, nothing was more important than returning to his mansion and reuniting with his wife.

As he walked out of the gates of the Imperial Clan Court, the biting cold wind carrying moisture blew against his body. Yu Jin felt refreshed as if all the bad luck of the past few days had been swept away.

Not long after Yu Jin left, the minor official, hiding in a secluded spot, slapped himself twice.

Words spoken must be kept, or great misfortune would befall him.

Damn it, he would never babble about the Prince of Yan again.

Before noon, the Prince of Yan’s mansion was bathed in winter sunlight, the vermilion walls taking on a gentle orange-red hue. The snow on the eaves was gradually melting, with only the snow on the branches trembling and scattering in the wind, like willow catkins flying about in spring.

The fragrance of steamed pork wafted from the kitchen.

“Mistress, the Prince has returned, the Prince has returned!” A-Man rushed into the room to report the good news to Jiang Si.

Jiang Si, who was talking with Dou Shuwang, brightened at the news.

Before she could even walk out of the courtyard gate, a tall young man came hurrying towards her.

After not seeing him for several days, his clothes were a bit wrinkled, and his hair wasn’t as neatly combed as when he was at home. But his eyes were as bright as ever, and upon seeing Jiang Si, they lit up with an amazing radiance.

“A-Si, I’m back.” Yu Jin strode over, his strong arms immediately embracing Jiang Si.

Dou Shuwang’s face reddened slightly.

For her, such intimacy between husband and wife was quite embarrassing.

Jiang Si, thick-skinned as she was, resisted the urge to stand on tiptoe and kiss her husband’s face, and smiled, “Let’s talk inside.”

“Alright.” Yu Jin held her close as they walked in.

Dou Shuwang didn’t move, curtsying slightly to Yu Jin: “It’s good that Your Highness has returned. The Princess has been thinking of you these past few days. I have some matters to attend to in my room, so I’ll take my leave now. I’ll come back later to pay my respects to Your Highness and the Princess.”

Only then did Yu Jin notice Dou Shuwang’s presence.

Ahem, he had mistaken her for a maid again.

Yu Jin’s attitude towards the considerate Dou Shuwang was quite good. He nodded slightly and said, “Thank you for keeping the Princess company these past few days.”

Dou Shuwang curtsied again and hurried away.

Interrupting the young couple’s reunion was not something a lady should do.

As soon as they entered the room, Yu Jin immediately picked up Jiang Si and kissed her cheek forcefully.

“A-Si, did you miss me?”

Jiang Si quickly patted him: “Be careful, you might hurt the baby. Put me down quickly.”

At that moment, there was suddenly an urgent knocking at the door.