Chapter 102

Chapter 102

Are you kidding me? She wasn't even allowed to smile now?

Did he have to be so unable to tell right from wrong—no, wait, that's not it either... so incapable of discerning the truth! Hmm... that didn't sound quite right either.

Honestly, could Wen Qiyan please fix his bad habit of getting jealous over nothing? She really couldn't stand him anymore.

But before she could even finish her thoughts, let alone voice them, the man across from her already knew exactly what she was about to say.

He read her mind, letting out a laugh, even colder than before, his tone dripping with mockery. "Can't stand me?"

Ji Wanyuan, "..." She hadn't said it out loud, had she?

Was she really that obvious? She instantly schooled her features into seriousness.

But this only confirmed his suspicion in the man's eyes.

He spun around, giving her his back, refusing to even look at her. Yet, he didn't leave, just planted himself right in front of her, obviously waiting for her to come sweet-talk him.

Ji Wanyuan fell silent again, the corner of her mouth twitching.

She wracked her brains, truly unsure of what to explain.

Because there was absolutely nothing to explain.

That nothing was going on between her and Wen Yunqin—she had already explained it countless times. Wen Qiyan's petty jealousy always went into overdrive when it came to Wen Yunqin.

Was it just because this person was his own younger brother?

Unable to explain clearly and unwilling to waste her breath, Ji Wanyuan decided to go all out. She simply circled around to his front and sat directly on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

She cocked her head slightly, meeting his gaze.

She easily saw the coldness on his face. He studied her small face for a moment before deliberately looking away again.

He looked exactly like a jealous wife waiting for her husband to coax her.

Ji Wanyuan almost couldn't hold back her laughter. If she really laughed out loud, Wen Qiyan would be livid.

She immediately composed herself, then mimicked the way Wen Qiyan usually kissed her. She bossily grabbed his chin, trying to turn his handsome face back towards her.

But she had underestimated Wen Qiyan's strength. With just one hand on his chin, she couldn't budge his face at all. Reluctantly, Ji Wanyuan had to use both hands.

Both her small hands came up to cup his cheeks, forcefully turning his face towards her.

Then, she straightened her back on his lap and pressed her lips to his.

Ji Wanyuan first sucked and moved her lips over his for a while, then slipped her soft tongue past his lips to pry them open, sweeping inside to tangle with his.

She was copying his usual way of kissing her, but... their strength was mismatched. The force Ji Wanyuan used was nothing like the force Wen Qiyan usually employed.

In the man's eyes, it was no different from a kitten licking someone. Only she herself thought her kiss was ferocious.

Wen Qiyan lowered his gaze, watching her kiss him for a long time. Finally, just as Ji Wanyuan, her back aching from holding the position, was about to pull away, Wen Qiyan cupped the back of her head and pressed down, kissing her deeply.

He wanted her to know just how gentle her kiss felt to him.

It could hardly even be called a kiss; it was more like a tease.

Ji Wanyuan leaned back, her hands clutching the bedding on the bed.

Wen Qiyan kissed her fiercely, pressing down on her. She didn't know how long it lasted, but it felt like a very, very long time—so long that Ji Wanyuan was out of breath and her lips were throbbing with pain.

He finally propped himself up, looking down at her as she gasped for air, "..."

Ji Wanyuan's eyes were glistening with tears, looking pitiful and vulnerable.

Wen Qiyan lowered his head and gave her another light kiss. Thinking he was going to kiss her deeply again, Ji Wanyuan, who really couldn't take anymore, instinctively turned her face away to avoid it.

Wen Qiyan's kiss landed a fraction of a second late, on the corner of her mouth.

He looked at her profile for a moment. Ji Wanyuan thought her resistance had angered him. She hadn't forgotten that this whole kiss started to coax a certain petty man out of his jealousy. To avoid making things worse, she turned her face back, ready to explain.

But before she could speak, he was already coaxing her.

"I'll be gentler," Wen Qiyan said.

Ji Wanyuan was stunned for a moment, understanding his meaning. She no longer resisted, letting him gently peck at her lips.

They kissed intermittently, and she didn't know how much time had passed when they finally stopped. Ji Wanyuan's lips were swollen and flushed. She cautiously observed the man's expression, guessing that his resentment must have dissipated by now?

Whether it had or not, she didn't bring up Wen Yunqin again. Because whenever Wen Yunqin was mentioned, no matter what she said, Wen Qiyan would give her a sour look.

"..."

After Wen Yunqin secretly returned to the capital, he had been operating covertly in the city for a long time. The chaos originally stirred up by the Feudal Prince had already been quelled by him.

But the Feudal Prince had never openly broken ties. So this time, Wen Yunqin blatantly requested permission to leave the capital to support Youzhou and deal with the Wuhuan.

The Feudal Prince had long wanted to send Wen Yunqin away. He even gave him troops, aiming to label Wen Yunqin and Wen Qiyan as rebels and march against them, denouncing the Ji and Wen families as traitors, once Wen Yunqin had dealt with the border threat.

Therefore, when news of Wen Yunqin's major victory over the Wuhuan and Wen Qiyan's recapture of Qingzhou reached the capital, the Feudal Prince began preparing everything. He secretly fabricated evidence of the Wen father and son colluding with a foreign state, handed it to his trusted ministers, and ordered them to expose it in court so he could act accordingly.

But he never expected that Wen Yunqin actually possessed the late Emperor's will.

The will stated that the Emperor had no sons and found it difficult to entrust the governance of the state. It also said the imperial princes showed no outstanding achievements and were not permitted to ascend the throne. After surveying the entire court, only the eldest grandson of the Chancellor's daughter, the descendant of the Wen family's eldest son, was deemed worthy of entrustment. Thus, the Throne was abdicated to him, establishing him as the young Emperor. Chancellor Ji was to oversee and assist in governing the state, with the Wen family providing support. All civil and military officials were specifically ordered to submit to this heavenly mandate and not defy it. Those who violated this would be judged as traitors and their nine clans exterminated.

With this will, Wen Qiyan and Wen Yunqin had a legitimate cause for their campaign.

Not to mention how formidable the Imperial Guards led by Wen Yunqin and the troops cultivated by Chancellor Ji, which were now in Wen Qiyan's hands, were. Chancellor Ji's former disciples were spread far and wide; he could truly summon a hundred responses with one call.

Even before the two men marched into the capital, significant unrest had already erupted in the city.

But knowing the disparity in strength between the two sides was too great, the Feudal Prince knew this battle was likely lost.

It was all because of that will! When was that will even created? He had been handling government affairs in the capital for so long and had never heard of any so-called will. Could it be that the Emperor entrusted the will to someone in the inner palace before his death, and that person secretly gave it to the Ji and Wen families?

Wen Yunqin's departure from the capital was probably just a ruse, aimed at joining forces with Wen Qiyan to crusade against him.

He turned his attention to the inner palace. The first person to be targeted was naturally the Empress.

The Feudal Prince sent people to bring the Empress. The Empress at this moment bore no resemblance to her former noble and elegant self. Having been confined—no, more accurately, imprisoned in the inner palace for so long, her face was haggard and worn with distress.

The Feudal Prince's men dragged her directly, bringing her to the outer hall.

The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit. Now reduced to a prisoner, with the Emperor deceased, the Empress's title was merely an empty shell. Moreover, the Empress's maternal clan had long been crushed and suppressed by him.

The Feudal Prince looked at the Empress lying on the ground. "Speak! What is the truth about the will?"

The Empress had no idea about any imperial edict and kept saying she didn't know.

"You vile woman! How dare you mess with me even now!"

He had pretended to handle state affairs in the capital for the children of the Wen and Ji families for so long, only to gain nothing. Now he faced being denounced as a traitor with his entire clan executed. He was filled with such rage that he wished he could kill everyone in the inner palace who might have been involved in this conspiracy!

If not for the Empress, how could things have come to this!

This vile woman must have been involved. The Feudal Prince, still furious after slapping her, wanted to finish her off. He added a kick, striking her directly.

The Empress, a mere woman, could not withstand such beating. She immediately collapsed to the ground, vomiting a large mouthful of blood, and sobbed that she really didn't know anything.

Fearing the Feudal Prince might kill her in his rage, the Empress suggested it might be a forgery.

She told the Feudal Prince everything about the late Emperor's suspicions toward the Ji and Wen families.

Hearing that Mrs. Ji was under the Empress's control, the Feudal Prince's eyes lit up. His face flushed with excitement, as if he had grasped a lifeline. "You foolish woman! You kept this hidden until now!"

The news that Mrs. Ji was in the side hall was like holding a trump card!

The Empress hadn't planned to say anything, but after being slapped, beaten, and vomiting blood, she was terrified she'd die right then and there. So, she disclosed her bargaining chip—Mrs. Ji in the side hall—which she had originally intended to use against the Wen and Ji families.

Because she had heard that the Wen and Ji families were about to storm the capital.

It seemed the news was true; otherwise, the Feudal Prince wouldn't be running around like a headless fly.

Just as the Empress struggled to her feet, using her blood-stained hands to tidy her disheveled hair,

sounds came from outside—the Feudal Prince leading his men in, furious.

Before the Empress could react, she was so frightened she instinctively tried to flee. But the Feudal Prince's sword was faster than her movements; he drew it and hurled it at her.

The Empress hadn't managed to escape, nor had she grasped what was happening, before her head was severed.

Even the palace maids and eunuchs who had witnessed the palace coup couldn't help but tremble, as the blood from the Empress's severed head splattered onto their faces.

The Feudal Prince hadn't expected this foolish woman to dare deceive him. There was no one in the side hall!

No one at all!

However, the Empress had given him a useful thought.

Aren't the members of the Ji and Wen families still in the capital?

If he could get his hands on them, wouldn't that mean holding a trump card?

But when the Feudal Prince's men arrived at the residences of the two families, they found them empty.

Chancellor Ji, Mrs. Ji, and the senior members of the Wen family had long vanished. Left behind were only skilled fighters; the Feudal Prince's men who forced their way in were never seen again.

It was precisely this action that prompted the officials planted by the Ji family in the court, along with other ministers, to unite in opposition, impeaching the Feudal Prince for disrespecting the imperial edict and attempting to harm the young Emperor.

Within a single day, news of this denunciation spread from the court to every corner of the capital. Public commentators condemned him, and the common people buzzed with discussion.

Even before any battle had been fought, the Feudal Prince was already branded a traitor, losing the people's hearts.

He suspected the Empress had set him up. If she hadn't claimed Mrs. Ji was in the side hall, he wouldn't have gone looking, nor would he have foolishly and openly moved against the two families in his anger.

Now, he was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

The Feudal Prince pondered what to do. How could he whitewash the situation? Perhaps he could still become an idle prince, biding his time and building strength. After all, as long as the green hills remain, there will be no shortage of firewood.

But...

With the capital in such an uproar, was there still room for maneuver?

Before the Feudal Prince could devise a strategy, news spread that he had slaughtered the Empress in the inner palace. This time, he was directly pushed into the spotlight as the public enemy.

Having lost popular support and facing written denunciations from ministers, the Feudal Prince had no choice but to flee the capital in disgrace.

Unexpectedly, at the city checkpoint during his escape, he was surrounded by the Imperial Guards led by Wen Yunqin.

This was clearly a premeditated ambush. In his dying moments during the fierce struggle, the Feudal Prince asked, "How did you manage all this?"

Wen Yunqin naturally didn't want to say it was all his elder brother's foresight.

His brother had always been accurate in his calculations, almost predicting every move the Feudal Prince would make, including his disgraceful flight from the capital and his route past Mo Ghost Cliff. He knew it all.

Impressed yet annoyed, Wen Yunqin had once asked him why he didn't just set up a fortune-telling stall under the capital's overpass.

Wen Qiyan had sneered coldly, telling him not to go looking for trouble.

If Wen Yunqin didn't carry out the ambush, he would assign it to someone else.

He wasn't doing it for his brother, but to ensure her son's smooth ascension to the throne and to eliminate future troubles for Wen Junlin. Therefore, he had led his troops to this location several days earlier.

The Feudal Prince was knocked off his horse by Wen Yunqin, who then pressed a broadsword against his neck.

The Feudal Prince spat blood, his breath faint.

Wanting to die an informed man, he asked Wen Yunqin, "Why... why is the Wen family supporting the Ji family?"

As far as he knew, the Wen and Ji families had always been bitter rivals.

Wen Yunqin didn't answer. The Feudal Prince quickly asked a second question, "What really happened with that edict?"

To this day, he simply couldn't believe there was an edict of abdication.

"As for that, Your Highness might as well go ask the late Emperor yourself."

Wen Yunqin smiled, not even blinking, and beheaded him directly.

With the Feudal Prince dead, the remaining forces were nothing but a leaderless mob. In less than half an hour, they were suppressed by his men.

After handling the aftermath here, he proceeded as planned to Linxia to meet the relocated Wen parents, as well as Chancellor Ji and Mrs. Ji.

Ji Wanyuan, meanwhile, took the child and arrived in the capital ahead of time with Wen Qiyan.

Having experienced the intricate schemes before, Ji Wanyuan thought nothing could astonish her anymore.

Until Wen Qiyan produced that imperial edict.

She could hardly believe it was genuinely written in the Emperor's hand.

This definitely wasn't written by the Emperor. How could the Emperor willingly hand over the Throne to someone else? And to the Ji family, of all people?

Yet this edict was undeniably in the Emperor's handwriting, verified by the Prefect of Youzhou and the Prefect of Yizhou. She truly couldn't understand how this edict came to be.

Initially, she thought Wen Qiyan had coerced or bribed the Emperor into writing it.

But Wen Qiyan said it wasn't.

The emperor himself hadn't even anticipated this edict's appearance.

She wondered again if Wen Qiyan had sent someone to forge the emperor's handwriting.

He told her it was the emperor's own hand.

Ji Wanyuan was incredibly curious. She told him not to keep her in suspense—how on earth was this done?

If the emperor hadn't anticipated the edict, then was it written after his death? Could he really make a dead man write and pull it off without anyone noticing?

This was far too mysterious; she thought it impossible.

Until Wen Qiyan told her it was just handwriting pieced together. Every single character on it was written by the emperor, but each was taken from elsewhere.

Ji Wanyuan was stunned. "..."

"Every single character?"

"Yes." He looked at her completely stunned expression.

"You..." This must have taken a great deal of time and effort. She asked Wen Qiyan when he had started planning this.

"A long time ago."

"How long ago?" she asked.

He just looked at her face without speaking, not answering her question. Instead, he lowered his head to peck her lips.

Ji Wanyuan didn't get a precise answer. Instead, she was kissed until she couldn't make a sound, her whole body going soft and dazed, unable to utter a single word.

She thought about it. The matter was already settled. Anyway, her father and Wen Qiyan were handling things; she didn't need to worry too much.

Ji Wanyuan returned to the Ji family. She was the first one back.

At that time, Chancellor Ji and Mrs. Ji were still on their way back to the capital. She was home alone.

Wen Qiyan was very busy. Court affairs were a tangled mess, with almost everything in need of rebuilding. He had to handle official duties and have the Ministry of Rites prepare for Wen Junlin's ascension to the throne, so he couldn't stay with her all the time. Although he couldn't accompany her during the day, he always returned at night.

Ji Wanyuan wasn't bothered. She had been away from the capital for too long and missed home terribly. After returning, she just felt completely at ease.

The first person to visit her was Lou Qingru.

The two sisters hadn't seen each other for a long time. Meeting again, both were mothers now.

Lou Qingru seemed just the same as before. As soon as she entered and sat down, handing the visiting gifts to the little maid beside her, she kept teasing Ji Wanyuan, saying she was truly impressive.

"You've really got him wrapped around your finger. No, wait, you've got the whole world wrapped around your finger, haven't you?"

As things stood, Ji Wanyuan truly was the most noble woman.

Ji Wanyuan sipped her red pomelo flower tea. "Did you come just to tease me, Cousin?"

"I came to congratulate you."

That's what Lou Qingru said, but she kept laughing, unable to resist teasing her. She said that since returning to the capital, she had heard quite a few stories about her and Wen Qiyan, and they were really tsk tsk tsk...

Ji Wanyuan's face flushed slightly. She said there were no such things, it was all nonsense from others.

Seeing that Ji Wanyuan was still as seemingly bold as before but actually easily embarrassed, Lou Qingru couldn't resist teasing her even more.

"Still shy in front of your cousin? What can't you say? Don't forget before..."

Ji Wanyuan felt her face burning. Seizing the moment Lou Qingru was drinking tea, she pressed her. "What about you, cousin? Don't you have anything to tell me?"

Lou Qingru raised an eyebrow. "What should I say?"

Thinking Ji Wanyuan would ask about her divorce, she didn't expect Ji Wanyuan to blurt out, "When did you get involved with Lin Eldest Master?"

"I heard from Wen Qiyan that your child is his."

Upon hearing this, Lou Qingru was so startled she coughed repeatedly, her face turning red, her expression uncharacteristically awkward. "What could there be between him and me? Naturally, there's nothing."

"Nothing? I think there's plenty!" Ji Wanyuan said she was holding out on her!

Back then, she had told her everything about her own affairs. Who would have thought she wouldn't tell her about her and Lin Sinian.

Lou Qingru, who had always held the upper hand with her little cousin Ji Wanyuan, couldn't help but hiss. "How can you blame me? I did it for your sake."

"For me how?" Ji Wanyuan retorted.

"To help you win over Wen Eldest Master." Lin Sinian was close with Wen Qiyan. She was just using that connection. Who knew...

Better not to mention it.

"You clearly had some interest in him."

Lou Qingru tapped her head and pinched her cheek. "What's wrong with me reaping some benefits?"

It was all an accident.

Ji Wanyuan was about to say more when Lou Qingru quickly changed the subject. "Let me tell you something else."

Ji Wanyuan gave a cool look and hummed, not wanting to listen. She told Lou Qingru not to try to gloss things over.

"It's really something." Lou Qingru told her that Lin Nianxi had lost her mind.

"Lost her mind?" Hearing this name suddenly, Ji Wanyuan was momentarily stunned.

"What madness?" Wasn't Lin Nianxi doing fine in the capital?

Wait, she seemed to have been confined by Lin Sinian.

Lou Qingru said, "I thought you knew about this. It's very strange."

Ji Wanyuan urged her to speak quickly. Lou Qingru said Lin Nianxi took the wrong medicine.

"The medicine she mistakenly took actually interacted with the incense and spices used by the servants attending her, producing a toxic effect. It caused her to become mentally confused, gradually going mad. Now she's somewhat demented, doesn't recognize people, and can't take care of herself."

Lou Qingru put it rather euphemistically, but Ji Wanyuan was stunned.

Why was the cause of Lin Nianxi's madness so similar to... the cause of her own death in her previous life?

This was definitely not just strange; it was probably...

"Did the Lin family not get her treated?" she asked.

"How could they not?" Lou Qingru said imperial physicians had been to see her, but everyone said they were powerless. "The Lin family's lord and lady are seriously ill. Right now, the Lin family is also in chaos."

Hearing this, Ji Wanyuan couldn't help but sigh heavily, and she didn't feel it was right to ask more about Lin Sinian and Lou Qingru.

"What about your brother?" Lou Qingru looked around and asked in a low voice.

Mentioning Ji Lingyue, Ji Wanyuan told Lou Qingru what had happened over the past days.

"He got sick too?" Lou Qingru asked, surprised.

"Yes," Ji Wanyuan nodded—actually, he was poisoned.

The poison had been concealed within the Tiger Tally that Wen Qiyan had thrown at the time.

At that time, the antidote in that Tiger Tally had counteracted the effects of the Soft Tendon Powder for her, but for her brother, it was a slow-acting poison.

Wen Qiyan said that in this lifetime, her brother would never be able to exert his internal energy again.

What's more, with Wuhuan defeated and its royal house controlled by experts dispatched by Chancellor Ji, Ji Lingyue remained the Young Master of Wuhuan in name only—in reality, he was merely a puppet emperor.

His trusted aides had been removed, his martial arts essentially crippled, and he was under constant surveillance, no different from a walking corpse.

Mentioning Ji Lingyue, Ji Wanyuan recalled his imprisonment and the words he had spoken.

As well as that fleeting moment when the Tiger Tally came flying at them—his concealed, instinctive push to move her toward safety. "..."

Sigh.

"Alright, alright," Lou Qingru, noticing her sentimentality and pained expression, quickly soothed her.

"These are all personal choices. Don't get all melancholic and start taking things on yourself."

Ji Wanyuan retorted, acting proud, "I wouldn't."

Lou Qingru praised, "That's the spirit."

"..."

Chancellor Ji and Mrs. Ji, along with Wen Qiyan's parents, arrived in the capital about half a month later.

Having not seen her parents for so long, Ji Wanyuan rushed over in tears.

Holding her daughter, Mrs. Ji couldn't help but wipe away tears as well, embracing and comforting her, telling her not to cry—everything was over now, and everyone was safe and sound.

Chancellor Ji ruffled Ji Wanyuan's hair, "You're already a mother, yet you still cry so easily. Aren't you afraid people will laugh?"

Wen Qiyan's parents were standing nearby.

Ji Wanyuan had to hold back her tears, get herself together, and stand up straight.

However, Mr. Wen and Mrs. Wen smiled and said it was nothing, as it was understandable under the circumstances.

Upon seeing Wen Junlin, all the elders adored him immensely, taking turns holding him and saying how handsome he was.

After Chancellor Ji and Mr. Wen returned, Wen Qiyan was finally able to catch his breath.

Soon, it was time for the coronation and enthronement ceremony.

At a young age, Ji Wanyuan had already become the Empress Dowager, with Wen Qiyan as the Retired Emperor. Chancellor Ji and Mrs. Ji, needless to say, were honored as the Imperial Grandfather and Imperial Grandmother.

Mr. and Mrs. Wen also received additional titles but kept their positions as officials, never surpassing the Ji family.

About this, Mr. and Mrs. Wen had no objections.

After all, the emperor carried the Wen family's bloodline.

After the busy enthronement ceremony, Ji Wanyuan was utterly exhausted and collapsed.

By the time Wen Qiyan came out after his bath, she hadn't waited for him. Buried in the bedding, she was fast asleep, only a round little head peeking out.

Wen Qiyan stood by the bedside, gazing at her for a long while.

A gentle smile curled at his lips as he climbed into bed, closed his eyes, and embraced her, falling asleep together.

Author's Note: The main story is complete! Side stories will be updated later today.

This chapter randomly drops lucky red packets. Thank you all for accompanying me through writing this book—I'm very happy.

This work has undergone a title change, so don't mistake it in the future! [Author's flattery]

The upcoming new story, "In the Third Year of Marriage, She Changed Her Heart," will start on November 3rd. Dear readers who are interested can show your support.

Synopsis as follows:

As the wedding date approached, the legitimate eldest sister suddenly fell gravely ill. Pu Jinyu, who had been raised in the countryside and long forgotten, was finally brought back to the capital.

Threatened by the legitimate mother using her birth mother's life as leverage, she had no choice but to transform her appearance, study the legitimate sister's mannerisms and speech, and marry into the Yan family in her stead. She waited only for the legitimate sister to recover, so this marriage of deception could be swapped back.

Unfortunately, the legitimate sister's illness worsened, and she eventually passed away.

The Yan family held immense power and prestige, their inner residence strict with rules. Bearing the legitimate sister's appearance and name, she lived in constant fear day and night, serving her in-laws with trepidation, interacting with sisters-in-law, and racking her brains to deal with her aloof and indifferent husband, not daring to slack off in the slightest. The legitimate mother, blaming her for the legitimate sister's death, subjected her to endless harassment.

In the end, heartbroken and exhausted, she died in childbirth at twenty-nine, under the name of her legitimate sister, Pu Wange—her soul and body trapped for a lifetime within the Yan family's mansion, a place that devoured people without spitting out bones.

After death, Pu Jinyu finally learned that her legitimate sister hadn't died young from illness but had faked her death to elope with her lover.

The birth mother she had most relied on and cherished had never been threatened at all. Instead, for the sake of a splendid future, she had repeatedly used and abandoned her own daughter to secure her position and enjoy wealth and glory.

Looking back on her life, Pu Jinyu—born an illegitimate daughter, forced from birth to disguise herself as a boy to please her biological father—found that falsehoods could never become truth. As she grew older and her identity could no longer be hidden, her birth mother coldly schemed to send her to a remote, desolate place.

Back then, gazing into her birth mother's tearful eyes, young and unaware of what abandonment meant, she truly believed those eyes were filled with love and concern for her.

What a pity...

When she opened her eyes again, she had returned to the third year of her substitute marriage. Looking at the Yan family's red bricks and blue tiles, the soft gauze curtains.

She sneered, lowering her lashes, displaying docility and masking the turbulent emotions surging within.

***

The Yan family, with a century of prominence, ranked as the foremost noble house in the capital. Its legitimate eldest son, Yan Chiyun, stood tall and graceful like rosy clouds, with an immortal-like elegance and jade-like purity. At a young age, he had already reached the pinnacle of officialdom, unattainable and revered.

The marriage alliance between the Yan and Pu families had been arranged early on. When they came of age, Yan Chiyun, following his elders' wishes, married the most impeccable noble daughter in the entire capital.

After marriage, he was restrained in intimate matters, busy with state affairs, leaving early and returning late. Though they seldom met, they treated each other with respect, living like well water not interfering with river water for three years. Barring any mishaps, they would raise children and grow old together.

Thus, he truly couldn't comprehend why his always proper, obedient, and gentle wife would betray their marital vows.

Even when caught red-handed, faced with his stern questioning, she remained unmoved, leisurely dressing and stepping off the bed, looking coldly and indifferently into his eyes, replying lightly, "Since you've seen it, let's divorce."

Furious to the point of dark, chilling laughter, he stared at the serene, delicate, and beautiful profile of his wife, narrowing his eyes slightly.

Suddenly realizing he had never truly known this woman.

"Self-restrained, etiquette-bound noble flower succumbs to love, driven mad to the point of forced possession"

Reading Guide:

Restrained, disciplined, ascetic family head vs. beautiful, resilient illegitimate daughter

Marriage first, love later; old house catching fire; noble flower truly appreciating and facing reality; driven mad by love chasing wife to the crematorium; HE.