After Yu Cheng was captured alive, he still had his confidants causing trouble everywhere.

Naturally, the task of suppressing the rebel soldiers did not fall to Lu Ziyuan to handle personally. However, with Xiangzhou leaderless at this time, he stayed a few extra days to oversee the situation.

As the Crown Prince, his personal involvement in quelling the rebellion was purely driven by personal vendetta.

Once the ending phase was almost finished, he naturally did not linger.

But when setting off to return to the Capital, he changed his mind and instructed his men to detour to Bianzhou.

Xiangzhou and Bianzhou are not far apart; traveling to the Capital is slow, and detouring to Bianzhou only takes an extra day.

He was willing to spend that extra day to meet the man whose short life Wanwan wanted to save out of pure kindness.

Meanwhile, at the same time in Bianzhou City, inside the Prefectural Magistrate Mansion.

Xie Wanqing was cornered by her elder brother in the room, having a conversation.

Pei Yuqing’s sudden appearance caught both siblings off guard.

Originally, Xie YanYu had been persuaded by his sister and was willing to let her continue living anonymously in Bianzhou after giving birth to the child.

Perhaps in three to five years, when everything calms down, their parents can stay briefly and see their daughter and grandchild.

Optimistically thinking, if Lu Ziyuan marries another Crown Princess Consort and has other women by his side, not fixated solely on one woman, his sister might even return to the Capital.

But Pei Yuqing’s arrival disrupted all plans.

Especially since he showed no intention of leaving.

Even though his sister was pregnant with another man’s child, he still stayed.

To this, Xie YanYu felt helpless.

Xie Wanqing also felt helpless.

She clearly told Pei Yuqing that they could never be together again.

Never mind that he is the Princely Heir of the Duke Mansion, the only son of the Eldest Princess and the Lord; he has aging parents and inseparable familial ties.

Even if he was willing to abandon everything to leave the Capital for her, Lu Ziyuan would surely notice.

Once Lu Ziyuan realized she hadn’t died but pretended to, just to reunite with Pei Yuqing...

Having witnessed Lu Ziyuan’s madness, Xie Wanqing dared not even imagine how terrifying that scene would be.

But when someone travels such a long distance to find her, even if Xie Wanqing were stone-hearted, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him to leave.

With Pei Yuqing’s intelligence, how could he not understand her meaning? Yet, he always subtly smiled, saying that they could discuss everything after her safe delivery.

A few days ago, Xie YanYu was busy with the provincial examination matters, and now that the exam has ended, he could no longer bear it and came to his sister’s courtyard.

"What are you thinking?"

Xie Wanqing, with her belly out, sat in a soft chair and shrank her neck upon hearing this, resembling a quail.

"Speak," Xie YanYu, annoyed by his sister’s demeanor, said, "Your marriage with Pei Changqing has been annulled by the decree of Your Majesty, yet you still wish to..."

"It’s not true, I want him to leave," Xie Wanqing shook her head repeatedly, whispering, "But he said he would discuss it after I deliver the child."

"Discuss after delivering the child?" Xie YanYu laughed in frustration, "Have you thought about who he will be to accompany you during delivery?"

Given that his sister had grown up, Xie YanYu did not initially want to interfere in her love life; however, he found her both soft-hearted and thin-skinned.

She always felt she had let Pei Changqing down, being unworthy of his deep affection.

Over these days, seeing the increasingly close interaction between the two, Xie YanYu couldn’t help but worry.

For an outsider, it’s easy to mistake Pei Yuqing for the biological father of the child in her belly.