After being divorced, she overturned the capital and seized the empress's position!

The candlelight was dim, and the atmosphere in the Shen family's main hall was tense.

Minister Shen sat in the chair with a livid face. He had been in this position ever since Madam Shen returned and began talking about Song Yue.

It has been three full hours, and it hasn't moved an inch.

The Duke of Jingguo entered: "Lord Shen."

Minister Shen snapped out of his reverie upon hearing the voice, his sharp gaze fixed on the Duke of Jingguo. He slowly stood up, his eyes filled with sarcasm: "So late, what brings you here, Duke?"

Hearing the sarcastic remarks, the Duke of Jing frowned: "Does Lord Shen have some misunderstanding about me?"

"Misunderstanding?" Minister Shen sneered, as if remembering something: "I plan to have the two children marry ahead of schedule. What does the Duke think?"

He wanted to see how the Duke of Jingguo would react if he married his daughter off. If the Shen family was in trouble, they would definitely hold on to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion tightly!

Duke Jingguo hesitated for a moment.

"The two children are not young anymore, why delay any longer? How about we set it for next month?" Minister Shen asked, though his tone was firm.

Duke Jing pursed his lips. This matter was somewhat sudden to him. He said awkwardly, "Did my daughter say something to Madam Shen today that caused the Shen family to misunderstand?"

“Your Excellency, the Jingguo Duke’s Mansion and the Shen family are now interdependent, sharing both prosperity and adversity. Since they are going to get married sooner or later anyway, why worry about when?” Minister Shen said in a deep voice.

The marriage was arranged, and he forgave the past.

If the wedding is delayed, Minister Shen will have to break off all pretense of civility.

Unable to withstand Minister Shen's aggressive questioning, the Duke of Jingguo relented: "As you wish."

Seeing that the Duke of Jingguo agreed so readily, Minister Shen's livid face softened considerably.

The two talked for an hour with forced smiles before quickly parting ways.

As soon as everyone left, Madam Shen came out from behind the screen. She looked at Minister Shen and said, "I think the Duke of Jingguo seems unaware of this. Could it be that we have misunderstood?"

“They all share the same surname behind closed doors; we can’t afford to gamble with that,” Minister Shen said in a deep voice.

Madam Shen nodded.

“These days, take Yun’er to the Duke of Jing’s mansion more often to find out about Song Yue. It can’t be that the rumors are baseless.” Minister Shen was also extremely anxious. Now that he was being watched, his every move was restricted.

There are also treasures hidden in the mansion; if they were discovered, the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Don't worry, sir, I will visit the Duke of Jingguo's residence tomorrow."

……

Early the next morning

Before the morning court session, the Duke of Jingguo went to the Grand Madam's courtyard and instructed her, "The Shen family should move up the wedding date; the wedding will take place next month."

"So urgent?" the old lady asked in surprise.

"Lord Shen means that both families will prosper together; otherwise, things will turn sour." Duke Jingguo dared not offend the Shen family.

The Shen family, the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, and the Prince of Zhennan's mansion are interdependent; if their relationship is broken, they will inevitably be targeted by the Emperor of Northern Chu.

So, after much thought, they decided to get married.

After a moment of contemplation, the Grand Madam nodded: "Things have come to this point, and there's nothing we can do about it. I'll go see Yue'er in a bit."

She wanted to know what Song Yue had said that made the Shen family so wary.

It had been a long time since she had set foot in Yuehua Pavilion. As she entered again, she vaguely heard a silvery laugh, which made the Madam frown repeatedly. The masters of the Duke's Mansion all looked worried. How could someone dare to laugh so recklessly?

Looking up, the old lady saw the source of the laughter. Song Yue was sitting on the swing, her legs dangling in the air and swinging gently. She held a book in one hand and held the swing rope with the other, swaying back and forth leisurely. The sunlight slanted off her back, giving Song Yue a halo.

Upon seeing this, the old lady was shocked and staggered backward, almost losing her balance. Her maid quickly steadied her, asking, "Old lady?"

The old lady's mind went blank for a moment.

She actually saw Princess Jia Hua sitting on the swing?

Song Yue noticed someone was there, stopped swinging and got off, walking step by step toward the Grand Madam. The smile on her face gradually faded, and her steps became composed.

"No, don't come any closer!" the old lady shouted at the top of her lungs.

Song Yue frowned and stood still.

"Madam, this is the Third Young Lady," the maidservant reminded her.

The old lady was no longer listening; her mind was filled with the image of Princess Jiahua holding the baby, staring at her with a resentful look.

"Grandmother?" Song Yue took a few quick steps and stood in front of the Grand Madam, startling her so much that the Grand Madam turned and left, seemingly forgetting the purpose of her visit.

After the person left, Song Yue's lips curled into a smile.

Yun Dong asked, puzzled, "Miss, why is the Grand Madam so frightened?"

"She's feeling guilty!" Song Yue pouted. It's no wonder the Grand Madam would mistake her for someone else. The clothes she was wearing today happened to be the ones her mother had worn. The Grand Madam must have thought of something.

Granny Zhang said worriedly, "The Third Miss's outfit does indeed resemble that of the Princess."

Not to mention the Dowager Madam, even she was stunned when she first met her. Wasn't this exactly how the Princess looked when she first married into the family?

“It’s not normal for a daughter to resemble her mother so much. If you have a clear conscience, you have nothing to fear.” Song Yue said dismissively, walking straight into the house and rubbing her lower abdomen. “Serve the meal.”

Upon hearing this, Yun Dong rushed to the small kitchen.

Only Zhang Mama was left to serve her. The more she looked, the more terrified she became. She had served the madam for several years and knew that the third young lady had been abandoned in the other courtyard and ignored. She was illiterate, behaved rudely, and was not even as good as a country bumpkin.

But now the Third Miss's manners are even more standard than the Second Miss's. Every move she makes is as elegant and graceful as flowing water. She has even taken a liking to an extremely complicated book. Seeing the Third Miss's expression of being engrossed in the book, she was certain that the Third Miss had understood it.

Once again, Granny Zhang was relieved that she hadn't betrayed the young lady.

"What is this?" Song Yue was attracted by the brocade box on the table. She clearly remembered that when she went to swing in the yard, the table was empty.

Granny Zhang stepped forward curiously, even more confused: "This box looks very exquisite, why don't you open it and take a look, young lady?"

With a snap, the brocade box opened, revealing a neat stack of silver notes.

"So much money?" Granny Zhang was stunned. She asked anxiously, "Miss, could it be that someone is trying to frame you?"

Song Yue picked up the silver notes and counted them; it was exactly thirty thousand taels!

That's really extravagant.

She smiled and said, "Don't worry, those few wouldn't be willing to go to such lengths to frame me."

This was lent to her by the Eighth Prince.

When did they arrive? There wasn't a sound at all.

Despite her thoughts, she put the silver notes back into the brocade box and kept them safe. After sitting down, she poured herself a cup of tea and held it in her palm. Just as she took a sip, Yun Dong rushed back, carrying breakfast in her hand. She said mysteriously, "Miss, there's a happy occasion going on at the manor. The second branch of the family will be back soon too."

"Does the Duke really intend to marry the Second Miss to the Han family?" Granny Zhang asked in surprise.

Given the Second Miss's temperament, she would be furious.

Yun Dong shook her head: "It is the eldest young master who wants to marry Miss Shen."

"Why so suddenly? Isn't it supposed to be the spring of the year after next?"

"The household has already begun preparing the betrothal gifts. This morning, the Duke instructed the household to gather sixty-six tables of betrothal gifts. It was the Madam who personally handled the arrangements. I also heard that several maids in the Rose Garden were beaten."

Upon hearing this, Granny Zhang gave an awkward smile, a strange glint in her eyes. Song Yue raised an eyebrow: "Part of this betrothal gift came from the public funds, and part of it was my mother's dowry. Why is Madam throwing a tantrum?"

Besides, Yuan Fuling always talks about how much she loves Song Hengchuan.

Why would I be angry?

"Miss, you may not know this, but most of the princess's dowry is with the Grand Madam, and the rest is with the Madam. The Madam loves money and has accumulated a lot of wealth over the years. The Second Miss is extravagant and has already spent most of it over the years."

Song Yue asked in surprise, "How could that be? Don't you also have income from the estate and shops?"

"When Madam entered the family, she had never learned business. The first thing she did after taking over the shop was to replace the manager with her own people. Just think about it, with Madam's background, what capable people could she possibly know? They were just some distant relatives. Before long, the shop went from profitable to losing money."

Granny Zhang is now completely loyal to Song Yue, telling her almost everything she knows, afraid that Song Yue might miss something. She has figured it out: the Third Miss may seem cold-blooded and ruthless on the surface, but in reality, she is a kind and compassionate person who is very good to those around her.

She's determined to follow this master.

"How can that be? What will happen to the girl's dowry?" Yun Dong said anxiously.

There's still a portion of Princess Jiahua's dowry that belongs to the young lady; it can't all be squandered.

Song Yue smiled gently and looked up at Zhang Mama: "Where is Mother's dowry list?"

"If this old servant remembers correctly, it should be kept by the Grand Madam."

Madam Tai?

Song Yue quickly ate a couple of bites to fill her stomach: "Let's go, let's go pay our respects to Grandmother."