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

Shen Qingtan's eyes were cold. Zhao Jue was not the kind of person who climbed the ladder step by step. He was impatient and tried to take shortcuts.

The Duke of Zhao has already lost faith in him and will never help Zhao Jue unless he becomes more pragmatic and stops being so scheming.

But Zhao Jue was the kind of person who longed to climb higher the more dire his circumstances became.

If he cannot rely on the Duke of Zhao, he will have no choice but to rely on the Marquis of Chengen's mansion.

Unfortunately, Zhao Jue lacked ability and was arrogant and conceited, so he was naturally unwilling to be suppressed by the Marquis's mansion.

Now that he's been provoked by her, given his despicable nature, he'll definitely try to find something to use against her.

All she needed to do was take advantage of the chaos while Zhao Jue was investigating the Chengen Marquis's residence.

Even if the Marquis of Chengen's mansion becomes aware of the situation, she can still shift the blame onto Zhao Jue.

Shen Qingtan's goal was clear: as long as she brought down the Chengen Marquis's Mansion, Zhao Jue and Shen Mingzhu would lose their support and become no threat.

"Second Grandmother, you're back." Chun Jiao saw that Jiang Chao and Liu Yue were carrying a lot of things, so she came up from the corner to greet them.

Shen Qingtan glanced at Chun Jiao. This person and Qiu Chan were stuffed into Shen Mingzhu's room during their wedding. It turned out that on their wedding night, Shen Mingzhu had used their indenture to test them, which made them more restrained.

She then sent the two back to Shen Mingzhu, but Shen Mingzhu refused to take them in and sent them back again.

They were not well received by either their new or old masters, and in order to survive in the inner quarters, they decided to surrender to her.

Since Qiu Chan became Zhao Jue's concubine, Chun Jiao has become even more well-behaved, only thinking about finding opportunities to impress her.

"Hmm." Shen Qingtan entered the house and casually asked, "Has anything happened at the manor?"

While serving Shen Qingtan to wash her hands, Chun Jiao whispered about what had happened in the second branch of the family: "Qiu Chan and I grew up in the Marquis's mansion. Her scheming and methods are unmatched by Third Madam."

Shen Qingtan agreed with this statement; Qiu Chan was more cunning than Shen Mingzhu and ruthless to herself.

Currently, Shen Mingzhu and Zhao Jue's relationship is strained, and Qiu Chan is currently favored. At most, she can only punish her slightly to vent her anger and test Zhao Jue's attitude.

If Zhao Jue had let things go unchecked, Shen Mingzhu would have become even more ruthless and would never have let Qiu Chan bleed from the very beginning.

Qiu Chan must have guessed Shen Mingzhu's thoughts and was unwilling to obediently accept punishment, so she deliberately knelt on the porcelain shards.

Firstly, Zhao Jue discovered it, thus sowing discord between the couple.

Secondly, since she was injured, she didn't need to follow the rules with Shen Mingzhu for a while, thus avoiding further harassment.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan wiped her hands with a handkerchief, thinking that the more lively the second branch of the household was, the better.

Every time Shen Mingzhu makes a scene, Zhao Jue will hold a grudge against the Marquis's mansion.

In Zhao Jue's eyes, Shen Mingzhu was so arrogant simply because she had the backing of the Marquis's mansion.

Chun Jiao brought up another matter: "Second Madam, Prince Yu came to the mansion to visit the Duke today. After he left, the Duke went to see the Old Madam."

After pondering for a moment, Shen Qingtan became somewhat certain that Consort Ling had come for the title.

She had been puzzled for a long time as to how Marquis Chengen had convinced Zhao Jue that they were capable of placing him in the position of heir.

She only sorted out the relationships from the moment Prince Yu appeared.

The Duke of Zhao owes Consort Ling a favor, and if Consort Ling were to designate a successor, the Duke of Zhao would most likely agree.

Marquis Chengen is a man of Prince Yu, and Zhao Jue is Marquis Chengen's son-in-law. If Marquis Chengen were to ask Prince Yu for help, Prince Yu would definitely agree.

Once Zhao Jue inherits the Duke's mansion, the Duke's mansion will support Prince Yu, greatly increasing Prince Yu's chances of winning the throne.

Because Consort Ling knew that Duke Zhao was only loyal to the Emperor and would not participate in the struggle for the throne, she never associated with him, using this favor wisely.

Thinking of the title, Shen Qingtan couldn't help but think of Zhao Yi, wondering how his health was.

She sat restlessly on the daybed, picked up her sewing basket and began to sew, trying to distract herself.

With only a quarter of an hour left before Zhao Yi's usual return time, she quickly tidied herself up and took Liu Yue to the side gate to wait for him.

Half an hour later, it gradually got dark.

Liu Yue poked her head out the door, but seeing no carriage approaching, asked, "Second Madam, will Second Master be back today?"

Suddenly, Liu Yue exclaimed, "A carriage is coming!"

Shen Qingtan quickly grabbed the door frame and stepped out of the mansion. She saw a carriage stop and the master of the house get out of the carriage.

She paused for a moment, then curtsied and said, "Father, may you be well."

The old man asked with a smile, "Daughter-in-law, are you waiting for Yi'er?"

Shen Qingtan replied, "I heard that Second Master is not feeling well."

“Yi’er stays in the palace every time she gets sick, and only returns to the manor when she is better.” The master thought that his son hadn’t even left a message, leaving his daughter-in-law waiting anxiously at the door.

If he dared to do that, his wife would have already taken his life with her spear.

The old man, thinking of his son's small frame that could be pushed over with a single finger, couldn't help but explain for his son, "He should send someone to inform you."

He decided to send someone to the palace to give Zhao Yi a few pointers and have Zhao Yi pass on a message to Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan nodded slightly: "Daughter-in-law understands."

"Go back and rest early." The master left with his entourage.

Shen Qingtan glanced at the empty streets and alleys, intending to ask the old lady if there was any way to allow her to enter the palace to visit Zhao Yi.

Liu Yue keenly sensed that her master was in low spirits and did not dare to mention Zhao Yi.

"The deceased An Tang".

Shen Qingtan turned and entered the mansion. She had only taken a few steps when she heard the sound of horses' hooves behind her.

She paused for a moment, wanting to turn around and take another look, but then remembered the master's words and, fearing disappointment, refrained from turning around.

She took two more steps forward, but finally couldn't resist turning back to look outside the mansion.

The man with the exquisite appearance beside the carriage, along with the moonlight and lamplight reflected behind him, all caught her eye.

In an instant, she froze on the spot.

Zhao Yi coughed lightly a few times, covering his mouth with a handkerchief, and slowly walked up to her, a faint smile in his eyes: "You just returned to the manor?"

Shen Qingtan remained silent, staring at his pale face and noticing that his lips were slightly bluish.

Zhao Yi noticed that her expression was off, and that only Liu Yue was with her, without Jiang Chao, indicating that she had not left the manor.

Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind.

Zhao Yi's eyes deepened, and he asked gently, "Are you waiting for me to return to the manor?"

Shen Qingtan replied, "I heard you alarmed most of the Imperial Hospital, so I came specifically to see if it's true. After all, when the Second Master entered the palace this morning, there was no sign that his condition had worsened at all."

"So it was because I didn't want you to worry about me." Zhao Yi sensed the hidden meaning in her words and sighed softly, "I've made you worry after all."

Shen Qingtan glared at him: "Who said I was worried about you?"

"Yes, you just want to dispel the rumors."

"..."

“It’s what I wanted to make you worry.” Seeing her speechless expression, Zhao Yi coughed a few times and smiled, “I left the palace despite the Emperor’s objections because I wanted to go back to my residence and see if my wish had been fulfilled.”

Shen Qingtan: "..."

She realized that this man just enjoyed teasing her.

Even so, as Shen Qingtan gazed at his slender and tall back, she still whispered, "It's only a little bit."

Zhao Yi stopped and turned halfway around to look at her, pinching her little fingertip with her thumb, her eyes full of smiles: "Then my wish has been fulfilled."

He paused for a moment, his smile fading, and said, "I have something to tell you."

Shen Qingtan stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding as she looked at his suddenly serious expression.

He said, "Consort Ling invites you to the palace tomorrow."

Shen Qingtan: "???"