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

Shen Mingzhu had accidentally seen this jade pendant in Shen Qingtan's boudoir. She was immediately attracted to it and couldn't help but pick it up and admire it, wanting to ask Shen Qingtan for it.

Then, I inadvertently discovered that a few lines of small characters were engraved on the love knot.

"My heart is like a double-stranded net, with thousands of knots within."

Heaven may never grow old, but our love will never end.

Liu Yue told her that the jade pendant with the knot of hearts was a token of love given to her by Zhao Jue.

Now Shen Qingtan casually gave it to her, her indifferent attitude suggesting that she didn't care about the jade pendant at all, or perhaps she didn't care about Zhao Jue.

It was something Shen Qingtan didn't want anymore, so she threw it to her.

Shen Mingzhu didn't want it, but if she didn't accept it, it would be considered inconsiderate.

With a tense expression, she accepted the jade pendant: "Thank you, sister... second sister-in-law." Her heart ached terribly; Zhao Jue had never given her a token of love.

Zhao Jue stared intently at the jade pendant, his face darkening.

He gave the jade pendant to Shen Qingtan to express his feelings and to vow to stay with her for life.

She had tied a ribbon to her jade pendant, signifying her willingness to spend her life with him.

Now she cut off the tassels and gave the jade pendant to Shen Mingzhu.

She made it clear to him that unless he was the one she would spend her life with, she would not be saddened by him, nor would she stay for him.

She will only move forward in a better way to find another person to walk hand in hand with.

Zhao Jue looked at Shen Qingtan standing beside Zhao Yi. One was gentle and charming, the other elegant and refined. They really seemed like a match made in heaven.

He ignored his discomfort and scoffed, "Just a woman."

Zhao Yi glanced at the jade pendant, recognized it, and a look of surprise flashed in his eyes.

Is she trying to put an end to her relationship with Zhao Jue?

His gaze toward Shen Qingtan held a hint of ambiguity; she was more decisive than he had imagined.

To the uninformed crowd, all of this appeared to be a sign of Shen Qingtan's kindness; she would give Shen Mingzhu anything she wanted, no matter how valuable it was.

Knowing the inside story of the arranged marriage, the old lady felt that Shen Qingtan's actions showed that she had not held a grudge.

She saw this and was very satisfied; this was the demeanor a matriarch should have.

Seeing everyone looking at Shen Qingtan with admiration, Shen Mingzhu's eyes suddenly reddened.

She couldn't help but recall that the old lady had also given her a jade bracelet, but hadn't personally put it on her.

Between the two, the old lady preferred Shen Qingtan.

She looked delicate and said softly, "Sister, those hundred-odd loads of dowry were originally for you, but they're now in the storeroom. If you want them, I'll have someone send them to you."

Shen Qingtan was always very generous to her; she would give her anything she asked for.

Now that she's offering to return it, Shen Qingtan, with her pride, will definitely not accept it.

She not only protected her dowry but also demonstrated her magnanimity, winning the favor of the old lady.

She even secretly hoped that Shen Qingtan would compete for the dowry, revealing her greedy and ugly face, so that the old lady would be disgusted.

Shen Qingtan sneered inwardly. She wasn't the Shen family's biological daughter, and she didn't covet this dowry. But Madam Shen had kidnapped her, causing her to be separated from her biological parents.

Even when she died in her previous life, they never gave up searching for her, which shows that they had been suffering the pain of separation from their loved ones.

Since the Marquis's mansion intends to provide this dowry in her name, she will make them happy.

The Marquis's family is not aboveboard in their dealings, and they use these despicable means to scheme against her, so she doesn't need to show them any mercy.

“Mother said you haven’t studied accounting and wouldn’t be able to manage your dowry well, so she entrusted it all to me and asked me to take care of you.” Shen Qingtan readily agreed: “Since you brought this up, I’ll have someone move the dowry later.”

Shen Mingzhu was dumbfounded. Shen Qingtan actually asked for a dowry, and even came up with such a high-sounding reason that no one could find fault with it.

“We were sisters before we got married, and sisters-in-law after we got married. Our relationship is closer than that of ordinary people.” Shen Qingtan said in a friendly tone, “So I won’t say any more polite words to you.”

One sentence shut Shen Mingzhu up, leaving her with no choice but to stare blankly at Shen Qingtan.

The second wife was furious, cursing Shen Mingzhu as a stupid idiot.

Why would you give up something you've already got?

She was about to speak.

Shen Qingtan spoke first: "Second Aunt, my second sister and I accidentally got into the wrong bridal sedan chair. It's best if we keep this to ourselves; if word gets out, it'll only make us a laughingstock."

If anyone mentions this matter, I will explain it to outsiders. After my second younger sister was recognized by her ancestors, the order of seniority was inevitably disrupted, so our two families privately negotiated and arranged a different marriage.

As the eldest daughter of the Shen family, I married the eldest son of the Zhao family. My second sister, being the second eldest daughter, married the second eldest son of the Zhao family. However, fearing gossip, the matter was kept secret.

My second sister and I are family, so it doesn't matter who gets the dowry. But everyone knows that the thousands of acres of fertile land and the ten miles of red bridal procession are prepared for me. If I were to marry into the second wife's family, this exchange marriage would become complicated.

"They might not see it as an accident, but rather think there's some other dirty secret involved. If the rumors get out of hand, it will tarnish our reputation, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Duke's mansion?"

She pulled a dowry list from her sleeve and handed it to the second mistress: "The masters in the family are all officials outside, and they need to maintain a respectable appearance. If these troublesome matters hinder their future, it would be a case of losing more than they gain. Second aunt, please do your part today and help me check the dowry."

The second madam's face darkened. The Duke valued the Zhao family's century-old reputation for nobility most. If she didn't return the dowry to Shen Qingtan, it would be an attempt to embezzle it and disregard the Duke's family's honor.

The old Duke has not yet requested the title of hereditary grandson. If they anger the second branch of the family because of this matter, they will suffer a loss.

After all, the Duke's mansion doesn't only have Zhao Jue as a grandson.

“We don’t eat oil cakes, and we don’t get our hands dirty. You can count your own dowry yourself.” The second wife glanced at the dowry list but didn’t reach out to take it. “Besides, this dowry isn’t our second branch’s due. It’s all piled up in the storeroom, and no one has touched a single penny.”

Shen Qingtan smiled and said, "I knew Second Aunt was the most reasonable."

The second wife's face darkened. The thought of the more than one hundred loads of dowry being taken by Shen Qingtan made her heart bleed.

She blamed Shen Mingzhu for everything and glared at her fiercely.

Shen Mingzhu's face turned deathly pale, and she felt a deep hatred for Shen Qingtan. This bitch not only stole her identity but also her dowry, causing her to be disliked by her husband's family.

If it weren't for Shen Qingtan, she would be the one everyone in the Duke's mansion adored...

Shen Mingzhu lowered her eyes, concealing the sinister look in them.

The old lady didn't sleep well last night. Today, the second branch of the family was stirring up trouble again during the tea ceremony. She didn't invite anyone to stay for dinner and sent them all away.

In the end, only the master and his wife remained to talk.

The second wife left the front hall with a heavy heart. Standing by the screen wall, she grabbed the second master's arm and asked urgently, "What does Mother want to do by keeping the eldest son's family here? She knows that we conspired with the Marquis's mansion to switch brides. She gave me a hard time this morning to warn me. Now she's driving us away, but keeping the eldest son's family... I'm worried that she wants to give the position of heir apparent to the eldest son's family."