"Thank goodness. I thought Your Highness was really going to consummate the marriage with the concubine last night!"

Upon hearing this, Xuanyuan Han glared at him fiercely.

Cheng Liang was genuinely worried that his master had almost lost his virginity, but was met with a cold look, so he quickly shut up.

Still deeply puzzled, she asked, "Since Your Highness was able to return, why did you leave again without saying goodbye? Given Your Highness's past feelings for His Highness, this shouldn't be the case!"

The more Xuan Yuanhan thought about the person from last night, the more familiar she seemed. Her scent, and her response when he touched every inch of her skin, were all so familiar.

He wanted to know more than anyone else why Yi Shangyun was suddenly acting so distant towards him, so he said with obvious dejection, "Last time at the restaurant, she actually pretended not to know me in front of me?"

"Last night again..."

Only now did he gradually recall that last night, when both of them were in a daze, Yi Shangyun seemed to be muttering about a person named Wei Mingxuan.

"Could it be because of him?!"

Thinking of this, Xuan Yuanhan clenched his injured hand tightly and said through gritted teeth, "Investigate Wei Mingxuan thoroughly again. Who exactly is he?"

In an instant, bloodstains began to seep onto the white silk handkerchief.

Cheng Liang immediately exclaimed in alarm, "Your Highness, be careful of the injury on your hand!"

Despite his indignation, he saw the familiar character "Yun" embroidered on the white silk handkerchief used to bandage the wound on the injured hand of the person sitting on the ground with their knee resting on his raised leg.

Suddenly, he loosened his clenched fist.

Cheng Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.

At this moment, Xuanyuan Han stood up, about to step back to Lin Yuexuan.

Only then did he notice the weariness in Cheng Liang's eyes, and asked, "Didn't I tell you to rest well last night? Why did you go on duty again?"

Such a day should indeed be a time of joy for the entire household, but the person who entered was not right, so Cheng Liang had no mind to rest properly.

So he reported back to him, "Yesterday, someone in the manor saw that there seemed to be a suspicious person mixed in with the guests. I was worried, so I searched the city carefully overnight."

Xuanyuan Han frowned slightly and said, "A suspicious person?"

Still feeling somewhat hesitant, Cheng Liang thought for a moment and said, "Someone saw that Princess Yongle of Dongning Kingdom seems to have returned!"

Before he could finish speaking, Xuanyuan Han exclaimed in surprise, "What?"

Cheng Liang continued, "Yesterday, Princess Yongle came to the mansion to offer her congratulations under the pretext of being an old friend of the concubine. It seems she has already met with the concubine!"

Xuan Yuanhan's thoughts raced, and after a moment of silence, a hint of suspicion crept into his mind: "Mei Xiyuan, why would she and Yun'er appear in the manor on the same day?"

Continuing to think along the lines of what he said, Cheng Liang seemed to make a surprising discovery.

"Your Highness, do you remember that the person who saw the Princess on the street that day said that the person who took the Princess away was wearing a golden cloak? Later, I questioned that person again and learned that the cloak worn by the person who took the Princess away was one I had never seen before, and it was quite magnificent."

Recalling Mei Xiyuan's days living in the Prince's Mansion: "Even during her time in the Prince's Mansion, Princess Yongle always lived a life of extravagance, constantly saying that nothing in Western Qin was as good as Eastern Ning. Could it be that the person who took away the Princess Consort was Princess Yongle herself!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yuanhan's heart was suddenly gripped once more.

At the same time, Cheng Liang was also shocked by his own discovery: "Although Princess Yongle and His Highness are nominally divorced, it is still a disgrace for a woman. In addition, given the true identity of the Princess Consort, she has long hated the Princess Consort to the bone. It seems that this time, she must have come for revenge, and she will definitely not let the Princess Consort off easily!"

Having said that, Xuan Yuanhan hurriedly asked Cheng Liang in a deep voice, "Did you find anything during last night's search?"

Cheng Liang slowly shook his head.

I remember last night when I found Yi Shangyun lying on the ground, still with a high fever.

Therefore, it seems that all of this must have been done by Mei Xiyuan.

This woman must have suffered a lot at Mei Xiyuan's hands these past few days, yet she hasn't mentioned it to me at all.

In an instant, Xuan Yuanhan was extremely anxious.

Then, he strode out of Yunshui Pavilion in a furious manner.

As he walked away with his back to Cheng Liang, he commanded, "Immediately order a thorough search of the entire city and find Mei Xiyuan for me! This time, I will tear her to pieces."

Watching his retreating figure, Cheng Liang raised his voice and asked, "Where is Your Highness going?"

But there was no reply from Xuanyuan Han.

Cheng Liang could only look away.

He shook his head again, walking along while muttering to himself.

"Mei Xiyuan, Mei Xiyuan, you secretly colluded with Tuoba Ze and committed countless evil deeds. Back then, you wanted to rob that batch of ephedra to take back to the country and claim credit, and His Highness deliberately let you succeed. He hoped that you could use this credit to make your life easier back home. But you repaid kindness with enmity and dared to come back and try to win over the heart of the person he cherishes. This time, I'm afraid even the greatest god can't save you!"

Star and Moon Pavilion.

As soon as Lu Tianjiao returned from Yunshui Pavilion, he threw a tantrum, smashing things all over the floor.

The maids inside were so frightened that they huddled together and stood to one side, not daring to make the slightest sound.

I was afraid that I might accidentally touch one of her sensitive nerves and get implicated.

I have a strong premonition that last night at Yunshui Pavilion, the one who became Xuanyuan Han's antidote in my place must be the cloud-like garment that Mei Xiyuan brought and then lost.

But how could she not see the figure of Yi Shangyun when she went in?

At that moment, she sat angrily at the table, cursing loudly: "Yi Shangyun, you bitch! You vermin! Why can't you die no matter what I do, after so many times?"

Even Mei Xiyuan was among them: "And Mei Xiyuan, utterly foolish, she can't even keep an eye on one person. No wonder she was divorced and abandoned by her motherland, she deserves it! This is the only ending you deserve!"

At this moment, the maid who had been accompanying her in learning etiquette in the palace crossed the threshold and came in to serve tea.

She gently advised, "Your Highness, please calm down. You just entered the residence yesterday, and it's not appropriate to make such a big fuss. Besides, it's almost noon now, and you haven't even gone to offer tea to the Dowager Consort yet. You should hurry up and prepare to go over there!"

Lu Tianjiao suddenly glared coldly at the maid: "Who do you think you are, daring to lecture me? I am now the rightful mistress of this manor, and I, the princess consort, would like to see who dares to say that I am not!"

The maid had meant well, but was so frightened that she had to quickly shut up.

After venting his anger, Lu Tianjiao was genuinely thirsty, so he picked up the tea that the maid had brought him and took a sip.

Immediately afterwards, the entire contents were spat back into the water, and the woman continued to berate the maid: "You wretched hussy, do you think you can bully me too? In the dead of winter, you actually give me cold tea!"

The maidservant quickly knelt down and replied cautiously, "This servant wouldn't dare. I personally tested the temperature of the tea when I brought it in. It was controlled according to your instructions. How could it be cold?"

In an instant, Lu Tianjiao's resentment was reignited.

So she thought she could use the maid in front of her to vent her anger: "Still dare to argue? I'll beat you to death today!"

He casually summoned the guards outside the door: "Men, drag this wretched maid away and give her fifty strokes of the cane. Beat her awake and let her know who her master is!"

The maidservant cried out in alarm, "Your Highness, spare my life!"

Just as the guards entered and were about to lift the maid from the cold floor, a stern voice suddenly came from behind them, saying, "Stop!"

As soon as the figure who made the sound appeared, the guards and maids inside and outside the house knelt down and shouted in unison.

"Your Highness, I pay my respects!"

"This servant greets Your Highness!"

As soon as Xuanyuan Han entered, he saw a mess on the ground.

Lu Tianjiao hurriedly got up, trying to cover himself up, but in the end he couldn't cover anything up.

Xuan Yuanhan temporarily suppressed the anger he felt before coming and warned her: "I am warning you, although you have entered the manor, the mistress of the Qin Prince's manor has always been only the Princess Consort of Qin."

He paused, then emphasized again, "Listen carefully, I'm talking about the Princess Consort of Qin, not the concubine of the Prince of Qin!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao's arrogance was instantly suppressed, and he silently swallowed a mouthful of saliva.

Xuanyuan Han continued, "If I ever hear you acting as the mistress of the manor again in the future, don't blame me for being impolite to you."

Lu Tianjiao tried to speak up in her defense: "That's not how it is, it's that lowly maid..."

Xuanyuan Han didn't give her a chance to speak at all: "In the past six months, I have no idea that this is how the Empress taught you manners in the palace?"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Lu Tianjiao's pride was severely wounded, and he was clearly ashamed: "I..."

In front of everyone, Xuanyuan Han gave the order.

"Also, since Mother's health has always been poor, the new bride can skip the tea ceremony!"

"From now on, you will not need to disturb her peace."

"You are not allowed to go anywhere except Xingyue Pavilion!"

“If you need to go out, you must inform Cheng Liang in advance, and he will send someone to accompany and protect you.”

Lu Tianjiao then realized: "You're going to confine me to the Star Moon Pavilion."

Without even thinking, Xuanyuan Han said in a nonchalant tone, "Didn't you go to great lengths to get this yourself?"

Lu Tianjiao shook her head and protested, "Brother Han, you can't do this to me."

Xuanyuan Han said, "Then you should reflect on how you treated Yun'er before! And now, I haven't even done anything to you yet."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tianjiao collapsed to the ground with a thud, tears of sadness and grievance streaming down his face.

But she still clung to a sliver of hope: "Brother Han, aren't you afraid of chilling the hearts of your father and brothers who have served you faithfully for so many years, treating me like this?"

Xuanyuan Han chuckled and said, "Lu Xian, you must be even more heartbroken to have a daughter like you now!"

After saying that, he immediately added, "I will not repeat these words a second time. I hope you will take care of yourself!"