Inside the Chunhe Hall study.

Fang Ziyu stood before Pei Zhixuan with tears in her eyes, pleading, "Please, Your Highness, have mercy on me and don't send Ziyu away."

Pei Zhixuan looked at the pitiful girl crying in front of him, but for no reason he remembered the slight redness in Shen Yunjiao's eyes when she said that he was jealous this morning.

Why did I think of her?

Pei Zhixuan's fingertips curled slightly.

“When did I ever intend to send you away?” he said. “Please sit down first.”

Fang Ziyu obediently sat down next to Pei Zhixuan, her tears rolling down like pearls. "Your Highness, Ziyu is of lowly status."

“If Ziyu were to leave His Highness the Crown Prince, she would not know where to go. Anyone would despise someone like Ziyu.”

These words made Pei Zhixuan frown. He gently placed his hand on Fang Ziyu's hand and said, "You can stay in the Duke's mansion with peace of mind. Leave everything to me."

"Who allowed her to stay in the Duke's mansion?" Madam Xu stormed in angrily with a group of servants and housekeepers. As soon as she stepped inside, she pointed at Fang Ziyu and said, "Tie up this little slut who is good at bewitching people!"

The servants looked at each other, all standing with their heads down, none daring to make the first move.

Fang Ziyu looked terrified and leaned straight against Pei Zhixuan's back, crying, "Young Master! Save me!"

"Who dares to touch Ziyu!"

Pei Zhixuan's expression was not good. He stood up and shouted angrily, "Get out of here!"

Upon hearing the Pei family patriarch speak, the servants scattered like birds and beasts, leaving only Pei Zhixuan, Fang Ziyu, Madam Xu, and Shen Yunjiao in the spacious study.

Pei Zhixuan noticed Shen Yunjiao almost immediately. Her white thin coat hung on her snow-white shoulders, and the moment she stepped into the room, her indigo floral skirt slowly unfolded with her steps, just like a blooming hydrangea.

Exquisite and graceful, it's hard to look away.

Pei Zhixuan's eyes flickered slightly, and even his usually cold and hard tone softened a little: "What are you doing here?"

Shen Yunjiao glanced at Fang Ziyu with an air of arrogance, then said to Pei Zhixuan, "Come and catch them in the act."

Upon hearing this, both Madam Xu and Pei Zhixuan were stunned.

Pei Zhixuan suppressed his temper and looked at Shen Yunjiao with his dark, inky eyes, "Stop talking nonsense here."

Which of her eyes saw her engaging in illicit relations with another woman?

Shen Yunjiao sneered, "Where am I talking nonsense? If my mother-in-law and I hadn't arrived just now, would you two have been kissing?"

Upon seeing this, Fang Ziyu knelt down in front of Shen Yunjiao with a face full of apology, "Princess Consort, it's all my fault. I was the one who pestered His Highness. Please don't blame him!"

Shen Yunjiao thought about how the exaggerated villains in TV dramas were portrayed.

So she put on a thoroughly sarcastic expression, deliberately raising her chin high: "You seem to know quite well!"

She glanced at Pei Zhixuan out of the corner of her eye. Although there was some anger on his face, he wasn't exactly furious.

Was her acting not good enough? Or are this generation of scumbags just not good enough?

No, we have to get the wicked mother-in-law involved to help.

“Mother-in-law, look at her, I haven’t even said a few words to her and she’s already crying like this. It makes our Duke’s mansion look bad.”

As soon as Xu heard the words "Duke's Mansion," her anger flared up.

"Xuan'er, do you know? Because you brought her home, I've become a laughing stock outside!" Madam Xu said through gritted teeth, her eyes glaring fiercely at Fang Ziyu.

"Mother, I will deal with those gossipy people myself in the future!"

"Clean up? Everyone in the capital is saying you've disgraced the family, and it's all because of her!"

Enraged, Xu stepped forward and forcefully shoved Fang Ziyu's shoulder.

Fang Ziyu lay on the ground, her tears soaking a small patch of earth. She bit her lip until it bled, looking utterly helpless, which even made Shen Yunjiao feel pity for her.

"I understand, Madam." Fang Ziyu lowered her eyes weakly, her voice choked with sobs. "I will leave here today, so as not to cause trouble for the young master and the old madam!"

Shen Yunjiao deliberately let out a soft laugh, "The sun is shining brightly outside, you can still leave now, I'll prepare a sedan chair for you!"

"Enough!"

Pei Zhixuan finally lost his temper. His eyes were cold, and his cool voice suppressed his surging anger, "Why are you pressing her so hard? What did she do wrong?"

"Her mistake was that she shouldn't have used her lowly body to seduce a married man!" Shen Yunjiao replied sharply upon seeing this.

"A lowly body?" Pei Zhixuan's tone was sarcastic, and he sneered, "What is a lowly body? She saves lives and heals the wounded, even risking her own life to go to the villages most severely affected by the epidemic to treat people."

"And you? The noble daughter of the prime minister, living a life of luxury and spending ten thousand coins a day, what face do you have to criticize Ziyu?"

Pei Zhixuan scooped Fang Ziyu up in his arms, and Fang Ziyu leaned against him.

Xu wanted to say something, but Pei Zhixuan interrupted her without any politeness: "I am determined to marry Ziyu on the fifteenth of next month. Mother, please have her learn etiquette in the mansion during this time."

"Also, please take back the reward you gave to Ziyu. She doesn't like gold and silver jewelry, unlike some people who are extremely extravagant!" After saying that, he quickly left with Fang Ziyu in his arms.

Shen Yunjiao, who was being subtly insulted by the young master, rolled her eyes countless times in her mind.

But with the female supporting character successfully kept in the mansion, Shen Yunjiao felt a little relieved. Otherwise, she was really afraid that Pei Zhixuan and the female supporting character would not end up together, and she would be the one to suffer.

“Mother-in-law, since Zhixuan wants to keep that purple jade so much, let’s do as he wishes.” Shen Yunjiao feigned sadness and even raised her wrist to wipe away imaginary tears with her sleeve.

With a gloomy face, Madam Xu sat on the sandalwood chair, staring at Shen Yunjiao for a long while before she couldn't help but speak up sarcastically: "Look at you, you're not bad looking, so how come you can't compare to that plain-looking female doctor? You're really useless."

"You can't expect anything good from a dog's mouth," Shen Yunjiao thought to herself. But with a troubled expression, she said, "Perhaps the young master has rather unique tastes?"

Madam Xu didn't dwell on it much; she wasn't losing anything anyway, so she might as well keep it. However...

"Shen Yunjiao, if you see your father, remember to tell him to report Xuan'er's achievements in controlling the floods to the Emperor, so that His Majesty may also know my son's strength."

Madam Xu thought that if her son's official position were higher, she would see if those high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital would still be convinced and dare to openly or secretly mock her.

Shen Yunjiao said "okay" indifferently, but in her heart she only took it as a joke.

Hilarious! You think I'd help your son wipe out my whole family? Do you think I'm stupid?