Lady, let me explain.

Chapter 103 The Inner Quarters
Although the atmosphere in the flower hall was somewhat somber, thankfully no disturbance occurred.

Lin Yi breathed a sigh of relief and served the food and drinks to the most embarrassed Wang Yuyan.

But before he could feel at ease for long, just as one play ended, Zhao Min said with a smile, "Let me choose a scene."

"Why should you order?" Mu Wanqing retorted sharply, her eyebrows raised.

Zhao Min remained silent, only glancing at Lin Yi. Mu Wanqing also looked at him, a hint of subtle competition in their expressions.

Lin Yi gave Yue Lingshan a look, and Yue Lingshan stared at him expectantly, completely unaware of his meaning.

He had a bit of a headache... With Yue Lingshan's personality, her advantage as the first wife was that she wouldn't cause trouble or bully others; her disadvantage was also obvious, as she couldn't help Lin Yi handle these disputes in the inner quarters.

If it were the understanding Zhou Zhiruo, she would have understood with just a glance.

Seeing Lin Yi's discomfiture, Wang Yuyan burst out laughing. Lin Yi glared at her, and she finally calmed down.

Lin Yi then looked at Mu Wanqing, who met his gaze with a hint of stubbornness in her eyes.

His mind was filled with thoughts... It seemed like they were just letting one of them choose the play first, but their subtle rivalry was already showing signs of a power struggle.

Lin Yi said calmly, "Miss Zhao is a guest, let her order first."

Although he and Mu Wanqing had had many in-depth conversations, he had known Zhao Min earlier and their feelings for each other were deeper... His feelings for Mu Wanqing were almost entirely fabricated.

Similarly, now that Mu Wanqing is in our possession, her priority can be lowered.

As a princess, Zhao Min was naturally proud and arrogant. Before the two met, Yue Lingshan had already married him, leaving Zhao Min with nothing to say.

But if Mu Wanqing, whom she had just brought back, were ranked above her, Zhao Min would definitely object. Lin Yi didn't want to increase the difficulty of the strategy herself.

Mu Wanqing pursed her lips, her eyes reddening as she stared at Lin Yi. Lin Yi returned her a reassuring look.

Zhao Min chuckled and ordered, "I'll request a song, 'The Double Official Edict.' If you sing it well, this princess will reward you!"

Mu Wanqing could no longer hold back. She threw down her chopsticks, got up, and left.

"Sister!" Wang Yuyan was stunned.

Lin Yi knew that, given Mu Wanqing's personality, if he didn't chase after her, she would definitely run away from home...

Annoyed, he got up and chased after her. He thought to himself, "I can't let this little vixen Zhao Min get away with this. I need to give her a break for a few days, otherwise I'll have no choice but to deal with her if she keeps causing trouble like this."

Lin Yi left the flower hall, walked through the covered corridor, and caught up with Mu Wanqing in the backyard. She wasn't going back to her room, as expected, but rather heading out of the manor.

"Wan'er, where are you going?" Lin Yi grabbed her hand.

Mu Wanqing flung her away, saying fiercely, "What's it to you? Go find your Mongolian princess, why are you bothering with me?"

Lin Yi sighed: "Stop messing around."

Mu Wanqing turned around, her eyes red: "You surnamed Lin, I followed you all the way to Shenjing, you...you have no conscience...I'm going to find my mother."

Lin Yi said, "What do you mean? You're not going to be with me anymore?"

Mu Wanqing looked at him without saying a word, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's so late now, it's already dark, where are you going? Come on, come back with me." Lin Yi tried to hug her, but Mu Wanqing pushed him away and ran off.

Lin Yi's cold voice came from behind.

"If you dare to leave today, never come back."

Mu Wanqing froze and stopped in her tracks.

"Don't be stubborn with me, come back."

……

Moonlight streamed down their shoulders, and the courtyard was silent, except for the sound of gongs and drums from the flower hall behind them, indicating a theatrical performance.

The two stood silently facing each other, away from the hustle and bustle.

After a stalemate lasting more than ten breaths, Mu Wanqing's shoulders trembled slightly, she first sobbed softly, and then burst into tears.

Lin Yi remained unmoved; he was determined to subdue this little firecracker today.

After a while, Mu Wanqing slowly turned around, head down, and walked back to her courtyard. Watching her walk through the passageway until her figure disappeared, Lin Yi looked behind the wall. "Go and keep your sister company, watch over her."

Wang Yuyan came out, stared at Lin Yi for a while, and shook her head: "Brother-in-law, how cruel you are!"

Lin Yi sneered: "You know that now, so you'll have your turn to cry someday."

Wang Yuyan gave him a reproachful look and rolled her eyes at him before going to see Mu Wanqing.

Lin Yi had no choice but to return to the flower hall; he couldn't leave Yue Lingshan waiting.

Seeing him return alone, Yue Lingshan asked, "Where are the sisters?"

Lin Yi said, "I had the servants deliver the food to their courtyard."

Zhao Min clicked her tongue a few times, "I overestimated you. Your skills in dealing with women are quite average."

Lin Yi looked at Zhao Min calmly: "You specially moved here today just to cause me trouble?"

He shook his head, sat down, and drank the wine in his glass in one gulp.

The opera "The Double Officials' Edict" on the stage was reaching its climax when the son passed the imperial examination with top honors.

Lin Yi said, "Stop bragging, tell them to disperse."

"Yes."

The maidservant obeyed and went to give the order. The stage came to an abrupt halt, and the flower hall fell silent; you could hear a pin drop.

Yue Lingshan picked up the wine pot and poured wine for Lin Yi. Lin Yi pinched her cheek, quite pleased.

After eating halfway through the meal, Zhao Min, feeling bored, left the table. Lin Yi seemed unaffected, finishing the meal with Yue Lingshan and then taking her back to the main courtyard.

……

For the remaining two days, Lin Yi spent time with Yue Lingshan.

This five-courtyard house occupies a huge area, and since everyone eats and sleeps in their own courtyards, he deliberately left Zhao Min and Mu Wanqing hanging, and they hadn't even seen each other for two days.

On the third day, Zhao Min couldn't bear the cold treatment and wanted to leave with her people. Lin Yi knew this, but didn't try to stop her; he simply saw her off at the door.

Zhao Min looked at Lin Yi and said coldly, "I'm really leaving. I'm going back to the Western Regions."

Lin Yi said calmly, "Your feet are your own body. If you're determined to leave, can I stop you?"

If you try to appease a woman when she throws a tantrum, it will only embolden her.

Zhao Min also needs to be properly trained.

"You're not going to let me stay?"

Lin Yi sighed, "Nine times out of ten things in this world don't go as planned, and you can't force it. It's up to you whether you stay or leave."

Zhao Min's breath hitched. She immediately mounted her horse: "I'm going back to the Western Regions and will never come back to the Central Plains! If you want to see me, come to the Western Regions; if you don't want to see me, then..."

"The world is in chaos right now, and I have a lot of important things to do. I don't have time to go to the Western Regions to make you happy." After saying that, Lin Yi turned and walked towards the gate.

Zhao Min's face paled, and she gritted her teeth, saying, "You, surnamed Lin, you're ruthless!"

She whipped her horse and galloped away. More than ten riders immediately followed.

……

That evening, when Mu Wanqing saw that Zhao Minzhen had left, she didn't dare to throw a tantrum anymore and went to Lin Yi to apologize.

Lin Yi punished her by making her kneel for half an hour, and then severely punished her on the bed.

After a few rounds, it was completely stuffed into a cream puff.

This also calmed the little firecracker down; at least she won't dare to cause trouble in front of Lin Yi anymore.

On this day, Prince Xin invited Lin Yi to drink. Lin Yi knew that he must have something to do, so he naturally agreed.

(End of this chapter)