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

Zuo Xiangfu.

The wedding banquet had been arranged long ago, and the entire mansion was decorated with red silk.

Zuo Chengfeng returned to his residence, already dressed in his new groom's attire.

However, there has been no news from Gu Junxi, causing some anxiety among Zuo Chengfeng and others.

He paced back and forth in front of the wedding hall, his right hand resting on the equally nervous Prime Minister and his wife, who were seated in their seats.

At this moment, the servant he had sent to wait in front of the mansion gate came running like the wind: "Young master, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess have arrived!"

Upon hearing this, Zuo Chengfeng strode towards the gate of the mansion. After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back and asked, "Is it only the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess?"

The servant nodded.

The joy in Zuo Chengfeng's eyes faded considerably.

When they arrived at the gate, they indeed only saw Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye. Zuo Chengfeng, unwilling to give up, looked behind Gu Junxi and Mu Lingye and asked, "Where is Mu Qingfu? Did the attempt to steal her away fail? Didn't you say you would definitely bring her to me?"

"I'm sorry, the wedding attempt failed before my cousin found out." Gu Junxi lowered her head apologetically in response to Zuo Chengfeng's questioning.

"Don't blame Xixi, we've done our best. You know Qingfu's martial arts are not weak, so it's quite difficult to ambush her." Mu Lingye stood in front of Gu Junxi to protect her.

Zuo Chengfeng choked, his heart filled with pent-up frustration, unsure how to vent it.

How could he possibly blame Gu Junxi? It was just that his expectations were shattered, and he found it hard to accept, so his tone became a bit harsh.

Zuo Chengfeng immediately apologized: "I'm sorry, Xixi, that's not what I meant. I was just too hasty. The attempt to abduct the bride failed. Is Qingfu at the Sun family's house now? We absolutely cannot let them get married. Let's hurry to the Sun family's house!"

Zuo Chengfeng turned around to gather his men.

Gu Junxi interrupted dejectedly, "Now that my cousin knows our intentions, even if we rush over there now, she's unlikely to come back with us!"

Zuo Chengfeng made up his mind: "We can't worry about that. If she won't come back with us, we'll drug her and bring her back."

"You've got some nerve, trying to openly drug the princess." Prince Su and Princess Su walked over side by side. Ning Haitang stared coldly at Zuo Chengfeng with a tense face.

Ning Haitang has a powerful aura that most people can't handle.

Zuo Chengfeng instinctively felt a chill and took a step back, but he quickly mustered his courage and solemnly bowed to Ning Haitang: "Princess Consort Su, I am truly in love with Princess Qingfu, and I beg you to marry Princess Qingfu to me."

"Weren't you in love with Xixi before? How come you're in love with my Qingfu now?" As she spoke, Ning Haitang had already walked up to Zuo Chengfeng, her aura even stronger than before: "So fickle and easily swayed, do you think our Ning family's daughters are like cabbages, to be picked at will? Believe me, this princess will pickle you up."

Ning Haitang exuded a murderous aura when she mentioned the word "pickled".

Knowing his wife's personality, Prince Su felt a tightness in his lower body. He understood that his wife was not joking and always kept her word.

Zuo Chengfeng's expression also turned even uglier; he was equally frightened, and the pressure was several times greater than before.

He cannot deny what he has done, nor does he want to deny it.

He glanced at Gu Junxi, but instead of backing down, he bowed even more solemnly.

“Princess Consort Su, I don’t want to deny what I’ve done. Xixi is an excellent and wonderful person, and I did have feelings for her, which I don’t want to deny, nor will I slander her. But now I truly love Princess Qingfu. I believe Princess Qingfu is also worthy of my love. I can’t guarantee what will happen in the future, but right now, I will protect her with my life!”

"Ha, all talk and no action." Ning Haitang sneered, not giving in, and glared at him sharply: "If Qingfu and your mother fell into the lake at the same time, who would you save first?"

That's a very insightful question.

Every man present gasped in shock.

Zuo Chengfeng pursed his lips and glanced at the Prime Minister's wife who was stepping out of the door.

Just when everyone thought Zuo Chengfeng wouldn't answer, he spoke up: "I will save my mother first, and then die with Qingfu. Because my mother has given me life and raised me, and I have to repay that debt. But if I lose Qingfu, I won't be able to live either. So I can only go with her and return my life to her."

"Ha, she's already dead, what's the use of giving her back her life!" Ning Haitang was still dissatisfied.

Zuo Chengfeng lowered his head, having exhausted all methods, and was at a loss for how to break the deadlock.

The Left Prime Minister and his wife exchanged a glance, about to step forward to plead with Ning Haitang. Mu Qingfu, who had been hiding to the side watching the drama unfold, finally appeared.

"Mother, please don't make things difficult for him. He's so simple-minded, what good solution could he possibly come up with that would satisfy both sides!"

Upon suddenly hearing Mu Qingfu's voice, Zuo Chengfeng was immediately overjoyed. He looked in the direction of the voice and, sure enough, saw the person he longed to see.

At this moment, Mu Qingfu had changed into a bridal makeup, looking radiant and beautiful. Zuo Chengfeng was immediately captivated at first glance, overjoyed and at a loss for words, and went to greet Mu Qingfu.

"Qingfu, weren't you at the Sun family's house? What are you doing here?"

"Fool! Do you want me to go to the Sun family and marry that Sun Wencai? Then I'm leaving." Mu Qingfu turned around.

Zuo Chengfeng knew he had misspoke and, taking a wrong step, quickly stopped him, saying, "Don't go!"

Seeing Zuo Chengfeng, who was still clueless and increasingly confused about the situation, Gu Junxi couldn't help but laugh.

She kindly offered to clear up Zuo Chengfeng's confusion: "Brother, actually, my cousin never intended to marry Sun Wencai from the beginning. It's a long story, I'll tell you later. When we tried to steal her away, she did find out, but after learning about your feelings for her, she voluntarily came back with us. What she did just now was a test of you."

"So, the Prince and Princess also came to test me?" Zuo Chengfeng's mind worked quickly, and he soon connected the dots with Ning Haitang's increasingly sharp questions.

This time, Gu Junxi didn't give him an answer. Mu Qingfu rolled her eyes at Zuo Chengfeng first: "Otherwise what? If it's so cheap, where is my dignity as a princess?"

“That’s right, how can a wedding be arranged without the bride’s parents knowing?” Ning Haitang chimed in, in the stage where the mother-in-law is initially looking at her son-in-law and is picking on everything.

Zuo Chengfeng chuckled.

The Prime Minister and his wife have more experience and are clearly more worldly than Zuo Chengfeng. Just by hearing their tone, they knew that the marriage was almost certainly going to happen.

The couple exchanged a knowing glance and walked towards Prince Su and Ning Haitang, each taking one of their hands and leading them into the mansion.

"Your Highness, Your Highness, please come in. The wedding banquet is all ready and waiting for you to enter."

Ning Haitang didn't object and followed along, not forgetting to make her demands: "It's settled then, I only have one daughter. After the marriage, the young couple must live in both places. Don't talk to me about rules or regulations. There are no rules here."

"Hehe, Haitang is straightforward, please don't take offense, Prime Minister." Prince Su only left after Ning Haitang had departed. He followed behind, smiling and trying to smooth things over. Although he said this, it was clear that he only followed Ning Haitang's lead. Ning Haitang's meaning was his meaning.

Parents know their son's character best.

The Prime Minister and his wife thought that their son was already incredibly lucky to marry Princess Qingfu.

They wouldn't object to him living in both places, or even becoming a live-in son-in-law.

The Left Prime Minister's wife smiled and agreed, "We'll do as the Princess Consort says; we have no objections."

They didn't even hold a proper ceremony before telling him where he would be staying. This change was so sudden that Zuo Chengfeng was dumbfounded.

Mu Qingfu rolled her eyes at Zuo Chengfeng and stretched out her hand: "What are you standing there for? Do you still want to get married?"