She mistakenly got into the bridal sedan chair and married a sickly but powerful minister, becoming

Shen Qingtan, still half-asleep, didn't hear clearly at first: "Who?"

"Third Master Zhao has asked you to meet at Bicheng Pavilion. He'll be waiting for you until the end of the 5-7 PM. Are you going to keep the appointment?" Liu Yue asked, carefully observing Shen Qingtan's expression, afraid that Shen Qingtan might still have feelings for Zhao Jue.

Shen Qingtan sat up straight and rubbed her throbbing head: "We should go see them; there are some things we need to get back."

Liu Yue remembered the items Shen Qingtan had given to Zhao Jue and muttered, "This servant forgot about this. Your things are in the hands of Third Master Zhao. If he has any bad intentions in the future and uses these things to make trouble, you will be in deep trouble."

Shen Qingtan frowned slightly, then covered her mouth with her handkerchief and coughed a few times.

Liu Yue poured a glass of warm water and handed it to Shen Qingtan, then took out a house deed from her sleeve: "Miss, I went to the government office to register it and changed the name."

Shen Qingtan took a couple of sips of water, which soothed her throat considerably: "Take this and put it away."

"This servant will go find Granny Liu now." Liu Yue hurriedly left.

Shen Qingtan leaned against the large pillow to rouse herself. After a quarter of an hour, she called Qiu Chan in to do her hair and makeup, and then took her to the bedroom.

Qiu Chan stood there in astonishment, seemingly not expecting Shen Qingtan to be willing to take her along.

"What are you standing there for?" Shen Qingtan touched the delicate clove on her earlobe and urged, "Hurry up and catch up."

Qiu Chan followed, dumbfounded, hesitant to speak.

Regardless of what Qiu Chan was thinking, Shen Qingtan went straight to a secluded and exquisite little house in Lanxue Garden.

Jiang Mu stood guard at the door. Upon seeing the two, he respectfully bowed and said, "Second Madam, Second Master is inside handling official business."

"I need to see Second Master. Could you please pass on my message and ask if I have time to meet with you?"

"Second Master said you've arrived, there's no need to announce your arrival."

Jiang Mu opened the door.

Shen Qingtan was stunned for a moment, then quickly came to her senses, leaving Qiu Chan standing at the door, and went into the room alone.

A delicate sandalwood scent filled the room, calming her slightly agitated heart.

Zhao Yi was physically weak and especially sensitive to cold, so this room was specially built for him. It was well-lit and not cold even in winter.

She looked around the room. The furniture and furnishings had a Zen-like feel. There was a window on the wall opposite the door, and a daybed was placed under the window. On the daybed were books and paintings for the master to read at any time.

Under the window on one side of the door was a large desk, with writing brushes, ink, paper and inkstones neatly arranged on it, along with two round-backed chairs. Zhao Yi sat in the sunlight, flipping through official documents.

"You've arrived." Zhao Yi put down the official documents, came to the bedside, and opened the window: "Sit."

Shen Qingtan sat gracefully on the couch, glancing casually out the window, instantly captivated by the scenery.

The pink and white courtyard walls are covered with vines, lush and verdant. Several crabapple trees are planted in the courtyard, their flower buds a bright red, like dots of rouge, extremely beautiful.

Zhao Yi watched as she unconsciously leaned against the window, her dark, moist eyes gazing at the scenery in the courtyard. The setting sun outside the window shone on her fair and delicate face, making her even more radiant and captivating than the beautiful crabapple blossoms in the courtyard.

He poured tea for her, carrying a teapot: "If you like, you can come here to read when you have nothing to do on weekdays."

"No need." Shen Qingtan knew that Zhao Yi didn't like being close to people, but seeing that she liked the scenery of the mansion, she kindly opened the mansion to her. However, she couldn't be unaware of the situation: "Second Master, are you free now?"

"What's the matter with you?"

"The sun is shining brightly today, and I would like to invite Second Master to stroll through the garden together."

Zhao Yi looked at Shen Qingtan in surprise, unable to fathom her thoughts.

"Third Master Zhao invited me to meet at Bicheng Pavilion, and after much thought, I've decided to go." After careful consideration, Shen Qingtan decided to invite Zhao Yi along to avoid anyone using her "secret meeting" with Zhao Jue as a pretext: "I was previously engaged to him, and we exchanged some gifts, which I need to retrieve. However, our relationship was not ordinary, so it's inconvenient for us to meet alone in private."

Zhao Yi's expression was subtle: "So you're inviting me to go?"

His cool eyes were deep and dark. Shen Qingtan couldn't see through his emotions. She belatedly felt guilty and held the teacup with both hands, saying, "You are my husband."

Inviting her husband to take her to see her former fiancé and ask for the personal items they had previously exchanged is something only she would do.

Zhao Yi had a strange thought: it was better than her meeting Zhao Jue in private; at least she trusted him.

In the silence that filled the room, Shen Qingtan felt a pang of regret for her hasty decision, which seemed rather abrupt.

Just as she was about to find an excuse to refuse, she heard him sigh helplessly: "Go now?"

Seeing that he agreed, Shen Qingtan was a little surprised: "He waited until the end of You Shi (5-7 PM). It's still early now. If you have official business to attend to, then wait until you've finished your business before you go."

There is still one and a half hours left until the end of the You hour (5-7 PM).

Zhao Yi: "..."

He casually pulled out a few letters to process.

-

Zhao Jue sat in the Bicheng Pavilion for two hours. There were still two quarters of an hour left before the end of the You hour. He figured that Shen Qingtan would not come to keep the appointment, so he decided not to wait any longer.

He had just stood up when he saw Shen Qingtan arrive.

She had a plain face without any makeup, wearing a silver-red gauze blouse with short sleeves and a honey-colored silk skirt. She came through the flowers and willows, more beautiful and radiant than the peach blossoms in full bloom in the garden.

Zhao Jue couldn't help but take a step forward, only to find Zhao Yi beside her with a gloomy expression.

Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi entered the pavilion side by side. She seemed not to notice Zhao Jue's displeasure. She took out a handkerchief and wiped the stone bench. Then she asked Qiu Chan to place the cushions she had brought on the stone bench before letting Zhao Yi sit down.

Zhao Yi sat down and called out in a low voice, "Third Brother."

"Second Brother." Zhao Jue looked at Shen Qingtan standing beside Zhao Yi and called out with a tense face, "Second Sister-in-law."

He didn't know whether Zhao Yi or Shen Qingtan had gone mad.

One was sending his wife to meet her former fiancé, while the other was bringing her husband to meet her former lover.

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, your second brother isn't feeling well, so we've cleared out the pavilion for him to rest in." She pointed to a willow tree not far away: "Shall we talk over there?"

Zhao Jue gave Shen Qingtan a deep look, then strode towards the willow tree.

Shen Qingtan instructed Qiu Chan to take good care of Zhao Yi, then left the pavilion and came to the willow tree. Standing a few steps away from Zhao Jue, she turned back to look at the man in the pavilion.

Seeing that she was preoccupied with Zhao Yi and in a troubled mood, Zhao Jue spoke without thinking: "Tan'er, you don't need to put on an act in front of me. We've known each other for over ten years, while you've only known your second brother for three days. I don't believe you've let go of me and turned your affections to your second brother."

“Brother-in-law, it’s not that I admire you that led to our engagement. It’s only after we got engaged that I started to treat you like family and become closer to you.” Shen Qingtan’s expression was indifferent as she corrected him, “A woman obeys her father at home and her husband after marriage. Naturally, I should have my husband in my heart.”

Zhao Jue didn't believe a word of it: "If that's the case, why don't you tell Boss Qin that you didn't marry me, so he'll refuse to cooperate with me?"