Old Madam Su's eyes moved, and the nanny beside her immediately understood and hurried to the door.

Jiang Caiping frowned, "Mother-in-law, this girl is used to lying. She has been making up rumors about Zhiyao out of jealousy over the years. You must not be fooled by her!"

Deception?

Su Jinyue wanted to laugh when she heard this. It was obvious that it was Su Zhiyao who caused trouble every time, but she was afraid of being blamed by the elders, so she pushed all the blame onto her.

But her parents always trusted Su Zhiyao the most. With just one word, they easily convicted her without even checking the truth.

Liu on the side also echoed, "Yes! Besides, she is a country bumpkin, not likable to begin with, and she is willing to be lowly, rushing to serve others without any status, how can she have the opportunity to meet important people?"

These few words made Old Lady Su feel a little shaken.

She had always looked down on this granddaughter who was found in the countryside. She had allowed her to return to her ancestral home because of the face of her maternal grandfather, Marquis Jing'an, and she did not want her to be known as a cold-blooded person in the capital.

After she entered the mansion, she was taken to two banquets of noble families. However, her rude manners made her a laughing stock. From then on, she was never allowed to step out of the backyard again. When she went to the Xie family, how could a poor family marry into a high-class family?

Old Lady Su snorted coldly, "You dare to boast in front of me. If you don't have the ability, you should be prepared to be punished!"

"Why are you still talking to this liar? In my opinion, we should carry her in from the side door of Xie's house in a sedan chair. This will neither attract attention nor hinder Zhiyao's marriage. It's the best of both worlds!"

Su Jinyue's eyes suddenly turned cold. If she was carried in on a sedan chair, what would be the difference between that and being a concubine?

If this is the case, who knows how the Xie family will mistreat her in the future!

Jiang Caiping started to make arrangements, "Come here with some skilled fighters, tie this damn girl up for me, to prevent her from doing anything naughty again..."

Before he could finish his words, the nanny came in hurriedly and knelt down in the hall, her face showing obvious panic.

"Madam, the horse has found its master's home!"

Liu covered her mouth with a handkerchief and sneered, "Mammy, you are so bold to say that. Don't tell me it's just some cheap horse that was randomly pulled from the stable in the market. You are trying to be mysterious here!"

The nanny did not respond. She waited until Old Madam Su nodded her approval before she spoke haltingly.

"This horse is said to be... the private horse of the young master of the Zhenguo Mansion. It was seized from the Western Regions a few months ago."

In the main hall of the mansion, one could hear a pin drop.

"What?! Impossible. The guy from the Zhenguo Mansion is a popular new nobleman. How could he possibly know this damn girl?!"

Jiang Caiping looked suspicious, "Madam Song, did you get the wrong information?"

"No doubt."

The nanny wiped her sweat off her forehead and said, "The emperor praised the young master for his bravery and specially gave him a jade saddle. It is now on the horse's back!"

As soon as these words were spoken, even Old Madam Su's expression changed several times. The look she gave Su Jinyue was no longer cold, but contained some speculation.

Liu snorted, "So what if it's the horse of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion? Who knows how this little hoof got it? Maybe he stole it, robbed it, or bribed the servants of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion..."

"Second aunt, be careful with your words!"

Su Jinyue suddenly stopped Liu from talking.

"Everyone in the capital knows that the guards of the Zhenguo Mansion are the Xuanwu Army, the first army of our dynasty. If they allow a mere woman to steal at will under their noses, then the Xuanwu Army will be just eating for nothing."

Liu choked and tried to argue, "I was just guessing..."

"If this casual remark of Auntie gets out, the entire Yongning Marquisate will be accused of questioning the Xuanwu Army and even the entire Zhenguo Dukeate's ability!"

Liu was so frightened that the color drained away from her face.

Everyone knows that the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is full of loyal and brave people, and is deeply favored by the emperor. It is the number one family in this dynasty and is supported by the people. If you go against the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion, forget about gaining a foothold in the capital!

"Mengying, you have been talking nonsense several times today. What's the matter? Do you think I am not well these days and can't control you?"

Liu was so frightened that she quickly stood up and bowed, "I dare not, I just..."

"Okay, go back and copy the Heart Sutra ten times and place it in my Buddhist temple. It will be just in time for the birthday of Bodhisattva Guanyin in a few days."

How could Liu dare to refute? She could only grit her teeth and agree.

Only then did Old Madam Su turn to look at Su Jinyue, looking her up and down for a long while before she slowly spoke.

"What can a horse represent?"

She took a sip of tea from the teacup, "There is no engagement card, no token of trust, and even two hours ago, you almost married into the Xie Mansion."

"Do you think I can believe you can marry Young Master Xiao just because of a horse?"

Su Jinyue bowed deeply before standing up and speaking solemnly to Old Madam Su, word by word.

"The Xuanwu Army will suppress bandits in the southeast for a month. I promise to let the young master come to propose marriage!"

On the old lady Su's aged face, there was only a pair of eyes, which revealed shrewdness and calculation.

"What nonsense!"

Jiang Caiping couldn't help but interrupt, "Mother-in-law, don't be fooled by her. Apart from other things, the bandits in the southeast mountain are extremely treacherous and have been causing trouble for ten years. This forced the emperor to send the young master to lead the troops to suppress the bandits. The mountain roads are rugged and the bandits are numerous and vicious. How could they be wiped out in one month and come back to propose marriage?"

Others naturally couldn't do it, but Xiao Duo could.

Su Jinyue remembered that in his previous life, he led his troops in a surprise attack, and with the help of both internal and external forces, the bandits were caught off guard, and he returned victorious in less than a month.

"Grandma, why don't you make a bet with me?"

Su Jinyue said in a steady voice, "If the bet is won, the marriage with the Duke of Zhenguo will make the entire Yongning Marquisate prosperous, and my uncles and brothers will not have to fight for fame for the sake of the Marquisate's reputation. They will have a prosperous career in the future."

"Even if I lose the bet——"

She pursed her lips and smiled, "Jin Yue voluntarily takes all the blame for today and enters the Xie Mansion as a concubine. She will remove her name from the Yongning Marquis Mansion family tree and will have no connection with the entire mansion in the future, in order to preserve the reputation of the Yongning Marquis Mansion as a loyal and good man."

When these words came out, even Jiang Caiping was shocked, and subconsciously retorted: "Nonsense, you can withdraw this family tree just by saying so..."

"It's a deal!"

Old Madam Su stared at Su Jinyue with her bright eyes.

"I want to see what kind of trouble you can cause in a month!"

As soon as Su Jinyue left, Jiang Caiping could no longer hold back and turned to speak to Old Madam Su.

"Mother-in-law, this girl is full of lies, but why did you believe her nonsense?"

"What kind of person is the young master of the Zhenguo Mansion? He is the best among the children of the noble families in the capital. He is the prince's companion appointed by the emperor. In the future, he may accompany the prince. He will not marry anyone other than a princess. Not to mention that our family is not worthy of him, how could he possibly be interested in a girl from the countryside like her?"

As he spoke, he couldn't help but mutter, "If it was Zhiyao, it would be somewhat believable."

"Then what are you going to do? Just let her cry and make a scene outside the Marquis's mansion?"

Old Madam Su glanced at her coldly.

Jiang Caiping was a little unconvinced, "I said, tie her up and carry her in from the side door in a sedan chair..."