The people of the Yongning Marquis's residence were unaware of what was happening on Zhou Shiyuan's side. Even if they had known, they wouldn't have cared about it at the moment, because they were currently welcoming a very important person.

When the gatekeeper announced the arrival of the Dowager Consort, Zhou's father was completely stunned. Then, belatedly, he remembered that his mother's younger sister had married into the palace and was now also a Dowager Consort.

The Empress Dowager must be here to see her mother.

But when he thought of Madam Zhou's current appearance, Zhou's father broke out in a cold sweat.

He scrambled to his feet and hurriedly ordered people to prepare to go to the main gate to welcome the Dowager Consort.

Bai Mianmian looked at Zhou's anxious father, then at her own son:

"Who is the Dowager Consort?"

Zhou Yujie rolled his eyes and said:

"I'll go take a look too."

He is now in a dead end. Although his cheap father, Zhou Shiyuan, is unlikely to cause any more trouble after this incident, his status is awkward, making it too difficult for him to stand out.

He was wondering whether to try and probe Yuan Zhao's side again, when suddenly a concubine arrived today.

What if I could get close to that imperial concubine?

Thinking of this, Zhou Yujie's short legs moved even faster.

Compared to the panic of the others in the Yongning Marquis's residence, Yuan Zhao was the calmest one, after all, she had already known that the Dowager Consort would be coming today.

Meanwhile, news also came back from those who were with Zhou Shiyuan.

"Miss, Miss..."

I could hear Linglong's excited voice from afar:

"Zhou Shiyuan was almost beaten to death because he was found carrying cheat sheets."

"He's still lying on the street, barely breathing."

Linglong became more and more excited as she spoke, wishing she could be there right now to kick him a few more times.

"If no one takes care of him, he'll probably die out there. That's fine, it saves us the trouble of taking action."

She had barely finished speaking when Yuan Zhao said:

"No, send someone to bring him back and have a doctor treat him."

"Miss?"

Linglong stared wide-eyed, completely baffled by Yuan Zhao's intentions.

"If he dies, that would be too easy for him."

Yuan Zhao spoke calmly.

Death would end everything; she wanted him to live a life of endless suffering.

Moreover, she had already been a widow once, and this time she didn't want to be a widow; she wanted to divorce her husband.

Linglong seemed to understand Yuan Zhao's meaning, and she nodded and had someone do it.

Yuan Zhao changed his clothes and followed him to the door.

The Yongning Marquis's residence had not opened its main gate to welcome anyone for a long time. At this moment, everyone had changed into their most gorgeous clothes and were waiting for the arrival of the Dowager Consort.

The second wife couldn't hide her joy.

They thought the Marquis's mansion would decline and never prosper again, but unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager returned.

They seemed to see a bright future.

Hope shone on everyone's face, even on Zhou's father's.

He immediately sent people to serve Old Madam Zhou in her courtyard, determined not to let the Dowager Consort know that they had mistreated Old Madam Zhou.

Now, he wishes he could worship Old Madam Zhou.

Whether the Yongning Marquis's mansion has a future depends entirely on today.

Seeing the hope in everyone's eyes, Yuan Zhao gave a slight twitch of his lips.

They all thought today brought hope and anticipation, but who knew that this hope might very well turn into a death sentence?

However, this is for the best; the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.

She wanted to see what would happen when their hopes were completely dashed.

Just as she was pondering this, the Empress Dowager's carriage arrived.

Zhou's father excitedly led everyone in kneeling and bowing to welcome the arrival of the Dowager Consort.