Upon hearing the name Madam Zhao, Old Madam Yun's good mood was overshadowed by a heavy shadow.

Madam Yun immediately started cursing, "What does Madam Zhao take our Yun family for?! She dares to come here, get her out of here!"

Madam Yun said coldly, "Wash the place where she knelt down with water several times, so as not to dirty the Yun family's grounds."

The Zhao family had no roots in the capital. They only won the favor of Miss Chen by relying on their good looks and some talent, thus climbing the social ladder to the Chen family. Now that the cheating in the imperial examination has been exposed, the Chen family is in dire straits. Madam Zhao can't find anyone to save her son, so she has no choice but to swallow her pride and beg the Yun family again. Although the Yun family is just a merchant family, they have a lot of money. Money can make the devil turn the millstone, not to mention that the Yun family has the Pingyang Marquis's Mansion behind them.

But Madam Zhao didn't even consider that her son was greedy and had done something so shameful, bringing disgrace to the Yun family. Old Master Yun was filled with remorse for misjudging him. It was already kind of the Yun family not to take advantage of his misfortune. She was even more naive to expect the Yun family to save her son. She might as well pin her hopes on the Emperor suddenly granting a general amnesty.

That's wishful thinking; it's just asking for trouble.

Seeing that Madam Yun was quite angry, Shen Wan comforted her, "Grandmother, calm down. It's not worth getting yourself upset over someone like that."

Madam Yun knew this, but she was still furious. The thought of Yun Mo almost jumping into the Zhao family's fire pit made her feel lingering fear. "Fortunately, our Yun family didn't become someone else's pawn."

Otherwise, if she keeps this anger inside, she'll eventually die of anger.

As Shen Wan talked about other things, Madam Yun's mood gradually improved. Shen Wan had lunch with Madam Yun before leaving.

When they left, the ground in front of the Yun family's gate was still wet. Yinshuang said, "I heard from the Yun family's servants that Madam Zhao refused to leave no matter what, and even threatened to kill herself. Steward Yun directly asked the onlookers to witness that it was Madam Zhao who wanted to die, and that it had nothing to do with the Yun family. Madam Zhao held a gold hairpin to her neck, but she couldn't stab it for a long time. I don't know who threw a rotten egg in the crowd, and only then did Madam Zhao leave in a sorry state."

Selfish people cherish their lives, and no one would seek death like Madam Zhao.

This marriage arrangement has now come to an end.

Shen Wan sat in the carriage in a relaxed mood.

Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of the Marquis of Pingyang's residence. Yinshuang got off the carriage first, and then helped Chenwan down.

As soon as Shen Wan stepped out of the carriage, she saw Madam Wu, the eldest sister-in-law of the Third Madam, come out of the mansion with a beaming smile. Her happy smile was so bright that it was as if she had a dozen gold leaves pasted on her face.

No wonder Mrs. Wu was so happy. Her son was a good-for-nothing, indulging in drinking, gambling, whoring, cockfighting, and dog walking. He was over twenty years old and still hadn't found a wife. But then, a windfall fell from the sky, and he got a great marriage—the kind of marriage that couldn't be broken off even if it was. Mrs. Wu must be laughing in her dreams.

Where some are happy, others are bound to be unhappy.

As Shen Wan entered the inner courtyard, she saw the maid from the third branch of the family running towards her from afar, lifting her skirt. Her hurried appearance made it clear that something had happened to the third branch.

Could it be that Shen Rong has tried to kill herself again...?

Shen Wan was curious, but she didn't ask. The Pingyang Marquis's residence was only so big; nothing could be kept secret.

No sooner had Shen Wan returned to Qinglan Garden than news of the Third Branch of the family arrived. A maid reported, "The Old Madam has betrothed the Third Miss to Young Master Wu. Upon learning this, the Third Miss was heartbroken and smashed her head against a pillar."

Yinshuang's eyes widened. "The Third Miss is dead?"

The maid shook her head. "She's not dead. I was on guard. When the Third Miss hit the pillar, I grabbed her waist, but I was a step too late. Her head still hit the pillar, and she scraped her skin..."

The maids sighed as they recounted the story: the eldest daughter married Prince Ling, the second daughter married Prince Jin, and the fourth daughter would become a duke's wife. The maids and servants in the mansion all thought that the third daughter, at the very least, would become a princess consort. Who would have thought that the third daughter would marry such a bad man?

Shen Wan remained expressionless. She felt no pity for Shen Rong's plight; these were things they had originally intended to inflict upon her. To pity Shen Rong would be to make things difficult for herself.

After drinking tea and eating a pastry, Shen Wan continued embroidering the belt. Yin Shuang said, "The Marquis asked the Fourth Madam to teach Miss how to manage the household. I'm afraid Miss won't be able to finish embroidering the belt in four days."

Four days is already a tight schedule, and if we add other things, it definitely won't be enough.

However, Shen Wan was not in a hurry. Her father had forbidden Xie Jingyan from climbing over the wall to enter the mansion, and he would not be able to come in four days. They probably wouldn't see each other again before the wedding. All she needed to do was finish the embroidery before her marriage.

Shen Wan had a good plan, but on the fourth day, after she and Shen Wei finished learning how to manage a household from the Fourth Madam at Beiyuan in the morning, she saw Chen Feng pushing Xie Jingyan over from afar, with two maids following a few steps behind.

Shen Wan looked surprised, and Xie Jingyan said, "You're so surprised to see me?"

Shen Wan said, "Didn't my father forbid you from climbing over the wall into the mansion?"

Xie Jingyan had looked at Shen Wan with the eyes of someone looking at an idiot for the umpteenth time. "Does Miss Shen not know that there is a gate to the Pingyang Marquis's residence?"

Shen Wan, "..."

This person has such a sharp tongue.

Could you please only bring people next time, instead of bringing your own mouths?

Shen Wan didn't speak, but Xie Jingyan reached out and asked, "Where's my belt?"

He made two trips to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence just for a belt...

Shen Wan had nothing to say.

Looking at his outstretched hand, Chen Wan said, "It's...it's not finished embroidering yet..."

Xie Jingyan's eyes dimmed, and Shen Wan felt as if she had done something terribly wrong. She quickly explained, "I've been trying to finish my embroidery whenever I have time, but Father wants me to learn housekeeping from Fourth Aunt..."

Before he could finish explaining, his dim eyes lit up again, and his tone softened considerably, "Learning to be a housekeeper is the most important thing."

This person is indeed unpredictable. Shen Wan asked worriedly, "Aren't you angry?"

Xie Jingyan leaned back in his wheelchair, a glint of light in his eyes. "You're learning to be a steward so you can manage my Lingwang Mansion properly. Why should I be angry?"

This sounds like she's going to be put in charge of managing the household affairs of the Ling Prince's residence, but their marriage is just a sham. She'll only be staying at the Ling Prince's residence for a maximum of six months. Why would she need to manage the household affairs?

Shen Wan had some doubts, but she didn't say them aloud. She had no intention of helping with the household management or acting as a housekeeper, so it would be too wrong of her not to embroider a belt for him. She absolutely couldn't say it.

Looking up, Shen Wan saw Xie Jingyan staring at her, and a strange feeling inexplicably arose in her heart, making her feel somewhat helpless and wanting to run away.

She really did run away, saying, "I'll go back and embroider a belt for you right now."

Before Xie Jingyan could speak, Shen Wan had already run far away.

Xie Jingyan frowned deeply. "Why do I feel like she's a little afraid of me?"

Chen Feng said, "Sir, you must be mistaken."

If Miss Shen is afraid of the master, then she will definitely finish embroidering the belt he wants, even if it means working day and night.

The master has come twice, and the belt is only half-embroidered. He's clearly not afraid.