The Sickly Regent Prince Who Was Abandoned as a Substitute Bride

At that moment, Dongfang Wan'er watched all this coldly from the side. Suddenly, she broke the silence and spoke up: "Auntie, so all those precious gifts my second aunt sent were secretly hidden away by you! No wonder I always felt there wasn't enough bird's nest when I went to Grandmother's room..."

Dongfang Wan'er spoke with increasing fervor, as if she wanted to add fuel to the fire. Her words were sharp and grating, drawing the attention of everyone present.

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Zheng turned pale with anger. He shouted, "You bastard... Liu Qiqi, you have really disappointed me! You should reflect on your behavior in the courtyard. Do not step out without my permission..." After saying that, Dongfang Zheng ordered his men to move all the items away.

The group then proceeded to the main hall, where Dongfang Zheng, Wang Yu, and Dongfang Wan'er began their meal. They had specially invited a renowned chef to prepare a feast.

At the dinner table, Dongfang recounted the events that had just transpired to Wang Yu. Upon hearing this, Wang Yu said indignantly, "I told you long ago that Liu Qiqi is completely unsuitable for managing household affairs, but you wouldn't listen. Now look what's happened! Not only has she learned to hoard valuables, but nobody knows just how much she's hiding!"

Dongfang Zheng sighed and shook his head helplessly. "Sigh, I never expected her to turn out like this. She seemed quite honest before, so I entrusted her with the management of the household affairs without worry."

Dongfang Wan'er picked up a piece of fish, put it in her mouth and chewed slowly. Tonight's meal was quite plentiful. Look, she even got to eat her grandmother's bird's nest.

"Father, if Aunt Liu can even hoard food from the manor, wouldn't it be even easier for her to covet my mother's dowry..." Dongfang Wan'er frowned and said worriedly.

Wang Yu nodded repeatedly, indicating his complete agreement: "Yes, Zheng'er. In my opinion, we should take back the household account books and storeroom keys tomorrow, and I should take charge of them myself. In addition, Wan'er's mother's dowry should also be entrusted to me for safekeeping."

Dongfang Wan'er thought to herself, "This old woman is truly insatiable! She just forced Aunt Liu to hand over the reins of the household management, and now she wants to take over these affairs again. And her mother's dowry, which should have been returned to her daughter, has also fallen into the old woman's pocket."

Just then, a shrill voice suddenly came from outside the door: "The Crown Prince has arrived—"

Everyone inside rose to their feet, respectfully welcoming them. Dongfang Wan'er, Wang Yu, and the other family members shouted in unison, "Your humble servant (your wife/daughter) greets Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

Ye Jingchu, his laughter ringing out, entered and immediately took the seat of honor. He glanced around, his gaze finally settling on Dongfang Wan'er, a smile involuntarily creeping onto his lips: "Hahahaha, get up, all of you..."

After expressing their gratitude, everyone stood up straight, hands at their sides. Ye Jingchu looked at Dongfang Wan'er with great interest, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes. He couldn't believe that the graceful beauty before him was the same ugly girl who used to cling to him...

Dongfang Wan'er nodded slightly, her delicate voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz: "It is I, your subject." She lowered her eyes, not daring to let Ye Jingchu see the slightest bit of resentment and disgust in her heart.

Dongfang Wan'er clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug deep into her palms, but she still managed to suppress her emotions. Her heart was filled with endless hatred and loathing, but this was not the time to unleash them.

Upon first seeing Dongfang Wan'er with her head down and silent at night, he mistakenly assumed it was out of shyness. He thought to himself, "I never expected that Dongfang Wan'er would still be so attached to me..."

Then, with a smile on his lips, Ye Jingchu said firmly, "Sister Wan'er, you have become even more beautiful and charming since I last saw you. Tomorrow I will implore Father to issue a decree to grant us our marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Dongfang Wan'er's heart skipped a beat. Admittedly, her marriage to Ye Jingchu was indeed bestowed by the emperor, but it was far from being as hasty as it seemed now. Only after her maternal uncle was promoted to Grand General did Ye Jingchu set his sights on his maternal grandparents' power and thus request the emperor's blessing for their marriage.

"Hahaha, I am deeply grateful for the Crown Prince's kindness." Dongfang Zheng originally thought that the Crown Prince and Mingzhu were mutually in love, while Wan'er's feelings were unrequited. Little did he expect that the Crown Prince's true love was Wan'er.

"Brother Jingchu..." Upon hearing that the Crown Prince was coming, Dongfang Mingzhu dressed up carefully and rushed over. She heard this shocking news as soon as she arrived at the door.

"Brother Jingchu, how could you do this?" Dongfang Mingzhu rushed in, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at Ye Jingchu.

Seeing this, Ye Jing was quite embarrassed and hurriedly explained, "Mingzhu, what brings you here? And what happened to your face...?"

Dongfang Mingzhu covered her face tightly with her hands, revealing only her eyes. "My face is fine, Brother Jingchu, are you really planning to petition the Emperor to grant us a marriage to my sister?"

Dongfang Wan'er was overjoyed and seized the opportunity to interject, "Father, since my sister is in love with the First Prince... then Wan'er is willing to step aside to avoid hurting our sisterly relationship."

Dongfang hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Wan'er, stop talking nonsense! You and Mingzhu can both marry the First Prince."

Dongfang Wan'er thought to herself: "Hmph, what wishful thinking! Once I lose my value, death will surely await me. And everything I experienced in my past life will be unforgettable..."

However, since that's the case, she might as well pretend to agree to the marriage for now. After all, getting the eldest prince to voluntarily annul the engagement wouldn't be difficult for her. Just as Dongfang Wan'er was about to agree, a voice suddenly came from outside the door announcing:

"The Regent has arrived..."

"The Regent?" Dongfang Zheng couldn't help but feel doubtful.

“Ninth Imperial Uncle…why would he come here!” The First Prince Ye Jingchu sighed inwardly.

Everyone rushed out to greet him, and from afar they saw an incredibly luxurious carriage slowly approaching, followed closely by a group of imposing guards. After the carriage came to a stop, Ye Jiuchen strode directly into the hall.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Everyone knelt down and bowed.

"Greetings, Ninth Imperial Uncle!" Upon seeing this, the First Prince Ye Jingchu also hurriedly bowed in greeting.

"Hmm..." Ye Jiuchen's voice was deep and indifferent. His gaze swept over the several people kneeling on the ground, but he did not signal them to get up. The powerful pressure emanating from his body made people feel suffocated.

At this moment, Dongfang Zheng was already drenched in sweat, secretly wondering, "Could it be that the man in black has noticed something? Could it be that the secret guard was really killed by the Regent?" Thinking of this, Dongfang Zheng was already prepared to die.