Since Wei Shuwan had guessed everything correctly, Cai Die knew that there was no point in continuing to be stubborn, so she might as well ask Wei Shuwan to keep it a secret for her.

"Shuwan," Cai Die not only changed to a more affectionate form of address, but also stepped forward and took Wei Shuwan's hand, her eyes red with remorse, "I know I did something wrong..."

“I admit that I secretly read the gifts and letters that Young Master Du gave to Fourth Sister. After learning that he was the son of the Vice Minister’s family, I developed an inappropriate lust… But things have come to this point. Either we continue down this path, or Fourth Sister and I will both lose our chance.”

"Do you think Young Master Du will go back to Fourth Sister after he finds out he's been tricked? He'll only think our Wei family has a corrupt family tradition and its descendants are wicked, and he'll stay far away from us from now on. Don't forget, Second Uncle may have been released, but the stain on his reputation has never been washed away!"

"Heh~" Wei Shuwan chuckled lightly, as if she had just heard a very funny joke: "What, does elder sister think my father has tarnished your reputation? If that's the case, wouldn't your so-called seeking refuge be a condescension?"

"That's not what I meant," Cai Die hurriedly denied. If she admitted to condescending, what reason would she have to continue living here?

"Shuwan, how about this as compensation for my mother and me? It was your father who stole my mother's position, causing her, a wealthy heiress who should have been born with a silver spoon in her mouth, to end up in a poor rural area. Your father enjoyed decades of good fortune with the Wei family, while the Wei family had fallen on hard times by the time my mother was finally recognized by my grandmother..."

"Don't you feel any remorse for this life that was switched at birth? Your father stole my mother's identity, and you stole my destiny. Now I'm just trying to get something back from my fourth sister, and you have to interfere?"

"Enough!" Wei Shuwan pulled her hand away from Cai Die's, coldly interrupting her, her expression turning serious.

“My father never took anything from anyone. When he was still an infant, he was taken away from his biological mother and sent to a foster mother who knew from the beginning that he was not her biological son. He was also a victim! Yes, the Wei family is incredibly wealthy, which is the envy of many, but no one has ever asked that baby if he was willing to leave his biological mother for this wealth and never see her again for the rest of his life.”

"Not long after Grandmother recognized you and your mother, the Wei family fell into poverty, which made you resentful. But when my father learned his true identity, his birth mother had already passed away. He didn't even have a chance to see her. How could he not hate her?"

Cai Die was stunned. She clearly felt that she was the one who had been wronged, but she inexplicably lost out to Wei Shuwan's sharp tongue.

Resentful, she finally snapped, "Wei Shuwan, you've also climbed the social ladder to become the Prince of Xiaoqiaochuan, so why is it that only officials are allowed to set fires while ordinary people are forbidden to light lamps?!"

“I didn’t trick the young prince into coming from someone else! People strive for higher positions, and water flows downhill. It’s understandable that you want to climb the social ladder and find a good match, but you’ve taken credit for someone else’s work and played them for fools. You’ve not only betrayed Wei Shuyao, but you’ve also cheated Young Master Du.”

"Tsk tsk tsk, Wei Shuwan, do you think you're Bao Gong, the judge who solves cases? Playing the iron-fisted, impartial, and righteous act of killing your own family."

Wei Shuwan shook her head. She understood that Cai Die was determined to go down a dark path and had no intention of repenting.

“Even if you did these despicable things outside our second branch’s door, I could pretend I didn’t know. But you corresponded with Du Shao here, and he came to propose marriage here on another day. Our second branch has been dragged into this mess by you. This marriage you obtained through deception will not last long. When the Du family settles accounts later, they will not hold your father accountable, but my father.”

“It might even lead to resentment towards the young prince who was then my husband.”

“You’re exaggerating. How could this involve my second uncle and an outsider?” Cai Die still disagreed with this explanation.

Wei Shuwan patiently explained the reasons: "Because you don't have a biological father by your side, you and your mother, an orphan, live with our second branch of the family. To outsiders, you live under my father's protection, so naturally, any trouble you cause will be blamed on him. Once I marry the young prince, the two families will appear to be of one mind to outsiders. Minister Du will serve in the same court as the two of them, so he will only resent them, not think of your biological father far away in the mountains and fields, or your mother, a mere woman."

Cai Die admitted that Wei Shuwan had a point, but she still disagreed: "So what if you take your anger out on someone? Is your future husband not as good as a Vice Minister of Rites?"

"Among officials serving in the same court, no one will intentionally make enemies with their colleagues. Those are like planting nails for themselves, which, no matter how insignificant, may suddenly become sharp and wound them at any time in the future."

Cai Die let out a heavy sigh, "In the end, you just want to ruin my marriage."

"This marriage was never meant to be yours. Even if I don't ruin it, Fourth Sister won't let it go easily. It will only make things more embarrassing. For the sake of the dignity of both families, Elder Sister should confess on her own."

Cai Die realized that Wei Shuwan was an unyielding person, and if she didn't go all out today, she would have no chance of winning.

With a determined look, Cai Die knelt down in front of Wei Shuwan with a thud, looking up at her and asking, "Would you mind if I knelt down and begged you?"

Wei Shuwan took a few steps back and went around to Cai Die's back, refusing her greeting. She said in a calm and even tone, "I have already explained the reasoning to you, sister. If you are still stubborn, the ending will probably be very embarrassing."

"I'll give you two days. Before Young Master Du arrives, you can confess everything to Grandmother, the Du family, and Fourth Sister yourself."

...

Back at Fuqu Pavilion, Wei Shuwan felt a little annoyed, so she went straight to bed and rested for half an hour. When she woke up, she saw several pretty fruits on the table and assumed that Miaoxiang had learned a new way to prepare them. Just as she was about to go and try them, she heard Ziqiao come in.

"The young lady is awake. These are fruits from Xue's Pastry Shop that my cousin sent over. They're very hard to find!"

Wei Shuwan paused in her hand holding the fruit, put it back on the plate, and then beckoned Miaoxiang over, telling them in detail about Caidie's deception of the marriage proposal.

The two maids were shocked and stunned by what they heard.

Finally, Wei Shuwan's gaze fell on the plate of fruit: "So, let's politely decline anything they send us these days."

"Could it be that you're afraid... afraid that Miss Biao will poison you?" Zi Qiao asked incredulously.

Wei Shuwan sighed, "I'm not sure she would do that, but you can never underestimate a person's determination to remove obstacles for their future. So it's always best to be cautious in everything you do, better safe than sorry."