Chapter Three: I Am the Prince Consort, Not a Marquis

“That was Marquis Dingyuan’s decision, what does it have to do with me? Moreover, Her Highness the Princess Royal holds such a distinguished status—if she knows me, does she really need his approval?” Xie Ning’s face paled, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He felt dizzy and lightheaded, on the verge of fainting again at any moment.

Yet he understood clearly.

In the current situation, the only way to cling tightly to the Princess Royal of Qi, Li Qingning, was to hold firm to the matter with her. Only then could he escape the grasp of the robust Princess Li Rushi.

Struggling, he lifted his head to look at Li Qingning. Noticing a strange expression in her eyes, he gritted his teeth and pressed on, “Besides, the Princess Royal and I have already—”

Before he could finish, a sudden tightness gripped his chest.

Darkness swallowed his vision.

Li Qingning had already guessed what Xie Ning was about to say and intended to stop him, but seeing him suddenly faint again, she frowned involuntarily.

Turning to Li Rushi, she declared, “Li Rushi, today’s matter, I will personally visit the Prince Jing’s residence to make things clear to Uncle Wang. Return to the palace!”

With that, Li Qingning turned back to the carriage.

Glancing at Xie Ning, half-slumped outside the carriage, she hesitated, but then took it upon herself to drag him fully inside.

Her peach blossom eyes narrowed, coldly sweeping over the servants of Prince Jing’s mansion.

Her gaze finally settled on Princess Li Rushi.

With a cold snort, she turned back to the carriage, ready to depart.

The accompanying guards stepped forward, blades drawn, forcing the people at Prince Jing’s mansion to clear the way.

Li Rushi watched the carriage leave, stomping her foot in frustration yet utterly powerless.

After some distance, Tao Hua cautiously asked, “Your Highness, shall we return directly to the palace?”

Inside the carriage, Li Qingning lowered her gaze to the unconscious Xie Ning.

After a moment of thought, she said, “First, we will go to the Marquis Dingyuan’s residence. Also, send for the imperial physician to attend to him there.”

“Yes,” Tao Hua pressed her lips, a flicker of something unusual crossing her eyes, but she complied.

Half an hour later.

Before the gates of Marquis Dingyuan’s mansion, a crowd of retainers and servants stood respectfully awaiting.

In moments, Jia Yibo, Marquis Dingyuan, dressed in splendid robes, hurried out with his wife, second son, third daughter, and fourth daughter.

Upon reaching the gate, he immediately bowed respectfully toward the carriage waiting outside.

“I, Jia Yibo, Marquis Dingyuan, humbly welcome Her Highness the Princess Royal. I apologize for the lack of proper reception upon your arrival,” he said with earnestness.

Tao Hua lifted Xie Ning from the carriage, her face expressionless as she coldly handed him over to the mansion’s servants.

“The heir apparent is unwell. Please care for him well, Marquis,” she said, then without another word, turned and returned to the carriage, driving away.

Throughout, Li Qingning, as the Princess Royal, did not appear or utter a sound, leaving the mansion’s servants utterly baffled.

“He was at Prince Jing’s residence—how did the Princess Royal send him back? Could it be that he dared to flee the marriage and even struck the Princess Royal’s carriage?” Jia Huizu, the Marquis’s second son, frowned darkly, voice sharp.

“Hmph, useless fool. We only arranged for him to marry into the Prince’s household. If such a small matter goes wrong, it only reflects the kind of person he is!” Lady Xu, the Marquis’s wife, snorted coldly.

Jia Yibo’s face darkened deeply, his brows knitted in frustration. His mind was troubled, and hearing such words from his wife and son only worsened his expression.

“Silence! How can you speak so? Hurry and help him inside—what are you waiting for?” he snapped, directing the last words at the servants carrying Xie Ning.

The servants flustered and quickly moved to carry him indoors.

The family followed and dispersed inside the mansion.

Jia Yibo had once been a poor scholar rushing to the capital for exams. By chance, he met the daughter of the late Marquis Dingyuan and, using every means, won her heart.

After failing the exams, he married into the Marquis’s house.

The old Marquis had no sons, only a daughter, so upon his passing, Jia Yibo temporarily assumed the title of Marquis Dingyuan.

Relying on the Marquis’s reputation and achievements, he secured a minor official position at court.

Though outwardly devoted to his wife, the Marquis’s only daughter, Xie Yun, Jia Yibo secretly harbored deep resentment toward the household.

After the old Marquis’s death and assuming the title, he hastily poisoned his wife and summoned his mistress and children from his hometown to live in the mansion.

Thus, an ordinary rural family transformed overnight into a prominent noble household in the capital.

Yet Xie Ning, the legitimate heir to the Marquisate of Dingyuan, endured torment and humiliation within the mansion, living worse than the servants and slaves—anyone could trample on him.

Jia Yibo had once considered using the same methods on Xie Ning as he did on his wife.

But with the rumors sparked by his wife’s death, if Xie Ning died as well, the emperor would inevitably send investigators.

So, helplessly, he kept Xie Ning alive under the mansion’s roof.

As Xie Ning grew older, Jia Yibo’s pressure increased.

According to Qi’s customs, Xie Ning was the legitimate heir to the Marquisate.

The old Marquis had died when Xie Ning was still an infant, which allowed Jia Yibo, as the son-in-law, to temporarily hold the title.

Once Xie Ning reached adulthood, the title should rightfully pass to him.

After much thought, Jia Yibo conceived a seemingly perfect plan: arrange a marriage alliance with Prince Jing’s family.

By having Xie Ning marry into the Prince’s household, as a son-in-law, he would no longer inherit the Marquisate, while Jia Yibo could leverage the connection to gain favor with Prince Jing.

Unexpectedly, the plan backfired.

Not only did Xie Ning fail to wed the princess in the Prince’s household, he even offended the Princess Royal’s carriage, causing her to personally return him to the Marquisate.

Jia Yibo felt as if his head was about to split in two.

Gazing at Xie Ning, unconscious in the main hall chair, he momentarily wished to strangle this rebellious son himself.

Xie Ning was dazed but sensed a pair of cruel, murderous eyes fixed upon him.

Suddenly jolted awake, he met Jia Yibo’s killing glare.

Countless painful, restless memories surged through his mind.

Frowning, Xie Ning, once the honored heir of Marquis Dingyuan, should have stood above Jia Yibo, who only held the title in his stead.

He was, by right, the true master of the mansion!

Yet since his mother’s death, he had lived for fifteen years in this household worse than a dog.