The wedding was just two nights ago, and now, only yesterday and less than a day later, the news has spread so quickly. It's obvious that someone with ulterior motives is behind this.

Such news, unless discovered in public, will spread in private and will almost never become the talk of the town.

Moreover, the people in the bridal chamber that day were all quite familiar with the Prince of Heping's residence; otherwise, there wouldn't have been an opportunity for a wedding night prank. There weren't many people, so it would have been very easy to find out who spread the news.

Of course, another possibility is that Jiang Xuelin was noticed by someone with ulterior motives when she ran away from the wedding.

However, she changed her clothes and wore a veil to cover her face when she ran away from the wedding, so no one should have seen her.

Jiang Xuelin and Fu Hanlai, who were still bickering, exchanged a glance, and both of them had a suspect in mind.

—The lineage of the Third Prince.

Yesterday in the palace, Jiang Xuelin made the Third Prince's mother fall flat on her face in public, and the Imperial Concubine also suspiciously mentioned this incident. Now, with such a rapid pace and obvious targeting of Jiang Xuelin, and the fact that Fu Hanlai, who also ran away from his marriage, has been hidden away, it's easy to guess what's going on.

After all, the political enemies of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion wouldn't be eyeing the young ladies in the mansion, so it would only be the Third Prince's side.

"Aunt...the Crown Princess? What should we do now?" Granny Cai, who was sorting out the dowry list, stepped forward with worry and asked anxiously.

Fu Hanlai tossed the dagger he had just picked up back into the box, a disgruntled sneer on his face. "What else can you do? Don't you know whether your daughter has run away from the wedding or not?"

"I merely had someone spread some rumors to divert attention and make it easier for me to elope. I never expected that kind-hearted people would notice it. These fools really believe whatever they hear."

Granny Cai thought that Fu Hanlai was about to turn against Jiang Xuelin because of what she had just said, but Fu Hanlai immediately said what he said next.

It must be said that Granny Cai breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

Fu Hanlai did not tell anyone else what he said to the Empress Dowager. Only the Prince Ping's residence and a few people in the palace knew. Others did not know that he had taken full responsibility for the elopement. In such a short time, the person who did it behind the scenes would certainly not know.

“Jiang Xuelin, you continue packing your dowry. I will go find my father and mother. You are now a member of the Ping Prince’s mansion. Your father will not ignore such slander and defamation.”

After saying this, Fu Hanlai ignored Jiang Xuelin and went straight to the main courtyard.

"girl?"

Granny Cai's daughter, Zilu, stepped forward and called out worriedly.

However, in the two days since their marriage, while the maids usually address her as the Crown Princess, they still instinctively address her as Miss in case of an emergency.

In just a few words and a glance, Jiang Xuelin already knew what Fu Hanlai would do next, and she also knew what she needed to do next.

The two did not speak openly, but they understood each other's meaning almost immediately.

"Never mind that, continue preparing the gifts for tomorrow's homecoming."

Tomorrow is the third day after the wedding, when Princess Ping will return to her parents' home. All the gifts have been prepared by Princess Ping, so Jiang Xuelin doesn't need to worry about them. She has only just arrived at the Prince Ping's residence and naturally doesn't have much control over it. The gifts she brings back to her parents' home certainly can't come from her dowry; they need to be prepared by the Prince Ping's residence. The value of the gifts also represents her status in the Prince Ping's residence.

As for the rumors circulating outside about the Jiang family girl's unconventional behavior and her elopement on her wedding day, she doesn't need to get involved. All she needs to do now is be a new bride who has suffered all sorts of grievances.

Otherwise... it would be better to treat Fu Han better in the future, right?

Fu Hanlai was unaware of Jiang Xuelin's thoughts at this moment. After finding Prince Ping, he learned that Prince Ping and his wife had also heard about the rapidly spreading rumors outside, but Jiang Xuelin did not know what they were saying.

However, when he tried to go out, he was stopped by Princess Ping.

Tomorrow I need to accompany Jiang Xuelin on her return visit to her parents' home. This is an important matter, and it's not a good time for Fu Hanlai to go out and cause trouble.

The person behind them was spreading rumors at this time, which was also related to the return visit to the bride's parents' home tomorrow.

In such families, it is extremely shameful for the newlywed husband not to accompany the bride on her return visit, and the rumors are so vicious that they can completely ruin a woman's life.

Even if the woman isn't as the rumors suggest, her husband's family, for the sake of face, won't give her a kind look.

This method doesn't look like it came from a man.

Although he was concerned about the matter, Fu Hanlai still mocked Jiang Xuelin when he returned to the courtyard and saw her drinking tea.

Jiang Xuelin: "..."

I'll let it go this time since I helped her.

Fu Han came to see Jiang Xuelin but didn't react much; instead, he found it rather boring.

The next morning, the two first went to the main courtyard to pay their respects and say goodbye. After having a meal, they took the generous gifts that Princess Ping had prepared in advance and headed to the Jing'an Marquis's residence.

At this time, in order to receive Fu Hanlai, the heir apparent and son-in-law of the Prince of Ping, the Marquis of Jing'an did not go to the military camp after court, but returned to his residence.

Together with Lady Jing'an, the couple kept looking out the door, their hearts filled with torment.

Their beloved daughter, who had just married, had finally returned home. They didn't know how she had been doing at the Prince Ping's residence these past few days, and with the rumors circulating outside, the couple were really eager to see Jiang Xuelin.

The rumors about the Jiang family's daughter running away from her wedding are now flying around. The people in the Prince Ping's mansion know about it, and the people in the Marquis Jing'an's mansion are naturally also well aware of it, but they haven't yet found the source of the rumors.

As the sun rose higher, the steward finally came running over, "Madam! Lord Marquis! The Princess Consort and the Prince have returned!"

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Jing'an, who had been sitting there with an air of superiority, instantly stood up. "Really?"

"The carriage has arrived at the gate, so this old servant came to report it immediately."

Lady Jing'an breathed a sigh of relief.

Jiang Xuelin used to go out, occasionally going to burn incense and staying overnight in mountain temples. She had been away from home for this long before, but this time was different for her.

Although it was only three days, it felt like an eternity to her. She couldn't wait to see the Marquis of Jing'an and his wife. As soon as the carriage stopped, she jumped down before Fu Han could even react.

When the Marquis of Jing'an and his wife came out to greet them, they happened to see Jiang Xuelin jumping down from the carriage.

After jumping down, the other person completely ignored Fu Hanlai, who was still in the carriage, and gave the Marquis of Jing'an and his wife a big smile, "Father! Mother! Your daughter is back!"

Fu Hanlai also got off the carriage at this time. He glanced at Jiang Xuelin speechlessly, understanding her excitement at the moment, so he did not complain. He respectfully bowed to Marquis Jing'an, saying, "Father-in-law, Mother-in-law."