Ye Rou couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. She hadn't expected the plan to go so smoothly. She thought it would take a lot of effort to fool Song Zhiyu.

Thinking of the priceless jewels and jewelry in Song Zhiyu's possession, a glint of greed flashed in Ye Rou's eyes.

These things will be hers sooner or later.

In a good mood, she sat back down and drank a cup of tea, also pouring one for Chen's mother.

"Ye Rou, thank you so much for what happened earlier. You know Zhi Yu's personality; she's never one to let things slide. If she had made a scene, it would have been a laughingstock for everyone." Madam Chen took a sip of tea, her gaze towards Ye Rou becoming even gentler.

"Madam kindly took me in and gave me a place to stay; this is what I should do."

Besides, that's just how the second young lady is. She harbors resentment towards the eldest young lady and finds it hard to let go of it in a short time, so she might do some inappropriate things.

Fortunately, the eldest young lady is understanding and won't hold it against the second young lady, so Madam, please don't worry." Ye Rou covered her mouth and chuckled, while pouring a cup of tea for Madam Chen.

Mother Shen nodded, her face full of relief. "Yes, thankfully I still have my daughter Shu'er. She is gentle and considerate, and it's no wonder I've cherished her since she was little."

If there's one thing that makes Shen's mother most proud, besides Shen Feng keeping his promise not to take a concubine for decades, it's raising two capable children, Shen Yuzhou and Shen Jinshu.

Although Yu Zhou's legs are not fully healed yet, and Shu'er has also had that incident, Chen's mother still values ​​the two of them the most.

"Yes, Shu'er is so lucky to have a loving mother like you," Ye Rou agreed, but the smile didn't reach her eyes.

However, the mother, who was lost in her own thoughts, did not notice Ye Rou's suddenly cold expression and the disdain deep in her eyes.

Shu'er is her own daughter, whom she carried for ten months. Naturally, her heart is with her; after all, a mother and daughter are of one heart.

If it weren't for wanting Shu'er to have a legitimate identity, why would she have let her daughter recognize someone else as her mother?

Fortunately, this woman won't live much longer. She's already waited for over twenty years, so what's a little more time?

The Marquis said that after this eyesore of a woman dies, he will get what they need and then marry her in a grand and glorious way to make her the Marquis's wife.

Thinking of this, Ye Rou's heart trembled, and she couldn't help but pour another cup of tea for Chen's mother.

Drink up, and drink as much as you can so we can make room for her sooner.

Before long, Mother Shen put down her teacup, covered her lips with a handkerchief and coughed lightly twice, wondering why her illness seemed to be getting worse.

Mingming had recovered a lot after drinking the medicine prepared by Liangyue a while ago.

In recent days, however, her cough has become more severe, and she often has trouble sleeping at night, tossing and turning until dawn.

In order not to disturb the Marquis's rest, she even took the initiative to ask the Marquis to move to Mingde Courtyard.

Thinking of this, Mother Shen couldn't help but rub her temples. Even with makeup on her face, her complexion was not very good.

Seeing this, Ye Rou was secretly delighted, but she didn't show it on her face. Her words even revealed a hint of anxiety, "Madam, has your headache flared up again? I'll go to Miss Liangyue's place to get you some medicine."

"No need..." Before Mother Shen could finish refusing, Ye Rou had already stood up, so she simply shut her mouth.

But the peace didn't last long. A sharp female voice rang out, and the commotion drew the attention of all the guests.

With just one glance, they fell silent, looking at each other but unsure what to say.

Why does this scene seem so familiar?

Ye Rou suppressed her anger and forced a smile as she helped the kneeling maid to her feet. Her voice was as gentle and pleasant as ever, "I'll go change my clothes. Don't be so clumsy in the future."

Her chest was soaked, making her look even more disheveled than Song Zhiyu had been.

What's wrong with the maids in this Marquis's mansion? They made the same mistake twice, and at the old lady's birthday banquet no less! Isn't this just making them a laughingstock for outsiders?

No wonder the eldest princess rebuked Marquis Chengen for his incompetence in managing his subordinates; now it seems that it is indeed true.

"The Marquis of Chengen's residence has certainly had a lot of fun today." The eldest princess took a sip of tea, her tone low and ambiguous, making it impossible to discern her true feelings.

"Your Highness, please forgive my clumsiness. My servants are so inconsiderate. Lin Mama, quickly drag this clueless maid away." Old Madam Shen could hardly laugh anymore. A perfectly good birthday banquet had turned into such a mess.

The princess's eyes gleamed with interest, and her smiling face made it impossible to tell whether she was praising or mocking her. "I find it quite interesting. This trip was definitely worthwhile."

She suddenly began to look forward to the good show that Zhiyu had mentioned.

Ye Rou was extremely agitated, but in order to maintain her usual gentle and easy-going image, she forced a smile and said, "Madam, I'll go change my clothes first and then come back."

"Go quickly, don't catch a cold." Madam Shen said with concern, then waved for Ye Rou to leave first, and continued chatting with the ladies beside her.

*

On the other side, Song Zhiyu suddenly stopped halfway, looked down at the darker cuff of her wrist, and sighed softly.

Using the same trick twice is really unoriginal.

Her ears twitched slightly, and as the person behind her gradually approached, she surprisingly succumbed to the effects of the traditional Chinese medicine and fainted.

"Tell Miss that the person has been caught." The man's deep, sinister voice slowly rang out, and then Song Zhiyu felt herself being led to a rather secluded room.

The man coldly instructed, "Miss said this is your last chance, young master. You must seize it."

"I understand." Qin Xu stared greedily at Song Zhiyu's face, his heart pounding in his chest.

This face is absolutely gorgeous.

Even though he was somewhat intimidated by Song Zhiyu's personality, Qin Xu couldn't help but be captivated by her beauty.

He had hundreds, if not thousands, of female confidantes, but he had never seen a face as alluring as Song Zhiyu's.

The thought that he would soon get the person in front of him, obtain 20% of the enormous treasure, and secure an official position, thus rising rapidly in his career, made Qin Xu's hands tremble with excitement.

He reached out and slowly touched Song Zhiyu's face, swallowing hard. When they were only a foot apart, his hand suddenly froze, and cold sweat poured down his back.

Song Zhiyu, who had been unconscious, had opened her eyes. Her deep, cold eyes stared at him, and her tone was frighteningly calm: "If you don't want your hand, I can cripple it for you."