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

The second wife fainted after being hit by a series of blows, and Zhao Jue carried her back to Jingde Hall.

The second master was startled and followed after them, instructing the maid, "Quickly, summon the family physician."

Shen Mingzhu stepped out of the door and looked back at Zhao Yi.

He was handsome with red lips and white teeth, and his eyebrows and eyes were like a painting. He rested his forehead on one hand, leaning back in his chair with a tired and lazy air, exuding an air of elegance.

The Duke of Zhao valued him highly. If it weren't for his poor health, he would have been established as the heir long ago.

The second wife vied for the job of transporting military supplies, but Zhao Yi's word resulted in the task falling to a son born out of wedlock.

Shen Mingzhu gazed blankly at the soft night sky, her eyes vacant. If she were to marry Zhao Yi…

The moment the thought crossed Shen Mingzhu's mind, she snapped out of it and immediately stopped herself from doing so.

After the second branch of the family left, Duke Zhao ordered that food be served.

The Duke of Zhao and his wife had no appetite, and the Third Master and his wife dared not touch their chopsticks.

The First Madam was worried about her father and brothers and had not eaten properly for the past few days. Today, the matter of transporting grain was settled, and she immediately had an appetite, but she had to pay attention to etiquette because of her elders.

She gave the old man a wink and glanced at the food.

The master immediately understood and instructed Guan Mama: "Madam has lost a lot of weight. The doctor said she needs to eat more. Please serve her more rice and dishes."

Then, he looked at the Duke of Zhao and the old lady: "She's so old, yet she's still so picky and willful. She won't eat when she gets back. She's only well-behaved in front of you, and doesn't dare to act out."

The master seemed to be going to great lengths to get his wife to eat, as he used serving chopsticks to put several dishes on her plate.

He deliberately put on a stern face: "Eat everything, no picky eating allowed."

The First Madam's bowl was full of her favorite dishes, but she couldn't feel happy at all.

The master's words embarrassed her, and the first wife wanted to beat him up, but the occasion was inappropriate, so she felt extremely uncomfortable.

When the Duke of Zhao and his wife saw that the eldest wife had lost weight and was eating with a pained expression, they gave the eldest master a reproachful look.

The First Madam ate a piece of tender fish and felt satisfied.

The old lady said tenderly, "Eldest daughter-in-law, if you can't eat, then don't. There's no need to force yourself."

The First Madam sighed because there was only one piece of fish: "Mother, don't force yourself, we can't waste it."

"Yes." The old man glanced at Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi. "The juniors are still here."

Shen Qingtan: "..."

Zhao Yi: "..."

The First Madam "reluctantly" finished her meal and thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the group left Shian Hall, the First Madam took Shen Qingtan's hand and couldn't help but share, "Daughter-in-law, the fish dish today was very delicious. I'll ask the kitchen for the recipe later, and you can take it to the small kitchen to cook it. I'm sure you'll like it."

Seeing the First Madam's lingering enjoyment of the food, and recalling her "painful" appearance at the dinner table, Shen Qingtan couldn't help but chuckle: "Mother doesn't like fish, but she thinks it's delicious. I must try it."

"..."

The First Lady salvaged her dignity: "Although I don't like eating fish, that doesn't mean I can deny its deliciousness."

“I was being narrow-minded,” Shen Qingtan said again. “Mother remembers to ask Father to get the recipe. He insisted on cooking fish to nourish your body.”

Madam: "..."

"Daughter-in-law, I'll take my leave now." Shen Qingtan gently tugged at Zhao Yi's sleeve.

Zhao Yi glanced at the wide sleeves fluttering in the night breeze, then looked up and saw the smile she couldn't hide in her eyes. He smiled back and left with her.

As the young couple walked away, the First Madam could faintly hear Shen Qingtan's clear laughter.

The old man realized what he meant: "That's right, if you ask for the recipe, you'll be exposed... oh..."

The First Madam pinched the soft flesh of the Master's waist: "It's all your fault for forcing me to eat, which allowed my daughter-in-law to tease me."

The magistrate put on a mask of pain: "..." Even Dou E couldn't have been as wronged as him.

-

Shen Qingtan stepped on the moonlight reflecting on the ground, her lips slightly upturned, feeling this relaxed for the first time since her rebirth.

The First Madam is proud and arrogant, but not annoying; in fact, one could say she's quite adorable.

She couldn't help but turn her gaze to the man beside her. He was indifferent, lacking both the magnanimity of the master and the free-spiritedness of the mistress; he was too taciturn.

Zhao Yi gazed into her gentle eyes and brows: "Are you very happy today?"

"Yes." Shen Qingtan nodded, a smile playing on her lips. "My mother thinks differently from me."

A smile flickered in Zhao Yi's eyes: "Father is going to suffer."

Shen Qingtan was taken aback.

Zhao Yi smiled faintly and said, "It's because her father forced her to eat a lot, which made the younger generation laugh at her."

Shen Qingtan: "..."

She looked guilty: "I've dragged my father down with me."

“You don’t need to feel guilty. Your father is used to it. He will only feel uncomfortable if your mother stops bothering him.”

Zhao Yi paused for a moment, looking at her clear eyes with a calm gaze: "There's no need to be too reserved when interacting with family members. You behaved very well just now; that's the liveliness that's appropriate for your age."

Shen Qingtan stood there stunned. What should she look like at this age?

The memory was too distant and blurry for her to recall.

She was close to the First Madam not only because the First Madam treated her well, but also because she secretly envied the relationship between the First Madam and the Master.

Whenever she was with the First Madam, she would unconsciously let down her guard and reveal some of her true self.

Authenticity...

Zhao Yi saw her standing quietly under the willow tree, her dark, bright eyes veiled with mist, her expression blank, and she looked somewhat pale and fragile.

Before their marriage, he had met her a few times. She was dignified and virtuous in front of the elders, calm and decisive when facing difficulties, and innocent and carefree when meeting with her close female friends.

Each time, I discover a different side of her; the only constant is her carefree and contented nature.

After marriage, although she was gentle, virtuous, shrewd and wise, she wore a thick mask on her face and carried a heavy shell on her body, becoming more and more calm and reserved.

The carefree attitude she once had when telling her best friend, "Enjoy life while you can," is nowhere to be seen in her anymore.

Such relaxation tonight must be a sign that the second wife has stumbled.

The night was chilly in late spring, and Zhao Yi took off his cloak and draped it over Shen Qingtan's shoulders.

A wave of warmth instantly enveloped Shen Qingtan. She smelled the faint scent of bitter medicine and stared blankly at Zhao Yi.

“Grandfather asked me who was escorting the military supplies because he felt sorry for you and wanted to make it up to the eldest son’s family.”

Zhao Yi smiled slightly and said gently, "Grandfather did not want to see his brothers turn against each other, so he demoted Zhao Jue's official position as a deliberate warning. If Zhao Jue can repent and take this opportunity to hone his skills, Grandfather will promote him when the time is right."

It all depends on whether Zhao Jue can understand the Duke of Zhao's good intentions and seize this opportunity.

Shen Qingtan wrapped her hands around her cloak, the heat from her body flushing her snow-white face: "Zhao Jue harbors resentment towards Grandfather, resenting that Grandfather favors you. With this prejudice, he is destined to be unable to understand Grandfather's good intentions."

Zhao Yi smiled and stopped the discussion.

The couple returned to Lanxue Garden, where a maid brought hot water for them to wash their hands.

Liu Yue came in and announced, "Second Master, Second Madam, someone from the Fourth Branch has arrived."

"Fourth branch?" Shen Qingtan's mind flashed with the fourth wife's cold face, and she asked uncertainly, "Fourth Uncle is here?"