WBSGVS Chapter 198 V2

She had spent years locked in the Cold Palace. And now that she was finally free, she had to marry for the sake of the country.

When the two women appeared, the bridal chamber first erupted in cheerful chatter—until they noticed Qingli behind Sima Qinghe. At once, the mood shifted to a mix of restraint and confusion. Why was she here at a time like this?

Qingli, as usual, spoke little. She offered a simple greeting and fell silent.

Cheng Ningyu got up on her own and said she had something to discuss privately with Qingli, inviting her into the inner room.

The other young ladies in the room exchanged strange looks. Did these two know each other? That didn’t make sense.

One of them asked, “Princess Yueqin, how did your sister get to know Ningyu?”

“I wouldn’t know,” Sima Qinghe replied with a smile, though her expression flickered. “I wasn’t feeling well yesterday and didn’t come, so Yueyi came in my place. Maybe they just hit it off.”

She smiled, but inwardly her face darkened. She had a good relationship with Cheng Ningyu, cultivated through powerful family ties—her father and brother were both influential. It had taken years of connection to build that friendship. And now Qingli had been out only once and already warranted a personal invitation from Ningyu?

However, inside the inner room, things were not as peaceful as they seemed.

Cheng Ningyu had asked Sima Qinghe to bring Qingli not only because of what Qingli had said, but also because she wanted to refute her face-to-face.

If Qingli was a liar, confronting her might stop her from spreading more lies. After all, not every family had the power to investigate the truth so quickly. If someone else had believed her, the wedding might’ve fallen apart.

So the moment the door closed, Cheng Ningyu said sternly, “Princess Yueyi, regarding what you said last night, I had my mother look into it. There’s no such thing as you claimed!”

Her expression was serious. “I’ll let it go this time, but I hope you won’t try to deceive anyone again.”

Qingli looked genuinely surprised. “Your mother looked into it?”

“Of course she did,” Cheng Ningyu replied confidently.

Qingli, however, said calmly, “I don’t believe it.”

A knock suddenly sounded at the door. “Ningyu, is Princess Yueyi in there?”

Cheng Ningyu responded, “Just in time. My mother’s here. She can tell you herself.”

She went to open the door. The Prime Minister’s wife walked in, casting a wary look at Qingli as if she were a bad influence on her daughter. Her brows furrowed. “Greetings, Princess Yueyi. If there’s anything that needs to be said, you can speak with me. Ningyu is still young and inexperienced.”

Qingli met her gaze without flinching. “Then I’ll be direct. You didn’t investigate what happened in Kang Prefecture.”

Cheng Ningyu couldn’t help but laugh. Why was this princess so hung up on this? But when she looked at her mother, she saw a flash of shock in her eyes, as if Qingli had hit the nail on the head.

Cheng Ningyu’s expression changed. Her mood plummeted. She snapped, “Mother! Didn’t you say you looked into it?!”

She was right!

Just a glance had revealed the truth. The balance, already tilting in Qingli’s favor, tipped further, and Cheng Ningyu’s unease about marrying this man deepened.

The Prime Minister’s wife tried to calm her daughter, frowning. “Don’t get upset. You can’t believe everything people say—”

“Mother!” Cheng Ningyu’s eyes were red with anger. “You lied to me! If he does have a child already, what am I supposed to do—go be his stepmother? I’m the daughter of the Prime Minister of Jin! I don’t have to marry him! And if the princess could tell in one glance that you hadn’t even investigated, then what she said might be true!”

The Prime Minister’s wife looked remorseful. “But it’s so close to the wedding. We can’t call it off now, can we?”

Qingli remained silent. She had said what she needed to say. What happened next was up to this mother and daughter. Fate could change in a moment—one decision might alter an entire life.

She didn’t need to force herself to be involved. If Cheng Ningyu did go through with the marriage, her fate would no longer match what Qingli had once divined.

After a bit of back-and-forth, Cheng Ningyu finally gritted her teeth and compromised. “Fine. I’ll go through with the wedding. But you must send someone to investigate Kang Prefecture! He’ll be here for three more days before returning home, so during that time, I’ll pretend to be unwell and avoid consummating the marriage.”

She truly was the daughter of an elite household—resilient and quick-thinking even in a crisis. “Since we’ve already come this far, breaking off the engagement would ruin my reputation anyway. But this way, if what Qingli said is true, I can sue him for fraud. If it’s false… then no harm done.”

“Alright, alright,” the Prime Minister’s wife quickly agreed, patting her daughter on the back. “Look at you—your eyes are all red. Your bridal makeup will be ruined.”

Cheng Ningyu forced a smile and said coldly, “Mother, don’t lie to me this time. If I find out the truth myself later… I’ll hang myself.”

The Prime Minister’s wife froze, the casual pretense wiped clean by fear. She burst into tears. “Don’t say such foolish things! I just didn’t realize how serious it was. This time, I promise—I’ll have it investigated properly. You’ll have the answer before you return to your husband’s home.”

Cheng Ningyu finally smiled through her tears. “Then you’d better find out everything.”

The Prime Minister’s wife nodded over and over. “Yes, yes!”

The Prime Minister’s wife didn’t think much of it herself, but fearing her daughter’s threat, she brought the matter up to her husband.

The Prime Minister also found the whole thing ridiculous, but figured there was no harm in checking. He sent a new message demanding a thorough report on the Yu family’s activities in Kang Prefecture over the past year or two.

Two days later, the report arrived.

Since neither of them had been too concerned, they didn’t even look at it until the night before Cheng Ningyu was supposed to return to her husband’s home.

That evening, once they were back in their room, the Prime Minister pulled out the report. “Here’s the result. Take a look.”

While washing his face, he said casually, “Yu Qi grew up under our watch. He’s even from my mother’s side of the family. There’s no way he would father a child before marriage and try to hide it from us—”

But when he turned around after drying his face, his words stopped short.

His wife, who had been smiling just moments ago, now wore a face of cold fury. Her hands trembled as she clutched the thin sheet of paper.

A terrible feeling crept into the Prime Minister’s gut. He asked, a little nervously, “What does it say?”

His wife didn’t answer at first. But after another glance at the paper, her eyes burned with rage. She flung the paper at him and shouted, “See for yourself! This is the boy you said grew up under your nose!”

“Thank the heavens Ningyu listened to Princess Yueyi and forced us to investigate, or we’d have ruined our daughter’s life!”

Her voice was sharp and shrill, making his head ring. The Prime Minister’s face fell as he grabbed the paper and scanned it.

In tiny script, it read:

“A serving girl became pregnant. Half a year ago, the Yu family moved her to a separate residence to hide the situation. One month ago, the head of the Yu family and his wife visited the estate…”

Pregnant.

Visited a month ago.

Had the baby already been born?! A boy?!

The Prime Minister’s vision darkened, and he gripped the edge of the bed to steady himself. His voice trembled with fury as he growled—

“That bastard!”