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

As time went on, Rong Yingluo's expression grew increasingly grim: "She really knows how to use poison effectively. This poison has been in your body for at least ten years. It's called Qianji San. As long as you don't take the suppressant medicine she prepared for you in time, you will die in agony."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Feng immediately knelt down: "Young Madam, I beg you, save me. I don't want to be controlled by the Duchess any longer. I'm willing to be a knife in your hand to get rid of the Duchess."

Since you married into the Duke's mansion, she must have attacked you many times, but you couldn't find any evidence, and you couldn't do anything about it, right? As long as you have this concubine as a witness, you can definitely make her die a horrible death.

Aunt Feng hated Madam Su to the core.

Tears streamed down her sorrowful face.

"Young Madam, please, save me." She clung to Rong Yingluo's legs as if grasping at a straw, looking utterly pitiful.

Seeing her crying so sadly, Rong Yingluo bent down and helped her sit up.

"Tell me, did you help Su Shi kill the four young mistresses who died earlier, or did she do it herself?" Rong Yingluo wanted to know how many heinous things Aunt Feng had done. If she had been forced to do too many wrong things, then she would not help her.

Everything in this world has a cause and effect; she offended Heaven and was bound to be punished.

"No, no. Those young mistresses were too weak and easily fell into the Duchess's trap."

I only relayed messages a few times; I did not directly participate in the poisoning.

I was poisoned by the Duke because I wanted to go to the border to stay with him. I was then confined to the Duke's mansion for a long time, where I helped her deal with some of the old lady's former confidants.

But I have never taken anyone's life. I have only bullied a few servants by taking advantage of the Duchess's power.

"This time she sent me to poison you. I guess she couldn't kill you no matter what, so she wanted someone like me, who has never met you before, to do it so you wouldn't be on guard. Besides, the medicine isn't ingested, but sprinkled on the bed, making it even more difficult to defend against." Aunt Feng figured it out last night.

Rong Yingluo saw that her attitude of surrendering was quite proper, but she couldn't believe her so quickly.

This is something I need to think about carefully.

"I can indeed cure the poison in your body, but it's a bit tricky, and I don't have the antidote on hand. I still need to collect the necessary medicinal materials."

Yesterday I saw that your face looked lifeless, but it's gone today. You must have taken medication to suppress it yesterday. You won't be in any danger for the next three months.

Once I've gathered all the medicinal herbs, I'll detoxify you all at once.

During this time, you must do as I say.

On the surface, you are still the same as before.

You can come to my place more often lately. On the surface, it's mainly to befriend me, but your real purpose is to find an opportunity to drug me.

Once you've successfully drugged her, distance yourself from me and report back to Madam Su. Rong Yingluo wanted to use this time to see if Aunt Feng was truly as she claimed, completely subservient to her.

"Thank you so much, young mistress." Aunt Feng was moved to tears and was about to kneel down again, but Rong Yingluo helped her up.

"Yinghong, use a hot towel to soothe Aunt Feng's eyes," Rong Yingluo instructed.

Aunt Feng was crying and sobbing, her eyes were already swollen, and if she went out like this, people would definitely see it.

Yinghong brought over a basin of hot water and had Aunt Feng tilt her head back so she could apply a hot compress.

Rong Yingluo picked up the persimmon cakes that Aunt Feng had brought and began to eat them.

Only the one Aunt Feng handed her was smeared with arsenic; the rest were clean.

I haven't had this in a long time, I'm craving it.

When Gu Ce returned home after finishing his work that evening, he saw some dried persimmons on the table and, being greedy, picked one up and ate it: "Did Aunt Feng bring these back from Huizhou?"

"Yes, she gave me a lot of little trinkets. Isn't this chubby doll cute?" Rong Yingluo was playing with a ceramic doll in her hand.

The craftsmanship is excellent; the piece is remarkably lifelike.

Gu Ce walked to Rong Yingluo's side and took the chubby baby from her hand.

Having been held in her hands for a long time, it absorbed Rong Yingluo's body temperature and wasn't as cold as expected.

"You like this chubby baby?" Gu Ce asked meaningfully.

"It's so cute, of course I like it," Rong Yingluo replied casually, simply admiring a finely crafted ornament.

"Wouldn't you like to have such a cute child?" Gu Ce looked at the woman beside him with even deeper eyes, his deep and magnetic voice carrying infinite allure.

Rong Yingluo's smiling face froze, then she became stunned.

She'd have a child of her own? She'd never even considered that.

She's a Taoist priest, how could she have children?

"You can't joke like that. How could I possibly have a child? You can't disturb my resolve. My heart belongs only to Laozi." Rong Yingluo said hurriedly, regaining her senses.

"You've really taken your shamanistic act seriously now? I'm serious. If you want a child, I can give you one." Gu Ce's eyes flickered as he said this, knowing that his words implied he was trying to seduce his wife.

"What do you mean by that?" Rong Yingluo was a little confused. She was just playing with a porcelain doll, how did it turn into talking about him wanting to give her a child?

"It means exactly what it says." Gu Ce's flickering eyes hardened.

If she gets pregnant with his child, will she forget about the agreement?

The more I think about it, the more I realize that this is a good idea.

But he needs to wait for the right opportunity; he's not that ruthless.

"Gu Ce, have you forgotten that our agreement didn't mention having children?" Rong Yingluo finally understood what Gu Ce meant. She stopped calling him "husband" and started calling him by his full name.

Left with no other choice, she signed an unequal agreement to get a divorce, and now she even wants her to have a child—she's really pushing her luck.

They had spent two months together, and she thought they were at least friends. How dare this guy have designs on her body? Absolutely not! She was a Taoist priest, a person outside the secular world. How could she betray her faith in Laozi?

Gu Ce's gaze turned cold, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed Rong Yingluo's arm, pulling her down. Caught off guard, Rong Yingluo was pulled into his arms and ended up sitting on his lap.

Aside from the time she was injured during a horse race, when Gu Ce hugged her, they had never been this intimate since.

At night, Gu Ce would quietly move closer to her, but he never dared to hold her while sleeping.

At this moment, Gu Ce's anger surged.

"Gu Ce, what are you doing?" Rong Yingluo struggled to get up, but Gu Ce held her waist tightly.

Gu Ce had never hugged a woman like this before; the intimate physical contact made his face flush.

A strange feeling instantly spread throughout my body. The anger in my heart also dissipated somewhat because of this strange feeling.

Rong Yingluo wanted to struggle again, but the difference between men and women meant that her strength was far inferior to Gu Ce's.

Gu Ce was not a weak scholar, but rather someone skilled in both literature and martial arts.

Helpless, she had no choice but to stop struggling and simply sit in a man's lap. This was the first time in her life, and it was incredibly awkward.

"Let me go!" That was all she could say in protest.

"Liuli, we are husband and wife. We have bowed to heaven and earth, and our marriage is ordained by imperial decree," Gu Ce emphasized.

"I know, but didn't we agree that once I fulfilled the agreement, you would request a divorce?" Rong Yingluo brought up their agreement again.

Gu Ce froze. Why did she keep bringing up that agreement?

"Are you still thinking about your fiancé?" Gu Ce pulled her closer, his anger rising again.

The two have been married for two months and share a bed every night. How come she doesn't have any feelings for him at all? Her fiancé is just a merchant. How could he, the heir of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion and now the prime minister of the country, be inferior to a merchant?