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

With the Empress's backing, the controversy surrounding the marriage exchange was completely suppressed.

On the day they returned to the capital, the Duke of Wen's mansion welcomed "distinguished guests".

This time, Old Madam Chu and General Chu came in person.

Duke Wen had intended to go out to avoid the limelight, but before he even reached the main gate, he saw General Chu leading a large group of people into the gate.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place, so he had no choice but to bite the bullet and go forward.

"Why did the two elders come in person?"

"Naturally, I'm worried that someone might try to cheat me."

Old Madam Chu showed no mercy and immediately gave a cold laugh.

She never treated Duke Wen well, not even when her daughter was alive.

Duke Wen was used to this.

“Mother-in-law, it really is…”

"Don't call me that," Old Madam Chu said with disgust. "You're not worthy!"

She didn't want to say much to Duke Wen, but only instructed the steward behind her: "Take people to check the dowry. If anything is missing..."

She paused for a moment after saying this.

Duke Wen was on tenterhooks. He had been navigating the political landscape for decades, but even so, seeing the old lady of Chu in such a state still made him uneasy.

Old Madam Chu is the most difficult person to deal with in the Chu family. Over the years, he has been harassed by Old Madam Chu quite a bit.

"Don't worry," he hurriedly defended himself, "I've already had someone check it once, there's absolutely no mistake."

Old Madam Chu dismissed his words as nonsense, giving him a dismissive glance: "This isn't something you can guarantee with just a few words. After all, back then... you also solemnly promised me that you would be with Wanqing for life."

The Chu family's rule was that they could not take concubines.

When Duke Wen proposed to Chu Wanqing, he patted his chest and readily agreed.

But in the end, he still ended up having an affair with Zhang and had Wen Yitong.

Wen Yitong's age is questionable. Anyone with connections in the capital knows that Zhang became pregnant while Chu Wanqing was ill.

It's not surprising that such an adulterous couple would resort to any despicable means.

Old Madam Chu's sarcasm was like a slap in the face to Duke Wen.

At this moment, Wen Shuyao said softly, "Grandmother, please don't make things difficult for Father. In this matter... Father is not the one who made a mistake."

As soon as she opened her mouth, Old Madam Chu frowned in displeasure.

Even though this was something she had instructed Wen Shuyao to do, hearing such words still made her feel resentful.

Upon hearing this, Duke Wen was deeply moved, and his dissatisfaction with Wen Shuyao lessened somewhat.

"I want to go to the storeroom myself." Old Madam Chu didn't want to say more and strode forward.

Wen Shuyao followed closely behind her.

"If it weren't for the fact that you're marrying out of the Wen family... I would never have let you speak up for him under any circumstances," Old Madam Chu said angrily.

Wen Shuyao nodded in agreement: "Grandmother, don't worry, I know everything."

A glint of light flashed in her eyes as she spoke.

Whether she is being insincere with Duke Wen today or is for her own future plans.

She wanted to find out the truth about her mother's death!

Wen Shuyao secretly vowed in her heart that she would never let the real culprit who killed her mother go!

Duke Wen, Lady Wen... she will not let any of these people with her mother's blood on their hands go!

In her past life, she had already uncovered many clues and was about to gather evidence to sue the adulterous couple when she unexpectedly returned to the past.

This is good... she thought to herself. Her maternal grandparents and uncles were still alive, the Chu family had not yet suffered any misfortune, and she had memories of her past life.

This time, she will surely bring those who deserve their punishment to justice as quickly as possible!

The warehouse door opened, and Madam Wen, accompanied by Wen Yitong, waited at the entrance.

Lady Wen was unwilling to appear, but Duke Wen had spoken—if she did not appear, he would hand over the management of the household to several concubines.

She was proud and arrogant; how could she possibly hand over the power of managing the household to a concubine of lowly status?

Therefore, she could only bring Wen Yitong with her.

The warehouse is now filled with rare and precious treasures.

It shone brightly in the dimly lit warehouse, making it impossible to look away.

Wen Yitong had never looked closely at the dowry that was rightfully hers. In her dreams, she only vaguely remembered that she was always carrying her dowry between the Prince Jing's mansion and the Duke Wen's mansion.

Seeing this warehouse full of good stuff today, her eyes were almost dazzled.

Only then did she realize how much wealth she had missed.

Madam Wen was heartbroken.

Many of the good things in Chu Wanqing's dowry had been misappropriated by her, and now they had all been returned, leaving her courtyard mostly empty.

"Madam, this is the storeroom."

The steward treated Old Madam Chu with utmost respect, as if Old Madam Chu were the true mistress of the Wen State Duke's Mansion.

Old Madam Chu looked haughty and didn't give Madam Wen a single extra glance.

She stepped past Madam Wen, and the Chu family steward following behind her quickly stepped forward, holding a long list of dowry items, and began to check them one by one.

Madam Wen clenched her fists in embarrassment. If the anger in her eyes could materialize, it would have already burned the Chu family members in front of her to ashes.

What embarrassed Madam Wen even more was that the Chu family steward frowned and paused for a long time in front of several sets of tables and chairs before saying with dissatisfaction, "These are all furniture made of the finest Phoebe zhennan wood, how... how did they end up in this state?"

Golden nanmu is known for its hard wood and high price; with ordinary use, it is almost impossible to see any marks.

After Madam Wen moved the furniture set out of the storeroom, she thought she had handled it carefully. However, a single sentence from the Chu family steward revealed that she had used the golden nanmu wood set.

"Although the surface is smooth, there are still fine scratches, clearly indicating years of use," the Chu family steward said with dissatisfaction. "This set of golden nanmu wood is worth ten thousand taels of silver!"

If there is any damage, the price will be reduced by more than half.

Lady Wen blushed, and faced with the incredulous look in Duke Wen's eyes, she could only suppress her shame and indignation.

This set of Phoebe zhennan wood furniture is placed in her yard. Wen Guogong has sat on it day and night countless times. How come now, it's all her fault?

"Fine." Old Madam Chu snorted coldly, "The Chu family doesn't want anything that a vile woman has used."

"However..." Old Madam Chu glanced coldly at Duke Wen, "your Duke Wen's mansion must compensate for the losses incurred at market value!"

Duke Wen felt that Lady Wen had humiliated him greatly, and he quickly nodded.

Just as he was about to agree, Wen Shuyao tugged at Old Madam Chu's sleeve and whispered, "Grandmother, why don't we consider this set of Phoebe zhennan wood furniture as a gift from me to Father?"

“Father has had a tough time these past years… We can’t let him lose all his possessions, after all… it’s not Father’s fault.”

Duke Wen was deeply moved upon hearing this.