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

The crowd was buzzing with discussion, and Wen Yitong felt a burning pain in her face.

She clenched her hands in resentment, listening to the sarcastic words, and the hatred in her heart gradually welled up.

So again!

Why did she end up in this situation even after changing her marriage?

Why is it that she is the one who is pitied and ridiculed by everyone?

She didn't understand, and she didn't want to understand.

One day, these people will realize how foolish they were, and they will pay the price for their stupidity!

not to mention……

How long can Wen Shuyao be so smug?

Xie Jinghan's triumphant return was certainly glorious, but he was, after all, a subject, and such glory would inevitably offend the emperor.

The whole world belongs to the emperor, so how could he be willing to see the people of the world only know Xie Jinghan and not know who the emperor is?

Once or twice, the emperor might tolerate it.

But what about three or four times?

Xie Jinghan's existence has become a major concern for the emperor.

Thinking this to herself, Wen Yitong let out a cold laugh.

Everyone was whispering, and her laughter was especially noticeable.

Madam Wen's face turned cold as she glared at the maid beside her.

Ruyi had a bad feeling and hurriedly poured Wen Yitong a cup of tea: "Second Miss, please drink some tea to soothe your throat."

Ruyi's words pulled Wen Yitong out of her thoughts, and she also noticed the strange looks people were giving her.

Realizing the foolish thing she had just done, Wen Yitong gripped her teacup tightly, her mind racing as she tried to figure out how to get out of this mess.

Madam Wen gave her a cold look and took the initiative to bring the topic back.

"The Prince Jing's residence naturally has many fine things," Madam Wen said with a slight smile, taking a sip of tea. "I wonder how much silver the Princess Consort is prepared to contribute to this fundraising event organized by Her Majesty the Empress?"

The border region suffered from invasions by the northern barbarians, and this autumn, without a drop of rain, drought swept through the Yanzhou area.

The people were already lacking food and clothing, and the Northern Di had taken away most of their grain, leaving them without clothes or food.

As the mother of the nation, the empress naturally set an example by organizing officials' wives and noblewomen to donate food and clothing, which were then sent to the border.

At this critical juncture, the question of how much silver and grain to allocate has become a problem.

A little silver and a few loads of grain were nothing but a trivial matter to these aristocratic families.

How much to give, and how to give it? There's a lot to consider.

What if giving too much money overshadows the contributions of other important people?

If you give too little, people will look down on you, and the Empress will be displeased. What should you do then?

All of these factors caused the wives and noblewomen of officials to remain hesitant and unwilling to take any action.

Madam Wen's words today are clearly a trap set for Wen Shuyao.

If Wen Shuyao gives too much, she will offend other important people; if she gives too little, she will lose face.

She was certain that Wen Shuyao couldn't quite grasp the right balance.

Before she could finish speaking, Wen Shuyao chimed in, "His Highness is at the front lines. As a member of his family, I must set an example."

"For this fundraising, our Prince Jing's Mansion will contribute 10,000 taels of silver."

As soon as she said this, everyone's eyes fell on her.

Ten thousand taels is no small sum.

Wen Shuyao met everyone's scrutinizing gazes, remaining calm and composed, and said in a gentle tone: "This ten thousand taels is the token of our Jingwang Mansion's goodwill."

"As you all know, His Highness is in dire straits on the front lines. Every extra tael of silver I donate will lessen the pressure His Highness faces."

Her tone was sincere, and her bright face was filled with worry for Xie Jinghan.

"It is only natural that the Princess Consort is concerned about Prince Jing and is willing to donate so much silver," said Madam Li, the wife of the Minister of Rites, her eyes full of admiration.

“Those of us whose husbands are not on the front lines should also do our part.” She raised her hand. “Our Li family will donate one thousand taels of silver.”

"Please excuse my rudeness, Your Highness." Madam Li curtsied to Wen Shuyao. "My husband is an honest and upright official. This one thousand taels of silver alone came from my own dowry."

Wen Shuyao quickly shook her head, speaking each word with utmost seriousness: "Madam, you are mistaken. Whether the amount of money is large or small, our intentions are the same."

"If there were money, who wouldn't want the people on the border to live a better life?"

"Her Majesty the Empress organized this fundraising event only to alleviate some of the pressure on the national treasury. I believe that Her Majesty the Empress's original intention was not to have us give away all our wealth to donate money."

"Your Majesty has seen all your good intentions."

She spoke so eloquently that many who had looked down on her began to take a second look at her.

The rumored Princess Jing was a beautiful but incompetent woman, but now it seems that the rumors are not entirely true.

At the very least, these few words are not something an incompetent person could say.

On the contrary, the second young lady of the Wen family, who has enjoyed a high reputation in the capital for many years... her words and actions today are more like those of a beautiful but foolish woman. However, her appearance is still far inferior to that of Wen Shuyao.

Wen Yitong never expected that just a few words from Wen Shuyao would lead these people to connect it to her.

Wen Shuyao's presence was constantly causing her distress.

As long as Wen Shuyao is alive, she will be compared to Wen Shuyao.

Especially now that she's inferior to Wen Shuyao in every way, this feeling is absolutely terrible!

Wen Yitong's face was dark, and she gripped her teacup tightly without saying a word.

Madam Wen looked at Wen Shuyao, but was not angry because of Wen Shuyao's attempt to smooth things over.

An indescribable emotion flashed across her eyes, and even a hint of excitement had already surfaced in her heart.

Granny Lin saw all of this and couldn't help but feel afraid.

This is not like Mrs. Wen's style.

Madam Wen hated Chu Wanqing so much that she naturally extended that hatred to Chu Wanqing's daughter as well.

Over the years, she has made things difficult for Wen Shuyao quite a bit.

If the Chu family hadn't still existed, she certainly wouldn't have spared Wen Shuyao's life.

Now, Wen Shuyao has transformed into the high and mighty Princess Jing.

Based on Madam Wen's past methods, she would definitely take immediate action to eliminate Wen Shuyao as quickly as possible.

But seeing Madam Wen's nonchalant demeanor, she realized that she had already made up her mind.

What exactly is the plan?

What would give Mrs. Wen such a strong chance of victory?

She was puzzled, and her thoughts drifted away.

Could it be someone else again?

Having endured several scrutinys from Madam Wen, Wen Shuyao was already on high alert.

However, there was nothing wrong with the food and drinks they consumed, and even Granny Qi couldn't see anything amiss.

As she drank her wine, she pondered Madam Wen's next move.

Suddenly, she heard a magpie chirp softly beside her: "Miss, I've seen Aunt Hua."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao looked in the direction the magpie pointed.

Aunt Hua hid behind the bushes, looking extremely disheveled, but the longing in her eyes made her presence impossible to ignore.