My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 197 A bright future

With the army about to depart, signs of unrest were beginning to emerge in the capital.

The first to be affected were the large number of candidates in the examination hall.

Under the impeachment by the Liu family and other powerful families, a large number of candidates who had been imprisoned in the examination hall were finally released. They originally wanted to take down the list of candidates at the entrance of the examination hall, but they had to suppress the idea because of the watchful Imperial Guards.

However, they will absolutely not admit to this year's imperial examination.

The carriages were parked at the entrance of the examination hall, which was crowded with carriages.

Wen Yitong sat inside anxiously waiting for Chen Che to appear. However, there were too many carriages nearby, and she could hardly see the person she wanted to see. Her anger became obvious.

"These lowly people!" she muttered under her breath, "How dare they try to take my place!"

Upon hearing this, Ruyi felt a chill run down her spine and immediately looked around, fearing that someone might have overheard Wen Yitong's words.

Wen Yitong, still oblivious to the danger, continued, "What is my identity? What is their identity? They should kowtow and pay their respects to me, but not only do they not pay their respects, they are even fighting with me..."

"Miss!" Ruyi hurriedly interrupted her. Seeing that her eyes widened and she seemed ready to continue talking, Ruyi quickly said, "Now that the master's great cause is not yet accomplished, you should still be careful outside."

Wen Yitong said unhappily, "Xie Jinghan is going to the border today, and he may not come back. I..."

"The more this happens, the more cautious we need to be." Ruyi was extremely tired. Ever since Wen Yitong learned her true identity, she had become arrogant and haughty, even more so than the real princesses in the palace.

If she were a real princess, that would be one thing, but Prince Xin is acting in secret. At such a crucial time, the most dangerous thing is for her to make a public appearance.

Ruyi suppressed her anger and advised, "A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan. Miss, please be patient for a few more days. Once our master has taken the capital, not only will these common people be affected, but even Princess Jing will have to kneel at your feet."

When Wen Shuyao was mentioned, Wen Yitong's expression showed obvious joy.

She smiled and said smugly, "Wen Shuyao schemed and plotted to snatch Xie Jinghan away from me, but in the end, didn't she still end up like this?"

"With Xie Jinghan dead, she, the Princess Consort of Jing, will be at my mercy!" Wen Yitong was extremely pleased. "At that time, I will make her taste the torment I once suffered! I will take her life!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wen Yitong's eyes, and Ruyi felt a chill run down her spine upon hearing this.

But now, only by shifting her attention to Wen Shuyao, whom she hated the most, could Wen Yitong calm down.

Finally, Wen Yitong spotted Chen Che in the crowd.

She was overjoyed and ran towards Chen Che, crying out, "My husband!"

She was incredibly enthusiastic towards Chen Che, and seeing her like this, Chen Che's previously anxious heart was finally at ease.

Chen Che knew best what Wen Yitong expected of him. He originally thought he would be a literary genius, but he failed the exam twice and was completely out of the running. What he feared most was Wen Yitong.

He was still somewhat incredulous at receiving such tender care from Wen Yitong.

But when Wen Shuyao saw his handsome face, she thought of Wen Shuyao.

Nowadays, everyone thinks she got the short end of the stick, that Wen Shuyao stole the best husband from her.

But once Xie Jinghan leaves for the Northern Barbarians and never returns, Wen Shuyao will become a widow.

By then, she was already a princess.

She was a princess, and Chen Che was her husband.

As a princess, it would be incredibly easy for her to secure an official position for Chen Che.

And... she could personally help Chen Che ascend to the throne of the third-ranked scholar.

She wanted Wen Shuyao to know that even if she had to do it all over again, she would still be the winner!

Wen Shuyao still had to bow to her!

Thinking this way, Wen Yitong felt extremely pleased with herself.

Chen Che caught a glimpse of the smile in her eyes, and her heart sank. Her intuition told her that Wen Yitong was plotting something.

Ruyi stood to the side, keeping a close eye on Wen Yitong's movements, fearing that Wen Yitong might say something reckless.

If Wen Yitong is allowed to continue being so arrogant, before the army even sets off, everyone will know that Wen Yitong is the daughter of Prince Xin, and all the efforts Prince Xin has made over the years to hide his strength will be in vain.

Ruyi was a person of Prince Xin, so naturally she couldn't just stand by and watch Wen Yitong ruin the great situation that Prince Xin had worked so hard to achieve.

Therefore, when Wen Yitong was talking to Chen Che, she followed closely behind, never leaving Wen Yitong's side for even a moment.

Even when the carriage arrived at the Chen family's residence and the two were about to enter the bedroom, Ruyi still followed.

Wen Yitong finally realized something was wrong. She looked at Ruyi coldly and asked, "What are you doing?"

Ruyi steadied herself and whispered, "This servant was worried about you."

Chen Che was still standing to the side, and Ruyi dared not be too obvious, so she could only carefully remind her: "Miss, please don't forget your master's instructions."

"A small act of impatience can ruin a great plan." She said, word by word, "The opportunity that Master has been waiting for for so many years is now right before his eyes. You must be patient!"

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong's face turned cold.

But she also knew the importance of this matter, so she still said coldly, "I've remembered everything, so don't worry."

After Wen Yitong finished speaking, she closed the door, leaving Ruyi alone outside, secretly worried.

As Ruyi listened to the sounds inside, her heart grew heavy.

Inside the house, Chen Che and Wen Yitong were enjoying a tender moment together after a long separation when they suddenly heard a loud shout from outside the door.

"Che'er!"

Madam Chen's voice was extremely loud, immediately startling the two who were in the midst of their tender moment.

Wen Yitong's face turned extremely ugly. She said coldly, "My husband has already gone to sleep."

Upon hearing this, Madam Chen sneered, "My son, even if he's asleep, should still have a private chat with me!"

As Madam Chen spoke, she continued to knock on the door, refusing to give up even when Ruyi tried to stop her.

She had been waiting for Chen Che to come out and make decisions for her. These days, she had not had a good time under Wen Yitong's command, especially since Wen Yitong had an inexplicable confidence. The Wen family had clearly fallen into such a state of decline, so how could she still have such confidence?

Madam Chen's face turned ugly, and she shouted, "If you don't come out today, it means you don't acknowledge me as your mother!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Che inside could no longer sit still.

He immediately came out and said to Madam Chen in a gentle tone, "Mother, I'm at the examination hall..."

Before Chen Che could finish speaking, Madam Chen cupped his face in her hands and choked out, "Che'er, how come you've lost so much weight?"

"You've suffered!" she said, glaring at Wen Yitong. "It's all my fault for marrying you a jinx! That's why you're stuck in that examination hall suffering!"

Madam Chen's words were pointed, and Wen Yitong's expression changed instantly.