Ten days later, Zhao Shu and his entourage returned to Shengjing.

Considering their meritorious service in battle and their exemplary conduct as men, Li Weiyi dispatched Yun Qing to personally greet them at the city gate.

At noon, the sun hung high in the sky, and the sound of horses' hooves came from afar, followed by billowing dust.

"They're here! They're here!" A surprised exclamation rang out, and Yun Qing's spirits lifted as she looked up.

The person riding at the very front was General Zhao, with a carriage following closely behind her, presumably containing the injured Zhao Shuyu.

Yun Qing stepped forward and gave a junior's salute: "General Zhao, it's been a long time. I wonder how you are doing? Your royal aunt often thinks of you."

"I'm sorry to trouble Your Majesty with your concern. I'm just trying to keep myself from getting so angry that I die."

Sensing the hidden meaning in General Zhao's words, Yun Qing smiled awkwardly, unsure how to respond.

In truth, she did nothing wrong. For men, the two most important things are chastity and offspring.

Zhao Shuyu plotted to ruin Liu Chengxi's reputation, but inadvertently caused her to lose her offspring. Isn't this a perfect example of cause and effect, and the inevitable retribution?

But she wasn't the one who suffered the most. Faced with the displaced anger of parents, she couldn't justify her retaliatory remarks. After all, they were her future mother-in-law; it was best to maintain a harmonious relationship.

Seeing that she didn't respond, General Zhao became even angrier. Her son had already been very eager, and she thought that her future daughter-in-law would at least say a few nice words and make some promises to her.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, so she decided to speak frankly: "Hmph! Doesn't Yun Shinv have anything to say about my son?"

Before General Zhao could finish his expression, a powerful force suddenly came from behind, causing him to stumble. If Yun Qing hadn't caught him in time, he probably would have fallen flat on his face.

"Sister Yun, did you come all this way to pick me up?" Zhao Shuyu's voice came from behind, her tone filled with undisguised excitement.

General Zhao finally managed to stand up and was about to turn around to see who was so bold as to bump into her.

Then I saw Char Siu's son smiling like a lapdog, talking to Yun Qing. I was so angry I almost fainted.

"What a misfortune for our family! What a misfortune for our family!"

A few days later, Liu Chengxi prepared the betrothal gifts and personally went to the Zhao family to propose marriage for Yunqing.

Originally, the Zhao family was all set to make things difficult for Yun Qing when she came to visit, but they didn't even get to see her. All their plans were in vain, as if they had punched a cotton ball.

Even because of what Zhao Shuyu did three years ago, they didn't have the confidence to act arrogantly in front of Liu Chengxi. They could only hope that he was a tolerant person and that the two of them would get along harmoniously in the future.

Having set the date for Zhao Shuyu's arrival, Yun Qing had some free time for the time being.

The people in the palace naturally learned of this news as well.

Kunning Palace.

Seeing her son's gloomy face, which had been dark for several days, Zhao Ru didn't know how to comfort him.

In fact, he had known this day would come. He had watched Zhao Shuyu grow up, and he knew all too well how devoted the boy was to Yun Qing. Now that this had happened, he would definitely take this opportunity to ask the Emperor to grant them a marriage.

However, this would render their previous plans with the Zhao family meaningless.

The obstacles a son would face if he wanted to ascend the throne as a man were unimaginable, and the Zhao family, which held military power, was arguably their biggest trump card.

But now that Zhao Shuyu is to marry the designated crown prince, are they still willing to defy public opinion and support Li Huaiyin's ascension to the throne? The answer is obvious.

"Yin'er, don't worry. Even if your aunt's family is gone, your father will still help you. There's also the Zhang family. Zhang Yi didn't have the good fortune to leave us early. Your mother-in-law only has you as her son-in-law. What else can she do if she doesn't stand by your side?"

"So what if she sides with me? What can she change? Do you know that Li Yunqing has already won over all those people in the court?"

"Alas, there's nothing we can do about it. Your father only regrets that you're not a daughter. Otherwise, with your status and talent, that position would be easily within your grasp."

"It's all Zhao Shuyu's fault, that slut! Why did she have to marry him? Can't she live without a woman?"

Hearing these words filled with resentment, Empress Zhao was shocked: "Yin'er, how could you say such a thing about your cousin?"

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Li Huaiyin's face was full of mocking smiles: "Back then, I was able to be ruthless and cut ties with her, so why couldn't he? He was driven to the frontier and suffered so much, yet he still wags his tail like a lapdog."

"What do you mean by this?" Empress Zhao was shocked by the implied meaning in his words, and her finger trembled as she pointed at him.

"It means exactly what it says, Father. Don't you understand?"

Li Huaiyin stood there, facing Zhao Ru's surprised and uncertain gaze, his eyes filled with three parts mockery, three parts pain, and four parts pleasure.

He felt as if his soul had been split in two. One half had gone mad when it heard that Yun Qing was going to marry Zhao Shuyu, while the other half was still sober and trying to dissuade him: Enough, why make yourself so miserable? She's just a fickle woman. Shouldn't you have known her true colors three years ago?

But who can tell him why his heart still aches so much?

Looking at him, Zhao Junhou across from him had an expression of disbelief and sudden realization. All the things that he had been unable to understand before seemed to finally have a clue.

No wonder he suddenly had that rebellious idea three years ago, and no wonder he gradually drifted apart from Zhao Shuyu.

If it stems from love turning into hate, then everything makes sense.

"But Yin'er, have you really let go?"

Zhao Junhou's probing question left Li Huaiyin stunned.

Of course he let it go; otherwise, why would he have hindered her from ascending the throne for so many years?

Li Huaiyin wanted to blurt it out, but faced with his father's distressed gaze, the words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't utter a sound.

He thought that he still hated that person because her decision to marry Zhao Shuyu made him feel that their relationship was a joke.

That rainy night, when Yun Qing broke her promise, it could be said that she abandoned him for the sake of the throne.

Later, forced by rumors, she married Liu Chengxi as her legal husband, which can be said to be a last resort.

But Zhao Shuyu, she clearly didn't like him at all. At first, he was just a shield for their dates, but he gradually developed feelings for her that he shouldn't have.

But now, her position as crown prince is already as secure as it gets, so why does she still need to take Zhao Shuyu as a concubine?

As for the current rumor that Zhao Shuyu was allowed to enter the Shi Nu Mansion as compensation because he could no longer have children, Li Huaiyin simply could not accept it.

So what if I can't have children? He thought maliciously, why not become a monk or die? Why drag this broken body around and harm others?