A black-clad young attendant, who had been following the carriage, immediately ran over and lay on the ground without a word, acting as a human stool for the Princess to step on to board the carriage. However, for Wei Tingyu, such a sight was difficult to accept! Li Youzhen seemed to recall something as well. She glanced at Wei Tingyu, saw him frown slightly, and immediately waved her hand.
"You may go down! I won't need a human stool anymore!" Li Youzhen directly ordered the maid beside her, "From now on, please prepare a wooden stool on my carriage for me to get on and off!"
"Yes!" The maid was startled, then looked at Wei Tingyu, understanding why the Princess had suddenly changed her mind. As a servant herself, she was naturally happy about this change in the Princess, and her gratitude towards Wei Tingyu deepened even further!
"But today..." Despite her gratitude, the maid also considered a very practical problem: how would the Princess get into the carriage today? Li Youzhen clearly hadn't thought of this either and was momentarily stunned. Previously, she had always relied on her servants to act as human stools, so there was no wooden stool prepared on the carriage at all. She could ask the Liu family for one now, but for a dignified Princess to "borrow" a stool from the Liu family when leaving, wouldn't that become a joke if it got out? Moreover, Li Youzhen was utterly disgusted with the entire Liu family at this moment and instinctively didn't want to take anything from their household.
However, just as Li Youzhen was contemplating whether to send a young attendant to buy a wooden stool nearby, she suddenly felt her body lighten, as if she were flying. Then, the world spun for a moment, and Li Youzhen was startled! After calming down, she realized that she had been carried horizontally in Wei Tingyu's arms! In broad daylight, he simply held her like that, then walked two steps to the side of the carriage, and gently placed her inside!
"Marquis!" Even the usually bold Li Youzhen blushed at this moment. She instinctively glanced around and saw that everyone had lowered their heads and dared not look, though she knew in her heart that they were all just pretending. Their current trembling demeanor clearly indicated that they had just witnessed Wei Tingyu carrying her. So, what does this mean? What is our relationship?
"If you do this... what about my reputation?" The Princess, with a flushed face, looked up at Wei Tingyu and said, "Though I am a newly widowed woman, I am not that casual!"
"I know!" Wei Tingyu smiled faintly and said, "However, wouldn't this also save the Princess a lot of trouble?"
"Since the Princess became a widow, there have been quite a few bothersome flies buzzing around you, and I'm sure the Princess finds them annoying, right?!"
"Now, if everyone spreads rumors that there is affection between the Princess and Marquis Jining, it will at least reduce the flies around you by more than half!"
Wei Tingyu said this, but of course, he also had his own little agenda. Putting everything else aside, he also intended to bring Princess Jian, Li Youzhen, into his fold! To prevent that old fox, Prince Ning, from using the Princess as a political pawn and marrying her off to someone else before he returned to the capital, he would rather stir up some trouble. This would also serve as a public announcement.
"My father will definitely be angry if he finds out!" Princess Jian's face turned even redder upon hearing Wei Tingyu's words, because she had confirmed from his eyes that she was also a woman he desired! Of course, at this moment, she became a little more reserved, wanting to test Wei Tingyu's sincerity.
"Although Marquis Jining is respected, he is still not comparable to our Prince Ning's residence!" Li Youzhen's eyes darted around as she said, "Isn't the Marquis afraid?"
"This matter doesn't need to trouble the Princess!" Wei Tingyu chuckled even more heartily upon hearing this, "When I return to the capital, I will personally visit Prince Ning's residence and make everything clear!"
Personally visit? Does that mean he wants to propose marriage? Thinking of this, Li Youzhen couldn't contain her excitement and proactively leaned in to give Wei Tingyu a big kiss on the cheek. This scene was quietly noticed by everyone present from the corner of their eyes, and they were all incredibly astonished! Unbelievable! There's actually a romance between Marquis Jining and Princess Jian? And they only revealed it at the very end, just as the Princess was leaving? Liu Shen and his wife exchanged glances, feeling like complete fools for not noticing anything earlier.
Wei Tingyu was also somewhat surprised by Li Youzhen's sudden boldness. However, thinking of her rebellious yet courageous nature, this action was consistent with her behavior.
"Then I shall await the Marquis's esteemed presence at the Prince's residence!" Li Youzhen blinked, looking at the faint lipstick mark she had left on Wei Tingyu's face, and immediately smiled. Then, she surprisingly took off a golden phoenix hairpin from her head and handed it to him. Of course, after this action, she said nothing else, just stared directly at Wei Tingyu, hoping he would accept it.
"Thank you, Princess!" Wei Tingyu was startled for a moment, then directly took the golden phoenix hairpin. However, seeing that the other party seemed a bit unhappy with his address, he also realized and nodded, saying, "Youzhen!" Seeing Wei Tingyu accept her golden phoenix hairpin and also address her as Youzhen, Princess Jian's heart blossomed with joy! At this moment, she no longer cared about anything else and gave him a deep look before getting into the carriage.
As night fell, after supper! Miao Ansu and Zhao Zhangru were gathered around the golden phoenix hairpin on the table, discussing it non-stop.
"What a beautiful golden phoenix hairpin! You can tell it's a royal item; truly extraordinary!" Miao Ansu blinked, her eyes fixed on the intricate details of the golden phoenix hairpin, genuinely exclaiming in admiration! Logically, as a merchant's daughter, she had traveled extensively and seen a lot of the world over the years! But this was truly the first time she had seen such a magnificent and high-quality piece of jewelry! What the Princess gave was simply different!
"No matter how extraordinary... it can't compare to our Marquis!" Zhao Zhangru's eyes darted around, saying with a hint of sourness, "Even a dignified Princess wasn't she obediently handed over to our Marquis herself?"
"Sister Ru, you're too naughty!" Miao Ansu was startled upon hearing this, then reacted, lightly tapped Zhao Zhangru's arm, and then covered her small mouth, laughing, "Are you talking about the golden phoenix hairpin or the person?"
"What's the difference?" Zhao Zhangru blinked and said, "Whether it's the hairpin or the person, won't they both belong to the Marquis sooner or later?"
"That's true!" Miao Ansu also nodded upon hearing this, "But when did the Princess and the Marquis become affectionate? I didn't notice anything at all!"
"I don't know! They both seem to have kept us all in the dark!" Zhao Zhangru pouted when this question came up, clearly very displeased that, as Wei Tingyu's concubine, she had only learned about this at the same time as those outsiders.
"What about Sister Zhao? Do you know?" Miao Ansu saw Dou Zhao approaching at this moment and quickly pulled her to sit beside her, asking.
"How would I know?" Dou Zhao even rolled her eyes when this question came up. As the Marquis's proper wife, she was actually kept in the dark! It was simply too much! Of course, all of this reached Wei Tingyu's ears, and he couldn't help but complain in his heart. Not only did you not know before, even I, the person involved, didn't know before! Although he understood that the Princess had feelings for him, who would have thought that during the short time of seeing the Princess off, their feelings would rapidly heat up? They even exchanged a token of love! Reflecting on it afterward, Wei Tingyu also felt that he might have been a bit lustful! Of course, the most remarkable thing was the Princess; not only did she not show any resistance, but she cooperated throughout, sometimes even being more proactive than him! So this kind of mutual attraction was a heaven-sent romance, not subject to individual will!
"But while you're looking, make sure you don't break it!" Dou Zhao saw the two women staring at the golden phoenix without blinking and chuckled, "Otherwise, if the Marquis blames you, I won't be able to save you!"
"Understood!" Miao Ansu and Zhao Zhangru both pouted and replied. They weren't coveting the golden phoenix hairpin; they were mainly curious because they had never seen such a royal gift before.
Watching the three women chattering lively, Wei Tingyu shook his head helplessly and asked, "Where's Fang'er? Why haven't I seen her?" For the past two nights, He Weifang had also stayed in his courtyard! The scene of the four women chattering in the room was truly lively. Now that one person was suddenly missing, it felt much quieter.
"Sister Fang is tidying up her dowry in her own small courtyard!" Upon hearing Wei Tingyu's question, the three women stopped their discussion. Dou Zhao turned her head and said to him. "Marquis, you might not know, but Sister Fang has quite a bit of dowry! She said she wants to take all of it back to the Marquis's residence, not a single penny less!" Miao Ansu also nodded.
Tidying up her dowry in her room? Wei Tingyu frowned upon hearing this. According to the original plot, He Weifang would have suffered a lot that night! Liu Chang, after suffering such a huge blow to his reputation, was completely disgraced. If he were to stir up trouble now, he might be even more crazy than he was in the original plot!
At this moment, in He Weifang's small courtyard, she and Yu Lu were joyfully organizing the room full of dowry. All her belongings from the storeroom had also been moved into her small room. So the room was packed, with boxes piled on the tables, on the bed, and some even directly on the floor. However, both women were in very good spirits.
"Young Mistress!" Just then, a maid gently knocked on the door from outside.
"Come in!" He Weifang was startled, then said. It was worth noting that for the past year, except when her terrible mother-in-law and father-in-law came to ask for money, no servant from the Liu family had ever entered her small courtyard.
"Young Mistress, your tea is ready!" The maid outside, having received the order, walked in with a pot of fragrant tea and bowed to He Weifang. This was indeed strange! Now that they had completely fallen out, they suddenly remembered to serve tea to her, the nominal young mistress of the Liu family? However, no one could be sure if there was anything wrong with the tea. He Weifang was not foolish enough to drink it now. She just looked at the trembling maid and asked, "Does the master have any decision regarding the divorce?"
"I am but a servant, how dare I inquire about the master's affairs?" The maid was startled and quickly replied.
"You don't need to deceive me! This matter has spread throughout Dongdu. Now, the Liu family can only divorce me to barely cover up this matter!" He Weifang smiled. She had already seen her beautiful future beckoning to her.
"Young Mistress, don't overthink it! Ultimately, we still have to wait for the Young Master's decision; he will definitely give the Young Mistress an explanation!" The maid quickly spoke again.
"Explanation? When adultery is exposed, how can he be the one to decide the explanation?!" He Weifang scoffed disdainfully, "Now, only my dowry needs to be settled... Alright! You may go!"
The night was deep. He Weifang, having finished inventorying her dowry, sent Yu Lu back to rest. She considered that Wei Tingyu's side had probably already gone to bed, so she didn't bother to go over, opting to stay in this room for one last night herself. However, just as she was about to rest, she saw the most precious piece of dowry her mother had left her: the cultivating peony plant.
"Fortunately, Qiongtian Yulu is still a small seedling and hasn't been dug up!" Looking at the lush peony seedling, He Weifang couldn't help but reach out and stroke its verdant leaves twice, murmuring to herself, "Once we reach the Marquis's residence, I'll ask the Marquis for a secluded, quiet courtyard and transplant you there!"
However, as soon as her voice fell, she heard a soft creak from the door, and then a man directly burst in. He Weifang, seeing this from the corner of her eye, initially thought it was Wei Tingyu and turned her face with a smile, ready to greet him! But she then realized it was Liu Chang, and her original smile immediately froze on her face! And a second later, the smile on her face completely vanished, instantly replaced by a cold, emotionless expression!
The two stared at each other for a few seconds, neither speaking. And finally, Liu Chang couldn't hold back anymore…
"You've only had one home since you married! That is the Liu residence!" Liu Chang had also heard He Weifang's words from outside just now, knowing that she was already dreaming of going to the Marquis's residence, and he felt extremely displeased. And He Weifang was even more speechless upon hearing Liu Chang's words! She slowly stood up, then turned her back to him! At this moment, she didn't even want to face Liu Chang!
"The Princess has already left!" Liu Chang sighed upon seeing He Weifang's back, but still spoke arrogantly, "As for your flowers, whether they are cultivated in the courtyard or in pots in the future, it is entirely up to you to arrange! No one else will touch them again!" He Weifang was startled, then frowned. Only then did she notice that Liu Chang's face was flushed and he reeked of alcohol, and her heart suddenly felt a little flustered.
"You've had too much to drink! What are you doing coming to my place?" Despite her inner panic, He Weifang outwardly maintained a calm demeanor, looking at Liu Chang with disdain and saying, "Shouldn't you be helping the master and madam prepare the betrothal gifts now? For your true lover!" Liu Chang, of course, knew who He Weifang was referring to as "lover" in her words. Now, his hope of clinging to the Princess was gone, while He Weifang had actually latched onto Wei Tingyu! And now she was even using that old, fat, and ugly Xiangfu to humiliate him; the expression on his face immediately crumbled!
"Fine! Since you're here, just write the divorce papers!" However, He Weifang completely disregarded Liu Chang's thoughts at this moment. After all, it had been a whole year; thinking of changing things now was simply too late. Moreover, her heart had long since been given to Wei Tingyu, and she was unwilling to even glance at other men. Saying this, He Weifang walked directly to a nearby desk, picked up the divorce papers, then turned and handed them to Liu Chang.
"Although the Princess can ensure prosperity for the entire Liu family, the He family is of no benefit to my official career!" Liu Chang did not take the divorce papers from He Weifang's hand. Instead, he took a step forward and looked at her, saying, "But I still want to try again with you!"
"As for your matter with Marquis Wei, I can pretend it never happened!"
"From now on, you and I will be a harmonious couple!"
"Alright! Stop making a fuss; I'll treat you better from now on!" Liu Chang spoke to himself, simultaneously stepping forward as if wanting to put his arm around He Weifang's waist! But He Weifang was already mentally prepared at this moment. Seeing this, she immediately took two steps back, putting distance between herself and Liu Chang.
"Then I truly thank the Young Master for his condescension!" He Weifang scoffed coldly, her face filled with vigilance as she looked at Liu Chang. And Liu Chang hadn't expected that He Weifang would actually just bluntly dodge his hand! Especially now, the way she looked at him was even fiercer, like she was looking at a sworn enemy! But the problem was that he was her husband! How could a wife look at her husband with such an expression? Earlier at the banquet, Liu Chang had clearly seen the way He Weifang looked at Wei Tingyu! That kind of admiration and love was a world apart from the treatment he was receiving now!