At this moment, she felt betrayed by her lover. She was fearless, but the person she loved most denied their relationship, which made her heart ache terribly.

Lu Duling's next words pushed her even further into hell.

"I, Lu Duling, hereby swear that I have never offended Miss Tian Ying, nor have I ever harbored any improper thoughts towards her. If I break this oath, may I die a horrible death. I beg the Second Elder and Fifth Elder not to make malicious speculations about the Lu family. Duling thanks you!"

Lu Duling didn't explain further, but instead made a solemn vow to completely deny everything Tian Ying had just said.

After making the vow, he didn't even glance at Tian Ying before turning and leaving, his ruthlessness leaving everyone speechless.

Tian Ying was so angry at these words that she fainted. Her emotions were like a rollercoaster; one moment she felt betrayed, and the next she immediately felt abandoned. Even the strongest love couldn't hold her back, and her body slid to the ground.

Upon seeing Tian Ying collapse to the ground, Zhu Changqing revealed a meaningful smile and then planned to pick her up and take her for himself that very night.

He wanted to verify for himself whether what the woman said was true, or whether Lu Duling's vow was true.

After guessing the other party's intention, Cen Xi quickly scooped up Tian Ying and said to Zhu Changqing:

"She's suffering from a stroke and probably doesn't want to see you. You should let her go and let her lick her wounds alone."

“Your Highness Princess Da Yan, she is my betrothed. It seems inappropriate for you to interfere like this.”

Zhu Changqing smiled strangely, his eyes scanning Tian Ying like he was eyeing prey, before slowly speaking.

“Yes, my daughter has already been betrothed to the Zhu family. She is already a member of the Zhu family. It is only right for my son-in-law to bring her back to the Zhu family. Princess Dayan should not meddle in our Miao family affairs.”

It's unclear how long Elder Tian Dequan had been watching the commotion from the crowd, but he probably felt the farce had gone on long enough. Seeing that the Zhu family had no intention of breaking off the engagement, he stepped in to smooth things over.

Cen Xi could tell from the way he wiped his sweat that he was a despicable person, a scoundrel who sold his daughter for personal gain.

Then an idea popped into his head, and he immediately insisted:

"I feel a strong connection with your daughter. I came from the grand banquet without any maids, and I happen to get along well with Tian Ying. I'd like her to serve as my maid for a while. What do you think? Today, I'm sure the Fifth Elder knows that we have the ability to save the Miao King and find your Gu King and Gu Queen. You wouldn't think of neglecting such important guests, would you?"

Cen Xi has always disapproved of people who force their children to do rude things against their will, and Elder Tian just happened to be in her line of fire.

"This...! My daughter is already betrothed, so it's probably not appropriate for her to continue serving as the princess's maid."

Fifth Elder Tian Dequan, seeing Cen Xi's protective look towards his daughter, immediately refused.

"She's not married yet, so I won't let her be my long-term maid. Besides, I usually don't keep the maids around me for too long anyway. You see, you didn't bring any maids with you, did you? Is Miao Jiang so stingy that it won't even let me, the princess, have a few comfortable days here?"

Cen Xi looked at the Fifth Elder's fake smile, raised an eyebrow, and acted like a rogue. She was determined to take poor Tian Ying away today.

“If you detain my wife, what am I supposed to do when I get married? Tian Ying and I were supposed to get married last month, but because of the Miao King’s incident, it was postponed until June. Your interference is just ruining our relationship. If the eldest princess wants a maid, my Zhu family has plenty. You can choose any one you like. Please don’t steal my wife.”

Zhu Changqing stood tall in front of Cen Xi, his cold and fierce eyes looking like he wanted to devour her. But when he remembered the woman's identity, he calmed down and finally forced a fake smile to ask for her hand.

“I’m not trying to kidnap her. You said your wedding is in June, and it’s April now. I’m only borrowing your wife for two months. It won’t affect your wedding date. What are you afraid of? Besides, I don’t even know if I can stay for two months. Why are you acting like I won’t return her? That’s too stingy.”

Cen Xi held Tian Ying's weak body and retorted helplessly with a frown.

Although Cen Xi looked down on Tian Ying's love-obsessed nature, she still liked her stubbornness and willingness to risk everything, which reminded her of herself. So she genuinely wanted to help the girl, even if it was just to buy time.

"Changqing, since the Princess likes it, let the Princess train our daughter-in-law first. We can wait two months."

Seeing that Cen Xi was unyielding, Zhu Changqing was about to lash out when he was stopped by the Second Elder who came out from inside the door. The Second Elder, Zhu Aite, glanced at Cen Xi, who was tightly protecting Tian Ying, and decisively stopped his son from acting impulsively.

After saying that, he looked at Tian Dequan with unfriendly eyes and said coldly:

"The Tian family has indeed raised a fine daughter!"

"Second Elder, Dequan has failed in his duty to raise his daughter properly. Why don't we call off the marriage?"

Tian Dequan's smile froze slightly after being subtly insulted, but he wasn't one to be trifled with. So he glanced awkwardly at Tian Ying, who was being protected by an outsider, and then at Zhu Changqing, before saying something with some difficulty.

"There's no need to back out. Since that Lu family brat swore to the heavens that he has nothing to do with Tian Ying, I'll just believe him for now. The wedding will be held as scheduled in two months. Fifth Elder, you'd better make some good preparations."

The Second Elder gave Tian Dequan a meaningful look and said calmly.

"Good! I, Tian Lao Er, will remember this favor since the Second Elder is so forgiving. Chang Qing, don't worry, I will definitely marry Tian Ying to you in two months. I know my daughter. What she said just now was just in anger. She would never have anything to do with that boy from the Lu family. Please don't mind!"

Seeing that the Second Elder did not cancel the engagement, Tian Dequan immediately shed tears of emotion. While crying, he kept explaining to Zhu Changqing, as if he was afraid that Zhu Changqing would abandon his daughter.

When Tian Ying heard her father say this, she was so angry that she wanted to fight back, but Cen Xi suddenly struck her pressure points and she couldn't say a word.

The other party involved, Zhu Changqing, merely gave Tian Ying a cryptic smile and said very good-naturedly:

“Father-in-law, I know that Tian Ying was lying just now. She’s just a bit stubborn. She wouldn’t do such a thing. Besides, Lu Duling has his own pride and would never do such a thing. It’s settled then. Two months from now, your son-in-law will happily go to the Tian family to marry Tian Ying, carried in a grand sedan chair.”

"Alright, that's good! Everyone can leave now, there's nothing more to see. Although I, Tian Dequan, have spoiled my daughter a bit and she speaks without thinking, I can guarantee that she won't violate any principles. You all heard that boy from the Lu family swearing to the heavens just now. Today's incident was just a farce caused by my ignorant daughter, so please don't spread rumors and ruin our marriage with the Zhu family."