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

The woman's voice was extremely ethereal and melodious, like the babbling of a mountain spring.

Everyone was taken aback and looked in the direction of the voice. They saw that Jiang Qiongzhi, who had been sitting upright in the stone pavilion, seemingly detached from worldly affairs, had walked over at some point.

She wore a flawless smile, and her makeup, hair, and clothes were all impeccable. She looked at everyone with composure and naturalness.

“I was right there when it happened, and I can testify for Miss Wei that she did not take any of Miss Zhang’s things.”

The Jiang family has been passed down for over a hundred years and are the founding heroes of the Great Yan Dynasty. From the prime minister and cabinet ministers to the imperial guards and local officials, there are members of the Jiang family.

They were a truly distinguished family, and there were even rumors in the streets that if you wanted to become emperor, you had to marry a woman from the Jiang family.

The late emperor abandoned his childhood sweetheart, with whom he had a mutual affection, and married the Empress Dowager in order to secure his position as crown prince.

It was precisely for this reason that the late emperor was particularly suspicious of the Jiang family, which is why the Jiang family ancestor resigned from his official post and only retained the hereditary title of Duke.

To this end, he not only restrained his clan members, making them resign from their official posts and retire, but also closed the gates of the Jiang residence and cut off all contact with other people in the capital.

This was done to dispel the emperor's suspicions and preserve the Jiang family's honor and disgrace for another hundred years.

Jiang Qiongzhi is the most outstanding among the younger generation of the Jiang family. Whether it is her appearance, knowledge, or ability to understand people, she is the one that Old Master Jiang values ​​most.

She began her formal education at the age of three, started reading books at five, and by ten she was proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, and painting, earning her the reputation of being the most talented woman in the capital.

Back then, everyone said that Jiang Qiongzhi was going to marry the Crown Prince. Even though she didn't end up marrying into the Eastern Palace, the weight of the Jiang family's eldest daughter and the most talented woman still far surpassed that of the famous families in the capital.

Since she spoke, naturally no one doubted whether it was true or false.

This time, the Ma family girl's stubborn neck finally broke.

"I, I was wrong..."

"Your Highness, can we...can we leave now?"

This so-called "wrong" was really quite unpleasant to hear.

But Wei Nanxun wasn't the type to hold a grudge. Most importantly, this was the imperial palace, and it was already quite an achievement to make these high-ranking noble ladies bow their heads.

There's no need to escalate things further, since today's main characters are *** and Man Xinghe, who are about to leave the capital.

Before she could speak, the cold voice rang out again: "Not enough."

"Are you mute? Your voice is like a mosquito's buzz. And, you are not allowed to say a word about what you did wrong or who you should apologize to."

Wei Nanxun turned slightly to the side, looked up at him, and gently tugged at his sleeve.

She wanted to calm him down, but he misunderstood and, following her finger, took her hand.

Beneath their wide sleeves, their fingers were intertwined.

Wei Nanxun's face instantly turned bright red again.

Firstly, she had never been so intimate with a man in public before. Even when she was married to Pei Yuyan in her previous life, they had never been so openly intimate.

Secondly, she never imagined that someone would actually appear when she needed him so much.

She was used to being in the abyss with no one to help her, but he believed in her, he believed in her without reason, and stood by her side.

Such trust and favoritism were something she had never experienced before.

She could sense Pei Ji's affection yesterday, but she wasn't that confident. But now, she felt a love she had never felt before.

It's like a bowl of water that's about to overflow, and she doesn't have a bigger bowl to catch all that water.

This frightened her; she was afraid that once she gained it, she would lose it.

Losing something after you've had it is far more despairing than never having had it at all.

"I... I can handle this myself, you don't need to..."

She had already thought of a solution when Zhang Yuru stopped her, and she was confident that she could make sure that no one present would bother her anymore, so that he wouldn't have to offend so many people for her sake.

This would damage his reputation and make him appear unfair as regent, bullying weak women.

"I know you can, but I don't want to."

He trusted her; he knew she wasn't a fragile parasitic plant, and that she could easily handle everything in front of her.

But I don't want to see her bullied, I don't want to see her wronged, and I don't want to see her in a helpless situation.

Therefore, he crossed his own bottom line and humbled himself to handle this conflict between young women.

Wei Nanxun's eyes were already a little sore. She blinked quickly and turned her head away, not daring to let him see her vulnerability and fragility.

Pei Ji liked her girlish demeanor very much, and squeezed her palm again.

Then he suddenly looked up, his eyes cold and devoid of any tenderness: "I have little patience."

Someone, who had been speaking first, raised their voice haltingly and said, "I was unaware of the ins and outs of the matter and misunderstood Miss Wei. Please forgive me, Miss Wei."

A chorus of apologies rose and fell, each one more sincere and solemn than the last.

Later on, some even kowtowed. The once arrogant noble ladies had now abandoned their dignity and respectability, fearing that if they kowtowed too slowly, their heads would fall to the ground first.

Wei Nanxun originally only wanted them to admit that she was not wrong; she never dared to hope that they would actually apologize.

But when she actually saw and heard it, she realized that she was unwilling to accept it, and what she wanted was for them to take responsibility for their mistakes.

Pei Ji saw through her once again.

After everyone had apologized, Pei Ji remained silent, only staring intently at her.

Wei Nanxun opened her sore eyes and said, "Since it's a misunderstanding, it's good to clear things up. Please, everyone, make yourselves at home."

They looked at each other, still not daring to move, until Pei Ji impatiently raised his eyes and said: "Get lost."

Those usually gentle and delicate ladies, who always took small, quick steps, lifted their skirts and ran faster than donkeys, as if they were being chased.

Of course, they didn't forget to drag Zhang Yuru, who was lying on the ground in a disheveled state, away as well.

Wei Nanxun, who was usually full of emotions, moved and tender, couldn't hold back and was actually amused by this.

Pei Ji's stern face softened and relaxed because of her laughter.

Wei Nanxun was about to thank him. If it weren't for him, the matter could have been resolved, but it certainly wouldn't have been so easy. She definitely wouldn't have been able to avoid those broken porcelain shards scattered all over the ground.

Before he could even speak, that clear, melodious voice rang out again: "Greetings, Your Highness."

She then realized that some people hadn't left yet.

She subconsciously tried to pull her fingers away from his tight grip, but couldn't.

Wei Nanxun still couldn't get used to being so intimate with others in public, and looked at Jiang Qiongzhi with some embarrassment: "Thank you for what happened just now, Miss Jiang."

Although the matter was almost resolved when Jiang Qiongzhi appeared, her presence saved a lot of trouble, which was a nice bonus.

Strangely, both the time with the Empress Dowager and the time at the stone pavilion, Jiang Qiongzhi's attitude towards her could be described as ignoring her.

But this time, she actually gave a very kind smile: "You're welcome. Since I saw it, I should tell the truth."

Although Wei Nanxun's smile was somewhat unnatural, she still returned a slight smile.

"If there's nothing else, then I won't keep Miss Jiang any longer."

They weren't really close, and she had nothing to say to her. Most importantly, she had Pei Ji by her side to solve the problem.

This was her way of subtly reminding the other person to leave.

Jiang Qiongzhi, however, seemed not to understand, her gaze fixed fixed on her—

The person behind me.

Wei Nanxun then realized that she seemed to have been presumptuous; the person Jiang Qiongzhi was looking at from beginning to end was Pei Ji.

She blinked subconsciously, and then heard that clear, beautiful voice say with a hint of nervousness, "Uncle, I am Qiongzhi."

Pei Ji frowned, raised his eyes impatiently, and said, enunciating each word clearly, "What branch?"