Liu Zhiyi's action caught everyone off guard. After they realized what was happening, the Marquis's wife and her maids and servants couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Fortunately, Pei Yunchu reacted quickly and had good skills. He turned sideways, reached out and caught the jade bracelet steadily, preventing it from breaking.

The Marquis's wife then breathed a sigh of relief.

He patted his chest in fear, pointed at Liu Zhiyi angrily and cursed.

"That's outrageous, you shrew! That's a family heirloom that's been passed down in my Pei family for hundreds of years, and you're so vicious as to want to smash it to pieces? How dare you?"

Liu Zhiyi was neither hurried nor slow,

"Since it's a family heirloom, you should keep it safe. If you try to force it into my hands again, I'll throw it away like trash."

The Marquis was trembling with anger.

That was a priceless blood jade bracelet, made of extremely rare warm jade, but in her eyes, it was just garbage?

“You…you you…”

Liu Zhiyi and the others ignored her and walked straight into the house.

Pei Yunchu's heart felt like it was soaked in bitter water, so bitter and astringent that it made him feel uncomfortable and unable to breathe.

He wanted to chase after him, but was stopped by Qingfeng and his men, so he said with an ugly face,

"Get out of the way, General."

Qingfeng said nothing, his expression unchanged, standing in front of him without moving. Pei Yunchu gnashed his teeth in anger. In front of him, Liu Zhiyi paused and said coldly.

"General Pei and Madam Hou, if you are not afraid of losing face, then you can continue making trouble. Qingfeng, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a lot of homework to do every day. The area around Chang'an Palace must remain quiet and no one is allowed to disturb us."

"If anyone violates this rule... there's no need to report it specifically. They'll be beaten with a stick and thrown out of the palace gates. If they do it again, they'll be killed—without mercy."

Pei Yunchu stumbled.

He shook his head in disbelief, muttering to himself,

"That's not the case. Xiaoyi wouldn't treat me like this. You clearly had feelings for me from the beginning. I wasn't wrong. You clearly had me in your eyes at that time."

"Why? Why did things become like this between us?"

Was it just because he wanted him to be his concubine?

But can he be blamed for this?

She was just an inconspicuous maid with such a humble status. For her to become the concubine of the prince of a marquisate was a blessing that others could not obtain in several lifetimes.

She didn't want to, so well, he tried everything, even breaking up with his family and disregarding the reputation of the entire family, in order to marry her regardless of the consequences.

Isn't all that he has done enough?

Why is she still not satisfied and wants to take advantage of Qiao here? Thinking of this, Pei Yunchu couldn't help feeling unhappy.

"Liu Zhiyi, I'll give you one last chance. Come here and put on this bracelet. I'll immediately ask a matchmaker to come to your house and we'll get engaged. From now on, you'll be my General's Wife and the Crown Prince's Consort of the Marquis' Mansion."

Liu Zhiyi exhaled a breath of white air and shook his head indifferently.

There was no need to talk too much. The group went into the house and closed the door, their movements smooth and seamless.

The dark figure stood in the courtyard, looking at the woman's fair face with a cold and resolute look.

She turned around and took light steps with her slender waist. The cool breeze lifted her skirt, outlining her slender waist that could be held in one hand and bringing with it a faint orchid fragrance.

In an instant, it disappeared before his eyes.

Pei Yunchu felt as if needles were pricking his heart, and there was a sharp pain. It seemed as if something deep in his heart was gradually moving away from him.

Even his throat felt like it was blocked by a ball of cotton. He was so uncomfortable that he couldn't breathe and his eyes gradually turned red.

Through the door, you can still hear the noise, arguments, and the crying of the marquis's wife outside.

However, no one in the room cared about these things anymore. The two girlfriends took off their cloaks first and handed them to the peony and poria cocos beside them.

Immediately, a maid from Chang'an Palace came forward and stuffed a hot water bottle into each of the people's hands.

Just as Shen Ningzhu was about to praise them for their thoughtfulness, she saw a familiar figure.

He was stunned and covered his lips in surprise.

"Are you... Aunt Gui?"

Isn't this the Nanny Gui who came to the Shangshu Mansion to teach her court etiquette? She used to be someone close to the Queen, so why is she here?

Nanny Gui curved the corners of her lips, a gentle smile bloomed on her still charming face, and she bent her knees slightly towards Shen Ningzhu.

"My young master has a good memory. It's the old slave."

She was still looking at Chen Ningzhu with the same gentle and loving eyes as when they first met, just like a mother looking at her own child. She paused for a moment and said,

"This old servant is actually the Emperor's aunt. I concealed my identity and entered the palace to help my sister protect him and raise him safely. Now that my goal has been achieved, I have come to serve His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."

Chen Ningzhu suddenly realized and finally understood why Aunt Gui was so good to her in the past.

I see.

"Madam, please don't be so polite. I am very relieved to have you take care of Jinxiu and Huanian."

The nanny's expression darkened for a moment, then she smiled again and bowed to her again, "Don't worry, I will take good care of your two highnesses."

When Shen Ningzhu saw that she didn't call her "little master" this time, she knew that she had understood what she meant.

I didn’t say anything else.

But before leaving, the prince asked Gui Ma to be the managing madam of Chang'an Palace, responsible for arranging all matters of Chang'an Palace.

The mother and her children spent a few moments together, and after lunch, the two best friends walked out of the palace together.

As I was leaving, there was a loud thunder and a crackling sound, which struck from above my head.

The heavy rain came down in a rush, and the big raindrops fell on the smooth bluestone floor, splashing countless ripples.

Nanny Gui advised the two to wait until the rain stopped before leaving the palace, or to stay in the palace for one night if that was not possible.

The two best friends refused at the same time.

The rain wouldn't stop anytime soon, and Chen Ningzhu insisted on not staying in the palace. So, she led her maid towards the palace gate.

When I was almost at the palace gate, I saw two tall figures standing at the gate from afar, one white and one black, one on the left and one on the right.

Through the hazy rain curtain, you can vaguely see the cloud patterns embroidered with gold and silver threads on the corners of their robes and cuffs. The two best friends just looked at each other and continued walking forward.

When he was almost there, the man in white walked towards Liu Zhiyi, held an umbrella for her, and protected her in his arms to prevent her from getting wet.

The man in black raised the brim of his umbrella and looked at Shen Ningzhu with a gloomy expression.

He asked her in a cold tone,

"Why don't you stay in the palace? Are you afraid that I will eat you?"

The corners of Shen Ningzhu's mouth twitched. There is no harm without comparison. Look at other people's men, and then look at... Oh, this bastard is not her man, at most he is a bed partner.

It's the kind where you don't want me to do it and I don't want to do it.

Seeing Shen Ningzhu's ugly face, Jiang Xuanyan frowned, thought for a while, and softened his tone and explained,

"I have already issued an imperial decree this morning, ordering the Imperial Observatory and the Ministry of Rites to immediately prepare for the Empress's enthronement ceremony. The ceremony will be held smoothly within three days at the latest."

Chen Ningzhu lowered her crow feathers and slowly clenched her palms.