Han Suiqin was furious upon hearing this.
"Who is the Prince of Ding'an? How dare you provoke him, Brother?"
Han Suiqin was so angry she felt like spitting blood. She had been working hard to build a good relationship with Wang Qingyao, only for her family to drag her down.
"Do you think I'll be worry-free just because I'm marrying the Prince of Qi? Let alone the fact that the Prince of Qi hasn't been named Crown Prince yet, even if he were, there's still a long way to go. Do you know how favored the Prince of Ding'an is by the Emperor?"
"Brother is truly audacious, daring to tease the Princess of Ding'an! And she's pregnant!"
Han Suiqin was disappointed in her brother.
Madam Han looked at the concubine-born daughter before her. Her appearance was the same as before, but her attire was far more luxurious. Her hair was adorned with jewels, and the bracelets on her wrists and the necklace around her neck were all made of heavy pure gold.
In the past, at home, she had always smiled sweetly and acted demurely in front of Madam Han. How could she now lose her temper so carelessly? And dare to scold her elder brother?
It was true that people strive for higher positions and water flows to lower places.
She hadn't even become the Princess of Qi yet, and she was already putting on airs.
Madam Han felt a complex mix of emotions. To be honest, although Han Suiqin was a concubine-born daughter, she was the most outstanding among the Han family's many daughters and was quite favored by Madam Han. However, Madam Han had always been superior, and Han Suiqin inferior. Now that their statuses were reversed, Madam Han felt a bit unaccustomed.
With this thought, Madam Han's voice became somewhat stiff. "It's not like your brother knew. I heard from Little Nine that the Princess of Ding'an dressed very plainly, not at all like a princess..."
"Mother!" Han Suiqin interrupted her indignantly. "Just because she's not a princess does that mean you can tease her as you please? Do you think this is still Jiangling Commandery? If Brother doesn't change his ways, he'll lose his life sooner or later. By then, don't say it's me, even the Prince of Qi won't be able to save him!"
Although Han Suiqin said this, Han Xingchang was her full elder brother, and she couldn't abandon him.
However, with her wedding so close, she didn't want to displease the Prince of Qi over such a trivial matter. She could only send a calling card to the Prince of Ding'an's mansion, requesting an audience with Wang Qingyao.
It wasn't convenient for her to go out at this time, but she couldn't possibly ask Wang Qingyao, who was heavily pregnant, to come to her. After all, Han Xingchang was in the wrong first...
Wang Qingyao glanced at the calling card and knew that Han Suiqin was here about Han Xingchang's matter. However, Xiao Yun had said the matter was already resolved, so whether she met Han Suiqin or not was no longer important.
She entertained Han Suiqin in the small parlor. Yin Zhu had brewed her fresh hot milk, and she drank it spoonful by spoonful with a small silver spoon, listening to Han Suiqin's incessant apologies.
"My brother is a scoundrel, just like my father. They're both lecherous. It's only right for Princess Sister to beat and punish him. It's just that tomorrow is my wedding day. Could Sister do me a favor and ask the Prince of Ding'an to tell the Dali Temple to release my brother first, and then arrest him again after the wedding? That way, he can learn his lesson..."
It had to be said, Han Suiqin was talented.
There was a reason why her stepmother doted on her.
She didn't make any excuses for Han Xingchang; she even insulted him and saw her own father clearly.
This was empathy.
Furthermore, she didn't ask Wang Qingyao to forgive Han Xingchang, only to release him for one day and then imprison him again. But would Wang Qingyao still remember this matter afterward? Most likely, out of consideration for the Prince of Qi, she would let it go.
She was truly a smart person.
Wang Qingyao smiled, put down the small silver spoon, and told the truth. "The Prince said this matter has already been resolved and told me not to worry about it. I don't know how it was resolved. Why don't you go to the Dali Temple and ask?"
Han Suiqin was stunned.
Naturally, it was inconvenient for her to go to the Dali Temple to ask. She could only relay the message to the Han family and have them inquire.
Soon, they received news.
It turned out that on the same night Han Xingchang was imprisoned in the Dali Temple, Xiao Yun had led his men there.
Han Xingchang didn't recognize Xiao Yun. Upon seeing this magnificent and noble prince, he mistook him for the Prince of Qi coming to rescue him. He sincerely wailed for help several times, and even bad-mouthed Fang Zheng.
Xiao Yun ordered the prison cell door to be opened and, without a word, beat him up. He beat him personally.
After he finished beating Han Xingchang, the men he brought with him beat Han Xingchang again.
Only then did Han Xingchang realize that this prince was the Prince of Ding'an, not the Prince of Qi!
What was even more astonishing was that after beating Han Xingchang, Xiao Yun specifically informed the Prince of Qi about the incident.
It was then that the Prince of Qi learned that his supposed brother-in-law had molested Wang Qingyao.
He had no affection for Han Suiqin, let alone any desire to protect her family. He also detested people who caused trouble for him in his name. Thus, he let Xiao Yun handle it himself, while he himself cultivated an image of being upright, just, and impartial. He had even spoken to Captain Hu, telling him that he would go home to farm after the current month.
Xiao Yun would not have let Han Xingchang off even without the Prince of Qi's words. With those words, he became even more unrestrained.
He consulted with Fang Zheng, and Fang Zheng assigned a clean and incorruptible prison warden from the Dali Temple to escort Han Xingchang back to Jiangling Commandery and investigate the bad deeds Han Xingchang had committed over the years, such as bullying men and oppressing women.
If nothing unexpected happened, Han Xingchang would never leave prison for the rest of his life.