My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

—Wen Shuyao has arrived.

This was the only thought left in Wen Yitong's mind. Her gaze was fixed on the front, and she even forgot to hide the expression on her face.

Granny Lin glanced at it and was secretly alarmed.

What kind of expression is that?

Jealousy, hatred, and regret intertwined on Wen Yitong's face, creating a colorful and extremely unsightly expression.

Beside Wen Yitong, Chen Che's meaningful gaze made Granny Lin secretly alarmed.

"Quickly invite the second young lady and her husband inside!" Granny Lin shouted.

Upon hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Chen Che's eyes.

The people of the Duke of Wen's mansion naturally favored Wen Yitong.

He wouldn't have missed the expression on Wen Yitong's face just now. Wen Yitong clearly still had feelings for Prince Jing!

He gritted his teeth inwardly, feeling as if a green cloud was hanging over his head.

If they weren't currently in the Duke of Wen's mansion, with so many people watching, he would definitely grab Wen Yitong's shoulders and coldly question her why she still had feelings for Prince Jing and wanted to marry him!

Wen Yitong was helped inside by Ruyi. Her gaze was still fixed on the carriage frame until Ruyi coughed heavily beside her: "Miss! Don't forget... the young master also came back today."

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong's expression froze.

She immediately followed Chen Che's figure, but Chen Che had already strode inside, leaving her with only a cold and indifferent back view.

On the other side, the carriage curtain was lifted.

Xie Jinghan, being tall and imposing, was the first to step out of the carriage.

However, he did not leave. Instead, he stood beside the carriage, stretched out his hand, and then extended another soft, boneless hand from inside the carriage curtain, gently placing it on Xie Jinghan's large hand.

Two skin tones, two sizes, yet perfectly harmonious.

This scene was only jarring to Wen Yitong's eyes.

Despite being a notoriously cold-faced prince, he showed immense patience towards Wen Shuyao, even bending down like a servant to help her down from the carriage.

Wen Yitong felt as if her heart was being gripped tightly by a pair of large hands, making it almost impossible for her to breathe.

As expected, he tightened his grip even more, half-supporting and half-forcing Wen Yitong forward.

Granny Lin witnessed everything. She frowned. This matter needed to be discussed properly with the Madam; it absolutely couldn't be...

We absolutely must not let the young lady commit such a heinous crime!

The banquet had already been set out, and Chen Che stood in the front hall of the Duke of Wen's mansion, but only two servants were there to greet him.

As for the Duke of Wen's mansion and Madam Wen, not a single person was seen.

Only a beautiful woman sat at the side table; she appeared to be a concubine of the Duke of Wen's household.

Chen Chejun's handsome face twisted in pain.

He knew that the Chen family's social standing was far inferior to that of the Duke of Wen's family.

But he never expected that the Wen State Duke's mansion would treat its guests in such a way...

He actually sent a concubine to receive him!

Chen Che's anger was building up, and his hands were clenched into fists. Just then, Wen Yitong stormed in.

Upon seeing the woman sitting in the front hall, she glared at her and said coldly, "Aunt Hua, this is not a place for you!"

Upon hearing this, Aunt Hua smiled and said, "Second Miss, you've misunderstood."

"It was Madam who asked me to help greet the guests," Aunt Hua said with a smile. "Madam is not feeling well, so she had to entrust this matter to me."

"How dare you!" Wen Yitong glared at her. "Who do you think you are? You dare to come and pick me up..."

“This seems to be Madam Wen’s intention.” Chen Che spoke up at this moment, interrupting Wen Yitong, his eyes full of sarcasm. “It seems that our Chen family is too small and insignificant to warrant Madam Wen’s special intervention.”

Wen Yitong immediately retorted, "My mother loves me the most, it's absolutely impossible..."

As she was speaking, Granny Lin hurried in.

Upon seeing Granny Lin, Wen Yitong felt as if she had seen a savior and quickly grabbed Granny Lin's hand: "Granny, I think Aunt Hua has gone mad. How dare she cause me trouble on my homecoming day! She even said that she was specially sent by Mother..."

Upon hearing this, Granny Lin gave a bitter smile.

Seeing the expression on Lin Mama's face, Wen Yitong's heart skipped a beat.

She could barely control her facial expression; after a moment of contortion, she gritted her teeth and said, "Could this be what Mother wants?"

Lin Mama said helplessly, "Madam has been ill ever since the last wedding banquet."

"So..." she said softly, "Master then entrusted the homecoming banquet for today to Concubine Hua."

Aunt Hua twisted her body to stand up and smiled at Wen Yitong, "Second Miss, please rest assured, I dare not hold your homecoming banquet in a careless manner."

"The food for today's homecoming banquet is all of the finest quality," she said with a smile. "It was all personally overseen by Granny Lin."

Wen Yitong's face was ashen; she was furious at Aunt Hua's deliberate or unintentional provocation.

Before anyone could react, she strode forward and, in front of everyone, slapped Aunt Hua hard across the face.

"How dare you!" she snapped. "What right do you, a mere servant, have to speak?"

"Be bold!"

She had just finished doing all this when she heard a sharp shout from outside the door.

Duke Wen strode in with a frown on his face, followed by Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan.

With tears welling up in her eyes, Aunt Hua watched as Duke Wen approached, and the tears fell. She said aggrievedly, "My lord, I am innocent!"

She cried out and knelt down on the ground.

Seeing this, Duke Wen's anger intensified.

"Aunt Hua kindly arranged your homecoming banquet, and this is how you treat her? How did your mother raise you? She raised you to be so arrogant and domineering!"

Wen Guogong immediately launched into a tirade of abuse, revealing his long-standing dissatisfaction with Wen Yitong.

Ever since the last arranged marriage, he has harbored resentment towards Wen Yitong.

Such a big thing couldn't be kept secret at all; the whole capital knew that he had raised a "good daughter" like Wen Yitong who stole her brother-in-law!

Wen Yitong's chest heaved. Faced with the Duke of Wen's scolding, she endured it again and again, but finally could not bear it any longer and shouted in the same loud voice: "Father, I am the legitimate daughter of the Duke of Wen's mansion. Why should a concubine be in charge of the homecoming banquet?"

"This is an insult to me!" she gritted her teeth. "You're nothing but a slave, how dare you..."

"master!"

Aunt Hua screamed and rushed forward to stop Duke Wen's hand.

"My lord, it's all my fault." Her eyes were filled with tears. "I'll just leave and won't get in the way of the second young lady. Please don't get angry on such a joyous day."

Her words were earnest, all for the sake of the Duke of Wen's family.

Duke Wen sighed inwardly, gently patted the back of her hand, and then looked coldly at Wen Yitong.