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

"The closer their relationship, the better it is for your reputation." Madam Wen suppressed her anger and said, word by word, "Do you want the whole capital to know that you stole your sister's fiancé?"

In an instant, Wen Yitong's blood froze.

"I……"

"Tong'er, you've reached marriageable age. Remember, you can't be like you were when you were young, wearing all your joys and sorrows on your face."

Madam Wen spoke earnestly, her emotions a complex mix as she looked at her only daughter.

Chen Che was the husband she had carefully chosen for Wen Shuyao. She had already planned everything, including the hardships Wen Shuyao would face after marrying into the Chen family.

However, Wen Yitong disrupted all her plans.

The person who should have married into the Chen family and suffered was Wen Yitong. Even the dowry that she had carefully prepared for Wen Yitong was to be entirely added to the dowry left by Chu Wanqing.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong's eyes reddened, and she choked out, "Mother, I'm just scared."

All of this was far removed from the scene in her dream.

Madam Wen gently put her arm around her shoulder and said tenderly, "Don't worry, with your mother here, no one can get past you."

A sharp glint appeared in her eyes.

Wen Yitong didn't listen. She choked back tears as she clutched Madam Wen's clothes tightly.

She desperately tried to recall the scene from her dream, and finally felt a little more confident.

"It'll all be alright once the imperial examinations are over," she murmured.

Chen Che will be participating in next year's imperial examination.

Then... she will be the wife of the third-ranked scholar!

Chen Che enjoys the Emperor's favor and his career is progressing rapidly. She will soon surpass Wen Shuyao.

Those rumors must be false.

She thought to herself, Xie Jinghan would never treat a woman so gently.

After silently repeating a few words in her mind, Wen Yitong finally stopped panicking.

Madam Wen noticed the change in her expression, and the wrinkles between her brows deepened.

This appearance... is like being possessed.

"Alright, now is not the time to talk about this," Madam Wen said coldly. "The imperial examinations haven't even started yet, how do you know Chen Che will definitely pass?"

Chen Che was her destined son-in-law, so she naturally hoped he would pass the exam, but...

Thinking about the information she had previously gathered, she rubbed her temples and sighed deeply.

Never mind, she still had to worry about Wen Yitong's dowry.

Even if Chen Che is useless, at least he can let Wen Shuyao live a life of wealth and leisure.

"Tong'er, be good." Madam Wen patted her shoulder. "Since the matter is settled, don't think about these unnecessary things."

"Tomorrow is a banquet personally hosted by Her Majesty the Empress, so you absolutely mustn't act childish again!"

Madam Wen looked extremely displeased as she spoke.

For some reason, her daughter, whom she had carefully raised, was becoming increasingly impatient.

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and responded softly.

The next morning, the banquet was packed with people.

The emperor and empress were deeply in love, and the empress was exceptionally virtuous. The banquets she personally organized were naturally highly sought after.

However, with so many people attending the banquet, gossip and idle chatter became unstoppable.

As soon as Wen Shuyao arrived, she heard her name called.

"Miss Wen is indeed very beautiful. No wonder she can seduce Prince Jing so much."

"I heard that it was Prince Jing's wet nurse who personally brought her back last night. I wonder what their relationship was like before that..."

These ambiguous yet malicious words did not harm Wen Shuyao in the slightest, but they made the magpie beside her jump up and down in anger.

“Your relationship with the Prince is completely innocent. Besides, the Old Madam was still here yesterday. They are clearly…”

"Don't bother."

Wen Shuyao remained indifferent, completely unconcerned about the gossip.

It was just a few words; how could they possibly hurt her?

It's obvious who spread these rumors.

Besides Madam Wen, who else could be so jealous of her doing well?

It's just a rumor, nothing compared to the benefits she gained.

As everyone discussed, their gazes, whether overt or subtle, were all directed at Wen Shuyao.

Beside Madam Wen, besides Wen Yitong, there was an empty seat on the right, which was specially prepared for Wen Shuyao.

Madam Wen was in a good mood as she listened to these words.

My efforts over the past few days have finally yielded some results.

At this moment, everyone's attention was drawn to the past between Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan.

"It's really pitiful for Yitong. No one would have thought that your stepdaughter could have such clever methods."

The lady beside her whispered a comforting word.

To this, Madam Wen only gave a bleak smile.

Seeing this, the ladies and noblewomen around her became even more certain of their guess.

Given the vast difference in status between Xie Jinghan and Chen Che, no one would believe that the drowning incident that day was orchestrated by Wen Yitong herself; they would only suspect Wen Shuyao.

Unexpectedly, Wen Shuyao, who is so young and usually doesn't show off, has such skills.

This was a wonderful marriage that Madam Wen had painstakingly arranged for Wen Yitong.

"Don't worry," the lady patted her shoulder reassuringly, "Her Majesty the Empress is known for her virtue and would never tolerate such a thing..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard the Empress above her laugh and say, "Yaoyao, come and sit next to me."

The moment those words were spoken, the noisy banquet fell into an eerie silence.

Lady Wen could barely maintain her composure, but when she looked up, she saw Granny Jiang, who was beside the Empress, walk up to Wen Shuyao with a smile on her face.

“Miss Wen,” Granny Jiang said with a smile, “Her Majesty the Empress has specially arranged a seat for you. Please follow this old servant.”

Not only the others, but Wen Shuyao was also very surprised.

She blinked and met the Empress's gentle smile.

The more the Empress looked at Wen Shuyao, the more satisfied she became.

Last night, her brother, who was usually aloof from worldly affairs, came to her personally and asked her to take care of Wen Shuyao.

At the palace banquet that day, she only glanced at Wen Shuyao briefly. But after looking at her closely today, she realized that Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan were a match made in heaven, just in terms of appearance.

I wonder how beautiful their child will be.

Thinking this, her smile became even gentler.

"Yaoyao, come here."

She waved to Wen Shuyao.

The Empress's attitude determined how everyone treated Wen Shuyao.

In an instant, all the whispers disappeared.

Sitting next to the Empress, Wen Shuyao could see the expressions on the faces of the people below.

Those who had been talking about her the loudest earlier had already lowered their heads and remained silent like quails.

"Don't pay attention to those rumors." The Empress patted her hand reassuringly. "I believe that the person Jing Han chose would never be such a malicious person."