The Eldest Daughter Reborn: She Provoked the Obsessive Crown Prince and Couldn't Escape

Yu Weiyan said with a forced smile, "Your Highness Prince Yan is joking... I was just trying to scare A-Luan."

“A-Luan is my precious daughter, the apple of my eye. I love her so much, how could I dare to actually hit her?”

"Hmph!" Yuan Jiu then released his hand.

Fu Luan whispered, "Xiao Jiu, you should go back quickly! A wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall..."

Yuan Jiu, however, said nonchalantly, "Since I know it's a 'dangerous wall,' how can I leave you alone?"

"I've heard... that some people say there's something wrong with the wine I brought. Is that true?"

Everyone looked at each other.

Fu Zhengzheng was never one to speak or act in a respectable manner, so how could she dare to acknowledge the Prince of Yan now that he was present?

She hid behind Xue Yan, trembling, but Xue Yan pulled her out.

"One should take responsibility for one's own actions. Anyone who speaks ill of His Highness Prince Yan should step forward and not implicate others!" Xue Yan scoffed.

Seeing that the only person who would speak up for her had betrayed her, Fu Zhengzheng stepped forward.

She wrapped the only garment loosely draped over her body tighter, and said pitifully, "I...I am a commoner...but..."

Her tear-filled eyes met Yuan Jiu's face.

When she was having an affair with Yuan Lu, she often heard Yuan Lu mention this ninth brother who was originally the crown prince;

Yuan Lu often showed off smugly in bed—

How did he turn his adopted brother into a prisoner, how did he seize his position as crown prince, and even his favorite concubines...?

"Tsk, what a crown prince! He's nothing but a 'living turtle' now!"

"What 'Tao Liangdi' or 'Wang Liangdi'? They're just like female dogs crawling naked over at the slightest beckoning of a finger..."

But this was the first time she had seen Yuan Jiu in person.

This man is the one she has hated since childhood, and the one she is about to marry;

He would protect Fu Luan in public, rather than push her out and let her suffer in front of everyone;

He was born with an air of nobility, and possessed a handsome appearance that rivaled Yuan Lu's...

Why?! Why are all the good men hers, Fu Luan?!

"Since Miss Fu thinks there's something wrong with my wine, I might as well help you report it to the authorities."

"How about having the Ministry of Justice inspect it?" Yuan Jiu raised an eyebrow.

This was also the first time he had seen Fu Zhengzheng—this infamous woman who had harmed Fu Luan and might even have conspired with Yuan Lu to frame him!

"Xiao Jiu, you're putting my sister on the fire!"

"If we report this to the authorities, Zhengzheng and the reputation of my Chang'an Marquis's mansion will be ruined!" Fu Luan pretended to be worried.

Report it to the authorities? That would be too lenient on her, my "good sister"!

"No, we can't report this to the authorities!" Fu Zhengzheng immediately knelt down and shook her head desperately.

Even if she wasn't knowledgeable about criminal law, she had written about all the erotic stories she often read.

When a woman reports adultery to the authorities, she will inevitably have her private parts examined by a midwife or even a coroner...

Even a prostitute would probably not want to suffer such humiliation! Moreover…

Once investigated, it would be easy to discover that she was having affairs with men and even frequently used "toys" to masturbate herself!

Yuan Jiu said disdainfully, "What, are you scared as soon as you hear the words 'report to the authorities'? Weren't you quite bold when you slandered me, Second Miss?"

"If it weren't for your sister's sake, I would never have let you go!"

With those resounding words, he told the people of the Marquis of Chang'an's mansion—especially Yu Weiyan—that with him protecting A-Luan, no one could touch her!

He crouched down and whispered in Fu Zhengzheng's ear, "I'm not Yuan Lu... Stop with your filthy thoughts!"

"Since His Highness the Prince of Yan has come in person..."

"Regarding the annulment of the engagement between the Xue and Yu families, I, Xue, have no choice but to humbly request Your Highness to be a witness!" Xue Lin said with a fist and a fist salute.

Once these words were spoken, everyone knew that the annulment of the engagement was a done deal and there was no turning back!

Only Fu Zhengzheng couldn't see reality clearly; she crawled to Xue Yan's feet again, hugging his legs and saying:

"Brother Yan, I won't break off the engagement! You said you would marry me! You dislike that I'm not a virgin, but I didn't do it willingly!"

"It's...it's Fu Luan...it's Marquis Changyi..." Fu Zhengzheng stammered, unable to get the "dirty water" out of her hands.

Fu Luan has Yuan Jiu protecting her; as for Yuan Lu... although Yuan Jiu's words implied dissatisfaction with his older brother;

But she was an outsider after all; all she knew was that Yuan Lu was jealous of Yuan Jiu and hated Yuan Jiu to the core.

As for how Yuan Jiu views this brother, she really has no idea!

As expected, Yuan Jiu said with a cold face, "What, after Second Miss slandered my A Luan, are you now slandering my brother?"

"I'm telling you, give up on that idea now! No matter what, he's still the 'Marquis of Changyi' of the imperial court, not someone a commoner like you can talk about!"

Xue Yan glanced at Fu Zhengzheng and said calmly, "Zhengzheng, I just advised you to save some face."

"You don't want to, is that it? Then don't blame me! Bring the person up!"

Xue Yan clapped his hands, and Madam Ding and several old women carried up a person who was tightly bound and gagged.

Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that this person was completely unfamiliar.

He was neither the one who had an affair with Fu Zhengzheng, nor one of the troublemakers.

Lady Ding explained, “My lords, this man was acting suspiciously just now and was caught by the patrolling servants outside the second gate. He must have been stealing something.”

"We servants were just about to report this to the authorities, but if the things he stole are brought to light by the officials, it will likely damage the reputation of our Marquis's mansion!"

Yu Weiyan spat, "Face? You, a mere servant, know about 'face'?"

"You shameless woman, you don't even complain that your husband is incompetent in choosing his men and incompetent in handling affairs, allowing thieves to sneak in;

"Now that things have gone wrong, you've finally thought about 'saving face'? Humph, I've been an honest and upright official my whole life, what is there to be ashamed of?"

"I'd like to see... huh?"

He opened the thief's bundle and found erotic novels scattered all over the floor, as well as jade dildos and other "toys" found in women's boudoirs!

Especially that jade dildo, it was filthy and obviously...

"This...this person is a womanizer?" Even Yu Xi was stunned.

After all, this is the Marquis of Chang'an's residence. Who would have thought that these filthy things were stolen from the Marquis's residence?

Madam Ding "timely" pulled the strip of cloth out of the thief's mouth, and the man quickly shouted:

"No, no! Adults, please understand! These were all transported from that big courtyard around the corner!"

"I'm only after money, I have no interest in women! If I had known it was these things, I would never have stolen them! They look dirty and are such bad luck!"

"Shut up, are you acting all wronged?" Seeing that she had already said what she needed to say, Madam Ding stuffed the cloth back into her mouth.

“‘That big courtyard around the corner,’ that means…” Yu Xi was startled and quickly spat at Fu Zhengzheng, “Shameless thing! You’ve completely disgraced the Chang’an Marquis’s mansion!”

That was Fu Zhengzheng's boudoir, and also the courtyard where Yu Xi lived before her marriage.

"Zhengzheng, what do you have to say now? What kind of thing did I ask for marriage?!" Xue Yan shouted hoarsely.

Fu Zhengzheng was still crying and clinging to his leg when Xue Yan, in a fit of rage, kicked her in the stomach, leaving a large pool of blood beneath her...

"Reporting to Your Excellency, the Second Miss... has miscarried!" Fu Ling said with a half-smile as she took Fu Zhengzheng's pulse.