Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

night.

Inside the county magistrate's residence, the candlelight flickered, casting Zhang Jingwei's pacing figure on the pink wall, sometimes long, sometimes short.

Huangfu Ling was sitting by the window embroidering a handkerchief, the needle and thread moving between her fingertips. Finally, unable to resist, she raised her head and asked softly, "Husband, you've been pacing back and forth since you came home. You've almost made grooves in the floor. Is there something bothering you at the yamen?"

Zhang Jingwei paused, sighed heavily, and walked over to sit beside her, wanting to say something but stopping himself. "There's something really annoying... I'm telling you, don't get too excited." He rubbed his hands together and spoke tentatively, "What if, I mean what if... I might have a child outside, could you... could you accept that?"

Huangfu Ling's hand, clutching the needle, hung in mid-air for a moment, then forced a smile. "Ah? A child? Are you sure it's yours?" She lowered her head and continued her needlework, her voice a little softer. "It's just right... I can't have children anyway. If it's really Zhang's flesh and blood, bringing it back would just be a good way to continue the family line."

"I'm not kidding you!" Zhang Jingwei's tone became heavier.

Huangfu Ling raised his head, his eyes calm but with a hint of barely perceptible sadness: "I'm not joking. If it's really yours, then take it back home with dignity and raise it well."

"Well, the problem is, I'm not sure if it's mine!" Zhang Jingwei scratched his hair in annoyance.

Huangfu Ling laughed out loud when he heard this and glanced at him: "Look, are you kidding me?"

"No... Tsk! How can I explain this to you so that you can understand..." Zhang Jingwei was speechless for a moment and turned to shout outside the door: "Qian Ming! Qian Ming! Come in and tell her!"

Qian Ming, who had been guarding outside the door, came in with his head held high and reported to the mistress in a serious manner what had happened in the pharmacy today.

Huangfu Ling listened, the smile on her face gradually disappearing, and she dropped her embroidery work to her knees. After Qian Ming finished speaking, she was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice tinged with coldness: "Why her? A prostitute!"

"There's something fishy about this!" Zhang Jingwei hastily defended himself. "I swear to God, I never touched her that night!"

Huangfu Ling took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the window. Looking out at the dark night, he said after a long moment, "Things have come to this point. There's no point in arguing. First, take her into the mansion and settle her down. Once the child is born, everything will become clear."

Zhang Jingwei looked at his wife's back with some surprise: "You... are quite generous."

"How could I not be generous?" Huangfu Ling turned around, a hint of sarcasm on his lips. "It wasn't long after you posted a notice seeking medical help for me, and the next moment, the child shows up. How wonderful! It's truly a wish come true."

Zhang Jingwei's expression suddenly changed: "You make it sound like I was the one who set up this scheme!"

"You know it in your heart!" Huangfu Ling's voice trembled slightly.

"We've been married for so long, and we don't even have this little bit of trust?" Zhang Jingwei was anxious and angry.

"It's only been a few months, not that long." Huangfu Ling said coldly.

"You!" Zhang Jingwei's chest heaved with anger. "You can scold me, you can hit me, but you absolutely cannot slander me like this!"

"I slandered you?" Huangfu Ling couldn't hold back the tears that finally rolled down her face. "I've always known that you like her, I've always known! For her, you even dared to beat the prince to death, even risking your own life!"

"I did it for her?" Zhang Jingwei suddenly raised his voice, as if these words had completely ignited his pent-up emotions. "Huangfu Ling, let me tell you, I beat up the prince that night because of you!"

Huangfu Ling was stunned: "For me? What nonsense are you talking about? Why is it just for me?"

Zhang Jingwei blurted out, "Because the prince likes you!"

"Stop talking nonsense!" Huangfu Ling interrupted him harshly, her cheeks flushed with anger. "Zhang Jingwei, I'm your wife now! If you want to take a concubine, then do it. Why throw such dirty water on me!" She became more and more excited as she spoke, and her tears flowed even more fiercely. "Before you even established your own family, weren't you thinking of divorcing me? If my father hadn't sent troops to surround you in the mansion, you would have been flying away with that courtesan, living forever!"

"Nonsense!" Zhang Jingwei roared.

"Whether I am talking nonsense or not, just go to Yunzhou City and ask anyone! The city was full of rumors at that time, and everyone knew that you, Zhang Xiaolian, risked your life for the beauty you loved!" After Huangfu Ling finished speaking, she could no longer hold back, wiped her tears, turned around and ran back to the inner room, slamming the door shut.

Only Zhang Jingwei was left standing alone in the hall, facing the closed door, his chest heaving violently, unable to speak for a long time.

……

Huangfu Ling rushed back into the room, threw herself onto the brocade couch, and buried her face deep in the soft pillow embroidered with mandarin ducks. The tears she had been suppressing for so long suddenly burst forth. She didn't understand why, whenever she came into contact with the prostitute named Ningxiang, she became so vulnerable, all her composure and dignity crumbling.

She remembered her childhood brother, Qi, who would patiently accompany her to catch butterflies and teach her to read. But since when, that bright young figure had increasingly disappeared from the brothels. The maids would whisper in her ear, saying there was a celestial courtesan there, whose gentle embrace was undeniable. Those words, like fine needles, had long pierced her heart, festering over the years and leaving it piercing with pain at the mere touch.

Zhang Jingwei could be heard pounding anxiously outside the door. The wooden door was banging so hard that it almost fell apart. "Lingmei, I was wrong! Lingmei!" His voice was filled with a rare panic. "I shouldn't have yelled at you!" "Lingmei, open the door! Please let me in, Lingmei!"

The little maidservant Douya, who was guarding the door, couldn't stand it any longer and muttered in a low voice, "Master, this door... is meant to be opened outwards."

The knocking on the door stopped abruptly.

There was an awkward creak, and the door was flung open. Zhang Jingwei practically stumbled in, scrambling to the bedside. Without hesitation, he leaned over, pulling the trembling, weeping body and pillow into his arms.

His embrace was firm, yet delicate, as if he were cradling some fragile treasure. His chin rested lightly against the top of her head, and in a voice incredibly hoarse, he repeated in her ear, "I'm sorry, Ling'er. I was a jerk. I said something I didn't think I should say." His warm palm gently patted her back, as if comforting a frightened child, his tone filled with regret and heartache. "I scared you, didn't I? I swear to you, I'll never raise my voice to you again. You can hit me or punish me if you want, but don't cry yourself intolerance..."

Huangfu Ling sobbed in his arms, her voice muffled and filled with despair: "Or... you should just divorce me. I can't do it... I really can't bear to watch you marry a concubine and see her enter the house..."

"Nonsense!" Zhang Jingwei interrupted her immediately, tightening his grip on her arms. His tone was firm and without a trace of hesitation, "No! Not in this lifetime! I will never marry anyone else! As long as Zhang Jingwei is alive, having only one person is enough!"

"Then...what about the child..." When she thought of the unavoidable question, she was overwhelmed with grief and burst into tears again, "Wuwawa..."

"Leave it to me, Ling'er. Leave everything to me." He promised softly, gently wiping away the tears on her face with his fingertips, his eyes firm and gentle. "I will find out everything. I will definitely come up with a solution that will satisfy both of us and will never let you suffer any injustice. Trust me this time, okay?"

At this moment, Qian Ming tiptoed outside the door, leaning halfway in, and spoke in a very low voice, fearing to disturb the moment: "Master, Yuan Liang... Yuan Liang has returned to Gaoyang."

Zhang Jingwei did not let go of Huangfu Ling, but frowned slightly and looked towards the door, his expression instantly becoming complicated.