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

Quanshuizhuang?

Wen Yitong remembers this name vividly.

From a young age, she learned household management from her mother's careful guidance. When she came to the Prince Jing's mansion, she thought she could show off her skills and let everyone see her abilities.

So, after gaining the upper hand in an argument with Granny Qi, she led Granny Qi and the others to inspect the estates, and the first estate they inspected was Spring Water Estate.

Quanshuizhuang is a good place, and there's bound to be a lot of money to be made there.

As the mistress of the Prince Jing's household, she naturally couldn't stand such criminals.

Upon discovering the discrepancy in the ledgers, she immediately sent men to seize control of the head of Quanshui Manor.

From then on, the nightmare began.

Not a single tenant farmer in Quanshui Manor stood by her side; instead, they all spoke up for the manor manager. Before she could even make an example of Quanshui Manor, her authority as a princess had already vanished.

She seized upon the error in the ledger and wanted to escort the headman to the government office, but the tenants were so audacious that they ganged up on her and blocked her by the roadside. If Xie Jinghan hadn't arrived in time, she probably would have lost her life there.

She had thought that Xie Jinghan's arrival would help her make decisions, but to her surprise, Xie Jinghan's tone was cold, and his first words were to tell her to let the head of the manor go.

But she was protecting the interests of the Prince Jing's manor! Why should the head of the estate be let off so easily?

She was naturally unwilling, but Xie Jinghan gave an order and everyone stopped obeying her. The incident at Quanshui Manor made her lose face, and she hated Granny Qi and resented Xie Jinghan.

In a daze, those scenes from my dream reappeared before my eyes.

She clenched her hands tightly, her expression grim.

"She came to Quanshui Manor too?"

She asked in a low voice, without naming names, but Ruyi immediately recognized who she was referring to.

Ruyi hesitated, for these rumors had already spread among the servants.

Xie Jinghan's thoughtfulness in personally accompanying Wen Shuyao on her inspection of the estate was widely publicized. It was clear that someone wanted to see Wen Yitong make a fool of herself, so she suppressed the news.

Looking at Wen Yitong's expression, she was caught in a dilemma: whether to speak or not.

If I tell her, Wen Yitong will definitely go crazy; if I don't tell her...

"Speak!" Wen Yitong said impatiently, her voice sharp. "Do you even consider me your master? How could you keep such an important matter from me?"

"I was worried about you!" Ruyi shook her head and said quickly, "I was worried that you would get sick because of this, so I kept it to myself."

Noticing Wen Yitong's increasingly impatient expression, she quickly said, "This morning, Prince Jing accompanied Princess Jing..."

She dared not say any more, because at this moment Wen Yitong's expression was as black as the bottom of a pot.

She had no doubt that if she continued speaking, she would be met with a resounding slap.

Wen Yitong stood in front of the carriage, and despite the bright sunshine, she felt icy cold all over.

It was Xie Jinghan who personally accompanied Wen Shuyao? Is he really that special to Wen Shuyao? That fond of her?

“Miss…” Ruyi looked worried, “Why do you care about the second young lady… No matter when, the eldest young lady’s marriage is something you don’t want.”

Others may not know, but doesn't she know?

Chen Che's marriage may seem terrible to outsiders, but it was something his young lady fought for and fought for.

She truly didn't understand why Wen Yitong was so furious.

I knew this, why should I be at the beginning?

She hesitated, wanting to speak but not daring to reveal her thoughts, keeping her head tightly lowered.

Wen Yitong's vision went black, and she could only stand up by tightly gripping Ruyi's hand.

She knew about the filth within the Prince Jing's mansion, which is why she was willing to give up what others considered a great marriage opportunity to Wen Shuyao.

She never expected that Wen Shuyao and Xie Jinghan would be so loving.

Could it be that the so-called "Jade-Faced Asura" could also be captivated by beauty?

Apart from her face, what part of Wen Shuyao could compare to her?

"I want to go and take a look."

Wen Yitong's words stunned Ruyi.

Ruyi hesitated for a long time before finally speaking in a trembling voice, "What do you want to see?"

Wen Yitong's lips were tightly closed, and her face was pale.

She didn't speak again, but Ruyi already understood what she was thinking.

Ruyi sighed inwardly, thinking that trouble was likely to arise again today.

But after saying that, Wen Yitong made up her mind.

She couldn't believe Xie Jinghan would treat a woman like that; she wanted to see for herself.

Ruyi, having exhausted all other options, could only say tactfully, "The son-in-law is still here. Shouldn't you tell him?"

“Miss, now that you are married to the young master, if he finds out that you are so concerned about the Jing Prince’s Mansion, he may be displeased,” Ruyi said in a low voice. “You should find a suitable excuse to go to Quanshui Manor.”

Upon hearing this, Wen Yitong fell silent.

Given the current situation, if she were to show any further interest in the Prince Jing's residence, it would indeed arouse Chen Che's suspicion.

After a moment of silence, she said, "Just tell him I want to go hunting in the mountains and ask him if he would like to come with me."

She could guess Chen Che's answer to this question without even having to guess.

Sure enough, after a while, Ruyi returned with a lighthearted expression.

"My son-in-law said he still has a lot of schoolwork to finish, so he won't accompany you up the mountain."

Ruyi's words were very tactful, but in reality, Chen Che waved his hand repeatedly upon hearing the invitation and swaggered off to his bedroom with the maid beside him.

Ruyi dared not reveal these things to Wen Yitong.

Wen Yitong sneered, clenched her hands, and said indifferently, "Let him be."

“Once I’ve resolved this matter…” Wen Yitong’s eyes darkened, “I will definitely urge him to continue his studies.”

Ruyi inwardly cried out in alarm. Looking at the strained relationship between Chen Che and Wen Yitong, what good would it do to urge them to study?

Moreover, she had never seen someone preparing for the imperial examinations so carefree. Even the heir of the marquis's mansion across the street was diligently studying, focusing solely on the examinations. Chen Che was like this...

However, seeing Wen Yitong's expression, she swallowed her thoughts.

Wen Yitong was so certain that Chen Che had the potential to be a third-place scholar in the imperial examinations, how could she dare to speak ill of Chen Che when Wen Yitong was so attentive?

“If that’s the case, then let’s go up the mountain.” Wen Yitong clenched her fist, her eyes resolute.

Wen Shuyao must have used some method to make Xie Jinghan so concerned; this must not be Xie Jinghan's original intention.

Besides...

She also wanted to know what Wen Shuyao would do if Xie Jinghan still chose to protect the manor manager of Quanshui Manor, who was lining his own pockets.

Although Wen Shuyao was stupid, she valued money the most. How could she tolerate the head of the estate lining his own pockets?

Thinking of this, Wen Yitong almost burst out laughing.