The prince is fierce: Who dares to steal my woman?

Xiao Jinyan turned her back, sighed deeply, and said meaningfully, "How do you know that marrying into the Duke of Qi's mansion isn't like jumping into a fire pit?"

Yu Xin'er stubbornly replied, "At the very least, you're not a pit of fire!"

Xiao Jinyan turned around and smiled with satisfaction.

Yu Xin'er parted her lips slightly, her voice gentle yet firm: "Your Highness, I understand in my heart that you bear the false reputation of being a dissolute and unworthy young master, but in reality, no one has seen your true heart. That day, if you hadn't stepped forward to personally seek out Yang Rong, and at the crucial moment... and done *that* with her, how could I have returned unscathed? Thinking it over carefully, it was actually your intervention that allowed me to return to the manor safely."

Xiao Jinyan smiled slightly and said, "Others laugh at me for being too crazy, but I laugh at them for not seeing through things!"

Yu Xin'er smiled charmingly: "My goodness, you can actually compose poetry, and you can do it so fluently. You're not like a spoiled brat at all, you're clearly a talented scholar."

That's right, I am Tang Bohu, the foremost of the Four Great Talents of Jiangnan.

Xiao Jinyan frowned and said, "That's right, I was the one who saved you. But do you know that the reason you were kidnapped by Yang Rong was also because of me, because you are the heir of the Duke of Qi and Xiao Jinyan's wife."

Yu Xin'er frowned slightly, her eyes filled with deep worry: "The world only sees the young master frequenting brothels and indulging in music, regarding him as an uneducated playboy. But how can they see the hardships he actually faces, walking on thorns and thin ice?"

Xiao Jinyan continued, his voice tinged with helplessness and heaviness: "My father is the governor of four provinces—Qing, Xu, Yan, and Yu—and concurrently holds the position of General of the Cavalry, commanding 300,000 elite troops, with countless brave generals, like a constellation of stars. How could such power not arouse the covetousness of the emperor, the crown prince, and even the Prince of Guangling? As the only heir of the Xiao family, I have stood on the edge of danger since childhood, surrounded by undercurrents and with swords and spears always at my side. The slightest misstep could mean utter destruction and being shattered to pieces!"

Yu Xin'er showed a surprised and astonished expression.

Xiao Jinyan continued, "What, are you scared? Do you regret marrying into the Duke of Qi's mansion?"

Yu Xin'er paused, then her expression instantly changed. She winked at Xiao Jinyan, her gaze unusually firm, and said, "Your Highness, let's get to know each other again. My name is Yu Xin'er, the illegitimate daughter of a court official. Now I am your wife and your virtuous helper. From now on, whether the road ahead is fraught with danger or smooth sailing, I will accompany you and walk with you!"

Xiao Jinyan blinked, then a playful smile appeared on his face. He lightly slapped Yu Xin'er on the head, pretending to be angry, and said, "Don't you know the rules? You're still calling me 'Young Master'?"

Yu Xin'er covered her head, a seductive smile appearing on her lips, and chuckled softly, "Husband, husband."

Xiao Jinyan blinked gently, a smile playing on his lips, and spoke again slowly: "Madam, you have always been exceptionally intelligent. Why don't you offer me some guidance? How can we break this deadlock? How can we safely weather this storm and usher in our peaceful years?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Xin'er frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before slowly saying, "In the present Song Dynasty, the two people with the most power are none other than the Emperor, who is the supreme ruler, and the Crown Prince. The Emperor is wary of my husband because of the 300,000 iron cavalry under the command of the Duke of Qi. As long as my husband can behave himself and stay in Jiankang City, putting the Emperor at ease, he will not only not harm my husband, but may even do everything in his power to protect him."

After listening, Xiao Jinyan nodded and said, "That's right, go on."

Yu Xin'er frowned slightly and pondered for a moment before saying, "In order to smoothly inherit the throne and prevent brothers from fighting for the throne and causing internal strife, His Highness the Crown Prince aims to win over the Duke of Qi and have his 300,000 troops stand by him. Therefore, His Highness the Crown Prince will not harm my husband, but will instead do his best to protect him."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Jinyan nodded slightly, a thoughtful look flashing in his eyes, and said gently, "Continue, do you have any further insights?"

Yu Xin'er pondered for a moment, her delicate brows furrowing slightly, before saying, "The only ones capable of such a cruel act against my husband are the Prince of Guangling, who covets the position of crown prince, and his cronies. However, their actions against my husband are not due to personal grudges, but rather because they see him as a pawn in a power struggle. Since they have treated my husband so cruelly, we must make them pay the price for their reckless actions and make them deeply understand that my husband is not a weakling to be bullied."

Xiao Jinyan smiled and asked, "Madam, what do you think of Wei Kui?"

Yu Xin'er sneered and said, "How could my husband still care about someone like Wei Kui? He's a real playboy. Although he hates my husband to the bone, he can't cause any trouble. Even if he has the intention to harm my husband, he probably doesn't have the ability to do so."

Xiao Jinyan smiled and said, "Madam's analysis is indeed correct."

Yu Xin'er frowned and said, "However, my husband, although Wei Kui is not a big deal, what I am really worried about is Wei Wuji, the Right Minister behind Wei Kui, and the Prince of Guangling behind Wei Wuji. If they want to harm you, it will be impossible to guard against them."

Xiao Jinyan smiled and said, "Madam's analysis is correct, but she missed one person."

Yu Xin'er asked with some confusion, "Who?"

Xiao Jin said, "Yang Rong."

"Yang Rong?"

“Yes, Yang Rong, this woman is far more complicated than we imagine. Based on my observations of her, I only know that she is definitely not the emperor’s person, nor the crown prince’s person.”

"Then...is she one of the Prince of Guangling's people?"

Xiao Jinyan shook her head: "It should be, but it doesn't feel quite right."

Yu Xin'er was somewhat confused and asked doubtfully, "Then who exactly is this Yang Rong working for? Could it be that other princes are involved in the struggle for the throne? The Prince of Xiangyang? Or the Prince of Jin'an?"

Besides Liu Kun, the Prince of Guangling, the other brothers of Crown Prince Liu Zhan were also formidable figures. Among them, the more powerful ones were: Liu Huan, the Second Prince, the Prince of Xiangyang, who was appointed Governor of Jingzhou; Liu Jing, the Third Prince, the Prince of Jiangdu, who was appointed Governor of Yingzhou; and Liu Xun, the Seventh Prince, the Prince of Jin'an, who was appointed Governor of Jiangzhou.

Xiao Jinyan gently shook his head, a complex smile playing on his lips, and continued, "To be honest, I am also filled with confusion right now. The Prince of Xiangyang, the Prince of Jin'an... either of them could be the mastermind. However, one thing is undeniable—a woman as deep and cunning as Yang Rong would never easily submit to Wei Kui and become his plaything. How could someone like Wei Kui possibly control a woman as cunning and intelligent as Yang Rong?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Xin'er nodded slightly and continued, "In any case, at least for now, it seems that Yang Rong will not openly harm my husband. She deliberately placed Guan Lingxuan by our side as her eyes and ears, her purpose being nothing more than to monitor my husband's every move. She shouldn't do anything harmful in the short term. As for who Yang Rong really is, we'll think about it more carefully. Perhaps Guan Lingxuan is a breakthrough."

At this point, she paused slightly, as if carefully considering her next words to maintain fluency and logical coherence.

Xiao Jinyan nodded and then said, "Madam, actually, you've forgotten one person."

Yu Xin'er asked in surprise, "Who?"

Xiao Jin said, "Attendant-in-Ordinary Yu Jin."

"What? My father?"

Yu Xin'er was very surprised.

Xiao Jinyan continued, "That's right, it was your father, Yu Jin, the Chamberlain. According to the timeline, you were kidnapped by Yang Rong three days before your wedding. Yu Jin should have known about your kidnapping, but he neither sent anyone to rescue you nor sent anyone to the Duke of Qi's mansion to inform him. Doesn't that explain everything?"

Yu Xin'er thought for a moment, feeling a chill run down her spine, and slowly said, "My father has always only doted on my eldest sister, and has never paid any attention to me. But even so, I am still the daughter of the Minister of the Palace. It is indeed quite unbelievable that my father did not notice that I was kidnapped at home for three days."