Changji Palace, evening.

The weather in May was already a bit hot and humid, and all the windows were opened, allowing a cool breeze to blow in, mixed with a faint scent of flowers.

Xiao Junzhan was sitting upright on a chair, reviewing the memorials on the desk. When Ning Hai prepared a pot of tea and presented it to him, he whispered, "Your Highness, Changmen is waiting outside to see you."

Xiao Junzhan paused with his pen, without raising his eyes, and said, "Xuan."

Unlike those century-old marquisates in the capital, the Changmen Marquisate has only been passed down for two generations. The old marquis made great contributions in supporting the current emperor and was awarded the title of marquis. His son has been a companion to the prince since he was a child and is deeply trusted by the prince. He is a popular meritorious aristocrat in the capital.

Xie Li, the Marquis of Changmen, was a few years older than the Crown Prince and was already thirty years old. He knelt down and saluted after entering the door, saying, "Greetings, Your Highness."

Xiao Junzhan looked away from the memorial and lowered his eyes, saying, "Why is Ziyi here?"

Xie Li stood up, bowed slightly and said, "Today, after finishing my duty, I returned home and heard some news from my wife. I felt uneasy and came to report this to Your Majesty."

Xiao Junzhan's expression was slightly restrained: "What's the matter?"

Xie Li bent his waist even lower and said, "The Gu family... is the eldest son of Gu Xulin of Xuzhou, who intends to enter into a marriage contract with the second branch of the Loyal and Brave Marquis's Mansion."

Xie Li's face was covered with sweat. He followed His Highness to Xuzhou and witnessed with his own eyes the difference in how His Highness treated the girl from the Wei family. He also personally handled the subsequent series of investigations into the girl's identity.

I didn't expect such a thing to happen.

However, it was his wife who went to initiate the marriage between the Gu and Wei families.

The wife of Changmen Hou and Madam Gu were close friends, and it was she who was asked by Madam Gu to inquire about the situation in the Wei Mansion.

Xiao Junzhan looked indifferent, lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then asked, "Which girl from the second branch of the Wei family?"

"..." Xie Li paused for a moment, then knelt down again with a thump: "The legitimate daughter of the second branch of the Wei family... the ninth one."

Xiao Junzhan asked, "Did the Wei family accept it?"

"Yes," Xie Li said in an increasingly low voice, "Miss Wei Jiu and the eldest son of the Gu family grew up together. Both families are satisfied with the marriage. My wife said that the Gu family will come to propose marriage tomorrow."

The hall was silent for a few breaths, and then there was a "thump" sound, which was the sound of the memorial being placed on the table. Xie Li's back was stiff, and even his breathing was controlled carefully.

"We grew up together..." Xiao Junzhan stood up and glanced at Xie Li who was kneeling on the ground. His eyes turned cold and he asked, "Is this what you did?"

Xie Li touched his forehead to the ground and smiled bitterly in his heart.

The majesty of the emperor is unpredictable. On that day, he only vaguely guessed that the prince treated the girl a little differently, but no one could be sure how different it was.

After all, His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has never been interested in women, so how could he make such a judgment based on this brief encounter? Later, he was in a hurry to return to the capital, so he only checked the other party's true identity. After there was no doubt, who would specifically check whether there was any marriage proposal?

Today, I heard that the girl actually had an engagement, and I was shocked. I went to the palace to report it, regardless of the lateness of the day. I thought I had valued her enough, but I never thought...

Xiao Junzhan walked down and asked Ning Hai beside him: "Are the Jiang family still on the way?"

Ning Hai was startled, his mind racing, and he quickly said, "According to the date, it should be in Mianzhou."

"Pass on my order," Xiao Junzhan said calmly, "Mr. Jiang is old, and to prevent anyone from neglecting him on the way, let Gu Xulin go to Mianzhou and escort the Jiang family back to Beijing safely."

"..." Ning Hai paused for a moment, then said carefully: "The Jiang family is in Beijing this time because they are violating the law..."

How could a third-rank official be asked to escort a criminal to the capital? Escorting is more like it, but is this oral order wrong?

"Don't worry about it," Xiao Junzhan said, "When delivering the imperial edict, give Gu Xulin a warning so that he can be more restrained when he returns to the capital. Whatever you say, I don't want to see the 'marriage proposal' happen tomorrow."

"I obey your order." Ning Hai's expression remained unchanged, but he was worried for the Gu family. This was the first time in all these years that His Highness was so attentive to a girl. If anyone dared to snatch her from His Highness, the Gu family would be in trouble.

Xiao Junzhan stood quietly for a while, lowered his eyes and said, "I want to see her."

"..." Xie Li was stunned. He couldn't believe what he heard. Was this still his noble and pure prince?

Xiao Junzhan said, "Be careful. If she wants to leave the house, remember to come and report it."

Xie Li said respectfully: "Yes."

Xiao Junzhan's tone became softer: "Also, pay more attention to the eldest son of the Gu family who grew up with her."

Xie Li's forehead was covered with beads of sweat, and he kowtowed and said, "I obey your command."

…………

Gu Yunran had agreed to propose marriage the next day, but he broke his promise.

But it was no wonder that he was there. Early in the morning, the Gu family sent someone to deliver a message that Gu Yunran's father had received a secret order from the prince last night and was heading to Jiangnan for work, so he left the city overnight.

Proposing a marriage to the eldest son is a big deal. How can it be done without Gu Xulin, the head of the family, being present? Naturally, it can only be postponed.

The Wei family will be more satisfied if the upcoming in-laws are highly valued, so they will not care about postponing the marriage proposal.

When Wei Hanzhang heard the news, his first reaction was to breathe a sigh of relief.

It's sad to say, she was looking forward to the marriage before, but after learning that Gu Yunran had two concubines, she could no longer find the joy she had before.

Although Gu Yunran claimed that he had never touched her, he had also said before that no other woman would come between them. Didn't he also accept his mother's arrangement quietly?

Trust is something that, once broken, is very difficult to restore.

Wei Hanzhang was very clear that her feelings for Gu Yunran were no longer the same as before as her trust in him decreased.

She didn't believe that Gu Yunran hadn't touched them during the time when he had taken in two concubines without telling her.

If I could hide it from her the first time, there would definitely be a second time.

In Wei Hanzhang's eyes, Gu Yunran was no longer clean. He was no longer the obedient and obedient childhood sweetheart in her mind.

…………

Ever since the Gu family arrived in the capital, Gu Yunran had come to the house early in the morning for several days in a row. He was familiar with the place and went straight to the second house.

Several times, he was waiting outside the yard before Wei Hanzhang woke up.

So much so that these days, Wei Heng and the Jiang couple looked at their daughter with bright smiles in their eyes.

The couple, who had treated each other with respect for many years, had finally reached a consensus: their little daughter was extremely charming, and judging by her appearance, she had already secured her future husband.

The weather in May was a little hot. When Wei Hanzhang walked out of the room, he saw Gu Yunran standing in the sun, smiling at him.

"Ran Ran, you've been in Beijing for so long, you know it much better than I do, take me out to play today."

Wei Hanzhang was distracted by his laughter. After a slight pause, he said disdainfully, "Why are you thinking about playing every day instead of studying hard at home?"

"It's still early for the next spring exam, so there's no need to rush to review." Gu Yunran walked a few steps in front of her and whispered, "Okay, Ranran, just go out with me."

(End of this chapter)