"Princess, my father-in-law has left, shall we go back too?" Prince Ping looked at the deserted Shili Changting not far away, and his eyes fell on Zhou Wanning who was still standing there in a daze staring in the direction Zhou Mao had left, and he reminded her softly.

He didn't understand what had happened between his wife and her family, but he could see that his father-in-law and mother-in-law loved his wife very much. However, this love was laced with some incomprehensible contradictions.

Zhou Wanning bit her lips lightly, and the tears that had been rolling in her eyes finally fell.

Her parents are gone, her second brother is gone too, what else does she have?

King Ping sighed. It is said that women are made of flesh and blood. This saying has been fully reflected in the princess in recent days.

***

On the day of Wei Chengzhao's wedding, the Duke of Ying's mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers. Although he was only the third son of a concubine, both the Grand Princess and Wei Junhang and his wife attached great importance to his marriage. Because he was the first male of the younger generation to get married, the Grand Princess and Shen Xinyan, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, hoped that he would make a good start, and put a lot of effort into his wedding, which made Yang so happy that she was smiling all day long.

With such specifications, it is not much different from the Crown Prince’s marriage.

Perhaps because he had disappointed his grandmother again, Wei Chenglin had been accompanying the Grand Princess whenever he had time these days. The Grand Princess must have felt sorry for him, or perhaps she had really been persuaded by Wei Junhang, so she gradually came to terms with it and no longer worried too much about his marriage.

As the saying goes, children and grandchildren have their own blessings. At her age, she should have been more open-minded.

"The sons of Wei Lao San are all married, but what about your Prince Wei? When will he marry his wife?" Qiao Liu leaned back in his chair with a smile that clearly showed he was enjoying a good show.

"When you marry another wife, maybe my Chenglin will be able to marry his wife as well." Wei Junhang said with a smile.

Qiao Liu's smile froze, and then he shook his head helplessly.

"The dimple is out again!" Wei Junhang said suddenly.

Qiao Liu subconsciously put his hand over his mouth, and when he noticed his playful smile, he immediately knew that he had been fooled, but he still pretended nothing had happened and slowly put down his hand.

Think of Qiao Liu, he is elegant and handsome, all the young girls and sisters-in-law would be fascinated by him. But it is really annoying that God gave him such a pair of harmful dimples, and dragged him, a suave, mature and stable man, into a brat who is still wet behind the ears.

In order to hide these troubles, he practiced his facial expressions in front of the mirror for half a year. He knew how to smile and talk so that those hateful dimples would not pop out and damage his image.

Tsk, thinking about it now still makes me sad and cry!

Wei Junhang couldn't help laughing out loud: "Don't worry, when you get older and your face is full of wrinkles, they won't be able to come out even if you want to."

Qiao Liu glared at him: "I'm old enough to have wrinkles on my face, and you're not much better!"

Wei Junhang smiled and didn't care.

Qiao Liu took the wine glass and took a sip. Out of the corner of his eye, he inadvertently caught a glimpse of a somewhat familiar figure. When he wanted to take a closer look, the other person had disappeared.

"What are you looking at?" Wei Junhang asked curiously when he saw that he suddenly fell silent and stared at the crowd not far away.

"Just now, was it Xu Sumin who passed by there just now?" he asked hesitantly.

"Mrs. Xu? She did come today, but I don't know if she passed by there." Wei Junhang thought of Xu Sumin's son again and smiled. "You used to say that she was a fierce person, but you didn't know that she is now a kind mother."

Qiao Liu, who was originally overjoyed by his previous words, changed his expression when he heard the last sentence: "She has a child?"

"Since you're already married, isn't it normal to have another child?" Wei Junhang disagreed.

"She got married?!" Qiao Liu's eyes widened even more.

"How could she have a child if she's not married? I've seen her child. He looks quite like her. He's definitely her biological child." Wei Junhang said with certainty.

Qiao Liu's expression looked a little ugly, and his whole face seemed a little distorted at the end.

Haha, that's great! As expected, she is the boss Xu who cut off the lifeblood of a treacherous man without hesitation. She first flirted with me and then ran away to get married. No wonder she disappeared without a trace in the past few years. It turns out that she ran away to be a good wife and mother!

He sneered: "It's easy to change the country, but it's hard to change one's nature. Who dares to marry that she-devil? Aren't you afraid that she'll cut off your penis in the middle of the night?"

Wei Junhang was accidentally hit by the wine and immediately turned his back and started coughing loudly.

"You don't have to say it so horribly. A woman with Mrs. Xu's temperament, since she is willing to marry and bear children for the man, I think she really has true feelings for that man. Why would she be like this?"

Qiao Liu found his words extremely harsh, so he glared at him angrily and ignored him.

After Wei Chengzhao got married, Yang also arranged a marriage for Wei Chengyue. A few months later, even Wei Chengqi got engaged under Fang's arrangement.

The youngsters of the eldest and third houses have all found their marriages one after another, and now the only one left is Wei Chenglin from the second house.

Although Shen Xinyan thought it was no big deal at first, she became more and more anxious as time went on.

Especially when she heard the news that Wei Chengzhao's wife was pregnant, she could no longer sit still and began to sound out Wei Chenglin's intentions in various ways.

Wei Chenglin was trying to talk about other things at first, but after she talked too much, he began to remain silent, which made Shen Xinyan so anxious that she almost lost her temper.

When Wei Junhang found out, he tried to persuade her. After several persuasions, she finally sighed and resigned herself to her fate: "In this life, there are two people whose marriages make me particularly worried. One is Lin Ge'er, and the other is Chun Liu."

Chunliu had delayed her life because of her. She had been planning to find a good marriage for her since the beginning of this life. She never thought that this man really meant it when he said he would not marry her, and it had been delayed until now. Not long ago, she took the initiative to ask for leave and happily went to work as a housekeeper in Xiangge's room.

Needless to say, the eldest son's marriage has gone through many twists and turns, but his destined person has not appeared yet.

How could Wei Chenglin not know that his mother was anxious? There were even several times when he saw Shen Xinyan was obviously so anxious that she was about to get angry, but in the end she still tried her best to hold back and did not vent her anger on him. He almost said, "Let mother decide everything."

That day he left the West Mountain camp and prepared to return to the city. Seeing the beautiful spring scenery in the suburbs, he simply dismounted and walked slowly, holding the reins.

A gentle breeze carrying the scent of green grass blew slowly on his face. The alluring fragrance instantly eased his mood, and before he knew it, he slowed down his pace.

"Prince Wei!" Hearing someone calling him suddenly, he stopped and turned around. He was surprised to see King Ping standing with his hands behind his back, nodding at him with a smile.

"Your Highness!" He let go of the reins and took a few quick steps forward to salute.

"Your Highness, there is no need to be so polite." Prince Ping gave him a hand.

"Why is your highness here?"

"Today's weather is nice, so I'm going out for a walk. It's a rare opportunity to meet you. Would you please have the honor of spending a short time with me?"

"It is an honor for me to be invited by Your Highness." Wei Chenglin naturally would not believe his words of "coming out for a walk". This place was still under the control of the Xishan Camp, and people were not allowed to enter or leave easily. No one would come here to take a leisurely walk.

"Thank you, Prince, for your help and for rescuing my princess in time. I will always remember your kindness." The two of them found a pavilion to sit down, and Prince Ping said slowly.

Wei Chenglin met his gaze calmly: "I am not worthy of your thanks, Your Highness."

If he really wanted to thank him, he would have done it back then. Why would he wait until now? Wei Chenglin could see that the other party was just being polite.

Perhaps because he was wrongly imprisoned in the clan prison for a while, the current Prince Ping is no longer the straightforward and a little reckless Third Prince. He has a peaceful smile on his face, but that smile does not reach his eyes, and there is even a hint of coldness that cannot be ignored.

Wei Chenglin didn't know why he came, and he didn't want to guess what he was thinking.

"The Crown Prince is young and promising. He is the pillar of the imperial court. He is also the Crown Prince of the Duke's Mansion. I heard that the second son of the mansion is already married. Why is the Crown Prince still unmarried?" King Ping asked with a smile.

Without waiting for Wei Chenglin to answer, he asked meaningfully, "Could it be that the prince has someone in his heart that he cannot get, so he feels regretful and has no intention of getting married anymore?"

Wei Chenglin's heart skipped a beat. He finally understood why he came to look for him. He thought that he must have noticed what happened between him and Princess Ping. But he didn't know how much he knew. Did he misunderstand something again?

He calmed himself down, met the other party's inquiring eyes, and said calmly: "In this vast world, gains and losses are destined. Since I can't get it, it can be seen that this is God's will. What's the point of clinging to it? Although I am a little stupid, I also understand that nothing can be forced."

"As for marriage, it is determined by fate. I think the time for my destined marriage to appear will be later than that of ordinary people. It is useless to rush it. It is better to let nature take its course."

King Ping had a deep look in his eyes, and no one knew what he was thinking.

Wei Chenglin maintained a neither humble nor arrogant attitude, felt that he had a clear conscience, and was not afraid of any probing from the other party.

Prince Ping stared at him for a long time, and finally sneered, "Your Highness is right. Gains and losses are predetermined. Since you believe that your failure is God's will, I hope you will remember this and don't go against God's will."

"Marriage is destined by heaven, that is true. Since my father is the emperor, I believe the marriage he bestows upon me must be a good one."

Wei Chenglin's breath was choked and his brows furrowed.

What does this mean? Could it be that...

He was about to ask for clarification, but King Ping had no intention of talking to him anymore. He stood up and strode out of the pavilion, riding away on his horse escorted by his guards.

Wei Chenglin stared blankly at his figure gradually turning into a black dot and finally disappearing completely from his sight.

What exactly does King Ping want to do?

Even though he and the princess had an unknown past, and regardless of whether it was his intention, he had indeed cut off contact with her before she married into the royal family.

The only time they met was when she was captured by Murong Tao, but since then, he never saw her again, let alone had any contact with her.

He is not a person without shame or moral bottom line, but he really cannot do anything like getting involved with a married woman.

What did King Ping want to do? Wei Chenglin knew it a few days later.

He had just returned from paying respects to the Grand Princess when he heard his father looking for him, so he turned around and went to the outer study. As soon as he entered the room, he heard Wei Junhang ask, "Does Prince Ping know about what happened between you and Princess Ping?"

He was stunned and a little hesitant: "I'm not sure, but he came to look for me a few days ago..."

So he told him word for word what King Ping had said that day.

Wei Junhang sighed after hearing this.

"Today, His Majesty asked about your marriage. I think he wants to arrange a marriage for you."

Wei Chenglin was shocked: "Why would His Majesty ask about my child's marriage without any reason? Could it be Prince Ping?"

Wei Junhang nodded, then shook his head: "To be precise, it was Concubine Li who wanted to match you with her niece, and Prince Ping played a role in promoting it."

"What does His Majesty mean? Does he really want to arrange a marriage for my child with Concubine Li's niece?" Wei Chenglin was anxious.

"Your Majesty's intention is indeed for your life's best interests. However, Your Majesty is not the kind of person who would force others to get married. I think Concubine Li mentioned it to him and he thought this marriage was suitable, so he asked for my opinion." Wei Junhang answered patiently.

Emperor Yuanyou had been friends with him for many years, so he would naturally pay attention to the marriage of his eldest son from time to time, but he would not interfere too much.

Wei Chenglin heaved a sigh of relief after hearing this.

But on second thought, he felt guilty for causing his father so much worry about his marriage.

Wei Junhang could see it, so he patted his shoulder and said, "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. You don't want to get married, and your father doesn't want to be forced to marry a daughter-in-law. Marriage is a matter of mutual consent. Even if your father is useless, he will not lose the right to decide his son's marriage."

"How could father be useless..." Wei Chenglin said in a low voice.

Wei Junhang didn't hear clearly either, so he comforted him a few more words and then got down to business.

"Since the Rongdi tribes submitted to the imperial court, the war in the north has been quelled. However, the Rongdi people's wolfish nature is hard to eliminate, and small-scale conflicts with the people of the northern border are still rampant. According to the reports we have received, at least ten conflicts have occurred in the past six months. Although no casualties have been caused, it is still a problem."

"Last month, General Huang, the garrison commander of the Northern Frontier, suffered a relapse of his old illness. Without him, the local government was unable to quell the conflict between the Rongdi people and the people of the Northern Frontier. Now the court is preparing to send someone to replace General Huang."

"During the morning court today, His Majesty asked the court officials to recommend suitable candidates. In your opinion, who would be the best person to send to take over?" Wei Junhang asked.

Wei Chenglin thought for a moment and replied, "I'm afraid this recommendation is not easy to do. After all, it's not a good job, and the person being recommended may not be happy about it. If Your Majesty agrees to the recommendation, and the person being recommended happens to be unwilling..."

Wei Junhang laughed and sighed: "That's true, so no one in the court spoke up."

The Northern Frontier was not a good place to go, and all the soldiers hoped to fight in the battlefield and gain military merit, or at least have the hope of being awarded a title and having children. But now in the Northern Frontier, there is no war to fight, and naturally there is no talk of military merit. But there are still many hardships and headaches, so it is better to fight a good battle.

The father and son discussed for half a day but couldn't come up with a good candidate, so they had no choice but to let it go for the time being.

Shen Xinyan didn't expect Qiao Liu to come to her.

"Whose son is Xu Sumin?" He asked the most crucial question directly as soon as he arrived, which made Shen Xinyan confused.

"Sister Xu's son is naturally Sister Xu's. What's the problem with that?" She pretended to be confused.

"I want to know who the biological father of that child is!" Qiao Liu said through his teeth again.

Seeing that he was already so angry and frustrated, Shen Xinyan had a vague guess, but it seemed absurd the moment she thought about it.

"I asked her this question, and she just said that she is the biological mother and father of the child."

"Bullshit!! How can she give birth to a child that big by herself?!" Qiao Liu said angrily.

It felt like there was a fire burning in his heart. He pursed his lips and tried hard to suppress the anger.

"Hey, you have dimples?!" Shen Xinyan noticed with her sharp eyes that when he pursed his lips, a pair of cute dimples appeared at the corners of his mouth, and she immediately exclaimed in surprise.

Qiao Liu covered his mouth reflexively, but reacted in a moment, cleared his throat, and frowned unhappily: "This is not the point!"

Not the point? Shen Xinyan looked at him suspiciously, and the chubby little face unconsciously emerged in her mind. The little guy pursed his lips, and the little pear-shaped vortices on both sides of his mouth jumped out proudly.

She was secretly surprised and looked at Qiao Liu with narrowed eyes.

She didn't know if it was her illusion, but as she watched, she actually felt that Qiao Liu's handsome face was somewhat similar to Dun Dun.

Could he be Dun Dun's biological father? As soon as this thought came to her mind, she was shocked, but then she thought again that it was very possible.

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. One day, I will definitely teach that wicked woman..." He didn't explain what he wanted to do and left angrily.

After a while, Shen Xinyan rubbed her temples, trying to digest the shocking guess, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt that this possibility was very high.

Qiao Liu and Xu Sumin...both are not easy to deal with. When these two are put together...

She shuddered and dared not think about it anymore.

Wei Chenglin was not surprised when Prince Ping came to him again. Perhaps he knew subconsciously that Prince Ping would come to him again as long as he had not confirmed his marriage.

"Your Highness." No matter what, he still did not fail to observe the necessary etiquette.

"My Lord, do you think my cousin is not worthy of you? Or are you dissatisfied with her in some way?" This time, King Ping came straight to the point.

"Your Highness, you are too kind. I have never met your cousin before, so how dare I talk about satisfaction or dissatisfaction? This will also damage the reputation of a lady from your noble family." Wei Chenglin sighed inwardly, but finally mustered up the courage to answer.

King Ping was dissatisfied, and finally spoke out what had been weighing on his mind: "Prince Wei, I will be frank with you. As long as you are not married, I will not be at peace."

Wei Chenglin was silent, not knowing what to say for a moment.

"I know that the person in Wan Ning's heart is you. As long as you don't get married, she will never be able to let you go completely. Do you know how angry I was when I learned that the wife I had always kept in my heart actually had someone else in her heart!" King Ping took a few deep breaths.

"After some investigation, I found out that the person in her heart was you. For a moment, I really wanted to kill you!"

"So, Wei Chenglin, before I can keep my sanity, either get married or leave and completely put an end to her thoughts!"

Wei Chenglin was filled with mixed feelings. At this moment, he deeply felt the anger and sadness of Prince Ping, and believed in his deep love for his wife. He thought that with such a husband who loved her deeply, Princess Ping would surely live a better life.

"I knew her earlier than you did. For her sake, I even tried every possible way to reject the wife my mother had chosen for me. I even secretly decided in my heart that as long as she wasn't married, I would never marry."

"Now, she has finally become my wife, and she will give birth to our child soon."

Wei Chenglin remained silent as he listened to him talk about his past love and longing, his joy at knowing that he could finally marry his beloved, his sadness at being ignored by his beloved, his joy at receiving a response, and other complex emotions.

After a long while, until the voice of King Ping finally stopped ringing, he slowly said: "The northern border is currently lacking a garrison commander. I am an incompetent official, but I am willing to share your majesty's worries!"

King Ping was stunned. He didn't expect him to say such a thing, and for some reason he felt a little guilty.

"Actually, you don't have to go to the Northern Frontier. Just leave the capital. Wait for two or three years until she really abandons you. From then on, you can go wherever you want. I will not interfere."

"Your Highness, you are overthinking. This was my original plan."

King Ping heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that he looked calm, as if what he said was really a decision he had made long ago and not one he was forced to make.

By the time Shen Xinyan learned of her son's decision, the appointment letter had already been handed to Wei Chenglin.

"Have you decided?" She asked with a complicated look, still unwilling to give up.

"My son is unfilial!" Apart from this, he didn't know what else he could say.

Shen Xinyan moved her lips, wanting to say something to blame him, but in the end she said nothing. She just sighed softly, and her whole body was like a flute hit by frost.

The appointment letter had already been issued and naturally there was no time to delay. After only half a month, Wei Chenglin packed up and prepared to set off for the long journey to the northern border.

Before his death, he kowtowed several times respectfully to the Grand Princess, and looking at his grandmother with gray hair, his throat choked up and unspeakable guilt surged up.

"Grandmother, please take good care of yourself. When your grandson comes back, I will find you a virtuous and capable granddaughter-in-law and give you a plump great-grandson, okay?"

"Okay, okay, okay! Grandmother is waiting!" The eldest princess had tears in her eyes and a happy smile on her face.

Wei Chenglin kowtowed to her several times before turning to Wei Junhang and said, "Father, I will not bring disgrace to the Wei family's reputation when I go there!"

"Father believes in you!" Wei Junhang's eyes reddened and he nodded with a smile.

Finally, he slowly looked at Shen Xinyan, whose eyes were shining with tears. He opened his mouth to say something, but Shen Xinyan had already walked over and helped him straighten his clothes. She said softly, "Go, and be careful. Your mother and grandmother are waiting for you to come back and marry me a virtuous and capable daughter-in-law, and give me a plump grandson."

"Okay!" He nodded heavily.

He glanced at his loved ones one last time with nostalgia, and finally, he turned around and strode away.

The sunlight spread across the ground, also covering him with a thin veil. Shen Xin subconsciously took a few steps after him, watching him walk away in the golden light...