"What happened? Go and see." Cheng An instructed his personal maid to go and check.

Then she had someone drag Kang Lin away, saying, "Use it, don't make me say it a third time!"

Whether it's Wang Manzhu or Xiao Heng, they are both thorns in her side, and she has to get rid of them before she can stop.

Kang Lin's face showed obvious urgency, which Princess Cheng'an found to be a great insult and mockery.

She, the most favored princess of Da'an, is not even as good as a mistress?

That's an absolute joke!

Kang Lin looked at Wang Manzhu and the child, then at Princess Cheng'an. After hesitating for a moment, he made up his mind, turned his head away, and said, "If the princess insists on disregarding human life, I have nothing to say."

Cheng An was so angry he nearly fell backward, shocked by Kang Lin's shamelessness.

"You still want to deny it!"

Wang Manzhu looked disappointed when she saw that Kang Lin refused to acknowledge her relationship with Xiao Heng.

How could she have believed he was willing to come to Kyoto with her?

She took a deep breath, dodging the servant's reach, and said, "I married Kang Lin in May of the seventh year of Jinghe, with relatives and friends as witnesses. I dare not accept the title of 'concubine'!"

Her clear, bright eyes stared directly at Princess Cheng'an. "May I ask, Your Highness, when will you marry him?"

Princess Cheng'an's eyes were practically spitting fire, her throat tightening from Wang Manzhu's words.

"Is the princess not answering because it wasn't before March?"

Qin Su spoke up at this moment, "Princess Cheng'an got married in March of the seventh year of Jinghe. If I'm not mistaken, Consort Kang left the capital shortly after his marriage because of His Majesty's arrangement."

Wang Manzhu's anger completely vanished. She couldn't prove that she wasn't the one who interfered in someone else's relationship, even if she was also deceived.

“Princess, a man’s infidelity is infidelity. If it wasn’t Wang Manzhu, it would have been someone else. The reason you see Wang Manzhu now is simply because the person she’s with happens to be Wang Manzhu.”

"What do you mean?" Princess Cheng'an turned her head and glared at Qin Su, questioning, "Are you really going to protect a mistress?"

Qin Su sighed, "Being a mistress without a formal title is what makes someone a concubine. If she and Prince Consort Kang really get married in Yang County, then the title of 'mistress' won't really apply."

"Furthermore, if the world finds out that Wang Manzhu was also a pitiful person who was deceived, and the princess beats her and her child to death today, she will surely be criticized in the future."

"This princess doesn't care. What's there to fear from the criticisms of commoners?" She has always been casual and unconcerned with formalities, and she doesn't consider herself as afraid of this and that as those noble ladies.

Qin Su sighed, "Doesn't the princess fear His Majesty at all?"

"What if I insist on killing them today? Will you turn against me?" Princess Cheng'an stared intently at Qin Su, as if she would deal with Qin Su as well if he dared to oppose her.

"Princess, do as you please, but I still suggest that if you're still angry, lock him up and calm down before dealing with it."

"I am very calm now and know what I am doing."

Qin Su stopped speaking, and her silence actually calmed Princess Cheng'an down.

At that moment, a maid rushed in from outside, bowed, and reported, "Your Highness, Prince Chen has arrived with his men."

"What is he doing here?" Princess Cheng'an was puzzled. She ordered her men to arrest Wang Manzhu, Xiao Heng, and Kang Lin before she went to see Yu Shuo.

But Yu Shuo had already strode in. He saw Kang Lin first and waved his hand, "Grab him."

Princess Cheng'an was bewildered. What was going on?

"What's going on? Why did you arrest him?" Princess Cheng'an asked, puzzled.

Wang Manzhu also looked over.

"This person is suspected to be a spy from an enemy country. He needs to be taken away and interrogated thoroughly." Yu Shuo maintained a serious, expressionless demeanor, even when facing his own sister.

"impossible."

Cheng An immediately denied it, saying that it was not her way of protecting Kang Lin.

"Even if he were a spy, or if his ancestors had any scandals, he would never be chosen as the prince consort."

Before marriage, Cheng'an had feelings for Kanglin, but these feelings were not enough for her to defy her elder brother and forcefully marry a man of questionable lineage.

Their marriage was arranged by Emperor Mingyang.

"That's right, how could I be a spy? Prince Chen must have misunderstood something."

Kang Lin dared not show the slightest sign of anything amiss. Yu Shuo was no ordinary person; he was not so easily fooled.

In fact, he was greatly alarmed when he heard Yu Shuo's words.

"When I married the princess, I investigated everything thoroughly, including three generations of my family history. If there were any problems, they would have been discovered immediately. There must be some misunderstanding here!"

Yu Shuo remained unmoved, saying, "Whether there's a problem or not will only be determined after an investigation. Take him away."

Kang Lin immediately looked at Princess Cheng'an and cried out for help, "Princess, save me! I've been wronged, you know I could never be disloyal to Da'an."

"My family has been citizens of Da'an for generations!"

Princess Cheng'an already harbored resentment towards him, and Yu Shuo never did anything without preparation. There must be a reason why he said that.

So she turned her head away and stopped looking at him.

Kang Lin's heart sank. He loudly questioned, "Does the princess truly have no regard for our marital bond? Have I not treated the princess well all these years? Why won't the princess save me?"

"Take them away!" Yu Shuo spoke again, but Kang Lin's eyes hardened, and he actually attacked Yu Shuo's men directly. His martial arts skills were exceptionally good, much better than Princess Cheng'an remembered.

He deceived himself once again.

Realizing this, Cheng An's eyes filled with tears, but he tilted his head back, raised his chin high, and stubbornly refused to let the tears fall.

Seeing that Yu Shuo's men were no match for them, Qin Su drew her soft whip from her waist and was about to give chase when Yu Shuo stepped forward and stopped her, saying, "Someone will make a move."

"Your Highness, I can't hold on any longer," Chongyang wailed from the other end.

Yu Shuo had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. Although his martial arts skills might be inferior to Qin Su's, dealing with ordinary so-called experts was no problem at all.

Kang Lin was eventually arrested. His refined facade was exposed, and his eyes were filled with malice. He still hasn't seen Princess An.

He probably never imagined why he would be caught.

The courtyard became quiet, yet also extremely cluttered.

So much happened today that Cheng An was on the verge of losing his composure.

"You should all leave." Her throat tightened, her voice was dry, and there was a hint of sobbing in it.

Qin Su could not reveal the information to Princess Cheng'an; since Yu Shuo hadn't mentioned it, she couldn't say it either.

Wang Manzhu was also dejected; there were too many complicated matters to handle, which was completely beyond her capacity to cope with.

"I...I'll go back first." She led Xiao Heng outside.

Princess Cheng'an was in no mood to yell at her at this moment; she just wanted them all to leave so she could hide in a deserted corner and have a good cry.

"I'll have Lian Tao take you back." Lian Tao had just come with Yu Shuo, and upon hearing Qin Su's words, she immediately went to Wang Manzhu.

Wang Manzhu nodded slightly to her without saying anything.

Princess Cheng'an, her eyes brimming with tears and filled with resentment, asked, "Why haven't you left yet?"

Qin Su pulled up a chair and sat down, stretching out her arms to her, "Go ahead and cry, no one will laugh at you."

Princess Cheng'an could no longer contain herself after hearing those words. She threw herself into Qin Su's arms, her deafening cries echoing through the courtyard.