Only after the person had walked away did Lu Bai walk up to Song Zhiyu with a serious expression, open the brocade box, and say, "Miss, the gift is lost!"

The golden nanmu Buddha statue that was originally placed in the brocade box has long since disappeared, replaced by a blank calligraphy and painting. No wonder the brocade box always felt much lighter.

She had personally checked it yesterday, but it was replaced without anyone noticing today.

What happened that she didn't know about?

Lu Bai was so anxious that bubbles were coming out of her mouth. If this gift were brought out in front of the guests, her young lady's reputation would be ruined.

Who on earth is so vicious as to ruin her young lady's reputation?

"So that's what they wanted, this congratulatory gift." Song Zhiyu put away the calligraphy and painting, and her confusion was suddenly explained.

First, he bribed Chun Tao to enter her room, and under the guise of cleaning, deliberately left a clue for her to discover, causing her to make a wrong judgment.

In reality, their target was the golden nanmu Buddha statue in her hand.

But how did they manage to switch the Buddha statues?

Song Zhiyu immediately got to the point, "Lu Bai, did anything strange happen today? Did you leave this gift-giving area even a step away?"

"Something strange?" Lu Bai scratched his head, pondering seriously.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "While I was waiting for you at the door, Xiao Cui came over to ask me to help her mend her clothes."

The servant couldn't resist her request and went to help, but in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, how did she manage to switch the gifts?

Lu Bai felt a little upset; she hadn't expected Xiao Cui to scheme against her.

If Qin Yue hadn't bumped into her and caused the contents of the brocade box to fall out, she would never have known that the gift had been switched.

When this blank calligraphy and painting is presented as a congratulatory gift in front of everyone, even if Old Madam Ling doesn't blame her, how will the guests view her young lady?

“Miss, it’s my fault. I trusted Xiao Cui too much and was not on guard against her, which led to her schemes and almost harmed you.”

Her eyes were red at the corners, and there was a hint of water in them. It was hard to tell whether she was heartbroken that she had been deceived by someone she trusted, or guilty for almost making Song Zhiyu the laughingstock of the entire capital.

She and Xiao Cui got to know each other as soon as they entered the mansion, and because they were from the same hometown, they were very close.

When she was bullied by the maids in the mansion, it was Xiao Cui who helped her.

Since then, they have kept in touch and their relationship is fairly good.

So when Xiao Cui asked her for help, she went without much suspicion, never expecting to cause such a disaster.

Lu Bai was filled with remorse. She shouldn't have trusted others so much, which gave them an opportunity to take advantage of her.

Song Zhiyu gently patted Lu Bai's shoulder, her expression unchanged. "They came for me. If one plan fails, they'll come up with another. Hiding won't help. Fortunately, we discovered it in time, so it's not too late to salvage the situation."

Chuntao was just a decoy to stall her and give them a chance to carry out their next plan.

Each step was meticulously planned and interconnected, and she was even fooled.

With Shen Jinhua's limited intelligence, she probably couldn't have come up with such a meticulous plan; there must have been other people giving her advice.

Song Zhiyu thoughtfully stroked the calligraphy and painting in her hands. If she didn't do something, wouldn't she be letting down Shen Jinhua's painstaking efforts?

*

As soon as Song Zhiyu sat down in the seat that Old Madam Ling had specially prepared for her, she felt several resentful gazes fall on her.

She looked in the direction the gaze came from, raised an eyebrow with interest; the two of them had actually gotten together.

Shen Jinhua had been glaring at her fiercely, feeling indignant about the vast difference in their positions, but she didn't expect Song Zhiyu to suddenly turn her head. Her expression froze, and she managed a forced smile.

Tan Yingying, standing next to her, was much more normal. She had a cold face, and her eyes clearly showed her hatred for Song Zhiyu and the pleasure of her scheme about to succeed.

Another gaze came from Qin Yue, who was sitting not far away. Beside her sat a middle-aged woman dressed in luxurious clothes, chatting with someone beside her with a smile.

Thinking about what the housekeeper had told her, Song Zhiyu had a better understanding of the middle-aged noblewoman's identity.

It seemed this noblewoman was indeed Ling Suxin, the one the housekeeper had mentioned; her features did bear a resemblance to the old lady. But upon closer inspection, Song Zhiyu felt she resembled someone else more.

Thinking of this, Song Zhiyu couldn't help but look at Shen's mother across from her, and was surprised to find that Shen's mother's complexion was much better than before, and she was more energetic.

Just as Song Zhiyu was about to take a closer look, Lu Bai hurriedly walked up to her and leaned down to whisper in her ear.

"Proceed as planned." Song Zhiyu nodded slightly, no longer paying attention to Shen's mother.

*

At the birthday banquet, Madam Ling, dressed in a magnificent brocade gown, sat serenely in the main seat with a kind expression, smiling as she looked at the younger generation who came to congratulate her.

The guests were all from prominent families, scholars, and even members of the imperial family, demonstrating once again the strength and prestige of the Duke of Ling's mansion and further solidifying their desire to form a marriage alliance with it.

They presented their gifts one after another, including exquisite and elegant jade artifacts and invaluable century-old ginseng, each gift more precious than the last.

Madam Ling maintained a faint smile, remaining noncommittal about everyone's thoughts.

She never pressured her grandson to marry, nor did she have any intention of forming a marriage alliance with a prominent family; she respected Ling Yuan's ideas.

Marriage is a lifelong commitment, so she naturally hoped that Ling Yuan could meet a girl he liked and spend his life with her.

If she could, she would prefer Song Zhiyu to be her granddaughter-in-law, but unfortunately neither of them had that idea, and she didn't want to break them up.

Although it was a bit of a pity, Madam Ling thought again that if she couldn't be a granddaughter-in-law, being a goddaughter wouldn't be bad either.

The reason she agreed to hold a grand birthday banquet was to announce Song Zhiyu's identity to everyone, so that they would know that Song Zhiyu was backed by the Duke of Ling's Mansion and would not tolerate being bullied by others.

If anyone tries to make things difficult for Song Zhiyu in the future, they'll have to think twice.

As Madam Ling gazed at Song Zhiyu not far away, her smile deepened.

Soon, she will have a well-behaved goddaughter.

Having witnessed all of this, Shen Jinhua bit her lip in exasperation and couldn't help but speak up, "I heard that Second Sister recently bought a golden nanmu Buddha statue at the Treasure Pavilion auction. I suppose it's a congratulatory gift for the Old Madam."

Everyone says the old lady treats Second Sister like her own granddaughter, and Second Sister is always grateful. Even if this gift isn't a golden nanmu Buddha statue, it must be some other precious treasure. May we admire it?

I wonder if Madam Ling will still love Song Zhiyu so much after seeing her congratulatory gift.

Shen Jinhua gave a cold laugh, eager to see Song Zhiyu make a fool of himself.