The pregnant woman pressed down on the wife, and the cousin collapsed into the prince's arms.

Pei Jingnian's eyes welled up with uncontrollable heartache, and his heart was filled with barely suppressed anger.

This is his legal wife! The daughter of the Vice Minister of Rites! Such arrogance and unreasonable behavior will make him a laughingstock if word gets out!

Su Wanrou's heart tightened upon hearing this. Seeing Pei Jingnian's distressed gaze, she felt even more flustered, resentful, and aggrieved. She hurriedly stepped forward to explain, "Jingnian, I was only thinking of my cousin. How can a young lady like her, still a virgin, freely enter and leave your bedroom? I was merely offering a kind suggestion, and she dared to talk back, using you and the Old Madam to intimidate me. I am your Crown Princess; am I supposed to endure such insults from your cousin?"

Su Wanrou was eloquent and, in just a few words, portrayed herself as a victim.

Shen Yunshuang looked astonished, seemingly speechless: "No...no."

She looked at Pei Jingnian with teary eyes, and how could Pei Jingnian not understand?

His cousin came to visit him at his mother's behest. With her gentle nature, how could she possibly contradict Su Wanrou?

Looking at his wife, Pei Jingnian felt an indescribable disappointment.

I thought she was well-educated, reasonable, and graceful, coming from a family of a high-ranking official. I never expected her to be so narrow-minded and jealous. She is truly unfit to be a wife.

After Su Wanrou finished speaking, she expected to see her husband soften, but to her surprise, his eyes remained cold, filled with scrutiny and unfamiliarity. Her heart sank further, and she couldn't help but call out, "Husband..."

"Yun Shuang came to visit the sick at her mother's behest and did not overstep any bounds. On the contrary, you, without distinguishing right from wrong, struck her with your hand, which is utterly absurd. Go back to Jinlan Courtyard and be confined for a month to reflect on your mistakes."

As soon as Pei Jingnian finished speaking, Su Wanrou felt her face burning. There were servants around, yet Pei Jingnian showed no regard for their marital relationship or her dignity. He was punishing her like this for that bitch Shen Yunshuang!

"Cousin, Shuang'er is alright, this punishment is too harsh." Shen Yunshuang's voice was soft and gentle, but it felt like needles pricking Su Wanrou's ears.

She glared at Shen Yunshuang, wishing she could tear her pitiful, beautiful face to shreds.

Fortunately, Zhou Mama stepped forward in time, secretly exerted force, supported her arm, and whispered, "Princess Consort, this servant will help you back."

Su Wanrou closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't cause any more trouble, or Pei Jingnian would only dislike her more. As for Shen Yunshuang, she secretly clenched her fist, thinking, "We'll see!"

After she left, Pei Jingnian's eyes showed heartache. He wanted to go forward to comfort her, but considering the others, he restrained himself and instructed Xuezhi and Lürui: "Send Miss Biao back."

Not long after Shen Yunshuang returned to Ningxiang Pavilion, she received Yu Rong Ointment and Ning Shen Pills sent by Pei Jingnian.

Xuezhi took a mutton fat jade scraper, gently picked up some jade white ointment, and softly applied it to Shen Yunshuang's face. Almost the instant the ointment touched her face, the burning pain disappeared, followed by a comfortable and soothing feeling.

"The young master instructed that this is a royal ointment, specially made to reduce swelling and remove blemishes, and it will absolutely not leave the slightest mark on your beautiful face. And this calming pill, the young master said that if you take it for three days, you'll definitely be able to sleep well." Green Bud reported Pei Jingnian's secret instructions to Shen Yunshuang, and looking at Shen Yunshuang's flushed cheeks, she muttered with heartache, "The young master's wife is really ruthless; look how swollen her face is."

Shen Yunshuang slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth. The pain from the pulling was obvious, but what was this pain compared to the pain in her previous life?

However, it was quite unexpected that Su Wanrou could lose her composure so easily just by seeing her appear at Heyingxuan. After all, in her previous life, she was very good at keeping her composure.

Shen Yunshuang looked into the bronze mirror. Her features were exquisite, as bright as the autumn moon, and every aspect of her face was like a painting. This face was truly a weapon; it could easily make Su Wanrou lose her mind.

She couldn't wait to see Su Wanrou's expression in the future.

_

This farce inevitably reached Madam Wang's ears. She always doted on Shen Yunshuang, and knowing that her niece had been beaten by Su Wanrou, she was furious. She immediately sent her trusted confidante, Liu Mama, to Jinlan Courtyard to reprimand Su Wanrou. She subtly and overtly mentioned that Su Wanrou had been childless for three years since entering the household, telling her to suppress her jealousy and cultivate the magnanimity of a mistress. She also brought up the matter of Su Wanrou putting musk in the concubine's mouth.

In other words, the fact that the Marquis's family tolerated her and allowed her to live peacefully as the Crown Prince's wife was already a sign of their goodwill.

These words struck a nerve with Su Wanrou, and she finally realized that this matter had never been over. Her husband had become estranged from her because of it, and her mother-in-law had always held a grudge.

If her previous resentment stemmed from being punished, now it felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head, leaving her feeling utterly chilled.

Her heart sank, and her mind cleared considerably. After Liu Mama left, Su Wanrou's face turned deathly pale as she murmured, "Those two concubines, so lowly, what did it matter if I gave them musk? But I never expected... I never expected..."

Madam Zhou sighed as well. The application of musk had been done since Su Wanrou entered the family. It was done in secrecy, and if Linglan hadn't caused trouble, the matter wouldn't have alarmed the young master and the old lady.

Alas, in other words, if Su Wanrou were to become pregnant and give birth to a legitimate son, what difference would it make if she gave those two concubines a potion to prevent them from having children?

The young master and the old lady wouldn't have reacted so strongly.

Ultimately, it's all because they don't have any children!

Zhou's mother explained the matter to Su Wanrou in detail, and the core point she reached was that before she became pregnant, she could only be cautious and slowly try to win back the young master's affection.

"Affection?" Tears streamed down Su Wanrou's face. "Now that my husband has been bewitched by that vixen Shen Yunshuang, he doesn't remember any affection we had for each other!"

Upon hearing this, Madam Zhou's eyes flashed, and she whispered, "Have you forgotten what the old lady just said? You are the legal wife, you mustn't always be jealous. Even if it's not for the sake of the young master, you should still listen to what the old lady says to please her!"

Su Wanrou sniffed. In fact, her life had always been very smooth. Before she got married, she was the favored eldest daughter of the main wife, and after she got married, she married into a prominent family.

Her husband was of good character, the backyard was clean and tidy, and there were only two insignificant concubines who posed no threat to her whatsoever. Her mother-in-law was also not harsh. But it was precisely because things had been so smooth before that she now felt as if the sky had fallen, and that's why she couldn't control her temper.

"I've never seen my husband protect any woman like this before. With Shen Yunshuang's appearance, how could I feel at ease if she married into our family?"

Madam Zhou sighed. Judging from the old lady and the young master's expressions, it was a done deal for the cousin to enter the family. Even if Su Wanrou was unwilling, what could she do? However, she couldn't say this directly to Su Wanrou.