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

What? Qin Yue has married into the Ningyuan Marquis's family?

Qin Yue was a well-established general. Although his strength was not as great as that of the Marquis of Ningyuan, he was still a high-ranking official of the third rank in the court.

A high-ranking official of the third rank could find any woman he wanted, yet today he was to marry into her family.

A man marrying into his wife's family usually does so because his family is poor and he has no other choice but to take this path.

Ning Hanshuang's words stirred up a huge wave of discussion, which became even louder than before, but most people were in a state of shock.

Gu Yuanbai was equally shocked. He opened his lips, initially finding it unbelievable, but slowly closed them in disbelief.

He stepped down the stairs, a disdainful sneer on his face.

He wouldn't even accept being told that he rose to prominence by relying on the Ningyuan Marquis's mansion. How could Qin Yue, a general from a prominent family, be so weak and incompetent as to willingly marry into the family?

"Shuang'er, don't be stubborn. One lie requires a thousand more to cover it up. You may have temporarily saved face by saying this, but sooner or later the lie will be exposed, and you will only lose face more in the end."

Gu Lichuan felt that what Gu Yuanbai said made sense, as he habitually considered things from the perspective of men's interests.

He hurriedly made his way through the crowd, anxiously offering his advice.

“Mother, Father is right this time. If you don’t want to reconcile with him, then so be it. But you can’t risk your reputation just because you’re angry!”

"What do you mean by abandoning one's own reputation? As the Marquis of Ningyuan, my godmother is upright and honest. Does she need to lie to save face? If you don't understand, don't talk nonsense." Zuo Chengfeng couldn't stand it and followed down the steps, pulling Gu Lichuan aside and standing beside Ning Hanshuang to support her.

Then he looked at Ning Hanshuang with a grin: "Godmother, I'll go with you to General Qin's mansion to welcome the bride."

“Mother, I will go with you.” Mu Lingye also stepped forward.

Ning Hanshuang glanced at her godson and son-in-law standing on either side of her, feeling incredibly warm inside. Although her three sons were useless, she hadn't ended up all alone.

She didn't even bother to glance at Gu Lichuan again, and nodded to announce, "Now mount your horses and come with me to the Qin residence to fetch the bride."

"Yes."

Zuo Chengfeng and Mu Lingye responded in unison.

Wen Gu had already had the prepared horses and other items needed for the wedding procession transported to the front of the mansion.

With a graceful and nimble leap, Ning Hanshuang mounted the chestnut-red horse adorned with bright red silk ribbons.

Zuo Chengfeng and Mu Lingye followed, followed by twelve flying generals of the Ning family army. They were all dressed in the uniform of the Ning family army, looking impressive and imposing.

This wedding procession is clearly the result of careful preparation, not something hastily assembled.

Therefore, Ning Hanshuang's claim that she was going to fetch the bride was not actually a lie to Gu Yuanbai.

"drive!"

With a flick of Ning Hanshuang's whip, the wedding procession sped off and soon disappeared from sight.

Gu Junxi had only just heard about Qin Yue's plan to marry into the family.

When Ning Hanshuang walked towards Gu Yuanbai, she wasn't worried at all that Ning Hanshuang would reconcile with Gu Yuanbai, but she was also afraid that something uncontrollable might happen to Qin Yue, making it difficult for Ning Hanshuang to back down.

Little did I know that she was worrying unnecessarily.

Qin Yue was willing to move to a place where he married into his mother's family, which means he loved his mother even more than she imagined.

Gu Junxi was happy for Ning Hanshuang, and also happy that she would soon have a reliable stepfather.

Now that her mother has rushed out, she, as her daughter, must take care of her mother's worries.

Gu Junxi glanced at the guards of the Ningyuan Marquis's residence behind her and ordered, "Drive the Gu family father and son away!"

"Yes." The guards responded and went towards Gu Yuanbai and his three sons.

"Gu Junxi, what are you doing? I am your father. You tacitly approved my presence here before I even arrived. What do you mean by this? Are you going back on your word? You are the Crown Princess; how can you be a role model for the world like this?" Gu Yuanbai shouted and accused, trying to fan the flames.

Standing on the high steps, Gu Junxi looked at Gu Yuanbai's powerless rage and said loudly, "I have severed ties with Lord Gu. If I were to cause my mother, who gave me life and raised me, sadness because of a stranger, that would be a true betrayal of my word, an act of filial impiety and disrespect."

"I tacitly allowed Lord Gu to stand at the gate of the mansion before because Lord Gu himself said that he was staying here only to celebrate my mother. But you just spread rumors, which have already caused trouble for my mother. If anyone is going back on their word, it is Lord Gu who is."

After Gu Junxi finished speaking, she waved her hand. Without any hesitation, the guards grabbed Gu Yuanbai, who was unwilling to leave, and forcibly took him away.

They've lost both face and substance. Their original intention was to keep Gu Yuanbai from causing trouble and to prevent Ning Hanshuang from getting angry, but now it seems they've made a mess of things.

Gu Lichuan and the others did not need to be driven away; they followed Gu Yuanbai and left on their own.

Gu Konghao sighed deeply, "It seems we are born without knowing how not to anger our mother. We should try to avoid showing ourselves in front of her as much as possible. Not showing ourselves is probably the best way to repent for our mother."

“Living your own life well is better than anything else. If Father wants to cause trouble in the future, let him. Mother and sister have Zuo Chengfeng and His Highness the Crown Prince by their side, and now there's Qin Yue too. Father probably won't be able to hurt them.” Gu Hanxing, who had been like a shadow the whole time, sitting in the chair with little presence, saw things more clearly at this moment.

It can only be this way.

Gu Konghao and Gu Lichuan both felt that Gu Hanxing's words made sense, and they exchanged a glance without saying a word.

They were driven out of the Ningyuan Marquis's residence and watched from a distance as Gu Yuanbai was carried away and thrown onto a street corner by several of Ningyuan Marquis's guards.

The guards from the Ningyuan Marquis's residence then stood in front of Gu Yuanbai, erected a high wall, and closely monitored him, preventing him from getting any closer to the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

Gu Yuanbai was unwilling to accept this, his fists clenched tightly. However, he did not overestimate his abilities and forcefully resist again.

He stared at the Ningyuan Marquis's residence with malice for a moment, then, heartbroken, he slammed his fist against his chest and shouted loudly.

"What a tragedy! I raised a daughter I don't like, one who's prejudiced against her father. I just want to turn back, to realize I was wrong. Isn't even a sliver of hope enough to give me a chance?"

Such crying and shouting could neither move Gu Junxi nor have any effect on her.

However, Gu Yuanbai's true intention was not to hope that Gu Junxi would give him another chance.

He was crying for the sake of the passersby.

He didn't care whether it would affect Gu Junxi or not; he just wanted to annoy Gu Junxi.

Gu Yuanbai disliked Gu Junxi far more than Ning Hanshuang.

He knew very well that without Gu Junxi, Ning Hanshuang would still be a caged bird in his hands.

Ning Hanshuang's rebellious behavior and transformation into this state are all because of Gu Junxi.

Gu Junxi is his nemesis, his nemesis.

As Gu Yuanbai thought to himself, when no one was paying attention, he changed his pitiful expression and turned his vicious gaze back towards the Ningyuan Marquis's residence.

He wants Gu Junxi dead!

The three kingdoms sent congratulations, a mixed bag of people; even if he didn't make a move, someone else certainly would.

He originally didn't want to agree to Leng Xuanjue's request, but now he has changed his mind.

If you don't give him a way to survive, then nobody can survive either.

Beneath the lively and festive surface lies a palpable sense of impending doom.