"Yanyan, you must wait for me." Jing Yunzhou saw that Qiann Yan gave no response, only looking at him coldly, her expression pained, her eyes full of guilt. "I know you must blame me for hesitating and not taking you away sooner."

"It’s because I was too concerned. I received the decree to marry the Crown Princess Consort only a few months ago. I feared that bringing you back so soon would not be beneficial for you. My position as Crown Prince has countless eyes watching. If I show too much care for you, it will only cause you trouble."

"I truly regret it."

Qiann Yan: "..."

If she had not seen this kind of act, had not been reborn so many times, she might have actually believed it. 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Jing Yunzhou’s acting skills didn’t even register in her mind, far inferior to those strategists with system aids.

Some of those strategists had extremely refined acting, and some even used so-called Acting Cards, making it impossible to tell if the other person was sincere or feigning just by appearances.

"Today is my wedding day. You coming over like this is probably inappropriate."

Jing Yunzhou’s face was full of surprise: "Yanyan, you finally care to speak to me. Third Brother didn’t sincerely ask to marry you; he probably holds a grudge over the matter with Wenn Qiuyu. My marriage to Wenn Qiuyu was bestowed by the Emperor. Even if I was unwilling, I couldn’t defy the decree. Yet Third Brother blames this on me, knowing that you are in my heart, so he went to request to marry you."

"Originally, I thought he would treat you well, but I didn’t expect him to embarrass you on the wedding day, leaving you without recourse. I’m afraid your days at Prince Ling Mansion will be difficult."

Qiann Yan: "Then think of a way to take me away."

Jing Yunzhou didn’t expect Qiann Yan to be so direct, and for a moment, he forgot how to respond.

"I even went to the kitchen myself today to find food. He instructed the servants not to cook for me." Qiann Yan reminded him, "If I stay here, I might starve to death."

Jing Yunzhou’s brain hadn’t caught up with this; it was different from what he thought.

Faced with Qiann Yan’s indifferent face, he quickly understood—she was still angry, angry that he married Wenn Qiuyu.

Ever since he married Wenn Qiuyu as the Crown Princess Consort, Yanyan had paid him no mind, no matter how much correspondence he sent.

"Such things won’t happen again; I’ll go and find him."

After saying that, Jing Yunzhou stood up: "Yanyan, I can’t take you away for now. You are now Princess Consort Ling. If I take you away now, it would be detrimental to both you and me. I want to be with you, to make you my Empress. Only when I truly have power will we be free."

"Yanyan, you have to believe in me. For our future, I will work hard."

Qiann Yan watched Jing Yunzhou leave without much concern and continued to close her eyes to rest.

Being dragged up before dawn to get dressed was quite tiring. She wasn’t truly asleep but was instead half asleep while cultivating her Inner Strength.

In this world of the storybook, people frequently resort to martial arts and various Qinggong techniques. If she doesn’t practice some skills, she could easily be at others’ mercy.

She must find time to prepare some poison as well.

She didn’t doubt that Jing Yunzhou would go to find Jing Lingyu. The two brothers indeed were brothers, both trying to use a façade of deep affection to deceive the other’s attention.

The more attention Jing Yunzhou paid to her, the more it would convince Jing Lingyu that he was right to marry her.

Tormenting her was like cutting into Jing Yunzhou’s heart, causing him great pain, thus intensifying the torment on her.

Jing Yunzhou would always appear in time, displaying immense concern, protecting the original character, showing deep care and affection.