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

"What?" Su slumped back in her chair in shock, her eyes vacant.

When was she poisoned? Why didn't she notice anything?

This shows how sophisticated the poisoner's methods were.

Su took a few deep breaths to calm the hatred in her heart.

"Doctor Wan, do you know how long I've been poisoned?" Madam Su asked. She had common sense; this kind of poison wouldn't take effect so quickly. She must have been poisoned a long time ago without realizing it.

"This kind of poison usually takes at least a month to produce such an effect," Dr. Wan estimated.

More than a month?

Very good, I have no other thoughts but the Rong family.

The Rong family had actually started retaliating against her so early on; at that time, she hadn't even guessed that the Rong family would poison her.

At this moment, Su was filled with regret.

The daughter-in-law she carefully selected was originally intended to humiliate Gu Ce, but she ended up marrying him a helper and bringing herself a formidable opponent.

She tried countless times, but never succeeded.

Now Gu Ce is still concerned about her and is protecting Rong Shi in every way.

She could no longer find an opportunity to make a move.

What to do? She's still under the influence of the poison. It's not life-threatening, but once her hair falls out, she'll have no face to leave the Duke's mansion.

"Someone, go and fetch Rong Shi here!" Madam Su gritted her teeth in anger and smashed several teacups.

This matter can only be resolved privately; it cannot be made public, otherwise the image of a loving mother that she has cultivated for so many years will completely collapse.

Physician Wan is a shrewd and experienced man. This kind of thing is clearly the work of the inner quarters, making it impossible to guard against.

The fact that the Duchess addressed the Crown Prince's wife as "Lady of the Heir Apparent" immediately revealed that it was the Crown Prince's wife who had poisoned her, demonstrating that the Crown Prince's wife was highly skilled in using poison.

"Imperial Physician Wan, once you leave this room today, do you know what you can and cannot say?" Madam Su warned, her eyes sharp.

"Don't worry, Madam Duchess, I'm here to treat your cold." Imperial Physician Wan has been in the Imperial Hospital for many years and has treated countless nobles. If he hadn't kept his mouth shut, the grass on his grave would probably have been replaced many times over.

Physician Wan took his leave.

However, the maid who went to invite Rong Yingluo hurriedly returned and said that the young mistress and the young master had gone out shopping.

Meanwhile, Rong Yingluo and Gu Ce were strolling around a jewelry shop.

Rong Yingluo wasn't particularly interested in buying jewelry, but Gu Ce insisted on bringing her in to take a look.

"So it's Prime Minister Gu and his wife. Please come in." The shopkeeper greeted them personally upon seeing that it was Gu Ce.

The most talked-about figure in the capital these past few days is none other than Gu Ce, the youngest prime minister of Southern Xia.

He became the top scholar in the imperial examination at the age of eighteen, was promoted to Vice Minister of Personnel at twenty-one, and at twenty-three, he reached the pinnacle of power, becoming the Prime Minister of the country. Historically, only two people have achieved this, and now another has emerged.

These past few days, the topic of Gu Ce has been all over teahouses and restaurants.

Some say he rose so quickly because he was favored by the emperor, while others say he bewitched the emperor. But what is talked about most is his dashing figure when he was the top scholar in the imperial examination and his romantic affairs with five wives.

His fifth wife survived for two months, thus dispelling his reputation as a jinx. Some even said that the new wife was resilient, rendering Gu Ce's reputation for bringing misfortune to his wives ineffective.

"Shopkeeper, display all the most beautiful jewelry in your shop for my wife to choose from." Gu Ce said generously.

"I'll get it for you two right away." The shopkeeper was overjoyed, knowing from Master Gu's tone that he was a big customer.

The innkeeper warmly invited the two to sit down on the second floor and served them hot tea.

"I already have jewelry, there's no need to buy any more." Rong Yingluo didn't care much about jewelry. Her family had prepared quite a lot for her when she got married. Although they were all prepared according to her eldest sister's preferences, she wasn't picky. Besides, the two of them looked alike, so what her eldest sister liked would also suit her well.

"It's alright. You've been married into the Gu family for so long, and I haven't bought you any jewelry yet. You can choose whatever you like today, and you can wear it when you go to the Zhao residence," Gu Ce said with a smile.

He heard from his colleagues that if you occasionally buy a gift for a woman, she will be very happy and will serve you even more attentively.

He also wanted to try and see if it was really as his colleagues said.

Rong Yingluo rarely saw him smile so gently, and she was a little unaccustomed to it. Since she was going to the Zhao residence to wear it, it was indeed necessary to choose a set of elegant jewelry.

When celebrating an elder's birthday, the jewelry you wear should be simple and not too flashy.

The shopkeeper personally brought over several brocade boxes: "Madam Prime Minister, these are all new products from our shop. We haven't shown them to anyone yet. The craftsmen have carefully designed and crafted them, taking a full three months."

As he spoke, the shopkeeper opened each box one by one.

It has headdress, necklace, waist ornament, jade pendant, and even shoe decorations embroidered on the shoes, with two exquisite pom-pom flowers.

This involves taking out a complete set of jewelry that the woman would wear.

Gu Ce had never accompanied a woman to buy jewelry before. He usually only saw the jewelry worn by women, so he was shocked to see such a complete set.

No wonder a woman dressed up so well can catch people's eye; it turns out she can use so many accessories to adorn herself.

He glanced at Rong Yingluo; she wore only a few simple pieces of jewelry, as if she had never dressed up in a formal manner.

When she entered the palace for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she only wore a slightly conspicuous dress and did not wear much jewelry.

His wife is truly unique; she doesn't care much about dressing up. Isn't it said that women dress up for those they love?

Is she not dressing up because she feels he doesn't like her?

This problem also troubled Gu Ce.

They are husband and wife, aren't they?

"Why are you staring at me like that?" Rong Yingluo felt his gaze.

Gu Ce did not answer her. Instead, he took a hairpin with a twisted branch from a brocade box, twirled it twice, and gently placed it in Rong Yingluo's hair.

The exquisite butterfly tassels swayed gently, instantly adding to Rong Yingluo's vitality.

"It looks great," Gu Ce praised.

However, Rong Yingluo raised her hand, took it down, and put it back in the box.

"Shopkeeper, do you have any headdresses shaped like fairies?" Rong Yingluo asked.

The shopkeeper was taken aback. Jewelry designs are usually inspired by flowers, birds, fish, and insects; it's rare for someone to design jewelry based on deities.

"We don't have that at the moment." The shopkeeper quickly recovered. "If Mrs. Gu likes it, we can make a set of headdresses designed in the style of a fairy, just according to your needs."

"Really?" Rong Yingluo was delighted. "Then bring me paper and pen, and I'll draw a picture for you myself."

Rong Yingluo used to make hairpins with designs she drew herself, and her favorite design was a flying fairy.

The headdress that Master used was also designed and made by her, using patterns related to various True Lords, among which the image of Erlang Shen was Master's favorite.

The shopkeeper went to fetch brush and ink, and Rong Yingluo began to paint in front of the two of them.

It was the first time Gu Ce had seen her paint, and he watched her intently.

Rong Yingluo's painting skills are not bad.

Every stroke of hers was fluid and graceful, as if the brush and her hand were one. She painted extremely fast, never stopping except when dipping her brush in ink.

Few people can achieve such skill.

Gu Ce was filled with admiration; he himself might not have been able to do it.

When Rong Yingluo finally put down her brush, the shopkeeper exclaimed in amazement, "My goodness, Madam Gu, your work is absolutely stunning! And although the jewelry you've drawn hasn't been made yet, I can only imagine how beautiful it will be!"

"Can it be made within five days?" Gu Ce asked, hoping she could wear it as soon as possible.

"This..." The shopkeeper hesitated. Making a complete set in five days was really too difficult, unless he found two more masters.

"Money is not a problem." Gu Ce's smile faded, replaced by a hint of intimidation.

"Yes, definitely," the shopkeeper immediately assured him.

"Liuli, I think this set is also very beautiful, why don't we buy it too?" Gu Ce pointed to the set on the table.

"Lord Gu, I took a liking to this set yesterday, and I brought the money to pick it up today." Suddenly, a female voice broke into their ears.