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nYan Huaijing was not Yan Ruyu. At least, Yu Wan did not have to worry about him taking her life if she fell into his hands. Of course, she could not be too careless. After all, a man and a woman were in the same room. No one could guarantee that he would not do something irreversible to her on impulse. Therefore, after a short confrontation, Yu Wan decided not to anger him anymore. She would stay in whichever room he asked her to. She would obediently eat when he asked someone to pass her food.

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nYan Huaijing saw Yu Wan’s obedience and guessed that she was most likely waiting for Yan Jiuchao to save her. However, at the same time, he also had a trace of hope. Perhaps she was not as resistant to him as he thought. She felt at ease being with him.

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nDinner was bird’s nest duck strips, stir-fried meat with asparagus, shredded pigeon eggs, stewed carp, braised pork belly, eggplant with peppers, and a few seasonal vegetables. The first few dishes were court dishes. Yu Wan had never eaten them before, but this was the first time she tasted them and unexpectedly felt that they tasted good. She got someone to add a bowl of rice.

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nWhen the servant saw that her appetite was so good, he almost suspected that she had not been kidnapped by His Highness.

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nSeeing that she was eating so well, Yan Huaijing’s mood improved a lot. After Yu Wan put down her bowl and chopsticks, Yan Huaijing scooped another bowl of rose soup for her. Yu Wan pushed the bowl away. “I can’t eat anymore.”

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nYan Huaijing said softly, “Then I’ll go out with you.”

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nHer stomach was very full, so she should indeed go and digest her food. However, Yu Wan did not want to go with him, so she said, “I can’t walk anymore. I’ll just sit for a while. Your Highness, go and busy yourself. You don’t have to look at me. I won’t escape.”

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nIt was fine if she walked in the mountains and forests during the day, but who knew what she would bump into at night? She was not so impulsive.

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n“You don’t have to worry about the Capital.”

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n“Your Highness, what do you mean?”

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n“You don’t have to return to the Capital for the time being until…” At this point, Yan Huaijing paused.

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nThe information he gave was too little. Yu Wan took a long time to piece together what he wanted to say. Today was her and Yan Jiuchao’s wedding day. She had been kidnapped halfway. Even if she returned unscathed, she would probably have lost her innocence in the eyes of many people. The worst case scenario was that even Yan Jiuchao suspected that Yan Huaijing had done something to her. If it were any other good girl, they would probably not be able to return to the Capital.

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nShe wondered what he meant by “until”. Was it until the limelight subsided or until he ascended the throne?

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nYu Wan thought about it and felt that it should be the latter.

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nShe kindly reminded him, “Your Highness, I don’t dare to say if Yan Jiuchao still wants me, but you kidnapped his wife on his wedding day. You don’t think he’ll let this go, do you? Or do you think he can’t find out about you?”

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n“I’m not afraid of him,” Yan Huaijing said.

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nYu Wan did not want to anger him. She stopped and did not say anything else.

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nSeeing her suddenly fall silent, Yan Huaijing’s eyes narrowed. “Are you angry with me?”

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n“No.” Yu Wan shook her head. She did not say that if he really cared about her, he should not have kidnapped her from the beginning.

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nYan Huaijing suddenly said, “I know I shouldn’t have done this. It’s not wrong for you to blame me. I was indeed selfish.”

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nBut? Yu Wan thought that there must be a turning point here.

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nAs expected, Yan Huaijing spoke again. “But I’m not doing this for myself.”

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n“Could it be that Your Highness is still doing this for me?” Yu Wan was so angry that she laughed. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I don’t see what benefits this matter has for me. Moreover, I’ve only met Your Highness a few times. Why does Your Highness keep clinging to me?”

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nYan Huaijing said truthfully, “Because if it weren’t for you, I would have died in Prefecture Xu three years ago.”

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nYu Wan was stunned. There was such a thing?

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nYan Huaijing said, “I was seriously injured and thought that I was going to die on the streets. You were the one who found me by the roadside. At that time, you were pregnant and had a decent nanny beside you. The nanny advised you not to meddle in other people’s business, but you refused to listen.”

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nNo wonder Yan Huaijing asked her if she had been there the first time he saw her in Lotus Flower Village and even said that he had mistaken her for someone else.

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nYan Huaijing continued, “At first, I wasn’t sure it was you. It took me a long time to find out that you don’t remember what happened back then.”

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nThis was to explain why Yu Wan did not recognize him in Lotus Flower Village. It would make sense if Yan Huaijing couldn’t forget her because she saved his life three years ago, but… wasn’t she quite ugly back then?

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n“Wait, when you saw me, was I like this?” Yu Wan pointed at her face.

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nYan Huaijing thought that she suspected that he had remembered wrongly and said firmly, “It was rounder then, but I won’t remember wrongly.”

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nIt was just a little rounder. In that case, her face was still this face. Then what was with the red spots in the brothel and in front of Yan Ruyu and Xu Shao? Did the Host change her appearance herself? Yu Wan felt that this was very likely. In that case, it seemed that the Host was not completely brainless. The only fool she had done was Zhao Heng.

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nThe sky was dark. If Yu Wan still had a trace of luck to rush back to attend the wedding earlier, then she had completely no hope now. Even if she returned to the Capital at this time, the banquet would have ended and the guests would have left.

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nShe was most worried about the little fellows. Would they cry like this morning when they woke up and found out that she was not around?

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nYu Wan’s heart broke at the thought of her son’s cries.

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n“What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?” Yan Huaijing looked at Yu Wan’s slightly pale face.

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nYu Wan took a deep breath. “If Your Highness doesn’t mind, I want to rest.”

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nIf Yan Huaijing didn’t leave, she was worried that she wouldn’t be able to control herself and wanted to beat him up.

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n“Alright, you’ve been tired for a day. Rest early. Tomorrow, I’ll send you to…” Yan Huaijing paused. In the end, he did not say the place. He stood up and left.

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nYu Wan stopped him. “How long does Your Highness plan to hide me? If you don’t ascend the throne for a year, I’ll wait for you for a year. If you don’t ascend the throne for ten years, I’ll wait for you for ten years?”

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n“It won’t take that long,” Yan Huaijing said.

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nYu Wan continued, “Then will Your Highness still marry the daughter of the Prime Minister? What am I in Your Highness’s heart? Am I a wife worth you protecting for the rest of your life, or am I an exclusive property to satisfy your possessiveness?”

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n“You’re not an exclusive property!” Yan Huaijing clenched his fists and turned around with a cold expression.

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n“But I’m not your wife either,” Yu Wan said as she looked at him steadily.

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nYan Huaijing tried his best to control his emotions. “I’ll give you everything you want.”

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nYu Wan smiled faintly. “Your Highness, you mean that after you ascend the throne, you’ll cripple the daughter of the Prime Minister and make me the Empress? Aren’t you afraid of the world laughing at you?”

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nBefore Yan Huaijing could speak, Yu Wan said again, “But that’s not what I want.”

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nYan Huaijing did not ask Yu Wan what she wanted. Instead, he said seriously, “I can give you double what Yan Jiuchao can give you! I will also treat your children as my own!”

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nYu Wan sneered. “Then why did Your Highness abandon my sons on Yan Ruyu’s pleasure boat? Is this what Your Highness means by treating them like your own?”

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nYan Huaijing clenched his fists. “What happened in the past is in the past. From now on, I won’t let you down.”

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n“Your Highness, Your Highness!” A servant dressed up entered the room. He looked at Yu Wan behind Yan Huaijing nervously with a hesitant expression.

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nYan Huaijing frowned. “Speak!”

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n“Yes.” The servant bowed and said, “Miss Han is unwell and wants to see His Highness.”

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nMiss Han was the legitimate daughter of the Prime Minister Manor, the fiancée Worthy Consort Xu had chosen for Yan Huaijing.

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nYan Huaijing looked troubled.

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nYu Wan could tell from his expression that the other party was not really sick. This should not be the first time that Yan Huaijing could tell that she was pretending to be sick.

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nYu Wan looked at him calmly. “Your Highness, are you going?”

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nOriginally, there were only a few prince obstacles on Yan Huaijing’s path to the throne. Now that he had kidnapped Yan Jiuchao’s new wife, it was obvious that Yan Jiuchao would not let him off. Yan Jiuchao was much harder to deal with than the princes. At this critical juncture, he could not leave the support of the Prime Minister Manor.

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nYan Huaijing suppressed his displeasure. “I’ll be back soon.”

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nYu Wan smiled. “Your Highness, aren’t you afraid that I’ll run away?”

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nYan Huaijing said to the door, “Chang’an, you stay.”

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nJun Chang’an walked in. Yu Wan ignored him. She turned around, pulled open the screen, and lay on the bed to rest.

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nYan Huaijing rushed to the Prime Minister Manor as quickly as possible.

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nHis fiancée was the third daughter of the Prime Minister, Han Jingshu. She was the daughter of the first wife and was deeply doted on by the old Prime Minister. Han Jingshu was lively and delicate, and she knew how to please people. Even the Emperor praised her. The only thing that gave Yan Huaijing a headache was that this young lady was a little clingy.

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n“Miss Han.” In the small garden of the Prime Minister Manor, Yan Huaijing saw Han Jingshu, who was dressed in pink like a fairy under the moonlight.

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nHan Jingshu’s face was rosy and her eyes were clear. She was not sick at all. She dismissed the servants and walked over with a flower basket. “Brother Jing! You’re finally here. I’ve been waiting for you for an hour.”

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nYan Huaijing said politely, “Isn’t Miss Han unwell? Why aren’t you resting in your room?”

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nHan Jingshu smiled charmingly. “My illness is fine after seeing you! By the way, Brother Jing, where did you go just now? Why did you come to look for me so late? Don’t tell me you went to meet a woman in private?”

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nAt this point, her little face immediately scrunched up, looking like she had suffered a great grievance.

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nYan Huaijing felt a little guilty. He cleared his throat and said, “I was delayed by something.”

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n“Oh, I thought Brother Jing had gone to attend the Young Master Manor’s wedding. Actually, I wanted to go, but my mother said that I was about to get married and shouldn’t show my face. I’m almost bored to death!” Han Jingshu muttered. She thought of something and handed the basket in her hand to him. “I picked the flowers. Brother Jing, help me pick a hairpin.”

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nYan Huaijing casually picked up a peony hairpin and placed it on her bun.

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n“Am I beautiful, Brother Jing?” Han Jingshu asked with a smile.

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nA calm face flashed across Yan Huaijing’s mind. “…Beautiful.”

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nHan Jingshu smiled sweetly.

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