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

As soon as the supervising nanny left, Wen Shuyao stood up.

The phoenix crown on her head felt incredibly heavy, causing her immense suffering.

She frowned and simply took off her phoenix crown.

Apart from the magpie, no one else will enter this bedroom.

There was only half an hour left before Xie Jinghan was to depart. The extent to which he had gone to such lengths for her today showed his sincerity, so whether or not they consummated their marriage was no longer so important.

Wen Shuyao stood up and slowly walked to the window.

This sleeping quarters was bestowed upon Xie Jinghan by the emperor and was where Xie Jinghan lived when he was young.

Even among the emperor's many sons, none of them received such treatment.

The emperor truly loved Xie Jinghan. Even in her previous life, she had never heard of the two of them arguing. Such brotherly affection was extremely rare in the royal family.

Now that she is married to Xie Jinghan, out of respect for Xie Jinghan, the Emperor and Empress will likely be more lenient towards what she does in the future.

Thinking of this, her eyes flickered slightly.

The Yuanming Hall is located in a secluded place, and even though it is decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations today, it is still exceptionally quiet.

Everyone in the palace knew that Prince Jing preferred quiet. Even on his wedding day, apart from the palace servants, everyone else would take a detour.

Wen Shuyao sat by the window, pondering her future plans.

Just then, a magpie rushed in, looking terrified.

The magpie's forehead was covered in sweat, and its eyes were filled with terror.

"Miss……"

Magpie was out of breath and gripped Wen Shuyao's sleeve tightly. The force of her grip made Wen Shuyao frown.

"What's the matter?"

Wen Shuyao lowered her voice.

The magpie recalled what it had just witnessed and wanted to speak, but it felt as if its throat was blocked by a lump of air. Its eyes were wide open, but it could not utter a complete sentence.

"Calm down." Wen Shuyao poured her a cup of tea, patting her back as she reassured her, "With me here, no one can do anything to you. Have you forgotten who I am now?"

A glint flashed in the magpie's eyes.

Yes!

Wen Shuyao is now the Princess Consort of Prince Jing!

After drinking a cup of hot tea, Magpie's heartbeat gradually calmed down, and she finally mustered the courage to speak: "Miss, there are people having a secret rendezvous in the palace!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao's previously nonchalant expression turned cold: "A secret rendezvous? Did you get a good look at them?"

Magpie shook her head: "They were hiding in the rockery. I couldn't see their faces clearly, but I could tell from their voices that they were a man and a woman."

“However…” Magpie’s eyes changed, and she became somewhat uneasy. “This servant noticed that the hems of their clothes had streaks of light in the night, which must have been embroidered with gold thread.”

To be able to afford clothes embroidered with gold thread...

These two people must be of extremely high status.

Wen Shuyao gripped the magpie's shoulders tightly: "Have they seen you?"

The identities of the two people having this secret rendezvous are unimportant; what matters is the magpie!

In her past life, the magpie died at the age of eighteen to protect her. Now that she has been reborn, she will never let the same thing happen again.

Magpie's eyes welled up with tears. Meeting Wen Shuyao's worried gaze, she shook her head repeatedly: "This servant dared not look closely. I only glanced at her once before leaving immediately."

Wen Shuyao finally calmed down and slowly sat down in the chair, trying to sort out the clues.

"Today's wedding banquet is attended by the wealthy and powerful, and quite a few can afford to wear these clothes... but what about a secret rendezvous..."

If they are openly married couples or engaged, why would they need to meet in secret?

The separation of men and women in the Great Yu Dynasty was not as strict as in the previous dynasty. If they were engaged, it was normal for them to meet in public. There was even a custom that princesses and noblewomen did not marry and kept male lovers in their harems.

Therefore, the relationship between these two must be something that cannot be made public.

It's something that can't be brought to light...

Wen Shuyao simply took out the guest list and carefully reviewed it.

Seeing her serious expression, the magpie felt uneasy: "If I had known the matter was so important, I would have gone to take a closer look..."

"No!" Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao immediately raised her head, her gaze stern: "Magpie, nothing is more important than you."

“If you encounter something like this again in the future, stay far away from it!” she whispered to him. “These influential people have always treated human life as worthless. You and I grew up together and are like sisters.”

"Nothing is worth risking your life for."

The magpie's eyes were red-rimmed, and it kept nodding.

However, Wen Shuyao still had no clue about the guest list.

The wedding banquet was held at Wanchun Hall, and there were over a thousand guests. Their family members were not on the guest list.

Trying to select from them would be incredibly difficult.

Therefore, the only way to find out their identities is through the Prince Jing's mansion.

It would be even better if we knew who was absent from today's wedding banquet.

Magpie cautiously observed her expression, a sense of unease creeping into her heart: "Miss, are these two people really that important?"

“My intuition tells me…” Wen Shuyao murmured, “They might play an important role.”

The magpie racked her brains, but could only recall one thing: "I heard the man call out... Your Majesty."

After saying this, the magpie felt cold in its hands and feet.

Wen Shuyao was equally shocked. In the palace, only the emperor's concubines could be called "Niangniang" (Empress).

It's unbelievable that some concubines are having affairs?

Once this thought pops into one's mind, it sends a chill down one's spine.

"It's fortunate that you didn't go forward to investigate," Wen Shuyao murmured. "If you had been seen, you probably wouldn't have survived."

The magpie, still shaken, asked, "Miss, what should we do?"

"Keep this to yourself," Wen Shuyao warned repeatedly. "I'll handle the rest."

Just then, a palace servant outside the door exclaimed in surprise, "Your Highness, what brings you here?"

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao looked up in astonishment.

Why is Xie Jinghan here?

Magpie quickly got up, her fear replaced by dread. She tried to put the phoenix crown back on Wen Shuyao, but the crown weighed several dozen kilograms, not to mention the pearl hairpins and ornaments on it. It was impossible to put it on properly in a short time.

Wen Shuyao waved her hand: "There's no need for such formalities between me and the prince."

It was just a collaboration, so why care about my image in Xie Jinghan's eyes?

She let her hair down and let the magpie open the door.

Xie Jinghan reeked of alcohol, but his eyes were clear. When he strode into the bedchamber, he only paused for a moment when he saw Wen Shuyao with her hair disheveled.

At this moment, Wen Shuyao was breathtakingly beautiful in the dim candlelight.

Even without elaborate attire, her radiant face still instantly captivated his attention.

"Your Majesty?"

Seeing that Xie Jinghan hadn't spoken for a long time after entering, Wen Shuyao asked in confusion.

Once Xie Jinghan came to his senses, he raised his hand, and Magpie consciously withdrew and closed the door.