[The Lin family and Zheng Yutang were actually eavesdropping! Something's definitely wrong!]

Be careful, you villainous female supporting character; don't let them scheme against you.

Just then, there was a gentle knock on the door, and Zheng Yu's voice rang out from outside: "Father, the imperial physician said you need to rest and not overexert yourself for too long."

Minister Zheng responded, "Understood." He then said to He Yi, "Go back first. It's getting late. Don't worry the people from the Princess's residence. Remember your father's words, be careful in everything you do."

He Yi nodded, tucked the blanket around her father, and then reluctantly got up.

As she reached the door, she glanced back at her father on his sickbed. In the candlelight, he looked so lonely and old, and a wave of indescribable sorrow washed over her.

Zheng Yu was waiting outside. Seeing that her eyes were red, he knew that the father and daughter must have had a heart-to-heart talk.

Zheng Yu didn't ask any further questions. He looked down at the package in He Yi's hand and said softly, "I'll see you out."

The two walked out side by side without saying a word. Only after seeing He Yi into the carriage did Zheng Yu stop and look at her: "Yi'er, you've grown up. You have to be able to handle some things! Don't worry too much, your father will get better."

His tone was calm, but He Yi could naturally hear the worry hidden beneath Zheng Yu's calm demeanor.

“I know, brother.”

He Yi nodded, "Take care of yourself too, don't overwork yourself." Watching her sister's carriage disappear into the night, Zheng Yu slowly turned around and looked at her father's bedroom, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

His father's illness, the complex situation in the palace, and the undercurrents within his household... all of this was a heavy burden that fell on Zheng Yu's shoulders.

The male lead is so responsible; he silently shouldered everything.

Both siblings are so pitiful.

The turmoil at the Minister's residence has only just begun.

As soon as He Yi returned to the Princess's residence, she went to her bedroom. The fatigue from the past few days of travel washed over her, and she fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

She hadn't noticed that two furtive figures were hurriedly slipping into the backyard of the Minister's residence; they were Lin Shi and Zheng Yutang.

Lin dragged her daughter into the inner courtyard. In the candlelight, her face was as pale as a sheet of paper, and her fingers were clenched into fists. "That old bastard of yours actually met with Zheng He alone. Who knows if he gave her all the family's wealth!" Her voice trembled violently.

Those greedy eyes looked at Zheng Yutang, filling her with a deep-seated fear.

"If we don't take action now, what will we do when Zheng Yu takes power?" Zheng Yutang frowned: "Mother! We didn't actually hear what Father said, we only heard him coughing."

The weak voice of Minister Zheng outside the window kept replaying in her mind, but Lin felt inexplicably panicked. "He must have given all the good things to Zheng Heyi?" Lin walked behind the door and looked warily toward the main courtyard.

“Your father, that old fox, keeps some things from even Zheng Yu! Now that he’s sickly, it’s our chance!” Madam Lin leaned closer to her daughter. “I know a reliable person outside, named Sun Sanlang. Third Brother has some connections…”

“What Sun Sanlang?” Zheng Yutang’s eyes flashed with shock. “Mother! The ‘someone outside’ you mentioned, is that rascal Sun Sanlang who runs a gambling den in the west of the city?”

Previously, Zheng Yutang had overheard servants gossiping that Lin Shi often went to the west of the city and had a lover outside. At first, Zheng Yutang thought it was just scaremongering nonsense, but now that these words were coming from her mother's mouth, she didn't expect it to be true.

A strong sense of shame surged into Zheng Yutang's heart. She stepped back in shock, her voice trembling, "Mother, how could you get involved with such a person! I am a noblewoman from the Minister's family, and you are a Lady of Imperial Decree."

My God! That Sun Sanlang is actually a gambling thug?!

[Zheng Yutang's reaction was more like it; I would have exploded too!]

[Oh no, this mother and daughter are going to break up.]

"What do you know!" Lin was immediately stung and roared angrily, "If it weren't for saving up for your dowry, why would I put up with this filth? Sanlang has money and connections; he can help us sell the land deeds and shops of the Minister's mansion!"

Lin grabbed Zheng Yutang's hand tightly, her nails digging into Zheng Yutang's hand until it hurt.

"Yutang, listen to your mother. You must win over that young master Gu Minghe!"

"How am I supposed to take it?" Zheng Yutang shook off her mother's hand, her eyes beginning to redden. "Gu Minghe only cares about Zheng Heyi's status as a princess! Don't you know that at the last flower-viewing banquet, he didn't even glance at me!"

"He didn't even look at you! We'll find a way to make him see you!" Madam Lin's eyes were sharp. "What's so great about Zheng Heyi? She's just a minor princess! Listen, once your father passes away and Zheng Yu is busy with court affairs, we'll take the opportunity to get all the money out of the manor, and then have Sanlang help us liquidate everything of value. Then, with all that money in your hands, are you worried about not being able to keep Gu Minghe in check?"

As Lin spoke, she became more and more excited, as if she could already see all the wonderful things to come. "Once we get the money, I will leave the capital with Sanlang. You will marry into the Duke's mansion, and then we will both be settled!"

[Isn't Lin's plan a bit too cunning? Selling her husband's property to support a mistress.]

[I feel sorry for Zheng Yutang for a second, but her mother is just too outrageous.]

[The plot is getting increasingly exciting; a dark turn is inevitable!]

"No!" Zheng Yutang screamed sharply, "I don't want to use this dirty money! And I definitely don't want to marry someone who doesn't care about me!"

She felt angry just thinking about Gu Minghe, and then she remembered that her father had given all the family's wealth to He Yi. A surge of resentment rose to her head. "It's all because of Zheng He Yi! If she hadn't occupied the position of princess, if Father hadn't favored her, I wouldn't be in this situation!"

Seeing her daughter taking her anger out on Zheng Heyi, Madam Lin stomped her foot angrily: "That's right! It's Zheng Heyi! She's blocking your way, so you have to make her move!"

"Tell her to move? But how?"

Zheng Yutang murmured repeatedly, staring blankly at the dark night outside. Suddenly, she pushed open the door and stepped into the deep darkness.

Her mother's unbearable behavior, her father's favoritism, Gu Minghe's infidelity, and He Yi's perpetually nonchalant demeanor—all of this caused her immense suffering.

[It's here! The iconic scene of Zheng Yutang's dark transformation! She's about to unleash her ultimate move!]

The night view is fantastic, perfectly capturing the dark and gritty atmosphere.

[Wake up, you vicious female supporting character! Danger is approaching!]

As she cried, Zheng Yutang slowly raised her head, her tearful eyes suddenly becoming unusually clear. She remembered Lin's words, "Strike first to gain the upper hand," and Sun Sanlang's ruthless and cunning nature. A vicious thought took root in her heart.

"Zheng Heyi!" Zheng Yutang roared at the empty distance, her voice trembling with agitation, "You took everything from me—Father's love, Brother's protection, even Gu Minghe..."