My elder sister forced me to become a concubine; I was reborn and remarried into the emperor's

Zhang Yuru's face stung as if she had been slapped by an invisible hand.

She never expected that Wei Nanxun would also receive a reward from the Empress Dowager. What was most unbelievable was that the Empress Dowager was so perfunctory, giving the same reward to a concubine's daughter as she did.

She is now truly in the most terrible predicament.

The way people looked at her had changed. She didn't know how to continue pretending to be stupid or how to get away with it.

Just as she was wondering what to do, the person beside her became unusually agitated. This was the youngest daughter of Vice Minister Ma of the Ministry of War, who was taller than the average woman and usually lacked common sense, only knowing how to follow her mother's lead.

This person was positioned right behind Wei Nanxun, and Zhang Yuru gritted her teeth.

He pushed her hard around the waist, and the man lost his balance and crashed heavily into the girl in front of him.

Seeing that everything was going as she expected, Wei Nanxun staggered and crashed into the broken porcelain on the ground.

Soon everyone will only remember that it was the Ma family girl who got angry and embarrassed and injured Wei Nanxun, and will have no time to care about her little thoughts.

Just then, a tall figure appeared out of nowhere and caught the girl who was about to land.

At first, Zhang Yuru only caught a glimpse of the dark-colored robe. Very few people in the palace could wear this color, so she assumed it belonged to the Crown Prince.

They still held onto a sliver of hope.

She had met the Crown Prince before and knew that he was a kind and tolerant person, and that his words and actions were like a gentle breeze.

Most importantly, the Crown Prince has a secret relationship with Wei Nanxun, and his presence will only complicate matters further.

Until that one sentence, "This king," shattered all her illusions.

Zhang Yuru saw a strange and incomparably handsome face. Before she could even marvel at its stunning appearance, she met a pair of cold, murderous eyes.

He was Prince Su, no, now he is the Regent.

With the emperor in a coma, he is now the undisputed ruler of Great Yan, even above the Crown Prince and Empress Dowager.

Even if she didn't know about the rumors about the Regent before, she had heard about them to some extent after her father was confined to the palace for half a month and could not leave.

This man was not only a genius general, but also cruel and bloodthirsty, leaving corpses strewn everywhere he led his troops.

Even the border bandits who once lived by hunting and gathering would tremble with fear at the mere sight of him.

Most importantly, as soon as he entered the palace, he gouged out the eyes and pulled out the tongue of the guards who had offended him, and ordered them to guard the palace gates day and night.

I heard that the guard only misspoke and suffered such a terrible fate, not to mention the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel who made the same mistake, whose head is still hanging outside the Ministry of Personnel office.

Zhang Yuru was no longer able to think about why he had appeared, or why he had said he believed Wei Nanxun.

Do they have some kind of illicit relationship?

Her mind was now filled with thoughts of gouging out eyes, pulling out tongues, and losing heads. That handsome, godlike face looked to her like a demon from the deepest hell.

Despite the blazing sun, she trembled all over, and her hands and feet instantly turned ice-cold.

Not to mention, the Regent's icy gaze was like a sword piercing her; he didn't need to say anything, it was enough to kill her a thousand times over.

Zhang Yuru felt a wetness beneath her, her face turned deathly pale, and she collapsed, repeatedly murmuring, "I didn't mean to, I was wrong, I was wrong... Don't kill me, don't kill me..."

The other women around were also startled by this sudden turn of events and retreated one after another.

They had all heard of Regent Pei Ji's name to some extent, and they couldn't understand how something as trivial as a theft between women could have attracted the attention of such an important figure.

But he was filled with regret. If he had known that watching the excitement would lead to his own downfall, he would never have gotten involved.

At the same time, she hated Zhang Yuru even more. Why would a legitimate daughter like her go and provoke an unknown woman from the Wei family?

A little girl on the outer edge of the crowd, thinking no one would notice her, tiptoed away, trying to back out.

Before he could even take two steps back, he heard that eerie voice again: "Who dares to leave?"

Her steps suddenly stopped, her whole body stiffened, and before she could react, she had already knelt down.

“I have heard everything you just said. I accept my defeat.”

"Apologize to her."

Those present were all legitimate daughters of various families, pampered since childhood. They had never seen such a scene before, and the more timid ones had already cried, but dared not make a sound.

No one dared to voice any objection, their voices barely audible, like the whispers of mosquitoes: "We were wrong."

Only the girl from the Ma family was a bit slow-witted. Although she was also afraid, she was born into a military family and was therefore a little slow-witted.

She genuinely believed that Wei Nanxun had stolen something and trusted that Zhang Yuru wouldn't frame anyone. She still stubbornly insisted, "Why are you admitting your mistake? Even if you are a prince, you can't distort the facts."

"She just has the same hairpin. How does that prove she didn't steal anything? Does losing my silver prove she wouldn't steal it just because she has money? The two are unrelated."

“You are clearly showing favoritism, intimidating people, and forcing confessions. I will never admit my mistake.”

Wei Nanxun was held tightly in Pei Ji's arms, her cheeks slightly flushed, and her whole body felt hot.

She gently took his hand in hers. Their hands were very different; one was fair and soft, while the other was broad and thick with calluses.

Yet they complement each other perfectly.

"I can."

Wei Nanxun spoke softly, but her tone was exceptionally firm.

Pei Ji paused for a moment, then slowly released his arms, allowing her to stand up straight. However, he didn't leave her side at all, remaining standing behind her like an invisible support.

"As Miss Zhang just mentioned, we only met once. May I ask where Miss Zhang keeps her hairpin? Did she wear it in her hair when the Empress Dowager bestowed it upon her, or did she carefully keep it in her bosom or sleeve?"

"I am just like you all, a sheltered young lady who rarely leaves her home. How could I, after only one meeting, have such great ability to take this hairpin from Miss Zhang?"

Everyone present, including the young woman surnamed Ma, immediately fell silent.

They were all drawn there by the noise and commotion, and didn't even know the cause and effect; they only heard Zhang Yuru's one-sided story.

Comparing the two women's family backgrounds, I was already prejudiced and felt that it was impossible for Zhang Yuru to frame an unknown illegitimate daughter.

They didn't even think about the details; they felt something was wrong from the moment they saw the two identical hairpins.

Upon hearing Wei Nanxun's methodical and slow explanation, they immediately discerned right from wrong.

"Even if I really did steal it, then please tell me, how stupid would I be to steal something and not hide it, but instead wear it in my hair, as if I were afraid others wouldn't see it?"

Her voice wasn't loud; in fact, it was soft and gentle, yet it was resounding.

Each question left no room for rebuttal.

Just as everyone was rendered speechless, a clear and melodious voice came from behind them: "I can testify for Miss Wei."