After the arranged marriage, she farms and survives under the tutelage of the villainous boss.

This steamed bun feast, which many people find vulgar and unappealing, was initially something no one wanted to participate in, and no one had any faith in it. But gradually, it has become a feast that everyone is eager to join.

Yunniang and Xie Shuheng simply wanted to do something for these people who lacked a sense of boundaries.

Or perhaps they were thinking of robbing the rich to help the poor. Who could have imagined that all the people would spontaneously come out to help, wanting to face the situation together with Jiang Zhiyun, and everyone was in excellent spirits.

During the palace banquet, Jiang Zhiyun and Xie Shuheng were seated together. Yunniang held her little daughter, while Xie Liqi sat next to his elder brother Xie Yang. Xie Shuheng toasted everyone, and the family, seated at the head of the table, were all beaming with joy. Everyone looked at them with a smile in their eyes.

Their eyes and brows were full of happiness. Even when they heard adults say things that seemed unpleasant, they would still say them back, and even retaliate silently.

Xie Shuheng wasn't the type to protect Jiang Zhiyun all the time, because Jiang Zhiyun, in essence, wasn't Xie Shuheng's caged bird. She always had her own opinions and always knew what she wanted.

Xie Shuheng was able to take care of her in every detail. He noticed that Jiang Zhiyun seemed to need something and immediately handed it to her. He also proactively bent down to feed the little girl the egg custard. His eyes were filled with affection and love for the child.

It's obvious at a glance that Xie Shuheng's two children were raised with his love and care.

Today, men and women sit together without separation. This way, everyone can look after each other and have some interaction.

It was precisely because she saw how well the Emperor treated his wife and children that she couldn't help but feel sad when she looked at her husband and the mess in her family.

Song Yu, who had always liked to compete with Lan Fei, was now sitting next to the Duke, whom she had always longed for, and everyone knew that she was about to become his wife.

But at this moment, I just felt that something was missing in my heart. I felt a strange emotion was constantly swelling, and I felt uncomfortable and couldn't muster any energy.

That's about it...

Watching Jiang Zhiyun and Xie Shuheng get along, it seems that Lan Fei's departure was to find herself.

So at this moment, Song Yu was also a little restless. Looking at her so-called husband, this Duke, she said, "Sister Lan Fei is gone. Husband, don't be sad. I will accompany you in the future."

"Today is a steamed bun banquet, and we also have to make steamed buns. This is a task personally assigned to each of us by the Emperor. If you don't look well then, it won't be good if you're targeted."

The Duke's expression softened a little at this moment: "Thank you for the reminder, Yu'er. If it weren't for you, I really might not know what to do. Many times, I don't know what to do next. Even when that wretched woman Lan Fei just left like that, I felt more and more heartbroken each time."

"Why would someone like that hurt me?"

The Duke's face was extremely grim.

Actually, Song Yu didn't understand, so she boldly asked the question. She was very clever and knew that asking such a question would probably make the Duke very angry. Besides, she was just a woman, and the Duke always thought that Song Yu was ignorant.

So Song Yu looked at the Duke with curiosity and said, "Duke, I don't quite understand. After Sister Lan Fei married into the family, she has always been cold and sarcastic to you. You are the ones who have given her the greatest respect and allowed her to live such a good life. She is just an orphan with nothing. I have never known what she is so proud of."

“If we leave now, we can start over. From now on, it will just be me with you. Wouldn’t that be wonderful? Didn’t you say before that you loved spending time alone with me? Didn’t you say you wanted to be with me forever? Why are you like this now?”

When he said this, Song Yu cried bitterly.

She was even already shedding tears.

She simply covered her face and cried, and no one around her saw it. To outsiders, they even thought the two were flirting.

Song Yu has always been good at manipulating people in this way; it's incredibly easy for her to manipulate a man.

For so many years, her husband has always been swayed by this approach.

As he said this, the Duke looked at her for a long time, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he only said, "You are a woman who is stupid to the core."

Song Yu could sense that the Duke wasn't angry. His words even carried a teasing tone, indicating that he didn't care. Did he think she was stupid all these years?

Song Yu always thought he was quite clever, so when did he ever think he was stupid?

Forget it, there's no point in arguing about this now.

So Song Yu pretended not to know anything, and then looked at the Duke with her eyes blinking: "I don't know anything, I only know to serve you well. I hope that we can be together for a long time. You are in my heart, and I am in yours."

As he said this, the Duke was quite unceremonious. He rolled up his sleeves, using them to block the view, and then gave Song Yu a big kiss on the cheek.

"You smell so good lately, and you're so skilled, especially in bed."

Song Yu: "..."

She was used to it, but her face turned red at this moment.

"I know, I know. Please don't say anything now. What will I do if someone hears us?"

“Let me tell you, a woman like you has a future. If she wants too much like Lan Fei, no one will accept her. At least I won’t accept her here. I don’t think I need a wife like Lan Fei, an orphan. I don’t know what’s so great about her.”

“Lan Fei can’t see herself clearly, so she wants to leave. If she wants to leave, then she should leave. Our family doesn’t need an orphan girl who always has a dark face and thinks she’s aloof.”

"Yes, yes!" Song Yu quickly nodded at this moment, "I also want to be your only one. I have been sad countless times and have been ridiculed countless times for not being the legal wife."

"You can't be the principal wife in the future either." As he said this, the Duke said, "Your family background is not good enough. After she left this time, it has been a great blow to the Duke's mansion."

The Duke had never said anything like this to her before. Song Yu had always been naive, thinking that it was obvious that the Duke had a vast fortune waiting for her.

But it was severely weakened just because Lan Fei left?

What exactly is going on with this Duke's mansion?

Thinking of this, Song Yu clenched her fist: "Husband, what happened? Tell me, and I'll help you think of something."

"The Duke's Mansion looks impressive, it's a century-old family, and one of the top families in the court. But actually, the family expenses are quite high. Because of the extravagance of the previous dynasty, our family has spent all our money and has long been in debt. For so long, it has been Lan Fei's dowry that has been subsidizing us. That's why we married Lan Fei back then, and even in such a grand manner. My grandmother thought that this was the best way to control Lan Fei."

Song Yu felt his blood run cold.

He was even speechless for a moment, his face full of confusion and bewilderment: "You mean..."

"Our Duke's mansion doesn't actually have much money?"

"No way, my husband. Are you trying to scare me on purpose?"

"That's definitely not mine. I could tell you that you're completely devoted to me and that you only love me, so I'm telling you this. I wouldn't tell anyone else this, because it's only you, and it can only be you."

"Song Yu, if you're going to stay with me from now on, you need to know that the Duke's mansion has a huge financial hole. You'll need to bring some money from the Song family in the future. Of course, your dowry has already been mostly distributed within the family by now. I haven't told you about this because I know you'll agree, right, A-Yu?"

Song Yu: "..."

Given the current situation, how could she possibly disagree? She just found it ridiculous, thinking that such a grand Duke's mansion was like a joke. Just thinking about it filled her with anger, and she felt so stifled and miserable.

I feel irritated by everyone I see.

Song Yu took a deep breath: "I didn't feel much before, but now that I see you, I know."

"I will definitely stand by you through thick and thin from now on."

"I'll contact you immediately whenever you need me."

"And then there's the Song family; my father will definitely support you."

At this moment, the Duke's eyes were entirely on Song Yu.

"That bitch Lan Fei. She has no real skills, all she knows is how to take money from our household. If it weren't for saving face, she would never have returned these dowries. It's only because the Emperor and Empress spoke up that she did this."

"Now that I think about it carefully, I don't have a strong attitude towards anyone, as long as they don't end up like Lan Fei. We originally wanted to assassinate Lan Fei, but who would have thought she would just walk into the military camp. She must have gotten on the Empress's good side."

"This Empress is no ordinary person."

Upon hearing this, Song Yu nodded mechanically. Looking at her so-called husband, her eyes were now filled with fear and indifference.

She felt that if she lost her money... she would suffer the same fate as Lan Fei.

Lan Fei has the Empress's backing, but what does she have?

Thinking about these things, Song Yu felt somewhat dazed.

She wanted to be strong her whole life, to always hold her head high in front of her family, to be ambitious and do things that would impress them. If she knew the Duke's mansion was just an empty shell, she didn't know how long her maternal relatives would laugh at her…

Song Yu was terrified when he thought about these terrible things.

What she fears most is being ridiculed, what she fears most is being looked down upon...

Take a deep breath.

Song Yu said, "My lord, I would like to go out for some fresh air; it's too stuffy here."

She was thinking about how she could get out of this mess.

"Of course. But you need to think it over carefully. I remember that all your expenses are kept in the household records, Yu'er. I'm a little curious, how come ten thousand taels of silver are missing from here, and another five thousand taels have suddenly disappeared? What did you do with them?"

"Although this is your money, I'm just afraid you'll squander it. You know I'm doing this for your own good. After all, this sum of money is enough for our Duke's mansion to last for a long time."

"..."

Song Yu used the money to buy erotic paintings from the Empress. He also used it to buy some things that he no longer needs...

It just feels kind of funny.

I used to think that as long as I pleased my husband, I could live a carefree life, do whatever I wanted, and even feel all the love in the world.

"..." I never expected this, I never expected this, life is unbearable. Perhaps Song Yu would be much better off if he found a lover outside.

Take a deep breath.

Song Yu didn't want to say a word; he was only focused on his money.

"Yu'er doesn't know, my things are all kept by the servants."

"Lord Duke, please wait for me to go back and ask around. Such a large sum of money couldn't have been stolen."

As he spoke, Song Yu hurriedly went out. Outside, everyone was preparing a steamed bun feast. The people around him were baking warm steamed buns, each one big and round. Some were even making flower rolls and large steamed buns. They were making all sorts of things without any restraint. After thinking about it, he realized that these things were all quite good.

Once he felt he had made his move, Song Yu stood there feeling somewhat out of place.

"I...Is this all I'm supposed to do, leave with absolutely nothing?"

Song Yu saw his younger brother.

He quickly ran over and called out, "Little brother."

"Can you help me find the Empress? Only the Empress can save me now."

"I can't live like this anymore."

Song Chunhe looked at her elder sister, who had always been high and mighty, standing here looking very powerful. The person who used to look down on everyone now seemed to have completely gone mad.

I'm a little confused.

"Why would you want to see her? Eldest sister, you should live your own life and not bother others."

"Hmm..." Song Yu knew she couldn't hide it anymore, and she also knew that her younger brother wouldn't just ignore everything, so she leaned over to Song Chunhe and told him everything that the Duke had said to her earlier.

"There's nothing to be wary of in our family. But I'm only willing to show you my worst side; I don't trust anyone else."

"Thank you, Chunhe, but I really have no other choice now."

Song Yu was in great pain: "I don't want to die either. Lan Fei has already run away. If I continue to be stubborn, I think I will die too. It's one thing for the Duke's mansion to be incompetent, but it also needs us women to save face."

“I won’t do it. Why should I help them? I’m planning to enjoy a comfortable life. Even if I’m divorced and live my own life, my dowry is enough!”