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

Still asleep, Wen Shuyao was completely unaware of what was happening in the outside world.

But I didn't sleep well at all today.

Even in my dreams, I always feel like someone is watching me.

Until the magpie whispered, "The prince is back."

Seeing Wen Shuyao frown, she knew that Wen Shuyao was about to wake up, so she quickly ran out of the bedroom.

Although Xie Jinghan's eyes behind her didn't show much emotion, Xi Que's fear of him was deep-seated. It was already difficult enough for her to muster the courage to wake Wen Shuyao.

Who would have thought that Xie Jinghan would be back in just half a month?

Thinking of this, she shrank back.

Inside the room, Wen Shuyao slowly woke up. She rubbed her temples, her eyes still closed, and said, "Your Highness? Why is Your Highness back? That's why..."

She opened her eyes, and after seeing the tall figure standing in front of her clearly, she swallowed back the words that were on the tip of her tongue.

The next moment, she covered her chest.

Xie Jinghan also turned around at this moment.

If you look closely, you can also see that the tips of his ears are red.

Wen Shuyao hurriedly put on her clothes, her delicate face flushed: "Why didn't you send someone to announce the prince's return?"

Although they were already husband and wife, they knew perfectly well how much of their relationship was genuine and how much was fake.

Xie Jinghan coughed lightly, and then his deep voice rang out: "On this trip back to the capital, I brought you some things, which I believe you will like."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao looked up in surprise.

Is this something Xie Jinghan would do?

The thought had barely crossed her mind when she saw several maids, under Si Qing's direction, placing boxes of sandalwood on the table.

These wooden boxes are exquisite and small, and can't hold much at all.

unless……

The thought had barely crossed Wen Shuyao's mind when several maids eagerly opened the wooden box.

After seeing what was inside, she looked up in surprise, making no attempt to hide the delight in her eyes: "Did the prince bring this especially for me?"

Xie Jinghan nodded slightly, his handsome eyes calm and collected: "It's spoils of war."

He said only one sentence, but Si Qing had already learned the details from his companions and began to speak eloquently: "When the prince first arrived in Yanzhou, before the Northern Di people could react, he led his troops into the Northern Di camp and captured the Northern Di general Yelü Han alive!"

"With Yelü Han captured, the morale of the Northern Di has plummeted. The prince seized the opportunity to pursue and led his men to capture the entire camp. This time, they captured more than 5,000 Northern Di soldiers alive, who were the elite of the Northern Di! Our scouts say that the King of the Northern Di is extremely anxious and is thinking about how to ransom these people!"

"The Northern Di people are fond of jewelry, especially cat's eye stones. This must be a spoil of war that the prince obtained after capturing Yelü Han alive."

He spoke eloquently, his eyebrows dancing with excitement, as if he had witnessed it firsthand.

Wen Shuyao listened, her eyebrows curving into a smile, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud, especially after seeing the adoration on his face for Xie Jinghan.

"I see." She took the wooden box from a maid, her eyes sparkling. "Thank you for remembering me, Your Highness! I really like this gift."

Her eyes were so bright that even the dazzling cat's-eye stones in the wooden box couldn't match the beauty of them.

Xie Jinghan instinctively averted his eyes, not daring to look closely.

"This is an apology."

Xie Jinghan had complex emotions in his heart, but he still maintained that indifferent expression on his face.

"I'm sorry you suffered while I was away from the capital."

He knew what kind of predicament Wen Shuyao would face while he was away from the capital.

Despite her status as Princess Jing, Wen Shuyao's cold words still reached her ears.

Ultimately, it was he who wronged Wen Shuyao.

Hearing these words, Wen Shuyao's eyes widened in surprise.

Her eyes were incredibly beautiful, like a dazzling galaxy, reflecting Xie Jinghan's tall figure.

“How could Your Highness think that way?” Wen Shuyao said sincerely, “Being able to marry Your Highness is already a blessing I earned in my past life.”

It must be that Heaven saw how hard she worked in her previous life, so it gave her a second chance and allowed her to marry such a good husband as Xie Jinghan.

Not only was he rarely home, but he also had plenty of money to squander.

Wen Shuyao spoke with utmost sincerity, and anyone could see her true feelings.

Xie Jinghan met her sincere phoenix eyes, and his Adam's apple bobbed.

"There's no need for that." His mind went blank for a moment, and he blurted out those words instinctively.

He regretted it as soon as he finished speaking, but fortunately Wen Shuyao still smiled with her phoenix eyes, and was obviously not dissatisfied with what he said.

Si Qing, with her sharp eyes, noticed Xie Jinghan's unease.

Being as clever as he was, he quickly suggested, "Now that Your Highness has returned, why don't you accompany the Princess to visit the various estates in our manor? The Princess was ridiculed by many people for not visiting the estates before."

Xie Jinghan frowned: "Bring up the list."

He spoke with a rather cold and stern expression, as if he were about to settle accounts with these people.

Si Qing clicked his tongue in amazement, but was about to compile a list when Wen Shuyao stopped him, saying, "These are all battles between women in the inner quarters, why does Your Highness need to get involved?"

"This is a small matter, I can handle it." She spoke easily, her expression even more confident.

Seeing this, Xie Jinghan remained silent for a while before letting the matter drop.

"If you need manpower, just tell Si Qing, and he will bring people to support you."

To Si Qing, it was as if these words were a fantasy, coming from Xie Jinghan's mouth.

He was filled with surprise, but at the same time, he also realized that in Xie Jinghan's heart, Wen Shuyao's status as a princess was not just that of a wife in name only.

After all, the prince had just defeated the Northern Di three days ago, and he would be able to appear in the capital in three days. He was rushing back so quickly just to bring back a gift of apology to the princess.

Such sentiment... is extremely rare.

Si Qing kept this matter firmly in mind and kept reminding herself of it.

The Prince's mansion now has a mistress, a mistress acknowledged by the Prince himself!

After a brief exchange in the room, the two fell silent.

Finally, Wen Shuyao spoke up, her eyes sparkling: "Your Highness, you have just returned to the capital and probably haven't gone to the palace to see Her Majesty and Her Majesty yet. Why don't you change your clothes and go to the palace?"

Xie Jinghan had made great military achievements and held military power. No matter how good his relationship with the emperor and empress was, he still had to act with caution.

The court is a murky place; if you're not careful, someone will seize on your weaknesses.

When a general like him returns to the capital, the first thing he should do is go to the palace to pay his respects.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinghan glanced at Wen Shuyao again.

His relationship with the emperor and empress was the subject of much speculation, just like Wen Shuyao's.

Only he knew that there would never be a case of brothers killing each other.

However, since Wen Shuyao has spoken up, it wouldn't hurt for him to go to the palace.

This was meant to put Wen Shuyao's mind at ease.