Chapter 1 Xie Jin Yan's Decision

Xie Jin Yan suddenly stood up, his face gloomy as he headed toward the East Palace.

His reaction bewildered Yu Qingwu. Originally, their plan was to embarrass Xu Zian at the banquet and then slap him with the charge of impropriety before the throne. But Xie Jin Yan's sudden change seemed… as if he intended to use extrajudicial means on Xu Zian in the East Palace.

Yu Qingwu frowned, a sudden fear seizing her heart. She hurriedly followed Xie Jin Yan's footsteps.

"Does Your Highness intend to use extrajudicial means on Xu Si in the palace?" she asked, quickly catching up and grabbing Xie Jin Yan's arm. She glanced around, lowering her voice as much as possible, and called out to him again, "Your Highness, although the Xuanping Marquis Estate is merely a vacant title, it still has some foundation. Even if we embarrass Xu Si, it won't harm him in the slightest. And even if the Xu family suspects something at that time, it won't be easy for them to say anything."

"But if you use extrajudicial means on him now, without any solid evidence, even if you bring that eunuch to confront him, others will probably say you're coercing a confession. In that case, Xie Qiyun's faction will inevitably impeach you, and your situation in court will only become more difficult."

"There's really no need for you to do this. It's not worth it."

Yu Qingwu's voice was anxious. Unknowingly, her address for Xie Jin Yan had changed from 'you' to 'Your Highness'. It wasn't the way a wife addressed her husband, nor a senior apprentice-sister her junior apprentice-brother, but more like a subject addressing the crown prince.

Perhaps stung by the word 'Your Highness', Xie Jin Yan's body stiffened.

Turning back to meet the woman's tightly knitted brows and the anxious face that was full of worry for him, he suddenly felt uncomfortable.

If it had been in the past, he would have been delighted by Qingwu's concern for him.

But at this moment, he suddenly realized that no matter how hard he tried to prove his love for her, there was still a layer of separation between them, a layer of shackles bound by the imperial family and the dictates of propriety.

Lowering his gaze to those clear eyes, Xie Jin Yan felt a stabbing pain in his chest, a sense of helplessness, and a mix of emotions surged within him.

But in the end, he suppressed them all.

His thin lips parted slightly, and he gently stroked her hair, responding softly, "Shijie (Senior Apprentice-Sister), it's worth it. I love you, and I will do everything in my power to protect you, even if it means leaving myself open to criticism."

"You need to know that my attitude towards you is the attitude others will have towards you. If something like this happens today and I turn a blind eye, what will others think of you? How will they see you?"

"They will think you are nothing to me, that you are just an empty title of Crown Princess, a mere pawn to be used to knock the aristocratic families into line. They will think I don't care about you. In that case, those so-called aristocratic families will naturally not respect you. They will unscrupulously plot against you. Although most of those families are on Xie Qiyun's side, there are bound to be some who want to hedge their bets, and some who are frustrated and want to take shortcuts to revitalize their families."

"What is the best shortcut? It's to marry their daughter to me."

"But as self-proclaimed noble aristocratic families, how can they allow their daughters to become concubines, especially under a woman from a merchant family with a terrible reputation? So, in order to ensure that their daughters are not wronged, they will naturally attack you. Today we have guarded against Xu Si, but who knows if there will be an Xu Wu or Xu Liu tomorrow?"

Xie Jin Yan's voice was low, and his usually bewitching eyes were filled with seriousness as he looked intently at the woman before him, saying each word clearly, "A-Wu, if you want to completely eradicate those hard-to-defend-against plots, the best way is to kill the chicken to scare the monkeys! Let them all know the consequences of plotting against the Crown Princess!"

Yu Qingwu had originally wanted to offer a few more words of advice, but at this moment, she didn't know how to respond.

Suddenly, she felt a little guilty for her coldness and distance towards Xie Jin Yan in recent days.

She bit her lip tightly, her eyes turning red.

After a moment, she tried to control her emotions, and with a hint of choking in her voice, she replied, "But Your Highness, I'm afraid this will bring you trouble. At that time, I'm afraid Sixth Princess will also resent you..."

"If she can still tell right from wrong, she won't resent me." Before Yu Qingwu could finish speaking, the man interrupted her in a deep voice, then took her hand, calling her name with undeniable authority, "A-Wu, I am your husband, and I cannot allow you to be wronged, not even by my sister."

"Didn't you say that the Xu family has a gossipy aunt like Xu Fengxia? Then it's not a good match. I can't bear to see my own sister marry into such a family, but I let my wife suffer from my sister's anger. What is that?"

"Your Highness…"

Yu Qingwu held the large hand that was holding hers, looking at Xie Jin Yan's serious face, her voice choking slightly.

She had originally thought that in Xie Jin Yan's heart, power was ultimately the most important thing.

She had heard countless stories that said the imperial family was the most ruthless, that emperors were the most hypocritical and focused on profit, and would certainly not bring disaster upon themselves for the sake of a woman.

She thought that Xie Jin Yan might be the same.

Therefore, even though she had some complicated feelings, she had always been wary of him.

But at this moment, she suddenly felt that she shouldn't be so vigilant towards him, shouldn't always hide things from him, shouldn't… always be so distrustful of him.

Guilt and sorrow intertwined in her heart, and Yu Qingwu bit her teeth even harder, trying not to let her tears roll down.

Seeing her expression, Xie Jin Yan quickly pulled her into his arms again, comforting her gently, "Alright, A-Wu, don't be like this. What kind of temperament do you have? You cry at the slightest thing."

"I am your husband, isn't it my duty to protect you? Besides, as you said, if I hadn't been willful back then, perhaps… you wouldn't need me to protect you now."

"Moreover, I am famous for being absurd and ruthless. Even if I use extrajudicial means on Xu Si now, those officials will at most offer a few words of advice and heap a few curses on me. I don't mind a few more."

His voice was gentle, and his fingers gently caressed Qingwu's cheeks. Seeing that her eyes were still red, he coaxed her with a smile, "Alright, don't be like this. This doesn't look like the cold and aloof Yu Qingwu at all."

Yu Qingwu was originally full of sadness, but after being teased by Xie Jin Yan, she finally smiled, and retorted to him with some embarrassment, "I'm not cold and aloof. I just didn't want to pay attention to you at that time. Who told you to be so annoying before…"

"My wife is right, I was annoying. Thinking back to the past, I wish I could slap myself a few times…"

"Pfft…" Yu Qingwu couldn't help but laugh.

Unknowingly, they had arrived at the East Palace.

At that time, Xu Zian had also been brought over by Feng Yuan.

"Lord Feng, what is the meaning of His Highness the Crown Prince summoning me?" Xu Zian was still unaware that his scheme had been exposed. Hearing that the Crown Prince wanted to see him, he was beaming with joy, thinking that perhaps what he had asked Xie Rui Zhi to say to the Crown Prince had worked, and that the Crown Prince was about to give him an important position.