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

Rong Yingluo was startled when she first saw her appearance.

Get up.

Jin Zier stood up shakily, but kept her head down and dared not look up at anyone.

"What's wrong with you?" Rong Yingluo asked curiously.

"This servant... This servant is new to the Duke's mansion and doesn't know the rules, so I was punished," Jin Zier stammered, telling the truth.

"So, have you learned the rules now?" Rong Yingluo curled her lips.

"I was ignorant and arrogant before. From now on, I will listen to my master." Jin Zier has been living in misery these past few days.

Granny Ye watched her every word and action, constantly instructing her on how to be a proper servant. Any slight mistake would result in punishment.

In just ten days, she was beaten countless times.

She finally understood that to survive in a wealthy family, one had to know the rules, listen to the master, and be careful with one's words and actions.

"Good that you understand. Come with me." Rong Yingluo was just teaching her a lesson; she only needed to learn some manners. She wasn't someone she wanted to use, so there was no need to teach her too well.

The next day.

Rong Yingluo wrote a letter, with a piece of Jin Zier's jade pendant tucked inside.

It was given to her by Yuwentai.

Yuwentai had just been released from confinement yesterday, and he couldn't wait to leave the mansion.

He met Jin Zier through a waiter at the inn where her father worked.

Yuwen Tai, mindful of his status, would never go directly to a family like the Jin family.

He and Jin Zier always agreed to have that errand boy bring the person over. That errand boy had received benefits from Yuwen Tai and would always use various excuses to take the person out of the Jin family.

But when the waiter went to the Jin family again today, he found that the family had moved away ten days ago. No wonder Old Man Jin hadn't been to the kitchen for so many days.

Upon receiving this news, Yuwen Tai was devastated and immediately ordered an investigation to find out what had happened.

After a morning of investigation, it was learned that Jin Zier's eldest brother had gambled heavily in the past few days, losing the entire Jin family. The whole family had been sold into slavery and their whereabouts were now unknown.

Yuwentai left two guards outside to continue searching for Jin Zier's whereabouts, while he returned to the palace in a sullen mood.

Just then, the doorman delivered a letter addressed to him.

He pulled out the letter, and a jade pendant fell out—the very peony jade pendant he had given to Jin Zier.

Startled, his hand trembled, and the jade pendant almost fell to the ground.

After reading the letter again, I arranged to meet him at Honghao Building the next day.

The letter was clearly not written by Jin Zier.

At this moment, Yuwen Tai felt that his little secret had been discovered, and that the other party was planning to use Jin Zier to scheme against him.

But he and Jin Zier had only been together for a little over two months, and were deeply in love. He really couldn't bear to give up this relationship.

I finally decided to go and see for myself.

November 28th.

Jin Zier's facial injuries have almost healed, and with a little rouge, they are barely noticeable.

Rong Yingluo had Yinghong do her hair and makeup properly and put some jewelry on her.

This outfit greatly enhanced her appearance; no wonder even Yuwentai, who was used to seeing beautiful women, had his eye on her.

"Jin Zi'er, can you tell me about your mother?" Rong Yingluo suddenly asked.

Jin Zier looks very much like her mother and has inherited her mother's beauty.

Women with such beauty would find it difficult to live an ordinary life in the common world, as they would easily be targeted by powerful people who would then take them for themselves.

Unless you are very good at hiding yourself.

"Reporting to Your Majesty, my mother was a government slave. Later, when the Emperor ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty, my mother was freed from slavery and married my father."

When my father was young, he worked as a bodyguard. During one of his missions, he saved my mother, and she followed him back to the capital. She gave birth to my brother and a maid, but my mother suffered too much and her health was always poor, so she rarely went out.

She often talked about the illustrious life of my maternal grandfather's family, and her greatest hope was that the servants and her brother could live a good life.

That's why I deliberately seduced Young Master Wen, hoping to climb the social ladder and live the life my mother longed for.

"It's only been a few days since I entered the Duke's mansion that I truly realized how naive I had been." Jin Zier was completely awake now.

She was a commoner woman who could barely read or write, not even as well-educated as a maid in a wealthy household.

How can one talk about climbing the social ladder?

After hearing this, Rong Yingluo finally understood why the Jin family's wife was so beautiful and had given birth to such a lovely daughter.

She was originally the daughter of a disgraced official.

Old Man Jin had also worked as a bodyguard, which means he had some martial arts skills, which is why he was able to protect his family until now.

"Let's go. Today I'll take you to see Yuwen Tai. Do as I say, and I guarantee you'll be able to enter the Xuan Prince's residence," Rong Yingluo instructed.

"This servant knows what to do." Jin Zier already understood that she was a pawn that her master had placed in the Xuan Prince's mansion.

She recognized her true identity.

Rong Yingluo brought Yinghong and Jin Zier to Honghao Tower, where Yuwen Tai had already arrived.

He didn't know who wanted to see him, so he kept an eye on the diners entering Honghao Restaurant.

The servant stood on the second floor looking down until he saw Jin Zier following behind Rong Yingluo. He was shocked and immediately went into the private room to report to his master.

"Young Master, Miss Jin has arrived. She, she, she came with Madam Gu." The servant was so surprised that he stammered.

"What?" Yuwen Tai never expected that Rong Yingluo had bought the person.

Because of Gu Qingya's matter, he made such a huge fool of himself in the palace and was even punished by his imperial uncle.

I've cursed the Gu family countless times in my mind these past few days.

He wasn't so resentful when Gu Qingya was with his sister before, but now that both siblings have suffered greatly at the hands of the Gu family, he dislikes every member of the Gu family.

Rong Yingluo leisurely led her two maids into the private room where Yuwentai was.

Yuwentai didn't look at anyone else; his eyes were fixed on Jin Zier.

He had never seen Jin Zier dressed so beautifully. She was more beautiful than any flower. Even in simple clothes, she could captivate him. Dressed up, she was even more radiant and charming, and every move she made was alluring.

"Greetings, Prince Xuan." Rong Yingluo greeted him, but received no response. "Prince?"

The servant gently tugged at his master.

"This servant greets Prince Xuan." Jin Zier and Yinghong bowed together, which brought the stunned Yuwentai back to his senses.

"you....."

"Young Master Wen... Waaah..." Jin Zier could no longer hold back her tears when she saw the person she had been longing for day and night.

She still harbored a sliver of illusion that her master was lying to her, and that the young master Wen she had been meeting in secret was just an ordinary rich young man, not the powerful heir of the Xuanwang Mansion.

And at that moment, she actually saw the young master who had embraced and kissed her—it really was the noble Crown Prince Xuan. Her illusions were shattered.

She was saddened that her status was not worthy of such a noble status.

She was heartbroken that the Crown Prince Xuan could not give her a formal title.

She was heartbroken that he was nowhere to be found when she needed him most.

Yuwen Tai rushed to Jin Zier, wanting to embrace her as before, but remembering Rong Yingluo's presence, he suppressed his impulse: "Zier, don't cry."

But Jin Zi didn't care about any of that. She threw herself into Yuwen Tai's arms and cried even harder: "Young Master Wen, Zi'er missed you so much."

Yuwentai comforted Jin Zier for a while before she stopped crying.

"Young Madam Gu, how much? Name your price. I will buy Zi'er." Yuwen Tai directly demanded to buy her.