That madman! Lü Yan is now the Crown Princess, living in the East Palace. The palace is heavily guarded; it's not a place he can just barge in as he pleases.

I won't look at him. At worst, I'll just wait until dawn. When the palace finds out that the prince consort is missing, they won't believe he won't let me leave.

Xie Yuancheng really did pull me up, put a cloak on me, and put a hat on me, but he threw his own cloak aside.

Upon reaching the door, he said to Meng Anshi, "Guard this place well."

When I went downstairs, I couldn't break free, and before I could even stand properly, he grabbed me and jumped me onto the roof.

Just how high were his martial arts skills? He scaled several walls, evaded the guards below, and stopped in front of an exceptionally ornate door. Without knocking, he pushed the door open and entered.

"How dare you enter the Crown Princess's inner chambers without knocking!" A pleasant female voice rang out, and upon seeing Xie Yuancheng, she hurriedly bowed and said, "Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

I was just thinking how strong-willed she was, but suddenly I deflated and ran out the door.

"Yuan Cheng, you're too bold! The Lantern Festival is approaching, and you actually sneaked into the capital." The speaker was exceptionally beautiful; it was hard to tell whether she or Ji Ying was prettier.

Xie Yuancheng kept his arm around me and said, "Sister, let me show you your sister-in-law. Why are you talking about me instead?"

They are siblings. Xie Yuancheng is the only son in the family, but for some reason, he can only take his mother's surname.

He removed my cloak and hat, and the woman exclaimed in surprise, "Yuan Cheng, why did you bring the prince consort here by kidnapping?"

Xie Yuancheng untied the headband from my head, cupped my hand, and kissed me. That bastard, still messing around at a time like this.

The woman walked over and looked me over: "Hmm, you have good taste. I didn't expect the prince consort to be a woman. But now that you've entered the Xie family, none of this matters."

How come this beautiful woman is even more narcissistic than Xie Yuancheng?

Xie Yuancheng helped me sit down: "Ying'er, didn't you say that I had an affair with Lüyan? Well, she is. However, we are siblings, so I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you."

I looked at her. The Crown Princess, Lü Yan, shouldn't she be living in the Eastern Palace? Why is she among the common people?

Lü Yan smiled and said, "Good sister-in-law, my brother asked me to secretly get him the marriage certificate with the Ji family. I was wondering why the Ji family only had one son, who was already the prince consort. Now that I've met you, I understand. From now on, you'll have to keep an eye on my proud brother. But it seems that only you can control him."

Xie Yuancheng slapped Lü Yan's hand away: "Sister, Ying'er is weak, don't frighten her."

I'm completely baffled. How did these two become siblings?!

Lu Yan sat down next to her. She was dressed in fine clothes, but her face was only lightly made up, yet she was unforgettable.

"Lvyan is my alias. My real name is Li Ruowei. When my father suddenly died, the entire household was persecuted. My younger brother and I were young and were temporarily protected and survived. To avoid suspicion, the Prime Minister took pity on my brother and me and argued in court that my brother could inherit our father's marquisate in Linyang and change his surname to Xie. He also secretly raised me with his two newborn daughters. Later, one of them died young, so he changed my name and age and claimed that we were sisters. When I grew up, in order to clear my father's name, I had no choice but to marry the Crown Prince."

I heard some things from Granny Zhang, and I never imagined they were so tragic. Li Ruowei was even forced to marry her own relative, such a beautiful woman.