Ye Miaoyun said with a sarcastic expression, "Even a peasant woman like me who can't read many words knows what shame is, do you know that? You have status, position, and education, yet you still come to compete with me for a man. Do you even know how to write the word 'shame'?"

Pei Qinglan was quite angry with Ye Miaoyun. Her face flushed, she said, "My husband and I were married first. You, a peasant woman who has remarried, should be content to be a concubine of the Crown Prince. As for the Crown Princess? I'm afraid you are not worthy of such a blessing."

"Whether you can bear the responsibility or not is not something a cold-blooded, heartless woman like you can decide. If I were you, I would never dare to appear in front of Qi Jiu in this lifetime, because my conscience would hurt." Ye Miaoyun said with a sneer: "Of course, a woman like you has no conscience and is not worthy of coming to our door."

Pei Qinglan was about to say something when she heard Ye Miaoyun's voice again: "Qi Jiu, get him out of here."

"Get them out...get them out!" Qi Jiu immediately ordered the eunuchs around him upon hearing this.

"Please, Madam Lan!" Several eunuchs quickly surrounded Pei Qinglan, forcing her to leave.

Pei Qinglan looked at Qi Jiu in disbelief: "Husband, you actually drove me away for this woman?"

“Qinglan, don’t forget, we divorced a long time ago. Miaoyun is now my wife and my future Crown Princess. You know me. Whoever is my wife, I will protect. Before… you were my princess, so naturally I obeyed you in everything. Now… Miaoyun is my Crown Princess, so of course I will only listen to her,” Qi Jiu said.

"But she is not qualified to be your Crown Princess at all. Have you forgotten our promise? You said you would protect me for life, and that you would not hold it against me even if I did something wrong. I know that my divorce from you before was a bit heartless, but I did it for Xuan'er. Xuan'er and I have never suffered before, how could we bear the punishment of exile?"

"Look at what you're saying, as if I, Qi Jiu, have suffered a lot since birth. Before I was exiled, I enjoyed the ultimate wealth and lived the most luxurious life. I never suffered any hardship. Although exile was bitter, I survived it. On the contrary, it was you, Qinglan, who just abandoned me. It really makes me sad." Qi Jiu deliberately pretended to be very sad.

“It will never happen again from now on. No matter what happens, I will stay by my husband’s side,” Pei Qinglan said quickly.

"I can't believe you. Who knows if you'll leave me again after hearing a few sweet words from Qi Yanping? Even without Qi Yanping, there will be other men. In your heart, they are all better than me," Qi Jiu said with a forced smile.

"Husband... what do you mean by this?" Pei Qinglan asked in a trembling voice.

"It means exactly what it says!" Qi Jiu said, lowering his voice. "That day in the palace, Qi Yanping admitted that you and he had been having an affair for a long time, and that Qi Xuan was also his daughter."

Pei Qinglan was stunned upon hearing this.

No wonder the man was so angry when he first saw her; it turns out... he already knew the truth.

But since he already knew the truth, why did he tell her so much?

Was he deliberately teasing or playing a trick on her?

Or perhaps... he was ultimately reluctant to let her go?

“Husband, don’t listen to Qi Yanping’s nonsense. He’s just spouting nonsense to provoke you. I can assure you, Xuan’er is our daughter,” Pei Qinglan said quickly.

Qi Jiu is the softest-hearted person. As long as I bring up their past and talk to him properly, it will definitely work.

As for whether Qi Xuan is his daughter?

Then she has even less to fear.

Since there's no evidence anyway, as long as she denies it, there's still room for maneuver.

"Only today did I realize that some people can be so shameless that it's earth-shattering and ghost-weeping," Qi Jiu said with a smile.

Pei Qinglan was taken aback upon hearing this.

"You don't know, do you? Consort Yi is a half-demon, Qi Yanping has demon blood flowing through his veins, and Qi Xuan is the same." Qi Jiu said with a sneer, "Am I, Qi Yanchang, a demon? How could I give birth to a daughter with demon blood?"

Pei Qinglan's face instantly turned deathly pale.

Although she knew that Consort Yi was colluding with the demon race, she did not know that Consort Yi was actually a half-demon.

“Xuan’er was born more than a year after we got married, Pei Qinglan, you’re really something.” Qi Jiu sneered.

"Husband, let me explain!" Pei Qinglan instinctively grabbed Qi Jiu's sleeve: "He forced me to do it all!"

“But I heard that you were originally in love with Qi Yanping, but Consort Yi didn’t choose you. And I… was blind to marry you.” Qi Jiu suddenly pulled his sleeve back.

Pei Qinglan lost her balance and almost fell to the ground.

"My lord, I have indeed wronged you in the past. I will change in the future. Please don't leave me, okay?" Pei Qinglan's tears kept falling down her face, and she cried so pitifully.

Upon seeing this, Ye Miaoyun couldn't help but glance at Qi Jiu.

She wanted to see if this man would soften his heart towards his ex-wife.

To be honest, Pei Qinglan is quite a woman who can be both flexible and resilient.

Moreover, Qi Jiu is indeed a soft-hearted person, and in the past, he had devoted all his attention to this woman.

Thirteen years of deep affection sounds quite frightening.

Although to outsiders Pei Qinglan he was shameless and brazen, Qi Jiu might not have thought so.

"My lord, I do not ask for the position of principal wife. I only wish to stay by your side, even as a concubine or a maidservant. I would be willing to do so. Let me spend the rest of my life atoning for my sins," Pei Qinglan pleaded as she knelt on the ground.

Whether she becomes a concubine or a mistress, she doesn't care. As long as she can return to Qi Jiu's side, she promises to keep this man firmly in her grasp, just like before.

By then, she will be able to reclaim her position as Crown Princess.

She and Qi Jiu are the same age, thirty-one this year. As long as she takes good care of her health, she will definitely have her own children in the future.

If she could give birth to a son, the future world would be hers.

Pei Qinglan had a very beautiful idea in mind.

Qi Jiu would never abandon her.

Even if she makes many mistakes, this man will still forgive her.

He was willing to marry a woman who had been married before, a worthless peasant woman who was no match for him.

Even if she betrayed him, even if Qi Xuan is Qi Yanping's daughter, he will definitely forgive her.

"You want to stay by my side to atone for your sins?" Qi Jiu asked with a smile.

“Yes!” Pei Qinglan nodded while wiping away her tears.

"But I feel disgusted just looking at you, what should I do?"

Pei Qinglan was taken aback upon hearing this.

Qi Jiu suddenly drew a long sword from the guard beside him and pointed it directly at Pei Qinglan.

"Miaoyun, step back a bit, don't let this woman's blood splatter on you," Qi Jiu said softly, turning to look at Ye Miaoyun.