The sickly son died young? After the marriage exchange, I will bring prosperity to his entire clan f

“A man like Prince Ming always has a reason for doing things. Since he would release a targeted message, there must be a reason. As for the specific reason... I haven’t figured it out yet.” Ling Silang comforted her, afraid that she would be anxious. “Don’t worry, we’ll just wait. The Prince’s Mansion will definitely give us a reply today.”

Du Mingxian understood, but she thought more deeply than Ling Silang. From a woman's perspective, "It's a small matter that Prince Ming has spread the Wen family's scandal at this time. The main point is probably my identity. Does he think you don't know that I'm the fake heiress of the Wen family? Do you think he's trying to send you women as soon as we arrive?"

It's all too common for officials to give women away. Wu Daniu had done this kind of thing quite often in his past life. However, because Wu Daniu later became incompetent, he was afraid of exposing his true nature, so he created a persona of a loving husband for himself.

Whenever someone offered him a woman, he would refuse outright, citing his deep love for his wife at home as the reason.

Because of this incident, Wu Daniu had an excellent reputation among women in the capital at the time, and even the current Third Prince, the future Emperor, praised Wu Daniu for his devotion.

The more Du Mingxian thought about it, the more likely it seemed. She had seen too many similar things in her past life.

Don't underestimate any influence from a pillow talker; the lady has always been very adept at social interaction.

If I weren't the real eldest daughter of the Wen family, and this matter were to come to the attention of a commoner, I would have thought I could use the Wen family's resources to marry a treasure, but instead I would have ended up with nothing, having gained nothing in the end.

Sending a woman over at this time, especially one from the prince's own household, shows the prince's concern for his officials. This will surely make the officials happy, and it's also a way to win them over.

If her relationship with Ling Silang is as it appears on the surface, things could very well go awry.

After being reminded, Ling Silang also realized it. He stared blankly at Du Mingxian, "It shouldn't be. Even if the prince wants to give it to me, I will not accept it."

"No, if he offers it, you must accept it. Firstly, we came here to investigate the Prince. Secondly, if he accepts it, it means he is not on the same side as the Prince. Not only should you accept it, but you should accept it happily, and even show your dislike for me."

Ling Silang's face turned cold. "No, if we use any means necessary to complete the mission, what's the point? You are my wife, and I will never have another woman."

“I am Du Mingxian, I am Ling Ziming’s wife, but now you are Qi Ji. The woman who married Qi Ji is the adopted daughter of the Wen family, whose name is unknown. It was also Lord Qi Ji who took in Prince Ming’s man. What does this have to do with you? You, Ling Ziming, can only have me as your wife in this life, and you cannot have any other women.”

Ling Silang understood what she meant, but he was still unwilling. "If Your Highness really has that idea, I will find a way to refuse it."

"It's true that keeping an informant around is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's still somewhat beneficial to us, so... don't fuss over such a small matter."

Seeing that Ling Silang was about to speak, Du Mingxian said, "Actually, I have another idea. You can prepare some medicine and make her hallucinate."

The two were having a lively discussion in the room when the Prince's steward arrived.

Ling Silang met him in a private room at the inn himself. Even though he was just a steward from the Prince's mansion, he was still very polite to him.

"Hello."

Seeing that Ling Silang's expression was not good, the steward thought of the news that had spread from the Prince's mansion today and was satisfied. "The Princess Consort read the visiting card that Lord Qi sent yesterday. Unfortunately, the Prince is not at home recently. I sent someone to inquire as fast as possible. The Prince's idea is that since Lord Qi is here to serve as the county magistrate, he should just go back to his own jurisdiction and do his job well. There is really no need for him to visit the Prince's mansion."

"Therefore, Lord Qi should hurry up and set off to Ping County to take up his post. The people there need you more than ever."

A hint of disappointment flashed in Ling Silang's eyes, but he still respectfully replied, "This humble official understands."

The steward was about to leave when he turned back and said, "A few days ago, the princess's family sent a letter with some details of what happened in the capital. Originally, only the princess knew about this, but the princess and the prince have a deep relationship."

"We brought up this matter while we were talking one day, and it just so happened that an unruly servant in the manor overheard it, which led to the current rumors. Since this matter originated from the Prince's manor, the Princess Consort ordered that the gossipy servant to be beaten to death with sticks this morning. Please don't take offense, Lord Qi."

Ling Silang's eyes silently reddened. "Thank you, butler."

The steward waved his hand, "I am just a servant. I do everything according to my master's orders. As long as you follow the right master, life will be much more comfortable. Our princess is not too lenient with her servants, so some people can't control their mouths."

"This time, Lord Qi has been wronged."

Ling Silang pretended to be deceived, "I still want to thank you. Now that I'm here, it's not convenient for me to go anywhere. I don't have any connections in the capital, and I can't even hear news from the capital. If... if this matter hadn't come out, I wouldn't have known that the wife I married was actually a fake Wen family heiress."

The steward's eyes darted around. "That's true. If it weren't for the servants of the Prince's mansion accidentally leaking the news, Lord Qi probably wouldn't have heard about it even if he had stayed here for several years."

The gossip in the capital is updated in real time. Today everyone is talking about the Wen family's gossip, but in a few days, when a fresh piece of gossip comes out, it will instantly overshadow the Wen family's gossip. So the news won't get here.

"Yes, this is not bad news for me."

The butler whispered, "Since Lord Qi has already married Miss Wen, he should treat her well. Lord Wen has also said that he will treat Madam Qi as his own daughter and has announced to the public that she is his adopted daughter."

"Hmph." Ling Silang gave a soft hum, expressing his dissatisfaction.

The steward's eyes gleamed with triumph. "If Lord Qi wishes to have a beauty by his side, there are a few pretty maids in the palace. I can make the decision to have Lord Qi take them away."

Ling Silang shook his head slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, Steward. I came to Ping County to govern the area. Whether I have a woman or not is irrelevant. Besides... although she is not a member of the Wen family, I have already married her openly and legitimately. So to outsiders, she can only be my wife, Qi Ji's wife."

Seeing his reaction, the steward said no more. "Since Lord Qi has his own ideas, I won't say anything more. I've delivered the message, so I'll head back to my residence now."

"Thank you, butler. I'll be heading to Ping County this afternoon."

"Ah."

After the steward left, Ling Silang's face darkened. It was truly ridiculous that the Ming Prince's Mansion was actually planning to send someone over.