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

"Mother, you must be exhausted from your trip to the palace today?" The second madam greeted her as she entered, feigning concern, and asked, "What happened that you summoned your daughter-in-law without even changing out of your formal attire?"

“This matter can be a big deal or a small deal.” The old lady glanced at the second madam, and seeing her put on a concerned look, she frowned and said, “Shen Mingzhu offended Her Majesty in the palace. If it weren’t for Her Majesty’s magnanimity, she would have been punished today.”

The second wife was stunned; this was completely different from what she had imagined!

The old lady changed her tone and said sternly, "She doesn't know the rules, but as her mother-in-law, you should know them, right? She's going to the palace today, didn't you ask someone to teach her the rules?"

The second wife's expression changed, and she said aggrievedly, "Mother, I thought she knew these basic rules because she was the daughter of a marquis, but who knew..."

She stopped there, looking ashamed, and said, "My daughter-in-law has failed in her duty this time. I will keep her in check in the future."

“You have indeed failed in your duty. As for your son, you did not discipline him properly, allowing him to commit such a disgraceful act in the sacred Buddhist sanctuary, bringing shame upon the Duke’s mansion. As for your daughter-in-law, you did not restrain her either, allowing her to offend such an important person.”

The old lady scolded, "The second branch of the family is now causing chaos in the mansion, and no one can have peace. If you don't put your scheming and opportunistic thoughts into the right path, then I will have no choice but to separate your second branch from the Duke's mansion, so as to prevent you from causing trouble in the future and implicating the Duke's mansion."

When the words about dividing the family property came out, the second wife was shocked and knew that the old lady was really angry, which was why she deliberately gave them a warning.

"Mother……"

"You should go back now," the old lady said, dismissing her. "I'm tired."

The second madam's face turned pale and then flushed. She had been delighted, thinking that the old lady had invited her to discuss the matter of bestowing the title of heir apparent, but who knew that she had been invited to be scolded.

She cursed Shen Mingzhu in her heart. If this troublemaker caused Zhao Jue to lose his title, she would skin that little bitch alive!

Watching the Second Madam's departing figure, the old lady raised her hand to press her throbbing temples and instructed a maid to help her to the inner room to change into casual clothes.

She changed into casual clothes and came out of the inner room, where she saw the Duke of Zhao arrive.

The old Duke asked, "What did the Empress say?"

"What else can we say? It's nothing more than the late Empress's memorial service, and then we'll talk about the succession." The old lady sighed. Consort Ling was playing the emotional card with her to pave the way for the title: "Zhao Jue has no sense of the big picture, and Shen Mingzhu is half-baked and loves to compete. She can even mispronounce the phrase 'the friendship between Guan Zhong and Bao Shuya,' and yet she's always thinking about competing with Shen Qingtan for the limelight."

She then recounted Shen Mingzhu's performance in detail and mentioned the conversation between Xiaoyue and Xiaotao.

The Duke of Zhao remained silent.

"People value a woman's virtues more than her learning, and think that all she needs to do is obey men. But after today's events, I've come to understand. Only when a woman is literate can she understand the bigger picture, consider the overall situation, and develop better virtues and refinement."

The old lady brought over a teacup and said quietly, "If someone is illiterate, has an empty mind, and has no ability to think or judge, yet is competitive and eager to win, then they are easily led by the nose and might do something outrageous."

The old Duke pondered for a moment and said, "Most wealthy families will hire tutors to teach their daughters to read and write."

"What if the family is not wealthy?" The old lady glanced at the old Duke: "The prosperity of a family is not just about the main branch. The collateral branches are also a force that cannot be ignored. Otherwise, why would you set aside a portion of the clan land as school land and use the income to support the clan's education?"

The Duke of Zhao retorted, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"As the saying goes, marrying a bad wife ruins three generations, and marrying a bad husband ruins a lifetime." The old lady expressed her thoughts: "We should not only cultivate the men in our clan, but also the women. If all the women in our clan are righteous and virtuous, our reputation will spread and better reflect the heritage of our clan."

"More importantly, well-educated clan women often have a great advantage in marriage negotiations. If they find a good match, they will bring strength to the family. If they are not well-educated, they will not only fail to form a marriage alliance, but they will also make enemies."

Duke Zhao frowned, realizing there was some truth to it.

The old lady was very determined. After hearing Shen Mingzhu's words at Yanxiang Palace today, she wished she could stuff all the books and rules of the library into Shen Mingzhu's mind.

She snorted coldly: "I now suspect that the Marquis of Chengen insisted on marrying Shen Mingzhu into the Duke's mansion just to make an enemy of us."

Duke of Zhao: "..."

The old lady said solemnly, "It's time to decide on an heir."

-

Shen Qingtan returned to Lanxue Garden, removed her makeup, changed into a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress), added a short skirt around her waist, and then went to the room to find Zhao Yi.

When she pushed the door open, Zhao Yi was leaning against the window, flipping through a book.

"You're not feeling well, why aren't you in bed?"

Shen Qingtan moved gracefully and sat down beside him.

"I wasn't feeling well lying down, so I came to the room to read." Zhao Yi coughed a few times, closed the book, and asked, "Did Your Majesty give you any trouble?"

"Her Majesty is too busy trying to win you over, so why would she make things difficult for me and offend you in the process?" Shen Qingtan came to his side and told him everything about the Yanxiang Palace, down to the smallest detail: "I don't want Zhao Jue to inherit the title. If he does, not to mention the future of the Duke's mansion, our lives will not be very happy or carefree."

Zhao Yi pondered for a moment, then said gently, "He could have reached out and touched the title, but he pushed it away with one hand."

Shen Qingtan asked instinctively, "Why?"

What if Consort Ling used her favor to blackmail Duke Zhao into choosing Zhao Jue as his successor?

Zhao Yi closed the book, looked up at Shen Qingtan, and was about to speak when she was surprised to find that Shen Qingtan had changed into a ruqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress) instead of a mamianqun (a type of traditional Chinese dress). This new dress accentuated her slender figure even better.

The light blue skirt draped over the long couch, and the gentle breeze from outside the window ruffled its delicate folds, like moonlight shining on water ripples—a breathtaking sight.

He stared at the swaying skirt, lost in thought for a moment.

Seeing that he hadn't answered for a long time, Shen Qingtan softly called out, "Second Master?"

Zhao Yi snapped out of his daze and stared at her overly beautiful and radiant face, realizing that the capital's reputation for her exceptional talent and beauty was truly well-deserved.

When she is seriously planning, she exudes a dazzling light that draws people's attention to her.

Her sharp mind and efficient methods are especially rare.

He suddenly recalled the look in Zhao Jue's eyes when he faced him these past few days, a look that hinted at jealousy, and even hatred for having his wife stolen.

Zhao Yi murmured to himself, "No wonder... he regretted it."

Shen Qingtan didn't hear clearly: "What did you say?"

"I didn't say anything," Zhao Yi said with a smile. "I just felt good seeing someone unhappy."

"Knock knock!"

There was a knock on the door, and Jiang Mu's voice came: "Second Master, Second Madam, someone from Shi'an Hall has come and asks you to go over there."