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

The next morning, the group went up the back mountain.

For Wen Shuyao, traveling with Xie Jinghan was not a good thing.

If she had a choice, she would rather bring Magpie and Granny Qi to the mountain for a visit herself than Xie Jinghan, who exudes a cold aura.

Standing next to Xie Jinghan, even though it was a beautiful autumn day, I could still feel a chill emanating from him.

Although the two were already husband and wife, they were husband and wife in name only, not in reality.

Walking along the path, the atmosphere was extremely silent.

Si Qing kept trying to wink at Granny Qi, but Granny Qi was so focused on Wen Shuyao that she didn't notice his gaze at all.

"Your Highness, that's the valley over there." Granny Qi said with a smile to Wen Shuyao. "Why don't you and the Prince take a walk by the stream? We servants will set up camp here."

She thought that newlyweds should have their own private space, and it was best not to disturb them.

Si Qing, standing behind him, felt her heart leap into her throat upon hearing these words.

His thoughts were completely opposite to those of Granny Qi.

He was thinking about how to separate the two of them. Since the man was indifferent and the woman was not interested, it wouldn't be good to force them together.

Moreover, there were still many things to deal with, and he had a lot to say to Xie Jinghan, but he couldn't find the opportunity.

With this in mind, he consciously or unconsciously moved forward, trying to insert himself between the two.

However, Granny Qi was quick-witted and nimble; the moment he made a move, she reached out and firmly pressed down on his shoulder.

"What are you doing?" Granny Qi's eyes were full of warning. "Don't forget why we came out today."

Si Qing's vision blurred: "Granny, forced love is never sweet..."

"How do you know this is a forced marriage?" Granny Qi scolded in a low voice. "Whatever you think, at least you must behave yourself today and remember not to disturb the Prince and Princess!"

Si Qing felt wronged inwardly. As he pondered how to handle the situation, he saw Xie Jinghan and Wen Shuyao walk away.

He exclaimed, "Oh dear, why did you have to get involved? You don't understand, the Prince and Princess aren't what you think at all, they..."

"not good!"

Before Si Qing could finish speaking, he heard a sharp shout from Granny Qi.

His scalp tingled, and he subconsciously looked toward where Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan were.

Suddenly, a dozen wolves with gleaming green eyes appeared out of nowhere.

Si Qing's legs went weak: "How could there be wolves? We just cleared them out yesterday!"

"This is not the time to discuss this," Granny Qi said through gritted teeth. "Send the guards here immediately! We must not allow any harm to the Prince and Princess!"

She already had someone in mind to suspect, but now was not the time to dwell on that.

Si Qing snapped out of her daze and nodded quickly.

Fortunately, the guards were nearby, and at Si Qing's command, they all rushed over.

However, with the wolves surrounding Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan, they were hesitant to act rashly, despite their large numbers.

Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan were surrounded by wolves. With her keen sense of smell, she immediately detected a faint fragrance in the air.

Yesterday, Granny Qi and Si Qing led people up here to clear out the wild animals. These dozen or so hungry wolves that appeared today are definitely not the ones that escaped; they were more likely lured here by someone...

Thinking of this, Wen Shuyao glanced at Xie Jinghan.

She has probably suffered an undeserved misfortune.

Xie Jinghan's handsome face remained expressionless; he simply reached out and pulled Wen Shuyao into his arms.

"No offense."

His voice was deep, and his tall figure completely enveloped Wen Shuyao.

Wen Shuyao was stunned for a moment, but then she felt her feet lighten. It turned out that Xie Jinghan had lifted her into the air.

However, this was not a forest, and there was nowhere to hide.

The wide valley has smooth cliffs on one side and a rushing stream on the other. The rest of the valley is empty except for withered yellow grass.

Xie Jinghan was only able to get Wen Shuyao away from the wolf pack.

These hungry wolves were very sharp, and they pounced on Xie Jinghan the moment he made a move, with some even keeping a close eye on his every move.

Even though Xie Jinghan had already walked more than ten meters away with Wen Shuyao, the hungry wolves still quickly surrounded them.

Fortunately, the guards acted quickly. They were carrying arrows, and seeing that Xie Jinghan and Wen Shuyao had distanced themselves from the wolf pack, they seized the opportunity and soon a rain of arrows was fired at the wolf pack.

The dozen or so wolves were no match for them, and a lingering smell of blood permeated the tranquil valley.

Wen Shuyao covered her mouth and nose, but what she could still think about was that faint fragrance from before.

Where have I smelled this before? It smells so familiar.

Before she could even process the question in her mind, she was embraced by a magpie with tears streaming down her face.

"Miss! Miss, are you alright?!"

Magpie looked uneasy and grabbed Wen Shuyao's hand. She was filled with anxiety and kept looking Wen Shuyao up and down.

Only God knows how terrified she felt when she saw Wen Shuyao surrounded by hungry wolves.

She wished she could offer herself in exchange!

Magpie cried so hard she could barely breathe: "I was so worried about you! This is no good place at all! Let's hurry back to the capital!"

How could she not be afraid when she encountered such a thing as soon as she arrived at Quanshui Village?

Wen Shuyao patted her head and said to Xie Jinghan, who was extremely calm, "Your Highness, there is something strange about what happened today. I'm afraid someone did it on purpose."

"Indeed." Xie Jinghan nodded slightly. "I also had this intention. Si Qing, send someone to investigate this matter."

"I just smelled a strange fragrance," Wen Shuyao asked softly. "Did Your Highness smell it too?"

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinghan glanced at her in surprise.

Seeing this, Wen Shuyao knew that only she had smelled it.

This is not going to be easy.

She had a bad feeling in her heart.

She had been schemed against too many times in her past life, and although she had smelled this strange fragrance many times, she could not determine what kind of medicine it was.

wrong……

A sudden thought flashed through Wen Shuyao's mind; she remembered that one of the Chen family's villas was also located here!

"Granny, did you encounter anyone when you went up the mountain yesterday?"

Granny Qi was still tidying up Wen Shuyao's clothes when she heard this and stopped in her tracks: "Indeed, we met two people... it was Madam Chen and her maid."

"Is it Wen Yitong?" Wen Shuyao asked.

Seeing Chen Mama nod, Wen Shuyao confirmed her guess.

So, it's not that she was implicated by Xie Jinghan, but rather that Xie Jinghan was implicated by her and suffered an undeserved misfortune.

Seeing Wen Shuyao's expression, Granny Qi reacted quickly and immediately asked, "Do you suspect Madam Chen?"

Before Wen Shuyao could speak, Granny Qi slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "Yes! How could this old servant not have thought of that!"