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

Ye Jiayao was also stunned for a moment, but obediently got up to invite someone.

Rong Yingluo took this opportunity to take Ke Miaoran's pulse again.

"Sister Ke was depressed before, and her body was quite depleted. It's a good time for her to take advantage of her pregnancy to make up for the deficiencies she had before."

"Women have a large appetite during pregnancy, so it's best to supplement their diet," Rong Yingluo instructed the doctor.

"Didn't you have pregnancy symptoms and couldn't eat anything?" Ke Miaoran knew that the woman was pregnant and vomiting so badly that she couldn't eat anything.

"That's only for a short period of time. If you really vomit too much, remember to tell me and I'll think of something to help you." Rong Yingluo knew that it was unavoidable.

Gu Qingling then realized that her sister-in-law actually knew medicine.

Gu Qingyin whispered in her ear, "You'd better not tell anyone that your sister-in-law knows medicine. She doesn't want anyone to know yet."

As the group chatted, Ye Jiayao and a woman nearing forty entered, followed by two young women.

It was Lady Lü, the fourth wife of the Qi family.

The Qi family had four branches in total. The first and second branches were born of the legitimate wife, while the third and fourth branches were born of concubines.

Madam Qi was kind and did not suppress her illegitimate son.

Both of his sons, born out of wedlock, held official positions.

After the old master and mistress passed away, the four brothers divided the family property, but they helped each other and lived as neighbors. The Qi family was a prominent family in the capital; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to marry the granddaughter of the imperial tutor.

Lady Qi, Zhao Ying, was the eldest daughter of the Zhao family, while the Empress was only the second daughter of the Zhao family. Before her marriage, the Empress's status was not as high as Lady Qi's.

"Sister-in-law, we have guests at home. Why didn't you let us know in advance? Your sister-in-law could have come and chatted with you all." Madam Lü said with a familiar smile.

"This must be the Prime Minister's wife. She is very beautiful. I pay my respects to the Prime Minister's wife." Madam Lü smiled and bowed to Rong Yingluo again.

"You're too kind, Fourth Madam." Rong Yingluo stood up and took Fourth Madam Qi's hand, naturally observing her face.

She has a cheerful personality, a round face, and a blessed appearance.

"Fourth sister-in-law, please sit down and talk. Liuli and my Miaoran are like sisters, so please don't stand on ceremony." Zhao Ying gestured for Madam Lü to sit down.

After Lady Lü sat down, Rong Yingluo introduced her to her two half-sisters.

At this moment, Rong Yingluo understood what Madam Qi meant by summoning the Fourth Madam.

Gu Qingyin and the other woman stood up and bowed to Madam Lü, both of them looking embarrassed.

Lady Lü observed that the two girls behaved appropriately, without the petty manners typical of daughters born out of wedlock. It seemed their birth mother had raised them very well.

Madam Lü warmly asked the two Miss Gu what they liked to do at home and what they enjoyed.

Both of them answered seriously.

Rong Yingluo also specifically mentioned that her third uncle was preparing to participate in the imperial examination, and Gu Ce was currently instructing him on how to study.

Lu Shi's gaze towards Gu Qingling became even more intense.

"Hui'er, you sisters, take the two Miss Gus to play in the courtyard. We adults need to have a chat." Zhao Ying said, seeing that her fourth sister-in-law had asked enough questions, and told her two nieces to take the girls out to play.

The two girls who followed Madam Lü in were Madam Lü's two daughters, one was fifteen years old and named Qi Xuehui, and the other was twelve years old and named Qi Yu'an.

Once the four girls left, only a few married women remained in the hall.

"Young Madam Gu, your two younger sisters are so beautiful and kind-hearted, especially your third uncle's daughter, Qingling, who is even more beautiful," Madam Lü praised.

"Yes. It's a pity that Third Aunt's social circle is relatively narrow, and she can't find a good family to marry into. Every mother hopes that her daughter will marry well. With Qingling coming of age soon, Third Uncle and Third Aunt are so worried that their hair is almost turning white." Rong Yingluo deliberately pretended to be distressed.

"That's right. My son is eighteen years old now. I wanted to arrange a marriage for him, but he just wouldn't agree. He insisted on waiting until after the imperial examination next year." Madam Lü sighed.

"Fourth sister-in-law, you have to let Zimo choose for himself. You just talk about how good a girl is, but he's never met her or had any contact with her. How can you expect him to agree?" Zhao Ying found it amusing.

Qi Zimo, the eldest son of the fourth wife, was as quiet and reserved as his name suggested. He didn't like to go out and make friends, so he didn't have many opportunities to meet girls, let alone fall in love with them.

"But I just can't get him to come out. He's still holed up at home studying. The Imperial Academy gave us a ten-day holiday today so the students could relax, but he's still glued to his books." Madam Lü was also extremely annoyed.

Just then, laughter and chatter came from the courtyard. It turned out that the four girls who had just gone out were playing cat's cradle.

Zhao Ying saw that the four girls were able to get along so quickly, which meant they were quite compatible.

Lady Lü also saw it.

"Fourth Madam, I'll be staying at the Qi residence until late afternoon today. How about having the two Miss Lüs take my two younger sisters to your residence for a visit?" Rong Yingluo offered a ladder to Rong Yingluo.

"Alright, alright, my two daughters are the youngest in the Qi family, and they don't have any playmates. Maybe they can become close friends." Madam Lü readily agreed.

The group exchanged smiles. Everything was understood without a word.

Lady Lü rose to take her leave.

Rong Yingluo also walked to the door: "Qingyin, Qingling, you two play with the two Miss Lüs. I want to talk to Sister Ke for a while."

Although the two found it strange, they obediently nodded.

Madam Lü stepped forward and said a few words of invitation. Her two daughters cooperated with their mother and successfully brought the two Miss Gus to their residence.

They didn't even need to leave the mansion; the fourth branch was right next to the first branch. They had opened up a courtyard gate, and from there they could go to the fourth branch.

Rong Yingluo watched the five people leave.

If the eldest son of the fourth wife really falls for Qingling, she will have formed another good relationship.

Although the fourth branch of the family was born out of wedlock, Master Qi, the fourth son, held an official position. Moreover, Uncle Gu, the third son, was also born out of wedlock and was not even a successful candidate in the imperial examinations.

Qingling is marrying into the fourth branch of the Qi family, which is a perfect match in terms of social standing. Moreover, the young master is studying hard to prepare for next year's imperial examination.

Being able to take the imperial examination at the age of eighteen shows that he is quite learned. Even if he doesn't pass the exam, he will still be a successful candidate in the provincial examination, and the Qi family will surely be able to arrange a job for him.

I hope that the fourth son, Zimo, will take a liking to Qingling.

"Mother, I've taken Rong-mei to my courtyard." Ke Miaoran had been waiting impatiently.

This is Rong Meimei's first official visit, so she can stay a little longer; she has so much to talk about with Rong Meimei.

"Your father just said he has something to discuss with Liuli. You and your sister-in-law should go arrange lunch first, and you can talk after lunch." Madam Qi remembered her husband's instructions; important matters came first.

"Sister Ke, I'm going to see Lord Qi first. I'll come back to find you later." Rong Yingluo comforted Ke Miaoran when she saw that she suddenly looked a little dejected.

Pregnant women need to be comforted.

Zhao Ying led Rong Yingluo to the study, where Qi Qianhe was already waiting impatiently.

"What's got you in such a hurry? I saw the cleaning lady in your study come to check on you twice already," Zhao Ying scolded playfully.

They would interrupt any conversation the women were having.

She saw the old woman look around twice in the hall just now, and she knew how anxious the master was.

"It's something His Majesty ordered us to do. He gave us ten days to find out who was behind the assassination of Princess Jinyang. I've only been a Vice Minister of Justice for a short time, and I feel inadequate in many matters. So I can only trouble Madam Gu for help." Qi Qianhe said somewhat embarrassedly.

Before being promoted to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Justice, he worked in the Ministry of Rites, a position completely different from his current one.

He has to start from scratch. The emperor gave them a deadline to have the Ministry of Justice find out who assassinated Princess Jinyang, but he has no leads at all.

"Lord Qi, do you have a target in mind?" Rong Yingluo asked.