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

After the old lord passed away, the sons and grandsons of the Yongyi Earl's family were all useless and none of them made a name for themselves. They only managed to get a sinecure by virtue of their family's influence.

Old families like theirs care a lot about their reputation. Even if they are so poor that they have to borrow from Peter to pay Paul, they still have to dress smartly in public, for fear that others will laugh at their downfall.

Their meager salaries were far from enough to cover their daily expenses, so they fawned over the Marquis of Chengen's mansion, trying to squeeze some benefits out of the mansion to make ends meet.

Zhao Jue did not receive her title today, and immediately afterward, the Yongyi Earl's Mansion sent her a special invitation. It was obvious that they had ill intentions.

Thinking of this, Shen Qingtan's eyes turned cold. The Marquis's mansion had learned its lesson this time. After suffering several losses at her hands, they no longer personally dealt with her, but instead let their dogs go and bite people.

She smiled slightly and said, "Aunt Liu, my aunt thinks highly of me, which is why she specially sent me an invitation."

Liu's mother was a shrewd person; how could she not know that her master was being sarcastic?

She asked, "Have you decided on the gift for the Madam?"

"Ready?" Shen Qingtan's smile deepened. "My aunt will definitely be very satisfied."

Seeing that her master had a plan in mind, Liu Mama didn't say anything more.

For the next two weeks, apart from paying her respects to the old lady and the first lady, Shen Qingtan spent the rest of her time at Lanxue Garden, reviewing the account books sent by the managers of her shops.

Zhao Yi's health has improved somewhat. Every morning, he goes to Ning'an Lane to discuss strategies with the clan elders, and only returns home when the dew is heavy in the late night.

When the elders of the Zhao clan decided that Zhao Yi would be the successor, the Duke of Zhao submitted a memorial to Emperor Jing'an the very next day, requesting that Zhao Yi be made the grandson of the emperor.

This time, for some unknown reason, Emperor Jing'an, who always doted on Zhao Yi, delayed approving the request for an official title for four or five days.

The second branch of the family and the Chengen Marquis's residence were quiet, without causing any more trouble, probably all waiting for the Yongyi Earl's birthday banquet.

However, in the blink of an eye, it was the birthday of the Earl of Yongyi.

On this day, Shen Qingtan got up very early and instructed Liuyue to do her makeup to make her look radiant with peach blossom makeup, and then to choose a brightly colored dress for her to change into.

After all, this was her first appearance at a banquet since her marriage, so her attire needed to be more formal.

Shen Qingtan instructed Liu Yue to take the congratulatory gifts to the main hall, where the First Madam and Zhao Wan from the Third Branch of the family had already arrived.

"Tan'er, your third and fourth aunts aren't going, but Wan'er will come with us." The First Madam said with a smile, "You and Wan'er are about the same age, so you should take good care of her."

Shen Qingtan looked at the quiet Zhao Wan and said with a smile, "Okay, Wan-meimei will come with me."

Zhao Wan bowed and greeted her, "Second Sister-in-law."

Then, she secretly glanced at Shen Qingtan and was stunned by her dazzling beauty, remaining speechless for a moment.

Shen Qingtan smiled gently and said, "Sister Wan, let's go first."

Zhao Wan snapped out of her daze, her cheeks flushed, and she followed Shen Qingtan shyly.

Shen Qingtan noticed that she was very reserved. In her memory, no matter where she saw her, she always huddled silently in a corner, like a transparent person.

She said softly, "I've read your poems; they're very well-written."

Zhao Wan suddenly looked up at Shen Qingtan, her lips trembling as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she pursed her lips tightly.

“Really, I’m not lying to you,” Shen Qingtan said. “When I came of age, you came to the Marquis’s mansion to witness the ceremony and wrote a poem with a twig under the peach tree in the back garden.”

This time, Zhao Wan believed it; Shen Qingtan had indeed seen her.

It was the first time she had been praised, and she felt a little flustered. She said softly, "Second sister-in-law, your poem is very good."

Shen Qingtan smiled. The little girl was too introverted, probably because the Third Madam and the Third Master were too timid, which greatly influenced her.

The three of them boarded the carriage, and the Second Madam and Shen Mingzhu arrived late.

The second wife glanced at the departing carriage of the eldest son's family, her face gloomy, and shot a sharp look at Shen Mingzhu, who looked sleepy and yawned.

She was furious again: "Are you a pig reincarnated? It's one thing to be brainless, but you're also lazy and greedy. If you hadn't gotten up late, we wouldn't have arrived later than the eldest son's family."

Shen Mingzhu lowered her head and endured the scolding, feeling very wronged. Ever since Zhao Jue lost his title, Madam Shen had someone send medicine over for her to take for a month so that she could conceive a son when she had sex with Zhao Jue again.

But after eating it for about ten days, she started to feel sleepy, not only did she not get enough sleep, but she also became a little greedy.

Shen Mingzhu took the medicine without telling the Second Madam and Zhao Jue. She dared not ask the family physician to take her pulse, for fear that the physician would notice something amiss and cause trouble again.

But she was also very anxious, afraid that the medicine might have caused her illness. She planned to secretly go to the clinic to have a doctor examine her pulse after attending the birthday banquet today.

"Alright, stop looking so aggrieved. If others see this, they'll have no idea how badly I've treated you." The second madam said this and got into the carriage.

Shen Mingzhu stood still for a moment, gazing in the direction the eldest son had left, and took a deep breath.

She would not lose to Shen Qingtan again and again.

-

The carriage slowly came to a stop in front of the Yongyi Marquis's residence, and Shen Qingtan, the First Madam, and Zhao Wan got out of the carriage together.

The second wife's carriage caught up, and the second wife and Shen Mingzhu got off the carriage and came to the side of the first wife.

The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had learned their lesson; they simply greeted each other without saying anything sarcastic.

Shen Qingtan glanced at Shen Mingzhu, whose face was pale and seemed to be suppressing her discomfort.

After the servants at the entrance of the Earl's mansion bowed, they eagerly invited them to the Earl's wife's courtyard.

As soon as Shen Qingtan entered the house, she was immediately drawn to the two display cabinets in the main room, each containing rare and precious items.

This was specially displayed by the Yongyi Marquis's residence to enhance its prestige.

"Aunt, I wish you a long and healthy life," Shen Mingzhu said, offering her birthday wishes and presenting the gift she had prepared.

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, when the servant took it, the lid of the box was opened, revealing a pair of luminous pearls that emitted a soft glow.

The beads are about the size of an egg, with a smooth and round surface, and are in very good condition.

The people in the room looked at Shen Mingzhu with different expressions.

Originally thought to be the unfavored second daughter of the Marquis of Chengen, she caused quite a few laughs after marrying into the Duke's mansion.

But seeing how generous she is now, it's clear that the Marquis's and Duke's mansions haven't mistreated her.

Lady Bo smiled broadly and said, "Zhu'er, come to your aunt's side quickly." Then, she beckoned to Shen Qingtan, "Tan'er, come to your aunt's side too."

Just then, a young girl suddenly appeared beside Shen Qingtan, snatched the box from Liu Yue's hand, and said with a grin, "Big cousin, second cousin gave my mother a pair of luminous pearls, what did you give her?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she opened the box.