After the delicate and soft-spoken wife gave up, the aloof and powerful minister embraced her and sh

Wen Jiayue and Li Zhilan didn't have much contact.

The only opportunity they had to meet each year was a brief encounter at the New Year's Eve banquet, during which they never spoke to each other.

The information she had about Li Zhilan was all pieced together from what other people had told her.

Li Zhilan married at the age of eighteen. Her husband did not come from a prominent family, but he was handsome and deeply in love with her.

However, there are rumors that the eldest princess did not like her husband, and that she secretly kept male lovers during the years of their marriage, which led to the husband's death from anger.

The rumors are absurd, but they are not entirely unfounded.

A year ago, the new emperor ascended the throne, and less than two months later, Li Zhilan openly took two male concubines, ignoring the accusations from officials and continuing to do as he pleased.

In Wen Jiayue's view, Li Zhilan was a heretic who wielded great power.

So killing her and Zhaozhao in his past life was like crushing an ant; it posed no threat to Li Zhilan whatsoever.

She didn't want to repeat the tragedy of her past life. She wanted to protect her daughter, and her top priority was to find out Li Zhilan's background and find the right solution.

Wen Jiayue looked at Shen Fuhan with eager eyes.

"I don't know," Shen Fuhan said calmly. "I didn't see the Princess today."

Wen Jiayue immediately lost her strength.

It makes sense. Last time, Shen Fuhan didn't go to the princess's residence because of the matter of taking a concubine, so it's understandable that Li Zhilan was angry and refused to see him this time.

But she still asked, unwilling to give up, "Your Excellency must have met the Princess before, right?"

"I saw him a few days ago, with the Emperor."

Shen Fuhan didn't seem to want to say more, so he picked up a piece of meat and put it in his mouth to chew.

Wen Jiayue carefully considered her words before speaking: "What is her personality like? I've heard that the Princess is a very cheerful person. I wonder if I have the opportunity to get to know her?"

Shen Fuhan's expression immediately changed, and he said coldly, "No."

Wen Jiayue stared at him in surprise.

Why is he so nervous? Is he worried that she'll discover his secret?

Fearing he might notice, Wen Jiayue smiled gently: "I was just saying it casually, I'll do whatever you say, Lord Marquis."

Shen Fuhan's expression softened a bit, and he said calmly, "Just take good care of yourself, I'll handle the rest."

Wen Jiayue nodded obediently, but her heart grew increasingly agitated.

If he could really handle it well, she and Zhaozhao wouldn't have died in vain in their past life!

Wen Jiayue was full of anger, so she ate a few bites and then stood up.

Shen Fuhan looked up at her and said, "Eat more."

"I have no appetite," Wen Jiayue said, pursing her lips. "I'm a little sleepy, I'm going to sleep now."

Shen Fuhan didn't try to persuade her anymore and ate her meal alone.

Lying on the bed, Wen Jiayue pondered how to make contact with the Princess without leaving a trace.

The eldest princess had never visited the Marquis's residence, so she had to leave the residence frequently to have a chance to meet him.

There's also the Imperial Palace. The eldest princess frequently visits the palace, and if one can establish a relationship with the emperor's concubines, the chances of seeing the eldest princess increase significantly.

Wen Jiayue pondered silently. The emperor had only been on the throne for a year, and the harem was empty. The imperial concubine selection would not be held until March of next year to fill the harem.

Among those selected were many legitimate daughters of prominent families, but no one expected that the most favored person would be the daughter of an unknown eighth-rank official.

She had only been in the palace for two years when she became Consort Chen.

The emperor even considered making her empress, but gave up the idea because she had no children.

Later, she did have a child, but... both she and her unborn child died.

The emperor nearly went mad, and as a result, he killed many people.

Wen Jiayue had seen Consort Chen at a palace banquet. She was pale as paper and sickly. Among the three thousand beauties in the harem, she could barely be described as having above-average looks, but the emperor still liked her.

However, there are still six months until next March, which is quite a long time.

Wen Jiayue was lost in thought when, without her noticing, Shen Fuhan stood in front of her, scrutinizing her with his gaze.

You seem to have something on your mind lately.

Wen Jiayue clenched her fists and smiled, "I'm bored during my postpartum confinement, so I'm just thinking about things to pass the time. Is the Marquis going out?"

"Have a rest."

Judging from his expression, it seems he wants to rest here.

Wen Jiayue frowned slightly and subconsciously refused: "My lord, please rest somewhere else. Zhaozhao is asleep and will wake up if you touch her."

Sleeping in the same bed at night is something we have to do out of necessity; let's forget about it during the day.

Shen Fuhan was silent for a moment, then replied with an "okay".

After he left, Ruyi came in to serve him.

"Madam, would you like to take a rest?"

Wen Jiayue shook her head: "I can't sleep a little. Talk to me for a bit."

Ruyi smiled and asked, "What does Madam wish to say?"

Wen Jiayue thought for a moment: "Let's talk about immortality."

Ruyi's cheeks immediately flushed upon hearing this, and she covered her face, saying, "Madam is making fun of me!"

Changsheng was a servant in the Wen family. He was two years older than Biyi and had taken great care of her since childhood. The two gradually developed feelings for each other.

In his previous life, after Ruyi's accident, Changsheng was in a daze and soon after, he also committed suicide by drowning.

In this life, Wen Jiayue wanted to help this ill-fated couple be together.

“What’s with the teasing?” Wen Jiayue said seriously. “If you two are in love, I will arrange for you to get married.”

Ruyi quickly shook her head: "This servant does not want to get married yet. This servant only wants to stay by Miss's side now."

“Silly girl, of course not now,” Wen Jiayue said with a smile. “If you were to get married now, I would be reluctant to let you go. It’s okay to let Changsheng wait a few more years.”

Ruyi blushed and nodded, then paused and said, "Madam is a year younger than me, so why do you talk like an older sister?"

They even called her "silly girl," as if they were calling her a younger sister.

Wen Jiayue pursed her lips. She looked seventeen, but she was actually twenty.

Looking at eighteen-year-old Ruyi, it was just like looking at a younger sister.

She explained, "Perhaps it's because I've had a child, but I feel like I've aged a few years."

Ruyi quickly replied, "Madam is still beautiful, even more radiant and charming than before she gave birth to Miss."

Seeing that Ruyi had misunderstood her meaning, Wen Jiayue smiled and said, "I don't care about that."

All she wants now is to protect her daughter and ensure her safe growth.

Ruyi suddenly said, "Speaking of which, Master, Madam and Third Miss should come to visit you too."

Wen Jiayue felt a slight difficulty breathing.

These past few days, she had been avoiding thinking about Wen Ruohuan, and the sudden mention of her caused a dull ache in her chest.

Those closest to you can hurt you the most.

She never imagined that the person who drugged her was her younger sister, with whom she had shared everything since childhood.

Even more unexpectedly, Wen Ruohuan developed inappropriate feelings for her brother-in-law.

Wen Jiayue controlled her emotions and said calmly, "It'll be soon."

If it's the same as my last life, then it's tomorrow.

She wanted to see if the other family members knew about Wen Ruohuan's covetousness of Shen Fuhan.

If they are in the same boat, then they might as well not have this maternal family!