If there was anything she still didn't dare to face, it was the insults she heard after her previous life's death. Those words were like invisible sharp blades piercing her heart and whipping her remaining dignity. All the vicious words she could imagine and could not imagine in her life were transmitted to her ears through those strange and unfamiliar voices.

If evil words hurt like a chill in June, then she would have been buried in an ice cave for a thousand years. Even after being reborn, she still dared not recall those words.

But why did she dream about the strange noises there again? She was still alive and well.

She pressed lightly on her heart and felt the heartbeat inside becoming more and more intense.

Those voices were all defending Zhou Wanning and Lin Ge'er. Could it be that because these two people could not be together in this life, their defenders all appeared again?

She couldn't help but shudder.

"Madam, why are you sitting like this? Didn't you sleep well?" Wei Junhang's sleepy voice suddenly rang out, startling her as she was deep in thought, and her face turned slightly pale.

"No, it's okay, I just woke up suddenly. Go to sleep, you have to get up early tomorrow!" Shen Xinyan quickly lay back down and said apologetically.

Wei Junhang did not ask any more questions. He pulled the quilt around him, wrapped himself around her as usual, closed his eyes and fell into deep sleep again.

Listening to the even breathing of the people around her and looking at that reassuring face in the moonlight, Shen Xinyan felt that the inexplicable panic in her heart disappeared without a trace.

Emperor Yuanyou issued the imperial decree, and there was no turning back on the marriage between the Third Prince and Zhou Wanning. Even though Zhou Mao was furious at Concubine Li's words about making his daughter a concubine, and he also began to dislike the Third Prince, he still had to hold back his anger and prepare for the wedding.

The Third Prince finally married the woman who seemed like a goddess in his dreams. He was extremely happy and did not mind Zhou Mao's sullen face at all. Whenever he had time, he would go to Zhou's house under the pretext of asking for advice on official business, but in fact, he just wanted to see his wife, who had not yet married him, more often.

Zhou Mao and Wen knew what he was thinking. They were both angry and amused at the same time, but they also felt relieved in the end.

The Third Prince values ​​his daughter so much, so his daughter's life will not be too bad after she gets married. As long as the Third Prince is willing to protect her, Concubine Li in the palace will be helpless. Even if she tries to make things difficult for her, they do not live in the same palace after all, so many of her tricks cannot be used.

Zhou Wanning looked out the window in a trance. She would be married in a few months, but she did not feel the slightest bit of joy. It was not that the Third Prince was not a good person, but because he was not the one in her heart after all, how could she be happy?

It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and it had been almost two years since that person left without saying goodbye.

Shen Xinyan never thought that she would meet Zhou Wanning, who was supposed to be waiting to get married in the mansion.

When she learned that Xu Sumin was ill that day, she went to visit her. She didn't know if it was her illusion, but she always felt that Xu Sumin was in a very good mood, and she couldn't hide the smile between her eyes and eyebrows.

"But what good thing happened? Look at you, your mouth is so happy that it's turned upside down and you can't suppress it." She asked with some amusement.

Xu Sumin smiled slightly, but her expression was mysterious, and she didn't seem to have any intention of helping her solve her puzzlement.

"I will have to leave the capital for a while. When I'm away, you will take good care of the business in the capital for me."

Shen Xinyan was a little surprised: "It's okay for me to watch over you, but from your tone, how long have you been away?"

"At least one year. No, two years would be better." Xu Sumin thought about it and gave a deadline.

"Two years? Does it take that long?" Shen Xinyan was surprised.

"Of course I do." Xu Sumin smiled again. This smile was so brilliant that it could blind people's eyes.

"What good news is it? Tell me quickly!" Shen Xinyan couldn't help but pulled her hand and asked.

Xu Sumin giggled and said mysteriously, "I'll tell you in a few days, but now is not the right time."

Shen Xinyan was helpless and stopped forcing her.

Xu Sumin then gave her a brief account of her business in Beijing. Seeing that she wrote down everything carefully, she said, "I don't dare to trouble you, such a busy person, with anything else. You just need to check the shop and the accounts for me occasionally when you are free."

"Since you trust me, I won't refuse."

After giving the instructions, Xu Sumin chatted with her for a while before personally escorting her out the second gate.

"But is it Madam Wei? My girl wants to say a few words to you." Shen Xinyan was about to get into the car holding Zi Yan's hand when she suddenly heard someone calling her from behind. She turned around and saw a young girl of about sixteen or seventeen talking to her.

She paused for a moment and recognized that this person was Zhou Wanning's personal maid named Liushuang.

So, Zhou Wanning wanted to talk to her? She was a little surprised, and looked in the direction Liushuang pointed, and sure enough, she saw a carriage parked on the side of the road not far away.

Although she didn't know what Zhou Wanning would say to her, for some reason, she didn't refuse. Instead, she nodded and agreed.

When Liushuang saw that she agreed, her heart, which had been hanging in the air for a long time, finally settled down.

The road is certainly not a good place to talk. Zhou Wanning was obviously well prepared and led her to a quiet pavilion halfway up the mountain. The maids beside the two of them were waiting from a distance. In the pavilion were only this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who had lived together for a lifetime.

Shen Xinyan quietly looked at the increasingly frail woman in front of her. She was wearing a moon-white skirt. The breeze blew her skirt around like a butterfly, and her long black hair fluttered in the wind, making her look like a fairy from heaven who was about to fly away on the wind.

No matter how many times she had seen her, Shen Xinyan was still amazed by her outstanding appearance, her slightly furrowed brows, and the hint of sadness between her brows, which made people want to solve all her problems in order to make her smile.

"Madam must be wondering what I want to say to you." The two stood looking at each other quietly for a long time, and Zhou Wanning spoke slowly. His voice was as gentle as ever, and it had a natural softness that was very pleasant to hear.

"It's indeed a bit strange." Shen Xinyan admitted.

"I've been thinking about a lot of things these days, and I remembered the first time I met my wife, when I was seven years old." Having said this, she paused slightly and looked at Shen Xinyan with a complicated look.

Shen Xinyan met her gaze calmly, waiting for her next words.

"I thought I had misremembered it, but later I found that it was not the case. The lady seemed to have some hostility towards me from the first time she saw me. When we met again a few years later, although the hostility no longer existed, every time the lady looked at me, her eyes were always guarded."

"I have never offended Madam, let alone harmed Madam or anyone you care about. In fact, because of Brother Wei, I didn't even have time to please you, let alone dare to offend you. Why would Madam be so wary of me?"

Shen Xinyan's heart tightened, but she didn't know what to say.

She didn't even know that every time she saw Zhou Wanning, her eyes were always defensive.

"...Ms. Zhou is about to marry into the royal family, so it would be better for her not to dwell too much on the past. Otherwise, you might bring yourself unnecessary trouble." In the end, she could only say this.

Zhou Wanning sighed softly, as if she didn't hear what she said, and continued: "Madam is so wary of me, I guess she doesn't want to see Brother Wei and me together, so she and the Duke of Ying sent Brother Wei away far away, just to separate us?"

Shen Xinyan's eyebrows wrinkled unconsciously, and she was a little unhappy with her words. She said lightly: "Miss Zhou, you are overthinking. My son left the capital to take up his post under the order of the emperor. He has nothing to do with you."

"Recently, I have been having some fragmented and strange dreams every night. I didn't believe everything in the dreams, but those dreams were too real, as if they had really happened." Zhou Wanning said to himself.

Shen Xinyan no longer wanted to stay and listen to her nonsense, so she turned around and was about to leave. Just after she took a few steps, she heard Zhou Wanning behind her say quietly, "Mother, do you really hate me so much? Are you willing to separate me and my husband at all costs?"

It was like a thunderbolt exploding in Shen Xinyan's head, and she was stunned. She turned around in disbelief and looked at her in shock.

"So that's how it is. It turns out that Madam also had such a dream, so she is so wary of me. In this case, the things in the dream must have happened in the previous life." Zhou Wanning was as shocked as she was. Sometimes she felt sad, and sometimes she felt happy in her heart, but in the end, it turned into unwilling questioning.

"Why do you treat me like this? Even in my last life, you were always very critical and dissatisfied with me. But what did I do wrong? Is it my fault that my husband doesn't have Shen Huiran in his heart? Is it my fault that Yingzhi died unexpectedly?"

"Since you dreamed about things in your past life, you should know that my husband and I have a deep love for each other and are inseparable. Why do you use the memories in your dreams to create obstacles and try every means to separate us?!"

Shen Xinyan's heart was filled with shock. She couldn't believe what she heard, and even more so, she couldn't believe that Zhou Wanning in front of her had some memories of her previous life without her knowing when.

However, she soon calmed down again, looked coldly at Zhou Wanning, who was full of resentment, and said slowly: "What do you mean by these words, Miss Zhou? What past life and present life? What about this life and the previous life? Are you confused?"

"You don't talk about ghosts, supernatural powers, or gods. What's more, when a person dies, it's like a lamp goes out. After crossing the Naihe Bridge and drinking Mengpo Soup, all the past events will vanish into nothingness. What do you mean by recalling past life events in dreams? What Miss Zhou said is simply nonsense!"

Zhou Wanning's face turned pale after being scolded by her. She was not a good talker to begin with, and after being scolded by her, she was speechless for a moment.

Is that so? Is this really all a dream of hers? Is it because she doesn't want to face the fact that she is going to marry someone else that she has such a "beautiful dream"?

No, it wouldn't. Those dreams were so real. Big Brother Wei in the dream treated her so gently, exactly the same way he treated her in reality. How could it not be true!

"You are lying. I called your mother just now, but the shock on your face couldn't fool me!" She took a deep breath and mustered up the courage to face the other party.

"Miss, what you said is really ridiculous. Who wouldn't be surprised to be called mother by a stranger for no reason? What's more, this stranger is about to marry into the royal family and become the prince's first wife!" After saying this, Shen Xinyan's face darkened even more.

"Also, young lady, you'd better be careful. If you call me 'Brother Wei' all the time, and if people make unwarranted assumptions, then my son's reputation will be ruined, but if it affects your reputation, then it will be his fault."

"I have something else to do at home, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company!" After saying the last sentence, Shen Xinyan didn't stay any longer and walked away.

Only she herself knew how much endurance it took for her to remain calm and not let Zhou Wanning see any flaws in her.

No matter what happened in the previous life, the eldest son and Zhou Wanning in this life are already married and have nothing to do with each other. She really doesn't want to create any more complications at this time.

"Madam!" Zi Yan saw her leaving the pavilion and hurried to meet her.

"Let's go back home!" Shen Xinyan ordered.

The moment the car curtain was lowered, Shen Xinyan breathed a sigh of relief. She also found that cold sweat had broken out on her back and even her palms were covered in sweat.

In this life, she just wanted to stay away from everyone with the surname Zhou. Wouldn't it be good for the two families to live in peace and not interfere with each other? Why did Zhou Wanning dream about her past life at this critical moment?

She couldn't imagine what Zhou Wanning would do if she believed in those dreams.

Zhou Wanning stared blankly at her leaving back. He was still in a daze and couldn't come back to his senses for a long time.

Is it just a dream? But can there be a dream that is so clear and real?

She felt her mind was in a mess. One moment, it seemed as if a voice said that those were not dreams, but things that really happened in her previous life. Another moment, it seemed as if another voice contradicted her, saying that it was impossible to know what happened in her previous life just by having a dream. It was really a dream!

"Girl, are you okay?" Liu Shuang saw her standing there blankly, not knowing how to react, so she walked over worriedly, supported her and called her softly.

"I, I'm fine, okay, okay." Zhou Wanning murmured in response.

Xiyan Garrison.

Wei Chenglin returned home exhausted. In recent months, the mountain bandits in Xiyan had become more and more rampant. Every day he was either busy training his troops or leading them to suppress the bandits. Basically, he had to get up before the morning hour and return home at about 11:00 p.m.

But despite this, he did not find life hard at all, and what he saw and heard every day refreshed his cognition.

This place is completely different from the capital. There is no royal family, no prosperity, but everyone is trying hard to survive. Xiang Ge'er in Beijing can still act naughty in front of his parents, but Xiyan and other children of the same age have already begun to help their families do what they can.

"Sir, there is a letter from the capital." He changed his clothes quickly. The servants in the room had already prepared dinner. Lai Lu then came in with the letter from the Duke's Mansion in the capital.

He took it and asked, "Stay and have dinner with us. You don't have to bother the kitchen anymore."

Lai Lu smiled and said, "Lai Shou has already asked the kitchen to leave some food for me, so I won't bother you this time."

Wei Chenglin did not force him and told him to rest early. After he left, he ate a few mouthfuls of rice and casually opened the letter.

It's a letter from my father.

In the letter, his father briefly informed him of the situation in the capital, for example, the Crown Princess had given birth to another little princess, and two legitimate daughters in succession. Many ministers in the court had already begun secretly preparing to petition the Crown Prince to take a concubine. On the contrary, the Second Prince's wife successfully gave birth to the eldest legitimate son.

For example, Sun Shoufu's series of wrong decisions have already caused Your Majesty's dissatisfaction.

It was during this time away from Beijing that he discovered that his father had a very keen insight into state affairs, but he, as his son, was still a long way from that.

At the end of the letter, in addition to conveying the earnest care of his grandmother and mother, there was also the matter of Emperor Yuanyou's marriage of the daughter of Zhou Mao, the Minister of Honglu Temple, to the third prince as his principal wife.

The chopsticks in his hand fell to the ground with a "pop" and he widened his eyes in disbelief, staring at the words "daughter of Zhou Mao" and "the third prince's legitimate wife" several times.

His hands were shaking slightly, and his face turned a little pale. He stared blankly at the letter in his hand for a long time, then let out a regretful sigh.

The third prince? He's also a good candidate...

This day will come sooner or later. In fact, he has already had a vague feeling in his heart. After being away from the capital for two years, he has reached the age of twenty, and she has long reached the age to get married and have children. It is impossible for her to wait for him forever.

Despite this, he felt unhappy when he learned that the girl he had always dreamed of was about to get married and the groom was not him.

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and looked at the letter again. At the end of the letter, the wedding date of the Third Prince and Zhou Wanning was detailed, and it was only more than three months away.

Unconsciously, his brows furrowed.

Father...what does this mean? Why do you need to specify the wedding date?

After a moment, his heart tightened, and he instantly understood the intention, and his face turned a little ugly.

Did his father still not trust him? He specifically wrote down the wedding date so that he could choose whether to return to Beijing in private to win his girl.

He felt deeply insulted and felt indescribably uncomfortable in his heart.

He slammed the letter on the dining table, his chest heaving rapidly with anger.

After a long moment, he curled the corners of his mouth bitterly.

Three and a half months would be enough for him to rush back to the capital and "rob the bride" if he rode as fast as he could.

But how could he do such a thing?

The imperial decree for marriage had been issued. Even though the ceremony had not yet taken place, she was still a royal daughter-in-law, a fixed fate. How could he possibly bring the entire Duke's Mansion to an irreparable state because of his own selfishness?

In the Duke's Mansion, Shen Xinyan has been a little uneasy since she met Zhou Wanning. Every night, she would dream about the slander she heard after her previous life's death.

But what was different from her previous life was that this time, even her husband and her son shared her “same pain”.

She had difficulty sleeping for several days and lost some weight.

Wei Junhang naturally noticed that something was wrong with her and couldn't help but ask her about it with concern.

Shen Xinyan naturally didn't dare to tell him these things, and she made up some vague excuses to deal with it. Fearing that he would ask more questions, she quickly changed the subject and said, "I don't know what's going on with Brother Lin? If he..."

Wei Junhang looked at her deeply and found the answer in his heart. It turned out that he was worried about what his eldest son would do unexpectedly after learning that the girl from the Zhou family was married.

"I have already written to inform him of the third prince's marriage." He said calmly.

Shen Xinyan looked at him in surprise: "You, you told him?"

"Yes, and I also told him the wedding date in the letter."

"Why are you doing this? It's been so long, and his anxiety has calmed down. If you write to him and tell him all this, wouldn't it just disturb his mind? If he, if he can't figure it out for a while..." Shen Xinyan was a little anxious.

"Madam, he has grown up now. He is no longer the ignorant child who only acted coquettishly around you. He should learn to be responsible for every decision he makes. Otherwise, how can he take on the responsibility of this mansion in the future?" Wei Junhang sighed.

"He is still young after all..." Shen Xin looked sad.

Over the past two years, the eldest princess's initial anger towards her eldest grandson has gradually turned into longing. Now, all the men of his age in the capital have married one after another, but the eldest grandson has not even decided on a wife.

She asked Wei Junhang to call his eldest grandson back more than once, but each time Wei Junhang either laughed it off or changed the subject by mentioning Xiang Ge'er.

After several times, she finally got angry and kicked Wei Junhang out.

Shen Xinyan comforted her until the anger on her face gradually subsided and turned into a long sigh.

"Xiang'er learned five more characters yesterday and practiced them all day long, saying that he wanted to write the best one to give to his grandmother."

"This child, no matter what good things happen, the first person he thinks of is his grandmother. It really makes the daughter-in-law feel jealous." She said deliberately.

A smile appeared on the eldest princess' face unconsciously.

"This child is the most filial and should be loved!"

Seeing that her mood had improved, Shen Xinyan finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Three months later, the Third Prince got married. The bride's elaborate red makeup caused a general astonishment in the capital, and people thought that Lord Zhou loved his daughter so much.

Shen Xinyan naturally also arrived at the Third Prince's Mansion. She watched the woman in a bright red wedding dress slowly walk in, bow to heaven and earth, and finally be sent to the bridal chamber. She unconsciously breathed a sigh of relief.

This is how life will be, right? Live happily and don't interfere with each other. Given how much the Third Prince likes her, I think he will always treat her well after marriage.

The next day, the capital received news from Xiyan.

A large-scale banditry broke out in Xiyan City. The garrison commander Wei Chenglin led his troops to suppress the bandits and his whereabouts are unknown. His life or death is unknown.

When the news came, the Grand Princess vomited blood and fainted.