Butterfly's eyes lit up, and she immediately jumped up from her chair to greet the gatekeeper: "Where's the letter? Quickly, bring it out!"

The doorman immediately handed over the letter with both hands, and Cai Die eagerly opened and read it.

Now that the matter has been discussed openly, she no longer needs to hide it and is eager to share her joy and pride with the whole world.

In her last letter, she mentioned trying to paint a portrait of Du Shao, but despite several attempts, she couldn't quite capture its likeness. This time, Du Shao told her he had personally painted a small portrait for her. Cai Die was overjoyed, but when she finished reading the letter and looked inside the envelope, she couldn't find the portrait Du Shao had mentioned.

I suspected that it had fallen out because I was in such a hurry to open the letter, so I searched the table and the floor again, but still couldn't find it.

"What's wrong?" Wei Ping had been on tenterhooks ever since her daughter read the letter. Now that her mother was down on her luck, Cai Die's marriage had become her only hope.

Cai Die remained silent, anxiously continuing her search. Wei Ping, though unaware of what she was looking for, joined her. Lifting the tablecloths, she noticed a piece of paper beside Wei Shuwan's feet and pointed at it, asking, "Cai Die, is that what you're looking for?"

Following her mother's pointing finger, Cai Die looked and saw that it was indeed there; it had clearly been blown under the table by the breeze! Cai Die bent down, intending to crawl in and retrieve it, but Wei Ping stopped her, saying, "How can a young lady be so reckless?"

Then he looked at Wei Shuwan: "Wanwan, the thing is right next to your feet, help your sister pick it up."

This was a minor matter, and Wei Shuwan didn't shirk her responsibility. She nodded and was about to reach out when she heard Cai Die shout sharply, "Don't move!"

Wei Shuwan looked up and saw that she was indeed flustered, as if some secret was about to be exposed.

Wei Shuwan hadn't paid much attention to the tattered piece of paper, but seeing Cai Die's haste, she kindly bent down and picked it up. Looking down, she saw a picture of a handsome young man standing under the eaves, holding a book, elegant and noble.

Wei Shuwan found the young man somewhat familiar, but before she could figure it out, Cai Die hurriedly snatched the paper from her hand.

The two stared at each other across the distance. Wei Shuwan suddenly realized that the familiar feeling was because the young master in the painting had a similar appearance to Du Xun. He was the same person that Wei Shuyao had rescued at the market outside Luoyun Temple that day!

Moreover, that person later sent a thank-you gift, which Cai Die volunteered to deliver to Wei Shuyao at the inn.

So that person was Du Shao? He was originally saved by Wei Shuyao, but ended up with Cai Die?

This whole thing seems incredibly strange no matter how you look at it.

From Wei Shuwan's questioning yet somewhat aggressive gaze, Cai Die realized that Wei Shuwan had identified her, and there was no way she could fool her anymore. So, before Wei Shuwan could question her in public, she quickly stepped forward and grabbed Wei Shuwan's arm:

"Third sister, I suddenly remembered that I forgot to return the hairpin I borrowed from you last time. Come with me." As he spoke, he pulled Wei Shuwan aside.

The people at the table looked at each other blankly, puzzled.

Wei Shuwan was pulled outside the dining hall by Cai Die. Seeing that she still refused to let go, she used her wrist to shake her hand off and said sternly, "Alright, you can say what you have to say here. Grandmother and the others can't hear you."

Cai Die looked troubled, as if she didn't know how to start the conversation. After a long while, she finally managed to stammer out, "Third Sister, you won't betray me, will you?"

This was completely baffling. Wei Shuwan sneered and retorted, "Wasn't it elder sister who betrayed fourth sister first?"

"No, no! Third sister, listen to me!"

Wei Shuwan didn't refute her, but just looked at her coldly, waiting for her to explain in detail.

After gathering her thoughts, Cai Die began to recount her story: "It was indeed Fourth Sister who first met Young Master Du. However, to save face, Fourth Sister gave us this address, so Young Master Du sent all his gifts and letters here. Fourth Sister wanted to maintain relationships but wouldn't reveal the truth, so she always had me relay messages between them. Gradually, Young Master Du and I..."

As Cai Die spoke, her voice grew softer and softer, clearly revealing her guilt. After mumbling her words, she added confidently, "Since ancient times, there have been countless examples of matchmakers being chosen instead of their lovers when they express their affections. Don't blame me!"

Wei Shuwan immediately exposed her, saying, "There are many examples of matchmakers being chosen throughout history, but they all possessed extraordinary beauty, which is why their suitors risked everything to change their minds halfway through. But does Sister consider herself more beautiful than Fourth Sister?"

Cai Die remained silent, her eyes darting around as if she were racking her brains for a rebuttal but couldn't come up with a solution. She knew in her heart that, in terms of beauty, she was indeed no match for Wei Shuwan and Wei Shuyao.

Wei Shuwan had always known that Cai Die was cunning but not good at plotting. She figured that today's events had happened so suddenly that she hadn't come up with a perfect explanation, which made her easy to expose.

Silence is an admission, so Wei Shuwan continued, "Sister is merely passing on letters between the two of them, and she's only interacting with the Du family's servants. There shouldn't be any chance for feelings to develop over time. So where does Young Master Du's affection for you come from?"

"If I'm not mistaken, my elder sister must have secretly opened and read their letters first. After learning that the young master came from an official family, she had a plan. She intercepted their letters, took credit for my fourth sister's work, and secretly agreed to Young Master Du's invitation in the name of her benefactor."

This time, Cai Die finally came up with a rebuttal: "When Third Sister said this, did she remember that Young Master Du had met Fourth Sister? How could I possibly claim it as a fraud?"

Wei Shuwan chuckled: "The 'sight' you mean, Sister, was it when Young Master Du was drunk and seeing stars after being beaten? I'm afraid he won't even remember who saved him back then, whether they were tall or short, round or flat."

Cai Die was speechless for a moment, because the facts were indeed as Wei Shuwan had predicted.

Wei Shuyao had previously replied that she had secretly gone to Luoyun Temple without telling her elders, and therefore did not want him to make a fuss about it. Du Shao dared not visit her, so after he recovered from his injuries, he invited her to meet him at a teahouse.

After reading that letter, Cai Die went to see Du Shao.

She had a backup plan, thinking that if she could get away with it, she could use a substitute. If Du Shao recognized that she wasn't the one who saved her that day, she could then explain her inability to keep the appointment today by posing as Sister Wei Shuyao.

However, things went surprisingly smoothly. Just as Wei Shuwan had said, when Du Shao woke up, he couldn't remember what his benefactor looked like at all. He only remembered that she was a young woman surnamed Wei who lived in the Wei family mansion on Gongchen Street.

In this way, she successfully took credit for her fourth sister's work and frequently visited Du Shao. When Du Shao suggested visiting the elders in the mansion, Cai Die knew that their relationship had naturally progressed.

That's why she completely cut off all contact with Wei Shuyao and planned to have Du Shao come to propose marriage first. Once their relationship was out in the open, she would have nothing to fear anymore.

Even if Wei Shuyao discovers all this and exposes her by then, it will be too late.