It's all ruined, who cares about the chastity arch

Although Old Lady Zheng was heartbroken, she knew that family interests were above all else. Now that Concubine Hui was gone, the Zheng family's position in the court was in jeopardy, and they could not afford to lose their composure at this time.

But in her heart, there is one thing that she remembers clearly: her daughter's sacrifice will never be in vain.

"Get out! Get out here!" Old Madam Zheng yelled at Marquis Zheng, covering her aching waist and legs with tears in her eyes.

Lord Zheng's face was as cold as frost, full of dissatisfaction and helplessness. He turned and left without the slightest intention of lending a helping hand.

Old Madam Zheng was so angry that she kept jumping up and down, cursing, "You're a spendthrift! You're a spendthrift!"

After a burst of cursing, there was heart-wrenching crying.

Zheng Chengyan had just recovered from Guo's funeral and rushed over in a hurry, almost tripping over the threshold.

He gritted his teeth and managed to stand firm. This series of misfortunes seemed to make him curb his former cynicism. He began to study hard behind closed doors every day, trying to change something through hard work.

However, how can just half a month's effort be compared with others' ten years of hard study?

In the end, everything came to nothing, leaving only false joy.

Su Wanyu returned to the yard and met Zheng Yinyin by chance on the way.

These days, Zheng Yinyin seemed to be indifferent to the death of Guo and the fall of Huipin. Her mind was only thinking about how to find her lost sister for the emperor.

In her hand she held a pair of exquisite tiger-head shoes, which she had carefully imitated, hoping to use this opportunity to pave the way for her plan.

Before this, Zheng Yinyin spared no expense to get in touch with the insiders in the palace, and learned the truth about Huipin's dethronement. She also understood that the pair of shoes had a special meaning to the emperor.

By chance, she found a pair of shoes that were almost exactly the same as the emperor's.

The moment she got the shoes, she began to think about how to find a suitable woman to pretend to be a princess and present her to the emperor.

At this moment, she was full of joy and self-satisfaction, and did not notice at all that Su Wanyu was approaching quietly.

The distance between the two people gradually shortened.

"Sister-in-law." Zheng Yinyin suddenly spoke and called Su Wanyu.

Su Wanyu paused, turned around and asked gently, "Fourth sister, what's the matter?"

Zheng Yinyin's eyes suddenly became sharp: "That day in Fanghua Pavilion, it was you and my second brother in mother's room, right?"

There was a hint of questioning in her tone.

Su Wanyu smiled and responded, "Yes, it was indeed me and Zheng Chengyan who were in mother's room that day, but fourth sister, why are you suddenly asking about this?"

Zheng Yinyin was stunned for a moment, then shook her head: "Nothing, I'm just asking casually."

Her attitude seemed somewhat evasive.

Zheng Yinyin has always had complicated feelings towards her second sister-in-law, both contempt and a certain degree of disgust.

She was dissatisfied that Su Wanyu far surpassed her in both appearance and treatment, especially when she was the daughter of the Marquis of Changping, while Su Wanyu was just the daughter of a merchant, yet she was able to gain the upper hand everywhere in the mansion, which made her feel quite unfair.

After Guo's accident, she always felt that her sister-in-law's behavior was a little strange, but no matter how she investigated secretly, she could not find any flaws.

She even began to wonder if she was too sensitive.

Now, having lost Huipin, the big tree, she knew that she had to enter the palace as soon as possible to consolidate the Zheng family's position.

At the same time, she was also looking for a new wife for her eldest brother.

Since Su Wanyu has no intention of using her dowry as a bargaining chip to participate in family management, finding someone willing to take on this responsibility becomes a top priority.

The young lady of Pingxuan Marquis's Mansion is of noble birth and has a good upbringing, and is undoubtedly the best candidate.

She secretly planned in her heart that she would host a banquet and invite the young lady to her house soon, so as to take the opportunity to bring her together with her second brother Zheng Chengyan.

All of this was captured by the meticulous Su Wanyu.

In recent days, Su Wanyu ordered her servants to keep a close eye on Zheng Yinyin's whereabouts, and soon noticed her frequent interactions with the young lady of Pingxuan Marquis's Mansion.

In this regard, Su Wanyu did not mind having a few more female confidantes around Zheng Chengyan, but she was worried that the innocent young lady of Pingxuan Marquis's Mansion who was involved would become a victim of the complicated situation of the Zheng family.

The tiger-head shoes in Zheng Yinyin's hands looked no different from her own pair at first glance, but the golden pearls inlaid on them were a sign of authenticity. She knew very well that her brother was familiar with the shoes, and he would be able to tell the difference once he took a closer look.

When I went to the Su residence today, my father inadvertently revealed about 70% of his past during the conversation. The most heartbreaking thing was my mother's last words before she died.

The late emperor has passed away, but my mother's wish has still not been fulfilled. It is obvious that someone is secretly obstructing and intends to harm her.

Who is this person?

Su Wanyu couldn't help but come up with a plan. She might as well make use of this seemingly enthusiastic "good sister" and let her take the lead to explore the way forward for herself.

As the night deepened, in order to avoid being blamed by the old lady again, Lord Zheng took advantage of the cover of darkness and drove quickly to Huzhou.

He had never foreseen that after their return, the Changping Marquis Mansion would undergo earth-shaking changes.

Su Wanyu accompanied Zheng Chengyan to the gate of the mansion.

Ever since that embarrassing encounter, Zheng Chengyan was so ashamed that he avoided meeting her for several days.

When they were about to part, he finally mustered up the courage to call Su Wanyu: "Wanyu, I heard that you went back to your parents' home today?"

Su Wanyu nodded gently, her voice soft: "Yes, my father is back in Beijing, so I will naturally go to visit him."

Zheng Chengyan has lost a lot of weight these days. His once handsome face looks a little haggard, and his sunken cheeks make him look even more tired. "Your father is tired from the journey. After the imperial examination is over, I will go with you to visit him."

"Okay." Su Wanyu agreed, but she knew in her heart that after the imperial examination, he might never have the chance to step into the Su family's door again.

When Zheng Chengyan heard her promise, the loss in his heart seemed to be illuminated by a glimmer of hope, but he swallowed the words back when they came to his lips.

But Su Wanyu did not give him the chance to continue speaking and turned around and left resolutely.

Zheng Chengyan then began to cough violently, his old illness relapsed, and his face turned pale.

Zheng Yinyin walked forward quickly, her face full of worry: "Second brother, how did you become like this? What charm did that woman have that made you willing to be so humble?"

Zheng Chengyan raised his head, a sharp look flashed in his eyes: "Don't talk about your second sister-in-law like that."

Zheng Yinyin was stunned, unable to believe: "Second brother, you mean... are you..."

Zheng Chengyan slowly spoke out his thoughts: "I have figured it out. Wanyu had no other intentions when she married me. She just wanted me to treat her sincerely. I really shouldn't look down on her."

Zheng Yinyin sneered when she heard this: "Second brother, you don't want to be a lovelorn person, do you?"

In her opinion, this was an absurd joke. After all, she knew her second brother's character too well. Even her father was more affectionate than him.