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

Zhao Jue paused, his brows furrowed. Who had the audacity to steal Shen Qingtan's sachet?

If such personal belongings are misused by someone with ulterior motives, Shen Qingtan's reputation will be ruined.

Zhao Yi is just letting it go?

His eyes revealed a cold mockery. This was the man Shen Qingtan held in her heart?

The next moment, someone said what he was thinking.

“A sachet is a personal item, and the maids around Second Madam would definitely keep a close watch on it. How could it have been stolen? Even if it was stolen, there must have been an inside thief. If we seal off the courtyard and search it, we're sure to find it.”

"Oh dear, that's the sachet that Second Grandmother used."

Second Madam was an excellent embroiderer. She had been practicing new embroidery techniques lately, but she was not satisfied with some of the handkerchiefs and sachets she had embroidered, so she ordered the servants to take them and burn them.

Who knew that when the servant in charge of this matter went to the toilet and returned, one of the sachets embroidered with a horse riding on auspicious clouds was missing.

I wonder what despicable thing this thief intended to do by stealing the sachet.

Zhao Jue's face instantly turned ashen, and he ground his back teeth fiercely.

He returned everything Shen Qingtan gave him, except for the first sachet.

The woman deliberately spread the news to prevent him from using the sachet to frame her.

His face was tense as he walked quickly forward, the faint sounds of servants talking coming from behind him.

How many people know about this?

"The servants in the manor all know."

"The servants all know, and the masters in the mansion have also heard the news."

This makes things much easier; from now on, we'll know who stole it whenever we see someone take out the sachet.

"If they catch them, they'd better punish them severely, as a warning to others."

Zhao Jue's face was so black it could drip ink, his hands were clenched into fists, the veins on the back of his hands were bulging, he wished he could rush to Lanxue Garden and drag Shen Qingtan out to question her.

He immediately decided to go back and burn the sachet; he couldn't bear to lose face like that.

Back in the new house, Zhao Jue heard Shen Mingzhu say in a high-pitched voice, "Everyone in the mansion is saying that my eldest sister's sachet is missing. Who has nothing better to do than steal her sachet?"

She really loves to show off; she's only been married into the Duke's mansion for a few days, and she's already stirring up trouble.

The servants inside dared not utter a sound.

Shen Mingzhu scoffed, "She doesn't really think that just because she has a seductive face, she can bewitch men so much that they steal her sachet to keep as a way to ease their lovesickness."

She thought of Shen Qingtan's strikingly beautiful face, gritted her teeth, and unconsciously added a sour tone to her voice: "I don't think there's anyone so blind."

"boom--"

The incense burner crashed to the ground with a loud bang.

Shen Mingzhu was startled, thinking it was some ignorant maid, and a surge of anger rose in her heart.

She suddenly turned her head to look behind her and saw Zhao Jue with a cold gaze, his eyes radiating a terrifying ferocity.

Shen Mingzhu's face turned pale, and she stammered, "Husband...husband, you...you..."

Zhao Jue's anger surged, and he shouted, "Is this the kind of upbringing the Marquis's mansion has? Learning from gossipy women to talk behind people's backs, what's the difference between you and the vulgar servants in the mansion?"

The color drained from Shen Mingzhu's face. In his eyes, she was so wretched.

"If you don't know the rules, go learn from your mother. Don't embarrass the Duke's mansion in public." Zhao Jue vented all the anger he had suffered at Shen Qingtan's hands on Shen Mingzhu, and then strode away.

As Shen Mingzhu watched Zhao Jue's departing figure, tears welled up instantly, a mix of humiliation and shame welling up inside her.

She didn't understand why he would fly into a rage and berate her so harshly for just saying a few sarcastic remarks.

Zhao Jue has Shen Qingtan in his heart, which is why he couldn't stand any words that belittled Shen Qingtan and defended her like this.

Shen Mingzhu could not accept this fact.

"Third Grandmother, Third Master scolding you isn't necessarily a bad thing."

Wan Dong took out a silk handkerchief to wipe away Shen Mingzhu's tears and offered her advice.

"The second branch of the family wanted to win the favor of the old lady and gain the attention of the old Duke."

Since Third Master thinks you don't know the rules, why don't you go to the Old Madam and ask someone to teach you the rules?

"As long as you win over the old lady, everyone in the second branch of the family will fawn over you."

Shen Mingzhu didn't hate Zhao Jue for admiring Shen Qingtan; instead, she resented Shen Qingtan for taking up more than ten years of her life. Otherwise, Zhao Jue would definitely have admired her.

After Wan Dong's advice, she knew very well that no matter how much she tried to please the second wife, they would not take her seriously. They would only fawn over her if they could profit from her.

A determined look flashed in Shen Mingzhu's eyes; she was determined to win the old lady's favor no matter what.

She wiped away her tears, gradually calming down and regaining her composure: "Has Qiu Chan responded?"

"There is no response yet." Wan Dong said casually, "On your wedding day, you scolded Qiu Chan and Chun Jiao and sent them back to serve Second Madam."

They knew they were disliked by you, and because they were your people, they would not be valued by the Second Mistress. So they tried to survive in the Zhao family.

If Second Madam extends an olive branch, they will seize it tightly; their hearts will naturally lean towards Second Madam.

Shen Mingzhu looked thoughtfully at Wan Dong. Wan Dong's appearance was unremarkable, quite ordinary, but she was efficient and decisive in her work. She didn't talk much usually, but every word she spoke hit the nail on the head.

She finally understood why Madam Shen had given Wan Dong as part of her dowry; it must be to make her her assistant.

"If that's the case, Qiu Chan and Chun Jiao must be quite uneasy. Besides me and my older sister, they have another option."

Shen Mingzhu was determined to get revenge on Shen Qingtan, but Madam Shen told her to be patient. She could endure it, but that wouldn't stop her from causing some trouble for Shen Qingtan.

"My elder sister is worried about her brother-in-law's health, and they haven't consummated their marriage yet. Everyone has emotions and desires, and my brother-in-law isn't a monk, so how can he be celibate?"

Wan Dong's eyes flickered, understanding the meaning behind Shen Mingzhu's words: "This servant will make the arrangements immediately."

Shen Mingzhu nodded slightly.

Before leaving in the late winter, she instructed Zhongxia to bring hot water to help Shen Mingzhu wash her face.

After cleansing her face, Shen Mingzhu reapplied her makeup and changed into a honey-colored top and a phoenix-tail skirt. The various colored silks were cut into strips of different widths, each embroidered with delicate lotus patterns and trimmed with gold thread on both sides, making her look charming and beautiful.

She turned around in front of the bronze mirror, a satisfied smile curving her lips. The old lady was getting on in years and loved to see the younger generation dressed in bright colors. She happily led Zhongxia to Shiantang to pay her respects to the old lady.

Just as the master and servant reached the entrance of Shian Hall, they vaguely heard the Second Madam's sobbing, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Shen Mingzhu stopped in her tracks, wondering what had happened to the second wife that made her pour out her troubles to the old lady.

A moment later, she heard the second wife crying and saying, "Mother, you must do justice for our second branch of the family. My daughter-in-law's family background is not as good as my sister-in-law's or my nephew's, but she is still a respectable noble family. How could she be so shallow as to embezzle her nephew's wife's dowry?"

Everyone in the mansion saw Shen Qingtan carry away her dowry, and she checked everything to make sure there were no problems.

Now, after only a few days, they've turned on each other, claiming there's a problem with the dowry and threatening to take the second wife to court.

Having lived this long, to be slandered like this, I wish I could die to prove my innocence.

The old lady sat on the kang (a heated brick bed), glancing indifferently at the second wife who was sitting on a stool, weeping with her face covered. She said with a headache, "Where did you get the news that Tan'er is going to accuse you of embezzling your dowry?"

“She personally sent someone to Jingde Hall to inform me that the dowry was all fake, and if I did not return the real dowry to her, she would take the case to the authorities.”

The second wife looked wronged, her eyes red from crying: "Her dowry was put into the second wife's storeroom, and it was no more than two days before she took it away. How could I have the ability to replace her dowry with counterfeit goods?"

"If there's any misunderstanding among family members, just sit down and talk it out. Why are you crying and making a fuss? It's giving me a headache." The old lady instructed the maid beside her, "Go and invite Second Madam over."

“Mother, this is more than just a misunderstanding. She’s throwing a huge bucket of dirty water on me; she’s clearly trying to harm me. With this lawsuit on my back, all the officials’ families in the capital will look down on me and gossip about me behind my back. How can I face anyone?”

The second wife was full of grievances, her soft and weak voice filled with resentment: "Everyone in the capital praises her for being knowledgeable, reasonable, and talented, and I believed it to be true. She has only been in the house for a few days, and she has already caused unrest in the household. She is clearly a scourge."

At this point, she said that she had a hard life, pulled the handkerchief over her face, covered her face with her hands, and sobbed.

The old lady's temples throbbed, and a look of annoyance flashed in her eyes.

After hearing the whole story, Shen Mingzhu was afraid that the flames of war would spread to her, so she didn't dare to join in the fun and quietly took Zhongxia back to the second house.

A quarter of an hour later, Shen Qingtan brought Liuyue and Tingxue to Shian Hall.

Shen Qingtan glanced around the room. The old lady sat quietly, while the second lady was crying with her head down.

She curtsied and said, "May Grandmother and Second Aunt enjoy boundless blessings."

"What kind of blessing is this? The fact that you didn't force me to my death is a blessing I've earned." The second wife retorted to Shen Qingtan.

Then, she pressed me, word by word, "I've watched you grow up since you were little. Besides your mother, you're the closest person to me."

I've asked myself honestly, and I haven't done anything to wrong you.

"Is it because you can't be husband and wife with Jue'er, and you harbor resentment towards the second wife, that you deliberately framed them for embezzling your dowry as revenge against us?"

"Second Aunt, you've misunderstood me. I'm not going to take you to court, but to sue the authorities to find the thief who stole my dowry."

Shen Qingtan seemed unable to bear the Second Madam's accusations, her face turning pale. She explained, "When you returned my dowry to me, Liu Mama checked it against the dowry list one by one, and it all matched."

"I discovered a problem with my dowry today. My maid, Liuyue, went out to buy some items and saw someone coming out of a pawnshop carrying a blue-and-white porcelain flat pot with flowers and birds in its hand. That was part of my dowry."

Liu Yue quickly said, "The rim of that flat pot was stained with rouge. Second Madam thought it looked nice, so she deliberately left it on and didn't wipe it off. That's how I recognized it as Second Madam's dowry at a glance."

However, the second mistress's dowry was in the storeroom. The maid suspected she had made a mistake, so she went to the pawnshop and reported several items of the second mistress's dowry. They brought them all out.

This matter is too suspicious. I returned to the manor to report to the Second Mistress, and they opened the storeroom to inspect the dowry, only to discover that the dowry in the storeroom was all counterfeit.

Upon hearing the words "pawnshop," the second wife's sobs faltered.

Shen Qingtan noticed her unusual behavior and said with her eyes lowered, "Grandmother, my dowry passed through my second aunt's hands. If we go to the authorities to recover the dowry, the officials will definitely question my second aunt. So I'll send someone to inform her."

She glanced at the second wife and said with a hint of helplessness, "Perhaps Liuyue is not articulate enough, and the second aunt mistakenly thought that I was going to accuse her of embezzling the dowry."

When the second wife heard Shen Qingtan blatantly lying, she was furious.

Liu Yue said, "Second Madam, my Second Mistress was taking inventory of her dowry today and discovered that it was a fake. This dowry only passed through your hands. If you do not return the dowry, we will not be able to consider family ties. Please, Your Honor, recover the dowry."

But she dared not say it, because Shen Qingtan's mention of the pawnshop meant that Shen Qingtan knew they had pawned their dowry.

Upon realizing this, the second wife instantly understood.

Shen Qingtan probably discovered the dowry was a fake long ago, but she didn't expose it that day for fear of being accused by Shen Qingtan. She was waiting for the right opportunity to take the dowry back.

Now that they have pawned Shen Qingtan's dowry, Shen Qingtan has seized this opportunity. She deliberately only says that she changed the dowry, threatening to sue the authorities, and makes her cry to the old lady. During the confrontation, she will then mention the pawnshop incident.

Shen Qingtan's real purpose was to use the old lady to force her to redeem her dowry.

Shen Qingtan never intended to take the matter to court. If she were to go to the government to demand her dowry back, even if she was in the right, she would lose face for the Duke's mansion and would certainly displease the old Duke and his wife.

The second wife was deathly pale, her hands and feet were ice-cold, and she regretted that she had realized it too late.

Once the old lady gets involved in the investigation, she will definitely be able to trace it back to the second branch of the family.

"This man has a death wish! He dared to steal my niece-in-law's dowry and try to frame our second branch of the family. He is truly despicable!" The second wife had a plan in mind and said angrily, "Mother, you should leave this matter to your daughter-in-law. I will definitely find out the truth."

The old Duke and Madam were already dissatisfied with the second branch of the family. If it were to be revealed that the second branch had embezzled Shen Qingtan's dowry, they would likely be disgusted with the old Duke and Madam and would not hand over the title to the second branch.

The old lady did not reply to the second madam's question, but instead asked Shen Qingtan, "Qingtan, what are your thoughts?"

Shen Qingtan respectfully said, "Grandmother, I will leave this matter to Second Aunt. I believe Second Aunt will handle it well."

"Alright, leave this matter to the second son's wife." The old lady gave a deadline: "Have it done within two days."

The second wife's expression changed, and she gritted her teeth and said, "I will take care of things as soon as possible."

Given the current situation, the dowry had no choice but to be returned to Shen Qingtan.

“Niece-in-law, your second aunt misunderstood you and made you suffer.” The second madam looked guilty, but her words were meaningful: “Only you and your close relatives knew about the dowry list. It’s not something that can be done in a day or two to replicate such a large dowry. And to be able to move it out of your courtyard so quietly is not something that an ordinary person can do.”

The second wife implied that Shen Qingtan had orchestrated a whole drama just to frame the second wife's family.