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

After the morning court session ended, the Prince of Zhennan returned with a livid face. He went to the Princess of Zhennan's courtyard and said, "Prepare another betrothal gift to go to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion to propose to Song Yao."

"Song Yao?" Princess Zhennan was somewhat bewildered.

The Prince of Zhennan recounted everything that had happened at the morning court session. The Princess of Zhennan was furious: "Our family's weddings are being criticized and gossiped about. The Duke of Jingguo's mansion is going too far!"

"Enough!" The Prince of Zhennan rubbed his temples. "If we don't resolve Song Yao's matter, we'll be branded as ungrateful."

Helpless, Princess Zhennan had no choice but to compromise. She held her breath and prepared a new betrothal gift, which looked much more meager than the one given to Zhao Qingyan.

When they were carried to the Duke of Jingguo's mansion, Song Yao could hardly believe her ears: "It was the Eighth Prince who spoke up for me?"

She actually caught the eye of the Eighth Prince.

She'll have someone to back her up in the future.

"When did you meet the Eighth Prince?" Yuan Fuling asked curiously.

Song Yao hesitated. She had actually only met the Eighth Prince a few times and had never even spoken a word to him. She guessed that it was probably at a banquet that she made a name for herself and made the Eighth Prince feel sorry for her.

"Auntie, I don't need to be a concubine anymore. I'm a second wife, on equal footing with Zhao Qingyan." Song Yao was extremely excited.

Yuan Fuling was also happy for her: "Zhao Qingyan is disfigured, and you and Prince Pei have been close since childhood. You will definitely be able to surpass her. Once you give birth to the eldest son, she will definitely not be able to compete with you in the future."

Song Yao proudly straightened her neck, confident that she would definitely pin Zhao Qingyan down.

Since the marriage to the Prince of Zhennan, Song Yao's illness has improved rapidly, and she goes to pay her respects to the Grand Madam every day.

Over time, the old lady actually started to care about Song Yao.

It wasn't until Song Yao mentioned, "Grandmother, if I bring more dowry to the Prince of Zhennan's mansion, I won't be outdone by Zhao Qingyan, and I won't lose face for the Duke of Jingguo's mansion."

The old lady's face immediately darkened. Not to mention the dowry, her storeroom had already been emptied. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at Song Yao: "Yao'er, dowries are all regulated. Your elder brother has only been married for a short time, and the manor can't afford to give you much right now. Zhao Qingyan is the legitimate daughter of the Prince's manor, so it's not shameful for you to be inferior."

Song Yao pouted unhappily: "Grandmother, didn't we agree that my sister-in-law would bring back the dowry after my eldest brother got married?"

Seeing Song Yao questioning her, the Grand Madam felt a little disheartened: "Nonsense, when did I ever say such a thing? Yao'er, things have only been peaceful for a few days now. Besides, what kind of young girl like you comes to ask for a dowry? It's outrageous."

Song Yao wanted to say something more, but the Grand Madam dismissed her on the grounds that she was unwell. Angered, Song Yao turned around and glared fiercely at the person behind her after leaving Ninghui Hall.

After much deliberation, Song Yao decided to go to Tingyuxuan.

My elder brother has always doted on me; he would never let me get married in such a shabby state.

Mo Yue waited for about an hour before seeing Song Hengchuan. Song Yao stepped forward with a wronged expression and softly called out, "Big Brother."

"What's wrong?" Song Hengchuan asked with concern, pulling the man to sit down on a chair and pouring him a cup of tea. "I heard that the Eighth Prince spoke up for you at the morning court session and has already made arrangements with the Zhennan Prince's Mansion according to your wishes. Why are you still so unhappy?"

Song Yao felt a little guilty and stammered, not daring to look Song Hengchuan in the eye. Under his repeated questioning, she finally relented and brought up the matter of her dowry: "Brother, I was originally the legitimate daughter of the family. Now I'm not only a concubine's daughter, but my dowry will also be reduced. When I get to the Zhennan Prince's Mansion, I'll be laughed at to death. Who will respect me in the future?"

Song Hengchuan breathed a sigh of relief: "Don't worry about that. How could I watch you get married in such a wronged state? Your sister-in-law returned some of her dowry to your third sister a few days ago. She should be able to prepare one for you in the next few days."

"What?" Song Yao was taken aback.

Shen Ruyun actually prepared a dowry for Song Yue?

How come she had no idea?

Song Yao pursed her lips, feeling somewhat displeased. They were both her younger sisters, so why was Shen Ruyun showing favoritism? Shen Ruyun had been extremely kind to her before.

She treated Shen Ruyun like a sister, but in the end, she always thought of Song Yue. She was truly ungrateful.

"Alright, don't worry about this anymore..."

Shen Ruyun, who had just returned from retrieving the account books from the second wife's house, witnessed this scene: the brother and sister sitting together, one with red eyes and a wronged look, while her husband humbly coaxed Song Yao.

I didn't notice it before, but now it seems a bit jarring.

"Ahem..." Shen Ruyun cleared her throat, interrupting the two. When Song Hengchuan saw her return, he smiled and stood up: "You're back."

Song Yao also picked up a handkerchief and gently wiped the corner of her eyes, murmuring "Sister-in-law".

Seeing Song Yao's posture as if she had suffered a great injustice, and recalling Song Yue's poise and grace, Shen Ruyun suddenly felt that the inheritance of bloodlines was extremely important.

A person raised in a secluded courtyard who has never learned manners can be transformed in a very short time, exuding an air of nobility.

Looking at the person in front of me, she was all shy and timid, lacking any of the grace of a well-bred lady.

"What's wrong with my second sister?" Shen Ruyun asked with a smile.

Song Yao shook her head: "No, it's nothing. I just haven't been close to my older brother for a long time, so I came to see him."

Shen Ruyun was too lazy to expose him. She smiled and was about to leave when Song Hengchuan grabbed her sleeve: "Ruyun, didn't you prepare a dowry for your third sister a few days ago? Your second sister is about to get married. As the eldest sister-in-law, you should also prepare some for your second sister. Just follow the same standards as your third sister."

Watching Song Hengchuan's mouth open and close, Shen Ruyun thought she had misheard, tilting her head and looking at Song Yao.

Song Yao raised her head confidently: "Sister-in-law, am I not your sister?"

Shen Ruyun almost laughed. First, she was annoyed by Song Hengchuan's lack of common sense; second, she laughed at Song Yao's shamelessness; and third, she hated herself for being blind and falling for someone like Song Hengchuan.

Seeing the unfriendly look in his wife's eyes, Song Hengchuan felt a little uncomfortable and said in a low voice, "Yaoyao is my beloved younger sister since childhood. How can I bear to see her suffer? Ruyun, I will definitely treat you well in the future."

Shen Ruyun felt disgusted by these words. She took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "Giving my third sister's dowry has nothing to do with anything else. It's just that the dowry that the Duke of Jingguo's mansion gave to the Shen family used up the dowry that my mother left for her. So I returned it to its rightful owner. Husband, my second sister's dowry should be arranged by Aunt Yuan and Grandmother. Besides, didn't the Prince of Zhennan's mansion give a batch of dowry as a thank you gift? Does my second sister want to outdo Zhao Qingyan?"

Song Hengchuan choked on his words.

The matter of the betrothal gifts was left unclear and unresolved, and ultimately he was in the wrong.

“If sister-in-law is unwilling, I will not force her. It was me, I was presumptuous, and mistakenly thought that I could be like my third sister.” Song Yao sniffed and knelt down in front of Song Hengchuan with a wronged expression: “Brother, I’m fine. Don’t make things unpleasant with sister-in-law over such a small matter. I shouldn’t have come.”

After saying that, he got up and left.

"Yao Yao!" Song Hengchuan chased after her.

Shen Ruyun rubbed her temples, looking annoyed. The maid beside her said, "Young Madam, why is the eldest young master so concerned about a half-sister? If he had left half of his attention to the third young lady, the princess wouldn't have neglected the eldest young master like this."

That's right. If she cared about Song Yue, she wouldn't have gone to Yuehua Pavilion every day to please her.

Only when you can't rely on anyone else can you rely on yourself.

"Let her be." Shen Ruyun shrugged; giving her a dowry was out of the question.