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

Wen Yitong's heart skipped a beat. Her first thought was that what she had done had been discovered.

The moment the thought crossed her mind, she glanced quickly at Ruyi.

Ruyi shook her head very slightly. She was certain that no one had noticed what she had done.

Seeing this, Wen Yitong breathed a sigh of relief.

"What are they doing here?" Wen Yitong asked, puzzled.

Her relationship with Wen Shuyao had been bad since childhood, not to mention that she had stolen Wen Shuyao's fiancé. From any perspective, Wen Shuyao would never take the initiative to contact her.

There must be something fishy about this.

Chen Che looked Wen Yitong up and down with suspicion.

After a moment, he frowned and said, "Now that Your Highness and Your Highness have arrived, we should naturally go and pay our respects."

He deliberately used the word "pay respects," and sure enough, he saw Wen Yitong's gloomy expression.

Wen Yitong gritted her teeth and swallowed her resentment.

She lowered her head, her eyes downcast: "Of course I have to go and see him."

She wanted to see what Wen Shuyao was really up to!

Thinking this, she took the lead and walked out, with Chen Che following closely behind.

Upon arriving in the front yard, she clenched her teeth when she saw Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan's bodies pressed tightly together.

Her eyes were fixed on Wen Shuyao's arms as she held Xie Jinghan. She had never done anything so intimate with Xie Jinghan, even after being married for several years.

In her presence, Xie Jinghan was like a monk, devoid of emotion and desire.

Even though she tried her best, she couldn't win Xie Jinghan's heart. Two years into their marriage, they still hadn't consummated their relationship.

The dream she had is still vivid in her mind.

Those two short years felt like an eternity, causing her unbearable pain.

However, Wen Shuyao and Chen Che were deeply in love, and Chen Che was a well-known gentleman in the capital. Their good marriage became a beautiful story.

She was in unbearable pain, while Wen Shuyao was happy and content.

Therefore, once she was certain that her dream was real, she acted decisively and snatched Chen Che away.

But now... she saw Xie Jinghan, who was not interested in women, letting Wen Shuyao hold his arm, and even slowing down to wait for Wen Shuyao.

All of these things plunged Wen Yitong into despair.

Does that mean appearance is that important?

Chen Che quickly stepped forward. After not seeing her for many days, Wen Shuyao was even more beautiful than he remembered.

But he dared not look at Wen Shuyao again, for in his eyes only Xie Jinghan, whose power in the world was second only to the emperor.

How many people dream of climbing up to Prince Jing's tree?

He turned misfortune into blessing. Although he married Wen Yitong, a troublemaker, he became related to Prince Jing through this marriage.

Countless people secretly envied him, and countless others tried to curry favor with Prince Jing through him.

These days, when he goes to brothels for drinks, it's always other people who pay for his meals.

Thinking of this, Chen Che's face showed a hint of eagerness.

"Greetings, Your Highness; greetings, Your Highness's Consort." He bowed slightly and greeted the two of them.

Upon seeing Chen Che's appearance, Wen Yitong wished she could disappear into a hole in the ground.

"What do you mean by this?" She grabbed Chen Che's hand and said in what she thought was a soft voice, "Does he even deserve your humility?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Che's eyes widened in disbelief, unable to believe he had heard such words: "What nonsense are you spouting? He is Prince Jing! A prince!"

Even if he were a mere Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), or even if he were a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examination), he would still have to pay his respects to Xie Jinghan.

Wen Yitong had the words on the tip of her tongue, but couldn't say them.

What else could she say? Was she supposed to tell Chen Che that he would be a Grand Secretary of the Inner Cabinet in the future, and that even the young emperor would have to be polite and courteous to him?

But these are words that cannot be spoken aloud.

No one but herself would believe her bizarre dream.

Wen Yitong clenched her hands tightly and gritted her teeth, saying, "You and he are brothers-in-law. Although there is a difference in status, there is no need to be so servile!"

"Propriety cannot be disregarded." Chen Che suppressed the urge to roll his eyes and gritted his teeth, saying, "Don't you know your own relationship with the Princess?"

This marriage exchange alone was enough to keep people in the capital talking for days, let alone those of them who were directly involved.

Wen Yitong gritted her teeth and said resentfully, "How can you be so self-deprecating?"

She spoke softly, but among the people in front of her, apart from Wen Shuyao and Xique, all of them possessed profound inner strength, and they heard everything she said.

But she didn't notice anything amiss and simply said, "You're going to be in the cabinet someday, how can you be so spineless?"

Si Qing heard these words clearly. He couldn't help but turn around and look at Wen Yitong a few more times. He wanted to see just how shameless she was to say such a thing.

Getting into the cabinet is no easy feat.

Even if you become a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), you can't just enter the Hanlin Academy anytime. And even if you become a Hanlin scholar, just look at how many Hanlin scholars, with their hair turned gray, only become minor officials of the seventh rank.

The Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet, starting from the second rank, are all people highly valued by His Majesty.

Chen Che is currently just a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination), not even close to being a member of the Hanlin Academy, yet he's in the cabinet?

Si Qing almost burst out laughing when she thought about it.

Finally, Xie Jinghan gave him a warning look, and he reluctantly shut his mouth.

Wen Shuyao noticed the exchange of glances between the master and servant, and felt puzzled.

Fortunately, Granny Qi was considerate and relayed everything Wen Yitong had said to Wen Shuyao.

Upon hearing this, a look of surprise flashed across Wen Shuyao's eyes.

In his previous life, Chen Che did indeed enter the cabinet.

How did Wen Yitong find out?

Thinking of Wen Yitong's unusual behavior, Wen Shuyao narrowed her eyes slightly and glanced at Wen Yitong in a very subtle way.

Could it be that, like her, Wen Yitong is also a reborn person?

In this way, all of Wen Yitong's unusual behavior can be explained.

Knowing that Chen Che would join the cabinet in her past life, she orchestrated the drowning incident and was willing to risk her reputation to marry Chen Che.

Is Princess Jing's status really inferior to that of Madam Chen?

Even if Chen Che becomes the Grand Secretary, his wife still has to bow to Princess Jing.

How could someone as proud as Wen Yitong easily give up this identity?

Unless...

The identity of Princess Jing... became something she despised.

Xie Jinghan will certainly not have a good ending with Wen Yitong.

After figuring this out, Wen Shuyao glanced at Wen Yitong.

It's just unknown what fate awaits Xie Jinghan, that would make Wen Yitong so eager to shed her identity as Princess Jing.

He was even willing to hand over the position of Princess Jing to her.

On the other side, Wen Yitong was still talking incessantly to Chen Che.

However, Chen Che had become impatient.