Wang was taken aback.

Zhou Yuan realized that his evasion was too obvious, and quickly said, "You misunderstood me. As the saying goes, a betrothed woman becomes a wife and a runaway woman becomes a concubine. You were my lawfully wedded wife before. Even if you have changed your appearance, you are still my wife. I cannot let you suffer criticism because of this."

Wang felt relieved and a smile appeared on her face. "As long as you have me in your heart, I don't care about these things."

Zhou Yuan said, "But I care."

Wang was even happier.

Seeing her like this, Zhou Yuan felt that the groundwork had been laid enough and it was time to get down to business.

"Yunniang, did you mention your visit to anyone?"

Wang shook her head.

Zhou Yuan nodded; this was just as he had predicted.

"You're saying that the original betrothed of the second daughter of the Shi family was Jiang Yunhuai, the current garrison commander?"

Wang nodded blankly, not understanding why he brought this up.

Zhou Yuan tapped his finger on the table for a long while before saying, "Yunniang, you have shown me deep affection and loyalty, and I will certainly not let you down. I wish to formally propose marriage with you, but alas, I am powerless to do so. Would you be willing to help me in any way?"

Wang's face immediately flushed red with embarrassment, and she hurriedly lowered her head, nodding almost imperceptibly.

Zhou Yuan's lips curled up briefly before disappearing, his face showing difficulty. "You know my current situation. I've lost my official position and am a widower. If I were to remarry, it would mean taking a second wife."

Wang quickly raised her head, about to speak.

Zhou Yuan reached out to stop her, saying, "I know what you mean, but the world doesn't know your situation. If they see me wearing red silk again, they will think I'm remarrying, and your parents in the Shi family will definitely think so too."

Wang knew this would happen, and she lowered her head dejectedly.

Seeing that her disappointment was genuine, Zhou Yuan said, "A few days ago, an old acquaintance came over and mentioned some things about the Ministry of Revenue, including Jiang Yunhuai."

Zhou Yuan leaned forward, his voice extremely low, "Yunniang, this is our only chance."

Wang looked bewildered, not understanding what he was talking about.

Zhou Yuan shifted his stool and leaned closer to Wang Shi. "Some time ago, an imperial censor impeached the Minister of Revenue, saying that he was involved in a grain embezzlement case. Jiang Yunhuai was given an imperial mission to investigate this matter."

Wang blinked, thinking to herself, "Why is he telling me all this? His position in the Ministry of Revenue has already been taken over, so whatever happens in the Ministry of Revenue has nothing to do with him."

Seeing her confused expression, Zhou Yuan hurriedly explained, "Your current identity is Jiang Yunhuai's fiancée. In his heart, in a few months, you will be family. He won't hide anything from you, no matter who he's hiding it from. If you ask him a couple of questions out of curiosity, he might think you care about him and tell you everything."

Wang blinked.

Zhou Yuan said with a beaming smile, "If you can find out the inside story of his investigation, that might allow me to gain favor with the Minister of Revenue, and my future prospects will be bright."

Wang stared at him for a long time, then suddenly said, "Are you trying to make me a spy?"

Zhou Yuan's face stiffened, and he subconsciously wanted to rebuke her for being short-sighted, but fortunately he realized in time that if he wanted to be reinstated, he could only rely on Wang Shi's intervention. After a few breaths, he gently stroked her fingers on the table and said in a low voice, "How is this a spy? I did this only to make him lose his official position. You were unwilling to marry him in the first place, and now that he has become a commoner, it will be difficult for him to cling to the Shi family. If I can get promoted because of this, that would be best. If not, I can use this merit to ask the Minister to act as matchmaker. The Minister's official position is above your father's, so even if your father is unwilling, he cannot refuse. When the time comes, I will go through the proper formalities, and he will naturally agree."

He gently kneaded the back of her hand and whispered, "Don't you want to be with me openly and honestly, and from now on, be a loving couple, not an immortal?"

Wang's face was flushed. Although they had been husband and wife for more than ten years, she had never been so intimate with him before.

Seeing that she was already interested, Zhou Yuan's smile deepened, and he whispered in her ear, "When we have a few more children, the boy can study with me, and the girl can learn from you to be a good helper in managing the household. In the future, our family will live together in harmony and happiness. Wouldn't that be the envy of everyone?"

Wang felt waves of hot breath around her ears, making her waist and legs weak and numb, her whole body as soft as water.

Zhou Yuan's fingers couldn't help but climb up Wang's waist, causing Wang to tremble and her breathing to quicken.

Shi Lan was greatly alarmed upon seeing this scene.

If she were to be bullied by this two-faced, disgusting man without any explanation, wouldn't she feel like she was going to vomit to death?

Outside the window, Jiang Yunhuai's brows were furrowed in a tight knot, and his fingers couldn't help but grip the window frame.

With a crisp 'crack', the wooden window frame shattered into dust in an instant. Jiang Yunhuai took a deep breath, quickly sprang up, and like a nimble cat, silently leaped onto the roof.

Zhou Yuan, harboring ulterior motives, instinctively distanced himself from Wang upon hearing the commotion. "Who?"

Wang was also startled and quickly sat up straight.

Zhou Yuan composed himself. He got up and went outside, looking around but finding nothing amiss.

When they returned to their seats, the previous enchanting atmosphere had completely vanished.

Zhou Yuan coughed lightly, added some dishes for Wang Shi, and then buried his head in his rice.

Wang's palate had become quite discerning; she ate a couple of bites perfunctorily, and as soon as Zhou Yuan put down his chopsticks, she quickly put them down as well.

Zhou Yuan looked at the almost untouched food in her bowl and asked, "Is it not to your liking?"

Wang's eyes darted around, afraid that Zhou Yuan would notice her dislike, and she quickly said, "No, it's just that I get flustered whenever I think of Jiang Yunhuai. You don't know how powerful his fists are." She waved her arms, imitating Jiang Yunhuai's actions that night, and said, "He just punched through such thick wood in one go." Wang was just making excuses, but as she said them, her heart started pounding. "I'm afraid that if he finds out I'm doing something wrong, he'll punch me to death."

Zhou Yuan grinned and said, "Don't worry, you have the Shi family behind you. Even if they know you're the one who betrayed us, they won't do anything to you."

Wang was skeptical.

Zhou Yuan smiled and helped her up. "Don't be afraid. I'll take you there later. From now on, I'll be waiting at the side gate every day at noon. If you feel anything is wrong, just come out through the side gate, and I'll take you away immediately. I won't let him hurt a single hair on your head."

Wang nodded with complete trust.

Shi Lan sneered inwardly. What a joke! Not to mention that Jiang Yunhuai possessed extraordinary skills and could kill Wang Shi with a single palm strike, even an ordinary man like Wang Shi, who was so weak that she couldn't lift a finger, couldn't handle him.

Furthermore, the place where Jiang Yunhuai lives is the Jianchang Earl's Mansion. Even though this body and Jiang Yunhuai will get married in a few months, they are not married yet. What is the meaning of living there like this?

Ultimately, Zhou Yuan had ulterior motives. He schemed against both Jiang Yunhuai and Wang Shi, and he was the one who benefited, but at the cost of the original owner's and her family's century-old reputation, as well as Jiang Yunhuai's life and fortune.