Qingying swayed and almost lost her balance, but luckily Yu Yue beside her caught her in time.

She closed her eyes, trying her best to suppress the surging bitterness in her heart, and asked him cautiously and hopefully, "I'll compromise and let her be a concubine, please don't kneel down, okay?"

Given Meng Shushu's status, becoming the Crown Prince's concubine was already a great honor.

Wei Huaixu remained unmoved, brooking no argument, "She is the girl I admire, she cannot be my concubine. Whoever I love, I will be with for life."

One life, one love, one partner?

Qingying couldn't help but laugh. She remembered that he had once promised her that he would be with her for life, saying firmly, "My wife will only be Qingying."

But now, recalling the past feels like a fleeting dream.

Qingying looked up at the raindrops drifting in the sky, the dark clouds thick and gloomy. After watching for a long time, when her mood had finally calmed down, Eunuch Yu came out to issue a summons.

She turned and walked into the hall.

Standing to the side, Madam Wang saw her approaching and said, "Don't worry, Shushu, your grandmother has already informed His Majesty and will certainly not let that commoner take your position."

The Emperor looked at her and nodded, his tone unusually gentle as he said, "Your marriage to the Crown Prince was decreed by me personally and announced to the world. It cannot be canceled by him alone."

Then, with a look of exasperation, he said, "He has always been sensible, but now he's been bewitched by a commoner girl. He's utterly foolish!"

Qingying bowed to him respectfully and said, "Your Majesty is wise and has upheld justice for me. I am deeply grateful, but I cannot bear to see His Highness the Crown Prince kneeling outside the palace."

The Emperor immediately ordered his men to knock the Crown Prince unconscious and carry him back to the Eastern Palace.

Qingying lowered her head and bowed to Wang Shi to take her leave.

After leaving the palace, Lady Wang looked at the sky and sighed, saying, "His Majesty has probably already taken a grudge against the Liu family."

His Highness the Crown Prince knelt outside the palace for three days, but the Emperor ignored him. However, today, as soon as they entered the palace, the Emperor dealt with them immediately, all in order to make the Liu family submit.

Recently, Liu Yu has won a series of victories. Upon returning to the capital, he was greeted by crowds of people who lined the streets, making it impossible to pass. The general's standing in the hearts of the people has risen even higher, while the emperor's wariness of him has increased even more.

The Crown Prince's outburst was practically handing him an opportunity, allowing him to dampen the Liu family's arrogance.

Qingying felt guilty and whispered, "Grandmother, it's all my fault. I've implicated the General's Mansion..."

“Child, it’s not your fault.” Madam Wang gently held her hand and comforted her, “Although the General’s Mansion lost face this time, it also avoided a major danger. Serving the emperor is like serving a tiger. Your father was too prominent, and this incident actually gave him some breathing room.”

Qingying nodded and said nothing more.

She understood that in Wang's heart, the General's Mansion held more weight than anything else. It was undeniable that she loved her granddaughter, but compared to the rise and fall of the Liu family, sacrificing her was no big deal.

Back at the General's Mansion, as soon as they got off the carriage, they encountered Liu Chengfeng, who had just returned from outside.

He was overjoyed, his eyes and brows brimming with laughter, but he immediately suppressed it the moment he saw Qingying.

He walked over, bowed to Madam Wang, then looked at her and asked with concern, "Why do you look so pale?"

Wang said, "She just came back from the palace, so don't say anything unpleasant to upset her."

The Crown Prince's affair was the talk of the town in the capital, and he naturally knew about it. He said with regret, "If I had known he was this kind of person, I shouldn't have given up the top spot in the first place!"

Qingying suddenly raised her head, looked at him in astonishment, and asked, "Brother, what did you say?"

Liu Chengfeng scratched his head awkwardly and said sheepishly, "The reason he was able to win the championship in last year's autumn hunt was because I deliberately let him win in the last round. Otherwise, how could he have surpassed me so easily?"

No wonder... Liu Chengfeng was clearly in the lead the whole time, but he was suddenly overtaken by Wei Huaixu in the last game because he deliberately threw the game.

He may have genuinely wanted to marry her at the time, but...

"There's no point in saying all this now." Qingying shook her head with a self-deprecating smile, thinking of what he had said in front of the palace.

As she stepped into the mansion, Liu Chengfeng followed closely by her side, holding an umbrella that mostly covered her head, oblivious to the fact that his own shoulder was wet.

Qingying glanced at him and asked, "Brother, you've been leaving early and returning late these past few days. Have you been going to the academy?"

"No..." Liu Chengfeng touched his chin awkwardly.

"Oh, is it because Prince Yu's son has returned, and you went out partying with him again?"

"No, no," he quickly denied.

Qingying looked at him suspiciously, narrowed her eyes, and said sternly, "Tell me the truth."

Don't let her gentle and weak appearance fool you; she can be quite intimidating when she gets serious.

Liu Chengfeng, who could never withstand such scrutiny, touched his nose and honestly replied, "I went to see Ayan."

"Sister Ayan has been found?" This is quite unexpected. Ayan has been missing since the autumn hunt, and almost a year has passed. She thought that Ayan had already met with misfortune.

"Um."

"Is she... alright?"

"That's good. She said that she left without saying goodbye that day because a friend had an accident and she didn't have time to tell him in advance. Later, he was being chased by his enemies, so he hadn't shown up."

Qingying found this explanation rather strange. "Does brother believe her?"

"I believe you."

"But..." she was about to say something when she saw the undisguised joy in Liu Chengfeng's eyes and pursed her lips.

Well, you can't stop someone who's in the mood for it. I'm afraid that saying too much will only make the siblings more estranged.

Besides, she hasn't even figured out her own relationship problems, so what right does she have to advise others?

Night fell.

Qingying tossed and turned, unable to sleep, so she got up, lit a lamp, walked to the table, spread out a piece of paper, ground the ink, and picked up a brush.

Wei Huaixu used to say that if she missed him, she would write a letter and leave it by the window, and someone would come and take it. In the past, Ashu was the one who did this job. However, since he went to war, they have been communicating through Wei Dongchen's eagle. Now, she wonders if anyone will come and take the letter if she writes it and leaves it by the window.

Qingying only drew a locust tree in full bloom on the paper, with a nightingale flying beside it. If it were the Wei Huaixu of the past, he would have understood the meaning, but now...

She put down her pen, stared at the paper for a long time, and waited for the ink to dry completely before folding it up and putting it into the envelope.

She opened the window a crack, placed the letter on the windowsill, and sat down to wait.

She didn't know how much time had passed, but as she was dozing off, she suddenly heard a noise coming from the window.

She suddenly opened her eyes.