She remarried a cold-faced, powerful man, and the scumbag regretted it and cried his heart out.

After Jiang Jin'an left, Shen Jingshu was not idle either. Hearing that Gu Shiyi was ill, she asked Yaoqin to prepare a gift and send a visiting card to the Duke of Dingguo's mansion.

Although Jiang didn't want to see her, she still allowed Shen Jingshu to come to the door out of consideration for her reputation.

The Duke of Dingguo's mansion differs from the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion in that it is more solemn and less lively, showcasing the heritage of a century-old family.

Madam Jiang sat regally in the main hall, dressed in a crimson-purple jacket embroidered with gold floral patterns, and wearing a headdress adorned with red gold and kingfisher feathers, exuding elegance and nobility.

She glanced at Shen Jingshu indifferently, her tone neither warm nor cold: "Miss Shen has arrived."

"Jing Shu greets Madam."

"Hmm." Jiang responded, picked up the teacup, gently stirred the foam, but her eyes swept over the rim of the cup, carefully examining Shen Jingshu. "What brings you here today?"

“At the palace banquet before, Jing Shu was ignorant and offended Madam. She hasn’t found time to apologize to Madam these days, but today is a good day.”

Jiang snorted coldly, put down her teacup, and said with a hint of dissatisfaction, "You still know you're being disrespectful? You've really made a fool of yourself and disgraced my Duke Dingguo's mansion."

"Madam, please calm down. Jing Shu did not mean to offend you." Shen Jing Shu lowered her head and replied, but in her heart she sneered. Was Jiang Shi blaming her for stealing Gu Shi Yi's limelight, or was she blaming her for offending Jiang Shi's face?

"You think you can just brush this off with a simple 'it wasn't intentional'? You're certainly good at downplaying the issue!"

"Jing Shu knows she was wrong." Shen Jing Shu still kept her eyes downcast, her tone calm. "So today I specially prepared some small gifts to express my apology."

As Shen Jingshu spoke, she gave Yaoqin a wink, and Yaoqin presented her with an exquisite sandalwood box. "I recently acquired some fine Yunwu tea, and since Madam has always enjoyed tea, I'm sending it to you to try."

Jiang's expression softened slightly. She took the tea box, opened it, and saw that it was filled with tea leaves, which were emerald green in color and had a fragrant aroma. It was indeed a top-quality Yunwu tea.

She picked up a tea leaf, held it to her nose, and sniffed it lightly, a look of satisfaction appearing in her eyes.

"You've put your heart into this," Jiang said, her tone softening slightly.

"I'm glad you're happy, Madam." Shen Jingshu smiled and then asked, "I heard that Sister Gu hasn't been feeling well lately. I wonder if she's feeling any better?"

"I'm much better, thank you for your concern." Jiang said, but she was a little puzzled. Why was Shen Jingshu suddenly concerned about Gu Shiyi?

Shen Jingshu naturally knew what Jiang was thinking. She lowered her eyes, concealing the glint in them, and said, "Sister Gu is of noble birth and should naturally be well cared for. I have a century-old ginseng here, which my father bought from a merchant who returned from the border a few days ago. It is extremely nourishing, so please accept it, Madam."

Yaoqin then presented another brocade box, inside which lay a ginseng root as thick as a human arm, with intact ginseng roots and excellent quality, clearly a rare treasure.

Jiang was genuinely surprised. This ginseng was quite valuable, and Shen Jingshu was actually willing to give it to Gu Shiyi.

"This is a bit too expensive," Jiang said, but her eyes lingered on the ginseng without her noticing.

“Madam, you are too kind. You are the Captain’s aunt and will be Jing Shu’s elder in the future. Sister Gu is like a sister to me, so I naturally hope she can recover soon.”

Shen Jingshu said sincerely, "Besides, it would be a waste for me to keep this ginseng. I might as well give it to my sister to help her recover."

She deliberately emphasized the words "her own sisters," subtly alluding to her relationship with Jiang Jin'an.

Jiang's expression changed slightly. She naturally understood the meaning behind Shen Jingshu's words, and smiled, "You certainly know how to talk."

Since Shen Jingshu insisted, she no longer refused and accepted the ginseng.

"Then I'll thank you on behalf of Shiyi," Jiang said.

"You're too kind, Madam." Shen Jingshu smiled, exchanged a few more pleasantries with Madam Jiang, and then got up to take her leave.

Jiang also stood up, saying, "I'll see you off."

The two left the main hall and walked out along the covered corridor.

“Shiyi has been recuperating in the courtyard these past few days. Would you like to go and see her?” Jiang asked.

"Okay."

Right in the middle.

The two arrived at Gu Shiyi's courtyard, which was quiet with only a few maids cleaning.

Jiang's personal maid, Cuiyu, stepped forward to report: "Eldest Miss, Miss Shen has come to see you."

"Let her in," Gu Shiyi's voice came from inside the house, tinged with impatience.

Shen Jingshu entered the room and saw Gu Shiyi leaning against the soft couch, her face pale and her expression listless, looking like a sickly beauty.

"Sister Gu, how are you?" Shen Jingshu asked with concern.

"I won't die," Gu Shiyi said irritably.

She gets angry whenever she sees Shen Jingshu.

What's more, she also stole her beloved cousin. Just thinking about this made Gu Shiyi furious, and her tone became even more aggressive.

"Sister, what are you saying? I came to see you with the best of intentions."

"Hmph, who knows what you're up to?" Gu Shiyi sneered. She didn't believe Shen Jingshu would be so kind. "You're not here to laugh at me, are you?"

Shen Jingshu sighed helplessly and said, "What can I possibly worry about? I was just concerned about your health and wanted to come see you."

Stop pretending! You're probably secretly gloating!

"What am I so proud of?" Shen Jingshu said innocently. "You've misunderstood me from the very beginning. My marriage to the Commandant was bestowed by the Emperor. I had no choice."

"you……"

Gu Shiyi was speechless for a moment. She also knew that this marriage was bestowed by the Emperor and that Shen Jingshu had no say in it.

But she just couldn't swallow this insult!

"Alright, Shiyi, stop making a scene," Jiang interjected. "Jing Shu came to see you out of kindness, how can you talk like that?"

Gu Shiyi wanted to say something, but was stopped by a look from Jiang Shi. She glared at Shen Jingshu, then turned her head away and stopped talking.

Seeing this, Shen Jingshu chuckled inwardly, but remained outwardly composed.

She walked over to Gu Shiyi and said, "I know you're feeling down, but look at you, you've lost weight these past few days."

She took out a box of rouge and handed it to Gu Shiyi. "Look, there are only two boxes of this 'Red Beauty' rouge in the entire capital. I specially asked the shop to reserve one for you. Try it and see if you like it."

Gu Shiyi's eyes lit up immediately. She took the rouge, opened the lid, and a faint fragrance wafted out. She carefully dipped her finger in the rouge, applied it to the back of her hand, and gently blended it.

"The color of this rouge is so beautiful!"

She usually loves these rouges and face powders the most, and the color of this "Red Beauty" rouge is prettier than any rouge she has ever used before.

Shen Jingshu watched Gu Shiyi's actions and pondered to herself.

Although Gu Shiyi is arrogant, she is simple-minded and easily taken advantage of.

It seems that using her to help Gu Changyi find Chu Xiangling's whereabouts in the Duke of Dingguo's mansion will not be difficult.

"If you like it, I'll give you some other things later."

Upon hearing this, Gu Shiyi looked up at Shen Jingshu. Although she didn't like Shen Jingshu, she had to admit that the things Shen Jingshu gave her were all things she liked.

Moreover, Shen Jingshu's speech was much more pleasant to hear than before, unlike her previous arrogant manner.

"Hmph, at least you put your heart into it."

Jiang watched from the side, feeling a sense of relief.

She had initially worried that Gu Shiyi would hold a grudge against Shen Jingshu and cause a scene, but now it seems that the two get along quite well.

“Jing Shu, since you’ve come all this way, why don’t you accompany Shi Yi for a walk in the yard? She’s been cooped up in the house for the past few days, she needs some fresh air.”

Jiang proposed it.

Shen Jingshu readily agreed, as that was exactly what she had in mind.

Gu Shiyi's courtyard was large, filled with various flowers, trees and shrubs, and the scenery was pleasant. The two walked on the cobblestone path, each lost in their own thoughts, chatting idly.

What do you usually like to do?

"Me? I don't have much to do on weekdays. I just read books, play the piano, do some embroidery, and stuff like that," Gu Shiyi said, her tone tinged with boredom.

As the eldest daughter of the Duke of Dingguo's family, Gu Zhong and Jiang Shi always had high expectations of her. She had little leisure time, spending her time on music, chess, calligraphy, painting, or the Four Books and Five Classics.

Shen Jingshu casually offered a compliment, but Gu Shiyi snorted and remained silent.

After glancing at her several more times, Gu Shiyi hesitated for a long time before suddenly stopping and calling out to her, "Hey, do you know that your cousin is trying to harm you?"