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

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Si Qing secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

This is the prince he knows.

The prince was cold-hearted and never tempted by women.

Wen Shuyao was only stunned for a moment before replying, "I came to Cuiweifang to see if I could find any clues."

Xie Jinghan's eyes revealed a hint of inquiry: "You've come to look for clues? Do you know that the man is exceptionally skilled? I've sent out many men, but we still haven't seen his true face."

But I have seen it.

Wen Shuyao inwardly grumbled, but dared not show it on her face.

“I saw him meeting with Zhang in secret, and I saw his back.” She kept her eyes open, her expression calm and her tone normal as she lied. “I have always had a good memory. If I happened to meet that person in Cuiwei Lane, I would definitely recognize him from his back.”

Upon hearing this, Si Qing exclaimed excitedly, "I never imagined the Princess Consort possessed such abilities! This is truly wonderful! From now on, we..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xie Jinghan's indifferent glance silenced him.

"I see." Xie Jinghan raised his chin, his peach blossom eyes narrowed slightly, scrutinizing the woman before him. "Did you notice anything when the county princess came to Cuiwei Lane?"

“Cuiwei Lane is bustling with people,” Wen Shuyao replied calmly. “I haven’t seen that person yet.”

"My luck can't possibly be that good..."

She stopped halfway through her sentence, her eyes fixed intently on the view outside the window.

"It's him!"

Wen Shuyao spoke urgently, and because of her excitement, she took a few steps closer to Xie Jinghan.

"Your Highness! I see him!"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinghan immediately stood up.

Before Si Qing and the others could react, he grabbed Wen Shuyao's hand, and the two walked out of Yuhua Pavilion together.

"Where is he?"

"We just entered the alley on the left!"

Wen Shuyao answered quickly.

She couldn't be mistaken! That face!

That face shouldn't be her lover's real face, but it was one she had seen in her past life.

In her past life, she did catch Madam Wen having an affair, and that was the face she saw. However, for various reasons, the man escaped, and no matter how many spies she planted in the capital, she never saw that face again.

Su You then said that some noble people, in order to protect their identities from being exposed, never show their true faces, but instead wear a human skin mask worth a thousand gold pieces when interacting with others.

They immediately guessed that the lover was wearing a human skin mask.

This person is meticulous and even wears a mask when having an affair, which shows that he is no ordinary person.

Unfortunately, she was too busy dealing with the Chen family and business matters to pursue the matter further, thus losing the best opportunity to avenge her mother.

In this life, she must seize this opportunity.

Xie Jinghan is her biggest help right now!

Especially since this lover is also involved in the assassination attempt on the emperor, Xie Jinghan will investigate the matter thoroughly even without Xie Jinghan having to ask for help.

As she pondered this, Xie Jinghan led her out the door.

Xie Jinghan was moving too fast; she couldn't keep up at all. After walking for a short while, she was already panting heavily.

Seeing Wen Shuyao's appearance, Xie Jinghan frowned.

If it weren't for the fact that only Wen Shuyao could recognize that person, he really wouldn't want to take Wen Shuyao out.

However, Wen Shuyao's role was crucial, so in a flash, he put his arm around her waist and said, "Princess, please forgive me."

Even though the two are engaged, such behavior is still extremely impolite.

Wen Shuyao was also stunned for a moment, then felt her feet dangling in the air. She had no choice but to lean her entire weight on Xie Jinghan and tightly hug his neck.

Fortunately, Xie Jinghan was quick, and in just a short while, the two arrived in the alley.

Even now, their actions remain intimately intertwined, appearing to outsiders no different from those of lovers having a secret rendezvous.

This is exactly the effect Xie Jinghan wanted.

The man was extremely vigilant; without concealing his identity, he would surely alert the enemy.

The two of them huddled together in the corner, eavesdropping on the conversation between the two people inside.

The voices of the two men inside were clearly manipulated; they were both hoarse and identical, making it impossible to discern their true identities.

"How did things go?"

"The Duke of Su is useless, and his identity has probably been exposed. Our plan needs to be changed."

"A bunch of useless fools who can't even handle this simple task. If this drags on any longer, when will our great cause of restoring our kingdom be accomplished?"

"My lord, please calm down! It's just that Prince Jing's men have been cracking down hard these past few days, so we have no choice but to lay low for a while."

"In that case, let's make a lot of noise so that King Jing's men will be overwhelmed."

"The imperial examinations are approaching, so why not start with those? Do you expect me to teach you how to do it?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's eyes widened in surprise.

Spring Examination?

What do they want to do to the imperial examinations? Could it be...?

As she was thinking this, she heard the person inside excitedly say, "Don't worry, we've already taken care of those students. We'll definitely be able to place our people in this year's imperial examination."

It was cheating in the imperial examinations!

Wen Shuyao subconsciously raised her head and met Xie Jinghan's gaze.

The two people in the alley clearly realized that this was not a good place to talk, and their voices gradually faded away until they disappeared.

Wen Shuyao was stunned for a long time, never expecting that her whim would lead her to overhear such a huge conspiracy.

Xie Jinghan lowered his head, and as soon as his gaze met Wen Shuyao's, Wen Shuyao understood what he meant.

"Your Highness, rest assured, I will never reveal a single word about this matter."

She raised her hand, practically swearing an oath to Xie Jinghan.

"I have no suspicion of you."

Xie Jinghan reached out and took Wen Shuyao's hand.

“However, this matter is of great importance,” Xie Jinghan added. “If the county princess has any further ideas, it would be best to discuss them with me beforehand.”

“Those two are quite skilled in martial arts,” he cautioned. “Your Highness, you must not act rashly.”

Wen Shuyao blinked and agreed without thinking: "Don't worry, I'm just too unlucky to be alive."

With a powerful ally like Xie Jinghan by her side, why would she risk her own life?

“However, Your Highness,” Wen Shuyao moved closer to him, “I have a request.”

She said she needed something from someone, but her eyes betrayed no helplessness or fear.

Xie Jinghan raised his head slightly: "What is it?"

Wen Shuyao lowered her voice: "If you discover that this man is having an affair with Zhang, please send someone to inform me, Your Highness."

“As you know,” Wen Shuyao said softly, “I’m just waiting for Zhang’s weakness to fall into my hands.”

"it is good."

Xie Jinghan lowered his eyes and, seeing the cunning look in her eyes, couldn't help but chuckle.

"It's just a small matter," Xie Jinghan said. "I will have Si Qing keep an eye on their movements."