"Gone?" Jian Yang looked surprised. "Where did they go?"

"Ah Yang, you still don't know?"

Jian Hong was equally surprised.

Jian Yang shrugged; of course she didn't know.

During the three days since she returned, she was overjoyed to be free from the Wang mother and daughter and had no time to care about their whereabouts.

Seeing that she really didn't know, Jian Hong explained, "Three days before you came back, my younger sister got married. Wang Shi probably didn't want to stay at the mansion and be saddened by the sight of her belongings, so she went back to her parents' home."

WTF?!

Jian Fei has actually remarried!

This surprised her.

How could she be completely unaware of such a big thing? Can we still be a happy family?

Even eating melons can't get you a hot one!

Seeing that Jian Yang's expression was not good, Jian Hong coaxed her, "A-Yang, don't overthink it. My sister's family has been very low-key this time and did not hold any wedding banquet. I didn't attend either. I only found out about this from the servants."

"Then who did she marry?"

"I don't know."

Jian Yang was greatly shocked.

She still vividly remembered how Jian Fei had flaunted her power in front of her. How could someone who always acted so high-profile have gotten married so quietly?

I have to say, that's pretty impressive.

However, she wasn't very interested in Jian Fei's private life, and since Jian Hong didn't know either, she had no intention of finding out more.

The two chatted for a while longer about all sorts of things before going back to their rooms to sleep.

The next day.

Jian Hong insisted on personally escorting Jian Yang back to the palace, and Jian Yang could not refuse and had to agree.

After bidding farewell to their adoptive father, the brother and sister walked out of the Prime Minister's residence, chatting and laughing, only to find two carriages parked at the gate.

One of the cars was prepared by Jian Hong to escort Jian Yang to the palace, while the other looked rather unassuming, and it was unclear whose it was.

Jian Yang, carrying the rabbit lantern, was about to walk towards her carriage when she suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Your Majesty, the Emperor has come to take you back to the palace."

Then, Eunuch Zhang jumped down from the ordinary carriage, lifted a corner of the curtain, and gestured for them to enter.

Jian Yang stopped in her tracks.

The Emperor himself came to fetch her? Are you kidding me?

As she thought about it, she looked into the car and sure enough, she saw that familiar face.

Jian Hong wanted to step forward and pay his respects, but the emperor said calmly, "Keep a low profile."

So Jian Hong helped Jian Yang into the emperor's carriage, while he and her maidservant rode in another one.

"It's so cold outside, and Your Majesty has gone to all this trouble. I really feel bad about it."

As soon as Jian Yang got into the carriage, he made no attempt to hide his sarcastic and unsettling manner.

If it weren't for the stingy emperor who only granted her three days off, she could have continued to enjoy herself outside the palace.

The emperor simply smiled and asked, "Have you had a good time these past few days?"

"Thanks to you, I had a lot of fun."

"This rabbit lantern..." The emperor's gaze fell on the lantern in her hand.

"This?" She shook the little rabbit in her hand. "My brother bought it for me last night."

This rabbit lamp is the slightly ugly one that Jian Hong bought last night.

She carried it specifically not because she particularly liked it, but to make her silly older brother happy.

Anyone would be happy if a gift they gave themselves was appreciated.

Otherwise, Jian Hong wouldn't have been grinning like an idiot all morning when he saw her carrying the rabbit lantern he gave her when she returned to the palace.

For some reason, the emperor's eyes darkened upon hearing this, his expression devoid of any interest: "It seems General Jian is skilled at leading troops into battle, but not at selecting these little trinkets."

The implication is that the rabbit lantern is quite ugly.

Jian Yang looked at him in disbelief.

Does this person have any emotional intelligence at all? How could he belittle her own brother in front of her!

This is intolerable, absolutely intolerable.

Just as she was rolling up her sleeves, ready to berate someone, she heard the emperor say quietly, "I've heard that there's a lantern shop in the East Market, run by a man surnamed Zhang. Every lantern he makes is incredibly lifelike. If you like them, I'll send someone to buy them."

As the saying goes, you can't hit a smiling face.

Since the emperor was thinking of buying her lanterns, she stopped arguing with him.

But she couldn't swallow the fact that the emperor had only granted her three days' leave.

After thinking it over, Jian Yang decided to provoke him a little.

"Is Your Majesty aware that my younger sister got married a few days ago?"

After she finished asking the question, she stared intently into the emperor's eyes.

Trying to find a hint of unnaturalness in his eyes or expression.

Regardless, Jian Fei and he had been husband and wife for a day, and even a day as husband and wife would be a hundred days of kindness. Any man would be secretly saddened to learn that his concubine had remarried.

However, she did not catch any of the disappointment she was looking for on the emperor's face.

Instead, the emperor smiled nonchalantly and said, "Of course I know, this marriage was arranged by me."

"ha?"

Jian Yang immediately admired him to the point of prostration.

What a magnanimous heart and spirit this is!

The saying "the imperial family is the most ruthless" certainly holds true.

Although the emperor didn't know what Jian Yang was thinking, he could tell from her colorful expression that she wasn't up to any good.

"Your sister is married to the second son of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies. He is handsome, has no bad habits, and is not cunning."

Jian Yang understood. This meant that her new brother-in-law was a well-off but foolish and pretty-boy man.

If that's the case, Jian Fei shouldn't be bullied after marrying into the family, right?

But none of this concerns her.

After returning to the palace, with no one like Consort Yu causing trouble and Consort Xian backing her up, Jian Yang, who had nothing to do all day, actually enjoyed her life quite a bit.

November arrived in the blink of an eye, and Princess Anping sent out flower appreciation invitations to the concubines in the palace and the noble ladies of various families in the capital.

Princess Anping was one of the late emperor's many sisters, making her the emperor's aunt.

Every November, when the wintersweet is in full bloom, she loves to invite her female relatives to her princess residence to enjoy the flowers together.

Jian Yang was naturally among those invited.

She would be more than happy to leave the palace.

So that very day, she took Lianxia and He Mulan to Princess Anping's residence.

Then, she ran into an old acquaintance.

Although Jian Fei arrived at Princess Anping's residence before her, for some reason, she was now being ostracized by the noble ladies, as if she were an outsider.

Even though she smiled brightly, people didn't really pay attention to her.

Jian Yang felt embarrassed for her.

Upon seeing Jian Yang arrive, Jian Fei's ingratiating smile immediately fell.

She rolled her eyes and turned her head away.

Jian Yang: "..."

Unexpectedly, Jian Fei's sharp gaze inadvertently hurt someone else.

At this moment, the several noblewomen standing behind her became furious.

"Sister Xu, that little brat even rolled her eyes at us."

"How dare she come to the princess's residence? Does she really think everyone is unaware of her sordid affairs?"

"Exactly! A woman who climbs into bed before even getting married is a disgrace to her father, who is the prime minister!"

Jian Yang: "?"

She was listening intently to the gossip, but little did she know that they were talking about Jian Fei!

So Jian Fei climbed into the bed of the second son of the Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial before even entering the family?

Is this really that explosive?