In the eyes of her masters, Concubine Rou was nothing more than a servant.

How are they different from them?

Thinking of these things, several girls unconsciously puffed out their chests.

"This place is too chaotic, I won't look anymore." Shen Wangshu's ears were sore from listening to Aunt Rou's wailing and howling. She had only watched for a while and that was it. Seeing that the old lady of the Marquis of Linxi and her son were standing to the side with pale faces, she sneered in her heart and swayed away.

No sooner had she left than the Prince of Wei chased after her. Now that he was officially betrothed and had a legitimate status recognized by the royal family, he naturally had no more reservations. Moreover, the more attentive and considerate he was, the more he was giving Shen Wangshu face, letting everyone know that he loved and cherished this princess.

If he wants the people of the capital to respect his queen, he must start by respecting her.

King Wei understood this principle. Although he was as upright as a pine tree, his gaze toward Shen Wangshu was ardent.

"There's no order in the Prime Minister's residence. I'm really worried about you." He pursed his lips, and seeing Shen Wangshu looking up at him quietly, he said as if struck by a sudden inspiration, "The Empress Dowager still misses you. Why don't you move back to her palace?" Although the Empress Dowager valued his reputation more, she wasn't heartless. Shen Wangshu had genuinely taken that knife for her, so the Empress Dowager naturally looked at her with new respect. Now they were even closer, and to put it more intimately, Shen Wangshu would have to call the Empress Dowager "Mother."

Presumably, the "Empress Dowager" would not refuse even a small, reasonable request.

“If I were to enter the palace, I fear some would say I’m being arrogant because of you.” Shen Wangshu was somewhat tempted, but ultimately shook her head.

“I’m willing to let you be arrogant because of me,” King Wei said softly.

His features were strikingly handsome, yet his expression was sincere and earnest. Shen Wangshu looked at the young man who was so kind to her, so kind that it made her feel guilty, and was speechless for a moment.

He truly loved her and wanted to treat her well, but she didn't love him as deeply as he loved her.

She liked him, but not nearly as much as he liked her.

She still had various escape routes in her heart, and the only person she loved more was herself.

"I also want to see Song Wan'er make a good show." She paused for a moment, then shared her less-than-honest feelings with him.

At that moment, she held her breath, feeling an inexplicable tension.

"Don't hurt yourself." King Wei was taken aback when he saw Shen Wangshu suddenly look up, staring at him with a complicated expression, as if she didn't recognize him and was re-evaluating him. He couldn't help but touch his face, thinking back to what he had said uneasily to Shen Wangshu earlier, "Both of them are ruthless. Otherwise, should I leave you a few more guards?"

He sensed a change in Shen Wangshu's expression, and something in her cold eyes seemed to soften. Although he didn't know why, he couldn't help but feel a strange joy. He gently walked to Shen Wangshu's side and looked down at the girl with eyes that held the most complex emotions in the world.

"Don't you... think that I'm actually quite cruel?" Shen Wangshu asked with difficulty.

She had assumed that the King of Wei was in love with the girl she deliberately presented to him—a girl who, though cunning, was kind and innocent.

The girl he liked, wasn't she a helpless woman struggling to protect herself?

"I love all of you." Pure and kind, ruthless or cruel, as long as it's her, that's enough.

Seeing Shen Wangshu's helpless expression, King Wei suddenly smiled.

He extended his slender hand to the girl in front of him, whose gaze was complex and bewildered. She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his.

Her hands were soft yet somewhat cold, and he couldn't help but gently hold them, lowering his eyes as he said, "I'm very happy that you haven't hidden anything from me, and I'm also grateful to you." Did this mean that she trusted him?

King Wei felt pleased. Thinking of the Empress Dowager's playful banter, he silently took out a glittering gold ring from his pocket and quickly fastened it to Shen Wangshu's slender wrist.

A cold touch landed on Shen Wangshu's wrist. She looked down in surprise and saw that there was a thin, twisted gold bracelet on her wrist, with a delicate and exquisite small gold lock with intricate carvings on it.

"I've heard that if you love someone and want to be with her for three lifetimes, no matter how many reincarnations you go through, you should use this golden lock to bind her, so that she remembers that no matter if we are separated or not... I will never leave her, and no matter where I go, I will find her and return to her side."

"you……"

"No matter how many reincarnations we go through, no matter how many times we cross the Bridge of Helplessness, I will never forget you, and you will never forget me." King Wei elegantly fiddled with the small golden lock, a satisfied smile in his eyes.

"I've locked you up."