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  The porcelain cup by his side shattered and fell, only to hear the faint sound of it hitting the ground. The man in the green robe furrowed his brow, "Your Majesty!"

  Han Xiuzi's footsteps were heavy with sorrow as he turned around, his robust body exuding a chilling desolation that was heart-wrenching. At this moment, it was unclear whether his anger outweighed his pain or if his regret surpassed his unwillingness to accept the situation. His complex emotions had become entangled and could no longer be discerned. However, the despair and gloom on his face were impossible to conceal.

  He asked in a low voice, "Yan Yi, has the stake that was sent to the Pei family returned with any news?"

  Su Yan hesitated for a moment before speaking, "After Seventh Miss entered the Pei residence, she was treated coldly, but didn't suffer any losses. The master of the Pei household seems to be a unique individual, previously he didn't show his true self, but after marrying his wife, it's as if he became a different person, shedding off his weakness."

  He paused for a moment, "It seems that our previous speculation was correct, Pei Jingchen should be pretending to be ill."

  Han Xi's eyes slowly closed, as if he couldn't bear to ask, but had to confirm, his voice trembling with fear, "Last night, did Seventh Miss... consummate her marriage with that man surnamed Pei?"

  Su Yan hesitated for a long time and nodded heavily, "Yes."

  Han Xiu opened his eyes, bloodshot, in the sweltering heat of June. The entire room seemed to be frozen with a chill. He slumped against the chair, and in that instant, he seemed to have aged ten years. Weakly, he waved his hand, "Get out first, let me think, let me think carefully."

  The wooden door creaked shut, making a soft "creak" sound, and the pain that had been hidden in his heart for so long finally burst forth. All his grievances and helplessness poured out like a flood.

  He was being sarcastic.

  In his past life, Pei Jingchen died young and was not well-known in the streets. Apart from being sickly, no one could clearly describe what this Master Pei looked like. He was fortunate enough to be reborn after a bloody baptism. Along the way, everything that happened was within his control. Because he was too confident, he didn't take Master Pei seriously and thought that everything would still follow the same path as in his past life.

  It was precisely because of this reason that on that day, at the back mountain top of Qingliang Temple, he would say "yes" to Ming Huan's plea for death. He actually had a lucky psychology, such a dying patient. Even if he married Ming Huan, it would only be a decoration. It can't be said that after a few days, he will pass away, and this is just right to solve the current problem.

  Everything was under control, but this is where things went wrong.

  No, Han Xi's heart sank suddenly.

  It's not just here. Because he forcibly changed the process of getting to know Ming Xuan, and reversed the fate of his past life, from then on, the people and things related to Ming Xuan also changed with this change.

  At that time in her past life, Gu Changping had not died yet and Yuan Fei was still alive. The three branches of the Gu family were thriving, and only Han Xiu was suffering. Ming Huan didn't have to suffer with him, but she refused to divorce him, dragging their three children into a life of hardship as well. In the end, he died unjustly, and her and the children's fate would not be any better.

  He was reborn in a northwest military camp at the age of seven, which was the most intense battle between them and the Western Xia Kingdom.

  Because of his familiarity with the progress of the war, this time he did not follow his adoptive father's arrangement to send him back to Shengjing, but instead chose to fight side by side with his adoptive father. Relying on his memories from his past life, he accurately struck several ambushes set up by the enemy army, turning a defeat into a victory in this battle, making the Northwestern Army's military achievements brilliant and also making him famous throughout the land.

  A handsome and radiant young general, this is a path different from his past life.

  What can a famous champion do? With only a belly full of talent, but no power, he can only become a victim of others' manipulation, unable to climb to a high position, and even struggle to protect himself, let alone seek revenge. After living through one lifetime, he knows that only by grasping absolute power in his hands and ruthlessly climbing to the pinnacle of power can he reclaim everything that belongs to him.

  Origin, lineage, and reputation.

  ...and his most cherished wife and children.

  Now, he has achieved half of his ambitions since his rebirth and has become the Ping Zhang Zheng Shi with great power in the Zhou Dynasty. In terms of trust and status in the emperor's heart, no one can surpass him. He still has absolute authority in the northwest army and also controls the power of the Ducha Yuan, already having the ability to compete with his enemies.

  But if she were not by his side in this life, he would have avenged himself. Then with whom should he share the joys and sorrows of past and present lives? His three sensible and lovely children, then to whom... should they go to ask for?

  Light footsteps echoed from the corridor outside the door, and Su Yan's loud voice came through the gap in the door, "Madam."

  Han Xiuying's heart skipped a beat, he lowered his eyes for a moment, and when he raised his head again, those angry and resentful expressions had already disappeared, leaving only a calm and peaceful face. He stood up, walked to the door, opened it, and smiled warmly at the woman in the corridor, saying, "How did you come here, madam?"

  Mrs. Han looked pale, and the dim light in the corridor made her look even more so, despite wearing a bright crimson satin skirt and having rouge on her face, but she still couldn't hide the weak and sickly aura around her.

  She stroked her lips and coughed slightly, then smiled weakly and said, "I heard that you've been staying here for days without coming out, I was worried, so I came to take a look. Husband, is it because of official business being too busy? I know you're the emperor's pillar minister, but no matter how diligent you are, your body still needs to be taken care of."

  Han Xiu gently held her hand, "To serve the emperor with loyalty and dedication, this is the duty of a subject."

  He paused, gesturing to Su Yan to close the door, while he himself supported Madame Han down the stairs. "You're not feeling well and can't stand the wind. If you were looking for me, you could have sent a maid to call me. Why did you come yourself? What if your condition worsens? Come, I'll escort you back to your room."

  The deep and sincere appearance, can't see that just now was still in pain and unwilling for Ming Xuan to marry.

  Su Yan gazed at the receding figure, involuntarily letting out a soft sigh. "What is this thing called love that makes people promise to be together in life and death? Fortunately, Your Majesty has not yet forgotten the injustice done to my late wife; otherwise..."

  On one side, a hypocritical performance was being staged, while on the other side, in the Yongning Marquis's residence, all was harmonious and joyful.

  Ming Xuan returned home, but the people in the main house didn't seem very enthusiastic. Yongning Hou had gone to attend an early court session and hadn't returned yet. The Hou's wife was still recuperating at their villa, and the young master only came out to pay his respects and acknowledge their relationship before leaving for the government office. As the young master's wife wasn't very familiar with Ming Xuan, she sat in the An Tai Institute for a while before excusing herself on the pretext of preparing things for Ming Wei's upcoming wedding.

  Four days after Ming Wu's wedding, they didn't even see each other's shadow.

  The two madams saw the young master's wife leave, and they also took Mingyu to bid farewell. However, the fourth madam, Xue Shi, had a mind to sit for a while longer. But since the fourth old master was only a concubine-born son, and the wives of the first and second masters who were born of the legitimate wives had all left, this concubine-born daughter-in-law felt embarrassed to continue sitting in front of Old Lady Zhu, so she sat for a little while before also bidding farewell.

  After the excitement of the vanguard, everyone has dispersed, and the An Tai Temple suddenly becomes quiet.

  Gu Yuanjing saw that Madam Zhu was holding Ming Xuan's hand and wouldn't let go, so he knew she had something to ask. He smiled at Pei Jingchen and said, "Brother-in-law, why don't you follow me to my courtyard and sit for a while? Today, several uncles have things to attend to, so we'll set up lunch there, and I'll invite the brothers who are free in the manor to come over and chat with us. How about it?"

  He paused for a moment, "As it happens, I also have something to ask of my brother-in-law."

  Pei Jingchen's mouth slightly curved upwards, revealing a hint of a smile. "Brother-in-law, if you have something to say, just say it directly. Why must you use the words 'teach me' with me?"

  He turned around and bowed to Old Lady Zhu, then said to Ming Xuan, "I'm going with my uncle. If you need me for anything, just call a servant girl to find me at my uncle's place."

  Meng Xuan agreed, and then he followed Gu Yuanjing out of the house.

  Madam Zhu saw that the two of them were talking with affection and intimacy, a huge stone in her heart finally fell. She smiled and asked, "Xuan's sister, is the young master from the Pei family to your liking?"

  Ming Xuan nodded, "Grandmother, don't worry about me. Although we've only been together for a short time, I believe he's a reliable person and won't let me suffer in the future."

  She paused for a moment and then asked with concern, "Grandma, have you been feeling well these past two days?"

  Madam Zhu smiled and pinched Ming Xuan's palm, "Originally, I heard that she was treated coldly at the entrance of the Pei Mansion, and Grandma was worried. Later, other messages came back one after another, saying that Yang gave a beautiful maid to Zhen Ge's room, and then saying that even Director Pei didn't receive respectful tea, my heart is really worried and frightened."

  She sighed, "Later on, those few things were spread around by word of mouth, and I wasn't as worried anymore. Xuan sister, tell grandmother, was that the right thing to do?"

  Ming Xuan rubbed against Old Lady Zhu's arm, "Wise grandmother, granddaughter can't hide anything from you. It's true that I had these words spread around. The Pei family is a place of right and wrong, if one doesn't have some small precautions to protect oneself, the days will be difficult to pass. I had these words spread, just to make Yang Shi alert in her heart."

  She smiled slightly, "Even for the sake of Her Majesty's reputation, she can't afford to be too excessive with me."

  Besides, she was actually very kind and had never added oil to the fire, but just spread Yang's deeds according to the facts.

  Madam Zhu couldn't help but pinch Ming Xuan's cheek, smiling as she said, "I knew my Xuan sister wouldn't suffer that loss. It's better this way, the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law has always been difficult to handle. Either the west wind knocks down the east wind or the east wind knocks down the west wind. What's more, Yang Shi is a stepmother who repeatedly tried to harm Zhen Ge, our relationship was destined to be bad from the start, so there's no need to pretend to be polite."

  She gently patted Ming Xuan's back and said in a low voice, "Endure it a bit longer. When I was with my grandfather, we also went through the same difficult situation, didn't we also endure until this title fell on us?"

  Her eyes slightly changed color, but the corners of her mouth rippled with a bright smile. She supported Old Lady Zhu and said, "Yes, grandmother's teachings, granddaughter remembered, will definitely follow."

  She paused for a moment, "Grandma, has brother said anything to you since he came back home these few days?"

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