Marrying a concubine and swallowing her dowry? The mistress turns around and marries a high-ranking

Chapter 331

Qin Jianxi was so engrossed in improving explosives and developing firearms that he had been spending more than a month in a workshop on the outskirts of Beijing without going home. This time, Shen Lingjun dragged him back to celebrate his birthday.

The little girl was covered in dust and dirt, as if she had just crawled out of a coal mine, and smelled of gunpowder all over.

Shen Lingjun gave her a thorough wash from head to toe and tidied her up, so that she at least looked like a young lady from a noble family and could go out in public.

The next day, the birthday banquet was held, and the Yongning Marquis's residence was filled with guests.

Shen Lingjun is now a second-rank imperial consort, with a high status and good reputation. When she sends out invitations, many people are still willing to grace her with their presence at the banquet.

As she expected, Princess Pingkang and Song Yong and his wife arrived together.

Princess Pingkang remained impeccable, maintaining a warm and amiable demeanor, and presented two gifts.

"Madam Shen, congratulations. This is a birthday gift from our Grand Princess's residence to the young master and the second young lady."

Shen Lingjun accepted the gift with a smile, saying, "Thank you, Grand Princess and Prince Consort."

Song Yong's complexion was not good; he looked somewhat haggard and pale. Although he tried to maintain a charming smile, he couldn't hide the lines of worry on his face, which suggested that he had already discovered his impotence.

Even in this state, he still couldn't give up his lust. When he saw Shen Lingjun, his eyes still shone as he stared at her, his gaze so sticky it seemed like he could pull out threads of desire.

Shen Lingjun felt nauseous, but pretended not to see anything and secretly put the two gifts into her spatial storage.

Regardless of what the gift was, she planned to destroy it in her spatial dimension later.

Shen Lingjun went to greet other guests, and Song Yong wanted to get closer to her, even just to exchange a few words, but the Grand Princess Pingkang held his arm tightly and wouldn't let go, giving him no chance at all.

Princess Pingkang was furious.

During this period, Song Yong became increasingly strange.

He always finds various excuses not to sleep with her at night, and even if they manage to sleep together, he doesn't want to touch her. Moreover, he's always avoiding her, sneaking out as if he's hiding something from her.

Although he was a womanizer, Princess Pingkang believed she was very good at managing marital relationships. She was always very tolerant of Song Yong, and the blame lay with those vixens who seduced him.

So no matter how much of a playboy Song Yong was outside, he remained devoted to Princess Pingkang for ten years, and the couple had a very deep affection for each other—at least on the surface. Princess Pingkang was always the envy of middle-aged noblewomen in the capital.

But now, Song Yong is being so cold to Princess Pingkang for the first time, which makes her overthink all day long, wondering if Song Yong no longer loves her.

Therefore, Princess Pingkang became increasingly jealous and resentful whenever Song Yong's gaze fell upon other women.

She had long wanted to kill Shen Lingjun again, but had never had the chance. She sent imperial guards to investigate the Yongning Marquis's residence, and they were surprised to find that although there were only three people there on the surface—an orphan and a widow—the defenses were actually very strong, making it impossible to attack.

So when Shen Lingjun sent out the invitation, Princess Pingkang came in person.

Song Yong wanted to come along too, and she couldn't very well refuse.

Just as Princess Pingkang was looking for an opportunity to get rid of Shen Lingjun, Song Yong finally found an opening, got rid of her, bypassed the guests, and went to the back to find Shen Lingjun.