My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Moreover, it would be better to marry Wen Shuyao to Prince Jing...

Madam Wen clenched her hands, glancing out of the corner of her eye at Wen Shuyao, who was keeping her head down and remaining silent.

Over the years, Wen Shuyao has been raised to be timid and cowardly. Even if she marries Prince Jing, she probably won't be able to cause any trouble.

But... why does she still feel uneasy?

Wen Yitong, standing to the side, seemed oblivious to her mother's worry; her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

She's about to marry Chen Che!

Wen Yitong clenched her fists secretly, her excitement evident.

At the same time, she glanced quickly at Wen Shuyao.

Wen Shuyao naturally noticed the schadenfreude in her eyes.

Wen Yitong used to look down on Chen Che, a playboy who lived off his ancestors' wealth. How come she suddenly changed her mind and took a liking to Chen Che?

She must have done it intentionally by falling into the water.

After going through so much trouble, almost ruining her reputation, just to marry a playboy?

In terms of status and power, Prince Jing was far superior to Chen Che.

The current Wen Yitong exudes strangeness in every way.

Once this matter was settled, Madam Wen lost all interest.

While the idea of ​​a marriage swap sounds simple, it is actually extremely complicated to carry out.

Moreover... the thought of Wen Shuyao getting such a good husband as Prince Jing filled her with bitterness and sorrow.

But then Duke Wen added, "Tomorrow at the palace banquet, let Shu Yao go with you."

There's no better place to spread news than a palace banquet; we need to announce Wen Shuyao's marriage to Prince Jing as soon as possible.

Madam Wen was taken aback, and reluctantly replied in a low voice, "The two sisters can keep each other company."

"She has committed a grave mistake, yet she still wants to enter the palace?" Duke Wen interrupted her, sneering at Wen Yitong, "Go kneel in the ancestral hall. Without my permission, you are not to step out of the ancestral hall!"

Wen Yitong gritted her teeth. In the past, Wen Shuyao couldn't even get close to these palace banquets.

She's just Princess Jing, isn't she?

When Wen Shuyao falls into misfortune alongside Prince Jing, she'll see if her father still values ​​her!

She frowned, gave a perfunctory bow to the Duke of Wen, and quickly left.

"Look at the person you've raised!" Duke Wen's face was grim. "She made a mistake, and I, as her father, can't even say a few words to her?"

Madam Wen was at her wits' end and quickly comforted him: "Yi Tong was also frightened. She is the most well-behaved child."

"At the palace banquet tomorrow, does Master intend to arrange for Prince Jing to meet with Shu Yao?" She quickly steered the conversation towards Wen Shu Yao.

Wen Shuyao's eyes darted around, and she revealed the silver hairpin in her hair to Duke Wen at just the right moment.

She was indeed poor.

Madam Wen tightly controlled her mother's dowry, leaving her with only a small amount of money to spend each month, so naturally she didn't have any decent jewelry.

Duke Wen frowned: "All we have is this one silver hairpin. If we go to the palace, everyone will laugh at our Wen family."

"Shu Yao is beautiful, so you'd better be careful and dress her up properly, otherwise..." Duke Wen gave her a cold look, "the mess your daughter has made will be left unattended."

Lady Wen's heart tightened, realizing that Duke Wen was implying something.

Despite her reluctance, she could only agree: "Don't worry, I will dress her up nicely."

"There's no time like the present." To show her sincerity, Madam Wen beckoned to Wen Shuyao, "Shuyao, go with Granny Lin to pick out some jewelry."

Wen Shuyao had been waiting for these words. She pretended to be extremely apprehensive and bowed to the two of them, saying, "Thank you, Father and Mother."

Madam Wen's dressing case contained many fine items. Although she was a second wife, she was still born into a prestigious family, and moreover... many of them were items from her mother's dowry!

She wanted to take this opportunity to get more back.

……

The next morning, the carriage of the Duke of Wen's mansion slowly headed towards Yingtian Gate.

Outside Wanchun Palace, a large crowd gathered, with ladies and noblewomen from various households chatting and laughing together.

"Where's Wen Shuyao?"

As soon as she woke up this morning, Madam Wen's eyelids kept twitching. It's all because of that jinx, Wen Shuyao!

She looked around, and her ominous premonition came true the moment she saw Wen Shuyao.

At first glance, she almost thought she was seeing things.

However, Wen Shuyao was standing right next to the artificial hill, and the sunlight poured down on her head, making her head full of jewels particularly dazzling.

Wasn't that gold hairpin with rubies and sapphires inlaid with rubies and sapphires the treasure she kept at the bottom of her chest?

And that filigree enamel hairpin with intricate floral patterns...

And that jade necklace with gilded kingfisher feathers and inlaid with Hetian jade...

These were almost all the dowry she had prepared for Wen Yitong, so how did they end up in Wen Shuyao's hands?

"Granny Lin!" Madam Wen's vision blurred, and she gripped the armrest tightly. "What happened?"

Lin Mama's heart tightened, and when she glanced at Wen Shuyao, she understood everything.

Recalling Wen Shuyao's actions yesterday, her gaze became unfocused, and she murmured, "Yesterday you said you would take Miss to choose jewelry, so this old servant took Miss there."

"Are you stupid? Those were all carefully selected by me for Yitong's dowry!" Madam Wen gritted her teeth. "Isn't picking out a few gemstone hairpins enough for her?"

“But those were all Chu’s dowry… Yesterday, the eldest young lady picked out all of Chu’s dowry from your dressing box. She also said… that it’s not easy for you to manage the household, so she won’t take your things, and will only take my mother’s dowry.”

"At the time, the master was still outside, and this old servant dared not make a sound. I could only watch helplessly as she took everything away."

As Madam Wen watched as Granny Lin opened and closed her mouth, all the blood in her body rushed to her head.

"Fine!" She gripped the handrail, a mouthful of blood rising to her throat. "I should have known! She's a wicked person!!"

Madam Wen's gaze was tangible, piercing fiercely at Wen Shuyao.

"Is it pretty?" Wen Shuyao pretended not to see it, gently touched the gold hairpin on her head, and raised an eyebrow at the magpie.

The headpiece was so heavy it almost bent her head.

It's a sweet burden.

Magpie nodded hurriedly, but upon noticing Madam Wen's gaze, she tightened her neck again: "Miss, Madam is glaring at you!"

“I’ve already got the jewelry. Even if she tries to glare me out, I won’t give it back,” Wen Shuyao snorted. “Just like my marriage to Prince Jing.”

Upon hearing this, Magpie's smile vanished, replaced by a mournful expression. "Miss, you and Young Master Chen are deeply in love, yet the Second Miss has separated you... and you're even forced to marry Prince Jing..."

King Jing's infamous reputation had already spread throughout the capital.

Wen Shuyao's phoenix eyes widened as she repeatedly refused, "I have no relation to Chen Che. In my opinion, Prince Jing is a thousand times better than Chen Che! Ten thousand times better!"

On the artificial hill, Si Qing glanced at his master's face and whispered a compliment: "This Miss Wen has excellent taste!"

The man fiddled with the jade thumb ring, remaining silent.

Below, Magpie's voice choked with emotion: "But I've heard that Prince Jing is cold and heartless, spending all his days in the military camp, where even the mosquitoes are male. If you, Miss, were to marry him, wouldn't you be spending every night alone in an empty room?"

"Besides...besides, there are rumors circulating in the capital..."

“King Jing is impotent!” Wen Shuyao spoke, clapping her hands and chuckling, directly stating what the magpie dared not say.