It is a universally acknowledged principle that one should marry a virtuous wife, especially for members of royal and noble families, who all marry women from distinguished families.

Logically speaking, a man as outstanding and noble as the Ninth Prince should be matched with the most gentle and noble woman in the world. At the very least, he should marry the legitimate daughter of a high-ranking official. But the Emperor arranged for him to marry a female bandit.

They claimed it was for the greater good of the nation and the people, to recruit bandits and maintain peace in the region, but frankly, it was nothing short of blatant humiliation!

The soldiers on the left were all drinking in silence, feeling indignant for the Ninth Prince, but dared not utter a single word. For these forthright men who had once been so valiant on the battlefield, this was nothing short of excruciating torture.

General Wei Shu, a valiant cavalryman, was young and impetuous, especially with his impatient nature.

He had been a homeless child, taken in by Shang Xiye, who brought him to the military camp and personally trained him. In his heart, Shang Xiye was like an older brother, and he couldn't bear to see Shang Xiye suffer such humiliation!

Wei Shu slammed her wine glass on the table, her breath reeking of alcohol, and her face flushed as she left her seat: "I'm going out for some fresh air, you guys continue."

Everyone knew his temperament, and since they were also somewhat depressed, they didn't bother with him.

The two concubines and four mistresses, who had been keeping a close eye on the guests' movements, took in the scene but pretended not to see it, each of them busying themselves with the high-ranking officials and noble ladies they were on good terms with.

Wei Shu came out of the outhouse and paced around the courtyard, feeling depressed. As he passed a rockery, he suddenly heard a woman sobbing inside, crying very sadly, and occasionally muttering things like, "Your Highness is really wronged."

These sorrowful words were exactly what Wei Shu wanted to hear. He thought to himself that there was such a loyal servant in the Prince's mansion, and decided to go and see who it was.

Wei Shu turned into the artificial rockery and sure enough, he saw a young girl in green clothes squatting there, offering wine and burning paper money. She was crying as she poured wine onto the ground, occasionally taking a sip herself. Her face was covered in tears, and there were wine jars all over the ground.

"Thanks to the care of Consort Lian back then, my mother was able to support me. I only hate that I am of lowly status and have no power to help the Ninth Prince. I can only watch as the Ninth Prince marries that lowly woman as the mistress of his household. I hate it so much..." After the girl finished speaking, she picked up a jar of wine beside her, broke the seal, and gulped it down again.

This scene and these words were truly heartbreaking to hear and tearful to see. Wei Shu felt as if a thousand arrows were piercing his heart, and his heart ached unbearably.

He didn't care about formalities and plopped down next to the girl. He picked up a jar of wine, broke the seal, and took two gulps. He said, "I didn't expect you to have such a connection with Consort Lian. No wonder you were so heartbroken for the Ninth Prince."

The young girl was startled and instinctively wanted to scream and run away.

Wei Shu quickly pulled her back. "You don't need to be afraid of me. I am Wei Shu, a valiant cavalry general under the Ninth Prince. I came in to find out what was going on after hearing that you were standing up for the Ninth Prince."

The eldest maid sat back down next to Wei Shu, a smug sneer flashing across her eyes. The two of them poured out their grievances to each other, drinking and sip their drinks.

When they were drinking to their heart's content, the head maid saw that Wei Shu was already drunk and his eyes were glazed over. She felt that the time was right and said sadly, "Now that it's a done deal for the Ninth Prince to marry that bandit, it won't be easy to help him get rid of this scar. Unless the Princess Consort commits a moral transgression and makes a fool of herself, the Ninth Prince cannot easily divorce her."

"Hmm," Wei Shu said, her mind was a bit foggy from drinking, and she was unable to think clearly.

Seeing his bewildered state, the eldest maidservant had no choice but to add, "It's a pity I'm not a man, otherwise I would definitely ruin that female bandit's reputation, even if it meant sacrificing myself, to ensure Your Highness's innocence."