Having transmigrated into a book, who would still want to be a secondary wife?

"Your Majesty, I... I'm trying to think of a way..."

Lin Zhiyue was sweating profusely. He had underestimated the Song family's determination; they were willing to lose all their dignity to destroy him!

"What plan have you come up with? I heard that for the past two years, you've not only left your elderly mother in Miss Song's care, but you've also been frequently writing letters to the Song family asking for money while you're at the border. And when you got married, you even took a concubine at the same time to humiliate Miss Song. You're utterly unworthy of being called a human being!"

The Emperor was furious. The more he had praised Lin Zhiyue before, the more he was now enraged.

Lin Zhiyue's face turned pale. He hadn't expected that Song Zhiyu would not only mention the debt, but also reveal all of this to the Emperor. This was practically ruining his future!

"Your Majesty, I never imagined that my mother's medical treatment would cost so much money. Since I found out, I have been trying to find a way to repay it, but the amount is really large, which is why I have been delayed for some time..."

Seeing that Lin Zhiyue immediately shifted the blame onto Old Madam Lin, Song Zhiyu naturally disagreed.

"Your Majesty, my sister was heartbroken by Lord Lin. She only hoped that the Lord would return all the money and then have nothing to do with him anymore. But in the past few days, not only has Lord Lin not returned a single copper coin, but he has also ordered his servants to rob our Song family's goods."

My father's fate is unknown, and he has not returned. My two elder brothers have both met with misfortune, and I have a younger sister who has been bullied and a mother who has suffered greatly. I have no choice but to beat the drum to appeal to the Emperor for justice!

Song Zhiyu knelt down, his handsome face now filled with grief and sorrow.

Seeing this, the officials in the court couldn't help but whisper among themselves.

"General Song has always been dedicated to the border war and has never shirked his responsibilities. This time, he was even trapped in the enemy camp and risked his life to pass on the message, which prevented the soldiers from suffering greater losses. It's just a pity that he has not returned yet."

If it weren't for General Song's promotion and information, how could Lord Lin have achieved such great military exploits this time?

Now that they've just returned, they're already bullying General Song's wife and daughters; they're truly ungrateful!

General Bai stepped forward with a livid face and sternly rebuked them.

The Emperor's expression was also grim. Although the border campaign had been a great victory, General Song was trapped and in grave danger. Even though no news of his death had come, everyone knew that his chances of survival were slim. Moreover, General Song's eldest son, Song Yanzhou, had also lost both legs in the battle, all for the sake of the court.

He also wanted to appease the Song family, so when he returned to the capital after a great victory, he appointed Song Lanzhi as a second-rank general of the cavalry and his eldest son Song Yanzhou as a fourth-rank general of the Eastern Central Army.

Who would have thought that Lin Zhiyue would bully the Song family right after receiving the reward? Isn't he just taking advantage of the fact that the Song family has no one to back him up?

"Your Majesty, I have heard that Lady Qin, the wife of Marquis Lin, specifically hired a sorcerer to harm the Song family. If Miss Song had not discovered it in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable. However, it still resulted in the second young master of the Song family going blind."

"When General Song was alive, he was wholeheartedly devoted to the court, and his whole family was loyal. Marquis Lin's actions this time are truly appalling. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly and not to break the hearts of the soldiers who are wholeheartedly devoted to the court!" Grand Tutor Xu stepped forward and said in a deep voice.

When the Emperor saw that Grand Tutor Xu spoke up for the Song family, he was surprised. Grand Tutor Xu had always looked down on military officers, but today he stood up for them, which showed that Lin Zhiyue's actions were really too much!

Grand Tutor Xu and General Bai, one a civil official and the other a military general, were both trusted ministers of the court. As the two spoke, the others echoed their sentiments.

Lin Zhiyue is indeed a rising star in the court, but he has done something incredibly foolish right after receiving his reward. He's probably going to get what's coming to him today.

"Lord Lin, you have truly disappointed me." The Emperor's voice was cold, revealing his utter disappointment.

Lin Zhiyue's heart sank further, these words echoing in his mind. He hurriedly kowtowed and begged for mercy: "Your Majesty, this humble subject truly knew nothing of this matter. If I had known, this humble subject would never have allowed it to happen. I beg Your Majesty to investigate thoroughly!"

"Lord Lin, Miss Qin is your wife. On the day of your marriage, you repeatedly said that she was kind-hearted and that you knew her inside and out. Now you say you know nothing about her. As an official of the court, how can you not even see through the vicious thoughts of the person next to you? Aren't you being foolish?" Chu Junting said calmly.

Lin Zhiyue was dumbfounded. Another charge against him?

"Shuangshuang was also deceived by a charlatan. In fact, it's all the fault of that charlatan, who harmed many people," Lin Zhiyue explained.

Grand Tutor Xu said coldly, "That is ignorance and foolishness, harming both others and oneself!"

As one charge after another rained down, Lin Zhiyue's face turned ashen. Song Lanzhi's life was uncertain, and the situation was already hopeless. At most, General Bai was willing to speak up for them in the court. Why were Grand Tutor Xu and Prince Chu protecting the Song family at this moment?

Song Zhiyu was also dumbfounded.

He was actually quite uneasy when he came to beat the drum to appeal today, but he was the most suitable person in the family to do this. Moreover, his fifth sister had already prepared his explanation, and he just needed to memorize it and say it to the emperor.

Who would have thought that his attempt to gain sympathy only lasted halfway before... he was no longer involved?

It wasn't until much later that he belatedly realized why his fifth sister had helped Madam Xu find her daughter—it was all for today!

Then look at the Minister of Rites who is also speaking up for her; it's all because of the Fifth Sister!

"Lin Zhiyue, you are morally corrupt, ignorant, ungrateful, and unworthy of your position. Today, I hereby strip you of your title of Marquis of Ningyuan and demote you to Earl of Yongning."

"Furthermore, the debt must be repaid immediately, or you may resign your position as Earl of Yongning!" the Emperor said, flicking his sleeve.

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhiyue turned pale, rolled his eyes, and fainted.

He had finally become the Marquis of Ningyuan, praised by everyone, through his military achievements, with a bright future ahead of him. But in the blink of an eye, he lost even the marquisate that his family had inherited, and became the Earl of Yongning.

How will he repay eight million taels of silver?

When Song Zhiyu walked out of the palace with the rewards, he felt dizzy and couldn't help but feel excited.

"Fifth Sister is amazing! She predicted everything!"

When he went out today, his fifth sister told him that as long as he told everything, he would not only not be punished by the emperor, but would also likely be rewarded by him. Now... it has all come true!

"From now on, I will definitely listen to my fifth sister."

……

Shuntian Mansion.

Qin Shuangshuang was eagerly waiting for Lin Zhiyue to come and redeem her. He had promised her yesterday that he would come and take her back to the manor today once he had raised 100,000 taels of silver, but it was almost noon and he still hadn't arrived.

"What exactly is wrong with Zhiyue? Could it be that he can't even scrape together 100,000 taels of silver, and he still hasn't come!"

Just then, she saw the jailer guarding her walk in and hurriedly said, "Sir, why hasn't the Marquis come yet? When can I get out?"

However, the jailer's face turned ashen, and he raised his hand to slap her, grabbing her throat tightly.

"You bitch! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have lost such a good job and had to go to jail!"

Qin Shuangshuang struggled desperately until the other prison guards grabbed the man and locked him in a nearby cell, only then was she able to catch her breath. "You madman, are you trying to kill me?"

"It's all your fault, you jinx, you scoundrel! You kept calling me 'Lord Marquis'! Now everyone in the capital knows that you've ruined Marquis Lin and turned him into the Earl of Yongning!"

Qin Shuangshuang's face turned deathly pale. "This...how is this possible?"