The Duchess of Wei's voice was as cold as ice, and she was so angry that she felt dizzy and lightheaded.

She wasn't unaware that the Marquis of Wuding's mansion wanted to arrange for the Third Miss Zheng to become her son's second wife. However, the late Heir Apparent's wife had been spoiled and arrogant, acting like a tyrant in the Duke's mansion. She already regretted misjudging her son. The Third Miss Zheng was spoiled no less than the Heir Apparent's wife, so how could she dare to agree? Understanding that the Marquis of Wuding's mansion was afraid that the second wife would mistreat An'er, she tried her best to choose a gentle and kind-hearted woman to put the Marquis of Wuding's mansion at ease, without even considering her family background. She also promised that the position of Heir Apparent would definitely belong to An'er. But that wasn't enough; she still caused trouble for her.

He secretly picked a fight with Miss Shen, and after being reprimanded by her, he didn't stop but instead became even more ruthless, even using An'er as a pawn at the Duke's birthday banquet!

She said she would marry into the family to take care of An'er, but she didn't trust anyone else to take care of An'er. Yet, she was more ruthless than anyone else when it came to treating An'er.

Such a ruthless person is not someone the Duke of Wei's mansion can afford!

An'er must have had terrible luck for generations to have such a maternal family. Aren't they afraid of upsetting the Crown Prince's wife in the afterlife?

The more Lady Wei thought about it, the angrier she became, until her vision blurred with anger.

Zheng Ruyi trembled behind Lady Wuding, who then said to the maids and wet nurse, "Ruyi has treated you well. Who instructed you to smear Ruyi?!"

Now the Duke of Wei's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. His son had personally arrested the maid and wet nurse for interrogation, but the Lady of Wuding Marquis still refused to admit it to the death. In front of them, she even asked the maid and wet nurse to recant their testimony. She really thought the Duke of Wei's mansion and the Marquis of Pingyang's mansion were fools.

As soon as Lady Wuding spoke, the maid who was kneeling on the ground immediately took two steps forward, grabbed Lady Wuding's leg, and begged for mercy, "This servant did it for the young master's own good. Miss Shen and the young lady have a grudge. This servant was afraid that if she married into the Duke of Wei's mansion, she would harm the young master, so I drugged the young master and framed Miss Shen. This servant did not know that the drug was so potent. The quack doctor who sold the drug to this servant said that the drug was not fatal, but would only make people fall into a deep sleep for an hour. This was this servant's idea alone, and had nothing to do with the young lady. This servant knows that she was wrong..."

Shen Wan sneered, "What a loyal maid! She took all the blame upon herself. A mere maid, yet she managed to get the young master's wet nurse and the late young master's wife's maid to cooperate so seamlessly. All the evidence has been placed in the arms of Fourth Sister's maid. This Duke of Wei's mansion terrifies me. My Fourth Sister is kind by nature and doesn't know these dirty tricks. If she were to marry into this family, she would probably be devoured without a trace."

The Fourth Master said in a deep voice, "She hasn't even married into the family yet, and so much trouble has already happened. It's not that my daughter can't get married; she can't live without the Heir Apparent. This marriage is off."

How could Shen Wei not be able to get married? This marriage was secured by the Duchess of Wei.

Lady Wei was both angry and embarrassed. She was angry that the Marquis of Wuding's mansion had caused trouble for the Duke of Wei's mansion, and embarrassed because the medicine packet was found on Chunlan. She did not trust Shen Wei. She apologized, "Fourth Master Shen and Fourth Madam Shen, please calm down. I was so anxious just now. After all, An'er is so young, yet she has suffered so much. I was so angry that I did not believe that Miss Shen was innocent. Now that the truth has come out, the Duke and I will come to apologize tomorrow. It would be too serious to break off the engagement."

The fourth wife wouldn't listen at all, and said, "We are not worthy of the Duke of Wei's mansion. My daughter came to celebrate his birthday in high spirits, but she was wronged for no reason. Since all the civil and military officials are here, in order to prevent my daughter from being criticized for breaking off the engagement, let my husband announce the annulment!"

The Duke of Wei and his wife both had increasingly stiff expressions.

At the birthday banquet, it was already bad enough that his grandson vomited blood and fainted in his arms. If he were to announce the annulment of the engagement on top of that, the Duke of Wei's mansion would become a laughing stock in the capital.

Aside from being misled, they had no complaints about Shen Wei. In addition, their son also liked Shen Wei and would never agree to break off the engagement. Furthermore, Shen Wei's status was not high. If she wanted to break off the engagement with her son, how would her son find a wife in the future?

The Duchess of Wei was so angry she wanted to skin Zheng Ruyi alive.

Marquis Wuding sensed something was wrong and gave his wife a meaningful look. She quickly took Zheng Ruyi and left.

He had only taken a few steps when a cold voice rang out, "Stop!"

Shen Wan turned to look at Marquis Wuding and his wife, "You slapped my fourth sister and want to leave without giving me an explanation?"

Lady Wuding looked at Shen Wan with a livid face, her eyes clearly showing her anger at Shen Wan for meddling in other people's business.

Shen Wan wouldn't meddle in other people's business, but Shen Wei was her cousin. Bullying Shen Wei was a sign of disrespect for the Pingyang Marquis's mansion. Besides, she was practically the matchmaker for Shen Wei's marriage to the Duke of Wei's heir. If Shen Wei was wronged, she had to see it through.

Shen Wan looked at Shen Wei and said, "Go and fight back!"

Shen Wei bit her lip, her hesitant gaze instantly hardening. Her older sister was protecting her, and she couldn't let her sister down.

She walked towards Zheng Ruyi.

Raise your hand.

He slapped Zheng Ruyi across the face.

The more forcefully the Lady of Wuding slapped her, the more forcefully she retaliated.

The faces of Marquis Wuding and his wife turned green.

What made them even more furious was that the fourth wife felt that the slap wasn't enough. It was right for her daughter to slap back, but the matter of the Marquis of Wuding's family framing her daughter hadn't been settled yet, so she went up and slapped the Marquis of Wuding's wife as well.

The slap left everyone in the room speechless.

The Duke and Duchess of Wei also saw the determination of the Fourth Master and Fourth Madam to break off the engagement. They did not put pressure on the Duke's Mansion to compensate their daughter. The Fourth Madam slapped the Marquis of Wuding's wife, and the two mansions became irreconcilable enemies. If the Duke's Mansion did not break off the engagement between the heir and Shen Wei, then it would sever all ties with the Marquis of Wuding's Mansion.

With that slap from the fourth wife, there was no turning back now.

You can only choose one of the two.

The fourth wife is gentle by nature. She was able to do this because she was frightened by Shen Wan's words. She did not ask her daughter to be rich and powerful, nor did she expect the Duke of Wei's family to be her in-laws. She felt that her husband's life was worthwhile as long as he could rise through the ranks and become a fourth-rank military equipment supervisor. She did not ask for more. She only hoped that her two children would be safe and well.

What good is power and influence in the Duke of Wei's mansion if you marry into it and get murdered? You lose your life. What good is that if you can't enjoy this blessing?

The heir of the Duke of Wei walked in, and upon hearing these words, he stopped in his tracks. With a stern face, he instructed the steward, "Prepare the dowry that the Marquis of Wuding's mansion gave to An'er's mother, and send it to the Marquis of Wuding's mansion immediately after the birthday banquet."

His tone was cold and hard, leaving no room for negotiation.

Marquis Wuding's face looked as ugly as if he had eaten shit.

Hearing this, Shen Wan's anger subsided slightly, and her expression softened. Fortunately, the heir of the Duke of Wei did not disappoint her.