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

A small plot of land was cleared in front of the cabin, and a group of people stood there.

The mountain wind was strong at night, and the lanterns carried by the servants swayed in the wind, casting dim light that made everyone's expressions even more gloomy.

The attendant obeyed the order and went down the mountain to fetch two burly old women.

Shen Qingtan tucked her hands into her sleeves, fiddling with the jade bracelet on her wrist. She glanced at Shen Mingzhu beside her, noticing that her face was growing paler and paler, and that she was trembling violently as the old woman approached.

It's obvious they're feeling guilty.

"Stop! You...you all stay away!" Shen Mingzhu's heart pounded like a drum, her eyes filled with panic as she looked at Zhao Jue: "Third Master, I am the master of this mansion. You ordered lowly servants to search me. How am I supposed to maintain my authority in the mansion after this?"

Zhao Jue's face darkened; her reaction clearly indicated something was amiss.

Shen Mingzhu's eyes were filled with tears: "Third Master, we've only been married for a few days. If I put women around you, won't that make me a laughing stock among the wives of officials throughout the capital?"

Nevertheless, a seed of suspicion was planted in Zhao Jue's heart, and Shen Mingzhu's unusual behavior intensified his jealousy.

“The innocent will clear themselves. If you are innocent, I will give you an explanation.” Zhao Jue glanced at Shen Qingtan as he said this, and then said coldly, “If you don’t investigate, today’s events will create a rift in my heart and only affect the relationship between my husband and me.”

Shen Mingzhu tried to persuade Zhao Jue, but Zhao Jue ordered the old woman, "Search."

The old woman, who had been called lowly by Shen Mingzhu, held a grudge and stepped forward to restrain Shen Mingzhu, saying, "Third Madam, I'm sorry for offending you."

Then, they dragged the person into the cabin.

Qiu Chan then came to her senses and took out a small paper packet from her sleeve: "This is from Third Madam to me."

Zhao Jue took the small paper packet; there was still some powder left, emitting a seductive fragrance.

He showed it to the old woman who was holding him up late in the winter before putting it into his sleeve.

The old woman remembered the scent and pushed Wan Dong into the wooden house.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, two rough-looking old women walked out of the wooden house with their heads held high.

One of the old women held a delicate purse in her hands and presented it to Zhao Jue: "Third Master, this old servant found a purse on Wan Dong's body. There was some powder in the purse, and the smell was the same as the powder you gave this old servant to smell."

Zhao Jue's face was clouded with gloom, and his gaze turned sharply toward the cabin.

Shen Mingzhu clutched her collar with both hands, her face pale and her eyes red, as if she had suffered a great humiliation. She stood far away from him, not daring to approach.

He wished he could strangle Shen Mingzhu; she was a complete idiot who was good for nothing and good for nothing.

Zhao Jue said coldly, "After you return to the manor, elevate Qiu Chan's status." He paused, then looked at Wan Dong with a chilling gaze: "As for your maid, she will receive twenty strokes of the cane after returning to the manor tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Wan Dong's legs went weak, and she slid to her knees, kowtowing and begging for mercy: "Third Master, spare my life..."

Thirty strokes of the cane.

Wan Dong's words of pleading for mercy were stuck in her throat, afraid that if she said even one more word, she would be given ten more lashes.

Shen Mingzhu had a gash in her chest, from which cold air was emanating.

Her bloodshot eyes were wide open as she tried to hold back her tears, but the more she tried, the more tears streamed down her face.

Zhao Jue instructed the two rough-looking old women: "Take good care of Qiu Chan today."

The unsophisticated old woman quickly agreed and went to help Qiu Chan.

Before leaving, Zhao Jue gave Shen Qingtan a deep look, and when he caught sight of the eight burly men beside her, his face darkened even more. Then he strode down the mountain.

Shen Qingtan took out a plain brocade handkerchief from her sleeve and stuffed it into Shen Mingzhu's hand.

"Second sister, I never expected you to do such a foolish thing. The master of the manor wanted to take a concubine after you became pregnant with the legitimate son. My brother-in-law has something to ask of our family, and you have someone to rely on. If you didn't agree, he wouldn't dare to force you to take a concubine."

Now that you've personally sent someone to his room, and using such dishonorable means, you've lost your confidence and become much less respectable in front of your brother-in-law. From now on, no matter what he does that disrespects you, the Marquis's mansion won't stand up for you.

Shen Qingtan showed a helpless expression, as if she couldn't salvage the situation, and sighed: "Fortunately, Qiu Chan is part of your dowry that your mother prepared to secure your favor, and she is of one mind with you."

Hearing Shen Qingtan's words, which were like daggers stabbing her in the heart, Shen Mingzhu knew perfectly well that she had made a terrible mistake.

"You don't need to pretend to be a good person in front of me. Isn't this all your doing?" Shen Mingzhu's eyes were filled with resentment as she completely tore off the mask: "Don't be so smug. We'll see what happens from now on."

"Second sister, although I don't know who forced you to buy the powder or who instructed Qiu Chan to climb into bed with you, I still want to thank you, second sister..." Shen Qingtan reached out to straighten her disheveled collar and whispered in her ear, "If it weren't for second sister, Qiu Chan wouldn't have gotten a proper status so quickly."

Shen Mingzhu felt her blood rush to her head, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.

Shen Qingtan withdrew her hand from her collar, glanced at her furious expression, and smiled slightly before heading down the mountain with Liuyue.

Liu Yue felt extremely pleased: "Second Madam, when we went up the mountain just now, Third Madam was so arrogant and deliberately said things to hurt you."

I reckon she thought the Second Master was in the cabin, and deliberately brought people to see you and the Second Master make a fool of yourselves, but who knew it was actually the Third Master.”

As if she had just realized something, she composed herself and said with some surprise, "I thought Qiu Chan wanted to be someone in the Second Master's room, but I didn't expect her to be eyeing the Third Master."

Shen Qingtan was not surprised at all. Everyone knew that Zhao Yi only had six months to live and could not have children.

Qiu Chan is ambitious and wants to become the master. She must have an offspring to turn her life around.

Qiu Chan climbed into Zhao Yi's bed. She had no children and would soon be widowed, living a hard life in the backyard of the mansion with her. It would be better for her to be a maid.

Zhao Jue was different. He was handsome and talented, and he lived a long life. After having a child and raising him to adulthood, Qiu Chan's good days began.

Suddenly, Liu Yue exclaimed in shock, "Second Madam, you knew Qiu Chan's thoughts all along, so you gave her the chance tonight?"

No, you wouldn't send someone into Third Master's room for no reason. Could it be that you sent a message to Qiu Chan in the mansion before late winter, wanting Qiu Chan to climb into Second Master's bed?

"Second Master came to Longhua Temple today, and Third Madam is forcing Qiu Chan to make her move tonight. Are you going to just go along with it and let Third Madam reap what she sows?"

Shen Qingtan smiled, neither admitting nor denying.

Today, Zhao Jue came to the meditation room to find her, and she saw Shen Mingzhu hiding in the shadows. The hatred in Shen Mingzhu's eyes was so intense that it was hard for her to ignore it.

Shen Qingtan saw Shen Mingzhu's determination to take revenge, so she deliberately tormented the second madam during evening lessons, and then sent Qiu Chan to find Shen Mingzhu.

Because Qiu Chan was a pawn planted by Shen Mingzhu, she deliberately sent Qiu Chan to Shen Mingzhu so that Shen Mingzhu could find an opportunity to "conspire" with Qiu Chan.

This way, she could maintain the initiative; otherwise, if Shen Mingzhu calmed down and found another opportunity to act, she feared that she might make a mistake despite her careful planning.

When Shen Mingzhu's desire for revenge is at its strongest, she will never let go of any opportunity to make a move.

Before that, she had deliberately tested Qiu Chan by giving her a pink and dark blue cloak.