He tricked his amnesiac partner into becoming crippled.

Chapter 60 A Kind-Looking but Ruthless Wife at Home

The carriage swayed and wobbled as it entered the palace; it was already broad daylight.

With the palace gates in sight, and Wei Jiqing having given her no instructions, Wen Yan had no choice but to take the initiative: "Your Highness, is there anything I should be careful about?"

Upon hearing this, a faint sorrow flashed in Wei Jiqing's eyes. There were many conspiracies in the palace, and he was afraid that he would have to be distracted by saving her.

"Beware of the Imperial Concubine."

Wen Yan continued to ask, "Then who can I trust?"

Wei Jiqing looked down at her, and after careful consideration, concluded: "You yourself."

Wen Yan was incredulous.

Are you kidding me?

"I have no one in the harem." He was unusually embarrassed.

"Very well, I will do my best to protect myself."

The two got out of the carriage one after the other and were led to pay their respects to the emperor.

Wen Yan and Wei Jiqing knelt on the ground and performed a grand salute, keeping their heads down and trying not to look at the bright yellow figure above.

Even though she tried her best to minimize her presence, her delicate pink color, soft voice, and smooth skin revealed the unique innocence of a young girl, and the emperor's eyes lit up.

"You raise your head."

The Emperor leaned back on the couch, his small, murky eyes scanning Wen Yan up and down. His face was pale, and he looked like he was about to be drained dry.

"The Crown Princess is beautiful," she said, realizing the Crown Prince was still nearby, "and she is a good match for him. She shall be rewarded."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After Wen Yan got up, she shrank behind Wei Jiqing.

[That damned emperor's eyes are disgusting; it's like he thinks I'm naked.]

Fortunately, the Imperial Concubine sent someone to summon Wen Yan away.

[Although it's like going from one wolf's den to another, at least the tiger is female, which is better than a lecherous wolf.]

Wei Jiqing couldn't help but twitch his forehead.

The flowers in the back garden were in full bloom, and a group of concubines gathered together, eating melons and drinking tea, creating a lively scene.

Wen Yan wore a pink dress with a lightly tied gauze belt that fluttered in the wind as she bowed, accentuating her slender waist. Her fair face was pitiful to behold. She might not be a stunning beauty, but her unique temperament made her all the more endearing.

The women in the imperial harem could never bear to see beautiful women, especially unique beauties.

"Princess Consort, come and sit with us."

"Sister, please don't be in such a hurry. Miss Wen still needs to serve tea first. We are only asking for a cup of tea because of Consort Gui's presence."

Wen Yan glanced at the large group of twenty or thirty people. So, was she supposed to offer a toast to everyone?

These are all tricks her stepmother has played to death.

Wen Yan took the teapot, which was bigger than her head, and with great effort poured out a cup of boiling tea. She knelt down and handed it to the Imperial Concubine, saying, "Your Highness, please have some tea."

The woman in the purple dress continued chatting and laughing with the others, ignoring her for a moment.

Wen Yan tilted her hand, and the scalding tea was poured onto the feet of the imperial concubine, causing her to scream. Those surrounding the imperial concubine also suffered the consequences.

The Imperial Concubine, enraged, pointed at Wen Yan, about to unleash her fury: "You..."

Upon closer inspection, the person had fainted.

In another flurry of activity, the imperial physician was summoned, and even the emperor himself was brought in.

The Imperial Concubine turned around and glared at the Consort De. How could the Emperor know about such a thing? It must have been that bitch who betrayed him.

The Imperial Concubine, with a smile on her face, came out to greet him: "Your Majesty, what brings you here..."

"The Emperor's mistakes are all my daughter-in-law's fault, and have nothing to do with the Imperial Concubine."

Before the Imperial Concubine could finish speaking, a pink figure flew out of the room and knelt down in front of the Emperor with a thud, causing the Imperial Concubine to stumble.

“My daughter-in-law lost her mother when she was young and was taken care of by her stepmother. She has been fortunate to live to this age. Perhaps she is ill from worry and often feels weak. Just now, she fainted after holding a teacup for only fifteen minutes. I feel guilty.”

The Imperial Concubine gritted her teeth and said, "Your Majesty, it's not like that..."

"No, that's not it. It's because my daughter-in-law is weak. Why use serving tea as an excuse? My daughter-in-law will definitely exercise more when she gets back and try to be able to serve tea for half an hour."

Wen Yan spoke with heartfelt sincerity, her eyes even overflowing with crocodile tears of guilt as she looked at the Imperial Concubine and bowed her head in shame: "I only hope that Your Highness will not despise your daughter-in-law."

The Imperial Concubine forced a smile: "Hehe, how could that be? Miss Wen is on the same page as me, and what she said is exactly what I was thinking."

"It's because the daughter-in-law and the imperial concubine are of one mind."

[Well, whoever finishes speaking first owns the words.]

Looking at Wen Yan, who was shivering with tears in her eyes, and then at the old and haggard Consort Gui, who was spouting falsehoods, the Emperor's judgment had already tipped to the side.

“The Crown Princess has a tragic past and has been frail since childhood. The Noble Consort should take good care of her,” he said, turning to look at Wei Jiqing, who was standing in the background. “The Crown Prince must have compassion so that the common people can enjoy happiness.”

Wei Jiqing cupped his hands in greeting: "Father's teachings are correct."

The Emperor nodded in satisfaction, his eyes filled with encouragement as he looked at Wen Yan: "If the Crown Princess has any grievances, she can tell me, and I will uphold justice for her."

"Thank you, Your Majesty. Your daughter-in-law has not been wronged."

[You old lecher, your eyes are practically glued to me! Do you really think just anyone would dare to sleep with the Third Princess and have an affair with you? Bah! Bah! Bah!]

Wei Jiqing felt a sudden darkness before his eyes, as if he had discovered some earth-shattering secret.

Her pupils constricted as she looked at Wen Yan. How did she know about such a scandal?

"Crown Prince, Crown Prince!" The Emperor's voice grew increasingly impatient. "Mind your behavior in public."

Consort De gently advised, "After all, the Crown Prince and Crown Princess are newly married, it's only natural."

Seeing the Consort's unusually cheerful expression despite her dark face, she was happy to do Wen Yan a favor.

The enemy of the enemy is the friend.

Wen Yan revealed just the right amount of shyness, her eyes sparkling with affection as she looked at the Crown Prince.

Wei Jiqing composed himself and followed their lead, saying, "It's getting late. I'll take the Crown Princess away first and visit her at the palace another day."

The emperor was somewhat reluctant to part with her; he hadn't had enough of the beauties, especially Wen Yan, a rare and beautiful woman suffering from illness.

With great reluctance, I could only nod.

Wen Yan followed Wei Jiqing away, her pale face looking as if she could be blown away by a single breath.

Feeling guilty, Wei Jiqing slowed his pace to wait for her: "Are you alright?"

Wen Yan wiped the sweat from her forehead, her lips pale: "I'm feeling a little unwell."

[I was faking it.]

"Your Highness, could you lend me a hand?"

[It also ruined the Imperial Concubine's reputation.]

"Since I have agreed to exercise diligently, Your Highness, would you be so kind as to accompany me for a while longer?"

[Ideally, outsiders would see me in this miserable state. With Consort De's methods, the news of the Crown Princess being abused will spread like wildfire sooner or later.]

Wen Yan looked at Wei Jiqing with undisguised expectation, steadying her trembling figure like a small white flower shivering in the wind.

Wei Jiqing: ...

He remained silent, only extending one arm, and slowly moved forward after she took his place.

As if remembering something, she asked, "What does Madam think of the relationship between Third Brother and his wife?"

"A loving couple."

[They disliked each other.]

Wei Jiqing ignored what she said and focused on listening to her inner thoughts: "Then who does Madam think can compare to her?"

“This is a real challenge for me. I’ll have to think about it carefully,” Wen Yan hesitated for a moment. “I’ve heard that the Left Prime Minister and his wife have a very deep relationship.”

[That's fake. He kept a handsome young servant and lived a life of pleasure day and night.]

"General Long and his beloved concubine's love is stronger than gold."

[That concubine was presented to your father, the Emperor. The beauties of the Western Regions are numerous and varied; I hear he adores her, and for over a month they've been discussing secrets at the General's Mansion.]

"The Imperial Concubine also had deep affection for the Emperor."

She had eighteen strong, handsome, and armed guards.

"Consort De also deeply admires the Emperor."

[She and her childhood sweetheart had a close relationship—well, it would be better to say their relationship was negative.]

……

Wen Yan looked longingly at him: "In short, there are still many people in the world who have genuine feelings."

Wei Jiqing went from being horrified to numb to getting used to it, and finally, looking at Wen Yan's longing starry eyes, he was speechless for the first time.