First annul the engagement, then sever ties with the empress; the empress reigns supreme.

Gu Lichuan felt that Gu Junxi's words made sense, but he still didn't quite agree with them.

Since ancient times, how can women be compared to men?

But faced with Gu Junxi's displeased gaze, Gu Lichuan really didn't want to upset Gu Junxi any further.

He gave a perfunctory, low reply: "You're right!"

Whether a person is being perfunctory towards themselves or not is actually quite easy to tell at a glance.

There's no need to try to convince someone who has long been excluded from your family and friends to agree with you.

Gu Junxi withdrew her gaze and said to Mu Lingye, Zuo Chengfeng, and Su Li, "Let's go see Mother first."

As long as Gu Yuanbai doesn't cause trouble, since he wants to be their gatekeeper, let him be.

She had not discussed the specifics of today's wedding with Qin Yue.

But she believed that Qin Yue would make proper arrangements and would not let Gu Yuanbai see her make a fool of herself.

"Let's go." Mu Lingye put his arm around Gu Junxi's shoulder.

Zuo Chengfeng spat at Gu Yuanbai and the others.

Su Li smiled gently, not giving Gu Yuanbai and the others any extra glances.

Su Li lived in the Gu family mansion for a period of time, but her relationship with Gu Yuanbai and the others remained distant.

Gu Junxi and Ning Hanshuang tried every means to get closer to Su Li, but they couldn't truly win Su Li's heart, which shows how difficult it is to gain Su Li's approval.

Gu Konghao was so angry that he gritted his teeth when he saw his mortal enemy, Zuo Chengfeng, swaggering into the Ningyuan Marquis's residence. Zuo Chengfeng was Ning Hanshuang's biological son and Gu Junxi's older brother.

But now he can only stand with Gu Yuanbai in front of the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion, without even the right to enter.

Thinking that all of this was caused by Gu Yuanbai, Gu Konghao glared at Gu Yuanbai fiercely.

Although the three Gu brothers all stood with Gu Yuanbai, their hearts were already divided.

The servants in the mansion were busy coming and going. Gu Junxi entered the mansion and went to Ning Hanshuang's courtyard to see Ning Hanshuang first.

Ning Hanshuang was seen practicing her sword in the courtyard, not in her wedding dress, but in her everyday clothes.

"Mother, why haven't you changed your clothes yet?" Gu Junxi walked into the courtyard.

Upon hearing Gu Junxi's voice, Ning Hanshuang put down her sword and looked away, saying somewhat awkwardly, "Xi, you've come!"

“Yes, Mother, it’s time for you to change your clothes!” Gu Junxi stepped forward and hugged Ning Hanshuang’s arm.

Ning Hanshuang became even more uncomfortable and glanced at Mu Lingye and Zuo Chengfeng.

Mu Lingye, with his high emotional intelligence, guessed that Ning Hanshuang was perhaps feeling apprehensive about returning home, hesitant and uneasy as her wedding approached. At such times, it was best to give Ning Hanshuang and her two daughters ample space; it was inappropriate for the men to disturb them.

"Young Master Zuo, please come with me to greet our guests outside."

"No, I want to stay with my godmother and the others," Zuo Chengfeng refused.

"No wonder Ah Xi dislikes someone so clueless." Mu Lingye cursed inwardly with a touch of arrogance, then, without seeking Zuo Chengfeng's opinion any further, dragged him away.

"Hey, what are you doing? Don't pull me! Don't think you can do whatever you want just because you're the Crown Prince. I'm not afraid of you!" Zuo Chengfeng shouted, but no one listened to him or cared about his feelings.

The Zuo Chengfeng who appears carefree and fearless now is actually the original Zuo Chengfeng.

The seemingly upright and ambitious Zuo Chengfeng has actually gone astray.

Zuo Chengfeng's voice faded into the distance as Mu Lingye's figure receded. Besides, several uninvited guests had arrived outside the manor today.

Mu Lingxuan accompanied Leng Xuanjue to offer their congratulations with gifts, and the gatekeeper immediately came to report.

Upon hearing Leng Xuanjue's name, Mu Lingye's expression instantly turned cold.

Zuo Chengfeng casually straightened his clothes, which had been torn by Mu Lingye, glanced at Mu Lingye's expression, and instead of kicking him while he was down, he stepped forward to block Mu Lingye's way and patted his chest as he spoke.

“When distinguished guests like Prince Xuan and the Crown Prince of Yan come to visit, it is only natural that I, as their son, should receive them. The son-in-law is, after all, an outsider and a guest, so there is no need for him to make an appearance.”

"Your Highness, you should find a place to rest!"

Zuo Chengfeng waved and patted Mu Lingye's chest.

Mu Lingye lowered her eyes and stared at Zuo Chengfeng's hand that landed on her chest. She was not angry at Zuo Chengfeng's lack of respect for hierarchy; instead, a warmth arose in her heart.

He knew that Zuo Chengfeng probably also knew about the rumors outside about him and Leng Xuanjue, which was why he said such things to make him avoid the situation.

He appreciates the sentiment, but constantly avoiding me isn't a solution.

As an envoy, Leng Xuanjue and the main person in charge of the receiving delegation will inevitably meet and appear together in the future.

It was Gu Junxi's public kiss yesterday that gave him courage. Even though he had been defiled by Leng Xuanjue before, as long as Gu Junxi didn't mind, he didn't care about anything else.

Mu Lingye brushed away Zuo Chengfeng's hand that had struck his chest and took the lead in walking forward: "You are just an adopted son. No matter how much of an outsider I am as a son-in-law, it is not your place to host the guests."

Zuo Chengfeng glanced at his hand that had been pushed away, then at Mu Lingye, who stood straight in front of him, facing him bravely without flinching. He pursed his lips, realizing with equal intelligence that Mu Lingye had also seen through his little scheme.

"Ungrateful wretch," Zuo Chengfeng muttered under his breath, and followed after him. Though he said this, he was secretly pleased that Mu Lingye had chosen to confront Leng Xuanjue directly. After all, he had heard about Mu Lingye's loss of control in front of Leng Xuanjue at the city gate last night.

Gu Junxi was unaware that Leng Xuanjue had taken the initiative to come to her door. At this moment, she and Su Li were with Ning Hanshuang.

Ning Hanshuang took the handkerchief from Gu Junxi and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

She said uncertainly, "Xixi, it's not that your mother is being dramatic, it's just that I'm afraid that if I marry your Uncle Qin, it will cause you and Lili to be criticized. You are the Crown Princess and cannot be the subject of gossip. Lili is not married yet, and if she has a remarried mother, it may affect the marriage negotiations."

So this was the reason why Ning Hanshuang hadn't changed out of her wedding dress for so long. Her unease and hesitation weren't for herself, but for her and Lili.

That's probably what mothers are like; no matter what they do, their first thought is always their children.

Gu Junxi helped Ning Hanshuang into the room: "Mother, as a person, no matter how well you do, you will still be criticized. Some rumors can't defeat me, and I don't care. Sister, what about you?"

Gu Junxi turned to look at Su Li as she spoke.

Su Li followed behind into the room. She casually found a place to sit down, picked up a fruit and threw it into her mouth, saying indifferently, "What does it have to do with me? It doesn't matter whether I get married or not anyway."

Su Li didn't say directly whether there was a relationship or not, but her meaning was very clear: there was no impact whatsoever.

Gu Junxi understood Su Li and nodded without minding, then looked at Ning Hanshuang again.

“Mother, you heard it all. My sister is just like me. No matter what decision you make, it won’t affect us. The most important thing is that you are happy.”

"Is marrying Uncle Qin what you want? Are you sure you can be happy with him for the rest of your life?"