After being sentenced to death, she came to her senses.

The scale and luxury of Donglan Courtyard far exceeded Fang Xiaoran's imagination.

As soon as she stepped into the courtyard, she felt an overwhelming aura of wealth and luxury.

The courtyard features craggy artificial hills and a clear lake dotted with blooming lotus flowers. A gentle breeze causes the lotus leaves to sway softly, creating a scene reminiscent of an exquisite painting. The winding corridors, with their carved beams and painted rafters, showcase the owner's status and power in every detail.

It is evident that the Marquis's family treated this second wife with great care. Although they were both equal wives, their treatment was vastly different.

Fang Xiaoran followed behind the maid and walked slowly along the corridor.

Gu Yuqing was also beside her, always smiling, his emotions unreadable.

Fang Xiaoran had only heard a little about Jiang Yuke; outsiders rarely mentioned the affairs of the Marquis's mansion, and most only had a superficial understanding of them.

The maid led them to the main hall, gently pushed open the carved wooden door, stepped aside, and respectfully said, "Madam is waiting for you inside. Please come in."

Fang Xiaoran nodded slightly and stepped into the main hall.

The interior was equally luxurious, with valuable calligraphy and paintings hanging on the walls, exquisite porcelain on the tables, and a faint scent of sandalwood in the air.

Jiang Yuke sat upright in the main seat, holding a cup of tea in her hand. Her expression was indifferent, and there was a hint of coldness in her eyes. However, this coldness vanished the moment Fang Xiaoran and the others appeared, replaced by a gentle smile.

Fang Xiaoran stepped forward and bowed respectfully: "Daughter-in-law Fang Xiaoran greets Second Mother."

Gu Yuqing also bowed slightly, his tone indifferent: "Second Madam."

Jiang Yuke glanced at them, her gaze lingering on Fang Xiaoran for a moment before she said calmly, "Serve the tea."

Then, a maid came over with a teacup. Fang Xiaoran understood, took the tea from the maid, presented it to Jiang Yuke with both hands, and said with a gentle smile and respectful expression, "Second Madam, please have some tea."

Jiang Yuke smiled and took the tea, picked it up and took a sip. She smiled and said, "I like you as soon as I saw you. Qing'er's marriage has been delayed again and again, but it has finally been settled. As a mother, I am naturally happy for you. However, you missed the right time. You should be punished."

The words "should be punished" were not directed at Fang Xiaoran, but at Gu Yuqing.

Her voice was soft and gentle, with only a hint of reproach in it.

Gu Yuqing gave a wry smile, offered no explanation, and immediately said respectfully, "I know I was wrong."

"Hongfu, hurry up and take the Second Young Master away. I want to have a good chat with Xiaoran today. No one else should disturb us," Jiang Yuke ordered. The maid named Hongfu quickly stepped forward and led Gu Yuqing away.

In the blink of an eye, only the two of them remained in the main hall. Jiang Yuke had clearly deliberately sent Gu Yuqing away, and Fang Xiaoran was pondering her purpose when she saw Jiang Yuke stand up, gently grasp her arm, help her up, and smile, "I heard you went to the Purple Bamboo Forest first. I wonder if you saw your sister?"

She abruptly changed the subject, mentioning Shang Lingzhu, as if she felt his motives were impure.

Fang Xiaoran didn't hide anything and nodded slightly, "I saw him."

"That's truly remarkable. She thought that if she stayed at home, she might not even show up even if the Marquis's mansion turned upside down. Yet she actually came to see you." Jiang Yuke smiled and pulled Fang Xiaoran to sit beside her. She gently held Fang Xiaoran's hand and said with deep emotion, "Marrying Qing'er was indeed a disservice to you, but don't worry, in the future, no one in this Marquis's mansion will be able to bully you."

This move was somewhat unexpected for Fang Xiaoran. She had thought that Jiang Yuke would take the opportunity to make things difficult for her, but now it seemed that she was deliberately trying to win her over.

She had clearly established herself in the Marquis's mansion, and even the First Madam, Shang Lingzhu, lived in seclusion in the Purple Bamboo Grove. So why was she like this?

Although she was pondering in her heart, Fang Xiaoran smiled and said, "How can I say I'm wronged by being able to enter the Marquis's mansion? Second Sister, you flatter me."

"You're quite the smooth talker, girl. You've just won me over. You must come and chat with me often in the future." With that, she ordered someone to bring an exquisite brocade box and handed it to Fang Xiaoran. "This isn't a particularly valuable item, but it was given to me by my mother when I got married. I've treasured it ever since, intending to give it to my future daughter-in-law when my three children get married. Now that you've joined the family, consider this a gift for our first meeting."

Jiang Yuke only had two sons. Her eldest son was fighting on the battlefield, and her second son was traveling around and rarely came back. The person she saw most often in the mansion was Gu Yuqing. But Gu Yuqing was Shang Lingzhu's son, and she treated him as her own son, which was really strange.

Could it be that Gu Yuqing is closer to her than to his own birth mother?

However, Gu Yuqing's personality was not unpleasant. Even with that relationship, it didn't affect anything because Shang Lingzhu rarely showed up.

Fang Xiaoran took the brocade box from Jiang Yuke and was slightly startled.

Although the brocade box is small, it is exquisitely carved and is clearly an extremely valuable item.

She gently opened the box and saw a gold hairpin inside. The hairpin was inlaid with several crystal-clear gemstones, which shimmered brilliantly in the candlelight. The workmanship of the hairpin was extremely exquisite. The head of the hairpin was carved with a phoenix with outstretched wings, so lifelike that it seemed as if it would fly out of the hairpin at any moment.

Jiang Yuke said that this was a gift from her mother when she got married, and she has treasured it to this day, finding it to be of great significance.

This gift was clearly more than just a greeting present; it was also a test and an attempt to win him over.

She closed the brocade box, her face showing gratitude, and her tone was respectful and humble: "Second Madam, your kindness is too much for me to accept. This gift is so precious, I really don't deserve it."

"It's just a small gift, please don't find it offensive. Here, let me put it on for you." Jiang Yuke took her hand, took out the gold hairpin, and gently put it on her head. The action was extremely smooth, as if she had planned it all along.

Such enthusiasm, however, aroused Fang Xiaoran's suspicion.

There's definitely something wrong with this hairpin.

Fang Xiaoran naturally didn't show it, and with a smile on her face, she said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Thank you, Second Madam."

"We're family, no need for thanks." Jiang Yuke smiled slightly, and the two continued to exchange pleasantries, talking about trivial matters. However, she had some doubts about Gu Yuqing's leg injury recovery and asked if Fang Xiaoran had healed him. Fang Xiaoran simply shook her head silently.

After chatting for a while, Jiang Yuke sighed softly, her tone tinged with emotion: "Alright, it's getting late, you should go back now. You're a smart person. From now on, in the Marquis's mansion, we'll be family. If you have any difficulties, just come to me, don't be shy."

Fang Xiaoran stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Daughter-in-law takes her leave."

As Fang Xiaoran left Donglan Courtyard, she kept thinking about Jiang Yuke's purpose. This person seemed gentle, but there was an indescribable strangeness about him.

Gu Yuqing was nowhere to be found, and Fang Xiaoran planned to go back first. But just as she was about to leave, a woman in a pale yellow dress walked towards her with a smile.

"Sister-in-law, it's a rare sight to see you, won't you like to chat?"