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

Madam Shen's eyes were red-rimmed. For the first time in her life, she was reprimanded mercilessly by her husband and even slapped.

"My lord, I wanted to avenge Zhu'er, and I acted impulsively without careful consideration. That's how someone took advantage of my weakness and turned the tables on me."

Madam Shen was afraid of the Marquis of Chengen's rage and dared not defend herself.

Marquis Chengen said coldly, "During this time, you go to pay your respects to your mother morning and evening. If she doesn't want to see you, even if you stand at the door and wait, you have to wait for me for an hour before you come back."

Madam Shen's face turned ashen. The old lady had long since exempted her from the morning and evening greetings, and even if she wanted to pretend to be filial and go to pay her respects, the old lady had never seen her.

Even if she stood there for an hour, or even from morning till night, the old lady would not invite her into the house.

Marquis Chengen instructed her to put on a show for the old lady, which was also a way of punishing her.

"Master Hou..."

"There's no point in saying more now that things have come to this," Marquis Chengen interrupted her, saying in a deep voice, "Take Huai'er to your mother now to apologize."

Madam Shen felt aggrieved, but she could only swallow her anger and turn to leave the study.

Shen Shaohuai never interrupted when Madam Shen and Marquis Chengen were arguing.

Especially since he did make a mistake today, and Marquis Chengen is in a fit of anger, if he tries to exonerate Madam Shen, it will be like adding fuel to the fire, and this fire will burn him as well.

He silently walked out of the study, only to see Shen Shaoheng swaggering over.

"Oh dear, Second Aunt, who slapped you like that?" Shen Shaoheng, with his sleeves rolled up, leaned closer and stared at Madam Shen's swollen face. He said in surprise, "Could it be that Second Uncle heard the rumors outside and blamed you for not raising your son properly, so he slapped you just now?"

Madam Shen's face turned pale and then flushed.

Shen Shaohuai frowned deeply.

"Second Uncle, isn't there some misunderstanding here? Although Second Aunt raised a dissolute like me, we can't condemn her entirely and think she couldn't raise a decent person."

Shen Shaoheng looked at the Marquis of Chengen at the door of the study and said with a grin, "Besides, my second brother has always only studied the classics and is not that kind of person. Even when he sleeps with a concubine, his second aunt has to set the date. If he were a lecherous person, he would not listen to his second aunt and would have secretly sneaked into the concubine's bed long ago."

Yes, if Shen Shaohuai were a lecherous person, he would have cheated on his wife long ago, which is why he keeps women on the side!

The people at the door all understood what this meant, and their faces immediately turned pale.

Shen Shaoheng enjoyed watching their frustrated expressions and felt a surge of satisfaction.

He overheard rumors about Shen Shaohuai keeping a mistress outside the home and immediately returned to the mansion to tell the old lady.

The old lady doted on him and wanted him to inherit the title, but unfortunately he was not ambitious and had no interest in the position.

As Shen Shaohuai became more and more successful, the old lady also began to waver.

Today, he deliberately exaggerated the situation in front of the old lady, and expressed his desire to learn well and his intention to inherit the title and guard the Marquis's mansion for his deceased father.

Furthermore, he incited the old lady to ask her relatives to intervene and force the Marquis of Chengen to appoint him as the heir apparent.

The old lady agreed.

"Second Uncle, anger is bad for your health. Let's talk this out and clear up the misunderstanding. There's no need for violence." Shen Shaoheng put his hands behind his back and glanced at Madam Shen: "Grandmother is inviting relatives to the Marquis's residence tomorrow. Second Aunt's face is swollen from being slapped. How will she face anyone?"

Madam Shen's expression changed drastically: "What...what do you mean by that?"

Even Marquis Chengen and Shen Shaohuai could not remain calm.

The old lady wanted to invite the clansmen over as soon as Shen Shaohuai got into trouble. She probably wanted to force Marquis Chengen to ask Shen Shaoheng to be named the heir.

Shen Shaoheng said without any guile, "It's probably because my second brother has passed the imperial examination and brought honor to our ancestors. My grandmother is planning to have my second uncle ask him to be granted the title of heir apparent."

The three remained silent for a moment, but could no longer sit still, and immediately went to see the old lady.

Shen Shaoheng watched the three figures disappear into the distance and chuckled.

In truth, he had to thank his younger sister for this. If it weren't for his second aunt trying to deal with her, things wouldn't have gone awry and harmed Shen Shaohuai, allowing him to seize the opportunity to take a bite out of them.

Shen Shaoheng returned to his room and wrote a lengthy letter, instructing someone to deliver it to Shen Qingtan.

-

After watching the excitement on Nanshui Street, Shen Qingtan took a carriage back to the Duke's Mansion.

She understood those people's thoughts, which enabled her to orchestrate this grand spectacle.

Zhu Yu may not necessarily love Zhao Yi, but she loves Zhao Yi for the wealth and luxury he can provide her with. Anyone who can give her a life of wealth and luxury can replace Zhao Yi in her heart.

Yesterday, Zhu Yu was intimidated by Zhao Yi, and she was bound to feel fear, afraid that Zhao Yi would arrest her and hand her over to Lord Jiang.

Today, a refined and elegant gentleman has arrived. How could Zhu Yu not be tempted?

Once she gets close to Shen Shaohuai, Zhao Yi won't touch her anymore.

Madam Shen will surely witness a scene that will enrage her.

Given Madam Shen's extreme desire to control Shen Shaohuai, how could she tolerate Zhu Yu seducing him?

She sent another message to Shen Shaoheng, wondering if he could seize this opportunity and reclaim his position as heir apparent.

Hopefully, this cousin won't disappoint her.

Back at Lanxue Garden, Shen Qingtan freshened up and then received a letter from Shen Shaoheng.

She was somewhat surprised. Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, she opened the thin envelope, took out a letter, and found that the handwriting on it was crooked and messy, like a puppy had crawled across it, so ugly that it was unbearable to look at.

[Little sister, the weather will be lovely tomorrow. Your brother invites you to come to the manor to watch the face-changing performance. It's one of the troupe's specialties.]

Shen Qingtan: "..." That's really mean.

She handed the letter to Liuyue: "Burn it."

"Hey." Liu Yue took the letter and burned it.

Tingxue redrew Shen Qingtan's makeup, giving her a special peach blossom makeup look.

After Shen Qingtan finished applying her eyebrows with the black ink, she held up the bronze mirror and looked at herself from a distance.

Another figure was reflected in the mirror.

She paused, her watery eyes meeting the man's dark eyes in the bronze mirror.

Zhao Yi gazed at Shen Qingtan's bright and beautiful face, which was adorned with exquisite makeup, making her appear even more radiant and captivating.

He spoke gently, "Going out again?"

"Yes." Shen Qingtan felt uncomfortable under his gaze and put down the bronze mirror in her hand: "My fourth aunt invited me to go out of the manor for a stroll."

Zhao Yi was somewhat surprised that Shen Qingtan was on good terms with the Fourth Madam. Then, thinking of the Fourth Madam's personality, he rubbed his temples.

Shen Qingtan noticed his unusual behavior: "What's wrong? Don't you want me to go out?"

“…No.” Zhao Yi did not restrict her freedom, but only advised, “Be careful when you’re out and about, and don’t let your guard down.”

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "I went out with my fourth aunt, so don't worry."

Zhao Yi: "..." It's because of her that I can't rest easy.

A short while later, the Fourth Madam's maid came to invite Shen Qingtan to leave the mansion.

Zhao Yi sat on the couch and turned a page of a book, but still felt uneasy. He left the mansion and followed Shen Qingtan and the Fourth Madam's carriage, arriving at the gate of a secluded courtyard.

He lifted the carriage curtain and looked at the plaque hanging on the house; his eyelids twitched violently.