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

The Hall of Supreme Harmony was built specifically for Consort Mei during the reign of the late emperor.

After Consort Mei passed away, the Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into disrepair, and only raccoon dogs were seen there on ordinary days.

Today, however, there are many more people inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

Wen Shuyao and Xique hid outside the window, completely concealed by bushes as tall as a person.

Inside the hall, a fat, big-eared man lay naked on the bed. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his belly, he would have looked almost like a corpse.

A cold glint flashed in Wen Shuyao's eyes. This person was none other than the infamous Duke of Su.

The Duke of Su was over sixty years old and acted eccentrically. He kept over a hundred concubines at home but was still not satisfied. He spent all his time in brothels and was notorious for his wicked reputation.

Now that he is lying here in this state, and a palace maid wants to bring him to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Madam Wen's intentions are obvious.

"Such ruthless methods." Wen Shuyao's lips curled slightly, her voice soft and gentle. "As expected of her."

Upon hearing this, Magpie turned pale: "Miss, let's go quickly!"

"Leave?" Wen Shuyao sneered. "If we just leave like this, wouldn't that be letting her off easy?"

As she spoke, she took out a handkerchief that she had hidden in her sleeve.

The magpie recognized it immediately: "Isn't this the handkerchief that Madam embroidered herself?"

Lady Wen was originally a seamstress from Jiangnan. She did not hide her background, and instead used it to gain the Duke of Wen's sympathy.

The handkerchief that Wen Shuyao has just taken out bears the unique embroidery mark of Madam Wen.

Wen Shuyao smiled slyly and said, "That's right. I took it from her bedroom yesterday, thinking it would be just in case. I didn't expect her to act so quickly."

There are only a few ways to ruin one's reputation, such as using a handkerchief as a token of love—in her previous life, Madam Wen used such a method to scheme against her.

Having been reborn, she was already on guard and carried the handkerchief that Lady Wen had personally embroidered for Duke Wen with her.

Wen Shuyao climbed through the window and walked straight to the Duke of Su's side.

She kept her eyes straight ahead, her expression unchanged, while the magpie behind her had already turned red in the cheeks, her eyes darting around, and she didn't dare to look at the bed at all.

Wen Shuyao glanced at the Duke of Su's obese body, her face showing disgust, but she still quickly put down the handkerchief and crumpled the clothes next to the Duke of Su into a tangled ball.

At first glance, it looks as if someone had been lying there.

Magpie stared in disbelief at Wen Shuyao's actions, and after a long while murmured, "Miss, how can a mere handkerchief lead people to associate it with the Madam?"

Wen Shuyao smiled and said, "It's one thing if other people can't recognize her embroidery skills, but my good father can recognize them at a glance."

“A handkerchief is not enough to convict her, but it can disgust her and drive a wedge between her and my good father. That’s how I achieve my goal.”

Satisfied with her masterpiece, Wen Shuyao clapped her hands and casually stuffed a medicine into the mouth of the Duke of Su.

However, her expression froze when she saw the Duke of Su's fat back.

On the body of the Duke of Su, there was a strange flower tattooed.

For a moment, Wen Shuyao's mind went blank.

She felt like she'd seen this tattoo somewhere before.

No!

Wen Shuyao shook her head, quickly banishing these thoughts from her mind.

"Hurry up!" Wen Shuyao lowered her voice, and her movements became noticeably flustered.

The magpie, not understanding what was going on, quickly followed behind her.

In the dark room, a pair of deep, dark eyes watched their departing figures with a thoughtful expression.

What's behind the Duke of Su?

A thought flashed through his mind, but was interrupted by Si Qing's words.

"Your Highness!" Si Qing exclaimed in shock, "The Duke of Su cannot die!"

"No need to panic." Xie Jinghan stopped him, his eyes still fixed on the hall.

Seeing Xie Jinghan's calm expression, Si Qing felt quite uneasy. He scratched his head awkwardly and said weakly, "I followed behind the Duke of Su as you instructed, but I encountered a palace maid who was unconscious on the way."

"Judging from her appearance, she is the palace maid who served Miss Wen at the banquet."

"Judging from Miss Wen's actions, it seems she anticipated this. If it were her..." Si Qing pondered cautiously.

Miss Wen is, after all, the prince's fiancée, so it's best to find out some things as soon as possible.

However, Xie Jinghan said indifferently, "Indeed, a thorough investigation is necessary."

Wen Shuyao looked startled just now.

His eyes were dark and unfathomable as he stared thoughtfully at Wen Shuyao's back. He had said he would investigate Wen Shuyao thoroughly, but he had not made any move yet.

Wen Shuyao and Xique had already walked out quickly.

Xie Jinghan raised his hand, and Si Qing responded softly, but his eyes started to dart around.

Based on his years of experience serving Xie Jinghan, he easily came to a conclusion—Xie Jinghan's attitude towards Wen Shuyao was unusual.

Over the years, if our prince were to encounter someone he suspected, what methods wouldn't he use?

She was merely the daughter of the Duke of Wen's family; she was not enough to make him hesitate.

Before he could ponder it carefully, he heard Xie Jinghan's instructions: "Madam Wen is just an official's wife, how can she act like this in the palace? She must have someone helping her behind the scenes. The presence of Duke Su must also be her doing."

Upon hearing this, Si Qing's expression turned serious: "Madam Wen's cousin is Consort Zhang. I'm afraid she's using Consort Zhang to plot against Miss Wen."

"I wonder if Consort Zhang knows about Duke Wen's connection to the assassination case... If she does know... then is the Zhang family related to the assassin?"

Si Qing blurted out all her questions, but Xie Jinghan had already left the dark room.

The Duke of Su was so drunk that he was unconscious, and his body was completely exposed.

Si Qing, standing behind him, gasped. The Duke of Su's appearance was truly unappealing.

For some reason, Xie Jinghan recalled Wen Shuyao's calm expression from earlier.

That expression didn't seem like that of a pampered noblewoman; rather, it was more like that of a free-spirited wanderer from the martial world.

A snoring sound interrupted Xie Jinghan's thoughts.

Si Qing stepped forward, his gaze fixed firmly on the Duke of Su.

On the body of the Duke of Su, there was a strange and terrifying tattoo.

The tattoo looks like a flower.

But Si Qing's eyes were full of excitement: "Your Highness, you guessed perfectly! The Duke of Su does indeed have this tattoo!!"

"Now that it's decided, leave immediately." Xie Jinghan's expression was calm, as if he had expected this.

Upon hearing this, Si Qing nodded repeatedly.

Madam Wen is still waiting to plot against Wen Shuyao. I'm afraid that soon they will all flock to the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Their actions today must not be noticed.

Just as he was leaving the main hall, Xie Jinghan whispered another instruction in his ear.

His expression changed drastically: "Meeting in private? Isn't that inappropriate?"

"Is it against propriety for me to meet my fiancée?"

Si Qing dared not say anything more and quickly agreed.

……

at the banquet.

Seeing that Wen Shuyao had not returned for a long time, a smug look flashed in Madam Wen's eyes.

She winked at Lin Mama behind her, who understood and then told her the news she had just received: "The Taihe Hall is already prepared, so you can rest assured."

Almost at the same time that Granny Lin spoke, a gasp of surprise rang out.

It turned out to be the Duchess of Su. Her eyes were wide open like copper bells, her hands on her hips, looking around.

"Where is he?" the Duchess of Su asked angrily. "Where has he gone again?"

A palace servant quickly stepped forward and whispered something.

Then, the Duchess of Su stormed out of the main hall.

The Emperor and Empress had already accompanied the Empress Dowager out to admire the flowers. The people in the palace no longer had any scruples. Seeing that the Duchess of Su was leaving, they followed her with a "let's see what's going on" mentality.