Upon hearing this, Ning Yin's fingertips trembled slightly, and she unconsciously clenched her cap tightly. She really didn't want anyone to see her like this.

But it was the emperor's order, and she had no choice but to obey. Through the white cloth, she could clearly see the arrogant and smug faces of Consort Chen and Yang Shuhuan.

Yang Shuhuan even stood on tiptoe to look towards the dock; she desperately wanted Shen Yun to come and witness this scene.

However, she seemed to have forgotten about Shen Jia's wedding date, which was three days later.

Shen Jia is Shen Yun's only younger sister. How could he possibly abandon his own sister and enter the palace in the dead of night?

Yang Shuhuan watched for a while and, seeing that there were no passing boats on the lake, couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

However, on the other hand, after tonight, the news that Ning Yin used any means necessary to curry favor with the Crown Prince will spread throughout the entire capital, and by then, it will be difficult for Shen Yun not to know about it.

After tonight, she'll go back and see Shen Yun's attitude; he'll probably be very angry and disappointed.

Thinking it over, Yang Shuhuan covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her eyes filled with a triumphant look. She and Consort Chen exchanged a glance, waiting for Ningyin to lift her veil.

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat tense, with everyone's eyes fixed on Ning Yin. Sensing the emperor's impatience, Ning Yin reached out to remove her cap.

Unexpectedly, her slightly unsteady heels suddenly left the ground. Before she could react, Xiao Xuan had already lifted her up by the waist. To maintain her balance, Ning Yin could only tightly wrap her arms around Xiao Xuan's neck.

The moment they came close, the man's crisp, woody scent filled her nostrils, and Ning Yin trembled slightly. "Your Highness, please put me down..."

Her weak voice rang in the man's ear, but Xiao Xuan's gaze remained dark, and he did not respond to Ning Yin's words.

Instead, he coldly said, "Father, she is my person, so it is inconvenient for her to appear in front of so many people. In a few days, I will bring her to pay my respects to you!"

After speaking, Xiao Xuan turned around and headed towards the imperial ship without looking back. As they watched Xiao Xuan board the ship, Consort Chen and Yang Shuhuan almost choked on their own blood.

He could have destroyed Ning Yin on the spot, but Xiao Xuan is playing by his own rules.

If he was so enraged because he was busy enjoying himself in the Heavenly Water Pool, now that he's sober, why is he still protecting Ning Yin like this?

Consort Chen pinched Yang Shuhuan's arm hard with her nail guards and glared at her resentfully. She wanted to say something to the emperor, but seeing his gloomy face, she could only suppress her resentment for the time being.

Li Chengyan and Qingying bowed to the emperor and others, then jumped onto the ship together.

The emperor angrily flicked his sleeves, unwilling to linger any longer. This rabble had ruined a proper memorial day. If he weren't so exhausted, he would have dragged out the mastermind and torn him apart.

"Return to the palace!"

The emperor was furious and ignored Consort Chen, striding towards the imperial boat.

After all the emperor's men left, only Yang Shuhuan and Consort Chen remained on Phoenix Terrace.

As Consort Chen watched the Emperor's ship sail further and further away, she suddenly turned around.

"Smack!"

With a cold snort, her sinister eyes narrowed slightly, and she left five bright red finger marks on Yang Shuhuan's injured left cheek.

Yang Shuhuan turned her head to the side after being hit, covered her cheek with her hand, bit her lip angrily, and tears fell from her eyes. She stood there stunned for a few seconds.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he hurriedly turned his head and stared straight at Consort Chen.

"What, you're not convinced? You idiot, didn't you say it was foolproof!"

"No, I wouldn't dare. I just suddenly remembered something..."

Yang Shuhuan was so focused on watching Ning Yin make a fool of herself that night, and because the lights were dim, she didn't even notice Xiao Xuan.

But now that she's come to her senses, she realizes that Xiao Xuan's face looks exactly like the man who scolded her before.

She was incredibly careless today, only thinking about framing Ning Yin, completely ignoring the man's aura and gaze, which were exactly the same person she had seen at Ning's Medical Clinic before.

Now everything makes sense. The Crown Prince clearly despises women to the extreme, yet he's so protective of Ning Yin. It turns out the two of them had been having an affair all along.

What Li Chengyan? It turns out that the scoundrel who was having an affair with Ning Yin was actually the Crown Prince all along.

How could she be so foolish as to only find out the truth now?

No wonder Xiao Xuan's face looked like he wanted to kill someone just now; she has really caused a huge disaster.

Yang Shuhuan's face alternated between pale and flushed, and now it had turned completely liver-colored.

Her fingers, which were holding the handkerchief, trembled slightly, and the handkerchief fell to the ground. Seeing Yang Shuhuan's absent-minded appearance, Consort Chen impatiently slapped her again.

"Stop shaking! Speak up..."

"Your Majesty, we...we're in trouble..."

Yang Shuhuan looked at Xiao Xuan's boat that was about to dock, wishing she could jump into the lake right now and swim out of the palace.

"What trouble? If you don't explain yourself clearly, I'll cause you trouble right now!"

"His Highness the Crown Prince and Ning Yin were lovers!"

Yang Shuhuan finally uttered a complete sentence, but as soon as she said it, Consort Chen's eyes widened in disbelief.

How is that possible?

Xiao Xuan has always disliked women. There isn't even a single woman in the palace, so how could she be Ning Yin's lover? Besides, Ning Yin has only been in the palace for a short time. Even if she is very beautiful, it's impossible for her to seduce the Crown Prince so quickly.

Consort Chen was momentarily at a loss for words due to this sudden information. Just as she was about to raise her hand to teach Yang Shuhuan another lesson to prevent her from talking nonsense, a torrential downpour suddenly began.

A clap of thunder sounded, lightning flashed across the silent night sky, and amidst the wind and rain, all the candles in the main hall were extinguished.

Yang Shuhuan and Consort Chen were caught in the rain and were instantly soaked.

"Yang Shuhuan, if you don't give me an explanation, I will absolutely not let you off!"

…

Over here, Xiao Xuan held Ning Yin, covering her completely with his cloak.

He didn't bring an umbrella when he went out today, and Qingying wasn't prepared either. Who knew that a sudden downpour would start? To prevent Ningyin from catching a cold, he walked quickly.

After passing through several palace gates, they finally carried the person back to Zhaoyang Palace.

At this moment, Xiao Xuan was completely soaked, with sweat dripping down his face.

Without even wiping the rain from his eyes, he removed the wet cloak from Ning Yin's body.

Ning Yin was well protected by him, and her clothes didn't get wet at all.

Like a child, he finally showed a slight smile, relieved that his Ah Ning hadn't gotten wet.

Just as she was about to help Ning Yin to the bed, she was afraid that the rain on her body would soil Ning Yin's clothes, so she quickly took two steps back.

"Ah Ning, lie down and rest for a while, I'll go change my clothes!"