She looked at him and explained, “No, that’s not what I meant. You can stop his hand, but don’t choke him! If you choke him, Grandmother will be unhappy. If Grandmother is unhappy, she’ll use this as an excuse to make trouble. If she makes trouble, Father will be in a difficult position. If Father is in a difficult position, he’ll be unhappy and won’t like us…” 

These things are like a chain reaction. Once one thing happens, all the bad things will follow one after another. 

A flicker of emotion finally appeared in Wen Chen’s eyes. He looked puzzled. “What are you thinking about?” 

It was just one thing, but she was acting as if the sky was falling. 

Seeing that he didn’t believe her, Li Wanzhao became a little anxious. “Do you think I’m bluffing you? Just like Grandmother’s sarcastic remark to you at the dinner table, if you had retorted, Father would definitely scold us for being insensible. If you had brought up Li Hongyuan’s misdeeds, Father might have been embarrassed, but in the end, he would still side with Grandmother and scold us for being insensible and making the old lady angry. Besides, if we make things difficult for Father too many times, if he’s not at ease, how will he look at us, Shuxin?” 

She had experienced countless such things since she was a child. 

It wasn’t that she hadn’t resisted, hadn’t made a big fuss. 

But every time she was scolded. The old lady and Chen Shi would whisper in Li Guan’s ear, and Li Guan would end up scolding her for disrespecting elders. 

Arguing and making a fuss would only make Li Wanzhao’s life more difficult. 

That just shows that your Li family has a bad reputation. 

Wen Chen really wanted to say that, but if he did, Li Wanzhao would definitely have a big fight with him, so he held back. 

Wen Chen didn’t want to talk to her about this matter anymore. At this moment, he felt that she was extremely stupid and cowardly, more spineless than anyone he had ever met, not even the palace maids in the palace would be like her. 

She always liked to think about those messy things. Clearly nothing had happened yet, but she had already thought it through in her mind. 

No wonder she only sulked under the covers every day. 

Wen Chen’s maternal grandfather was the current Duke, his mother was the most beloved beauty in Jingji by Emperor Zhenyuan, and throughout the land, he was the Crown Prince, second only to one person and above ten thousand. 

Having lived a pampered life for most of his life, why should he care about the Li family? And why should they catch his eye? 

Were they worthy? 

He looked down on the Li family in his bones and didn’t think that one quarrel would cause the sky to fall. 

And what else could be gained from blindly tolerating them except for letting them take an inch after getting a foot? 

Therefore, he could never understand Li Wanzhao’s approach. 

But thinking that he would eventually leave this place, and that Li Wanzhao, in this way, could worry herself to death, he said, “They won’t let you go because of this, and things won’t get any worse.” 

“How can things not get worse? At least this way, Father won’t be angry with us.” 

“Then will he stand up for you?” 

Li Wanzhao: “…” 

Wen Chen was very smart and detached, so he clearly knew that Li Guan wasn’t a very good father at all. 

At least, his father had never let him suffer such grievances. 

Whoever bullied him, his father would immediately stand up for him. Wen Chen had rarely suffered overnight grievances in all these years. 

Except after that incident… 

Wen Chen’s words left Li Wanzhao speechless. 

Under the dark moonlit night, Li Wanzhao felt stifled and wronged. 

Wen Chen saw her wide eyes and realized that she was angry again, but she couldn’t think of any words to refute him. 

Her round eyes, filled with anger, scratched at him like cat claws. 

Even when angry, she only knew how to glare. 

Li Wanzhao didn’t want to talk to Wen Chen anymore. Every word he said stabbed at her heart. 

She knew that her father didn’t favor her, but Wen Chen had to expose it again. 

“Wen Chen, shut up, don’t say anymore.” 

Not only could she glare, but she could also tell people to shut up. 

Wen Chen glanced at her, turned around, and left without looking back. 

Don’t you want me to leave? 

It was a waste of breath no matter how much Wen Chen talked to her. 

The days were her own, not his. Why should he care so much about her? 

If she was willing to exchange a blind eye for a night’s sleep, then he couldn’t stop her. 

What did it have to do with him? 

Wen Chen thought of the eyes Li Wanzhao had glared at him with earlier, and a sense of irritability arose in his heart. 

He was very annoyed and wanted to leave this place as soon as possible. 

The capital wouldn’t be better than this place, but he thought it wouldn’t be worse than now. 

At least he wouldn’t have to sleep in the same bed with a woman who couldn’t be reasoned with. 

Although the two of them didn’t argue loudly tonight, they ended up like this, both holding their breath. Wen Chen had Zhongji move a blanket out and didn’t even return to the room, but went straight to the study to rest. 

After Li Wanzhao returned to the room, she lay in bed and waited for a long time but didn’t see Wen Chen return. Finally, she asked Zhixia, and only then did she learn that he was going to rest in the study tonight. 

Li Wanzhao also knew that he was sulking about what had happened earlier. She knew that he had also been wronged today, but what was wrong with her? She just didn’t want to make things so ugly. 

Hadn’t she been living like this all these years? 

What was he doing resting in the study now? He was going to take the county exam tomorrow, did he have to torment himself today? 

Li Wanzhao rubbed her hair in annoyance, sat up from the bed, and said to Zhixia, “Tell him to come back. If he doesn’t come back, I’ll go to the study and sleep with him.” 

If it were on a normal day, Li Wanzhao wouldn’t care and would just stubbornly hold her breath with him, but tomorrow he was going to the examination hall, and Li Wanzhao was still hoping that he would pass the Xiucai exam and come back. 

Zhixia went to pass the message to Zhongji. Zhongji entered the study and told Wen Chen what Li Wanzhao had just said. 

Wen Chen fell silent after hearing the message. 

Seeing that Wen Chen didn’t speak, Zhongji tried to persuade him, “Your Highness, why don’t you go back? I’m afraid she’ll really come looking for you in a while. If there’s a commotion, it’ll only bother Your Highness more.” 

Alas, now that they were staying in the Li family, they couldn’t do whatever they wanted and had to rely on others’ opinions. 

A few days ago, Zhongji was still afraid that Wen Chen would develop something with Li Wanzhao, but now it seemed that His Highness was also helpless. If he didn’t go along with Li Wanzhao, according to her personality, she would only make more and more trouble. 

Now that he couldn’t hide in the study, Zhongji felt a little sympathetic towards his own prince. 

Zhongji advised him, “Your Highness, please bear with it for a while. Today you are a bird of prey with drooping wings, but one day you will not be ashamed to transform from a snake into a dragon.” 

Wen Chen had already laid down on the small couch in the study and still didn’t move. 

He was very unhappy today. He thought it was probably because he had been offended by Li Hongyuan. 

However, he hadn’t been so anxious in the past when he had been offended by him. 

Seeing that Wen Chen didn’t react, Zhongji thought of the county exam tomorrow and asked, “What are Your Highness’s plans for this county exam? The Duke’s side said that now that Your Highness is staying with others, if you don’t pass the children’s exam this time, your days will probably be even more difficult. However, he still wants Your Highness to restrain yourself and not stand out too much, otherwise he’s afraid that you’ll attract attention.” 

Wen Chen listened noncommittally and didn’t say what his plans were in the end. Zhongji couldn’t guess what he was thinking. At this moment, Zhixia’s urging voice came from outside. 

“Coming soon!” Zhongji responded to Zhixia outside and asked Wen Chen, “Your Highness, are you still not planning to go back?” 

Li Wanzhao attached great importance to his imperial examination. She probably thought that as long as he passed the imperial examination, Li Guan would also treat them better. 

If he didn’t go back, she would probably really make a scene here, and then he wouldn’t be able to avoid it. 

Wen Chen finally got up. 

The study was not far from the main house, and it only took less than an incense stick’s worth of time to walk there. 

When Wen Chen returned to the room, he happened to see Li Wanzhao getting out of bed. Judging from her posture, she wanted to go to the study to catch him. 

She had just lifted the quilt and was about to get out of bed, wearing only a middle garment and trousers, and was about to get out of bed barefoot, without even having time to put on her shoes and socks. 

Li Wanzhao raised her eyes and saw a shadow falling in front of her. 

It was Wen Chen who had returned. 

The candlelight in the room was still flickering, and the shadows of the two people were projected on the wall. 

They were silent, and neither of them spoke first. 

This time, not only was Wen Chen silent, but Li Wanzhao was also silent. 

She had asked him to come back because he had to take the imperial examination tomorrow, not because of anything else. If he didn’t have to take the exam tomorrow, he could rest wherever he wanted. 

Li Wanzhao pursed her lips tightly and went to the bed. She said, “I know you’re angry with me and definitely don’t want to sleep with me. You sleep in the room, and I’ll go outside.” 

In short, he had to be well taken care of before the exam. 

Li Wanzhao got out of bed barefoot, put her feet into her slippers, and was about to go to the outer room. 

Wen Chen didn’t understand what she meant. 

He had come back as she wished, but she still had to act like this. He looked at her movements, his eyebrows furrowed tightly. 

He was a rather complicated person, shameless and cold-hearted to the extreme in some ways, but polite and well-mannered to the extreme in other, insignificant ways. 

For example, he would coldly watch Li Wanzhao’s pain and frustration, but he would also feel that it was outrageous to let his wife stay outside. 

The former was his nature, and the latter was the etiquette and education he had been exposed to since he was a child. 

At least, he had never seen his father let his mother stay alone in the outer hall. 

Therefore, he grabbed her wrist when Li Wanzhao was about to walk out. 

His strength was not great, and compared to the strength he had used to clamp Li Hongyuan’s forearm in Chengming Hall to stop him, it could be described as gentle. 

However, even though he didn’t use much strength, Li Wanzhao still felt that his hand was holding her very tightly, so tightly that she couldn’t move. 

This was the difference in body size between a man and a woman, the difference between a large palm and a slender wrist. 

Wen Chen had practiced martial arts and held a sword, and there were thin calluses on his palm. The blue veins on the back of his hand were obvious even when he wasn’t using much force.