After being forced into a marriage with a wealthy family, the virtuous wife caused a huge uproar.

She wasn't even dead yet, and they'd already seized her dowry; they must have known she was going to die.

But she just wouldn't die.

"This servant is unaware. The steward of the Gu family only said to leave it in the next courtyard for now. If Miss needs anything, she can go to the steward to get the key."

"Okay, I understand. You don't need to worry about this." Rong Yingluo already knew what to do.

Su was unaware of her abilities; the lock was useless to her, and she could easily get in if she wanted to.

She wasn't in a hurry to take her dowry; the banknotes and land deeds given to her by her family were still in her own hands. Her mother simply told her to take them with her when she got into the bridal sedan chair.

It seems the parents had already guessed the Gu family's purpose.

When Yinghong returned with her meal, Rong Yingluo, not being so strict, had the two maids eat with her.

She started eating first, and thankfully the food wasn't tampered with.

After the meal, Rong Yingluo gently took off the bracelet from her wrist and examined it closely.

As a Taoist priest, she didn't know much about women's jewelry, so she couldn't accurately estimate its value.

"Miss, this is a fine item, worth at least a thousand taels." Granny Zhu also examined it carefully.

She was the young lady's wet nurse and had seen many good things while working alongside her.

A bracelet worth one thousand taels is considered to be of superior quality.

How generous! She's trying to make her reluctant to take it off. Rong Yingluo immediately understood Su's intention.

"Granny Zhu, soak this bracelet in vinegar for two hours, then simmer it over low heat for half an hour. Repeat this process three times, then bring it to me to wear."

"Is there something wrong with this bracelet?" Granny Zhu exclaimed in surprise. Why has Miss been wearing it for so long?

"That's right, wearing it for a long time can cause infertility," Rong Yingluo stated regarding the bracelet's effects.

"My goodness, what kind of place is this Duke Zhenguo's mansion? If Miss doesn't know medicine, won't she fall into their trap?" Granny Zhu said, heartbroken.

Yinghong had just been reprimanded outside, so she wasn't surprised, but her eyes still reddened.

"Therefore, Granny, you must keep a close eye on this courtyard. We are now living under the watchful eyes of others, so we must be careful in everything we do." Rong Yingluo stopped there.

Having lived most of her life, Granny Zhu had seen and heard many things, so she naturally understood the meaning behind her words.

Granny Zhu immediately went out and asked her son to secretly fetch two catties of vinegar and bring it in.

The family of three were servants of a prostitute. They had to do everything the prostitute asked of them to do so in order to survive.

Rong Yingluo took a nap, and then Yinghong brought back the message.

"Miss, Miss Gu is really sick, and she has developed a high fever. She probably won't be able to leave the house for several days," Yinghong reported excitedly.

She finally understood why the young lady had talked so much and stalled for time on the curved bridge earlier; it turned out that she wanted to let the young lady of the Gu family enjoy the breeze a little longer.

The second young lady is truly amazing. If the eldest young lady had married into the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, she would have been thoroughly schemed against and would have had a very difficult time surviving.

The study room in the outer courtyard.

Gu Ce was reading official documents.

He was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Because of his marriage, the Emperor granted him three days off. Although he did not need to go to the government office, he still had a lot of official documents to handle every day, so he had to have his subordinates take them back to his residence for approval.

But even with the official document in his hand, he couldn't concentrate on reading a single word.

The woman he married this time was different from any of his previous wives.

The women he had married in the past all wanted to win his favor and ask for his protection.

Knowing full well that marrying him might mean certain death, they still married him, hoping to gain the chance to become duchesses.

The fact that Rong committed suicide after learning that he was the man she was to marry shows that she never wanted to marry him.

But Rong's performance from yesterday to today surprised him greatly. They didn't show any fear of him and even revealed their strength to him.

Since she had the ability to protect herself, she should have been very confident in surviving in the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, so why did she commit suicide?

Suicide is also a violation of the imperial edict.

Or perhaps, one of his enemies deliberately used such a woman to lure him in, then seized the opportunity to deliver a fatal blow?

He could have entered the court as an official without taking the imperial examination, but his father insisted that he must take the examination to become an official and refused to let him go to the border to defend against the enemy.

He passed the imperial examination with top honors before he was eighteen years old, and entered the imperial court. In just six years, he rose to the position of Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Although his merit in saving the emperor was one reason, his own abilities were also evident to all.

He had offended many people over the years. He strongly suspected that Rong was someone his political enemy had deliberately arranged to approach him.

Such women are usually specially trained and are completely different from ordinary women confined to their homes.

Just as he was deep in thought, Zhong Sheng returned.

"Young Master, have you found out the details?" Zhong Sheng had inquired about the Rong family a couple of days ago, but only superficially. Today, he inquired in more detail.

"Speak." Gu Ce put down the folding book.

"Miss Rong was already engaged to a businessman, but he only started doing business in the last two years. He has a business relationship with the Rong family, and we haven't found out his background yet. He's not from the capital."

The two were in love and were to get married in six months. Suddenly, the Duchess of the State requested an imperial decree to grant them the marriage. Unable to bear the blow, she committed suicide by poisoning herself in a fit of anger.

Just before the wedding procession, she suddenly woke up, as if she had suddenly come to a realization, and willingly got into the bridal sedan chair. "Zhong Sheng said.

"Have you found out anything about her personality traits?" Gu Ce asked.

"Miss Rong has a gentle and mild personality, never makes enemies, and is also kind-hearted."

The Rong family elders doted on her, hiring tutors to teach her from a young age, and she became known as a talented woman.

The Rong family head even had her dress up as a man and take her out to check on the business of the shops.

"Miss Rong is quite good at accounting and is a capable assistant to the Rong family head," Zhong Sheng continued to report.

"But the woman I saw was completely different from what you described." Gu Ce fell into deep thought.

How can a person's personality suddenly change?

Could it be that the real Miss Rong was already dead when she committed suicide, and was possessed by a ghost?

Otherwise, how can we explain such a big change in her?

"Zhong Sheng, ask around again. Is there anyone in the capital like Rong Liuli who suddenly changed their personality?" Gu Ce wanted to find an example to support his bold conjecture.

Incredible.

"Yes, Your Highness." Zhong Sheng withdrew and immediately went to inquire.

Zhong Sheng didn't return until dark. He spent some money to hire many people to inquire about the matter.

"Your Highness, after inquiring all afternoon, I've never heard of anyone in the capital who is like the one you described. Unless they've experienced a major shock and developed hysteria, but that would be madness, not a change in personality," Zhong Sheng said truthfully.

Gu Ce found his own conjecture amusing; how could there possibly be such a thing as being possessed by a ghost? It seemed he was suffering from hysteria.

Then there's only one possibility: the woman he married might not be the real Rong Liuli.

The real Rong Liuli is very likely dead.

The Rong family is incredibly audacious; they actually dared to use another woman to replace their own daughter.

We'll find out if his guess is true when he returns to his parents' home tomorrow.

"Your Highness, it's getting late. Would you like to return to the inner courtyard?" Zhong Sheng reminded him, seeing that his master showed no intention of going back to the bridal chamber.

"Do you think I should go back to the inner courtyard?"

"I spoke out of turn," Zhong Sheng said, slapping his own mouth.

The prince married four wives, but he never managed to consummate the marriage with any of them. Either the marriage was delayed or someone prevented it from happening.

If the prince really returns to the inner courtyard, something will surely happen that prevents him from consummating his marriage. It's better for him to stay in the outer courtyard.

But as midnight approached, Gu Ce couldn't resist going back to the inner courtyard to see the woman. When he climbed into the bridal chamber, he found that there was no one in bed.