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

The old lady, who fainted several times due to the grief of losing her granddaughter, destroyed her granddaughter's hopes of giving birth with her own hands in just a few hours. She didn't even give the dying child a final hug or a gentle farewell look.

This is the Marquis of Changping's Mansion, a large mansion where power and conspiracy are intertwined.

Here, the family's reputation and status are above everything else, and even human lives can be easily trampled upon.

Little Guo gently supported Su Wanyu, and the two were silent, as if they were recalling their past in this silence.

The similar fateful trajectories aroused deep sympathy and resonance in Xiao Guo's heart.

Once upon a time, she also faced indifference and betrayal from her family. However, the "gift" that almost killed her became the motivation for her to rise up in desperation.

What is different from ordinary people is that she vowed to be buried with those who pushed her into the abyss. This tenacity and determination made her shine differently in adversity.

In a blink of an eye, the death of Marquis Zheng has become an established fact, and the new life in Mrs. Guo's belly is about to come into this world against all odds.

The next day, the Zheng family did not hold a grand funeral ceremony. Instead, they announced in a relatively low-key manner the "fact" that the fifth daughter of the Zheng family resolutely chose to commit suicide that night in order to maintain her reputation and clarify her own innocence.

Although this decision is not perfect, it has temporarily calmed the rumors from outside.

Old Madam Zheng lived in seclusion and rarely went out, and only instructed her servants to bury her granddaughter in a simple manner.

Xiao Guo used her private money to buy a high-quality coffin for Zheng Luoxi, and solemnly completed her funeral arrangements in strict accordance with the funeral rituals.

In order to express gratitude for the gift before death, Su Wanyu specially assigned her personal maid Yun Yi to go and pay tribute and light a stick of pious incense.

This is not only tolerance for the mistakes Zheng Luoxi made during her lifetime, but more of an appreciation for the deep meaning behind the beads.

The glass bead emitted a mysterious purple glow under the sun, and its value far exceeded that of ordinary sea pearls. Su Wanyu held it in her hands and pondered over it for a whole night. Her intuition told her that the secret contained in this bead was extraordinary.

At the other end of the imperial city, inside Concubine Pei’s bedroom.

The palace maids had been searching for a whole day but still hadn't found the lost pearl.

"Where is my bead? Why can't I find it yet?"

It was rare for Concubine Pei to show her anxiety in front of everyone. Her uncharacteristic loss of composure was all due to the loss of that one pearl.

The palace maids trembled and tried to comfort her: "Your Majesty, please calm down. If it is really lost, we can find another one later."

Concubine Pei's tone was full of determination that could not be refuted: "Keep looking, you must find it!"

Upon hearing this, the palace maids lowered their heads and dared not say anything more.

Concubine Pei walked to the bedside, and the scenes of last night suddenly came to her mind. She immediately called the guards around her.

"Go, go to the ancient temple in the suburbs that we passed by last night and see if my pearl was left there."

"As you command, my lady."

The guards took the order and left, but Concubine Pei's thoughts returned to last night.

Originally, he just wanted to find out the secret behind the portrait from Zheng Luoxi, but unexpectedly, he witnessed his niece's cruel behavior towards Zheng Luoxi.

She simply took advantage of the situation and took Zheng Luoxi to the temple to interrogate her about the portrait, but she found nothing and accidentally lost the precious pearl.

This bead is not just an ornament to her, it is the bond of her emotions and memories. The loss of the bead seems to have drained all her energy.

Just as she was anxious, a letter from the Pei family arrived quietly. In the letter, the eldest master urged her to take action against Luo Wenxuan of the Luo family as soon as possible.

That night, Concubine Pei quietly conveyed her instructions to the chief examiner of the imperial examination, Lord Wang from the Ministry of Rites: "Although the young master of the Luo family has made contributions to flood control, considering his humble family background, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to grant him a high position and generous salary."

A silent storm is brewing quietly.

This simple sentence seemed like a cloud of smoke that was passed down lightly, but it contained a tremendous force in silence. Lord Wang's sharp eyes penetrated the words and captured the subtle hints hidden deep in Concubine Pei's words.

It was hoped that he could use his power to manipulate the examination paper that determined the fate of the scholars, so that Luo Wenxuan, a talented scholar, would unfortunately fail the exam and have no chance of pursuing a career in officialdom.

However, the wheel of fate never moves along the predetermined trajectory.

Just when the imperial examination was imminent, the emperor made a decision that shocked the court and the public, contrary to everyone's expectations. Overnight, more than 20 important court officials, including Lord Wang, were transferred from their original posts, and the examination questions were also changed, as if a carefully planned chess game was completely disrupted by an invisible hand.

All this happened as fast as lightning, so that when the morning light first shone, Concubine Pei was vaguely aware of this series of sudden changes. The candidates had already entered the examination room, the horn of the imperial examination had already sounded, and everything seemed to have settled.

Zheng Chengyan, a confident young man, had already memorized Fang Rongze's brilliant article by heart, and his heart was filled with the belief that he would win.

The first ray of sunlight at dawn shone on his confident face, and he walked towards the battlefield that would decide his fate with a relaxed and happy smile.

Meanwhile, inside the Zheng Mansion, Old Madam Zheng was still deeply preoccupied with the affairs of Zheng Luoxi. Her unspeakable sorrow prevented her from personally seeing her son off. Only a few servants and maids were silently waiting outside the mansion, awaiting news of his triumphant return.

At the same time, Su Wanyu's behavior broke the norm. She changed her usual gentleness and came to her newly opened teahouse with her personal maids Siqi and Yun Yixiang'er.

The location of this teahouse is extremely clever, as it is located right on the road leading to the examination hall.

She deliberately chose a seat by the window, just so that she could be the first to catch the expression on Zheng Chengyan's face, whether it was happy or sad, the moment he finished the exam and walked out of the examination room.

So, in the next few days, she sat there firmly, waiting for the last moment of the imperial examination.

The atmosphere in the examination room was heavy and dignified. The new chief examiner, Lord Lu, the regent's confidant, was known for his fairness and strictness. He was not afraid of power and did not seek personal gain.

Under his close supervision, any attempt to cheat will be exposed.

Lord Lu calmly ordered the distribution of new test questions, while Zheng Chengyan stood aside, carefully grinding the ink and adjusting the pen tip, looking very proud and ready to show his skills.

However, the moment he unfolded the test paper, the smile on his face gradually froze, replaced by astonishment and shock.

"What's going on? This is completely different from what I prepared for!"

The pen in his hand couldn't help but tremble slightly, and ink slowly dripped along the tip of the pen, smearing the spotless white paper bit by bit.

There was dead silence in the examination room. Only Xie Yanfang was writing with his brush. His movements were smooth and the neat small characters appeared on the paper, forming a sharp contrast.