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

When Lady Yongyi married into the household, her mother-in-law handed over the power to manage the household to her.

She then discovered just how poor and destitute the Earl's family was; they were so poor that they would split a single copper coin in half to spend it, which made her a very greedy and materialistic person.

In her eyes, the pair of luminous pearls were pure silver, and she had even already figured out how to spend the money from selling them.

Now some people are saying it's fake, which she simply cannot accept.

Lady Yongyi looked at Shen Mingzhu: "Zhu'er, tell me, what's the deal with this bead?"

"It can't be fake." Shen Mingzhu's mind was buzzing, and she was blank for a moment: "I spent a lot of money to buy this pair of beads, how could they be fake?"

This was her first formal appearance before the families of officials. Because of her status, she was afraid that the families would look down on her, so she couldn't appear petty. Therefore, she spent a lot of money to buy a pair of luminous pearls.

This was one reason; another reason was that the aunt told her that a distinguished person would be attending the banquet.

If she catches the eye of a noble person, regardless of her status, the officials' families will look at her with high regard and rush to befriend her.

Then this sum of money was well spent.

But now it has been pointed out that it is fake.

Shen Mingzhu retorted, "The shopkeeper said that luminous pearls come in different colors, and it's not surprising that mine is different from yours."

“Yes,” Lady Yongyi quickly replied, “No two things in this world are the same; there will always be differences.”

The lady fell silent, straightened her sleeves, and gave off an expression that said, "Whatever you say goes."

The more she acted like this, the angrier Shen Mingzhu became: "When I bought the beads, the shopkeeper specially locked them in a wooden box. I saw the light emanating from the beads through a small hole, which illuminated the entire box. How could they be fake?"

If she cannot prove the luminous pearl is real today, her reputation will be completely ruined.

Shen Mingzhu gritted her teeth: "Elder sister's embroidery can only be seen in the light, and my beads only glow at night. Let's use a wooden box to verify if they're real!"

Lady Yongyi was more anxious than anyone else and immediately ordered her maid to fetch the box.

The second wife stared at the luminous pearl for a long time, but could not tell whether it was real or fake.

Her mind was filled with thoughts of the "high price" Shen Mingzhu had mentioned, wondering exactly how much silver she had spent to buy the pair of luminous pearls.

The Marquis's residence did not have a luminous pearl, and Madam Shen could not tell the difference between real and fake. She could only look at Shen Mingzhu with worried eyes, hoping that the luminous pearl was real.

Otherwise, she would become a laughing stock among the wives of officials in the capital, and no one would want to befriend her anymore.

Shen Mingzhu's heart felt like it was being fried in oil. She kept looking towards the door, hoping that the maid would return with the trunk soon.

Today's plan was to embarrass Shen Qingtan by making her look bad when delivering the birthday gift, and then make other plans to ensure she had no chance of making a comeback.

Unexpectedly, Shen Qingtan resolved the crisis, but she herself found herself in danger.

Having learned their lesson, the guests dared not gossip again until they were certain the luminous pearl was fake.

The quieter the room became, the more restless Shen Mingzhu became, and she subconsciously looked at Shen Qingtan.

Shen Qingtan looked at her with a smile on her face.

Looking at Shen Qingtan's smile, Shen Mingzhu felt a chill run down her spine.

Because every time Shen Qingtan showed that expression, she would be in big trouble.

Just then, the maid returned carrying a box.

To verify the luminous pearl, the copper plate on the box was pried off, leaving two holes.

"Put the beads in," Lady Yongyi instructed.

The maid carefully placed the luminous pearl into the box and then closed the lid.

Lady Yongyi was the first to go over and take a look.

Shen Mingzhu clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her palms sweating with nervousness.

"aunt……"

As soon as she spoke, Lady Yongyi staggered, and her maids quickly caught her, preventing her from falling to the ground.

Shen Mingzhu's face paled, and she vaguely knew the answer in her heart.

She went closer to look, refusing to believe it, and found the box completely dark, without a single ray of light.

"how come……"

Shen Mingzhu was struck dumb, frozen in place.

Upon seeing this, Madam Shen immediately understood: "Where did you buy this? The shopkeeper cheated you by selling you a fake. This is a violation of the laws of the Great Zhou Dynasty. He can be arrested and thrown into jail!"

"Mother, I...I..." Shen Mingzhu's mind was in a mess, her hands and feet were cold, and she said in a tearful voice, "I..."

Madam Shen sensed something was wrong and pulled her into the inner room, asking in a low voice, "Where exactly did you buy it?"

Shen Mingzhu said helplessly, "Mother, I wanted to buy something more valuable for my aunt, but all I have is the 20,000 taels of silver notes you secretly gave me. I heard that Yong'an Lane sells valuable items, and the prices are half the price of those in the shops, so I... I went there and picked out this pair of beads."

Madam Shen was so angry that her eyes went black. Yong'an Lane was a notorious ghost market; nine out of ten people who went there to buy goods without any discernment would be swindled.

She gritted her teeth and asked, "How much silver did it cost?"

Shen Mingzhu held up one finger: "One...ten thousand taels."

Madam Shen was so angry that she raised her hand to slap the fool, but stopped herself just as she was about to strike.

Shen Mingzhu trembled with fear, tears streaming down her face: "It's no use even if you beat me to death. Who told me I wasn't a well-bred lady raised in your presence, but a wild girl from the countryside, clueless and ignorant."

Not only do you look down on me, but who outside looks up to me? If I grew up by your side like Shen Qingtan, would I need to humbly please others and try to fit into the circle that should have been mine?

The moment you lost me, you completely ruined my life!

Looking at Shen Mingzhu's devastated state, Madam Shen's heart softened, and her anger subsided considerably: "You know you are ignorant, so you should speak and do less, and you won't make mistakes."

Today's incident has made it impossible for Shen Mingzhu to hold her head high in front of officials' wives.

Shen Mingzhu was completely at a loss: "Mother, what should I do?"

Looking at Shen Mingzhu's face, which bore a striking resemblance to hers, Madam Shen suddenly made a decision.

Shen Qingtan harbors hatred for the Marquis's mansion and will no longer reconcile with them, so there is no need to maintain a facade of politeness.

The reason they didn't reveal Shen Qingtan's background before was because they were afraid that if her background were revealed, it would confirm that they had deliberately arranged the marriage.

Now that Zhao Jue has lost his title, there is really no need for him to continue to feign politeness with Shen Qingtan.

"Don't be afraid, your mother has a plan." Madam Shen decided to use Shen Qingtan's background to highlight Shen Mingzhu's pitiful situation, thereby gaining everyone's sympathy and suppressing the embarrassment she had made today.

With her heart at ease, Shen Mingzhu took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. Only then did she follow Madam Shen out of the inner room, where she heard everyone laughing at her.