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

Upon hearing the term "spring examination" again, Madam Wen looked suspicious.

"The imperial examination?" She sneered as if she had heard a joke. "Chen Che has already taken the imperial examination twice, and failed both times. How can you be so sure that he will pass this time?"

Having said that, Madam Wen, unwilling to pay any more attention to Wen Yitong, turned and left.

Wen Yitong was left standing there alone, her eyes filled with resentment as she looked towards the front yard.

Xie Jinghan did not linger in the front yard. He exchanged a few polite words with Duke Wen and then left the front yard.

He exuded a chilling aura, and the servants dared not stop him, so they could only watch helplessly as he walked out.

Duke Wen was busy discussing marriage with Lady Li. As a grown man, he had never handled such matters before. However, Lady Li disliked Lady Wen extremely, so all these matters were dumped on him.

Therefore, he did not see that Xie Jinghan left in the direction of the backyard, not the main gate.

Only Wen Yitong, who had been keeping an eye on Xie Jinghan, witnessed this scene.

After only a moment's thought, Wen Yitong gritted her teeth and followed.

She doesn't believe it!

She simply couldn't believe that Xie Jinghan would care so much about a woman.

Wen Yitong followed Xie Jinghan, her goal clear: to find out the truth.

The Duke of Wen's mansion was extremely large, and Wen Shuyao's courtyard was located on the east side.

After circling the garden, Xie Jinghan hesitated for only a moment before finding the right direction.

Si Qing followed beside him, constantly looking around, afraid that outsiders would see her master's unruly behavior.

Since it's someone else's house, if word gets out, it will damage one's reputation.

"The princess is over there!"

Si Qing caught a glimpse of a figure out of the corner of his eye and shouted out happily.

He was genuinely afraid that Xie Jinghan had secretly gone to the princess's boudoir, as that would be quite inappropriate if word got out.

Fortunately, they ran into the princess halfway there.

He exclaimed in surprise, startling all three people present.

Xie Jinghan gave him a cold glance, while Wen Shuyao was stunned for a moment before looking in the direction where the two were.

"I've met the prince."

Wen Shuyao bowed to Xie Jinghan before quickly walking towards him.

Her eyes were clear and shone even brighter in the sunlight.

As she gazed at him like that, Xie Jinghan felt for a moment as if he were the only one in her eyes.

Xie Jinghan felt as if his heart was being squeezed. His eyes darkened, and he strode towards Wen Shuyao.

To onlookers, this scene appeared as Xie Jinghan's eagerness to see Wen Shuyao.

Wen Yitong felt even worse as she watched.

She pressed herself against the wall, recalling the events that had just transpired, a look of hatred in her eyes.

Everything has changed.

Xie Jinghan towards Wen Shuyao...

Even though she knew the tragic outcome of marrying Xie Jinghan, she still couldn't help but feel angry when she saw Xie Jinghan's special treatment of Wen Shuyao.

"His Highness has come today..."

Wen Shuyao looked up at Xie Jinghan with some confusion.

If I remember correctly, engaged couples are not allowed to meet before their wedding.

"The Wan Niang you mentioned that day..." Xie Jinghan lowered his voice, "...was indeed somewhat unusual."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's eyes brightened even more.

"Has Your Highness uncovered anything?" Her voice lowered again. "What about Madam Wen's lover...?"

Under Wen Shuyao's intense gaze, Xie Jinghan nodded slightly: "Indeed, there are some clues."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao secretly thought, "Good."