Faced with such frank and passionate words, Shanyu Heye, who had never experienced anything like this before, felt his heart pound like a deer.

She was the one who took the initiative to pester him after being drugged; if she had encountered a heartless and unfaithful person, she would have run away long ago.

His willingness to find her here late at night to make her a promise shows his sincerity.

Moreover, he was a close associate of the Ninth Prince, and it is said that servants follow their masters, so his character and abilities must be outstanding.

"May I... touch your face?" Shanyu Heye actually wanted to see what he looked like, but was too shy to ask.

"Yes, that's fine."

Wu Shang was also very uneasy, feeling as if all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat.

With trembling hands, Shanyu Heye gently stroked his young face: the lines of his face were smooth, his eyebrows and eyes were deep, his nose was straight, and his lips were neither too thick nor too thin, just right. He should be a very handsome man.

Furthermore, the fact that he had no stubble on his lips and chin indicates that he is tidy and clean.

Most importantly, the slight upward curve of his lips indicated that he was very happy.

Shanyu Heye smiled, as if his once lost and wandering heart had instantly landed and taken root.

At that moment, her last lingering feelings for the prince vanished without a trace.

Needless to say, the pressure in the imperial court increased day by day over the next two days.

Ji Fengming felt like he'd been cursed these past two days. No matter where he went, even if it was just going out at night to buy a bag of peanuts, he'd run into the Chen brothers. This incredible coincidence was astonishing.

Moreover, these two brothers are like gunpowder kegs; they're always looking for trouble and can easily start a fight with him.

Although Ji Fengming has never been afraid of fighting, fighting three or four times a day is quite annoying.

On the morning of the third day.

For the first time ever, Duke Chen brought his two brothers, Chen Shiyu and Chen Shiyu, who were both bruised and battered, to court. Coincidentally, Ji Chenhai also attended court that day.

Shang Xiche arrived and barely had time to sit down.

As soon as Eunuch De announced, "If you have something to report, speak now; otherwise, the court may adjourn," Duke Chen fell to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face: "Your Majesty, you must do justice for this old minister!"

Shang Xiche had been troubled these past two days by the lack of anyone willing to go to the Northwest to oversee the war effort. Recalling the incident at Cining Palace a few days ago, he felt even more annoyed when he looked at Duke Chen. He coldly and impatiently asked, "What is it!"

"This old minister knows that the Ninth Princess came to my residence that day to fetch medicine for the Empress Dowager, and I failed to stop my sons from arguing with her and the Heir Apparent of Anping. That was my fault. But these past two days, the Heir Apparent of Anping has been beating and kicking my sons every day. If this continues, I fear my sons' lives will be in danger. I only have these two sons. Your Majesty, I beg you to do me justice!" The Duke of Chen cried pitifully.

"Bullshit! They were the ones who tried to gang up on the weak, but they got beaten up by my Fengming instead. How did it become that my Fengming blocked them? Do you think your two cowardly bastards are worth my Fengming going out of his way to block them?" Ji Chenhai spat into the air: "Pah!"

"Lord Anping, I know that our two families' children have always had disagreements, including a conflict when we went to Linwu. I can ignore your lies and distortions of the truth, because I believe that His Majesty and my colleagues are all reasonable people and will not believe rumors because of their children's squabbles. But this time, the Heir Apparent of Anping has indeed gone too far!" The Duke of Chen looked like a heartbroken old father helplessly protecting his son.

When the civil and military officials remembered that the Ji family father and son were bandits, and saw that the Chen brothers had indeed been beaten black and blue, they all tended to believe the Duke of Chen.