Liuli was very perceptive and spoke sweetly, "Granddaughter is not wronged. As long as she can share her grandfather's burdens, granddaughter is willing to do anything."

"Alright, my dear granddaughter, Grandfather promises you, Grandfather will never let you suffer any injustice." This was a promise from Prince Hui to Liuli; after she married into the family, the Prince Hui's mansion would be her strong support.

Liuli expressed her willingness to marry him as a concubine, and Prince Hui agreed. Although Emperor Mingde felt that this was somewhat despicable, since she was not his granddaughter, he did not say anything. Prince Jin saw that Prince Hui was really ruthless, actually marrying Liuli off as a concubine. He was not so ruthless, so he did not argue.

As for the Hao family, what else could they do? Consort Hao was already preoccupied with her own problems. Prince Hui was the emperor's uncle and in charge of the Imperial Clan Court. If he didn't want to form a marriage alliance with them, he had a million ways to smear them. After some discussion, the Hao family obediently broke off the engagement.

When Wei Caitao's second wife, Wei Zhongshi, learned that Wei Tingsi was going to marry these women, she applauded and not only did not object, but also quickly completed the formalities of marriage, even more so than when she was arranging a marriage for her own son.

Therefore, by the time Wei Tingsi received the imperial edict, his stepmother had already presented him with the three letters and six rites in the capital. Whether he was in the capital or not was completely unimportant.

With someone in charge in the capital, Huo Baichuan was naturally not in the capital either. By the time he received the news, it was too late. It was just that the communication was too backward, Emperor Mingde was too efficient, and Wei Zhongshi was too eager for Wei Tingsi to suffer.

As Zhao Shu entered the room, Wei Tingsi instinctively hid the imperial edict behind his back. "What does the imperial edict say?"

Her ominous premonition grew stronger. Huo Baichuan's words had left her completely confused. Although she had used him, he hadn't said anything, so he shouldn't be so angry.

"It's nothing, don't worry, I'll take care of everything." This time, he didn't have the courage to let Zhao Shu know the truth. He could let her do what she liked and tolerate everything about her, whether it was good or bad, but now he didn't have the courage to understand her thoughts.

The more he tried to hide it, the more uneasy Zhao Shu became. She looked at him firmly and said, "So, you're going to keep it from me now."

Upon hearing this, Wei Tingsi felt a tightness in his chest, as if he were about to lose her. He took two steps forward and pulled her into his arms, saying, "I'm sorry."

It seemed that he didn't know what else to say besides "I'm sorry." The imperial decree for marriage had been issued, and Wei Zhongshi must have done many things he couldn't have imagined. This woman would definitely not let him have an easy time. How could he bear to implicate his Shushu? Huo Baichuan was right. If you're not sure you can give a woman happiness, don't talk about feelings lightly.

"I'm sorry, I'm going to drag you into an abyss." One can imagine that if he didn't marry those other women and insisted on marrying Zhao Shu, the world would definitely smear and criticize her. She had already suffered so much criticism when she was young. Did she still not escape it after she grew up and got married?

No, this is not the life he wanted for her. He had imagined comfort, peace, and leisure, but there were no storms or gossip.

Zhao Shu snatched the imperial edict from his hand, unfolded it, and when she saw the names, she sneered, "Good idea. If you marry them, your later life will be over."

"Of all the waters in the world, I will only take one sip; I will not marry anyone else, I will only marry you." The tenderness in his eyes was overflowing, like a vast ocean that was about to drown Zhao Shu.

"Is this what he means by 'a lifelong, monogamous relationship' that so many women dream of?" Zhao Shu chuckled. "Alright, as long as you truly only want one person out of a thousand, what does it matter if I go down into this abyss with you?"

In fact, Huo Baichuan is right. If you can't stay together, why waste your feelings? But if you don't waste your feelings first, how can you stay together?

But now that the other person's status is already established, am I considered a mistress? Should I let go?

Zhao Shu never imagined that one day she would have to compete with someone else for a man. Thinking about this, she couldn't help but say, "I feel like I'm demeaning myself. I feel like I'm trying to steal you from someone else, which makes me seem worthless."

“You don’t need to fight me, I’ll throw myself into your arms.” He held Zhao Shu tightly. Ever since he heard the words, “What’s wrong with going down into this abyss with you?” his heart had softened. He knew that in her heart, he was no longer just someone she was using.

Having spent half his life in the military, the hardships he has endured are unimaginable to many. While he may not boast of other skills, his ability to judge people is something he can be proud of.

Therefore, he targeted Zhao Shu and struck first, thus gaining a slight advantage over Huo Baichuan.

His Shushu was definitely not a woman who only knew how to weigh and use things. She was actually very fragile, and all her strength was just a disguise. So he never interfered with her. He would support whatever she wanted to do because people with fragile hearts lack a sense of security.

It's not about protecting someone to give them a sense of security, but about letting them experience what it's like to be strong. It's about letting them understand that even without anyone to rely on, even alone, they can face the storms and hardships, and face life with composure.

When a person becomes calm and composed, and when they look back, there is someone protecting them like a city wall, then happiness will naturally follow.

"Hahaha, your fiancées will probably cry if they hear this."

"Don't say that. They are not my betrothed wives or concubines." His tone was icy, and you could tell he was about to kill them. They dared to issue a decree to marry them without warning and openly scheme against him. It seemed they had been living too comfortably and had forgotten their place!

Zhao Shu wasn't worried at all. Who was Wei Tingsi? If he were so easily controlled, he wouldn't have had that infamous reputation of being a demon. Back when he wasn't a marshal, before the policy of reducing the power of the princes was implemented, not only large families, but even ordinary families never considered marrying their illegitimate daughters to him.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!