Being a second wife is difficult: I'm busy raising children in the Earl's mansion.

He originally thought that the woman, who was chronically ill and bedridden, had long been worn down by her illness and would only obediently rest and resign herself to her fate, allowing him to manipulate her at will.

But no one expected that Gu was so stubborn at heart. The more he lay in bed, the clearer his mind became, and the more carefully he reviewed the situation.

The daily herbal medicine, the unchanging doctor, and the layers of family connections that have seeped into one's life create a sense of incongruity and mystery.

At that time, she began to secretly re-examine the old events, determined to trace the source, uncover all the connections, and find the truth for her deceased father and brothers.

When the news reached Qingzhou again, the last bit of patience that the second master of the Gu family had completely run out.

He immediately sent a message ordering Lianxin to increase the dosage of the medicine and eradicate the root cause completely.

What he wanted was a clean and efficient result, one that would leave Gu Shi unable to investigate anything further before she passed away.

Lianxin, after all, was an old person whose nature could never be tamed. When ordered to do something, she was confused and lost all sense of proportion.

The dosage suddenly exceeded the limit, and the slow-acting poison took effect instantly, causing Gu to die suddenly and abruptly overnight.

Fortunately, the doctors who had been planted in advance kept the situation under control, completely concealing the signs of poisoning and issuing a unified conclusion that the child was suffering from an incurable postpartum illness, thus managing to cover up this catastrophic disaster.

He had thought the matter was completely over.

Lianxin was ordered to leave the manor to report back. He had already made up his mind that after the matter was completed, he would find a pretext to kill this pawn and eliminate any future troubles.

He was too arrogant at the time and did not set up a trap to interrogate her in advance to pry out the key evidence of the jade pendant from her mouth before setting his sights on eliminating Lianxin.

After silencing her, his men searched all of Lianxin's belongings and residence, and even secretly investigated the Yongchang Marquis's mansion inside and out, searching it several times, but they still found nothing.

He never expected that Lianxin would be so bold as to secretly hide half of the jade pendant that the Gu family had given him.

Even before his death, he risked his life to secretly send a letter, telling his birth mother, Granny Sun, the whole truth about the murder of the eldest master of the Gu family and the poisoning of Madam Gu, and urging her to flee the disaster as soon as possible.

However, Granny Sun was far less insightful than her daughter, only remembering the kindness of her former master and acting foolishly and recklessly.

During his escape, he foolishly tried to contact the remaining old subordinates of the master, intending to exonerate his former master.

But times have changed, and most of her former subordinates have already submitted to her. Her rash actions will only lead her to her doom.

When the news of Granny Sun's arrest and death arrived, the Second Master, upon hearing the whole story, felt both amused and disgusted.

As expected of someone who followed their former master, they are stubborn and restless at heart, and will never learn to be content with their lot or go with the flow.

The peace and quiet of these past years have convinced him that the jade pendant has long been lost or damaged, that all those who knew the truth have been brought to justice, and that this long-buried bloody case will never see the light of day again.

But times have changed.

Jiang Wan, the new mistress of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion, was by no means a meek and easily bullied woman from a secluded household.

If she were to find that half-piece of jade, given her intelligence, she would surely be able to investigate thoroughly by following the patterns on the jade pendant and the Gu family's mark.

At that time, the murder of his brother to seize power, collusion with powerful officials, and poisoning of noblewomen will all lead to a series of interconnected events, and decades of stable foundation will vanish in an instant.

He tapped his fingertips lightly on the table, the dim candlelight flickering, casting a shadowy and unsettling light on his face, revealing a deep and unsettling mind.

He couldn't gamble on this, and he absolutely couldn't afford to lose.

"Years of planning must not be ruined by a broken piece of jade or a woman in the inner quarters."

The second master of the Gu family suppressed the surging anger in his heart, his voice deep and cold, full of fear and ruthlessness: "That Jiang family's father's family has a very deep connection and close ties with Grand Secretary Dong's faction, and their stance is inherently contrary to ours."

"If she were to dig deep into the past of the Gu family and break through the impasse, given her intelligence and shrewdness, she would not let it go so easily. She might even take the opportunity to send a message to Grand Secretary Dong."

"Once the factions in the imperial court are implicated, and the investigation continues at every level, not only will the Gu family be on the verge of destruction, but even Grand Secretary Wang, who holds a central position, will be dragged down and face utter ruin!"

He lowered his eyes for a moment, then his tone suddenly hardened, full of unwavering resolve: "Pass on my order to send two more absolutely reliable confidants to infiltrate the Yongchang Marquis's mansion disguised as cleaning servants, taking advantage of the busy crowds at the end of the year."

"Hide among the servants and search diligently for any trace of the jade pendant. Once found, destroy it immediately and erase all traces."

"If, unfortunately, Jiang Wan discovers it first, do not hesitate to intercept it secretly and forcefully, suppressing all clues. This item must not be allowed to leave the Marquis's residence; not a single word of it must leak out!"

The trusted servant beside him immediately bowed and accepted the order, replying firmly, "I will arrange for men to be dispatched immediately!"

The second master of the Gu family nodded indifferently and waved his hand to dismiss the servants.

The candlelight in the study flickered and danced, casting deep shadows throughout the enclosed room.

A long-buried case of fratricide and a grudge of poisoning in the inner quarters, along with the undercurrents surging as the year draws to a close, have already quietly spread into the inner courtyard of the Yongchang Marquis's mansion through a secret letter.

The secret letter and the undercurrents in Qingzhou remained unknown to anyone, and the Earl's mansion continued to be peaceful and bustling with activity.

After Jiang Wan finished dealing with the accounts, she took Lu Wan to the side room of the Buddhist hall to organize the incense sachets and offerings to be made in the spring.

Lu Wan held in her hands a sachet she had sewn all night. The brocade was embroidered with delicate white plum blossoms, and the stitches were small yet fine. It was made by her own hands for her birth mother, Gu Shi.

Before stepping onto the offering table, she stood quietly gazing at the memorial tablet, her eyes filled with tenderness and longing.

When Gu passed away, Lu Wan was only three years old. As a child, she had very few memories of her birth mother and learned about many things from other people's conversations later.

Lu Wan gently brushed her fingertips along the wooden edge of the memorial tablet, her voice as soft as a breeze: "Everyone says that when Mother was alive, she loved white plum blossoms the most. In previous years, every early spring, when the plum trees in the courtyard were in full bloom, she would always pick a few blossoms and sew them into a sachet."

"When I was young, I was ignorant of everything. Now that I have learned needlework, I specially sewed one to offer to my mother."

Jiang Wan stood beside her, listening quietly.

Many years after Madam Gu's passing, many people in the household gradually lost their memories of her, but this biological daughter always remembered her mother's little preferences.

Lu Wan tiptoed and placed the sachet in the center of the altar. She then lit three sticks of incense, bowed three times, and her movements were graceful and gentle, completely unlike her usual boisterous manner.

"Mother is doing well over there, so there's no need to worry about me and Brother Zhao. Our stepmother treats us very well now, and life in the manor is peaceful and smooth."

A few words eased the tension and oppression brought by the broken jade in the Buddhist hall, and the incense in the room added a touch of childlike innocence and warmth.

Jiang Wan reached out and gently stroked Lu's head, and the knot in her heart began to loosen slightly.

With physical evidence of the Gu family's plot against the Gu family in hand, the initiative is entirely in our hands. There is no need to rush into action; we only need to wait for the right opportunity to expose all the secrets one by one, and the Gu family's schemes from back then will eventually be revealed.

Her gaze fell on the memorial tablet of the Gu family in front of her, and she felt as if something was gently pressing down on her heart; she couldn't quite describe the feeling.

She had never met the Gu family before, but standing here, she felt that they were not far away from each other.

She stood there with her head down for a while, silently thinking that she would definitely sort out those dark secrets of the Gu family one by one.

It's not for anything else, but to let those who are leaving go in peace, and even more so to make the future path of Wan-jie and Zhao-ge more secure.

She glanced at the memorial tablet again, but didn't say anything more, as if she felt she had said everything she needed to say, and all that was left was to do.

After tidying up the offerings, the two slowly left the Buddhist hall together.

Along the way, she encountered servants diligently performing their duties, and the orderly scene of the entire mansion being cleaned came into view. The outside world was peaceful, but only she knew in her heart that beneath the calm surface, Fri must be hiding a sinister plot that had spanned several years.

After seeing Lu Wan off, Jiang Wan had just walked back to the east courtyard corridor when she saw Qing He hurrying towards her from the moon gate, her steps quick and her face showing some hesitation.

"Madam, Aunt Zhou is requesting an audience. She says she has many stories from when the late Madam was alive and would like to tell you about them in detail in private."

Jiang Wan paused, a cloud of doubt rising in her heart.

She had just obtained the key fragment of the jade used in the Gu family's crime today, and then Aunt Zhou took the initiative to come to her door to talk about the Gu family's past.

Is this just a coincidence, or did Aunt Zhou sense something herself, or did someone secretly pass a message to her?