The Villain in the Quick Travel is My Wife

Chapter 44

Chapter 44.2.14

Lian Yu instinctively glanced at Sun Yuesheng. Perhaps due to the dim light, she felt the emperor's expression was unusually cold. Her hand, clutching the lantern, faltered slightly.

When she looked again, the emperor, who was typically courteous, generous, and humble, was already holding her hand and leading her down the stairs.

Lian Yu couldn't see his face clearly. She struggled a bit, but when she felt his grip tighten, she hesitated and relaxed her movements.

Sun Yuesheng guided Lian Yu step by step toward the King of Chu and An Shuting.

Standing on the stone steps of the arch bridge, he looked down, frowning as he addressed An Shuting. "Cousin, this is absurd. Does your uncle know? He came to the palace a few days ago and told Mother he wanted to arrange a marriage for you with Miss Shen. The imperial decree will be issued tomorrow."

The King of Chu and the An family often criticized him in their moments of happiness, calling him weak and incompetent.

Today was meant to be the day for him and Lian Yu to express their feelings for each other, yet An Shuting had suddenly appeared and stolen all the attention.

He couldn't understand why An Shuting, so arrogant, would fall for a man with a tarnished reputation. Perhaps the An family had ill intentions; otherwise, why would An Shuting want to please his androgynous brother?

For the first time, Sun Yuesheng felt he didn't truly understand his cousin.

When An Shuting heard the emperor's voice, he sighed softly, patted Sun Yuebai on the shoulder, and gradually let go, intertwining their fingers.

Turning to face the emperor and Lian Yu, he teased, "What are you afraid of? We are married by His Majesty's decree. I know nothing about the Shen family."

He then smiled at Lian Yu. "Your Majesty and General Lian, or should I say, Miss Lian, it seems good things are about to happen."

His reference to "Miss Lian" reignited Lian Yu's earlier frustrations. She was already a distinguished general on the battlefield, yet this fool had now jeopardized all her hard work.

With a half-smile, she retorted, "Mr. An, if you have time to worry about me, you might as well focus on suppressing the bandits and contributing more for the people. After all, we can't let a weakling lead the army."

An Shuting regarded Lian Yu thoughtfully before glancing at the emperor. Suddenly, realization dawned on him. "So, you're seeking my help to suppress the bandits as revenge for me exposing your identity, Miss Lian. You underestimate me and my family's ability to train soldiers."

"They are merely small-time lake bandits. I will certainly defeat them decisively." The pieces of the puzzle began to fit together.

During this time in the plot, the imperial court had shown a tendency to sideline Lian Yu due to her repeated failures in combating banditry. She had been paying close attention to the matter for a while.

However, now that he had exposed Lian Yu's identity, the old guard in the court would unite to ensure she was never involved in power again.

Thus, Lian Yu had cleverly pushed this young, talkative man into the spotlight, along with a few sons of princes and nobles eager to showcase their prowess.

It was now a widespread expectation for them to join the effort against the bandits. His father couldn't cover for everything in the court, which provided the emperor a valid reason to remain steadfast.

Lian Yu frowned deeply, not wanting to be exposed by An Shuting so suddenly. No matter how many times she experienced this, she still found it challenging to adapt to An Shuting's overly forthright and rash behavior.